People often ask published authors how they came up with their first sellable story idea, and what made those stories original enough to stand out  from all of the other boy-meets-girl-loses-girl-gets-girl-back manuscripts. The simple answer is this: Wikipedia. Okay, not really. Although I can spend all day going from link to link on Wikipedia, until my head explodes, I don’t get my story ideas from there. Truthfully, my ideas come from the deep dark recesses of my brain, without any explanation. It’s a mystery.

As an avid reader of historical romance, I’ve spent the better part of the last thirty years devouring those novels, watching Jane Austen movies, and reading non-fiction books about anything British. I’ve certainly picked up a few nuggets of inspiration from all that information. Heck, you put a man in a pair of breeches and a cravat, and I’m giddy. What it is about a hot guy in period clothing that notches up my creativity and makes me want to write about an arrogant duke or exasperating earl? Perhaps those men are where I find my inspiration? Who knows?

Original plot ideas can come from anywhere, even Wikipedia. The School for Brides started out as an idea about the spinster daughter of a courtesan who wanted to save other courtesans from her mother’s fate. I’d read true stories about courtesans and wondered what they did when men no longer sought out their favors. Do they retire? Can they retire? Can they find other work? How do they survive? Those questions led to an original idea about a courtesan matchmaker and my first sale.

In my current project, I put my hero and heroine alone in an abandoned manor on a “dark and stormy night”. Heard that storyline before? Since the storyline is used often, I had to give it my own original take. One of the things I wondered about was how I’d feed my hero and heroine while they waited out the storm. Since the manor had not been used for over a year, what would they eat? Anything in the pantry would be spoiled. What about canned food? Was canned food available in the year my story was set? I didn’t know. So I raced over to Google and found the answer on several websites. Yes to canned food. Although it was mostly used by the army at the time, and can openers would not be invented for at least ten more years, I had a solution to the problem and an original idea to add to my story. Give the hero a can of meat and a bayonet, and they wouldn’t starve.

Originality comes from questions. If you put a hero and heroine in cabin in the woods, other than passionate lovemaking, what would they do? Play Scrabble? Hunt squirrels for food? Fight off rabid raccoons with a fireplace poker? Plot taking over the world? All of the above? The possibilities are endless. Reach into the deep dark recesses of your imagination and see what questions you can come up with. Then throw stuff at your characters and see what they’ll do. It makes a story both original, and fun!

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Cheryl Ann Smith started writing many years ago, but life got in the way. Once her kids were in school, she turned her hobby into a full-time career. She wrote several manuscripts before she signed with her agent and sold her first sexy Regency romance, “The School for Brides”, to Berkley.

When Cheryl isn’t writing, she enjoys outdoor activities like camping and riding snowmobiles. Travel too. She’s visited many places, but oddly enough, never England. This is an oversight she intends to correct, soon.

Duchess Darcy Burke makes her curtsey with HER WICKED WAYS! A Golden Heart finalist and Suburban goddess, Darcy brings us the exciting tale of a good boy highwayman and a bad girl aristocrat. NYT Bestselling Author Courtney Milan says HER WICKED WAYS is a “deliciously wicked debut.” 

So call for tea, Darlings, and stay to chat. Who doesn’t want some wicked deliciousness!

Duchess Leigh: I am thrilled to interview you today and let the world know about your fabulous debut, Darcy! Tell us a little about HER WICKED WAYS.

Duchess Darcy Burke: Thanks for having me. The tea is divine and the company even more.

I sometimes describe HER WICKED WAYS as Paris Hilton meets Robin Hood, but Paris Hilton does not evoke a very sympathetic heroine! Miranda is like Paris Hilton in that she’s very wealthy, very popular, very used to getting what she wants, and perhaps not always good at making the right choices. I loved the idea of taking that kind of character and plopping her completely out of her element—sort of like Paris and her friend in that reality show, The Simple Life. (Although, I do love a select few reality shows, I cannot claim to have ever watched that one.) Fox is the perfect foil for Miranda because he’s the good guy that bad girls tend to overlook when they’re attracted to a bad boy. Luckily for Fox, he gets to be both the good guy (orphanage-owning-hero) and bad boy (sexy highwayman).

