Monday, July 21, 2014

HOME SWEET HOME ~ Guest Post by author Deborah Cooke #TimeTravel #PNR #Toronto


It gives me great pleasure to welcome my friend and fellow Canadian author, Deborah Cooke to the blog. She will be attending Romancing the Capital hosted by Eve Langlais in April 2015.


Home Sweet Home!
By Deborah Cooke 
(also writing as Claire Delacroix)

When I first began to write, I heard that authors should write what they know. My first books were set in Canada, since I’m Canadian. I know southern Ontario better than any others. It took a long time for me to place a book with a Canadian setting: American publishers tend to be more interested in American readers, who are believed to be more interested in certain settings (and Canada isn’t one of them!) I did ultimately sell two Canadian-set romances, and they are two of my favourites of all my books.

TheMoonstone is a time travel romance. It begins in medieval England, where Viviane has been condemned as a witch and sentenced to die. She makes a wish upon a magical pendant, hoping to be taken as far away from that court of justice as possible. Niall, the knight in charge of this particular prisoner, can’t believe it when she disappears before his very eyes. When Viviane ends up on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, she figures she’s made it to Avalon. It might just be paradise, especially when the hunky knight who granted her last wish shows up, too. Niall is determined to fulfill his vow and deliver Viviane back to the court, but a little time together in British Columbia makes him doubt that she’s really a witch—although he does find himself under her spell. This is a fun, light-hearted time travel romance, set in one of my favourite places in Canada. It doesn’t hurt that Viviane—who has a gift for telling romantic stories—decides to earn her living in our world pretty much as she did in her own, and resolves (with the help of a few friends) to become a romance writer. I had such fun writing this book and am very pleased to have it available in a new edition.


My second book with a Canadian setting is Love Potion #9, a paranormal romance, set in the Annex neighbourhood in downtown Toronto. Lilith is a tarot card reader and psychic, separated from her one true love for centuries, and waiting on him to reincarnate. She’s hunted down an elixir of immortality to be sure she’s still around when he turns up—because Sebastien, despite his promise, is taking an awfully long time to show up and find her again. Impatient as many of us get in the middle of a sweltering Toronto summer, she casts a little spell to hurry him on. Her new neighbour, a single father named Mitch, knocks at her door and she believes he’s Sebastien. You can imagine the welcome she gives him after five or six centuries of waiting—and Mitch is astonished by the friendliness of his new neighbour. I love this story for a number of reasons: not only does it remind me of the quirky neighbourhood where I lived for years, but each chapter is named after (and governed by) one of the tarot cards in the higher arcana. I also love how Mitch and Lilith bring out the best in each other and build a relationship that really will last for all time. Although this one is also available in a new edition, I was lucky enough to have the original cover artist make the illustration available for this edition as well—I think it’s a perfect image of Lilith in her garden and love that it still is on the book’s cover.


I’m planning a new linked series of contemporary romances right now that will be set in a small town. I’m pretty much convinced I’ll set it in southern Ontario. That way, I can put that extra u in lots of words <g> and I’ll know all the best chocolate bars for my characters to eat. It’ll be like coming home again.

Do you read books with Canadian settings? Do you choose to read books specifically for that reason, or is something else more important to you? Maybe you choose by the story, the blerb, or the author. Tell me what you think of romances set in Canada—whether you read them and why.

About the Author:

Deborah Cooke sold her first book in 1992, a medieval romance called The Romance of the Rose that was published under her pseudonym Claire Delacroix in 1993. Since then, she’s published over fifty novels in a variety of subgenres and under three names. Her medieval romance, The Beauty, was her first book to land on the New York Times’ List of Bestselling Books. She’s USA Today bestselling, nationally bestselling and Kindle bestselling. In 2009, she was the writer in residence at the Toronto Public Library, the first time that TPL hosted a residency focused on the romance genre. Currently, she writes the Dragonfire series of paranormal romances as Deborah Cooke, and the True Love Brides series of medieval Scottish romances as Claire Delacroix. Her next release is a collection of short stories and novellas called Beguiled: Tales of fantasy, romance and forbidden love, which will be available on Thursday. (http://deborahcooke.com/claire-delacroix-books/novellas/beguiled/)

