Pick a City for Romance! Annie West



As you know from my blogs, and hopefully my books, location is incredibly important to me. Whether it's a coastal area or mountain locale, or a rambling old house, or a city, I usually find at least one location in every book really 'speaks' to me as I write. That location is as important as another character to the development of my story and the way my characters interact.  I've had heroines who've struggled on dairy farms or found themselves in windswept deserts or isolated castles! But sometimes a city location is just right for a story. For instance, my current one, THE FLAW IN RAFFAELE'S REVENGE takes place in New York, as well as in country Australia and the Caribbean. My lucky characters - they really can be jets-setters!

 





 

Most of the time I don't deliberately set out to choose a location for a story, it chooses me. That's what happened with New York in FLAW, when I wanted a place as far from rural Australia (where Lily lives when the story opens) as I could get. And with Sao Paolo in Brazil for DAMASO CLAIMS HIS HEIR when Marisa finds herself unexpectedly pregnant to the most dangerous man she's ever met. And the quaint old city of Prague in Europe seemed the perfect place for Flynn and Ava to marry in THE SINNER'S MARRIAGE REDEMPTION.

 

 

A VOW TO SECURE HIS LEGACY is about a woman who believes she only has months to live. She decides to experience life to the full, and so of course, she includes Paris on her bucket list, where she meets a suave, charismatic Frenchman who turns her expectations on her head.

 

 

When I needed a palatial inner city apartment for a man intent on revenge against his English father, it seemed natural Rafe would move to London in RAFE'S REDEMPTION. I loved the glamour of that city as a backdrop to the tension between Rafe and Antonia, the woman he blackmails into being his mistress.



Some books almost grow from their setting. I knew from the first that SEDUCING HIS ENEMY'S DAUGHTER would be set in Sydney, and that sun would shine on the harbour, making it look it's spectacular best.

Right now I'm considering writing a few more of my HOT ITALIAN NIGHTS novellas and Venice is a distinct possibility for a setting. After all, it's such a romantic city and I was lucky enough to visit in the last couple of year so I have a good feel for the location.

So now it's your turn. I'd love to hear what city or cities you think might make a good setting for a romance. So much the better if it's one I haven't mentioned.

I'm giving away a copy of my first HOT ITALIAN NIGHTS novella: BACK IN THE ITALIAN'S BED to someone who comments. Do come back later to check the name of the winner - I'll post it in the comments section.

Sarah Morgan: A Tale of Three Cities

I find it hard to decide whether I’m a country girl or a city girl. I love to spend time in the mountains or at the beach, but I also love the buzz, excitement and opportunities of a city.

I live near London and have worked in the city at various points of my life so I know it well.  London is rich in history and culture. We have some of the best museums in the world and I have spent hours at the Natural History Museum with my two sons admiring the dinosaurs, gazed at the Egyptian mummies and the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum and marveled at the Apollo 10 Command Module in the Science Museum. I love to stroll along the river, particularly the South Bank which is always vibrant. On a sunny day it’s a glorious walk, and you can enjoy the sparkle of the water while taking in many famous sights including The Globe Theatre and St Paul’s Cathedral. For a stroll mixed with some shopping, I love the cobbled streets of Covent Garden which has great cafes, talented street entertainers and of course the famous Royal Opera House.  On a sunny day, I think London might be my favorite city, and then I remember Paris……

Paris is famous for its iconic architecture, stylish shopping and of course food. It’s a mere two hours train ride from London, which makes it perfect for a romantic weekend. Stroll along the banks of the Seine and you’ll pass palaces, lush gardens and flower markets.  If you don’t feel like walking then join a boat tour and glide under the bridges while admiring some of Paris’s most famous landmarks, from the Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame.  If you make it as far as Notre Dame then drop in to the famous bookstore, Shakespeare and Co. Take the stairs up to the top floor and curl up with a book.  The place has a magical atmosphere. When I’m walking through the leafy Tuileries Gardens that stretch between the famous Louvre Museum and the Place de la Concorde, I think Paris might be my favorite city, and then I remember New York……

New York has an energy and vibrancy all of its own, which is why I decided to set my new series there. Arriving in New York for the first time (and the second time and possibly the third!) is like stepping onto a movie set. Whether you choose to explore the expanse of Central Park or admire the iconic view from the top of the Rockefeller Center, there is something for everyone in this city. If you’re in a romantic mood you can sip champagne on the roof garden of the Metropolitan Museum while admiring the skyline and the views over Central Park, or head to Brooklyn and walk back across the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan at sunset.

