Welcome Breathless Press author, Victoria Vane!

 Hi Victoria! Welcome to my site.

It's exciting to be hosting an author of what looks to be a wonderful historical romance series - I ADORE your covers! Who is the artist? He or she deserves a shout out. i love them! Okay, let's get started because with more than four books to promote, you're going to need time center stage...

Let the questions begin!

1)    What is your writing routine?

I have crazy habits! My creative brain doesn't seem to work well during the day so I typically do busy work during the earlier part of the day and don't usually try to write until after dinner time. I usually settle down between 6 and 7 Pm with the goal of writing 2,000 words. Sometimes the stars are aligned and I write much more than that but I generally am not content unless I've produced at least 1,200-1,500 words.

2)    Which author/s inspire you to write?

My biggest writing inspiration came from Georgette Heyer, a brilliant woman who is best known for her Regency romances although she also write mysteries and historical fiction. Her wit and characters are unsurpassed and I have tried my best to channel her in my DeVere series! LOL!

3)    Which is your favorite romance subgenre to read? To write?

I am a true blue history geek so I read and write almost exclusively in the historical subgenres to include everything from historical fiction to time travel romances.

4)    How do you deal with criticism/rejection?

That is really tough because rejection in any form is always painful  but tastes differ and it's impossible to please everyone.  It's important to remember that just because someone doesn't like what you wrote, it doesn't mean you aren’t a good writer. I do, however, appreciate constructive criticism and think that I am a better writer for listening to some of my critics.

For example, although I loved it, a good number of people didn't like the climactic ending of my first novel as they felt it was too abrupt. I paid attention to that in my next story and made sure to provide the kind of closure to the story that readers typically desire.

5)    What do you expect from an editor?

Oh Boy! I'm in trouble now! Seriously, my dream editor is prompt, communicative, and clear in his/her expectations.  It's hard to deliver when you don't really know what they want- and a huge waste of time too! I have been fortunate in working with two wonderful editors who matched my dream description. These were Arial Burnz who worked with me on A BREACH OF PROMISE and Tara Chevrestt who edited my entire DeVere series. I couldn't ask for a better experience than I had with both of them. (And for those seeking, both of these wonderful ladies do free lance work!)

6)    Tell me about your latest release:

My latest release is THE DEVIL'S MATCH, the fourth and supposedly final installment of my Devil DeVere series. It is part two of Diana and DeVere's highly complex story that is told in pieces throughout the preceding three novellas. At the beginning of A WILD NIGHT'S BRIDE, Diana is only mentioned in passing:

"Diana?" A strange look passed fleetingly over DeVere's face."Yes. Annalee's cousin, Lady Diana Palmerston-Wriothesley. I can't believe you could have forgotten her."

"Palmerston-Wriothesley? Yes, I do remember now. She's the relict of the feckless baron who gamed away his entire fortune?"

"Might I remind you of your slight culpability in the matter?"

"Surely you don't hold me to blame for his demise?" DeVere flipped open his snuffbox and offered it to Ned. "The man heedlessly wagered more than he could afford, and he lost."

"You did little enough to intervene." Ned waved away the offer and retrieved a clay pipe from his pocket instead.

DeVere rocked back in his chair. "You should know any attempt to shame me is wasted breath. I carry no guilt. He was fully culpable for his own actions. He didn't know when to quit. Just as a dog returns to his vomit, so does a fool repeat his folly."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ned looked up from packing his pipe.

"That he didn't accept his losses with grace and walk away."

Ned pointed an accusatory finger. "But you did exploit his weakness."

DeVere shrugged. "It's not as if I held a pistol to his head."

"No, you did not pull the trigger. He did that himself."

Ned pierced DeVere with a reproving look as he went to work with flint and steel with expert hands."How was I to know the blighter would blow his head off?"

"He was ruined beyond redemption," Ned replied. A single spark ignited the char cloth to a glow sufficient to light his tobacco. "I suppose he felt it was his only honorable recourse."

"The man had no honor, Ned. In truth, he was a bloody cheat." DeVere's mouth was a grim line. "There is much more to the story than you know."

***

Indeed there is MUCH more to this story! In the book's epilogue we get a glimpse of Diana:

***

She played with her gloves, refusing to meet his gaze. "I have long denied myself a trip to London. My gowns are all sadly outmoded, and I shall certainly relish the change in scenery after being buried in the country for so long."

