Guest Blog & Giveaway with Amelia Grey

I'm happy to Welcome back Amelia Grey, author of the Rogues' Dynasty Series to my blog.

Good morning! Thank you for having me at Anna’s Book Blog. Today I thought I would talk about inspiration and particularly, where I got the inspiration for my Rogues’ Dynasty Series.

I’ve been hooked on reading for as long as I can remember. In grade school, I loved reading Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys mysteries. I liked familiar characters that I could read about over and over again, but yet the stories were different each time. Those books entertained me many, many nights. Some of my all time favorite series are John Jakes’ historical series The Kent Family Chronicles, and more recently, Amanda Quick’s Arcane Society Series has me buying every book. If you’re a fan of any of these books, like me, then you know why I wanted to write a series of books, too.

I’ve read a lot of connecting books over the years, and I’ve found that my favorites are the ones that are developed around the hero rather than heroines. Not that there haven’t been some great series out there based on heroines or like Debbie MacComber’s successful series about a town. But for me, I wanted to follow three handsome, titled gentlemen from gleaming ballrooms and gaming hells all the way to the hallowed doors of matrimony. There is just something extremely appealing and very sexy to me about a hero born to power, and privilege.

I wanted each book had to stand alone. That meant I couldn’t carry over any plotlines to the other books. I knew I had to make each hero, each heroine, and each story exciting and different, and yet keep the same tone, flavor, and some of the same characters in all three books. And, I have to tell you I have loved doing that. I’ve received many wonderful comments from readers about my secondary character Sir Randolph Gibson. In fact, just the other day, a fan wrote to me that she wanted to see Sir Randolph get his very own book! But that is for another time.

The first book of my Rogues’ Dynasty Series is A Duke to Die For, and it came out in April 2009. In A Duke to Die For, the hero’s life was chaotic and undisciplined, so I gave him a beautiful and quite charming heroine who was timely and organized to get under his skin and stay there. For fun I had her believe she was cursed, and for intrigue I had him be in danger because of it.

The middle book, A Marquis to Marry was an October release and is currently on sale wherever books are sold. In A Marquis to Marry, the hero is a fun-loving rogue and very happily a bachelor, so I had to give him a beautiful, fascinating woman who had the power, charm, and all it took to make him want to settle down to just one woman. For enjoyment, I had him in possession of a priceless necklace of pearls that belonged to her family, and then for intrigue I had them stolen.

An Earl to Enchant is the third book in the series and is now on sale at your favorite local or on line bookstore. In An Earl to Enchant, the hero is a planner who plays by the rules and has no idea what to do with an enchanting heroine who ignores convention and steals his heart with her impulsive ways. For merriment, I had the heroine pursuing the hero, and for intrigue I had a killer pursuing her.

I could not be happier with the way The Rogues’ Dynasty Series turned out and I give all the credit to the wonderful writers who went before me and wrote such exciting series. I’m thrilled by how well my books are being received by reviewers and readers, and delighted to tell you that my inspiration is still going strong. I’ll be adding three more very sexy heroes to The Rogues’ Dynasty next year.

So now that I’ve told you a little about the inspiration for my series, you tell me, what it is that makes you want to read a book in a series?

The first chapter of my latest book An Earl to Enchant, the third book in the Rogues’ Dynasty Series is available on my website. I invite you to stop by and give it a try.

I’m always happy to hear from readers. Please e-mail me at ameliagrey@comcast.net or visit my website at http://www.ameliagrey.com.

AN EARL TO ENCHANT
by AMELIA GREY
—IN STORES APRIL 2010

He’s determined not to be a hero…

Lord Morgandale is as notorious as he is dashing, and he’s determined no woman will tie him down. But from the moment Arianna Sweet appears on his doorstep, he cannot resist the lure of her fascinating personality, exotic wardrobe, and tempting green eyes…

She has a deadly secret…

Arianna Sweet never imagined the significance of her father’s research until after his untimely death. Now she is in possession of his groundbreaking discovery, one that someone would kill for. She can’t tell Lord Morgandale her secret, but she knows she needs his help, desperately…

About the Author:
Winner of the Booksellers Best Award and the Romantic Times Award for Love and Laughter, Amelia Grey's books have been sold in Europe, Russia and China. Married for twenty-five years to her high school sweetheart, she has lived in Alabama, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and now calls Panama City Beach, Florida, home. For more information, please visit http://www.ameliagrey.com.

Giveaway:
Thanks to Sourcebooks I have two copies of An Earl to Enchant to giveaway. Open to U.S. & Canada. Winners will be announced on April 19th. Good Luck!