Guest Author: Madeline Hunter

My guest today is a New York Times best selling author from Pennsylvania who has a Ph.D in Art History and who has taught at college level. She has a very frank article on her website titled “My First Sale” where she details her journey to securing her first contract. Like many published authors, she faced numerous rejections from various publishing houses saying that “I wrote a million words before I sold”. However, her resilience and tenacity of spirit has led to her having over 32 historical romances published in sixteen languages and with over six million books in print. I can only imagine that all those books and all those satisfying hours she’s given her readers over the years since her first book was published in June of 2000 must give her a tremendous sense of fulfilment.  But, her achievement doesn’t end there. She has also been deservedly recognised by being a seven time RITA finalist, and she has won the coveted RITA Award twice!

  
  It is my pleasure to welcome Madeline Hunter as my guest author today!

Madeline, thank you for being a guest on the blog. I’d like to start by asking you about your latest release and whether it posed any particular challenges to you.

My last release in May, 2019 was Never Deny a Duke. It was very challenging due to events in my life causing serious disruptions. I did not fight the effects of that, and allowed the book to what it had to be in order to get written. In a way I was closer to the story as a result. Since it has been well received, and made the USAToday top 50 bestseller list, I guess it all worked out.

I read it and loved it! It flowed, so I would never have guessed you had disruptions in the writing process.

You’ve said that you write because you can’t not write and that your urge to write is “emotional, visceral, spiritual and compelling”. What do you do to unwind when you’re not writing and do you give yourself any time off between novels?

  

I take about a month between novels, but in a way I really don’t. That time is when the next story is simmering on the back burner, so to speak. It is working itself out in my subconscious. As a result, when I sit down to start it, I have a much better idea of what it will be than I ever expected. As for unwinding, I mostly read. I confess to having a few television shows that I veg out in front of too. I am a big House Hunters International fan, and am always curious to see what kind of homes are available in other countries, and at what price.

 

The book that was first acquired by Bantam Books “By Possession” was actually published second (September 2000) with “By Arrangement” being published first (June 2000). How did that happen?

My editor had contracted for By Possession and two other books. By Possession was going into production, when I mentioned, during a casual conversation, that I had two other completed manuscripts in the drawer and described one to her. Something in my description caught her interest, and she told me to send it in. Well, not only she loved it, but also the publisher, and they decided to go with that one first because they thought it would be a more effective launch book for my career. Which it was. By Possession was published second, and a newly written book, By Design, was third.

Wow! Just as well you had that conversation.

You have “Seduction on a Snowy Night” released on September 24^th with Sabrina Jeffries and Mary Jo Putney. Can you tell us a little about that project?

Kensington publishing is becoming a major force in historical romance, and has a strong stable of authors. Sabrina, Mary Jo and I all know each other and respect each other’s writing, so when our editors dangled this anthology in front of us we all agreed to do it. I had never done a Christmas book of any kind, so I really liked the idea of doing one. Among us I was the least experienced in writing novellas ---I only wrote one other--- so I was a little nervous about that, and about being in an anthology with two superstars.

Good luck with it! I agree that Kensington has fabulous historical authors and Mary Jo Putney will be along next Saturday as my guest.

  

Can you tell us a little about your current project?

I am starting a new trilogy called The Duke’s Heiresses. The connection is a will in which a duke left three fortunes to three women whom his family know nothing about. There is a lot of curiosity regarding who they are, and their connection to the late duke, in part because that money is NOT going to the family members, and also because the duke died under suspicious circumstances. In Heiress for Hire, the first of these mystery women is found by the duke’s nephew, who considers her an excellent suspect in the duke’s death, should it be determined he was helped to his demise. That is complicated by his also considering her the most interesting and alluring woman he has ever met.

I'll look forward to reading the new triology.

Madeline it was lovely to chat to you this year at the Booklovers Con in New Orleans, even though it was only briefly. Thank you for joining me on the blog.

Thank you so much for having me!

  

For more information on Madeline and her books, please visit her website at: https://www.madelinehunter.com/

CONTEST

Madeline has very kindly offered to give away one print copy of NEVER DENY A DUKE and she's happy to ship it anywhere in the world. To enter the contest leave a comment right at the end of this page. If you're having difficulty leaving a comment email me at alyssaj.montgomeryromance@gmail.com with NEVER DENY A DUKE in the subject line and I will enter you into the draw. 

I will draw one name out of a hat from all the entrants on Sunday 29th September at 7pm Australian Eastern Standard Time and the winner will be announced on this blog on Monday September 30th. 

I hope you’ll join me for my interview with Mary Jo Putney next week on the blog. 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 releases: Seduced by the Stranger (October 4th, 2019); The Magic of Christmas (November 12th), Seduced by the Billionaire (April, 2020) - all published by Escape Publishing (Harlequin Enterprises, Australia) . See Alyssa's website for her other books or go to the Harper Collins site:  https://www.harpercollins.com.au/cr-149414/alyssa-j-montgomery/   .