"Very well," he said. "You will find the house comfortably furnished and fully staffed. I will of course provide a generous allowance for anything either of you should need. If anything unanticipated should transpire, you need only look to DeVere—"

"DeVere? Viscount DeVere?" Diana couldn't help the twitch of distaste his name brought to her lips. It had been five years since she'd last seen him, and never would be too soon for her to encounter him again. "I assure you we shall need nothing from him. Indeed, I fear even the remotest association with that wastrel might bar Vesta from the better drawing rooms." It was a plausible excuse and the one she would stand by.

Edward frowned. "Don't you think that a bit harsh, Di? He is Vesta's godfather, after all."

She laughed. "I only wonder what my dear cousin Annalee was thinking to have ever allowed such a thing!"

His frown deepened to a full-blown scowl.

"Oh, don't look so thunderous, Edward! I know he is your friend, but you know as well as I, that his reputation is the lowest, and he revels in it. Vesta may be his godchild, but the less made of it the better."

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear about him."

"Lackaday! I only need believe half of it to be reviled. Besides, I do not base my opinions purely on hearsay. I have had sufficient dealings of my own with the man to have his full measure." She almost bit her tongue on her poor choice of words. His full measure, indeed. The remembrance of it still shook her five years later.

"Surely you don't still hold him to blame for—

"For Reginald? Not completely." Diana strolled to the window and gazed out at the vast expanse of park. She sighed long and deep. She chose her next words carefully in the knowledge that the truth of her past connection with the viscount would never be revealed. DeVere had, at least, promised her that much. "We both know Reginald had long made a habit of going for wool and coming home shorn. DeVere was merely the devil's agent who accomplished the inevitable. Still, one cannot touch...excrement," she looked to Ned with a meaningful curve of her lips, "and not be defiled. I'd much rather avoid any contact with DeVere."

***

Diana and DeVere's story is fascinating and complex and is told in two parts beginning with THE DEVIL YOU KNOW and concluding with their long anticipated reunion in THE DEVIL'S MATCH.

7)    Which is your favorite character in the book?  Why?

I adore them all as each is uniquely different, but DeVere is the shining star in my imaginary cosmos. He is a one in a million character.

8)    What are you working on right now?

I just finished a full length historical romance for Entlangled Publishing's brand new Scandalous historical imprint. It is very much my homage to the novels of the 18^th century in which virtue and vice was a predominant theme. I had then planned to write my first paranormal/time travel romance, but I have received so many requests for more "DeVere" that I now have several spin-off books in the works!

9) Your biggest piece of advice to aspiring novelists?

You must never say die! If you believe in yourself do not quit! I had two agents who told me that A BREACH OF PROMISE, A WILD NIGHT'S BRIDE and DANGEROUS DESIGNS would not sell because they did not fit the traditional mold. I believed in each of these stories wholeheartedly and sought publication on my own. They all sold- quickly but not to mainstream publishers. I'm ok with that as I'm probably too much of a maverick for the mainstream anyway! LOL!

11) Where can readers find you? Anywhere and everywhere!

I am on Facebook as both Author Emery Lee and Author Victoria Vane as I write under both names.

Websites:             http://authorvictoriavane.com

                        http://authoremerylee.com

Email:                        victoria.vane@hotmail.com           
Blog:                         http://victoriavane.wordpress.com
Twitter:             @authorvictoriav

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A lover of history and deeply romantic stories, Victoria  Vane combines these elements to craft romantic historical novels and novellas for a mature reading audience. Her writing influences are Georgette Heyer for fabulous witty dialogue and over the top characters, Robin Schone , Sylvia Day, and Charlotte Featherstone for beautifully crafted prose in stories with deep sensuality, and Lila DiPasqua for creative vision in melding history with eroticism. Ms. Vane also writes award nominated romantic historical fiction as Emery Lee.  She is also the group moderator for Goodreads Romantic historical fiction lovers: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/33864

Victoria will give one randomly chosen commenter a download of her first erotic historical romance A Breach of Promise.

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/07/nbtm-tour-devil-devere-series-by.html

The Devil DeVere Series

By

Victoria Vane

BLURB:  

(Book #1) A WILD NIGHT'S BRIDE:  What happens when a struggling actress and a grieving widower come together in a night of unbridled debauchery orchestrated by a bored and machinating rake? With the devil in charge — there will surely be hell to pay!

