I was lucky enough to catch up with the fabulous Rachel Brimble and toss a couple of questions her way regarding her recent success in the world of romance publishing! Whoot! She is one BUSY girl, so I sorta had to jog at her side to keep up.
*AJ grabs a water bottle, dons a forehead sweatband and joins Rachel on the wooded trail.* Hi, Rachel! Great day for a run and an interview, huh? So tell me and all your fans out there, with the amount of success you've had in your writing career, do you stick to one sub-genre of romance or write across genre lines?
I write across the lines except for
paranormal - my imagination just doesn't stretch to it, I'm afraid! This year I
have had two romantic suspense novels published with Harlequin Superromance
(second one coming in Aug.), a Victorian romance with eKensington and a
romantic comedy with Omnific Publishing. The variety keeps the work fresh for
me and my readers, hopefully. LOL!
I couldn’t agree with you more. Fresh
sub-genre equals fresh ideas. *AJ repeatedly plucks the front of her t-shirt in an effort to dry the sweat on her cheeks.* So, wow, you’re a busy girl. What are you working
on right now?
I am writing the first draft of what
will be the fourth book in my ongoing series with Harlequin Superromance. It is
a 2014 Christmas release which I’m super excited about because I've always
wanted to write a Christmas-set story and it's finally happening! I'm also
working on a new plot idea and outline to send to my Kensington editor. This
will be book three for Kensington and they are all linked through secondary
characters becoming protagonists in the following book. I am SO enjoying
writing the Victorian era right now :)
Rachel, you are a mad woman! Honestly, is there anything you can't do? Good for you for seeing
your dream become a reality! Whoot! So after
finishing a manuscript, do you take some time off or dive right in to the next
story?
Dive straight in to the next one - for
the most part I am already making notes on the next book as I'm finishing the
one before. Just recently, I have come to appreciate the luxury in not having
books pre-contracted. It is a dream come true to be signing two-book
(Kensington) and three-book (Harlequin) contracts in advance of writing them,
but the pressure to deliver is immense. I have had a little taste of the
jitters over the last couple of weeks which has literally caused my brain to
freeze. I hope I am coming out the other end now because I am jumping right
back in and writing instinctively again which is such a relief!
Yep, a prime example of “the grass is
always greener”, that’s for sure. The pressure to create has got to be
enormous, but you handle it with such finesse! *AJ waves off the running and stops, hands braced on her knees to catch her breath.* Okay, now to find out a little more about you, Rachel, the woman. Which Superhero would you most love to date and why?
Right now, it would have to be Superman.
Why? How can any of us not think of Henry Cavill and not want a date. Yummy!!
AGREED! Gimme more Henry any day!! Okay and what would be the five top words your best friends would use to
describe you.
1. Funny
2. Hardworking
3. Loyal
4. Ambitious
5. Worrier
You and I are a LOT alike...especially the "worrier" part. :-) THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING MY
GUEST, RACHEL! I’m now going to get an ice coffee. That jog was
exhausting! While I'm doing that, here's a sneak peek inside Rachel's 16 Marsden Place!!
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There
isn't a situation that can't be fixed by a coat of chocolate body paint or a
liberal smear of Champagne Lick, right? Wrong!
Ever
since her father was murdered by a gang of youths, Sienna Lloyd has named
herself Potterford's protector--her sexy lingerie shop is a place where the
town's women can visit and feel safe. But when that shop is in danger of
closing, Sienna needs a solution that will keep her in Potterford, where she
can always look out for her mother, friends, and clients.
The
answer? Move the shop to her home at 16 Marsden Place. The problem? Her new
neighbor, the delicious but seriously uptight Jack Beaton. Oh, and his
four-year-old twin girls.
Jack
has just moved to the tiny town of Potterford in a bid to start over. To build
a new life that keeps his children safe from his alcoholic ex-wife. So when he
discovers his neighbor intends to open a sex shop right next door, Jack will do
anything to ensure it doesn't happen... including fighting every ounce of his
attraction to the shop's owner and his innate need to trust again.
~ * ~
Sienna hauled her box of inventory from the back of her car and strode up
the driveway to her front door. Entering the house, she kicked her leg out to
shut the door when it hit something solid. She turned and promptly dropped the
box onto the hallway floor, causing “display” vibrators of varying sizes and
colors to roll every which way across the floorboards—a multi-colored river of
female satisfaction.
“Jack! What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m coming in to talk to you, that’s what.” He strode over the threshold
and slammed the door.
Sienna stepped back even as irritation shot through her. Who the hell did
he think he was coming into her house uninvited?
She raised her chin and gestured toward the floor. “Now look what you’ve
done.”
“You’re having a party. A party,
for crying out loud.”
Ah.
“And? Does that give you the right to storm into my house like the Incredible
Hulk? What’s next? A bit of shirt-shredding?” Actually, she wouldn’t have
minded that…
He opened his mouth and then snapped it shut as he glowered at the
glorious obstacles at their feet. “God, it never ends, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t. So why don’t you help me pick these up before you end up
slipping on one and taking me to court for breaking your back on top of
everything else.”
He sneered with evident distaste. “I don’t think so.”
“Grow up, Jack. You’re being ridiculous.”
Their glares locked. He might have looked as though he should be lying on
his back in her bed while she rode him like a bucking bronco, but, God, the guy
lacked a sense of humor.
“Well?” she demanded.
“You really don’t care, do you?”
“Insult me if it makes you feel better, but if you can say that, it means
you haven’t learned a damn thing about me since we met. Now, are we going to
stand here all day or go into the kitchen and have a civilized conversation? I
assume you want this straightened out before it’s time for you to pick up the
girls from school? Isn’t that why you’re battering your way into my house at
eleven o’clock in the morning?”
“Where were you last night?” His gaze searched her face and hair.
Ignoring the flush of heat that tingled over her skin from such a blatant
appraisal, Sienna lifted her eyebrows. “Excuse me?”
“I waited for you.”
“You waited—”
“I must have looked out my living room window forty times waiting to see
your car in the driveway. Where were you?”
She huffed out a laugh and bent down. “None of your business.” She
reached for the nearest vibrator.
“I needed to talk to you.”
She snatched up an electric-blue intermediate dildo and straightened,
pointing it in his face and stabbing out each word. “Like. I. Said. None. Of.
Your. Business.”
He stepped back, and a smile pulled at her lips. Scared of a dildo. What
next? Crying over spilt vaginal lube?
“Help me pick these up and then we’ll talk.” She cocked her head.
“Please.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
Her smile expanded. “Thanks.”
Scowling, he raised his hands in surrender and bent down to help her.
~ * ~
Rachel lives with her husband and
two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. After having several novels published by small
US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. In 2012, she sold two
books to Harlequin Superromance. She also writes Victorian romance for
Kensington--her debut was released in April 2013.
She has just recently signed a further three-book
contract with Harlequin Superromance, continuing her ongoing series set in the
fictional UK seaside town of Templeton Cove.
Rachel is a member of the
Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t
writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful
English countryside with her family and beloved black Lab, Max. Her dream place
to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England…although she hopes a
dream visit to Canada might just change her mind!
She likes nothing more than
connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel
would love to hear from you!
THANKS FOR VISITING!
XO AJ XO
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