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Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Trish Morey: The Lighter Side of Romance


What I love about romance is that it comes in so many delicious flavours. From sweet to spicy, angsty to flirty, contemporary to historical to futuristic to paranormal to everything in between. I love the sheer breadth and depth that romance affords both readers and writers.

When I write my Harlequin Presents, the stories generally veer toward the angsty. Big conflicts. Strong alpha heroes and frequently vulnerable, if gutsy on the inside, heroines. I love those stories. But my other love is romantic comedy, and there isn’t a huge amount of scope inside your average Presents for comedy. Wit, yes. A wry smile, absolutely. A cutting retort from your heroine that makes your hero’s ears bleed and your reader punch the air with her fist, sure. But laugh out loud comedy? No. It would be wrong.

So when I was offered the opportunity to write something for Tule publishing, a story where I set the creative boundaries, I jumped at the chance. And so Second Chance Bride was born. And just to really shake things up, I started it in a brothel. Yup. A romance that begins in a brothel :)

And oh my, I had such fun with this story! I took my hapless heroine, Scarlett Buck (yup, why the hell not?) all the way from Marietta, Montana, and dropped her in the outback of Western Australia with no cash and a pressing need to get home. Luckily for her, she meets Mitch, but to find out what happens next, you’ll have to read the book.

But here’s a wee taster - Mitch and Scarlett are in Broome, and Mitch finds something in the closet...

She was just drying off when she heard him yell, “What the hell is that?”
Darn. She had a fair idea where he was and what he’d found and realized that maybe the gown hadn’t been quite as well hidden as she’d hoped. After all, there was at least a hundred yards of tulle in the skirt. But there were at least a dozen yards of closet too. Did he have to go open that particular one? 
Anyhow, no point admitting anything just yet. He was a man after all. Maybe he’d just found the ironing board. 

How do you like your romance? Dramatic? Sweet? Medical? Suspenseful? Or are you like me and like to mix it up a little and throw in a little romantic comedy (or something else) every now and then?

Leave a comment about your reading preferences and two lucky people will receive a $10 Starbucks gift card.

Happy reading,

Trishx


*** Trish's winners are Mary Preston and Bonnie! Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing info.***

30 comments:

The Wagon Store said...

Awesome book... I like it... Folding Cart

petite said...

Romance combined with intrigue is always appealing. Your book sounds wonderful.best wishes. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

traveler said...

I enjoyed this post and your book looks captivating. I do enjoy romance that is dramatic. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

Alina P said...

I like them all, though it mostly depends on mood.
alinutza4u2004[at]yahoo[dot]co[dot]uk

Anne McAllister said...

I loved Scarlett and Mitch, Trish! They were such fun. And now, of course, I've added Broome as a place to visit on my bucket list.

Laney4 said...

I like all sorts of romances. Variety is the spice of life!
I do find, however, that I am happiest when I read quick repartee between the hero and heroine, especially when I LOL. One book I read a year or so ago had me LOL on one page and then tearing up (in a clinic waiting room in front of others) only six pages later. I thought that was especially well written.

Leni said...

I like to mix it up. And choose what to read depending on the weather or what I'm in the mood for. Sometimes I'll read a romantic suspense/mystery for one part of the day then switch to a more comedic one later.

erin said...

I love to mix it up!!! I'll read just about anything, but I have to admit, my first love is rom com :) I blame Jennifer Crusie for setting the bar pretty high :) Thanks for sharing and congrats on the new release!!!

Jen said...

I read across many genres, but my favorites are romance with a bit of mystery or what I like to call family drama, not much romance but a heck of a lot of drama!

I love hearing about your books. xoxo

Anonymous said...

Ooh, petite, I do love a dash of intrigue too. Good call!

Janine said...

I like all sorts of romance books. I read so many, I need a variety.

Shari said...

I love reading contemporary romance, anything from sweet to spicy. That is the fun thing about romance, so many choices. Loved Scarlett and Mitch!

dstoutholcomb said...

I love just about anyway you can mix it!

Unknown said...

As long as it is contemporary romance, i will read it. I love sweet, spicy, suspenseful, and funny!!

Anonymous said...

