The Final Minx Entries ...

The final two minxes to enter the New Voices competion are (drumroll):

Joanne Cleary
Title: Taming the Lion
Trent Cooper's rugby playing days are over and he needs a diversion from endless physio--enter nurse Rachel Simpson who has secrets she's not sharing ...

Sri Pammi
Title: Claiming Her Italian Magnate
Alessandro Moretti has never coveted something that wasn't his. Until he meets Rachel. After a lifetime of running away from relationships, Rachel Taylor has met the man worth stopping for. Will Alessandro unlock his heart before Rachel runs again?

And we'd also like to give a big shout out to Lacey Devlin, who's wall of fame is, well, famous!
Lacey has also entered New Voices with an excellent entry that is definitely a favorite of all the minxes, so do please check her out too! Her story is called, Misbehaving With The Retail Magnate. Go Lacey!

Good luck, all!

Author Spotlight - Michelle Willingham

Today the Minxes are proud to announce RITA nominated historical author, Michelle Willingham, who has graciously agreed to step into our spotlight. Michelle has been really generous and is offering two giveaways, so don't forget to check out what you need to do to be entered into the draw at the bottom of the interview.

Here's Michelle:-

Where were you in your writing career 5 years ago?

Five years ago, I had received revisions on a book I'd written for Mills & Boon Historicals. They were intense revisions, involving characterization and pacing, but I saw them as a golden opportunity. I threw myself into the changes, knowing that I had to make this work. The revisions on that book became my first sale, Her Irish Warrior, though it was September 15, 2006 when I got The Call.

Where did you get the idea from for this particular book?

I already knew who the hero would be for Surrender to an Irish Warrior, but I was inspired by one of the characters in JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood—Zsadist. He was such a tortured hero, and it was such an amazing Beauty and the Beast story, I wanted to try my hand at a hero who had lost everything . . . and find the perfect woman to redeem him. What surprised me most was that Morren ended up being just as much a survivor as he was. I think when two characters have suffered a lot, they can find healing in each other.

Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?

I hope to keep writing and selling historical romance, but I'd like to break into HQN or Mira to have more of a shelf life. Hitting a bestseller list would be nice, too. :-)

Which was the last book you read that you wish you'd written?

My favorite book of all time is Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer. She had such a deft hand with characterization, that the everyday details brought out heartwarming emotion. I love all of her historical romances, but that one is a particular favorite.

Was there any particular author or book that made you want to be a writer?

Not really. I started writing when I was twelve, writing stories in green ink on a legal pad. Ironically, my first story was a romance where the hero left the heroine roses in mysterious places. I believe a rowboat and violin were involved at one point (gag). But hey, I was twelve. Then I moved on to an electric yellow 3-ring binder where I wrote fan fiction episodes of "Beauty and the Beast" (the Linda Hamilton TV version). I also plotted out new episodes of "Days of Our Lives." I think I was born to be a romance writer. :-)

Do you find writing love scenes giggle-worthy or cringe-worthy?

Neither. I enjoy writing them! I get to experience the ultimate fantasy night with an amazing hero. What's not to love?

What's the most romantic moment of your life so far?

This past Valentine's Day, I woke up and found several Valentine's cards that my husband had written to me. They were hidden all over the house—on the kitchen table, in the refrigerator, in the bathroom, even on my car dashboard! It was such a fun, romantic gesture.

What do you wish you'd known about being an author before you were pubbed?

That all the rejections you receive when you're unpublished will help you develop a thick skin for book reviews. Not everyone will love your book the way you do, and it can be hard to separate yourself.

What's the best writing advice you've ever been given?

No matter what happens, keep writing. You're only as good as your last book.

Tell us about your latest release

Surrender to an Irish Warrior is the last book in my MacEgan Brothers series. It’s about an Irish warrior, Trahern MacEgan, who wants to avenge the death of his betrothed wife. Along the way, he rescues Morren O’Reilly, a woman who was attacked by the same Viking raiders. In Morren, he finds healing and redemption.

