Interview + Giveaway with Caroline Linden and ONE NIGHT IN LONDON

Bewteen Avon and Kensingon, Caroline has published a dozen historical romances and her latest, ONE NIGHT IN LONDON, just released in September! Her next, BLAME IT ON THE BATH, releases in March 2012 -- SQUEE, we're release buddies! -- so watch for it.  Welcome, Caroline! Thanks for coming!

Lord Edward de Lacey has noble expectations—until a secret from the past threatens to cost him everything. Francesca Gordon will stop at nothing to find her niece— not even bargaining with the ruthless Lord Edward. But what begins as purely business might become something closer to pure passion…

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Tell us about your upcoming release.
ONE NIGHT IN LONDON is about a desperate woman trying to save her niece from a wicked stepmother, and a man determined to save his inheritance. He steals her lawyer, she coerces him into helping her as payback, and then the sparks start to fly.

What creates the biggest conflict between your hero and heroine?
I think it's that they are so different. Francesca, the heroine, is impulsive, passionate, and a bit warm-tempered. Edward is disciplined, coldly logical, and rather ruthless in pursuit of what he wants…although he does try to resist it when Francesca turns out to be what he wants.

Why did you put these two together?
I love characters who complement each other! They share some common ground, but have different strengths and weaknesses so they can support each other.

Is there a message in this novel that you want readers to grasp?

I don't know about a message in the novel—except that love is worth fighting for, even to the point of humbling yourself—but the book is part of a campaign to raise awareness of ovarian cancer. A portion of the sales will go to fund research and patient support programs, and at the back of the book is a page listing the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer, which is difficult to detect early and thus incredibly deadly. Read it! Share it! Rip it out and post it on your bathroom mirror!

Who or what has influenced your writing, and in what way?
This may sound strange, but: action/adventure movies. I love things like the Jason Bourne films and Star Wars, because something is always happening. Every line of dialogue counts. Little things turn out to have big significance.I tend to get bored by description, no matter how beautifully written.

How do you keep in touch with your readers?
I update my website most months, and I've been trying to keep my Facebook page active with random weekly updates. And I answer all my reader email. Sometimes in deadline panic I slack off all these things, but I love to hear from readers!

What are you reading now?
I just finished BLACK SHEEP by Georgette Heyer, which I really liked. Very different from the book I read before, A TALE OF TWO LOVERS by Maya Rodale—which I also really liked!

What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?
Strong, multifaceted characters with interesting problems. You can wring a lot of plot from good characters.

What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you started writing?
There is no Right Way to be an author, to be published, to write a book, to run your career… Everyone creates their own path, and there's nothing wrong with that.

What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?
Personally, I lovelovelove Scrivener. Fabulous writing software! But otherwise, I think you just need determination and persistence. And maybe the occasional pedicure.

What are your current projects?
Right now I'm writing the final book in the Truth About the Duke trilogy (ONE NIGHT IN LONDON is the first). In spare moments I jot down a few lines of a possible novella about a secondary character from ONE NIGHT IN LONDON, and when I'm really stuck on the book, I work on my paranormal magnum opus.

Do You Have Any Undiscovered Or Hidden Talents?
It's not quite hidden; it's exploited probably far too often! I make awesome cookies. I love cookies. If you have a good cookie recipe, send it to me. Of course, then I eat the cookies, which is not so good…

Where can we find you online?
www.carolinelinden.com and http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolineLinden

Caroline Linden earned a math degree from Harvard University before turning to writing fiction. Ten years, nine books, two Red Sox championships, and one dog later, she has never been happier with her decision.

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