Not only was she a strong, classy first lady, an advocate against drugs in school, and a devoted wife and mother, but she was also part of a special true-life love story that left an indelible mark on my heart.
The book, I LOVE YOU, RONNIE, is a beautiful collection of letters that offers a glimpse into the undeniable romance between Ronald and Nancy Reagan.
An excerpt from I LOVE YOU, RONNIE:
Feb. 14,1977
Dear St. Valentine,
I’m writing to you about a beautiful young lady who has been in this household for 25 years now – come March 4.
I have a request to make of you but before doing so feel you should know more about her. For one thing she has 2 hearts – her own and mine. I’m not complaining. I gave her mine willingly, and like it right where it is. Her name is Nancy but for some time now I’ve called her Mommie and don’t believe I could change.
My request of you is – could you on this day whisper in her ear that someone loves her very much and more and more each day? Also tell her, this “Someone” would run down like a dollar clock without her so she must always stay where she is.
Then tell her if she wants to know who that “Someone” is to just turn her head to the left. I’ll be across the room waiting to see if you told her. If you’ll do this for me, I’ll be very happy knowing that she knows I love her with all my heart.
Well… mostly. I still have three rounds of edits to go. A little nip. A little tuck. A few little volts of electricity and then it will be alive and ready. I can’t wait to share it with you!
The Avon Art Department is also putting together a cover for THIS EARL IS ON FIRE. They’ve created so many amazing covers in the past–I’m so excited to see this one, too!
Typically, while in the planning stages of a book, I’ll find images that fit the characters who’ve been living in my mind. Here is one of “Adeline and Liam”:
I have an assortment of pics and quotes on my Pinterest page. So if you’re curious about part of my process, here is the link: https://www.pinterest.com/vivlorret/
Now that I’m done with this book, I’m wired. The first days after finishing a manuscript are difficult for me. I’m usually so revved up from pulling all-nighters that I stay on an adrenaline high for days.
Since I couldn’t sit still, I spent time visiting DS 1.0 and the grand-kitty…
cleaning the house, organizing the “This Earl is on Fire” file, consuming a few more cups of tea than I probably should have, downloading more books on my Kindle, and cleaning my desk in preparation for beginning book #3.
I’m still in awe thinking about it… Book 3 of my third Avon Impulse series (plus 2 novellas)! I feel very blessed and thankful for each of you. <3
You know what this means, don’t you? I’m going to need to find pics and quotes for Max and Juliet’s story, WHEN A MARQUESS LOVES A WOMAN. 🙂
I have some exciting news! Avon Romance is hosting an EXCLUSIVE GIVEAWAY on Goodreads. Follow the Goodreads link and enter for your chance to win one of 10 bound manuscripts (advanced copies!) of THE DEBUTANTE IS MINE!!!
This has never been done before, which makes this even more exciting!!!
Great news! THE DEBUTANTE IS MINE made Publishers Weekly list for one of “The Most Anticipated Books of Spring 2016”!!! 😀
From Publishers Weekly: Culled from the 14,000+ titles in PW’s Spring Announcements issue, we asked our reviews editors to pick the most notable books publishing in Spring 2016. Click here for our list of most anticipated children’s and YA books. Links to reviews are included when available.
The Debutante Is Mine by Vivienne Lorret (Avon, Apr.) – A will and a bet create the drama in the riveting first Season’s Original Regency, in which a young woman falls for a commoner but is obligated to find a noble husband.
In case you haven’t pre-ordered your copy, I posted links below.
I am over the moon and soaring higher!!! And I’m so thankful that I had the opportunity to write this story. Thanks to the hardworking team at Avon Impulse and to my amazing editor Chelsey Emmelhainz (you will be missed <3). And also to Stefanie Lieberman for helping to find a home for the Season’s Original series.
The genre-istas at Romancing the Genres asked me to tell them about the beginning of my new series, The Season’s Original. Just in case you missed my post, or are curious about how I began writing THE DEBUTANTE IS MINE, here is the scoop:
For fans of Regency romance, we know that the Season is when society’s elite come out to play. It’s time for debutantes to snag husbands. And time for dukes, earls, marquesses, and viscounts to surrender a roguish lifestyle in favor of loving one woman for the rest of their lives. The idea is enough to inspire a sigh or two. In addition to a book… or three.
