WeWriWa: Feels Like the First Time

They say you never forget your first time . . . Mine was back in the early '80s when I got an unexpected call from Carin Taylor Richman in New York saying she wanted to buy my book . . . and to see anything else I had written. That first book, which I'm proud to say went into a second printing, was my first real learning experience, and now, as I'm getting it ready to go back into print and, for the first time, e-format with Tell-Tale Publishing, I realized how much I'd learned in the last thirty years.

SWEET TEMPEST was written as a long, sexy historical set during the Regency period, before sexy Regencies became wildly popular. Zebra published it in their traditional Regency line which was mostly made up of standard chaste Georgette Heyer fare, so mine was a Zebra in a pony corral. I mean it wasn't like I was trying to keep it a secret! From the first chapter, and this first newly edited excerpt I'll share, the heat index was already rising . . .

"Now, sir, to business," she began brusquely. "Why are you keeping me here? Since you have admitted your intent to kill me, I don’t think you to be a soft-hearted reformer, and since I am for the most part still decently clad, I assume your motives are not of a depraved nature—unless you were waiting for me to be a more responsive victim to your lusts . . . so, what is it then?"

"Gad, you are famous," Connor laughed, leaning back in his chair to ob­serve her as he smiled. "What a delightful creature you are."

Tempest didn't share his amusement. "I am waiting, sir. I demand to know your purpose."

His lazy stare warmed with humor and a deeper, more intimate heat as he told her bluntly, "I should like you to be my mistress."

Her eyes went wid­e in shock.

That was the beginning of a long, prolific career with Zebra, writing regencies as Lauren Giddings (my first pen name!), historicals and contemporaries as Dana Ransom, and finally a vampire series under my own name. Now that I have the rights back to all of them, I've gotten to enjoy (and edit!) them all over again. Belle Books rereleased the contemporaries and vampire books. Tell-Tale is bringing out my two Regencies, and I've not yet decided how to handle the historicals.

In the first chapter of SWEET TEMPEST, my POV was all over the place, the voice passive, the participles dangling (and I hate it when they do that!), but I still loved the story of the spoiled, bored aristocrat whose life is turned upside down when the daring highway man he shoots during a robbery turns out to be a lovely young woman he takes under his wing . . . and eventually under his covers. I'm going through it with a more sophisticated eye (one hopes!) and am looking forward to the August release. And the other thing that needs updating . . . that cover!

Have you pulled out any of your old works and attempted to breathe new life into them? How did that work out for you? Too much work or a learning experience? You can let me know how I did in August!

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