The Secret of Mia Danvers Blog Tour: Interview with Robyn DeHart and Giveaway!

Today I'm very happy to welcome back to Books to Brighten your Mood author Robyn DeHart in celebration of her newest release with Penguin, The Secret of Mia Danvers, the first book in the author's newest Historical Romance series. The Secret of Mia Danvers is a book full of mystery and of course, romance! So let's welcome Robyn and don't forget to check at the end of the post for the contest details. 

- Hello Robyn and welcome to Books to Brighten your Mood. Could you please tell us a bit more about your newest release, The Secrets of Mia Danvers?

Thanks so much for having me! Here’s the blurb I used in my synopsis:

In the fall of 1888 a murderer terrorized the Whitechapel area in London, horribly mutilating prostitutes and leaving their blood-drenched bodies out to be found, taunting the police and paralyzing the poverty-stricken people with fear. In taunting letters to the police and the newspapers, he called himself Jack the Ripper. Then as quickly as he appeared, he vanished from the news, his reign of terror apparently at an end. Six months later another girl's body was found, but this time in prestigious Mayfair, and this time there was a witness.

- Your heroine Mia has lost her sight at a really young age. Where there any challenges you encountered while writing this novel because of that fact?

Oh yes, so many challenges. I don’t think I ever realized how much of a visual writer I am. But writing in Mia’s point of view I was forced to “see” the scenes through her other senses. It was a fascinating journey, but quite difficult too. It was also very important to me that Mia not be bitter or feel the victim, I wanted her to be a strong woman who had made her way in the world in spite of or perhaps because of her “disability.”

- What is that certain quality that made Alex fall in love with Mia?

I think it was definitely her resourcefulness and the fact that she doesn’t question her ability to do things.

- Could you please give us a short physical description of your two main characters, Mia and Alex?
 
I can do better than that! I can share the pictures I used as my inspiration. It’s very important to me that before I start writing a book I find what I call the character’s “essence” in a picture, it’s not the actor/actress, but the specific image that really speaks to me. So here are Mia and Alex.

- What are your future plans? What should we expect from you after The

Secrets of Mia Danvers?

Well, the Dangerous Liaisons series is planned as a trilogy, but the third book hasn’t yet been contracted so for now you can expect the sequel to Mia Danvers in November, The Temptations of Anna Jacobs.

Before that, in August, you’ll see the 3rd book in my Forbidden Love trilogy, A Little Bit Scandalous, it follows A Little Bit Wicked and A Little Bit Sinful. And I have even more books contracted for 2014!

- Is there any author who influenced your work?

Of course! I was a reader first and I think my work has been influenced most by Amanda Quick. It wasn’t intentional, but I don’t seem to be able to write an historical romance without subplots, so I’ll stick with the suspense and adventure and hope readers will go along with me.

- When not reading or writing how do you like spending your free time?

Well, I’m a mom to two little girls (currently 2 & 4) and they keep me very busy. So in the midst of potty training and dealing with tantrums, I write to get my pages done. Then every once in a blue moon, I find some reading time.  I also love to hang out with my husband, we do most of our together time in front of the TV these days, but there are worst ways to spend time than snuggling on the couch watching Person of Interest.

- What’s your guilty pleasure?

Well, speaking of watching TV with my hubby, we are totally hooked on Pretty Little Liars. It’s inexplicable, really because the show is full of unlikeable characters and convoluted plot twists, yet we can’t seem to look away.

- What is your favorite genre to read and could you please share with us some of your favorite novels?

My first love will always be historical romance and I’ll read anything that Suzanne Enoch, Teresa Medeiros and Amanda Quick write, they’re my go-to authors when I want to sink into a great historical. But I read a lot of romantic suspense; I like gritty police procedurals like the JD Robb books and Allison Brennan’s first several trilogies. I also like some urban fantasy, Jim Butcher and Kalayna Price. And I think I might need a 12-step program for Kristan Higgins’ books…

- Which place in the world are you dying to visit?