Hi traveler! I love a bit of drama in my romance too. Though I think I'm a bit like Alina P below, saying what I reach for mostly depends on mood. And maybe the weather too.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Anne! Now you know how come i needed to know about how you guys say your times tables :)

Sorry I've been missing in action from here - I ordered an appliance the other day online after a lot of trouble logging in etc but finally the system was live and I hit click and buy before it logged me out and it arrived yesterday. The wrong model :( So I just spent half the day crossing town to replace it. So much for internet ordering saving time :))

And you MUST visit Broome. Such an exceptional place and the pearls they make are pretty gorgeous too.

Anonymous said...

Laney4, that sounds like a great read! It's all about the emotion, isn't it, and taking the reader along with the story.

And Erin, I so agree. That Jennifer Crusie sets the bar very high!

Leni, and Jen, that's for joining in. Families are such rich sources of drama, aren't they!

Shari and Emily, I used to only read contemporary romance, which is kind of strange because I love history, I guess I just wanted to read about live people. And then I started reading a friend's wonderful historical books and she had me hooked. She really made the characters come alive and now I love my historicals as well. It's a tough gig though, because now I have double the amount of books to read - lol

Anonymous said...

Janine and dstoutholcomb, it's a good way to be! So many great romances to choose from. Good luck in the draw!

Bonnie said...

I do love a good western romance make sure it's a farm or ranch a cowboy his horse and his dog.
Ok

Kimberlyindy said...

I like a variety of romance books. My favorite is when the story can make me laugh and cry and maybe throw in a few more emotions to keep me on my toes trying to figure out where the story is going. Loved Scarlett!

Lil said...

I read mostly romance but it is a mix of angst ridden, humor filled, sci fi, suspense, mystery, historical, contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, etc. It is fun and I just pick my next read depending upon what I am in the mood for.

Sue Peace said...

I love romantic comedies, though they are hard to find sometimes!! Besides that I go for contemporary and romantic suspense, some paranormal but not as much. I really love it all!!

Mary Preston said...

I read right across the romance genre. I do love historical a little more, but a touch of humor is essential no matter what I read.

Anonymous said...

Oh Bonnie, you had me at cowboy :)) I think that's why the Montana Born books are so yummy.

Hi Kimberlyindy - yes, it's all about the emotions, isn't it? Thank you so much - am so delighted you loved Scarlett!

Hey Lil, apparently romance readers are more likely to pick up anything else than other readers - I think we're just avid readers, and that mood does influence what we select, for sure!

Peaces of Me, good rom comedy is one of the hardest things to find - I think that's because it can't be forced, the writer has to have a comedic voice or it falls flat. I think that's why I go back to Jennifer Crusie all the time. I know I'm going to get a laugh with my romance.

Hey Mary, I love that touch of humour. In historicals I love that witty dialogue. Anne Gracie is a favourite of mine (she's also a good friend, so I should come clean and admit that). Gorgeous regency romances and her heroes and heroines are just so clever. Love them.

Laurie G said...

I mix it up according to my mood. I read a little bit of almost everything. That said paranormals and science fiction are only picked up occasionally. I prefer historicals and contemporaries. Id o go on streaks all historicals, all contemporaries, etc. I read inspirational, medical, erotica, nouvellas, categories, anthologies, light, serious, funny, biographies, and romantic suspense. I stay away from horror stories.

I'm really enjoying the Montana Born series. I like Jane Porter and what she has accomplished with Tule Publishing and all of you authors.

Anonymous said...

Laurie, thanks for dropping by! I used to read SF by the bucketload as a kid. Probably because that's what my Dad and older brother were reading and I kind of picked up on what they were reading. One of my first Xmas gifts though, was Little Women. A book just for me. I adored that book.

And yes, we all have hats off to Jane Porter and Tule and Montana Born. So delighted to be invited to be part of this amazing group. Am in great company!

Trish

Karen H said...

I'm a huge historical romance fan. Love the Regency era best, but I do like Victorian as well as early 20th century stories.

Anonymous said...

Hi Karen! Thanks for dropping by. Isn't the Regency era just such a wonderful time period for setting historicals? But yes, any period so long as it's done well.

Lee should be drawing winners soon. Good luck!

Fedora said...

Let's mix it up, please! When I first started reading romances, I stuck with only contemporaries--what a world I was missing out on! Now my TBR is huge and I can't stop adding all kinds of genres to it! Congrats on your latest, Trish!

Mary Preston said...

Thank you. Email sent.