I was delighted when the rights to my first three Regency Historical Intrigues reverted to me a couple of weeks ago.

To celebrate, I'm offering for a short time the kindle edition of LADY SARAH'S REDEMPTION for an introductory price of only 99c at Amazon: http://tiny.cc/wht6hw

Here's the blurb:

When spoiled heiress Lady Sarah Miles assumes the identity of a drowned governess to escape marriage to her best friend, James, she thinks her troubles will be over within the fortnight.

Arriving at the grand estate of reformist MP Roland Hawthorne to take charge of the tortured widower's rebellious sixteen-year-old daughter, Caro, Sarah unexpectedly forms a strong attachment to the occupants of her new household.

But when Sarah’s deceit plays into the hands of an unexpected adversary who uses Caro as a pawn in a high stakes game of revenge, Sarah must risk everything she holds dear - including her love for Roland - to redeem herself.

Me in my wedding dress and why I want a corset

Yesterday I posted in a blog at lovermaoncepassion about the fabulous competition to win a Couture Corset my publisher Total-E-Bound is sponsoring.

All you have to do to be in the draw is buy one of the four novellas from the Bodices and Boudoirs collection, of which my novella, The Cavalier, is one. (See details here.)


The Cavalier is a poignant tale of blighted love - and renewed hope - set during the English Civil War in 1648. Normally I write Regencies but I couldn't resist the opportunity to write about a time in history when the conflict was so raw. Brother could be fighting brother or, in this case, a Puritan woman is faced with her lost love - who turns out to be second-in-command of the King's Men currently besieging her castle.

Eight years before, Elizabeth had married the brutal Puritan, Silas Drummond, against her will. Nevertheless, she's been a dutiful and obedient wife.

Then Charles Trethveyan marches into her life offering her a bargain that will save her hated husband's life.

A bargain she can't resist until she learns it's based on a lie.

Not knowing that Charles is acting to save her life, Elizabeth succumbs to her husband's demands that she make the ultimate sacrifice - for the sake of honour.

Death is imminent unless the truth can be revealed in time.

Fortunately I married under a lot less duress than poor Elizabeth and got my Happy Ever After without the angst she suffered. I've posted a picture at of me at www.loveromancepassion.com running through fields of purple Salvation Jane in the middle of the Clare Valley wearing the 1961 French-designed wedding gown my mum wore, and which I was able to squeeze into 30 years later. However, since I'm thinking of wearing the dress to a Fancy Dress you can see why I'd be contemplating a corset.

Read a Steamy Historical and Win a Couture Corset

Read a steamy historical and be in the draw to win US$155 towards a Couture Corset.

More competition details at  Love, Romance, Passion where I’m blogging on corset envy.

Win a Couture Corset

I've always wanted to own a beautifully-made lace-up corset. There are some fantastic ones at www.whatkatiedid.com in the UK.

For a limited time my publisher, Total-E-Bound is sponsoring a competition in which those who buy a copy of one of the four novellas in the Bodices & Boudoirs collection - which includes my sensual and dramatic story of lost love returning, The Cavalier - goes in the draw to win 100 pounds towards a beautiful corset.

So what are you waiting for? Click on the link and check out the four stories - all very different, very heartfelt, sensual and dramatic.

Why Not Drop By For a Chat?

Hi there - why not drop by for a chat? For the next 24 hours I'll be here:

http://www.theromancereviews.com/forum/

Under Events à Sizzling Summer Reads Party July 2012 à Author Chat: Beverley Oakley

I've been answering questions all day but am very happy to answer more.

How I Could Have Cut 23 Years Off My Writing Apprenticeship

As part of my (exhausting but fun) Blog Tour I'm over at Romance Junkies today where I've made a list of do's and don't to cover what I learned in the 23-years between writing my first book and getting a contract.

How I Could Have Cut Years Off My 23-year Writing Apprenticeship!  @http://www.romancejunkies.com/rjblog/

The Cavalier Release Day!!

