Darlene's Digest

Here's the cover for Castaway Dreams , my May release: The publisher has me fill out an AP (art proposal) where I give information about the book, such as a description of the hero and heroine, setting, time period, tone, etc.  I did say my hero, Alexander Murray, is a dour surgeon who never smiles, isn't pretty, and looks scruffy (yet yummy) after being castaway on a desert island. Alexander's outlook is 1. Life is serious business 2. Now that the war with Napoleon is over, it would be convenient to have a wife who's frugal and whose looks won't scare the horses. So naturally, who's stranded on the desert island with him? Daphne Farnham, a dizzy blonde fashionista who believes the key to solving most of life's problems is having the proper accessories.  Oh, and she brought along her little doggy just to make his life more aggravating. I also said on the form how much I liked the cover to Sea Change and the artist stuck with the same motif.  I

Saints Astray by Jacqueline Carey My rating: 3 of 5 stars View all my reviews

I don't always review the books I post at Goodreads, but every now and then one really hits the mark: The Rook by Daniel O'Malley My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

I updated some info yesterday for my college alumni magazine (University of Florida Communigator). I freely admit, back in those days I saw myself anchoring NPR's Morning Edition at this point in my life, not writing pirate romance novels.  However, I think I'm having more fun and I don't have to get up at 2 a.m. to go to work. I did spend 10 years in broadcasting, so I used the degree, and the broadcast writing skills I learned have helped me tremendously.  There's nothing like writing for a five minute newscast to teach you how to maximize every single word you put down on paper.

It wasn't a surprise when my bracket in the Dabwaha was buried beneath an avalanche of love for Courtney Milan.  She's a wonderful writer, a personal favorite of mine, and I knew it was a long shot.  I'm still filling my brackets, but now that Sea Change has been knocked out of the competition I can get back to writing. I'm waiting on proofs for Castaway Dreams , still writing [working title] The Hot Pirate's Secret Baby , and also updating the website.  So there's a lot to do--and I haven't even made a dent in spring cleaning yet!

Picking your brackets in the #Dabwaha contest ends soon.  Here are some more reasons why you should pick Marshall over Milan: 1. Sea Change is set on a privateer schooner in the Caribbean.  The other book is set at an English manor house.  Where would you rather be, right now ? 2. Milan's characters drink tea.  In Sea Change , they drink rum--and lots of it! 3. You don't take a croquet mallet to a swordfight.  When the chips are down, you want a cutlass wielding pirate by your side. It's a clear choice: Vote for Sea Change in the #Dabwaha  because pirates rule!

It's "Game On!" at the #Dabwaha, the romance novel competition where trash talk, literary smackdowns and shameless self-promotion is the order of the day.  SEA CHANGE is up against Courtney Milan's little novel in the first round.  When you're voting, remember this: SEA CHANGE features an American privateer hero during the War of 1812. It's the 200th anniversary of that conflict, a war where the Brits were our enemies. Milan's book is full of Brits. Americans!  Vote for SEA CHANGE! It's the patriotic thing to do!* *Aussies, Germans, etc., it's your choice.  Canadians, look, we're sorry about that whole burning York incident.  We promise never to invade you again.  Unless we run out of doughnuts and need to take over a Tim Horton's.

Yes, the romance world's strangest competition is back: The # DABWAHA , aka "March Madness" aka "I didn't know those nice romance writers could talk such trash!" Sea Change is a finalist!  The competition is tough, but I'm betting on my pretty privateer to rule the brackets.  You can learn all about The DABWAHA at Dear Author and Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, and be sure to vote!  There will be name-calling, mock threats, possible bribes and great fun as we all strive to be the one book that rules them all.

I'm working on a total redesign of my website in advance of the publication this spring of Castaway Dreams.  I've been looking at other websites with a more critical eye, making note of what I like or don't like.  I say I'm doing the redesign, but it's actually being done by J. Gelb of jgtechpro.com .  I just tell him what I think I'd like, and give him copy and links. Is there something you love or hate about particular websites?  Anything you especially like or hate about the current look at darlenemarshall.com ?  Please feel free to kibbitz.  I like to get lots of input on what works and what doesn't work for people.