It’s been a jam-packed summer at Casa Clare. With the first snowflakes falling this morning, I thought I'd share some of the highlights with you.

As some of you know, I got rid of my lawn many years ago and have a huge flower garden and a productive urban farm. Our flower beds bloomed beautifully all summer. Several times, people stopped to tell us how beautiful it was. We love sharing that beauty with others.

We had record cherry, apple, plum, peach, and pear harvests out of our own garden this year. I have never pitted so many cherries in my life. We ate the peaches and pears fresh. We ate many apples, turned some into cinnamon apple sauce, and used some in pies. We still have plenty left.

Our tomato harvest was off the charts, as well. We had so many one-pound+ tomatoes that they were no longer exciting. Yes, another huge tomato. We've made so much sauce. We ate some fresh and froze the rest.

Cucumbers and shishito peppers. Herbs. Potatoes. Everything gave us a record harvest, come to think of it—everything except garlic. Something went wrong there, and I have no idea what.

Of course, having a large garden is a lot of work. When you grow that much fruit and veg, you need to preserve that bounty. In addition to applesauce and plum jam, I dehydrated cherry tomatoes and made pickles and dill pickle relish with our peppers and cucumbers. It took me three hours to chop the veg for the relish. I won't do that again! I now have a device to do it for me. I also got an electric water bath canner, which was a huge help.

I made things worse by having foot surgery in July. I had to get help with the garden while I healed. Still, I finished and released my 36th novel, Take Me Higher, featuring fan favorites Megs Hill and Mitch Ahearn. I had more fun writing their story than I've had in a while. 

I have a holiday surprise for you!

UPON A WINTER’S NIGHT is a MacKinnon’s Rangers Christmas novella. I haven’t had anything for my historical readers since Defiant in July 2012, so it only seemed right that I end the year with a historical treat just for them. I didn’t say much about this because I wasn’t sure I’d finish it in time. But I have, and it will be out on Nov. 27. 

That’s this coming Wednesday! I wanted you to have it in time for your Thanksgiving Weekend, and I’m high-fiving myself for making it happen.

The most important thing to say about this book is that KARL is on the cover. OK, maybe that’s not the most important thing, but it feels very important. You will remember him as the mostly naked star of the Defiant trailer. He was the one running around the forest carrying a musket. I am posting a gratuitous photo of Karl from the trailer shoot to jog your ovaries ... er, your memories.



In fact, the image for the cover was being shot by Jenn LeBlanc at Studio Smexy™ while I watched in the background, waiting to film the Connor/Lord William sequence for the trailer. Karl got up off the model, put on a shirt, picked up my musket, and filmed that scene right after this sequence of photos was taken. 

Good times. So what was I talking about? Oh, yes!



It was a lot of fun to visit with these characters again and to move some of their story threads forward. There is a wedding at the end, but I won’t tell you whose it is. The story started as a 3,000-word mini-story that ran on a blog last year for a holiday contest. I’ve taken that blurb and transformed it, expanding it and bringing other characters into the story.

Upon A Winter’s Night will be out no later than Nov. 27 in all ebook formats via Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords, iBooks and Kobo. And here’s some good news for those of you who hate ereaders: The novella will also be available in trade paperback through Amazon, though that may take an extra week or so. Stay tuned for updates!

In the meantime, thanks for all of the emails and messages about Striking Distance. What a whirlwind this has been — from release day to learning the book was a nominee for RT’s Best Romantic Suspense of 2013 to making the USA Today best-seller list. I was trying to write in the midst of that excitement, and, on top of everything else, my sister is visiting from Sweden.

Who said the holidays are crazy?

I hope this makes your Monday a bit brighter.

Defiant, the third book in the MacKinnon’s Rangers series, is out today in audiobook format narrated by the extremely talented and award-winning Kaleo Griffith. Now the entire series is available.

Defiant, like Surrender back in 2007, was a RITA finalist this year. The RITA Awards are the highest honor bestowed on romance novels by the industry. I was thrilled that this book, which came close to never being written, received such an honor. Now audiobook fans can enjoy it, too.

Working with Kaleo on this series was different than working on the I-Team series. For one, we know each other pretty well by now. But also, these books are drawn more from my inner history geek and historical romance lover, while the I-Team series books are based more on things I saw and did as an investigative reporter.

