The Next Story

Gentle Readers,
   The past few weeks have been full of life and death, happiness and tragedy. I have been under a great deal of stress in both my work life and my personal life. The last time my life was topsy-turvy, I wrote One True Love. Each morning I awoke and wrote a new scene. Writing recharged my batteries and put a smile on my face. It gave me a sense of accomplishment. I must confess that it was not always easy to arise early and commit words to paper.   
   There were times when three cups of coffee did not hit the spot, but I persevered, and THE END finally came. 
   I am now beginning a new journey. In this time of stress, I am letting go, and allowing the words of my next story to flow on the page. I am writing Anne's story. She vows to marry only for love, but on One Scandalous Evening, her fate is changed forever...

Yours truly,

Duchess of Dreams

Blog Hop Winners

Gentle Readers,


  My heart is swelling today as over 20,000 readers has already downloaded a free copy of One True Love. The promotion ends at midnight PST on February 15, 2012. If you have read One True Love, and enjoyed it, I would appreciate your fair and objective review on Amazon. 
  I am currently beginning Anne's story. One of the things I love about writing is the opportunity to improve my writing with each new project. Anne's story holds a great deal of potential, and I am becoming increasingly excited about the possibilities. I think she will surprise us along the way.
  Let us not delay the fun any longer! I have sent private emails to the winners. 

• The winner of the Book Lovin' Babes Valentine Blog Hop is Kimmy L..
• The winner of the Lots of Love Blog Hop is Jennifer Haile.

Congratulations ladies!

Yours truly,

Duchess of Dreams

A Valentine's Day Gift for Regency Romance Readers

                                      Gentle reader,

Download Your Free Copy on Kindle!

  It is with much pleasure that I am announcing my special gift for your. Seeing One True Love come to life is a dream come true for me, so I have made the decision to share my book with the world for free for three days only. You can download One True Love onto your Kindle or Kindle app for free February 13-15, 2012 PST time. 
  It occurred to me that I promised to give a copy away of the Kindle version for the Lots of Love Valentine's Blog Hop, so I have decided to give the winner a signed print version as well. The Lots of Love Blog Hop and the Book Lovin' Babes Valentine's Blog Hop ends at midnight on February 14, 2012. If you have not had a chance to visit blogs and enter for a chance to win wonderful prizes,   I recommend that you do so immediately. Please let me know if you win something from another blog. I want to celebrate with you! I will announce my winners at 5:00 p.m. Central time on February 15, 2012. 
  Thank you for visiting my blog. I wish you chocolate, champagne, and roses with your one true love on Valentine's Day!

Yours truly,

Duchess of Dreams

Love is in the Air

Gentle Reader,
  Today is the first day of February -the month of love. This is the time for romantic gestures, renewing vows, chocolate and roses, evenings out with your man, wedding bells, sexy lingerie, first dates, sweet kisses, and hot romance novels. 
  I am excited to announce that I am participating in two fabulous blog hops February 1-14, 2012. This is your chance to win fabulous prizes! I have set up a page for each blog hop. Simply read the directions, enter the giveaways, and hop over to other participating blogs to enter for more fun prizes. 
  The first one is the Book Lovin' Babes Valentine Blog Hop. Twenty-five romance authors have come together to offer some wonderful giveaways and introduce you to their romance novels. 
  The second one is the Lots of Love Giveaway Blog Hop. Ninety different bloggers are offering you a chance to get to know their blogs and win wonderful prizes. 
  Thank you for showing some love and visiting my blog. May cupid touch your heart this Valentine's Day!

Yours truly,

Duchess of Dreams

Where Did All the Gentlemen Go?

Gentle reader,
I think it would be quite fun if men stood each time I entered the room. My dear husband would get the much needed exercise he craves. I would not mind a kiss on the hand. I think it would be delicious. Flowers and chocolates any time of the year is the perfect romantic gesture. I would like pink roses (the color of my wedding bouquet) and Godiva Chocolate (I might as well request the very best). And please open the door for me, after all, I am carrying a heavy designer purse (the one I bought myself for Christmas).


Yours Truly,
Duchess of Dreams

Request Your Kindlegraph

Gentle Readers,
I have just discovered a fun website! You can request "Kindlegraphs" (digital autographs) from authors and collect them on your Kindle. Authors can even write you a personal message. 


Get your "Kindlegraph" for One True Love:  KINDLEGRAPH


Yours Truly,
Duchess of Dreams

Print Edition of One True Love

Gentle Reader,
One True Love is now available in paperback on Amazon.
Yours Truly,
Duchess of Dreams

Book Review: Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

Gentle Reader,

BUY ON AMAZON

A friend highly recommended The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley to me. This book blends modern day gothic with historical fiction. The main character, Carrie, is a contemporary woman who makes her living as a writer of historical fiction. She moves into a small cottage in Scotland in order to research her book. Kearsley deftly blends Carrie's personal story with the historical novel she is writing, so in effect, you get two stories in one. One is set in contemporary times, and the other is set in historical times. Although, I enjoyed Carrie's story, I was compelled by Sophia's story. Sophia is Carrie's main character in the historical fiction novel she is writing. The time period is 300 years ago during Queen Anne's reign, and the Jacobite uprisings. It is all fascinating history. 
This story unfolds slowly, but comes to a point in which you cannot put it down. You must find out what happens to Sophia. I will warn you about one thing: Susanna tends to info dump the history at times. If you are not a history buff, you might find these sections a tad boring, but I promise you it will pay off. I also found myself thrown out of the story a couple of times when she blended dialogue of two characters into one paragraph. It was a bit confusing, but nevertheless, the story is worth these odd moments. In all, I would give this book four out of five stars. It is a worthy read, and I have already purchased The Rose Garden, another book set in the same time period. I look forward to reading it.


Yours Truly,
Duchess of Dreams