7/27/2011

Vicky Dreiling

HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL Hachette/Grand Central: Forever Imprint ISBN: 978-0-446-56538-7
SCOUNDRELS, RAKES, AND ROGUES BEWARE . . .
Lady Julianne Gatewick is in a pickle. It started when her brother’s best friend—for whom she’s long nursed a secret tendre—agreed to act as her guardian for the Season, only to seduce her with a risqué waltz.

But when the music stopped and the expectant ton waited for the Earl of Hawkfield to claim her as his own, he made his disinterest clear. Rather than succumb to humiliation, Julianne does what any recently discarded, wickedly witty young miss would do. She secretly pens a lady’s guide to enticing unrepentant rakes . . . and it becomes the hottest scandal in London.

Every honorable rake knows that friends’ sisters are forbidden. But suddenly Julianne has a spark of mischief in her eyes that Hawk can’t resist. Try as he might to push her away, he spends his days listening for her laughter and his nights dreaming of her kisses. He’s always avoided innocents and their marriage-minded mothers, but has the man least likely to wed finally met his match?

ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR Read the Excerpt
~ ~ ~ VICKY DREILING is a confirmed historical romance junkie and Anglophile. Frequent business trips to the UK allowed her to indulge her passion for all things Regency England. Bath, Stonehenge, and Spencer House are among her favorite places.



Her first two novels HOW TO MARRY A DUKE and HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL debuted on Nielsen Bookscan’s Top 100 Romance List. And yes, she really did set off a security alarm in Windsor Castle.
~ ~ ~ A LITTLE HISTORY ABOUT VICKY: ANGI: How often to you get lost in a story?
VICKY: Daily. I wear noise cancellation headphones & listen to music while I write. When I’m in the story zone, nothing else exists. My daughter said a team of robbers could invade, and I probably wouldn’t notice. LOL!
ANGI: What’s the first book you remember reading?
VICKY: The Cat in the Hat
ANGI: What’s your favorite “love” word?
VICKY: Je t’aime. (That’s French for I love you.)
ANGI: What’s your favorite fairy tale?
VICKY: Cinderella – I love when the girl least likely wins!
ANGI: What’s your favorite cartoon character?
VICKY: The Tasmanian Devil
ANGI: What turns you off like nothing else?
VICKY: I have zero tolerance for cruelty and bullying.
ANGI: Is there a playlist you’d recommend for reading your latest release?
VICKY: I have playlists on the Fun Stuff page on my website for all three of my books, including HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE, due out in spring 2012. Want to listen?
ANGI: Where do you read and how often?
VICKY: I read in bed most nights. Sigh – I do wish I had more time to read.
ANGI: Fairy Tale or Action Adventure?
VICKY: Fairy Tale
ANGI: What was the first story you remember writing?
VICKY: I wrote a short story in grade school about a bear.
ANGI: What’s your favorite movie of all time?
VICKY: Pretty Woman
ANGI: Who’s your favorite villain?
VICKY: Richard III
ANGI: Be honest, when reading...do you put yourself in the heroine’s role?
VICKY: Not when I’m reading, but definitely when I’m writing.
ANGI: Is writing or story-telling easier for you?
VICKY: If by “writing,” you mean constructing sentences, I don’t think about it. I just write. I do have an English degree, and I have spent considerable time studying story structure. But when I write a novel, I’m focused entirely on the characters and their journeys. At some point in writing my novels, I will usually hit a roadblock. This is when I analyze what I’ve established thus far. More important, I look at the characters’ development up to that point, which helps me envision the book going forward. Finally, I always keep the premise of the book in mind in every scene. Premise acts as a lighthouse for me when I go astray.
ANGI: What’s something you’d like to tell your fans?
VICKY: Thank you so much for all the messages and emails telling me how much you enjoy my books. As a new author, this means a great deal to me.

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: I was taking a look at your website and found a playlist for HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE. Can you let us know when the next installment will be available? But I noticed that there’s some very modern music … DOLLHOUSE … Please tell us a little how this will fit in with Book #3. **grin**
VICKY’S GOTTA ANSWER: I listen to both modern and classical music while I write my books. The playlists often feature songs with lyrics that are pertinent to plot points. For example, the playlist for HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL features a song called Dark Waltz by Haley Westenra that I listened to while writing a scene featuring a waltz. Also, I choose theme songs for my books. Better Man by Pearl Jam is the theme song for HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL. I Believe in You/Je Crois en Toi by Il Divo and Celine Dion is the theme song for HOW TO MARRY A DUKE. As for Dollhouse and HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE, I can’t tell you yet, because that’s a spoiler. *grin* HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE is slated for publication in April 2012.

WILL YOU HAVE A DRAWING FROM THOSE LEAVING COMMENTS? Yes, I’ll give away a copy of HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL along with Romance Trading Cards for both my books to one reader – US & Canada only.
Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only. If an electronic Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

GOT A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS? What sort of hero do you like best and why? I’m fond of rakes and charmers, but there are other popular types as well.