Oh man, I’d be happy at the Embassy Suites in my hometown at the moment. Mommy could use a break! But I don’t guess that’s what you’re asking. I love the beach more than any place else on earth, it’s the place that centers me the most, the waves, the sand…. That being said I’ve only been to England once and it was before I started writing seriously and I would so love to go back now that I know what I write. It would be a totally different experience.

- Thank you Robyn for stopping by today!

Thanks again for having me!

About Robyn:

A life-long love of stories and adventure, it was either become a stuntwoman for the movies or live out those adventures from the safety of her PJ's and computer. Award-winning author, Robyn DeHart chose the latter and couldn't be happier for doing so. Known for her unique plotlines and authentic characters, Robyn is a favorite among readers and reviewers. Publishers' Weekly claims her writing to be "comical and sexy" while the Chicago Tribune dubs her "wonderfully entertaining." Robyn is an award-winning author as well as being a four-time RT Bookclub Reviewers' Choice award nominee, and a three-time RomCon Reader's Crown nominee. Robyn lives in Texas with her brainy husband, two precocious little girls and two spoiled cats. You can find Robyn on-line at her website or at one of her group blogs, the Jaunty Quills or Peanut Butter on the Keyboard.

Visit Robyn

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

About the Book

Title: The Secret of Mia Danvers
Author: Robyn DeHart
Genre: Historical Romance
Release Date: June 18th 2013
Publisher: Intermix
Buy it at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

A lone witness finds her protector…

Since losing her sight in a childhood accident, Mia Danvers has resided in a small cottage on the vast Carrington estate. Thought to be dead, Mia lives a life of virtual seclusion—until one night, while walking home, she happens upon a horrendous crime.

Alex Foster, Eighth Duke of Carrington, lives according to society’s expectations for him. He’s never met the woman who lives in the cottage at the edge of his property. But when she arrives at his door in the pouring rain terrified and claiming she has witnessed a murder, she seizes his attention.

