What a fabulous day! Not only does my one true love, historical romance author Ashley March, have a release out today, she ALSO dragged...err, 'brought' her lovely husband on to my little ole blog for an interview + Giveaway! But before we get to all the fun, Let's get to know more about this author and her latest release:
Ashley March
About the Author:
After spending countless hours memorizing both traditional and simplified Chinese characters, perfecting her tones, and practicing her speaking with any Chinese native she could find, Ashley successfully graduated with a degree in Mandarin Chinese. She was determined to be the next best Chinese translator in the world... Then she discovered writing romances was as much fun as reading them, and her Chinese capabilities have never been the same. When she isn't writing, Ashley stays busy trying to entertain her two young daughters, attempting to do housework, and hiking in the beautiful foothills of Colorado.
Sebastian Madinger, the Earl of Wriothesly, thought he'd married the perfect woman-until a fatal accident revealed her betrayal with his best friend. After their deaths, Sebastian is determined to avoid a scandal for the sake of his son. But his best friend's widow is just as determined to cast her mourning veil aside by hosting a party that will surely destroy both their reputations and expose all of his carefully kept secrets...Leah George has carried the painful knowledge of her husband's affair for almost a year. All she wants now is to enjoy her independence and make a new life for herself-even if that means being ostracized by the Society whose rules she was raised to obey. Now that the rumors are flying, there's only one thing left for Sebastian to do: silence the scandal by enticing the improper widow into becoming a proper wife. But when it comes to matters of the heart, neither Sebastian nor Leah is prepared for the passion they discover in each other's arms....
Buy Your Copy Today:
In Which Ashley March Interviews Her Husband, Mr. March Regarding His Reading of Her Newest Release, ROMANCING THE COUNTESS
(In Which the Interview is Set Up as an Interrogation in a Courtroom)
(Because Ashley Thinks This is Amusing)
(In Which Ashley Acts as Both Interrogator and Innocent Author)
(In Which Mr. March is Very, Very Hopeful that No Matter What He Says, He will Still be Able to Sleep in His Own Bed Tonight)
MR. MARCH: Do I need a lawyer for this? I thought this was going to be a friendly interview. I’m tempted to take my microphone off and storm out of our basement. I am being told by my legal department I must comply, however, so to answer your question: Yes.
ASHLEY: So after reading and loving SEDUCING THE DUCHESS, you promptly and happily agreed to read everything your wife wrote in the future…until the end of your days, is that right?
MR. MARCH: Absolutely. Ish. I don’t always read things promptly, but I do read them. I like seeing the finished product, and if I gave you your way, I would read every edit and know all the deep and dirty behind-the-scenes secrets. For instance, do you remember what you originally wanted the title of SEDUCING THE DUCHESS to be? I agree that MR. MARCH’S WILD RIDE was a terrific idea, but it just didn’t work.
ASHLEY (thinks about objecting, then allows Mr. March his humor): Thank you for reading my newest book, ROMANCING THE COUNTESS, which was actually released today! Of course, being my husband and being privy to my author copies when they come in the mail, you have already received a signed copy for yourself well before other readers. Would you mind telling our audience what you thought of the book? And please know, you have full immunity to any glare that may or may not come your way should you say anything less than favorable about your lovely wife’s book. You can tell the truth, I promise. I will always love you, no matter what.
MR. MARCH: I thought this was your strongest writing yet. You took some deeply personal ideas and put them to paper and really went out on a limb to change your style. What really set this work apart is that I can tell you are world building now. I can easily picture each character going off to have their own adventures and I think that leads to a rich tapestry of a tale. I want to see more of that in the future from you. I will say that I thought the word “cravat” was used far too often since I have no idea what that is.
ASHLEY: Thank you. *preens* But um, you really don’t know what a cravat is?
MR. MARCH: No. Seriously, what in the hell is a cravat?
ASHLEY: It’s like a necktie…but not. Very well, it’s what heroines used to tie heroes up with. ;) Now, I’m glad you feel that you can be so open about your opinion. It takes a strong man to be so brave when your wife knows the true story of how exactly the two of you met. But let’s move on. Remember to speak the truth, Mr. March. Nothing but the truth. I assure you , I can handle the truth. First, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the pleasure of your reading experience with ROMANCING THE COUNTESS?
MR MARCH: Reading is a pleasure for me, always. But I will say that reading the incredibly moving and arousing writing of my wife is a rare pleasure indeed.
ASHLEY: Um. I’m not an erotica writer, dear husband. Tone it down a little, please. *blushes*
MR MARCH: That being said, let’s get really classy with it and assume that 1 on the scale means I felt like I was chewing on barbed wire during the book, and a 10 means that I was taking ‘great pleasure’ in reading it. I’ll give it a 9. Pants on, but unbuttoned, in terms of pleasure. Is that what you meant by that question?
