In 2009, I was finishing my Black Hills Brotherhood trilogy for Intrigue and hoping I could return to New Orleans as a setting for my next books. I spoke with my editor at RWA Nationals and pitched an idea that was beginning to gel in the back of my mind. I think I actually created the pitch as I was saying it.
Huey P. Long
One of the most infamous politicians in American history is Huey P. Long of Louisiana. He used all sorts of illegal and unethical tactics to get what he wanted as governor and in the Louisiana senate, but he was always popular among the voters. I’ve often wondered what the lives of the children and grandchildren of such a man would be like. So I created a fictitious politician named Con Delancey and gave him 10 grandchildren (including a bastard son), plus a great-niece.
Con Delancey of Chef Voleur, Louisiana, was one of the state’s most infamous politicians. His grandchildren are grown now and must live with his scandalous legacy. Each one of them has a past and a secret. And each one has a story.
The Delancey Mansion in Chef Voleur
I sent in a proposal and within a short time I heard back. They loved the idea and wanted to do all eleven books as The Delancey Dynasty.
Con Delancey’s grandkids include cops, private investigators, military and attorneys, despite the fact that each one of them received a substantial inheritance from their grandfather.
There’s an overarching mystery that runs through the books—Who really killed Con Delancey? Although his personal assistant went to prison for his murder, the man declared his innocence until the day he died. With the final two books in the series, Sanctuary in Chef Voleur (July) and Blood Ties in Chef Voleur (August,) that mystery is solved, amidst kidnappings, murder and two very steamy, very moving love stories.
Outdoor cafe from Her Bodyguard
Sanctuary in Chef Voleur hit shelves on July 1, and the final Delancey book, Blood Ties in Chef Voleur will be released on August 1. An incredibly fun thing I did to celebrate the release of these two final books was to throw a live on-air release party on June 25, 8-10 pm, on Blogtalk Radio’s Hummingbird Place, Your Home for Romance. It was SO much fun talking about my mini-series, all my characters and how I went about writing an 11 book series. But the most fun was being live on BlogTalk Radio with the host, Donna Wright. She’s an amazing host. I was nervous about having enough to say to fill up two hours, but we actually ran out of time—which wasn’t a bad thing, because the reason was all the call-ins and questions from listeners. Some of the things we talked about were:
- keeping up with everybody in a multi-book series,
- my favorite hero and heroine,
- the ending that made me cry,
- the book that took place in one night,
- the goriest beginning I’ve ever written,
- the heroes and heroines who get themselves into impossible situations and expect me to get them out, and much much more.
I gave away a lot of swag and got to talk to some fans I’d never met or spoken to, and I got to discuss what might be the best experience I’ve had writing. Putting together eleven books about one family was a daunting task for me. I’ve written three book mini-series, but this was different. I truly feel as though I know each of these couples and am friends with them.
Tarot reader in Jackson Square, Like Rose from Death of a Beauty Queen
A great thing about BlogTalk Radio and Hummingbird Place is that the programs are archived. So, although you may have missed the live broadcast, you can listen to us and all the fun we had at BlogTalk Radio, The Hummingbird Place Archives. I invite you stop by and find out just how much fun we had. Go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hummingbirdplace/2014/06/26/delancey-dynasty-release-party  And keep an eye on Hummingbird Place. Donna is having more release parties with some of your favorite authors. Meanwhile, check out my Delancey Dynasty mini-series on harlequin.com or amazon.com and other e-outlets. My 10th Delancey book, Sanctuary in Chef Voleur is on shelves now and the final Delancey book, Blood Ties in Chef Voleur will hit shelves August 1.
Visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMalloryKane, on Twitter: twitter.com/mallorykane, and on my web page (under construction, excuse my mess) at mallorykane.com.
Mallory
