New Releases – Anne Stuart

The Log-Jam has Broken

Finally, FINALLY, I have finished my latest historical. It’s called IT TAKES A THIEF (to be followed by TO CATCH A THIEF) and I’m breathing a huge sigh of relief. It’s the story of a young woman with the heart and soul of a pirate, determined to find her childhood love. Of course, it’s a lot more complicated than that, given that he’s the king of thieves, and he thinks of her as a child, and she’s determined not to be the good girl she’s been trying so hard to be. There are escapes and villains galore, with a nice secondary love story. What more can you ask?
It’s available for pre-order on Amazon and all the other outlets at the discounted price of $4.99 (it goes up to $6.99 on its publication date, June 28th). Here’s the link:

And not only that, I’ve gone back to my beloved romantic suspense novel and am in the midst of finishing it off, so it’ll be ready for publication in a couple of months. This one is classic Mary Stewart (with sex) and so much fun. I’m having trouble with the title, though. The original was GAME OF SHADOWS, which is stupid. Then there RETURN TO MARIPOSA, ESCAPE FROM MARIPOSA (Mariposa is the family estate) and the simple CHARADE. RETURN TO MARIPOSA probably fits it best but I don’t want people confused with RETURN TO CHRISTMAS, which was a time travel return, not a geographic one. Anyone got any ideas? It’s about cousins taking each other’s place when the patriarch is dying. MASQUERADE AT MARIPOSA? Naaah.

But title of not, it’s so delicious I’m actually looking forward to writing every day. And then I have to choose between Part Two of the Thief Chronicles (TO CATCH A THIEF), the sequel to BLACK ICE (I have a great idea!) or my 1930’s adventure novel. So many books, so little time.

Let me know if you have any brilliant ideas for the romantic suspense book. It doesn’t have to have anything to do with the book – A ROSE AT MIDNIGHT was about as random as you can get.

Books on Sale, New Releases

It’s Out!

The Absolutely, Positively Worst Man in England, Scotland and Wales

Today is the official launch day of The Absolutely Positively Worst Man in England, Scotland and Wales. It sneaked out a couple of days earlier, but it’s finally in all the stores, with a print edition to follow really quickly, and with luck an audio version down the line.

I was never supposed to write the book. I had four or five good starts on new books, including my favorite, a modern Mary Stewart-ish romantic suspense, a female revenge book, an Indiana Jones/1930s book, a 1920s gothic, and several other starts along the way. But you know, the girls in the basement (as opposed to Stephen King’s boys in the basement) want what they want, and the idea of this very very bad boy came into my head and wouldn’t leave.

When ideas take over like that (Black Ice was one of them – I was 70 pages into another book and just started writing Black Ice one morning and couldn’t stop) when that happens you have no choice but to listen.

It wasn’t like the book was easy. I went off in the wrong direction the first time I thought they ought to have sex, and just dug myself in deeper and deeper. I hate this new habit of mine where I have to toss out tons of chapters, but better wasted chapters than a wasted book, and I love how this came out, though I was ridiculously uncertain in the very beginning. But all my early readers love it, and I’ve let go my worries and just love the damned thing so much.

I’m expecting great things from this, though I’m not sure why. Just my spidey-senses, which are usually right. If you buy it I’d really appreciate an honest review on Amazon and Goodreads, because I’m making an effort on this one, and I really want people to read it.

It’s at all the usual suspects: Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Absolutely-Positively-Worst-England-Scotland-ebook/dp/B08FYXSG9F/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=anne+stuart&qid=1597765753&sr=8-4

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-absolutely-positively-worst-man-in-england-scotland-and-wales-anne-stuart/1137491470;jsessionid=37996624F6E211070942F4DA69D6BB25.prodny_store02-atgap11?ean=2940162958178

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-absolutely-positively-worst-man-in-england-scotland-and-wales

Applebooks: I can’t figure out a link via the computer. If you get your books from them then you probably know how to do it.

It’s saucy, it’s funny, it’s sexy and romantic and it’s written by the absurdly humble Anne Stuart. What more can you ask for in a book?

Creativity, Landscapes, Life Musings, New Releases

Ch-ch-changes

OMG, I saw the first sign of changing leaves! It shouldn’t be a shock – I live in Northern Vermont where the leaf color in Autumn is amazing, and we usually see the first signs of change during the first week of August. But it was a long, hard winter, and I suspect we have another long, hard one ahead of us with the *#!^%$ virus.

