7/25/2011

Elaine Golden

Get Lost Gold with Elaine Golden
THE FORTNEY FOLLIES, a Regency short romance trilogy from Harlequin Historical Undone!

AN IMPRUDENT LADY
Book one of the Fortney Follies series
February 2011
ISBN #978-1-426-88544-0




As a young woman, Lady Charlotte Fortney learned what passion truly was from her handsome neighbor, Daniel Walsh. When they were discovered, her father sent the lowly doctor’s son far away from their precious daughter.




Years later, spinster Charlotte is content to watch others play the courtship game—until Daniel returns from India, rekindling a desire that time could never erase. But Daniel seems to have set his sights on another woman, the one match Charlotte would do anything to prevent. He may be willing to give her up—if Charlotte gives herself in exchange…




A DISGRACEFUL MISS

Book two of the Fortney Follies series
March 2011
ISBN # 978-1-426-88877-9




Julian Kenneway, Earl of Vinedale, has a secret: he is in love with innocent debutante Angelica Fortney. She’s the one thing he desires more than the tenuous peace he has regained since returning from India. Yet everyone, including Julian, believes he’s unsuitable for her—and seducing her could ruin both their lives.




But when a rival for Angelica’s affections arrives, Julian realizes he can’t lose her—and can no longer control his passion for her….

A COMPROMISED INNOCENT

Book three of the Fortney Follies series
July 2011
ISBN #978-1-459-20740-0




Accident-prone Lizzie Talbot scares off more suitors than she attracts. When the handsome Oliver Fortney, the Duke of Wainsborough, begins to show an interest, she welcomes the attention though she’s certain it’s temporary.




Oliver likes the unconventional, easy to talk to Miss Talbot, though he isn’t sure what to do about it. When her aunt warns him off, Oliver finds he is hopelessly attracted and willing to do anything to keep Miss Talbot for his own.




GOLDEN ELAINE
Since writing a report on Pompeii in the 6th grade, Elaine has had a fascination with history. Then Elaine discovered Ashes in the Wind by Kathleen Woodiwiss and was swept into historical fiction. With a guaranteed happy ending and lush historical settings, what could be better? She read every one she could afford and re-read them until they became tattered. In high school her dreams of writing one began.




Alas, life often has other plans. By college she had drifted away from writing, and after meeting and marrying a bona fide southern gentleman, Elaine settled into the work grind and focused on her business career.




Until about five years ago, when she stumbled upon an online writing community and discovered the online romance community. She lurked for a while and learning about the writing process. Eventually, she joined in and even tried her hand at writing again. And everything was right (write?) in her world!




When she isn’t writing romance, Elaine loves to travel and explore historical sites first-hand, from Bath and Stonehenge to the catacombs of Paris and the ruins of the Port Arthur penal colony. She also loves to make heirloom quilts for family members, her own contribution to history.




Today, Elaine lives in the Nashville, TN area with her husband, her real-life hero of over 20 years.



I met Elaine at a Harlequin focus group and she seemed to be that ONE person at conference that I continued to see in passing. We had a chance to talk a couple of times and she’s as golden as her name.




THE FORT KNOX OF QUESTIONS
ANGI: How often to you get lost in a story?
ELAINE: Every single day! I’m still an avid romance reader; it’s my favorite way to unwind from a busy day. There’s nothing better than a great story to relax with. Even when it’s action packed, full of suspense and sparking with emotional intensity, I love the escape. I always go to bed with a book --er, make that ebook. I am a total ebook fanatic!





ANGI: What’s the first book you remember reading?
ELAINE: Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans. I have no idea why it’s stuck with me after all these years. It’s not a book my parents even owned; I think I got it at school at some point. Maybe it was the private school atmosphere or the strangeness of Paris in the setting. I’ve certainly always wanted to travel. Whatever it was, I loved reading about Madeline so much that to this day my mother remembers that book, too.

ANGI: What’s your favorite fairy tale?
ELAINE: That would have to be Beauty and the Beast. I am a sucker for the ‘from different worlds’ trope, and in this classic fairy tale two very unique people learn to love each other despite their differences. Then add the tragic noble savage aspect, when the Beast allows Belle to return home, trusting her to return to him and risks heartbreak… oh, makes me melt every time!