When he came to the RWA conference in Atlanta, he was in the middle of recording this book and told me he thought it was going to be his favorite. And it is.

I hope you enjoy the hard work that both he and I put into these 14-plus hours of listening. Click here for a sound sample.

This is the last chance for those of you with Obsessive Kaleo Disorder — also known as OKD — to get a fix from my books for a while. (He has done other romance titles and other non-romance books, so be sure to peruse Tantor Audio’s catalogue to see his other projects.)

Here are the links for Defiant:

Audible: http://bit.ly/1bQoCQA
Tantor: http://bit.ly/14zdylZ
iTunes: http://bit.ly/12E3Jp6

Now to celebrate!

What are the prizes? I’ve set aside two copies each of Surrender, Untamed and Defiant. Each prize-winner will win one of those copies.

How do you enter? It’s easy! Just comment and leave your email address below before 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30, and tell me which lines of Surrender, Untamed or Defiant you’re most excited to hear Kaleo perform, and you’ll be entered to win one of six copies. If you haven’t read any of the books from the MacKinnon’s Rangers series, you can enter by telling me how you first heard about it. I’ll draw the names of winners using a contest randomizer and post the winners on this blog on Sunday, Aug. 31.

Remember to leave your contact info! If you don’t claim your prize, it will end up going to someone else.

In case you missed them, here are the links for the other two audiobooks in the series:

Surrender — 
Audible: http://bit.ly/1d3d8fN
Tantor Audio: http://bit.ly/17Mk2Vh
iTunes:  http://bit.ly/17HV58I

Untamed —
Audible: http://bit.ly/16GbQBe 
Tantor Audio: http://bit.ly/16GbWZs 
iTunes:  http://bit.ly/1cHJjRY

Upcoming posts:
Cover reveal for First Strike: The Erotic Prequel to Striking Distance
Striking Distance excerpts and outtakes
I-Team games

The wait is over, and the MacKinnon’s Rangers audiobooks are back on track!

As those of you who follow me on Facebook know, Surrender (MacKinnon’s Rangers #1) was released in July only for those of us who listened to it right away to realize that something had gone wrong. There were so many editing errors in the audiobook that the listening experience was compromised.

Tantor Audio, which has released all of my audiobooks, immediately withdrew Surrender from the market, corrected the mistakes, and reissued it. But it took ages for the audiobook to be redistributed through all of the channels where it had been for sale for a short time.

Today, Surrender is finally back on Audible.com! Those of you who downloaded it right away from either Tantor Audio or Audible.com ought to be able to get the new, corrected version simply by contacting customer service.

In the meantime, of course, Untamed was released, but a lot of people held off from getting it because they were still waiting for Surrender. Now, both books are out and available on Audible, on Tantor’s website and on iTunes.

Here are the links for Surrender:

Audible: http://bit.ly/1d3d8fN
Tantor Audio: http://bit.ly/17Mk2Vh
iTunes: http://bit.ly/17HV58I

Here are the links for Untamed:

Audible: http://bit.ly/16GbQBe 
Tantor: http://bit.ly/16GbWZs 
iTunes: http://bit.ly/1cHJjRY

And this leaves us a mere six days away from the audiobook release of Defiant, the third book in the series and a RITA finalist for Best Historical this year. Click here for a sound sample.

Defiant is narrated by Kaleo Griffith, who has lent his tremendous talents to all of my audiobooks thus far. At more than 14 hours in length, it tells the story of Connor MacKinnon, the youngest MacKinnon brother, and Lady Sarah, the niece of Connor’ most hated enemy — Lord William.  

Kaleo told me he really enjoyed voicing the series and that Defiant is his favorite. I can never choose a favorite. I love each of them for different reasons. Besides, asking an author to pick a favorite book is like asking her to choose her favorite child. It just doesn’t work.

If you want to pre-order Defiant, here are its links: 

Audible: http://bit.ly/1bQoCQA
Tantor: http://bit.ly/14zdylZ

It’s not available on iTunes yet but will be on release day.

After this, I have no scheduled audiobook releases until Striking Distance (I-Team #6) in November. Those of you with bad cases of OKD — that’s Obsessive Kaleo Disorder — are going to have a bit of a wait for your next fix!

Have a great day, everyone! See you again soon.

Untamed (MacKinnon’s Rangers 2) is out in audiobook today!

