Gritty Historical Novels

by Denise A. Agnew

Romance novels have a happy ending, and that’s one of the reasons why I love them. That doesn’t mean that I don’t like a novel with grit. You know, the type of novel that really is heart-wrenching, makes you think something seriously bad is happening to the hero and heroine and that they will have to fight for their lives and their happiness.

While I love writing contemporary novels, I’ve found my true voice in historical romance. Here I feel like I can sink my teeth into everything dramatic, romantic.

Research isn’t something I shy from when I’m researching a historical novel. In fact, it’s one of the elements I find compelling. Not only do I discover what I need to accurately portray the people and times for that novel, I love learning about a new time period and place.

Historical novels are calling on me at all levels lately. In summer 2010, Samhain Publishing released a reprint of my Jack The Ripper novel (original title Midnight Rose) under the title Dark, Deadly Love. On January 4, 2011 Samhain released For A Roman’s Heart. Both novels have stunning covers! Thank you to the wonderful artist Kanaxa. In June of 2011 Samhain released Before The Dawn and it also has a beautiful cover. Each novel started with a kernel of an idea and blossomed into a story I loved writing.

And what about the future? I have six…count ‘em…six historical novels either in the works or in the idea stages. The six are broken into two separate trilogies but they all involve paranormal elements.

Here’s a tidbit of BEFORE THE DAWN to tantalize you.

A fallen woman must decide to stay down, or rise and fight…

Elijah McKinnon has been found innocent of a heinous murder, but it doesn’t erase the hellish years in prison he endured. He boards the train to Pittsburgh a changed man, certain he will never feel free until he’s wreaked revenge on the brother who ruined his life.

The passenger who catches his eye is intriguing, but he’s seen her kind before. The kind who puts on airs—and looks down on Irishmen. Still, he can’t seem to stop himself from stepping between her and a pack of ruthless cads.

Mary Jane Lawson is grateful for the handsome stranger’s help, but her journey has a higher purpose: to rise above her shattered reputation and declare her independence, come flood or famine. Propriety says she should refuse Elijah’s suggestion they pose as husband and wife—for her own protection, of course. Her practical side says it won’t hurt to pretend, just this once.

Come nightfall, though, their little charade must be carried all the way to shared sleeping quarters, where their vulnerabilities become painfully clear. And when danger past and present threatens, trusting each other becomes a matter of life and death.

Product Warnings: A hot Irish accent mixed with high adventure may cause combustion. Beware of falling for this hunk. The heroine says he’s hers.

She stumbled along in his wake, no energy to ask why they pushed onward into the woods where no one from the train could help them. Thinking that far ahead caused more trepidation, so she concentrated on planting one shoe in front of the other. After what seemed an endless time, a rocky outcropping and massive hill rose in front of them.

“Thank the saints.” He tugged her forward. “Here.” He released her hand long enough to shove aside shrubbery and reveal a tall opening. She saw his throat work as he swallowed hard. “Damnation. I don’t want to go in here, but we must. I’ll go first, you follow.”

His voice snapped like a general, and she flinched. His eyes went hard, unyielding.
Read the rest of this entry »

A new contest is here with a very cool prize!

What can you win?
This lovely book dragon that I purchased as a pair from my favorite curio shop. It’s small, but beautifully detailed.

What do you have to do?
Post comments on my blog or my Facebook page. Every comment you make over the next two weeks will count as one entry. How easy is that?

The contest ends July 18th!

And since you need something to start your commenting with other than, “It’s so cute!”, here’s a question…

If you had a great voice and had the opportunity to record a duet with any singer living today, whom would you choose as your partner for the recording?

The Promo Ho and Cabbage Rose Fairy contests continue! See details here! ~DD

Thanks to Delilah for having me on her blog again! I always love visiting here. And I went all fangirl when I met her at RT. (Hope I didn’t make a fool of myself!)

Yesterday my latest book came out. Restraining the Receptionist is a follow-up to Training the Receptionist. A lot of people tell me this series reminds them of the movie Secretary. (Not to be confused with Secretariat, which would be truly disturbing.) Secretary, which I loved, is about a lawyer who hires a troubled young woman. Their relationship turns intimate in a BDSM kind of way – it’s never spelled out in those terms, but they’re playing with the power dynamics of the boss/secretary relationship, and falling in love in the process.

