Aloha to Alyssa Everett and A TRYST WITH TROUBLE

Today I welcome historical romance author Alyssa Everett!  From her bio,

Alyssa Everett grew up in Florida, where she knew she wanted to be a writer from the moment her elementary school English teacher put her paper up on an overhead projector as an example of how to correctly punctuate with quotation marks. She spent her formative teen years working at a nearby theme park, doing just about every odd job a person can do, from collecting garbage to captaining an African boat cruise.

Kim:  I grew up in Miami! Other than the weather, what do you miss about Florida?

Alyssa:  My parents still live there, so they're what I miss most. For anyone not fortunate enough to know my parents, I recommend Publix chocolate trinity ice cream. 

Kim:  You are a Pennsylvania transplant (generally, it is the opposite). Can you share your favorite sight, smell, and sound of PA?

Alyssa:  Florida is flat and has no real change of seasons, so I love the hills here and the brilliant colors of the countryside in October. Amish buggies aren't that unusual where I live, and since I write regencies I consider myself lucky to be able to see horse-drawn vehicles on the roads. I like the smell of wood smoke in the winter, and of the hot chocolate served by the Hershey Lodge. And since my husband and my children live with me in Pennsylvania, my favorite sound would have to be their laughter.

Kim:  Who or what helped you along the path to publishing?

Alyssa:  Entering contests helped me break some bad habits and build my query letter credentials. I have to thank editor Leah Hultenschmidt for buying A TRYST WITH TROUBLE while she was with Dorchester, and Chris Keeslar for editing the manuscript after Leah moved to Sourcebooks. While I'm thanking editors, I adore Deborah Nemeth, the editor of my upcoming regency for Carina Press. But my biggest source of support on the road to publication has been my critique partners--Susanna Fraser, Rose Lerner, Karen Dobbins, and Vonnie Hughes. Since I live in a small town and I'm a stay-at-home mom, being able to share advice and encouragement with them online has been invaluable.

Thomas Lawrence's portrait of
Margaret, Countess of Blessington 

Kim:  Tell us about A TRYST WITH TROUBLE - what inspired it?

Alyssa:  Believe it or not, Shakespeare's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. I wanted to write a romance with a pair of bantering lovers like Beatrice and Benedick, and that led to Barbara and Ben. Claudio and Hero became Cliburne and Helen, Leonato became Lord Leonard, and Don John became Ben's illegitimate cousin, John Mainsforth. The Shakespeare play turns on Hero's being unjustly accused of infidelity, ruining her planned wedding to Claudio, so I opened my story with Cliburne attempting to break off his engagement to Helen for similar reasons. After that point, the plot took on a life of its own.

CLAUDIO, DECEIVED BY DON JOHN, ACCUSES HERO
by Marcus Stone, 1861

Kim:  What's next for Alyssa Everett?

Alyssa:  I have a new regency coming out May 21. It's called RUINED BY RUMOR and it's a marriage-of-convenience story. Here's the cover blurb from Carina Press:

After waiting five years for her fiancé to return from the war and marry her, Roxana Langley has been jilted! She may have longed for excitement, but this was not what she had in mind….

Who could possibly throw over a woman as beautiful and vivacious as Roxana? Certainly not Alex Winslow, the Earl of Ayersley, who has spent years trying in vain to forget his unrequited love. When he learns she’s been abandoned by her cad of a fiancé, he finds himself offering a shoulder for her to cry on. Comfort soon turns into a passionate kiss—and scandal when they are caught in an embrace.

Only one thing will save Roxana from certain ruination: marriage to the earl. The match may save her reputation, but responsible, tongue-tied Aye is a far cry from her dashing former fiancé. She’s convinced Ayersley is merely doing his duty…while he’s sure Roxana is still in love with another man. Are they trading one disaster for another?
I'm proud of the book and I hope readers who enjoyed A TRYST WITH TROUBLE will give it a look, especially those who expressed a wish for a love scene or two.

Thanks so much for having me at SOS Aloha! 

Mahalo, Alyssa, for joining us at SOS Aloha!  I posted my review of A TRYST WITH TROUBLE on Goodreads at this link.   The heroine shares her name with my mother, Barbara, who is also English!   So let's giveaway an English gift pack to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.   Leave a comment about Shakespeare - love him or loathe him?  I have not read him (gasp) but I did enjoy the movie SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE.

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, April 7, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, April 8.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

To learn more about Alyssa and her books, check out her website at www.alyssaeverett.com.

LADY READING IN AN INTERIOR
by Marguerite Gerard ca. 1795-1800

I have a new promotion for April - CLEAN OUT MY CONVENTION STASH.  I will select one US reader, one Canadian reader, and one International reader from all my blogs posts in April at SOS ALOHA, THE READING REVIEWER, and ALOHA ON MY MIND. The US winner can select up to 10 books (to fill up a small flat rate box) from my current convention stash to make room for new books coming from RT 2012. The Canadian and International readers can select one book, too!

CLEAN OUT MY CONVENTION STASH is open through Monday, April 30, 10 pm in Hawaii. I'll post the winner on Tuesday, May 1.