Audible: http://bit.ly/16GbQBe 
Tantor: http://bit.ly/16GbWZs 
iTunes: http://bit.ly/1cHJjRY

For MacKinnon’s Rangers fans, it’s a chance to hear Morgan and Amalie’s story brought to life by the über-talented and very sexy Kaleo Griffith. If you’ve ever wanted to know whether he would sound like speaking with a French accent, this audiobook answers that question. And the answer is, “Mais oui!”

Click here for a sound sample.

I managed to sneak a listen, and I was very happy with Kaleo’s ability to voice the French characters, along with our Scottish Highlander brothers and Lord William, who comes across just like I wrote him — haughty and cold.

It has been a wild experience having these audiobooks come out one after the other — first the I-Team and now the MacKinnon’s Rangers series. As an audiobook fan, I’ve always wanted to have my books available for readers/listeners in this format. Having it happen all at once has meant that there was always something exciting right around the corner — another audiobook release, another chance to work with Kaleo.

Defiant will be out on August 26, and then there will be a bit of a wait for... Striking Distance (I-Team 6) on Nov. 5, which will mark the first time that a new print release and an audiobook release are happening on the same day. 

While I’m at it, I might as well share the cover for Defiant, which I got late last week. What do you think?





In other news, I am finishing up proofreads on Striking Distance. This is the last step before the book heads off to be printed. I’m about two-thirds of the way through the story, and I can’t wait to share it with you! Watch my blog for excerpts!

A year ago I wouldn’t have imagined that both my I-Team series and MacKinnon’s Rangers series would be available in audiobook. I also wouldn’t have imagined that I would get such a fantastic actor and voice artist to voice both series, someone who would become a close friend. But that’s how it is.

Sometimes, life can be as exciting as fiction!

Surrender (MacKinnon’s Ranger #1) is out today on audiobook. The series is being voiced by Kaleo Griffith, who also narrated the I-Team series. I’ve only listened to about half of the prologue — I’m busy getting ready to leave for Atlanta and still doing copy edits on Striking Distance today — but I loved what I heard, letting out a squeeeeal when I heard his take on Iain MacKinnon.

Here are the links:

Tantor Audio: http://bit.ly/17Mk2VH
Audible.com: http://bit.ly10UYkJF
iTunes: http://bit.ly/1anMLxr

To celebrate the release, the wonderful women at AudioGals did a big interview with me — one of the best interviews I’ve ever participated in. They asked lots of questions about why I love historical romance, how I do research and what inspired this series.

AudioGals are also doing a big audiobook giveaway thanks to the wonderful folks at Tantor Audio, which puts out my audiobooks. They’re giving away two SETS of the MacKinnon’s Rangers series on either CD or MP3 disk. So get over there and enter quickly for your chance to win.

Untamed will be available in audiobook format on August 12, while Defiant will be out on August 26.

Very exciting for me! I’ve been an audiobook lover from the days of the first Harry Potter book, so to have my own stories available in this format is a thrill.

Thanks, AudioGals! Thanks, Tantor! And thanks to you, too, Kaleo, for breathing life into my stories!

Now back to copy edits and packing for Atlanta! I’ll be meeting members of the Facebook I-Team group on Saturday for the first-ever I-Team group party, which Kaleo will be attending, too. Can’t wait to meet him and all my I-Team friends in person!

June is National Audiobook Month, and to celebrate AudioGals and Tantor Audio put together some fun events for romance listeners.

The first went live today. It’s an audio interview with me, Julie James, Anne Stuart and Jennifer Ashley talking about what it’s like to have our books published in audiobook format and what that process entails for us.

You can listen to that interview or download it by clicking here.

For those of you new audiobooks, Tantor has all of its titles in all of its formats priced at half off this month.



The next fun event will be an interview of me and actor/voice artist Kaleo Griffith, who very sexily narrates the I-Team series, talking about our collaboration on these books as well as the soon-to-be-released MacKinnon’s Rangers series, which Kaleo is currently recording.  (He must have boundless energy because he’s also in the midst of filming a movie.)

Don’t forget about the big RWA “Readers For Life” Literacy signing in Atlanta on July 17. I’ll be there. And on July 20, I’ll be having some kind of reader/listener get-together in Atlanta. All fans of the I-Team and MacKinnon’s Rangers are welcome to come and meet me and Kaleo, who will be there also. Some of you emailed me to let me know you wanted to be kept abreast of our plans. I’ve got your emails and will be in touch.