I can see the resemblance, given the office setting and the BDSM element. But there are many differences. First of all, tone. Dana, my heroine, is sassy and quick with a comeback, whereas Maggie Gyllenhall’s character was on the depressed side. Maggie had only one boss, James Spader. He was more than enough, by the way. The two of them smoked up the screen.

But Dana has two bosses. In Restraining the Receptionist, she already has a strong, loving, trusting relationship with Simon, who trained her in the first book. But Ethan is the senior partner and not accustomed to taking second place. He’s going to pull out all the stops to win a place for himself in Dana’s heart. And when he sets his mind to something, watch out. But he’s taking a chance … what will happen to their blissful triangle when Dana and Ethan get in deeper than they intended?

Despite the major differences between my Receptionist books and Secretary, I’m honored by the association. And I can’t help thinking, what if they made a Receptionist movie? Who could do as good a job as Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader?

So, here are my picks. For the strong but tender, green-eyed Simon: sexy Clive Owen.

For the blond, blue-eyed, force of nature Ethan: the one and only Daniel Craig.

And for lucky Dana, I’m leaning toward Emma Stone. Someone with a lot of spunk, who can handle two dominant men like Simon and Ethan.

Of course, the only way they’d make a Receptionist movie would be as a training manual for how not to behave at work. But hey, I can dream, right?

Restraining the Receptionist is available now from Samhain Publishing. (Click on the cover to purchase!)

And if you leave me a comment – I love comments! –
I’ll put you in the drawing for a $5 Amazon gift certificate.

Yes, admire that image—the dark sky full of ominous portent, the hero tenderly shielding the heroine, the woman clinging to her man…

Okay, so it’s one of my stories. You know she’s going to give a bit of fight. And this time, she’s the one in the duster. Here’s what the story’s all about…

The best defense is no match for desire this hot…

Kate McKinnon’s Sanctuary is an island of refuge in a western frontier shrouded in post-apocalyptic chaos. Her only escape from her crushing responsibilities is occasional radio contact with other pockets of survivors. Especially one man whose deep, raspy voice cuts through her exhaustion, straight to her heart. A man whose face she has only imagined.

When she and her ranch hands are surrounded by renegades, she doesn’t recognize the leader of the militaristic band that rescues them, but knows that voice.

Ty Bennett is already half in love with the human woman whose voice haunts his dreams. His impulsive offer to add muscle to the Sanctuary’s defenses is dangerous to them both. Helping her may redeem some of his sins, but proximity only increases his hunger to possess her—body, soul…and blood.

Without hesitation, she welcomes Ty and his men into the Sanctuary…only to discover the reason why they only ride at night. Yet the survival instinct that screams at her to drive them off is no match for Ty’s seductive powers. Or the need for protection from the threat that howls at Sanctuary’s gates.

Warning: Expect a dark, violent world where a vampire driven by uncontrollable lusts strikes a bargain with a strong woman willing to succumb to the carnal pleasures only a vampire can provide.

Read an excerpt

I have two new contests. Both contests end June 27th!

1) The Cabbage Rose Fairy Contest

What can you win?
The last of the lovely fairy journals I purchased to share. It has a velveteen cover, heavy, stock blank paper and artwork sure to thrill you every time you reach for it!

What do you have to do?
Post comments on my blog and or her Facebook page. Every comment you make over the next two weeks will count as one entry. How easy is that?

2) The Promo Ho Contest

What can you win?
I’m giving away one $50.00 Amazon.com gift certificate.

What do you have to do to enter?
See the covers below? These books are in sore need of online reviews by happy readers. So I’m offering a tempting bribe. You know there won’t be as many entries for this contest as for the last one, but wouldn’t you like to have some cash to spend on new books? And who knows? Maybe you already have these stories sitting on your TBR pile. Time to move them to the top!