I want another full month of summer, maybe even two, where I can float in my pool and listen to audiobooks (I just re-read Ilona Andrews’s WHITE HOT, which is delicious). In fact, I’ve been doing a lot of rereading. I know what I want to read, and I’m quite often disappointed in the new stuff I’m trying. Still, I do keep discovering new writers that really appeal to me. There’s just something about revisiting an old favorite.

Plans for the ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE WORST MAN IN ENGLAND, SCOTLAND AND WALES are coming along swimmingly. I’m guessing it’ll be out in about a month, and there’s other good stuff coming. The cover is wonderful – I should start flashing that around – and I love the book.

Funny thing about books – they have minds of their own. I realize why I had such trouble with the final third of Worst Man – I was trying to force it into the mold I was used to, with a dangerous, murderous hero and the world about to explode. But that simply wasn’t this story. Obviously, given the title, my hero is a very bad man. But he’s also eminently redeemable.

More details to come. I’m getting very excited about this.

New Releases

HEARTLESS!!!!

Today’s the day! My first new book in 15 months (though I’ve had some rewritten older ones come out) and … shit, I hate praising my own stuff.
Well, that’s not exactly true – I think I’m brilliant, even if I’m not to everyone’s taste. As Jo Beverley used to say, we can’t expect everyone to like our work, we just need to find the people who do. (Damn, I miss Jo!). I want people to read my books and love my books – of course I do. I just feel a bit squicky about asking them to buy them.

So, okay, pretend this has nothing to do with commerce. I love this book. It took so damned long for Emma and Brandon to get back to each other. First, they met when he was a dying soldier and she was an anonymous volunteer at the military hospital. Then she came out of nowhere to save his life when he tried to kill himself.

He’d been such a wreck that he needed time to get his shit together. He went up to a small, shuttered estate he owned in the Highlands of Scotland with a crusty old retainer (are there any other kinds?) to whip his butt into shape with the 19th century form of military basic training (daily swims in icy rivers, tromping over high mountain peaks etc). He’s clean and sober and strong, has been for three years, and now he has to rejoin his family and make amends.

Meanwhile, Emma has thrown herself into her studies, realizing her gift for the medical sciences. She’s become a surgeon, working in the shadows because she’s a woman, but with the Rohans’ help she’s been able to practice despite the disapproval of society. She’s put Brandon out of her mind, knowing she can never have him, and then he walks into her life three years later and he doesn’t remember a thing.

Oh, it’s good! I slaved on this sucker too – my shoulder went wonky and it took almost a year to get surgery, another few months to recover enough to type. I dictated some of it, wrote longhand, but with all the stopping and starting when my shoulder was too bad to work I ended up going in wrong directions. I threw out 40,000 words (almost half the book) and rewrote and moved stuff around until, finally, it was where it felt right, and then I soared on through to the end. Brandon was a revelation. For all he can be a cynical, surly bastard he turned out to be an amazing lover and a surprisingly decent human being while still being hot as hell.

And Emma, in all her angry confusion and denial, stays strong and determined and can’t keep from loving him, no matter how dangerous loving is.

Ooooh, it’s just wonderful. Picture me:

So, okay, here’s your task, and I will be crassly commercial.
1. Buy the book
2. Tell other people to buy the book
3. Tell everyone how wonderful it is
4. Write reviews on Amazon and Goodreads
5. Buy a copy of the book for your mother (she can handle it – I’m probably older than she is and I wrote the smoldering thing)
6. Turn your dolls into Brandon and Emma characters (okay, that’s just me). Pack the male doll’s pants.
7. Buy a paper copy so you can stroke it and kiss it
8. Buy a copy for your town library
9. Buy 150 paper copies and roll around naked in them
10. Spend a thousand dollars and frame the cover because it’s so freaking gorgeous
11. Buy a copy for your dog.

That’s your mission if you choose to accept it. Otherwise I’ll blow up your computer.

Nah. It’s a lovely book and I think you’ll love it, and now I get to turn my attention to something new. I need to write stories like I need oxygen to breathe, and I’ve spent way too much time on getting this ready for publication. Time for a new, epic love story.

Ciao.