I’ve always adored historicals in all time periods. For a long time I’d been wanting to write this story: that of a virtuous, loyal wife confronted with the greatest conflict she could ever face – the return the one man she truly loved. I then thought, what would be the *only* way she might be disloyal to her husband? That’s when the setting came into play – a civil war and a scenario where she’s blackmailed into it in order to save her husband’s life.

It was a challenge to get the balance right and not tarnish the integrity of my hero or heroine. I tried to make the story as much about honour as it was about desire.

I also think this story might only have worked in the midst of war. Death was hanging over all my characters and I tried to juxtapose the brutality and revenge elements with a real and passionate love that the reader truly had to believe in if the story was to work.

This short novella begins on the eve of battle and ends twenty-four hours later with the occupation of Drummond Castle. In the interim a lot of lives are lost or irrevocably altered but at least someone gets their happy ending. Writing it made me feel that the pen really is mightier than the sword.

Here is the blurb:

Drummond Castle, home of staunch Puritan Silas Drummond and his beautiful wife, Elizabeth, has been besieged by Royalist forces. In a bargain to spare her husband’s life, Lady Elizabeth has agreed to spend the night with the commander of the hated King’s Men.

Second-in-command, Charles Trethveyan, has other ideas. He’s planned this moment since Elizabeth chose to marry Silas eight years before.

When Elizabeth discovers that her former Cavalier lover has taken the place of his superior, she must decide whether Charles is motivated by love or revenge.

Either way, her response will have devastating consequences.

*Note: The Cavalier is one of a collection of four historical novellas in Total-E-Bound’s Bodices and Boudoirs anthology.

You can read more by visiting my website or you can buy the book at Total-E-Bound.

The 'Getting-Published' Tool-Kit

Most writing apprenticeships are a few years. I've heard 'ten' bandied around as a popular, general figure amongst my Romance Writers of Australia friends.

Since mine was 23 years - yes, 23! - I decided to name my blog I'm writing for Romance Junkies' on July 17th The 'Getting Published' Toolkit and list the five main reasons it took me so long to get published.

The blog post is also a celebration of the release of my 6th book - The Cavalier - an erotic English Civil War romantic novella which is due for release on July 16th. That's tomorrow!

In Praise of (Supportive) Husbands

We all love them! I'm over at Manic readers blogging In Praise of Supportive Husbands: http://tinyurl.com/87s3xjw

Blogging topics - Where do they Come From?

With two back-to-back my releases - Lady Lovett's Little Dilemma and The Cavalier - over these past couple of weeks I decided to put together a blog tour. I'm a seat-of-the-pants writer and unfortunately this technique carries through into my business approach.

"Must Organise Blog Tour" became my mantra for a few frenzied days where, in ad hoc fashion I'd submit a few requests, here and there. Although I've been writing for years and my first book came out four years ago, it's only been since January with the release of my first e-book - Rake's Honour - that I've turned my attention to any kind of online promotion.

Prior to that it was all library and author chats for my expensive hard cover releases.

There are pros and cons to the new situation in which I find myself. Obviously the downside is that I'm starting from scratch, in a sense. And, boy, it's a steep learning curve. I've been trying to actually understand Twitter and work out how to discover interesting things that are happening using it. Everyone says it's so easy, but the whole protocol and format is alien. So that's another thing I have to really dedicate myself to getting better at. Yesterday I discovered I could actually condense URLs. I'm reasonably computer-savvy so why didn't I even know that was possible?

Why? Because it's hard enough snatching time to just write the damn book, My promotional abilities are only just now grinding into gear.

However, there is an upside and that's the range of really lovely people I've met online. I've loved blogging at Black Velvet Seductions and Manic Readers, in particular, because the hosts, Laurie and Ivy, are such friendly, communicative and enthusiastic people. It's a real pleasure to prepare something and have a chat with them along the way.

As for topics, they occur in the same ad hoc fashion.