ANGI: What’s your favorite cartoon character?
ELAINE: This may sound silly, but my favorite cartoon character was Scooby-Doo. The story structure of those episodes was always around some goofy mystery, so there were problems to solve, but what I liked about Scooby is that he wasn’t perfect. It was ok that he got scared sometimes, and he was often smart enough to just want to get away from the whackiness going on (seriously, who hasn’t screamed at the woman in the horror flick when she ignores that voice that threatens, ‘Get Out!’? I would totally follow that recommendation IRL!) And, ultimately, when he was needed the most, Scooby was there to get the job done and save the day, even if he did it by pure, dumb luck. Who hasn’t been successful despite themselves? ;)

ANGI: Is there a playlist you’d recommend for reading your latest release?
ELAINE: Maybe not an entire playlist, but I can point you to Accidentally in Love by the Counting Crows as the inspiration for the opening scene between my hero and heroine in A COMPROMISED INNOCENT, the most recent release of the Fortney Follies. It’s an upbeat, lighthearted song. As it turns out, the heroine, Lizzie, is horribly accident-prone and this brings her to the notice and proximity of the hero, Oliver.

ANGI: What sound or noise do you love?
ELAINE: I love the sound of running water: a waterfall or a gushing stream. There’s something very soothing about the steady, natural sound.

ANGI: Fairy Tale or Action Adventure?
ELAINE: Action Adventure. Fairy tale leading characters tend to be wholesome Mary Sues and life just isn’t that neat. Sometimes people make poor decisions, get kicked when they’re down and don’t get what they want in the end. In action adventure, the characters tend to make the best possible decision they can given the circumstances, and sometimes it’s the absolutely worst decision they could have made. Then they have to figure out how to get out of it. I find it fascinating to see how the author will get them out of the worst predicaments!

ANGI: What’s your favorite movie of all time?
ELAINE: The Princess Bride. Even though it’s campy, it’s packed with the very best aspects of story and characterization. And it’s oh, so imminently quotable. (Inconceivable! I don’t think that means what he thinks that means!) Plus, I get to share it as a favorite with my husband who considers it a classic, too!

ANGI: Who’s your favorite villain?
ELAINE: Wile E. Coyote. Because that Road Runner keeps kicking his butt and he keeps coming back with crazier and crazier contraptions and schemes to catch the RR. He never does. But he keeps trying. There’s something so appealing (or insane) about his determination, and I can’t help but cheer him on because I’m certain that someday he’ll catch that overconfident bird.
ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: It was such a pleasure to meet you at the RWA National Conference. I noticed your books were released February, March & July of this year…was this your first national signing? What did you like the most?
ELAINE’S GOTTA ANSWER: It was incredible to get to get to know you in NYC, too, Angi! This was my very first conference with published books under my belt, though since they’re only available right now as ebooks, I didn’t have anything physical to sign at the Literacy Signing. Instead, I volunteered to help check folks out, but even that was incredible because I got to talk to so many readers about the books they were buying and what excited them the most. I did have some of my Romance Trading Cards on hand and it was a lot of fun to share with other avid romance lovers my own modest contribution to the genre. The very best part of the whole thing was the people: meeting and networking with so many great folks!

ELAINE IS OFFERING the trilogy to 1 lucky commenter-–since the books are only available electronically, Elaine will work out with the winner the best way to receive them. (Via gift cards, to read on a smartphone, computer or Kindle.)
SHE’S ALSO happy to send anyone interested a set of her Romance Trading Cards for the series. Just send your mailing address to: elainegolden.author@gmail.com. Will send these anywhere.


GOT A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS?
What do you like best about series romance (whether it’s a category series like Harlequin Intrigue or an author’s series of stories)?


YOU CAN CONTACT ELAINE: elainegolden.author@gmail.com; find her at her website; or on Facebook; or on Twitter: @elainegolden.


DON’T FORGET to LIKE GLIAS on FACEBOOK and FOLLOW us on TWITTER or just catch all our guests and their new releases. Our terrific line-up continues this week with Oliva Gates, Vicky Dreiling, April Dawn & Jennifer Haymore.
See you tomorrow! ~ Angi


36 comments:

  1. Welcome to GLIAS, Elaine. Sorry about the late post today, everyone...but Blogger was messing with me !

    The best thing about a set of stories is not investing time in getting to know the characters...since you've already read one book about them, the characters' hopes & dreams are already there on page one. They still grow...which makes it fun to read about them again (even if they're secondary characters in the next book).

    I truly wish you the best of luck, Elaine !
    ~Angi

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  2. Hi, Elaine: I was all ready to read about you and no post! But like a good romance, all's well that ends well. Gosh, in a series romance, I love the continuation of character, especially if it's one I truly care about. It's frustrating to close a book and know I'll never see that person again. But in a series the adventure continues. Your books sound fascinating and compelling. Oh, dear, I hope my nightstand doesn't crash through the floor, or my Kindle explodes by all of these fantastic reads. GLIAS does an amazing service, would you agree?

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  3. I love being able to catch up with characters I've formed attachments to. I like being able to watch characters grow. It's also interesting to see the characters I've fallen in love with through the eyes of different characters. Sometimes we see things that weren't in their own books.

