Guest Author: Tessa Dare


Today’s guest is a NYT and USA Today best selling author who writes fabulous Regency romances which are not only provide her readers with a wonderful emotional journey but also have sparkling wit and deep sensuality between her strong characters. Possibly one of the things that sets her aside from other writers in this genre is her penchant for writing heroines with “unladylike” pursuits for the time period—such as beer-making and paleontology. (Photo credit: Jenn LeBlanc for Studio Smexy.)

I am the proud owner of every one of her titles in her Spindle Cove Series and Castles Ever After Series. Somehow I missed the Stud Club Trilogy and I now have her Girl Meets Duke series on my wish list. (Just not enough hours in the day/night!!) 

Being such a huge fan, I’m only sorry that my commitments at this year’s Booklovers Convention in New Orleans meant that I couldn’t meet her in person. I’m hoping that will happen at the Booklovers Convention next year in Nashville, or when I finally get to take up the invitation to the Romance Retreat!

  
A huge welcome to Tessa Dare who joins us from Southern California!!

   

Tessa, thank you so much for being on the blog today. Firstly can you tell us about your third book in the Girl Meets Duke Series The Wallflower Wager (release date August 13th) and whether it posed any particular challenges to you?

The Wallflower Wager pairs Penny, a soft-hearted animal rescuer, with Gabe, a ruthless self-made man who has no patience for animals whatsoever. He’s taken ownership of the house next to hers and wants to flip it for a profit — but who will pay top prices to live next to a parrot, a goat, an otter, a Highland steer, a two-legged dog, and… you get the picture. Penny agrees to say goodbye to some of the animals, but only if Gabe helps her find them loving homes. And since Gabe grew up poor and shivering in the London slums, a loving home is something he wouldn’t recognize if it sneezed on him. It’s a classic “opposites attract” pairing. Regency lady with bad boy, idealist vs realist, Slytherin/Hufflepuff. Basically all the yummiest tropes with plenty of humor and heat in the mix.

As for challenges—both Penny and Gabe have traumatic experiences in their pasts. Without getting into details, Penny’s story was particularly wrenching and difficult to write.

Oh gosh! I can just imagine the hilarity of having all those animals! I think my writing schedule is going to have to wait a tad while I catch up on this series!!

 

I know you’re a librarian by training, so I’m guessing you’ve had a life-long love of books. Can you share your writing journey with us—your road to publication?

I always wanted to be a writer, but I thought I lacked the talent or discipline to complete full-length books. I also had the hurdle of never wanting anyone to read my writing, which is pretty antithetical to publication, by definition. Then when I was pregnant with my second kid, I began writing Pride and Prejudice fanfiction online. That environment allowed me to develop my skills, forced me to write a longish work to completion, and got me over the fear of letting other people read my writing. It wasn’t long before I started writing original Regency romances, and 13 years later, here I am.

Thank goodness you put your work out there! I wonder how many other brilliant authors are still waiting to take the leap. 

   



You’ve had so many successes, but is there one moment that stands out most in your writing career?

Wow, a single moment… I think I would say winning the RITA award in 2012, because not only was it a tremendous honor, but the awards ceremony was close to my hometown. My husband and lots of my local friends were there to celebrate with me. Also, I wore a sparkly dress and false eyelashes and felt extremely glamorous!

Yep! That sounds like a stand out moment!

If you could choose any three of your titles to be made into a movie, which would you choose?

I would love to see the Spindle Cove books made into a series! The books have a cute seaside-village setting and a cast of characters whose stories intertwine and evolve throughout the years. And I would love to see what a director could do with Colin and Minerva’s wild road trip in A Week to be Wicked!                                          

I love the Spindle Cove series!
Could you share with us something about your next writing project?

Right now I’m working on book four in the Girl Meets Duke series, which will be titled THE BRIDE BET and come out in 2020. If you’ve read the other GMD books, you know this will be Nicola’s story. Nicola is a both a crazy-good baker and a mad scientist in her father’s footsteps. Her current project is improving an early form of the electric battery. She never expected to marry, nor wanted to, except that she kinda-sorta got engaged anyway years ago, to a man who’s now a duke. They haven’t seen each other in years, and when he shows up expecting her to make good on the engagement, let’s just say there’s more than one kind of electricity happening.

I'm sure this series is another one that'll add to my already-bowing 'keeper' bookshelves!! 

Thank you for joining me today!

Thank you so much for having me. I’m honored!

There are so many wonderful books written by Tessa. If you’d like more information on Tessa or her stories, please visit her website: http://tessadare.com

  




 


I hope you’ll all join me again next Saturday for another interview with a fabulous guest author. 
Until then, Happy Reading!
Best wishes,
Alyssa

www.alyssajmontgomery.com

_____________________________________________________________________


About the Blogger:
Alyssa J. Montgomery is an Australian contemporary romance author who is published by Escape Publishing (Harlequin Enterprises, Australia). She also 
writes medieval romance as Alyssa James.



 

 Latest release: Seduced by the Enemy (April 4th, 2019) Escape Publishing (Harlequin Enterprises, Australia)

Next release: Seduced by the Stranger (October 4th, 2019) Escape Publishing (Harlequin Enterprises, Australia) 

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