Get exclusive scenes of your favorite couples from my books celebrating the holidays…
FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, YOU CAN SIGN UP TO RECEIVE AS MANY STORIES AS YOU WANT!
(Just remember, if you read them all now, there may come a year when there are no new stories for you to read. Choose wisely!)
I’ve written five adorable Christmas mini-stories, one about Solomon and Serena from A Lily Among Thorns, one about Nev and Penny from In for a Penny, one about Phoebe and Nick from Sweet Disorder, one about Sukey and John from Listen to the Moon, and one about Robert and Betsy from “A Taste of Honey”.
And I’ve got three charming Hanukkah stories, one about Ash and Lydia from True Pretenses, one about Simon and Maggie from “All or Nothing”, and one about Rachel and Nathan from “Promised Land” in the Hamilton’s Battalion anthology.
Everything is the same as last year, so if you’ve already read a story, you don’t need to request it again.
“A Taste of Honey” is book 4 in my Lively St. Lemeston series (WARNING: contains elections, confections, and a number of erections). I wrote it because so many people read Sweet Disorder and said “I’d have married Mr. Moon!”
(If you want to read the whole series, the best deal is still the boxed set.)
To be clear, this isn’t one of my Jewish historicals. It’s just….
🎶A taste of honey…🎶 🎶A taste of honey…🎶 🎶Tasting much sweeter than wine🎶
I don’t know if I can really even explain how exciting this is for me. But here’s an excerpt of the email I wrote SBTB when I submitted Lily for review, back when it was rereleased by Samhain in 2014 (I hope Sarah won’t mind my sharing it):
I still love your blog, but sometimes I forget that back when I first discovered it, the only other person I regularly talked to who read romance was my mother. She could snark like nobody’s business, sure, but SBTB was the first time I felt like part of a romance community. [I] remember vividly many happy hours snort-laughing over cover snark and that incredible feeling of “Finally, people who get it!”
SBTB gave me the confidence that maybe there’d be a market for what I was writing, that not every romance reader was committed to only reading the type of hero that was in almost every historical at the time.
I was already working on the book that would become (some time collecting dust under the bed and a millionty rewrites later) A Lily Among Thorns, and I fantasized regularly about seeing it reviewed on Smart Bitches. Of course by the time it came out in 2011, Dorchester was being boycotted by a lot of bloggers including SBTB–which I actually thought was awesome, btw, so please don’t think I’m complaining. I reluctantly gave up on that fantasy.
And now it’s there! It’s really there! And they liked it!
Serena is my favourite character in the entire book…Watching her try to balance all of the plates she’s spinning is simultaneously stressful and delightful…whether the book is showing her first awkward attempts at friendships or having her in perfect control of a dangerous situation.
…I was so invested in the romance working out and in Solomon’s recovery from grief, and I loved getting to watch Serena defend everything she loved even as I was angry that she had to.
Learn more about A Lily Among Thorns, including where to buy it. (The self-pubbed edition has a new epilogue showing the resolution of the secondary romance!)
I’ll be putting A Taste of Honey on sale for the Jewish New Year (when it’s traditional to eat honey for a sweet year)! Watch this space for details, or join my mailing list to get notified in your inbox.
Long time no post! Thanks for your understanding with my erratic updates here. Honestly, if you don’t want to miss anything, I’d recommend joining my mailing list.
I also recently launched a Patreon! For just $3 a month, you can stay in the loop about what I’m working on every week (usually, that means nifty historical research or a small spoiler or snippet from my WIP, although on occasion I’ve also been known to share sneak peeks at a new cover, ask for help choosing a title, or talk about my personal life).
Here’s what Sarah Wendell of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books said when I recorded a podcast with her a few weeks ago (you can hear me talk about Aaron Burr, professional wrestling, and the f/f Gothic I’m writing):
“[I]t is a freaking joy to receive her weekly Patreon newsletter. It’s adorable, it’s fun, it’s informative, and I look forward to it every week. If you like obscure deep dives into history on such topics as what kinds of play tea sets did young girls have during the Regency, this is for you.”