    Danielle @Ramblings From This Chick
    iqb99@yahoo.com

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  4. Hi Elaine! Welcome to GLIAS. I love a series of books like you've done. It's like getting to know a whole group of people, one story at a time. And if the world building is good, I get so caught up that I want more and more.

    As for series romance, I like when I pick up a certain line, I know exactly the sort of book I'm going to be reading.

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  5. Very cute interview. I love historicals and tried my hand at them once upon a time.

    My favorite thing about series are the relationship I get to have with the secondary characters that play throughout a series. Whether it's a charming housekeeper or a quick-witted best friend, it's fun to see those characters through other characters' eyes again and again.

    I also enjoy writing them as well as reading them. What makes that nice is that when an author sets books in the same town with the same cast, it makes for easier writing. I just finished five books with this situation, and I miss my town and cast. Oh, Bubba, where are thou? LOL.

    The novellas (or are they really small books?) sound great...especially Lizzie. I do love a klutz.

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  6. Hi Elaine,
    What I love most about series romance is that I can re-visit characters who I have become fond of. It's like visiting an old friend. Everything is familiar and I am at ease, but still there is something new to catch up on. The end does not feel so final and I get to see how their relationship is progressing and how life is treating them. I also like that the back story with the secondary characters have the potential to develop into something more.

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  7. Elaine, you haven't known me long enough to know that Scooby is sort of *my* favorite cartoon and character. I'm even a collector. >>smile<<

    I knew there was some additional reason we were fated to connect. LOL

    ~~Angi

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  8. Hi Elaine,
    Nice to meet you here. What a fun interview--I love learning little tidbits like the ones you shared. I connected both with your love of Madeline ("In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines." Sigh.) And I've always gotten the hugest kick out of Wile E. Coyote. Some days I feel just like he must -- beating my head against brick walls and making people laugh ...

    Can't wait to check out your books -- they sound like total fun! Good luck!

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  9. Hi Elaine, I guess what I like the best about series is getting to find out what happens to all the characters in the books. Sometime you are just not ready for a story to end and series lets you continue the story. Hope this works this time because blogger is giving trouble.

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  10. @AngiMorgan,

    Thank you so much for inviting me today --it was great fun answering the questions. And LOVE the 'gold' theme! ;)

    OMG, ur a Scooby fan, too? This is total kismet! Do you have the Scooby cookie jar? Inquiring minds want to know!

    *shares Scooby snack*

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  11. @Donnell

    GLIAS is definitely an awesome site!

    I share your feeling that reading a series is like visiting an old friend. We invest so much time and emotion into watching these characters grow and love, that it is a bit like losing a friend when the story is over.

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  12. @Danielle

    You bring up a great point! Sometimes reading about beloved characters in a series can reveal new aspects of their character because you get to see them through other people's eyes.

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  13. @CatShield

    Hi & thanks for the warm welcome!

    Series romance is wonderful for knowing the type of read you're going to have before you start. It's one of the reasons I became such a huge romance fan --the comfort of knowing that no matter what befalls the characters in the course of their story, they will always end up with a HEA. And series offers the same promise! If I want a rollicking adventure, I wanna read a HQ Romantic Suspense or Intrigue, if I'm in the mood for other-wordly creatures I know I can turn to HQ Nocturne. It's always still a uniquely fun read, but with the safety of knowing I'm going to get what I paid for!

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  14. @liztalley

    Series set in the same location and community do tend to offer a deep warmth and sense of familiarity. And that can be such a cozy comfort read.

    LOL --to clumsy Lizzie. I admit I had a lot of fun with her character. When one writes Regency, it's all about formality and manners and the 'proper' way to do things. Which sounds great, but real life isn't that neat, is it?

    Oh, I do love writing fiction!

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  15. Congrats on the release of the complete trilogy, Elaine!

    I definitely love the long, slow unfolding of character and relationship in series. My favorite series of all time (except maybe Harry Potter) is the Aubrey/Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brien. At this point, they seem like real people to me. And I recently finished the first three books in Deanna Raybourne's Lady Julia Grey mysteries...absolutely fabulous!! I love how the thwarted love story evolved over the trilogy. Very satisfying to get to the end!

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  16. @Na

    Oh, yes, I see what you mean! It is kind of like picking up with an old friend, and catching up on everything that you've missed since last you saw them.

    And sometimes it can be fun to wonder who the secondary characters will be pared with!

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  17. Elaine! Congrats on your successes. I feel like we could be sisters :) I LOVE (and write) Regencies and Scooby Doo and Princess Bride would have my answers, too!

    Can't wait to check out your stories!