There is also a linked sequel novella to the book from the Harlequin Historical Undone! line. It's called "Pleasured by the Viking" and it tells the story of Gunnar Dalrata, a Viking who plays a key role in Surrender.

What’s next for you?

Claimed by the Highland Warrior kicks off my new series set in medieval Scotland. It will release in the spring of 2011, possibly March. The hero Bram MacKinloch is a prisoner of war who escapes his captors and comes to claim his bride. It's set in the Braveheart era, so there are no kilts, but there are hot Scottish warriors.

Thanks, Michelle!

I'm offering up two giveaways—a signed copy of Surrender to an Irish Warrior and a free download of "Pleasured by the Viking" to two random commenters. Just tell me which hero you prefer—Irish, Scottish, or both!

Michelle Willingham is a RITA® Award Finalist and the author of seven historical romances and five novellas from Harlequin. Visit her website at: www.michellewillingham.com to read excerpts of her work or find her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/michellewillinghamfans) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/michellewilling).

A giggle of minxes at New Voices!

So far, four Minxes have entered the New Voices competition

with some fantastically sparkling entries!

To make it easy to find all the minx entries - we're doing a list here together with a brief blurb on their stories - just click on the title to have a read and vote! Once you've read the chapter and commented, you vote by clicking on the story title on the left, which brings you to the 'roses', click on the one you want to cast your vote.

Lorraine Wilson
Title: In Too Deep
Ex-army officer Hal Wright has recovered from his battle wounds but not from his survivor guilt. Asked to look out for Evie Richards as a 
favour he agrees. But she's proven she can save herself. Trusting again? That's another matter entirely...

Joanne Pibworth
Title: Sequins and Secrets
Take one burlesque star with a huge glittering genie lamp. Add one Aussie hot-shot with three sinful wishes. What do you get? The perfect recipe for a very grown up fairy tale.


Suzanne Jones
Title: Manhunt
Nicole Adams is convinced Angelo Russo is a hero. He's not so sure about that - experience has made him cautious. Can Nicole summon the courage to tell Angelo who she really is? And, if she does, will it ruin their relationship?


Romy Sommer
Title: Valentino's Angel
Sylvie and Valentino are like oil and water, but the spark between them is undeniable. When fate throws them together, they discover that the person who seems completely wrong for you might actually be completely right.

Do pop over and give them some feedback before the competition ends!

We have another minx or possibly two entering later today or early tomorrow, so do check back on Thursday for their details!

Minxes' Favourite Childhood Books - Part 1

We all have books and stories that we adored as children and may even now have passed on to or be reading to our own children.

Today, the Minxes want to share with you the books that shaped us into the readers we are today. One or two may surprise you ;)

Romy Sommer: Some of my earliest memories are of my mother reading me to sleep every night as a kid. She read me all the Enid Blytons. I know I don't need to list them here. I bet you grew up on them too!

As I grew older I developed a love for girls' boarding school books. To this day my favourites are Elinor Brent-Dyer's Chalet School books. These stories not only had all the usual schoolgirl pranks and dramas, but they also had exotic locations (Austria, Wales, Switzerland) and spanned several decades. I'm still collecting these books today - for my daughters, of course!

In my teens the 'Sweet Valley High' books were my first taste of romance, but the first Alpha hero I ever fell in love was Patrick Pennington, the bad boy musical prodigy in KM Peyton's Pennington's Seventeenth Summer. My brother brought the book home from school as required reading. If he ever wants the book back, he just needs to search my bookshelves - it's still there, alongside all its sequels!