ASHLEY: Not exactly. But, ahem, how would you rate the pleasure of your reading experience with SEDUCING THE DUCHESS on the same scale?
MR. MARCH: I’ll go with an 8, pants on, still buttoned, fly down. (Classy)
ASHLEY: Very classy, indeed. So you find that you enjoyed ROMANCING THE COUNTESS more. Interesting. Why do you think this is?
MR. MARCH: I thought you really flushed out the characters more. I felt the emotional strain on both the earl and that chick to be really moving. You felt horrible for their situation and worried that society was going to keep them apart. Also, spoiler alert, the love scenes in this were mucho intense. Yup, nothing like true love between some earl and some chick for my money. (Ashley interjects: But in truth, you didn’t pay for it. I gave it to you. Just so we’re clear.) Of course, I am kidding. I liked Sebastian because being a father I could relate to his undying devotion to his children. And I liked Leah because she was hot and more than a little….giving…in the bedroom if you know what I mean.
You do, right, ladies? Right? Who’s with me? No? Okay then.
ASHLEY: The classiness continues. J Would you mind relating to our audience your favorite scene in ROMANCING THE COUNTESS? Also, please include an explanation as to why it was your favorite scene.
MR. MARCH: There is a scene where he sees her at night in the garden with a telescope (she has it, he isn’t watching her like a Victorian era perv) and their interaction is well written. But also, something about the scene itself feels very familiar—I think everyone will understand what I mean when they read it.
ASHLEY: Was there any part of ROMANCING THE COUNTESS which you did not like or with which you had any issues? Anything you saw that could have been improved and that you, being the wonderful husband you are, would have told your wife to change had you been able to do so before the book was printed?
MR. MARCH: No. There. Is. Not. I. Love. You.
ASHLEY: Thank you, Mr. March. I appreciate your honest opinion. And I love you, too. J Quickly, I also heard that you read ROMANCING LADY CECILY, the e-short prequel to ROMANCING THE COUNTESS. Would you or would you not recommend this story of approximately 15,000 words to your wife’s readers and why?
MR. MARCH: Oh man! That thing is full of the sexiness! It’s a fun little story with a cute twist, but man, the loving in that novella is on par with some 1970’s R&B. You know what a lady needs to get over the death of a close friend? You guessed it, sexual healing.
ASHLEY, trying not to laugh and failing: I have said in the past that ROMANCING LADY CECILY is somewhat spicier than my regular books and that readers should be warned as appropriate. Do you believe this to be true?
MR. MARCH: See above. The book is a lot like me, it doesn’t need a whole lot of time to get you hot and bothered and leave you wanting more.
I’m not sure that came out entirely as I wanted it to.
ASHLEY: And now this is how everyone knows why I write romance novels, because YOU, Mr. March, are my inspiration. J Thank you once again. I’m sure our readers will take your comments into consideration—with the realization, of course, that you would never lie under duress of any kind, that you are honest and dependable, trustworthy, and oh so sexy…in fact, the perfect romance hero for me. J
Before we go, would you like to ask a question to our readers?
MR. MARCH: Well then, hello ladies (and occasional gentlemen). Now that we’re all alone, let’s be honest. I like to surprise my wife with romantic gestures (flowers, nights out, not passing gas at the dinner table, not putting dirty diapers under her pillow when she’s out of the room), but I want to know what really boils your tea kettle. What thing does your husband, boyfriend, or imaginary friend do that says, ‘ROMANCE!’ in big capital letters with an exclamation point after it, to you? And remember, Mr. March loves all of you, but none more than Mrs. March. Buy all her books and support her forever so that I can live out my dream of building a batcave under our house and fighting crime when hockey isn’t in season.
One random commenter will be chosen to win a copy of Ashley’s newest book, ROMANCING THE COUNTESS (open internationally)! Also, find out how to win the ROMANCING THE COUNTESS Book Tour Grand Prize of 50+ romance novels by visiting www.ashleymarch.com!
Ashley interjects for a final time:
ASHLEY: Oh, and one more note. Today (September 6th) I’ve started a fun new reader-interactive experiment where readers get to help me write a novella on my website at www.ashleymarch.com! Over the next 10 weeks, readers will vote on how the chapter for the next week develops, and will get to read the chapter based upon their vote after I write it. Come check it out!
and now Rita interjects:
Ashley has amazingly agreed to be interrogated herself on tonight episode of Romance Lately!!! She, along with the lovely Shana Galen, are our special guests on the webshow and will be sharing all sorts of secrets LIVE at 8pm EST. You can watch the live feed and participate/ask questions and chat: here
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