Monday, December 5, 2011

I've Got A Secret

Hey, folks! I’m Vanessa Kelly and I write Regency-set historical romance. I’ve got lots of things I’d love for us to talk about, and books to give away over the next three days. Let’s get started, shall we? Today’s topic, as you can tell by the header of this post, is secrets.

Who doesn’t love a good secret? There’s nothing like that little zing you get from being in the know—to have access to info that no one else seems to have. But a secret can also be a heavy burden that weighs on the soul, and it can make life very, very complicated.

In my latest Regency-set historical romance, My Favorite Countess, my heroine keeps lots of secrets, including hiding her true nature from most everyone she knows. To the world, Bathsheba is a beautiful but hard-hearted woman who cares for no one but herself. She does very little to dispel that impression as she sweeps through the ton, levelling people right and left with her scathing intellect and devastating wit. Trust me. If you get on Bathsheba’s bad side, you’ll be sorry!

Why the heck, you may ask, did I make this type of woman the heroine of my book? It’s because of her secrets. You see, Bathsheba first appeared as the villainess of my second book, Sex And The Single Earl, but even in that story the reasons for her rather nefarious actions seemed motivated by something more than greed or selfishness. As I went deeper into her character I discovered those motivations—she is fiercely loyal to her family, and is determined to protect them from hardship at all costs. Bathsheba suffered several tragedies when she was young, tragedies that made her responsible for the well-being of those weaker than she is. She’ll do what she has to in order to keep them safe, and the hell with what others might think of her.

Bathsheba has a lot of pride, too. So rather than beg for help or reveal the scandals in her past, she’s created a diamond-hard facade to protect herself and her family from the discovery of those secrets. Most people can’t see past her facade, but one man can. Yep. He’s my hero—the intelligent, noble-minded, and very sexy doctor, John Blackmore. As a man who has devoted his life to helping those in need, John is determined to get past Bathsheba’s secrets to find the woman within. Bathsheba, naturally, wants nothing of that, but John proves to be her Achilles’ heel. Their encounters are passionate and deeply felt and I loved writing about them.

By the way, I have a secret of my own I’d like to share with you. It’s about my writing life and it’s…well, all I can say is that you should stop by for my Wednesday blog post to find out all about it! But for now, let’s keep talking about secrets.

Do you like books that contain lots of secrets? Do you crave heroes who are dark and mysterious and drive the heroine crazy? And what about all those secret baby stories—love or hate? One person who comments will win a copy of My Favorite Countess.


Vanessa Kelly writes Regency-set historical romance for Kensington Zebra, and has been named by Booklist as “one of the new stars of historical romance.” My Favorite Countess was recently nominated for an RT Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Regency Historical Romance. You can find her on the web at: www.vanessakellyauthor.com.

22 comments:

Tracy said...

Welcome to the Island Vanessa - glad to have you visiting.

I have to say that I like books with secrets as long as I'm privy to them! lol I don't mind that the other characters don't know but I hate being kept in the dark for too long. I guess my patience level has diminished over the years. :)

JenM said...

Okay, I know how much some people dislike secret baby plots, but for some reason, I'm a total sucker for them. I have no idea why - maybe because it ups the stakes between the two leads? Other secrets, though I tend to get impatient with if they drag on for the entire book.

jen(at)delux(dot)com

Blodeuedd said...

Oh man sex and the single earl has the hottest cover ever :D

And yes I like secrets and books, just as long I get to know what they are in the end cos else it drives me insane

Lexi said...

I love secrets, the fear of discovery, the obsession to find the truth, the devestation of reveal, and the redemption and forgiveness at the end. I enjoy not knowing and I also enjoy knowing and watching the characters work to find answers. Even better when it is the strong sexy hero with the secrets... =)

Vanessa Kelly said...

Hi everybody! Sorry I've been on the lam today - my 88 year old dad just got out of the hospital, and we've been getting him settled in back home. I'll be back later!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Vanessa! I love the facts that the heroine live with secrets. I believe everyone has their own secrets whether it's a big or small secrets. For me secrets is important, you have to choose whether protecting the world you live in or the ones you loves. Congrats for your books Vanessa. Wish you all the best from devi hadikusumo dhadikus@deakin.edu.au

Johanna J said...