In other news:  I turned in a 467-page manuscript to New York this morning for Striking Distance, (I-Team #6). I still have the last chapter and the epilogue to write, but the bulk of the book is behind me — and closer to being in your hands. The released date is November 5. Mark your calendars!

I can’t believe I’m almost done with this book! I’m very excited to share it with you.

It’s been an exciting couple of weeks for audiobook news her at Casa Clare.

As I announced on Facebook and mentioned here, Tantor Audio bought the rights to Skin Deep and “Marc and Julian Make a Beer Run.” The stories, which Kaleo Griffith has already finished recording, will be available on April 29 — just a few weeks away!

The email in my inbox from Kaleo telling me that he’d had fun bringing the characters to life hadn’t yet cooled when I heard from my editor at Penguin that Tantor had purchased the audiobook rights for the MacKinnon’s Rangers series — Surrender, Untamed and Defiant.

I’m not sure what the time frame is for voicing the series and release it, but Tantor moves quickly, so I don’t thing we’re in for an overly long wait.

Of course, readers and listeners began asking immediately whether Kaleo would be brought onboard to voice Iain, Morgan, Connor, Lord William and the Rangers. I don’t have the answer to that question yet. I do know, however, that Kaleo did voice a book that was done entirely in Scottish brogue, so clearly he has the accent down.

I guess we’ll wait with baited breath to see. As one listener said, “Kaleo gives great aural.” And, indeed, he does!

In the meantime, Skin Deep is already available for pre-order on Audible.com, Amazon, and soon iTunes, too, as well as Tantor Audio’s own website.

With the release of the MacKinnon’s Rangers series in audiobook, that leaves only one I-Team novella and three historicals that aren’t yet in audiobook, and I know Tantor has expressed some interest in the I-Team novella. Eventually perhaps those of you who prefer to listen to books will have everything I’ve written at your auditory beck and call.

I’m still busy working on Striking Distance. I’m halfway done with the story. The past couple of weeks derailed me a bit, but I’m doing all I can to get back on track this week. When I have a lot of interruptions — such as hearing that one of my books is a RITA finalist or writing and posting a long piece about sexual assault on Facebook, like I did last week (which got 23,000+ reads on my fan page alone) — it tends to break the thread of the story. I end up having to read from the beginning to get my mind back in the right groove again.

Have a great week, everyone!

And stay tuned for big news about a fan get-together in Atlanta in on July 19-20! Guess who’s joining me there to sign books and audiobooks? If you guess Kaleo, you’re right.

Sorry I’ve been away for so long! A blog that is updated once a month is a BORING blog. I do understand that. But my effort has been channeled into writing Striking Distance, which is halfway completed now, and I’m willing to bet you’re okay with that.

One nice thing about being so focused on Laura and Javier’s story is that I’m oblivious to so much else that’s going on in the world. I had completely forgotten that RITA finalists would be announced soon. I was not up at the crack of dawn on Tuesday, March 26, waiting for “the call.” In fact, when “the call” came, I was sound asleep.

I crawled out of bed — I’d been in the middle of a dream about bugs crawling on my bedroom ceiling  — and stumbled down the stairs cussing all the way to the phone. The caller identified herself and said she was calling on behalf of the RWA Board of Directors.

I was so asleep that my first thought — I kid you not — was, “Does this have to do with that penis post on Facebook?”

It didn’t.

She said, “I’m calling to let you know that your book...”

And it clicked.  RWA. March. Phone call. My book...

DEFIANT WAS A RITA FINALIST!

At which point, I said, “Oh my God!” or something like that.

She finished the sentence “... Defiant is a RITA finalist in the historical romance category,” or something like that... and then I was so excited who knows what she said or I said.

And that was the end of my getting anything done that day.

I am so grateful to RWA and to the judges who read Defiant and found merit in the story. Being a finalist at the RWA convention is kind of like being a princess for five days. You get a pretty blue flag on your table at the big “Readers for Life” Literacy book signing. They have a reception. You wear a special ribbon on your name tag and get a pretty pin. (Click here to see a list of all the RITA finalists in all categories.)