THE DEBUTANTE IS MINE is the first full-length book in the series (available 4/12/16). However, the idea for the series sprang from the novella, “The Duke’s Christmas Wish” in the ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A DUKE anthology (12/1/15: Avon Impulse). In the novella, we first meet Lilah Appleton and Jack Marlowe.
Lilah is a worrier by nature, and for good reason. She’s racing against the passing calendar days, knowing she must find a husband by the end of the Season or suffer a dire fate. In the novella, her friend, Ivy, tries to help her win the heart of the Duke of Vale. But that doesn’t happen. Ivy falls for the duke, instead. Then where does this leave Lilah?
Still in desperate need of a husband.
This is where we meet Jack Marlowe, our most unlikely hero. In the novella, the Duke of Vale asks for his assistance.
“Do me a favor, Marlowe? When you’re back in London, send a bouquet of flowers to Miss Lilah Appleton. I wrote her street on this card.”
Marlowe took the card and flashed a smile. “Is she my Christmas present?”
“No, and I only want you to send her flowers. Just the once, and make no other contact with her. Besides, she is far different from the type of woman you prefer. She is respectable.”
Marlowe made a sour face. “Then why are you bothering with the flowers?”
“You are sending the flowers,” North corrected. “And the reason for that is because I promised her friend that I would do whatever I could for her.”
“You have me intrigued.”
“No, Marlowe, I absolutely forbid you to be intrigued…”
As the saying goes, however, there is nothing more tempting than forbidden fruit.
Jack’s curiosity leads us to THE DEBUTANTE IS MINE, where he first meets Lilah. Already, he ignores Vale’s wishes by not sending the flowers, but delivering them in person. And while Jack might remain intrigued by the mystery of Miss Lilah Appleton, sadly our heroine does not feel the same.
She must marry a man with a title, and Jack is not such a man. In fact, he abhors the aristocracy. Nonetheless, he feels it is his duty to help her find a husband. And thus, their story begins.
Since this book is the first in a series, you might wonder why I chose to call it The Season’s Original. Well, I’ll let Lilah explain in this exclusive sneak peek of THE DEBUTANTE IS MINE:
“I’m not certain I understand. What is an Original?” Jack asked, shifting to direct his question to Lilah, as if she were the only one in the room. “Another bit of nonsense for the highborn?”
She stiffened as he draped one arm over the back of his chair. He sat in a sprawled manner that seemed to take up every inch of space in front of her. There was no way to look anywhere but at him. His thigh swept near hers again, but she held her ground. This time, his eyes appeared darker, as if his pupils were made of treacle that slowly seeped into the golden brown. Along his jaw, she noted the shadow of whiskers that hinted at a darker shade than his blonde mane. And his mouth—even that arrogant tilt at one corner—was beginning to intrigue her.
Obviously, she wasn’t thinking clearly. She was irritated, she reminded herself.
Taking the example of the women in her family, she attempted to gather her composure on a breath, and then she cleared her throat. “An Original is a person who possesses qualities that make her or him stand above all the rest. An anonymous committee of the ton’s elite selects this person at the conclusion of the Season’s first month.”
In a nutshell, The Season’s Original series revolves around who will be named the Original. You’ll have to read the series to find out the answer. 😉
For those of you who have read “The Duke’s Christmas Wish” (in the ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A DUKE anthology, available now), then you’ve already met Jack Marlowe and Lilah Appleton. In this prequel to the Season’s Original series (coming out this year), neither Jack nor Lilah know each other. However, that’s all about to change.
At the end of “The Duke’s Christmas Wish,” the Duke of Vale asks a favor of his friend that sets the wheels of Jack and Lilah’s story into motion. Here is an excerpt from “The Duke’s Christmas Wish” (available now):
“Do me a favor, Marlowe? When you’re back in London, send a bouquet of flowers to Miss Lilah Appleton. I wrote her street on this card.”
Marlowe took the card and flashed a smile. “Is she my Christmas present?”
“No, and I only want you to send her flowers. Just the once, and make no other contact with her.Besides, she is far different from the type of woman you prefer. She is respectable.”
Marlowe made a sour face. “Then why are you bothering with the flowers?”
“You are sending the flowers,” North corrected. “And the reason for that is because I promised her friend that I would do whatever I could for her.”
“You have me intrigued.”
“No, Marlowe, I absolutely forbid you to be intrigued…”
Sometimes a little taste of forbidden fruit is all it takes. 🙂
From Publishers Weekly: