Darlene's Digest

I just got the idea for my ninth novel.  It will have pirates in the Caribbean.  Can't tell you more yet, because much of it hinges on secondary characters in my WIP (Book Seven, aka "The Hot Pirate's Secret Baby").  More on this as it develops...

"Jacob was an American who signed on with the Magpie after the war, and he called this ' The Liberty Song .'" She hummed for a moment and then began to sing: " Come, join hand in hand, brave Americans all, And rouse your bold hearts at fair Liberty's call; No tyrannous acts shall suppress your just claim, Or stain with dishonor America's name. " Daphne sang two verses and the chorus before she realized Dr. Murray was staring at her, and the only way to describe the expression on his face--there was no way to describe the expression on his face. She'd never seen anything quite like it before. "There are more verses," she said helpfully. "Miss Farnham!" He shook his head and started again. "Miss Farnham, that was the most treasonous piece of trash I have ever heard. Do you know what melody that is? Heart of Oak ! Heart of Oak , Miss Farnham! I implore you, never, ever sing those lyrics around a navy man, for I ...

Back in 2007 I wrote this review: "I read a lovely YA romance this weekend, Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt. It's a fantasy about a heroine who in the manner of Scheherazade staves off death by telling a tale of a young woman who gets lost in the woods, and meets Lord Death. Death will spare her life if she finds her one true love within the span of a day. It's sweet and sad and romantic and very well written." Now I learn that there's a Kickstarter campaign to make a movie out of Keturah and Lord Death . If you're a fan of this novel, or well-written romantic fantasy for readers of any age, I encourage you to check it out.

I know many of you are Nook users, and I'm a B&N fan myself.  However, they're not always as fast off the mark as some other sites to get my books out for sale.  So, if you're anxious to purchase Castaway Dreams , and I know you are, remember that you can load ePub and PDF files onto your Nook reader.  Those are discounted at this site  and are also available at All Romance eBooks .

The print, ebook and Kindle editions of Castaway Dreams are now available from the usual suspects, or in the queue (Nook, Fictionwise, I'm looking at you! ) With the release of the paper edition I've set up my Goodreads giveaway, where you have a chance to win a signed copy of Castaway Dreams between now and mid-August. Click on the link for the details. In the meantime, I'm hard at work on my next novel and waiting on reviews of Castaway Dreams. Remember to please take a moment to rate the novel if you belong to one of the book social media sites.  It means a great deal to authors when they get reader feed-back, and thanks!

Friday, May 18 I'll be discussing Castaway Dreams on Conner Calling , the phone-in ltalk show about books on WUFT FM, 89.1 .  You can hear it streaming by following the link, and you can email questions if you're not in the local area. Also, Castaway Dreams is now in Kindle edition at Amazon , and the print edition will be out very soon. More on that later.

The Temporary Wife by Mary Balogh My rating: 5 of 5 stars I re-read this classic Signet Regency romance last night because it's one of my comfort reads.  The author's use of words is so careful, the mood building done so well, that I like to take it off the shelf every now and then to remind myself of how a small book can be done so beautifully. View all my reviews

Straight: The Surprisingly Short History Of Heterosexuality by Hanne Blank My rating: 4 of 5 stars I found this book fascinating, and eye-opening.  The author starts from a unique perspective: her partner is intersex (XXY) and appears androgynous.  Is her partner male, female, or both?  Is the author heterosexual or homosexual? Blank challenges the reader to re-examine his/her/hir attitudes about sexuality and how it's defined, and how we are shaped by cultural and sexual "doxa".   View all my reviews

It's release day for the ebook edition of  Castaway Dreams , with the print and Kindle editions to follow later this month. It's been a long road for me to get this book written, because the heroine, Daphne, is so unlike me.  She's sweet and giggles and thinks everybody is her friend. Me, I'm much more like the curmudgeonly hero, Alexander.  There would be times when I'd be writing Castaway Dreams , Daphne would say something sarcastic, and I'd have to mentally slap myself and say, "No, Darlene's the sarcastic one. Daphne's sweet." I did promise myself my next heroine would be a sarcastic, snarky, annoying person.   Much easier for me to relate to and to write.  You'll meet Lydia Burke, governess to piratical offspring in [working title] The Hot Pirate's Secret Baby .  In the meantime, download Daphne and Alexander (and Pompom's) tale in Castaway Dreams and enjoy a trip to an island paradise.  Here's an excerpt: CASTAWAY D...

I know you're thinking of getting your mom that diamond tiara she deserves for putting up with so much of your crap when you were a teenager. Or perhaps I'm just projecting here. Anyway, if you're not yet prepared to get her that tiara, have you considered getting mom an ereader?  Everyone I know who has one loves the convenience and ease of purchasing books, and for older readers it has the added advantage of an adjustable font. When you get mom that ereader, you might preload it with some award winning romance novels featuring pirates, privateers and smugglers, not to mention a possum or two. Lest you think your mother's too old to appreciate a hot historical romance, my oldest fan (that I know of) is 96, and is eagerly awaiting my next novel, Castaway Dreams .  Mom's cooler than you think, and she loves a good novel as much as you do.  

Sea Change is a finalist in the Regency category of the Golden Quill contest sponsored by the Desert Rose RWA Chapter.  I'm thrilled to be in such good company!