Surrender was a RITA finalist in 2007, so I’ve been fortunate to experience this once already. Although Surrender didn’t win, the conference was still unforgettable.

I should say that it’s pretty cool that TWO of the three books that make up the MacKinnon’s Rangers series so far have been RITA finalists. I love that!

So, yes, I’ll be attending the RWA conference in Atlanta July 17-20. The literacy signing, which will involve hundreds of writers, takes place in the evening on Wednesday, July 17, and is open to the public. Click here for more information on the conference and the literacy signing. If you live in the Atlanta area, I would love to meet you!

I plan to have a special event set up for members of the I-Team and Camp Followers Facebook groups so that we can meet in person and have some time to talk. And there may be other big surprises in store, as well. So please stay tuned!

And now back to writing...

Who stayed up late last night to see the release of the live-action trailer? I don’t know when I’ve felt such anticipation. Thanks to those of you who shared the experience with us — me, my son Benjamin, Jenn LeBlanc of Illustrated Romance, Karl Biermann, Derek Hutchins, Cora Kemp, Kate McDermott and Mike Gamache — last night on Facebook. It was epic fun!

If you haven’t seen the trailer, click here to see what all the excitement is about, or scroll down to the post prior to this one.

If you want to blog hop, you can visit Happy Ever After Reads, where I’m guest blogging today. Or you could stop by USA Today’s Happy Ever After blog for a guest post I wrote about the making of the trailer. You could also stop by Romancing Rakes for the Love of Romance for Kati R’s review of the book. Or you can head on over to Romantic Historical Lovers where Emery Lee and Jill did a tandem review. I’m thrilled to say the book is Jill’s FIRST full five-star review for 2012.

There are also several reviews up on Goodreads already. Click here to view those. There are also discussions about the series going on in my Goodreads fan group, and some Goodreads members are joining together to do a buddy read of Defiant.

If you’ve read the book and want desperately to talk about it, you have a few options. There’s the fan group above. There’s also the After the Epilogue Video Chat Party on Shindig Events on July 12 at 8 p.m. ET/7 Central. Follow the link to claim your free spot. And if you really want to discuss the book page by page, you can join me in the private Facebook Defiant Discussion Group. We should be revving up to talk about Connor and Sarah’s adventure by this weekend.

In the meantime, let’s party!

I can’t tell you what it means to you that this book is finally in your hands! It’s been a long wait since Untamed came out in 2008, and there was a dark year when I was afraid I would never get the chance to give Connor his story. But those worries disappeared when Penguin bought the MacKinnon’s Rangers series, and now we get to enjoy Connor’s story at last.




What did I love about writing this book? You mean besides hanging with a very sexy shirtless model all day while shooting the trailer?

For one, it’s the first MacKinnon’s Rangers book I’ve written since my visits to Fort Edward and Rogers Island (Ranger Island) in upstate New York. Though I think I did the location justice before, I could really see it when I wrote Defiant because I’d actually been there.

I also loved all the people I got to meet in the course of researching this series, people like Gary Zaboly, whose map of Rogers Island is published in both the book and ebook versions of the story; Eileen Hannay, who was the executive director of the Rogers Island Visitor Center and who is now a good friend; and Tim Todish, the researcher who annotated Robert Rogers journals. There’s nothing more satisfying than sharing a deep interest with other people.

Most of all, I loved being able to lose myself in the wilds ofupsate New York again, to see the forest, feel the vastness of the wilderness and spend time in the company of the MacKinnon brothers and their wives again—not to mention Lord William and Lt. Cooke.

Lady Sarah was a real discovery for me, with her love of music and the terrible shame that drove her from her family. I love exploring the strength of feminine women, and Sarah has courage to spare. Her coming together with Connor felt to me like the liberation of her soul — and the salvation of his.

Being able to give Connor his story was such a joy. I hope you enjoy it, too! Which brings us to...


I’m giving away FIVE signed copies of Defiant! To be entered into the drawing, help me spread the word about the book via Twitter and/or Facebook. Then comment below, telling me what you loved about the first two books in the series — share quotes, snippets of sex scenes, your favorite story moments. Be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win! The deadline to enter is 12 AM on July 6. I’ll use a contest randomizer to pick five winners on Friday morning.

Have fun!

And thank you so much for sharing my excitement about this book!

We’re in the final countdown for the release of Defiant.  Hate the wait? Here’s a list of 11 ways to make these five remaining days go faster.