If you feel like a dose of city excitement without leaving the comfort of your sofa, then take a look at my brand new series, From Manhattan with Love.  The first book, Sleepless in Manhattan, is out now.

Romance and Rays of Hope by Joanne Walsh

A week ago, the world was stunned and saddened when Paris was viciously attacked by extremist terrorists, and so many citizens lost their lives or were seriously injured. It seemed inconceivable that this city—an eternal, global symbol of love and romance—should be targeted in this way.  As the waves of shock and sorrow continue to ripple, I’ve been talking with my fellow romance writers and editors about what our response should be—do we have anything useful or meaningful to offer when something terrible like this happens?

We all agree that, during the darkest days, what better way is there to leave behind the madness than to lose oneself in a good romance? Romance equals pure escapism: it can ease our shock and calm our minds, be relied upon to bring us light and laughter and lift our spirits—and remind us that love is everything. Which is maybe something that those misguided souls who were so cruel and vengeful lost sight of.

At tough times like these, I salute my fellow romance writers for what they contribute. It helps to know that there are many wonderful romance novels to curl up with, to seek comfort in and reaffirmation of people and relationships, when the world seems so uncertain and humans unpredictable.

I know that you, like me, will wish Parisians healing, peace and strength.

Taming the Italian Bad Boy and A Wife in Every Sense by Joanne Walsh are available on all good digital platforms now.

The Romantic Fiction That Was Paris...

Although I'd travelled widely in my native England, I was eighteen before I set foot outside of the UK. My first serious boyfriend arranged a romantic week for three in Paris. That's right - three. Now, before you get carried away with ideas of athletic high jinks in the land of the menage a trois, you should know something that I didn't when I signed up for this trip of my (then) short lifetime. I was booked in to share a room with his  mother. She came along to keep an eye on him - not me. It served me right for dating an early manifestation of The Big Bang Theory's Howard Wolowitz!

The Mrs W template and I had a wonderful time sightseeing, doing all the usual touristy things and ganging up on my soon-to-be ex-boyfriend. I chalked up another first on that trip when I visited a supermarket - in those days, we didn't have them where I came from. Imagine it! You can tell how long ago it was - Carrefour seemed like a fairy palace. I'd never seen so much stuff for sale in one place before.

It was all a far cry from the Paris I'd been led to expect from Paul Gallico's Flowers For Mrs Harris. I can never hear Humphrey Bogart say "We'll always have Paris..." in Casablanca without remembering my unintentionally hilarious visit, although it did sow the seed that eventually became my Harlequin Historical novel, Lady Rascal. This was originally published back in the 1990's, long before the arrival of ereaders, so I've just brought out an ebook version.  Here's a taste of it -

Finding herself in a Parisian dressmaker's shop, poverty-stricken Madeleine has grabbed the chance to dress up in the glamorous accessories and impractical shoes she has only been able to dream about until now...

 Madeleine suddenly saw something she couldn’t live without a moment longer. Picking up one of the candles, she took three wobbling steps out from behind the safety of the counter. Balancing precariously in front of a long mirror, she took down the wisp of gossamer that hung beside it.

It was a shift of some description, needing only the hem to be finished. But what a shift! Almost transparent, the fine fabric rippled through Madeleine’s gloved fingers like water. It was all she needed to complete her outfit.

In a moment her work dress of coarse brown stuff had been cast aside. It took her a few minutes to work out how to get into the shift, which had no fastenings but pulled on over her head. At last she managed, arranging the folds of fabric about her painfully thin body.

It clung to her like pale mist, flowing with every movement and making graceful her stumbling steps in the borrowed shoes. She was entranced, and so beguiled that the running footsteps outside went unnoticed. Only when a foreign voice called out very close at hand did she jump out of her dream.

Then panic turned her to water. To be found here, dressed like this would be certain death. Like an idiot she had not thought to douse the candles, and now it was too late.

The door flew and a large shadow rippled through the shop towards her.

With a scream Madeleine dropped the candle she held...

I’d love to hear what you think of Lady Rascal, and whether you have ever looked forward to a romantic moment only to have it turn out very differently?  There's a signed copy from my backlist for a comment picked at random.

Christina Hollis has written both Historical fiction and Modern Romance/Presents for Harlequin Mills and Boon Ltd. She loves to hear from readers - you can contact her through her website.