I've had an exciting life both in my own right and tagging along as the 'trailing spouse' to a pilot whose work has taken us to 10 countries in 18 years. That's countries we've called home. I've blogged about that quite often, drawing the correlation between events or themes which have made their way into my work. At Black Velvet Seductions I'm in the middle of three blogging events in which I details events such as Being Locked up in French Guyana and The Hero Who Married My Sister as well as my upcoming blog on the 19th - Why Losing My Job was the Best Thing to Happen to My Writing Career.

Today I've just finished a blog for Manic Readers' July 13 slot. As I sat chewing my virtual pencil trying to think of a topic, I thought how much I was missing my husband who'd been away for five days.... and there I had it:

"In Praise of (Supportive) Husbands."

So drop into Manic Readers on Friday and you can read all about how wonderfully supportive of my writing my darling husband of 18 years has been. I'll be posting the exact address on the day.

Because, as usual, I simply cannot find the exact blog address. Supportive though my husband is of my writing, he does sometimes have a few less than complimentary words on the subject of my navigation skills and my response to that has become my mantra in life:

It might take me longer than most people, but I always get there in the end.

Book Giveaway - Lady Lovett's Little Dilemma

The lovely ladies at Booked Up Reviews have posted an in-depth interview with me about the differences between my two writing names and what's in the pipeline.

There's also a give-away of Lady Lovett's Little Dilemma to one commenter chosen at random so if you want to pop over there and say a word or two, you might just find yourself with an e-copy of Lady Lovett's Dilemma, which has the following blurb:

The eight—year marriage of the once mutually-adoring couple, Lord and Lady Lovett, is rejuvenated through the anonymous counsel of Lord Lovett’s former mistress.

Eight years of marriage has not dimmed Cressida, Lady Lovett’s, love for her husband, but the birth of five children has cooled her ardour.

Now rumours are circulating that the kind, dashing and seemingly ever—patient Justin, Lord Lovett, has returned to the arms of his former mistress and Cressida believes her choices are stark—welcome her husband back to the marital bed and risk a sixth pregnancy she fears will kill her, or lose him forever.

With the astonishing discovery that methods exist to enable the innocent Cressida to transform herself into the vixen of her husband’s dreams without expanding her nursery, she seeks to repay the woman responsible for her empowerment...only to discover her unlikely benefactress was, and perhaps still is, her husband’s mistress.

My last story featured a fiery, feisty heroine so this time it was fun to write about a sweet, passive, happily married heroine. As was normal 200 years ago, Cressida is not equipped with the vocabulary or knowledge to explain that while she wants to continue her loving relationship with her husband she can't bear to be intimate when she knows the consequences may well be another pregnancy. Prompted by her jealous, bullying cousin to discover the truth, Cressida stumbles upon the means to please both her husband and herself, as well as a 20-year-old mystery. It's now that she uses her sweet nature - and hidden determination - to secure someone else's happy ending as well as her own, showing surprising depths of courage, daring and spontaneity along the way.

You can read more on my website: www.beverleyoakley.com or get the book here: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=1718

First foray into Self Publishing

My first foray into self-publishing begins this week now that I have the rights back to my three Regency Romantic Intrigues published in hardcover by Robert Hale.

So far I've commissioned artist Lyn Taylor to do the lovely cover. I'm hoping that by the end of the week I'll have done the in-between bits and it'll be available on Amazon. Also, that the process will be started for paperback editions.

Others who've blazed the trail before me have been very helpful with their advice and my darling husband came back from his overseas trip two nights ago with a neat little book outlining tips and pitfalls.

I'm looking forward to beginning and am in the process of going through the book again and making a few changes, though the story line will remain the same as outlined below:

Lady Sarah's Redemption 

When spoiled heiress Lady Sarah Miles assumes the identity of a drowned governess to escape marriage to her best friend, James, she thinks her troubles will be over within the fortnight.

Arriving at the grand estate of reformist MP Roland Hawthorne to take charge of the tortured widower's rebellious sixteen-year-old daughter, Caro, Sarah is caught up in a web of deceit that goes far beyond her own charade.