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I find it very interesting that recent discussions on Dear Author and Romance Writers of America (See “Rocking the Mistorical, by the lovely Duchess Valerie Bowman) have focused on the concept of the “mistorical” and whether historical romance today does due diligence to the time periods about which we write. The usual argument against the accuracy of many historical romances is that the heroines some authors create are unbelievable because “upper class women of the day didn’t do that.” That, of course, being things like refusing to marry highly eligible young men. Or defying one’s parents expectations.

Or working.

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Today, the Duchesses are honored to receive a call from two-time Rita-winner Sherry Thomas. Sherry writes my favorite kind of historical, bursting with deep characters, fraught with tension and written in lovely, lyrical prose with just the right touch of humor.

Ashlyn: I hear you’ve got a new series coming out. Do tell us about it.

Sherry Thomas: I have a trilogy coming out this year, beginning with BEGUILING THE BEAUTY this week, continuing with RAVISHING THE HEIRESS in July, and concluding with TEMPTING THE BRIDE in October.

The stories are connected via the Fitzhugh siblings, Venetia, Fitz, and Helena.  Venetia is the beauty becoming beguiled in book 1, Fitz is set to ravish Millie, his heiress wife in book 2, and Helena will be donning the veil in book 3.

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Being of a literary bent (Dare we admit to being bluestockings?), the duchesses have a more than a few manuscripts under their collective belt. You might even see a few of them in the bookstores.

Today, however, we’re going to let you look under our skirts—our bed skirts, that is. Yes, we’re going to lift that dust ruffle, but not to check up on the upstairs maids. Instead, we’re going to shed some light on something truly scary (at least in my case).

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Author Grace Burrowes

The Dashing Duchesses welcome New York Times and  USA Today bestselling author of Regency romance Grace Burrowes.

It’s been an excellent year for Duchess Grace Burrowes.

Not only is her book, Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish,  nominated for a 2012 RITA, but it also won the 2012 Romantic Times Best Historical Romance Reviewer’s Choice award.

Now, Lady Sophie’s sister gets her own story in Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal, due out May 1.

Taking a quick break from picking up kudos and writing the next installment in her “Duke’s Daughters” series, Her Grace joins The Duchesses for a chat about her latest title…and her whirlwind year.  

Duchess Grace is also giving away three signed copies of Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal, so leave a question or comment to enter to win!

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Pop the champagne! The Duchesses are taking Town by storm. New sales! Golden Heart Finalists! We couldn’t be prouder of Her Graces.

New Sales

Tracy Brogan SOLD two books to Montlake Publishing. TOTALLY DODY, a contemporary, releases October 2012

Anna Randol SOLD three more historicals to Avon Books

Jennifer McQuiston SOLD three historicals to Avon Books

Maire Claremont SOLD her Golden Heart winning historical to Pocket. THE DARK LADY releases November 2012

Golden Heart Finalists

Elisa Beatty “The Devil May Care” Historical category

Tracy Brogan “Highland Promise” Historical category

Wendy LaCapra “Scandal in Spades” Regency category

Jennifer McQuiston “A Private Affair” Historical category

Sharon Wray “Rogue’s Return” Romantic Suspense category

Other Awards

Lecia Cornwall’s  SECRETS OF A PROPER COUNTESS is nominated as Best First Book in the National Reader’s Choice Awards

New Releases on the Horizon

Darcy Burke        Leigh LaValle           Anna Randol    Cheryl Ann Smith                                                                                 

May 2012               May 2012              June 2012           June 2012

Back when I was a teenager (when the dinosaurs roamed the earth) my parents would never have dreamed of allowing me to sleep over at my boyfriend’s house—even if I promised to sleep in a separate bedroom.

Our Colonial forebears saw things a bit differently. In early America, it was permissible for a courting couple to spend the night together.  In the same bed, no less. This practice was called bundling.

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Today the Duchesses of Dash welcome wonderful, witty USA Today bestselling author of Regency Romance Kieran Kramer.

Duchess Valerie: Thank you for visiting the duchesses today, Kieran. You’ve had a varied and interesting employment history. Please share with our readers a little of that. You were a contestant on Wheel of Fortune, no? And an CIA agent?

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Ahh, spring break.

That thoroughly American ritual during which young lords and ladies cavort about on sandy beaches, swilling cheap ale, and exposing bits even one’s valet and nursemaid would be shocked to see. With this weeks’ pilgrimage to Daytona in full swing, I began to ponder vacation destinations of a more genteel and historical nature. Being from Michigan, my thoughts turned naturally toward Mackinac Island and its charming Grand Hotel.

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