I’ll be reading aloud from Sweet Disorder! Lydia Michaels (who writes dark, sexy romantic suspense) will be reading as well.
I’ll have some books for sale, but not my whole catalog, so if you know you want to buy a particular book, give me a heads-up so I can bring it!
I hope to see you there. ❤️
If you want to know more about what I’m up to this summer, including my freelance editing/research assistance business (I’m scheduling in-person brainstorming sessions for RWA weekend!), workshops, podcast appearances, book recs, and Netflix selections, here’s a link to my June update!
I’ve got 3 workshops scheduled so far for 2019 and I’d love to see you there!
(I’m also open to scheduling more workshops! If you’re interested in booking me, please email rose@roselerner.com or use the contact form on this site.)
EEEE I’m so excited about this one! I will be spilling every trade secret I know at the Ripped Bodice romance bookstore in Culver City, CA on Sunday February 17, 1-4PM.
Historical Romance 101:
Want to put more “historical” in your historical romance? This lively and engaging in-depth workshop offers practical, nuts-and-bolts craft guidance to help you create a historical voice, write believable dialogue, seamlessly integrate research into your story, and decide what historical accuracy means to you. Then Rose will throw open her research tool-chest to share her hard-won techniques and tricks of the trade. She’ll walk you through how to get the most out of search engines and local libraries, build your own research collection, fact-check, and lots more, all with an emphasis on free resources. (Who doesn’t love free?)
Every historical setting and every level of experience is welcome!
You can sign up (or buy a ticket for a loved one!) at the Ripped Bodice events page. Registration is just $50 and I am going to pack as much useful information into three hours as I possibly can! Plus, spending time in the Ripped Bodice is nourishment for the soul, that place is magic.
(If you want to make a long weekend of it and soak in some sun, they’ve got a wonderful Galentine’s Day event on February 13!)
If you can’t make it to LA, I’ve got a couple of online workshops coming up as well with From The Heart Romance Writers.
(Oh, and if you can’t make it to LA but you would like me to sign a book for you while I’m at the Ripped Bodice, you can order one here! Link goes to the full list of available authors in case you want to do some additional shopping…)
January 27 – February 2, 2019 – “Making Your Protagonists’ Job Work For You.” ($15) I’ve given this one live before for writers’ groups and conferences and participants always have a ton of fun! I’ll take you through a series of exercises, using your protagonist’s job as a lens to deepen characterization, create tension, and build conflict. My own heroes and heroines count confectioners, innkeepers, chemists, soldiers, servants, con artists, politicians, and accountants among their number, just to name a few, so I know whereof I speak!
And then in December 2019, my “Regency Electoral Politics with a Focus on Women’s Participation” workshop is back by popular demand! ($25)
The Regency British political system was complex, evolving, and unique–and even if women couldn’t sit in Parliament, they were involved in it everywhere, as patronesses, hostesses, possessers of pocket boroughs, information brokers, canvassers, and more. I’ll give you a detailed overview of Parliament, political parties, elections, and the patronage system, and then explore the many ways that contemporary women (particularly elite women) participated.
This is a four-week course with LOTS of information! I know December is a busy holiday month, but you can always save the materials and read them at your convenience, and you’re welcome to email me with follow-up questions at any time.
1. I’ve started a new project, HEAling the World, and I’m very excited about it! HEAling the World is one way for the romance community to fight against injustices going on in the United States right now and to work towards the happily-ever-after we want for our world.
Every month for eighteen months romance authors will share favorite charities or organizations. Authors will also give away books to a few donors each month.
We are starting off strong this month with Rebekah Weatherspoon sharing about Women of Color in Romance! Click this link to visit the HtW site and learn about WOCINR, and please consider donating to this vital cause. The first five $10 donors get 5 amazing free e-books!
2. My novella “All or Nothing” from the Gambled Away anthology is now up for pre-order on Amazon! Check out my stunning new cover!!!!!
Gambled Away, the historical romance anthology I did with Molly O’Keefe, Joanna Bourne, Isabel Cooper, and Jeannie Lin, is on sale for just 99 cents! This is a great deal, especially for a collection Amazon estimates at 600 pages if it were a print book.