I love dark and mysterious! The darker the better! They add a certain edge to the book. Thanks for sharing with us today!BTW, yes the cover for Sex and the Single Earl is one of my favorite covers ever!

Johanna J
evjochum[AT]aol[DOT]com

Anonymous said...

I Love secrets! It keeps you interested and unwilling to put the books down. I also like the hero a bit "tortured"... more secrets!

bettysunflower at hotmail dot com

Linda said...

Definitely a yes to dark & mysterious heroes! It's so tantalizing when little bit of the mystery are s-l-o-w-l-y unraveled. Having secrets in the plot is nice too, even a secret baby/child but it really depends on how the writer handles it. I've read book before where the big confession part was such a letdown. Just too contrived. The Soldier by Grace Burrowes has a nice secret child story.

thumbelinda03@yahoo.com

lindalou said...

I like dark & mysterious heroes. Ok on babies... depends on the story. Love your books! Thanks for the giveaway!

Spav said...

I love dark and mysterious heroes but I'm not a big fan of secret baby's stories.

Ebony M. said...

Yes, those books are my favorite to read. lol :)

Robin said...

I don't like the secret baby stories. A secret in the story is fun as long as I know it. Your story looks fantastic!

Robin D
robindpdx(at)yahoo(dot)com

Eli Yanti said...

Hi Vanessa,

i love secret because always make me curious to know about what is that, what will happen, who have the secret, why they kept it and other thing and try to find the answer

sometime dark and mysterious hero is good too but i'm still hope that finally he will open hisself for the heroine he loved

secret babies, it's depend on the story, but mostly i like it ;)

if i can asking you whether all this questions are wrote in your your book - my favorite countess?

if so, you have to make me win this book lol

eli_y83@yahoo.com

Na said...

Hi Vanessa, just dropping in to say Hi! I do love stories that are full of secrets and secret babies can add emotional stakes into a storyline. I do like them. However I want secrets to not be dragged out and be deservedly hidden. It'll make me want to root for the couple more.

May said...

I like stories with secrets since it's fun to see it get revealed... but only if the secret is not some stupid secret and there is a good reason why it's hidden. I like the secret in my favorite countess for example....

Not sure about the baby stories.. sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't... it depends on the story...

Your new book looks good btw! :)

Maureen Fisher said...

Hi Vanessa, I hope your dad is okay. Congratulations on your new book. I popped by to say I love secrets in a book, but being something of a control freak, I like to be in the know about the secret. The hero can be tortured, but knowing the reason gives justification for his pain. Not a big fan of secret baby stories.

Dr J said...

Hi, Vanessa, and welcome to the Island. I started out really loving historical novels waaaaaaay back when they were more history books than novels, and then along came my love affair with Barbara Cartland and I stayed in my Regency phaze for years. Now I have come to love all those sexy historicals that are out now, and especially those that are spiced up with the hidden, the secret, the sense of there being "something going on" that isn't obvious. Sounds like that's something you like, too. Hope your dad is doing well and many thanks for being a guest on the blog.

Chrisbails said...

Hi Vanessa. I love books that contain a lot of secrets because it makes the book more interesting. It also makes you keep on reading to find out what is going on. I love when the hero also has secrets because I try to figure out what it could be and makes me just keep on reading to see if I am write. I love historical romances. I think this would be a great time period to live in. I am a big fan of Vanessa's books and would love to win and read this one. Thanks for the chance to win.
christinebails@yahoo.com

Vanessa Kelly said...

Thanks for all your great comments about secrets, folks, and also for your kind wishes about my dad. He's doing very well, so we're crossing our fingers all goes as planned for his recovery.

LadyRed said...

Vanessa,
Glad to hear that your father is doing better, prayers that things continue on a positive turn! As far as the secrets in book characters lives, it makes the characters more multidimensional and believable (because, lets face it, we ALL have skeletons in the closet and ghosts from our past that we try to keep hidden)!

Tracy said...

And the winner of the My Favorite Countess giveaway is:

Robin

Congratulations!

I will forward Vanessa your email info and she will contact you.

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