Sally Clements: I read everything I could get my hands on, as a kid. And it hasn't changed much! My favorites were the Nancy Drew series - and honestly, who couldn't love a clever girl tracking down a mystery? Other faves were She and Ayesha by H Ryder Haggard, and Kon-Tiki and the Ra expeditions by Thor Heyerdahl, the descriptions of sailing in an ancient craft grabbed me from the start! I also spent a good few years reading P G Wodehouse & all the James Bond books and by the time I'd turned 13 was devouring Papillon by Henri Charriere. So I guess I was a sucker for mysteries, and stories where people faced challenges - and won!

Lorraine Wilson: I used to spend all my pocket money on books and still have all my original Enid Blytons. My favourites were the Adventure series although I still have a secret penchant for the Faraway Tree and used to climb trees when I was little, hoping to find another world at the top!

When I grew a little older I devoured everything by L.M. Montgomery - once I'd finished the Anne series I moved on to Emily and beyond. I also loved anything by E. Nesbit, Noel Streatfield and the Flambard series by K.M. Peyton but as I could go on forever I'll end my part here...



Maya Blake: Having two older brothers and a very tom-boyish older sister meant that as a child I had to ride with the gang or lead a very lonely existence.

This spilled over into my reading life and one of my earliest memories was of waiting patiently for my turn to read the latest Hardy Boys.

After many lame nursery books, discovering the adventure within these novels was very exhilarating. So much so that I pleaded with my mother to take me to the "grown-up" section of the library, whereupon I discovered my second love: Nancy Drew.

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories dominated my life from ages 9 to 12! I gobbled up all the stories I could get my hands on, reading them over and over and over again. My mother had serious reservations about my wellbeing when I would forgo food just so I could read these books.

Of course, by the time I turned 13, my sister, having shunned her tom-boyish ways, was very much into a new series called Mills & Boon. I borrowed a book by one Anne Mather, and the rest, as they say, is history...

Come back next Monday for the second part of the Minxes Favourite Childhood Books.

Before that, though, we'd love to hear what your favourite books were as a child, so dish!

Why I Gobbled Up "The Virgin's Secret" In 3 Hours!!!

I don't normally do book reviews, mostly because I don't think I'm very good at it. But I just had to attempt a review after reading about Abby Green's The Virgin's Secret!

In a word, "wow!".

I started reading as way to pass a quick hour before I had to cook dinner. Dinner never got cooked. My kids went to bed after a hastily prepared sandwich *baaaaad mother!*

But this book hooked me from the first paragraph which set up the fireworks sooo astonishingly beautifully (yeah, it deserves two adverbs), I just couldn't put it down.

If you haven't read it yet, I'll try and give you the skinny without giving the story away (I hate it when reviews do that!).

Angel Kassianides' family have owned up to a terrible secret after generations of laying the blame on the Parnassus family and as a result they're outcasts in Athenian society.

Leo Parnassus has returned from New York to head up the family and bristles and broods from the outset in a way only a hawt, sexy alpha hero can.

But Leo is different. He's never set foot on Greek soil, speaks Greek with a New York accent and this makes him vulnerable. Angel on the other hand, even though she's half-Irish, is Greek through and through. Their first meeting (when they don't know they're enemies) is fiery without being combustible, but their second meeting sets off the fireworks within the volcano in a way that had me turning the pages with indecent haste!

The conflict is set up beautifully and you can't help admire Leo for the cunning way he sets up Angel to fall into his bed like a ripe, succulent peach. Of course, discovering she's a virgin sends him down the slippery to falling in love, but even that is done beautifully.

If there's one minor complaint about this book, it's the "eavesdropping" device which is used in part to bring about the black moment. Abby used the same technique in her Ruthless Greek Boss, Secretary Mistress, which is the prequel (I believe) to The Virgin's Secret.

Although this threw me out of the book (long enough to make a much-needed cup of tea) I was truly rooting for Angel to get her man and for Leo to win her hand, which he did admirably.

If you haven't read it yet, do, you won't be disappointed.

With this book, Abby Green has moved one step closer to my 'autobuy' list!

Very well done, Abby xx