I’ve seen people saying that they’ve been reading novellas because they can’t focus for the length of a book right now. If that’s you, check this out. Five amazing stories from five amazing authors. I’m so proud of how this book turned out.
When it came out, Elisabeth Lane of Cooking Up Romance wrote: “This will probably be a Best Book of 2016 for me. Every story was a tiny jewel of perfection.” Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review and wrote, “The complex characters, intricate relationships, and sparkling plots showcase each author’s strengths, making this collection a must-have for any historical romance fan.”
My story is about a shy architect who asks an irrepressible Jewish gambling den hostess to pose as his mistress so he can actually get some work done at his ex-boyfriend’s house party. It’s a very personal, nerdy little story about learning to be a grown-up with money, and setting boundaries in obsessive friendships, and kink, and how sometimes people won’t fucking shut up about kosher stuff when you’re Jewish and eating with them, and insecurity, and falling in love, and I hope you love it as much as I do.
To celebrate the sale, I’m posting a Simon/Maggie playlist I put together for the release (part of it got posted on various book blogs and stuff at the time, but not all).
Maggie is in a relationship (a polyamorous one, so there is no cheating!) and Simon is still dealing with a breakup. So I’m going to start my playlist with songs for those relationships, which are an important part of the story:
1. The Lucksmiths – “Self-Preservation”.The world would be duller without us. This quirky love song about protecting what you have even if other people think it’s weird is for my heroine Maggie and her best friend (with benefit)s and co-gaming den owner, Meyer. 2. Click Five – “The Flipside”.Waiting for the day when I’m complete/without you, doing what I can to let you be. A rather passive-aggressive but genuinely sad song about a breakup is for my hero Simon and his ex-boyfriend Clement. 3. The Pretenders – “Don’t Get Me Wrong.”I’m thinking about the fireworks that go off when you smile. This feels really right for the crush Maggie has on Simon at the beginning of the story: uncomplicated, sexy, eager and exhilarating. 4. Selena Gomez – “Good for You”.Gonna wear that dress you like, skin-tight/Do my hair up real, real nice/And syncopate my skin to how you’re breathing. This song is so hot, and the combination of confidence, longing, and dressing to impress feels really right for Maggie. 5. U2 – “Mysterious Ways”.You’ve been living underground/Eating from a can/You’ve been running away/From what you don’t understand. I know this song is cheesy as hell but I LOVE IT, and I think it expresses how spending time with Maggie pushes Simon out of the rut he’s been in.
Have I mentioned on here that I’m going to be an attending author at the Barbara Vey Readers Weekend next April????
In case you haven’t heard about it before, the BVW is a unique reader event about which everyone I know who’s gone cannot rave enough. Romance readers take over an entire hotel in Milwaukee (from 4/28 – 4/30 next spring), hang out, talk books, party (with pizza!), and meet authors! The centerpiece of the weekend is a yummy luncheon where readers buy a ticket for a particular author’s table (7 readers for each author). According to the website here is what a Luncheon ticket will get you:
-Tote bag filled with books and goodies
-$5 coupon to be used at the book signing
-Lunch with an author
-Gift from your author
-Door prize ticket
-Opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for charity
-Book signing Event
-Meet & Greet with the Authors
What a deal! 🙂 I am already planning my table decorations and gifts and it is going to be SO FREAKING COOL. I wish I could tell you more because I have chosen a frankly brilliant theme but MY LIPS ARE SEALED. I CAN tell you I am also putting together a sweet Hamilton gift basket for the raffle, however.
There are also several free events that you can drop into if you are in the Milwaukee area!
Tickets for the luncheon and breakfast go on sale tomorrow night at midnight (well, actually, 7/30 at 12:01AM). I’ve heard they go fast (sometimes within 24 hours) so don’t put off buying a ticket if you know you want to go! I would love to see you at my table.
Okay so! I’m gonna talk about all the stories in this for a second. Because they are all SO SO GOOD OMG. It is honestly surreal to me to be doing an anthology with these authors. Wow. I have arrived. I am living the dream.