READERS can find Vicky at her Website; Contact her: vicky@vickydreiling.com
Friend her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

DON’T FORGET to LIKE GLIAS on FACEBOOK and FOLLOW us on TWITTER or just catch all our guests and their new releases. Drop by Thursday for author April Dawn & Friday for author Jennifer Haymore.
Til next week! ~ Angi

19 comments:

  1. Welcome to GLIAS, Vicky. So glad you're here and best of luck with your HOW TO series. The books sound really fun...and I love your playlist.

    I love all types of heroes...even nerds.Just give me a Happy Ever After.
    ~~Angi

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  2. Thanks so much for inviting me to GLIAS, Angi!

    Cheers!
    Vicky Dreiling

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  3. Your book sounds like fun - I like the idea of challenging the rake. They're my favorite type of hero in historicals.

    I can't listen to music with lyrics while writing, I keep wanting to sing along.

    Cheers!

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  4. Really detailed answers the Q's! It's always fascinating getting into another author's head. Same thing for me with putting myself in the heroine's role when writing, but no so much with reading. Personally, I'd like to see more heroes that are sensitive/ rebounding from heartbreak (bit of a noob, so don't know what you'd call it). Sort of like the men in Austen's Persuasion. It's nice to see some non Alpha males every now and then!

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  5. Vicky, may I borrow your headphones? Where were they when my kids were in high school or I was having my kitchen renovated? Fabulous answers to Angi's questions. Thanks for joining us here. Gosh, you know your question is hard. I don't necessarily like a scoundrel or a rake, unless I know at the heart of him, is a decent man, or that he's been so damaged, he takes on that persona out of self-defense. For him to simply be a scoundrel or a rake, doesn't do much for me. Then if he's tortured enough, or the wrong woman got away and he still pines over her and swears no one will do it again, then I can forgive him and can't put the book down. Does this make any sense at all?

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  6. Jo, my heroes are alpha males, but they have a core sense of honor that shows they care about their families and friends. My hero Hawk in HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL is a charmer on the outside, but a tortured hero inside. :-)

    I bought Bose Noise Cancellation headphones when I used to fly for business in the US & Europe. They're expensive, but the sound quality is fantastic. The music also helps keep my energy from flagging. I'm one of those rare extroverted writers, and I get very lethargic if I don't get my "people fix."

    Cheers!
    Vicky

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  7. Jo,

    I think you're describing a Beta hero. He's generally a good guy, with a few sympathetic flaws. This type of hero can be a bit more difficult, I think, to create. You have to be careful that he doesn't come across as too perfect. He's got to have flaws, even if he's a nice guy. Also, it's important that he come across as uber masculine. An excellent example of a Beta hero drawn very well is Benedict in Loretta Chase's LORD PERFECT.

    Cheers!
    Vicky

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  8. Lu/Grace,

    I love rakes and alpha males, too. The best part is when they're brought to their knees! I used to have trouble writing with music, but I conditioned myself. Also, the music cues me it's time to write. Remember stimulus/response from psychology class? LOL - yeah, I'm like Pavlov's dog.

    Cheers!
    Vicky

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  9. Vicky, your story sounds like such fun! I think my favorite heroes are the protectors - as long as he only protects his woman when she wants him to!

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  10. Thanks Vicky for the great interview. I love your books! Cannot wait to see how Julianne suduces Hawk. They were unforgetable characters in your first book and I bought their story this weekend. Just waiting for some free time so I can fully indulge.
    I love men who know what they want and know how to get it. They don't take no for an answer and they make girls melt with just a look.

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  11. I'd pick fairy tale anyday too, Vicky! Loved,loved, loved the covers of your books!

    Fab giveaway...and count me in ! judimello AT gmail DOT com

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  12. Great interview! Your book sound like my kind of read. I have been hearing good things about it. I can't wait to read it.

    I love all types of heros and I like to switch it up some. My favorite would be the tortured hero or flaw hero. They all must have some type of flaw.

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  13. Thanks, Abigail, Sherie, and Ju!

    Cheers!
    Vicky

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  14. Thanks, Virginia!

    Cheers!
    Vicky

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  15. Vicky, I'm still really curious how DOLLHOUSE fits with HOW TO MARRY A DUKE. >>grin<< I know I have to wait. >>sigh<< And I'm seriously envious of your headphones.

    ~Angi

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  16. LOL Angi on Dollhouse. Thanks again for inviting me to blog.

    I forgot to mention this, but there's a Behind the Scenes feature on the Fun Stuff page on my website. It contains spoilers, so please read HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL first. Cheers!

    Vicky

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  17. Hello Vicki!
    I love tortured heroes. The darker the better. I also love rakes. I don't want a perfect hero. I prefer characters with flaws. When they finally find the right woman they overcome their inability to express their feelings. It makes their HEA even sweeter to me.

    user1123 AT comcast DOT net

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  18. CONGRATULATIONS JU !!
    You are the winner of Vicky's HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL. Just send us an email to GetLostInAStory@gmail.com with your info and we'll get you connected to Vicky !

    Thanks for visiting,
    ~Angi

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  19. Nice post.Thanks a lot vicky.It is really amazing post.I like it very much.I cann't wait to read this.Great job.
    waiting for kennedy

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