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  18. @LizbethSelvig

    Great to meet you, too, Lizbeth! How delightful to meet another Madeline AND Wile E fan.

    I know what you mean about how some days feel like you're Wile E buying crazy Acme devices and getting no where --which is probably why I love to root for him! I know what it's like and sometimes the underdog should win!

    Thank you for giving this new author a try!

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  19. @Virginia

    *waves* Your post made it!

    I do know what you mean about not being ready to let the characters go. Romance is so emotional --for us as readers, too --that as satisfying as it can be to read, it can also be a little difficult to let go.

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  20. @ElisaBeatty

    That IS the quintessential 'Getting Lost in a Story' isn't it? Watching people grow and develop naturally, life's little challenges and the decisions we make shaping the characters and the path that they're on.

    *sigh*

    I LOVE GREAT BOOKS. Movie cinematography is fascinating sometimes, but there is nothing like getting lost in your imagination and a great book!

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  21. @HeatherSnow

    OMG It's like you and Angi and Lizbeth are my soul-sistahs! I figured you all would be goggled with my odd (I thought) answers.

    *happy sigh*

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  22. Great interview, Elaine! Your triology sounds great. Especailly book two, I love when a man goes after what he wants.
    I like series because it helps finish stories but also because it gives you a glimpse of past characters. They allow secondary characters, who you love, to get their Happily Ever After, while showing past characters and how they are living now.

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  23. Hi there Elaine!! It was great reading about you :) And count me in along with the Scooby fans.. My DH says, what movie do you want to watch today, and I always say Scooby Doo ;) Well, he prefers action.. I say that Scooby is of course, action, mystery, adventure, all in one ;) :p Havent convinced him yet...but eventually!!!

    Your books sound great! Thanks for the fab giveaway! I'm in! judimello AT gmail DOT com

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  24. Great interview! Would love to read your books, Elaine! Love the Intrigue line but love an author's series too. More of a sense of belonging/familiarity with the characters. Please enter me in your draw. lornel@xplornet.ca
    Had to post this as Anonymous as it wouldn't accept google or wordpress account sign in.
    Lorraine Nelson

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  25. Hi Elaine,

    I like Wile E coyote too. His perserverence! I am a Scooby Doo fan too. I love it when he says, " Dog, where?" when people call him a dog. I like series roamnces because I get invested in the story. Thanks for the fun and interesting interview.

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  26. @Sherie

    Thank you! Vinedale is definitely a cutie. I love a man who'll got after what he wants, too. And apparently I like to torture the fellas a bit, too, because he doesn't get what he wants easily!

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  27. @Ju Dimello says "I say that Scooby is of course, action, mystery, adventure, all in one"

    EXACTLY. You keep after him, he'll come around! ;)

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  28. @Lorraine

    We've got your info so you're in the drawing. Thanks!

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  29. @Tammy Yenalavitch

    So glad you enjoyed --it was a fun interview to do!

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  30. What? I missed Oliver's story? How could I have done that?

    I really enjoyed the first two of this series.

    I like a book series because generally, the former heroes and heroines show up, thus giving the reader a glimpse of their HEA-after. Also, secondary characters in the earlier books really need their own HEAs and a series provide that (not that every character needs to be paired off).

    ironss [at] gmail [dot] com

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  31. @Sheree

    Oh, thanks so much! I'm so glad you've enjoyed the series --and you didn't miss Ollie's story by much, it's just released this month. :D

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  32. I like the connected characters. They might only be a brother or a cousin that makes a brief appearance in the first book, but then they get their own dedicated book. I guess you could say it's like discovering a long lost cousin - the familiarity is very comforting.

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  33. No cookie jar, Elaine... But lots of little things and a mouse pad and a thumb drive and a Scooby doll in karate clothes and a Mystery Machine alarm clock...and...and... And an unopened mystery machine shaped Animal Crackers Scooby Snacks package.

    Always wanted the cookie jar, but cookies never lasted long enough to justify it. :-)

    ~Angi

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  34. What a great response today! I hope you had a great time, Elaine. Congrats Congrats Congrats on your books.

    (Since I'm traveling--yes again--Elaine, please draw a winner Tuesday and we'll post here.)

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  35. You got it!

    Using random.org, the winner of the Fortney Follies giveaway is...

    ELISA BEATTY!!

    Congratulations, Elisa! I'll be in touch via email so you can download and start reading.

    Thank you everyone for making my visit here so extra special. It was great fun

    ~Elaine

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  36. CONGRATULATIONS, SHERI !
    You've won Elaine's FORTNEY TRILOGY!

    Just send an email with your info to GetLostInAStory@gmail.com and I'll put you in contact with Elaine.

    Thanks everybody for stopping by!
    ~Angi

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