Give a review for one of these stories on one of the online bookstores. Send me the link at del…@delilahdevlin.com. It can be the same review on three different sites, but send me three separate messages with the different links. Doesn’t matter if the review is on the Samhain’s or Ellora’s Cave’s website, Smashwords, Amazon, Nook—send me the link to the review. Easy as that.

Did you know I have a book releasing tomorrow at Samhaim? One that includes two of my very favorite things—cowboys and vampires? The story is available for pre-order now at a reduced price. Click on the cover to read more!

As many of my cowboy adventures are, the story’s set in Texas. It takes place in the near-future after war has darkened the sky to perpetual night. My heroine is a strong, lonely woman, tired of shouldering staggering responsibilities while she tries to keep her ranch and the refugees she shelters safe. The hero has secrets. Big, dark secrets. But that’s the way we like ’em, right? Trying to get the heroine to put her trust in him will be his biggest test. Take a step into a dark, new frontier.

I’m giving away the first of the $50 Amazon gift certificates for the Promo Ho contest today. The second will be awarded in two weeks. Check out tomorrow’s blog for details about how you can win it! The first $50 gift certificate goes to…Amanda Chambers! Amanda, be sure to email me to let me know what email address you want your prize sent to!

If you loved the fairy and want one of your own, you can contact Christi at 870-230-1877.

I have tons of promo stuff that I brought back from Lori Foster’s. Today, I’m going to give away some of it! What do you have to do? POST A COMMENT—here or on facebook!

This is what the first bundle includes:

Autgraphed books:
Dragonbound by Jade Lee
Carpe Bead’em by Tonya Kappes
Escape by Kate Douglas, Willa Okati and Marteeka Karland (signed by Marteeka only)

Autographed drink koozie from Kristin Daniels

Assorted stuff (much of it autographed as well)…bookmarks, trading cards, excerpt booklets from:
Emma Wildes, Jade Lee, Marie Force, Leah Braemel, Jane Rylon, Leanna Renee Hieber, Madelyn Ford, Lila DiPasqua, Virna DePaul, Donna Grant, Zenobia Renquist, Samantha Kane, Krista Daniels, and Cheryl Brooks.

No doubt, I’ll throw some of my stuff in as well! So, what can you comment about? How about this?

By perseverance the snail reached the ark. ~Charles Haddon Purgeon

Which reminds me of my favorite joke. Okay, so it’s the only joke I ever remember, which is why it’s a joke my family teases me about. (I get gifts of snail figurines)…

What does the snail say as it rides the turtle’s back? Whee!

In case we forget what today is all about.

I never got why folks would say “Happy” Memorial Day. Seems strange given it’s a day we honor our dead warriors. So instead, I’ll just say, enjoy your day. Play with the kids. Grill some burgers and hot dogs. Swim in the pool. That’s what my plans are.

For those of you who won things in recent weeks, be watching the mail! The red-headed spent Thursday packaging for me, and I went to the Post Office on Friday. So your booty should be arriving soon!

So, now I’m ready for another round of fun! I have two new contests I’m kicking off today. Both contests end June 13th!

1) The Promo Ho Contest

What can you win?
Depending on the number of entries, I will give away two $50.00 Amazon.com gift certificates.

What do you have to do to enter?
See the row of covers below? These books are in sore need of online reviews by happy readers. So I’m offering a tempting bribe. You know there won’t be as many entries for this contest as for the next one, but wouldn’t you like to have some cash to spend on new books? And who knows? Maybe you already have these stories sitting on your TBR pile. Time to move them to the top!

Give a review for one of these stories on one of the online bookstores. Send me the link. It can be the same review on three different sites, but send me three messages with the different links. Doesn’t matter if the review is on the Ellora’s Cave website, Smashwords, Amazon, Nook—send me the link to the review. Easy as that.

2) The Red Ribbon Fairy Contest

What can you win?
What you see in the picture below. This red-ribboned beauty is a four-inch tall Strangeling Fairy trinket box. Be warned before you enter! This will be the start of a new obsession.

What do you have to do?
Post comments. Here on my blog and on my Facebook. Every comment you make over the next two weeks will count as one entry. How easy is that?