11. Make sure to register for the pre-release video chat party today hosted by Shindig Events! 

I’ll be doing a reading and giving away five signed copies of the book to participants. Click here to reserve your spot. Registration is free and takes all of 30 seconds. We’ll count down the final hours by have some fun together!


10. Re-read your favorite MacKinnon’s Ranger book, whether it’s Surrender or Untamed.

Okay, so maybe you've already done this. Twice. If so, skip to No. 9.

If not, it’s your chance to refresh your memory and enjoy once more everything that made you love the series.



9. Eat chocolate.

One of the best coping mechanisms ever, chocolate is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy — and to enjoy the sensual things in life.



8. Visit the websites for Fort Ticonderoga and the Rogers Island Visitor Center to bone up on the history. 

There is nothing like visiting these places in person and feeling the history that resonates through them — echoes of lives lived and lost. The real places will be fresh in your mind when you read Connor and Sarah’s story. Click here for Fort Ti or here for Rogers Island Visitor Center.


7. Hold a kitten.

It is a scientifically proven fact that kittens make everything better.







6. Memorize the Rules of Ranging.

It’s what any Ranger would have had to do. Are you up to the challenge? The bonus here is that if you ever need to know how to cross a marsh in a way that confuses your enemies, you’ll be prepared. Just click here for the full list.


5. Listen to my Defiant iMix via Ping and be inspired by the music that inspired me.

There’s nothing like music when it comes to getting myself in the right mood — or should I say write mood? The mix of songs that helped keep me going during the wee hours includes Scottish folk performed by Old Blind Dogs, the soundtrack to The War that Made America documentary — and lots of Georg Friedrich Händel. Go to Ping I-Tunes and ask to follow me. The URL for the Defiant iMix is here. (Faves are “St. Kilda” and “Loch Erne’s Shore.”)




4. Make ash cakes.

Nothing says 18th-century Colonial American frontier like corn cakes cook in the ashes of a camp fire. Click here for the recipe and instructions. It’s not hard, and your kids will have a blast watching you make a mess. (Scroll down to the bottom for an awesome buckwheat recipe.) 




3. Go to my previous blog post with the stills from the video shoot to stare at sexy Connor in the flesh. Remember: The live-action trailer will be out on July 3, too!

Wait, did that just make the wait even harder?


God, Karl is yummy!

2.  Re-enact sex scenes from the series with your lover. 

Just be careful if you try a reenactment of Iain and Annie’s shaving scene. Straight razors are an acquired skill. Just sayin’.




1.  Watch Last of the Mohicans with Daniel Day Lewis.


Although the film wasn’t the inspiration for the series — I loved the movie when it came out in 1992, and was inspired to write about Rangers from research I’d done for Ride the Fire — it’s the closest thing you can find to a visual window into the world of Connor MacKinnon and his brothers. Daniel Day Lewis isn’t a Ranger, but he is a frontiersman who would have likely known of the MacKinnon brothers and possibly have considered them friends. He might well have known Captain Joseph, too.

The soundtrack is among several I listened to while I wrote the first three books of this series, so you can also enjoy that fantastic and very evocative music.

And here we are — just a handful of days away from July 3 and the release of Defiant and the live-action Defiant trailer. I can’t wait to share it with you.

Now, tell me what you’re doing to beat the wait.

 I am so excited to share Connor’s story with you — and I’ve been busy with Benjamin and Jenn LeBlanc of Illustrated Romance finishing the live-action trailer.

We met Monday after Benjy got off work to shoot pickups for the trailer — little scenes we hadn’t shot before. After looking at the footage we had, we decided to add some voice-over and some very brief scenes with Lord William Wentworth and Connor.

Of course, we’re working on a non-existent budget and with models, not actors, so we couldn’t have Karl, who plays Connor, and Derek Hutchins, who plays Wentworth’s backside, reading lines from the book. So here’s how we did it...

We got Karl, Jenn, Benjamin, Derek and myself together at Jenn’s studio — #StudioSmexy on Twitter — and we put the guys into some creative costumes. Connor wore what he wore in the forest scenes plus a period accurate-ish shirt. Derek was self-sacrificing and wore a heavy British redcoat officer’s jacket, tight pants and boots despite the humid heat of the studio.