As Sarah battles her conscience, her courage is tested to extremes when she risks her own reputation to save Caro's. What began as an attempt to win Roland's affections now has all their lives hanging in the balance. Even if Roland forgives her, it may be too late. 

Pre-order for The Cavalier

In a change of policy, my publisher, Total-E-Bound has introduced big discounts for pre-orders - so it's a good time to check out, not just my English Civil War romantic novella, The Cavalier, but some of the other great stories on the site.

I've been very happy with TEB's attention to detail in creating a quality product, especially when it comes to copy edits. This is my third Beverley Oakley sensual historical romance and, like my other books, it's been copy edited five times.

I'm a freelance editor, myself, so I turn in a pretty clean product, but there are multiple editors who query everything from grammar points to whether a particular word used had entered the vocabulary of the day to whether the noise of cicadas or sparrows would be more appropriate to the setting. (This was queried in my very first paragraph.)

Here's the blurb and a bit about the novella in which:

A Puritan woman’s loyalties are tested when her husband is imprisoned by the Royalist lover she was forced to surrender through duty.

The Cavalier

by Beverley Oakley

Drummond Castle, home of staunch Puritan Silas Drummond and his beautiful wife, Elizabeth, has been besieged by Royalist forces. In a bargain to spare her husband’s life Lady Elizabeth has agreed to spend the night with the commander of the hated King’s Men.

Second-in-command, Charles Trethveyan, has other ideas. He’s planned this moment since Elizabeth chose to marry Silas eight years before.

When Elizabeth discovers that her former Cavalier lover has taken the place of his superior, she must decide whether Charles is motivated by love or revenge.

Either way, her response will have devastating consequences.

I usually write Regency Romances – either traditional under my Beverley Eikli name, or sensual or erotic under my pseudonym, Beverley Oakley. However this gritty, sometimes brutal story had been begging to be written for a long time. I love historical author Pamela Belle’s work. Her brilliant English Civil War Wintercombe series has resonated over decades with me.

I’ve also devoured everything I can find to do with seventeenth century diarist Samuel Pepys and his life. I feel comfortable with the time period. Honour and loyalty are two of my favourite themes and integral to a romance set against civil conflict when families and friends could be fighting on opposing sides. This short novella begins on the eve of battle and ends twenty-four hours later with the occupation of Drummond Castle. In the interim a lot of lives are lost or irrevocably altered but at least someone gets their happy ending. Writing it made me feel that the pen really is mightier than the sword.

You can read more by visiting my website or you can get the book here.

Release Day for Lady Lovett's Little Dilemma

Release Day! It never loses its edge, the thrill of that day. My second sensual Regency Historical - Lady Lovett's Little Dilemma - comes out today with the following premise:

The eight—year marriage of the once mutually-adoring couple, Lord and Lady Lovett, is rejuvenated through the anonymous counsel of Lord Lovett’s former mistress.

Eight years of marriage has not dimmed Cressida, Lady Lovett’s, love for her husband, but the birth of five children has cooled her ardour.

Now rumours are circulating that the kind, dashing and seemingly ever—patient Justin, Lord Lovett, has returned to the arms of his former mistress and Cressida believes her choices are stark—welcome her husband back to the marital bed and risk a sixth pregnancy she fears will kill her, or lose him forever.

With the astonishing discovery that methods exist to enable the innocent Cressida to transform herself into the vixen of her husband’s dreams without expanding her nursery, she seeks to repay the woman responsible for her empowerment...only to discover her unlikely benefactress was, and perhaps still is, her husband’s mistress.

I loved writing this story as the main couple are so devoted yet they really are trapped by their nineteenth century upbringings. Cressida doesn't have the knowledge, let alone the vocabulary, to articulate her fears while Justin believes she's shifted her focus from loving him to loving only their children.

When Cressida stumbles upon a woman who can help her, she also stumbles upon a twenty-year-old mystery. Now there is someone weaker than herself who needs championing and this is where Cressida really finds the courage to stand up to society and society's strictures.

I hope you enjoy the story. You can buy it here at: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=1718