For more information about Deborah and her books, please visit her website at http://deborahcooke.com




26 comments:

  1. Hi everyone! Deb is having problems with posting comments, but she asked me to add this about a giveaway!!

    Thanks Jess for inviting me to visit, and for posting this! I forgot to mention door prizes, and of course, we need a couple. I'll give away a signed trade paperback copy of The Moonstone to one person who comments and a signed trade paperback copy of Love Potion #9 to another. Tell me what you think of Canadian settings and we'll pick winners on Friday night. Good luck everyone!
    Deb

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi I'm a Deborah Cooke Fan-atic :) she's been one of my go to and my very favorite author for some time now.
    I love Canadian settings, it lets me visit places on my wish list without leaving my couch :)
    Thanks for hosting her here!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Whoo hooo!! A new to me author in time-travel!!! Thanks for the intro!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I don't think I've read any books with Canadian settings (other than the Anne of Green Gables books), but I'd like to start. I'm sure there's plenty of fun and fascinating settings to explore. These time travel books sound like fun.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very sorry if there are two comments! I'm having trouble posting too! I don't think ive read any books with a Canadian setting. I usually stick to Scottish and London settings. These two books sound very interesting though! I would love to read them!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for the interesting post! I happen to love time travel romances, and think a Canadian setting would be wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love Canadian settings and also time travel stories. Love potion #9 sounds like s must read.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi everyone! Deb is reading all of your comments. Be sure to leave your email so she can contact you if you win.

    Also, she's hearing that some readers are having problems commenting. If you can't get your post to stick, you can go over and comment on this post: http://deborahcooke.com/2014/07/21/guest-blog-at-canadian-authors/ and it will count toward the giveaway.

    Thank you for visiting! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I don't recall ever reading a book set in Canada. I'm not opposed to it, though. Especially if it's going to be a small town setting...those are my favorite!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Michelle H - you've won the copy of The Moonstone! You didn't leave an email addy though, so please send me a message to claim your prize:

      chestwick AT sympatico DOT ca

      Thanks and congrats!
      Deborah

      Delete
  10. I like Canadian settings. I went to Toronto in high school and loved it, so I enjoy reading more about Canada.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HI Beth - You've won the signed trade paperback copy of Love Potion #9. I've sent you an email, so please reply to it with your mailing address to claim your prize.

      Congrats and thanks for commenting!
      Deb

      Delete
  11. One of the settings for the Temperance Brennan series (Bones) is Montreal. Love that series.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love books set in Canada. Canada is such a diverse country. I have met many Canadians that have become great friends.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I would love to read Moonstone

    ReplyDelete
  14. I've read the Argeneau series by Lynsay Sands that's set in Canada. I like to read novels set outside of the US. You can tell when an author actually likes the place they're writing about. The scene is more vivid and I feel like I'm actually there.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love time travel and Deborah Cooke, so would love a free book! I live in Upstate NY so have been to Canada numerous times. It is beautiful and I plan on going back. Would love to check out Prince Edward Island sometime!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Deb. It was so interesting to read about your early days as a writer. Thank you for sharing. I haven't been to Canada, yet. I have so many friends that live there, some day I am going to tour it. I think the country side would be beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love time-travel romances! I have read some contemporary romances set in Newfoundland and love them! The stories were set in a small village near the sea. I would love to read The Moonstone, because it is set in British Columbia, where I spent 3 weeks, love Vancouver!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I like all kinds of settings! Who wouldn't like a Canadian one??

    ReplyDelete
  19. Since i am canadian and i live love romance. And time travel sounds fantastic since I'm interest in past lives. I would love a copy

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm happy to read anything that's well written

    ReplyDelete
  21. I would love a book. I really like time travel.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Let's try this again.

    Thanks everyone for stopping by to comment! It's time to choose some winners. Let's have a drumroll please....

    The signed trade paperback copy of The Moonstone goes to Michelle H - here's hoping you like the quirky small town setting! And the signed trade paperback copy of Love Potion #9 goes to Beth Adams, in the hope it brings back some memories of Toronto.

    Congrats to both of you! Please look for an email from me - you'll need to reply to claim your prize. Happy reading everyone!

    ReplyDelete