Then Benjamin took over from there, directing the filming of three shots — one of Wentworth reading a letter from his niece, the heroine, Lady Sarah; one of Connor and Wentworth face to face; and one of Connor praying with his wooden rosary.


Bit o’ trivia: The wooden rosary Karl/Connor holds is the very same wooden rosary I wore wrapped many times around my wrist like a bracelet while writing Untamed.

Now, back to our narrative...


We had a bit of extra help this time, with Kati and Jamie from Romancing Rakes working as Jenn’s assistants — moving lights, moving furniture, um... helping the guys with costumes. It was hard work, but someone had to do it, right?

For these scenes, we’d hoped to have the guys act out the physical aspects, while using the voices of people with very posh British accents for Lady Sarah and Lord William. Of course, I had no idea who would do the voices. It’s not like I keep a Rolodex listing actors by accent. But we’ll get to that in a minute.

Benjy directed the first scene — a thorough filming of Lord Wentworth’s ass. This involved getting a candle set up, adjusting lighting so that it looked like the scene was lit only by the candle and so on. Then Derek gamely proffered his well-dressed and very firm backside.

Cut. Done. Next shot.

This involved adjusting lighting a bit and positioning the camera and the guys so that we could see past Wentworth’s hip and arm across the desk to Connor’s abdomen. And because they’re having a bit of a heated exchange in this scene in the book, there needed to be physical motion.

And I have to say this was the highlight, because Derek really got into it. We weren’t using sound from the shoot, so he could say whatever he wanted. So to make his gesticulations feel real, he started lambasting Karl/Connor.

“Hey, you know what? Fuck you! I hate you! And you hate me! And so there’s this feud between us.”

“You know I hate you, but I need you to find my niece. Go on! Go! You’re such a jerk!”

And my fave:

“I fucking hate you but I need you to save my niece. What? You’re just going to stand there?”

Trouble was, what Derek was saying was so funny that everyone was laughing, and you could tell from the footage that the men were laughing. So we had to do several takes.

Then we shot the scene of Karl/Connor alone praying with the wooden rosary.

It took about an hour altogether to get the footage we need, and then we had to break everything down, pack stuff up, and close down the studio.

By the way, I’ve really never seen anyone carry as much at once as Jenn. I think the few times in her life that she’s not carrying something must be really special for her.

Photo stolen shamelessly from Jamie

I showed Kati and Jamie how to load fire a real 18th-century musket — sans ball and powder mind you — and showered poor Kati in the face with sparks from the flint.

D’oh!

When we got home, I had a surprise waiting for me. Kate McDermott and Mike Gamache, two Shakespearean actors I’d gotten in contact with via Twitter (thanks to author Carolyn Jewel, who saw my Twitter plea for British accents), had emailed me sound files of them speaking Sarah and Lord William’s lines. They don’t say much — there isn’t time for much — but the voices were key. I got so excited listening to them that I had to keep pausing just to squeal. They each did several takes with different inflections and rhythms — very beautifully done.

So now tonight, Benjy and I are meeting Jenn and Cora in some stretch of forest that isn’t on fire to tape three brief shots involving Lady Sarah.

And then we’ll have everything we need ready for Benjamin to edit together in time for the trailer’s July 3 debut. I can’t wait!

But there is other important news! 

I will be doing a live video chat through Shindig Events on July 2 from 6-7 p.m. Eastern Time to talk about Defiant and answer your questions. Shindig Events contacted me and invited me to utilize their very special technology for conducting video chats. So this should be fun and exciting. You will be able to communicate directly with me, and I will be reading a scene from Defiant. I will also be giving away five copies of the book.

The event is FREE! To register, just click here. It takes about 30 seconds to reserve your free spot.

I will also be holding an After the Epilogue Spoiler Chat through Shindig events on Thursday, July 12, at 9 p.m. Eastern Time for those who have read the book and want to talk about it with me and other readers without worrying about spoilers. This even is also free, but it SOLELY for people who’ve already read the book. I’ll be giving away some Amazon.com gift cards and chatting with you about the story.

Sign up will be available for it soon!

Mark your calendar, because the beginning of July is going to be fun around here.

Isn’t it weird to think that the book is coming out on the anniversary of the first battle of the French & Indian War? July 4 marks the anniversary of the Battle of Fort Necessity. Gives me goosebumps!