Mia is determined to help the authorities track down the culprit, even though the only person willing to accept her aid is the handsome, arrogant duke. Working closely together proves difficult as Mia’s beauty and independence tempts Alex to ignore convention and follow his desire. But what neither of them know is that this murderer has struck before in Whitechapel, taunting the British press only to vanish—a ruthless killer who knows that Mia is the only living witness to his crime…

~~~~~~~~~~~~GIVEAWAY~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Robyn DeHart will be giving away winner's choice of the following: Amazon Paperwhite, Nook Glow or a $120 Gift Card for Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Open to US residents only.

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Blog Tour: Guest Post with Robyn DeHart + Giveaway

Today I'm super excited to be the next stop in A Little Bit Wicked Blog Tour! Robyn DeHart stops by today in celebration of her newest Historical Romance release with Entangled that centers around a very sexy protagonist, scandals, gossip and a sweet and forbidden love!
So, let's welcome Robyn and don't forget to check at the end of the post for the info of our giveaway :) Also, you can check the full Blog Tour here.

Wicked men…why are they so sexy?

This question was posed to me for this blog and I decided to tackle the topic because well, who doesn’t love to talk about sexy men? Now the easy answer is…because they’re HOT!

I take this notion of creating heroes quite serious. Consider it for a moment…when you’re reading a romance novel, you want to root for the heroine and fall in love with the hero. If I can’t create a hero that readers can fall in love with, then I’m not doing my job right.

But what is it about the wicked ones, the bad boys, that really call to us? They don’t in the real world (for the most part). I mean most of us are married to the good guys. I know I am. My husband is a college professor for Pete’s sake. While he’d love to thing of himself as a rough-and-tumble tough guy, he’s a big ‘ol softy. So that’s what I want to come home to every night, but when I snuggle up with a book, sometimes I want that rogue.

I think the biggest appeal is not so much how naughty they are, but that they’re naughty with a chance at being redeemed. We want to be that woman that brings that bad boy to his knees. We secretly long to be that girl, the one with the stack of books and the glasses sitting in the school cafeteria and the hottest guy in school walks past those cheerleaders because he can see the reality of who that girl is. He wants to know her. It’s all tied into that fantasy.

So the redeem-ability factor is huge. The other thing is those naughty men give the heroines a reason to be naughty, even if only behind closed doors. It’s nice to fantasize about being able to be daring and reckless with a man, to trust him so much we’d let him take us anywhere.

All right readers, your turn, who’s your favorite bad boy hero? It can be TV, book, movie, whatever. 

About Robyn

I’m one of those writers who always knew that she wanted to be a writer. It took me a while, however, to figure out precisely what I wanted to write. Reading Kathleen Woodiwiss’ ”A Rose in Winter” sealed the deal for me and I’ve been reading and writing romance ever since. I should have known I was destined for this when my Barbies insisted on hosting elaborate masquerade parties, complete with stolen kisses in the moonlight.

I’m the youngest of three children, so of course I’m the favorite. I was raised in central Texas, in the beautiful Hill Country, right smack-dab between Austin and San Antonio. My parents were high school sweethearts and married a week after my mother graduated – they both needed their parents’ permission to marry since they were so young. So I blame them and their amazing marriage for the fact that I’m a hopeless romantic.
Somewhere along the line, I graduated from college with a degree in Sociology, only after completing an internship with none other than award-winning best-selling author, Pamela Morsi. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life and I learned more about the writing business than I could have hoped.

After college I worked a myriad of jobs: Computer Software Trainer, Recruiter, Administrative Assistant. But no matter what my day job, I come home to my real job and click, click, click away on my computer and get lost in my imaginary world where justice always prevails and the girl always gets her guy! It’s the coolest job in the world.
I’m married to the most amazingly supportive man. He’s so proud of my career, and loves to tell people, “My wife is a romance novelist.” We live in the Austin area, where my husband is a university professor. He’s ridiculously smart, but remains goofy enough to make me laugh every day. We’re the parents of two beautiful and precocious little girls who keep me quite busy during the day. We also have two very spoiled cats who are of no help at all when it comes to my writing, although they sometimes nap in the same room where I sit diligently working.

I’ve published seven historicals, all of which have received great reviews and a handful of them have won awards. I love to hear from readers,
so feel free to send me an email or you can find me online at The Sisterhood of the Jaunty Quills, or, Peanut Butter on the Keyboard, my newest blogging endeavor that’s all about writing moms or moms who write. You can also find me on my Facebook or my Facebook Author page and on Twitter. I’m everywhere!

About the Book

Title: A Little Bit Wicked
Author: Robyn DeHart
Genre: Historical Romance
Length: 229 pages
Release Date: December 2012
ISBN: 978-1-62266-816-8
Imprint: Scandalous
Buy it at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Marcus Kincaid has returned to England after a ten-year absence. His older brother died during that time, making Marcus the Earl of Ashford. Not only that, his younger sister is embroiled in a potential scandal that could ruin her chance at marriage. His aunt has already called in reinforcements—The Paragon.
Vivian March is known simply as The Paragon. She moves through every circle within Society, smoothing out scandals and stopping gossip in its tracks. Everyone in London knows that if she aligns herself with you, Society will forgive you your sins. What they don’t know is that she uses their secrets to cover her own jaded past.
But with every kiss and every touch that Marcus thrusts upon her, Vivian comes to believe life is infinitely more fun when you can be just a little bit wicked…

~~~~~~~~~~~~GIVEAWAY~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Entangled Publishing has generously offered an e-copy of A Little Bit Wicked to one lucky winner. (Open Internationally.)

Guidelines

~ The contest is open to all.

~ You must be 13 years old or over to participate.

~ The winner will be chosen via Random.org

~ The prize is submitted by the author/publisher and I have no responsibility whatsoever over it.

~ The contest will be open until January 26th.

~ The winner will be notified via e-mail and will have 48 hours to confirm his/her e-mail address before a new winner is selected.

~Fill the form below to enter ~

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