(Book #2) THE VIRGIN HUNTRESS:  Desperate times call for devilish measures…Lady Vesta Chambers is accustomed to getting what she wants, but when the object of her passion has eyes for another, it’s time to take matters in hand!

(Book #3)  THE DEVIL YOU KNOW :  When dealing with the devil it's easy to be burned…especially when passion ignites the flames…

Beautiful, respectable, and dutiful, Lady Diana Palmerston-Wriothesley has long resigned herself to her loveless marriage …until her husband's gambling pushes them to the brink of ruin. Viscount Ludovic, "The Devil DeVere", is a man accustomed to taking what he wants according to his whim until he encounters a woman who won't be had at any price. But will a single night of heavenly passion damn them both forever?

(Book #4) THE DEVIL'S MATCH: Once burned twice shy… but when old flames come together…passion reignites...

EXCERPT:

BOOK ONE:

DeVere, on the other hand, evinced no such qualms. He had already loosened his cravat and was stripping off his coat.

"As I said earlier, there is no need," Phoebe insisted. "A couple of buttons and a raised petticoat are all the business requires."

"How delightfully unromantic you are, my dear!" He chuckled. "But while most men would be charmed to comply with your simple wishes, I have quite another game in mind. One that most definitely requires you to disrobe."

"But what if I don't want to?"

"Oh but you will," he said with a smug smile.

She glared. "You are very sure of yourself!"

He studied his buffed fingernails. "I am sure of Ned. Thus, we must put on a convincing show."

Her brows came together in a deep scowl. "What do you mean? What has Ned to do with this?"

"Everything. And at any moment, I expect him to burst through that door like a raging bull."

BOOK TWO:

"But it is so large and swollen, is it painful?

"No, just uncomfortable. Now, may we stop discussing my …" the appropriate word for feminine ears failed him.

"Phallus?" she offered. "That is what the grooms call it."

"Why are you eavesdropping on grooms?"

"I used to watch the stallions leaping the mares."

"You what!" Hew almost choked.

"Well, how else is a girl with no mother supposed to get any education? Although I doubt Mama would have told me very much. So there's really no reason to be timid, Hew. I already know all about the mating process. And to the best of my knowledge, the stallions never 'ignored it until it went away.' Please feel free to relieve yourself of it. I would even help you if you would like. I'm not the least afraid for I have seen much larger ones."

BOOK THREE:

She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell her budding arousal and would relish bringing her to full bloom. God, how he loved this dance! She had taken the first tentative steps, yet she still fought her desire, refused to give in to it, but he would lead her now. He was a master…and a ruthless bastard.

He moved behind her, his fingers riffled gently through her hair. He closed his eyes to inhale her faint rose scent mixed with womanly musk. He dipped his head, letting his breath tickle her ear. She shivered. He whispered low and sultry. "Do you wish me to name the ways I can please you? I am delighted to comply if that excites you...although it would please me far more to demonstrate."

BOOK FOUR:

DeVere rose and came to her, perching himself on the arm of the settle. "My honorable and straitlaced brother could never satisfy a woman like you, Diana. He could never plumb the depths of your passion...unlock your secret desires."

His voice was low and seductive, and the flickering blue fire in his eyes heated her insides. Diana fiercely tamped down the smoldering sensation that threatened to reignite feelings she'd struggled to suppress. "And what would you know of my wants and desires after four years?"

"A great deal." He gave her a slow, confident smile. "Given that I was the one to unleash them."

Diana averted her face with a bitter laugh. "Thus you presume to have an exclusive claim to me?"

"Has any other exerted one?" he asked softly. He reached out a hand and traced a long, manicured finger along her jaw. "You are still unwed, Diana. Have you taken another lover in my absence?"

"It is none of your business whether I have or not, and you are grossly impertinent to ask."

He laughed long and low. "I think I have my answer."

She glared at him, and thus they remained, silently challenging one another for an interminable beat. Then suddenly his mouth was on hers, taking, possessing, as if it was indeed, his singular privilege.

Diana leaned into him, teasing his lower lip with her tongue and sucking it eagerly into her mouth before sinking her teeth into it. Hard. Savoring the coppery taste of his blood.

"What the hell!" DeVere jerked back with a cry. He touched his lip and examined the crimson stain on his fingertip, his expression a mix of outrage and bemusement.

"You took without invitation," Diana said. "It was a warning not to do so again."

BOOK VIDEO:

Link  http://youtu.be/LrOuTtsByf8

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