You’ve read excerpts, gotten a glimpse of Lady Sarah Woodville’s world, and you’ve told me you can’t wait to get your hands on Connor MacKinnon. Today, you’re going to get as close as you can get to him until July 3, when Defiant is finally on bookstore shelves.

You haven’t read a word I’ve written, have you? Your eyes are glued on the amazingly handsome man with the freaking fantastic body in the image above. Can’t say that I blame you. I spent Saturday with him. I even drew on his skin. Whoa! That got your attention! Now follow along...

As I was saying, I’m going to give you a glimpse of Connor MacKinnon today, and there he is. It goes like this...


Author and photojournalist Jenn LeBlanc of Illustrated Romance is a friend of mine. We met at the journalism awards ceremony where I was given my Keeper of the Flame Lifetime Achievement Award in May 2010 and Jenn picked up an award for photojournalism. Only we didn’t actually meet. We probably ended up competing for space at the very small bar at the Denver Press Club, but I didn’t stay long that night, hitting the town with my posse for champagne and overpriced food.

Jenn and I met again at Lady Jane’s Salon in Denver. I was there to read. I walked in, and this woman with lovely blond hair said, “Oh, my God! You’re her!” I was confused, and Jenn introduced herself, explaining that she’d been there that night and had heard my acceptance speech (which is on YouTube for those of you who are bored out of your minds at work on a Monday morning). 


Long story short, we both write romance. And she does something that I really appreciate: She takes photos of extremely sexy male models and couples for her books and for romance novel book covers. Jenn is the photographer who brought you the cover of Skin Deep — all that chiaroscuro and man muscle. Yes, that’s her work.

A few weeks back, she sent me a photo of ripped, half-naked man with the text, “Connor?” My response was something like, “Yum!”

The half-naked man turned out to be Karl — who was much hotter in person than that smartphone image could possibly convey. His presence, the fact that he largely fits the description of Connor, and my son’s film degree kind of coalesced into an idea: make a live-action trailer for Defiant.

And that, my friends, is what we’ve spent this past weekend doing.


Benjamin and I set out early Saturday — shortly after fuck-o’-clock in the morning — with some props, including my Brown Bess 1757 musket, lead balls (ammo for the gun), a powder horn, a leather medicine bag to use as a parfleche, and some other junk. We headed south to meet Jenn, Karl and Cora, another photojournalist who assists Jenn and often models for covers, at a park outside Lakewood where there was a lake. (Jenn had scouted out locations earlier in the week.)

Benjamin and I got there a bit early and sat there in the cool morning air watching a rabbit hop around and talking about firearms. Then Jenn pulled up in her Jeep with Karl and Cora. We were supposed to follow them, but I had left the lights on, so my car wouldn’t start. A sexy Ranger came along and gave us a jump — gotta love sexy Rangers — and we were off.


Now, when you’re in public and your grand plan is to get someone mostly naked in strange public places and to brandish firearms, you do wonder whether you’re going to end up getting arrested and making very awkward phone calls to family. We had this in mind as we reached the lake and hiked back to a less public beach. While Jenn, Benjamin and Cora talked about lighting, Karl took off his clothes, stripping down to a pair of swim trunks, and walked into the water.
 
God, I love my job!


The forest shoot lasted the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon as Karl was put through the paces of being Connor MacKinnon. Even though the costume was not historically accurate and the whole operation was ultra-mega-low-budget, there came a moment where Karl was running full-tilt through the forest when both Jenn and I got goose bumps.

There running through the trees was Connor MacKinnon, in the flesh. As Jenn later wrote on Facebook, it was like being in the forest with my muse.



 After we were finished, I took everyone to lunch and got to talk with the man I’d spent the past six hours staring at. Karl is intelligent and concerned and fun — not at all self-centered or arrogant like some male models can be. We all had a great time.

And on July 3 to celebrate the release of the book, Reel Films (that’s Benjamin’s film company) together with Illustrated Romance (that’s Jenn), and I will bring you a live-action trailer for Defiant. I’ve seen the rough cut edit of the footage, and it’s fantastic. We’ll be getting together for some pickup shots next week — we’re adding Wentworth and Lady Sarah to the trailer — and then we’ll be down to sound and the soundtrack.

Only 15 days to go until Defiant is finally out and you get to read the book and see Connor in action!