(The theme of the anthology, btw, is that one protagonist has to win the other at cards. My favorite trope!)
1. Mine. “All or Nothing.” This is my first self-published story and honestly I think I got a little drunk on it? This is a very personal, weird, nerdy little story about learning to be a grown-up with money, and setting boundaries in obsessive friendships, and kink, and how sometimes people won’t fucking shut up about kosher stuff when you’re Jewish and eating with them, and insecurity, and falling in love, and I hope you love it as much as I do. Also all the characters look like Nikita actors in my head (in particular the leads look like dreamboat couple Lyndsy Fonseca and Noah Bean), and every minor character in the first scene has a fannishly significant name. See how many you recognize!
Simon Radcliffe-Gould needs someone to run interference for him at his ex-boyfriend’s house party so he can actually design the garden folly he’s being paid to design, so he asks flashy gambling den hostess Maggie da Silva to pose as his mistress. I just love fake dating, what can I say?
2. “Liar’s Dice” by Jeannie Lin. OMG I could go on and on. Has Jeannie ever written anything ever that wasn’t note perfect? Be honest. The answer is no. This story is no exception and guess what, I have it on good authority that there will be MORE! more more more now plz. Okay. So Wei-wei is, in Jeannie’s words, “the straight A student who can do no wrong in her parents’ eyes, yet sneaks out of the house at night to meet up with her friends.“ Did I mention this story is linked to the Lotus Palace books? So Wei-wei sneaks out of the house dressed in one of Bai Huang’s discarded flamboyant Scarlet-Pimpernel robes to visit Ming-yu’s and Wu Kaifeng’s tea house, and while she’s out she runs into her brother’s disreputable associate Gao, who kind of reminds me of Han Solo except he doesn’t talk as much, and together they witness a murder! And then they have to investigate together and it is SO SO GOOD and Wei-wei is such a nerd and Gao is SO FUCKING INTO HER, there is this scene where she’s trying to explain to him about her favorite story where the hero and heroine turn into butterflies at the end, and he’s really trying to understand but he just can’t and OH MY GOD THEY ARE SO CUTE, GO READ IT NOW. GO. I’LL WAIT.
3. “Raising the Stakes” by Isabel Cooper. You may remember Isabel Cooper of Scottish Victorian dragon and also post-apocalyptic/Victorian time-travel My Fair Lady fame??? Yeah. So this story is set in 1930s California, and this tough-talking wisecracking two-bit con woman who’s sending money to the folks back home in Oklahoma wins a magic flute at poker, and now this magic elf has to do her bidding, so they decide to take down a crooked radio evangelist, and it is so so good. Sam is SO ADORABLE and she likes Cary Grant and her first instinct when faced with an immortal elf warrior is to buy him pancakes and I could just listen to her talk all day.
4. Molly O’Keefe’s “Redeemed.” If you like angsty stories about fucked-up, traumatized people who thought they could never love again BUT OH WAIT I GUESS THEY CAN, this is for you. Dr. James Madison (OH MY GOD STOP ASKING HIM, NO HE IS NOT NAMED AFTER THE PRESIDENT, JESUS, WHY DOES EVERYONE ASK THAT) is recovering from a chloroform addiction he developed because of his Civil War surgeon PTSD (he fought for the North, just FYI), and he’s living in a brothel, and then this creepy Confederate dude brings his weird creepy act through town where he makes this former Union spy girl sing in a big birdcage, and she’s weird and funny and desperate to escape and it turns out her handler is her abusive stepfather (sort of) who also has her addicted to morphine and laudanum, and Dr. Madison is like I’m no hero but THIS WILL NOT STAND, and they both claw their way towards being happy again, and it’s very beautiful. Also I hear that the hero is inspired by Val Kilmer’s Doc Holliday. IJS.
5. Joanna Bourne’s “Gideon in the Den of Thieves,” which is set entirely in Lazarus’s court which I know some of you are into (the heroine is a fence), and 13-year-old Hawker is there being Hawker but younger and slightly less good at his job (but already very good at his job), and honestly I feel like anything else I could say is just keeping you from your reading.
