Hello, everyone,

Advance notice. Soon Lady Theosdosia Debenham will realize she needs to be very, very wary of Viscount Darien, "the man who hates the Rogues." LADY BEWARE's official pub date is 4th June, but it will appear in some places a week or so earlier.

You'll remember meeting Lord Darien at the end of To Rescue A Rogue, when he turned up out of the blue to save the day. That was at Dare's betrothal ball, and Lady Beware begins then, only this time we see things from from Thea's point of view. Sometimes a different angle shows new elements.

You can read Chapter One and Chapter Two here. I'll put up one or two more excerpts in May, and I'll also send a newsletter in early June to remind you all that it's out. However, don't forget that you can sign up for a personal one-time reminder when the book is appearing on the shelves. There's a box for that at the bottom of the excerpts.

I have the first review. "This new novel is delightful, vintage Beverley, who continues her Rogue series with a fast-paced, unforgettable, wickedly sensual romance. With her talent for intelligent plotting, finely tuned dialogue and heartwarming emotions, she brings readers a tale of bravery, honor, trust and the magic of love." Joan Hammond, Romantic Times.

I have other news, which will please some of you a lot. We're finally beginning the reissue of the traditional regencies. For complicated reasons we're starting at the end, with The Fortune Hunter and Deirdre and Don Juan. Click here to read more about these books. They're coming out together in a trade paperback called LOVERS AND LADIES, and that will be out in April 2008.

You probably all know that the traditional regency genre is close to dead, but many of us believe there's still a strong readership out there, even though some don't realize it. They are the lovers of Jane Austen, but also of the "literary historical", such as the books by Philippa Gregory. My publisher and I are hoping that the trade paperback form will catch the eye of these readers and open a door for them.

The only other reissue I know of as yet will be Winter Fire in December as part of a special Christmas book promotion at $4.99. I'm sure you all have it, but this sort of publication is a good way to entice other readers to discover my books. I'm always hoping to catch the attention of new readers who will enjoy my particular style of romance novel.

Which brings me to "buzz." Research and experience is showing that of all the factors that contribute to a book's success, buzz is the most potent and the most mysterious. Sure, it's fairly easy to get everyone talking by being shocking, but the other reasons for books suddenly becoming the talk of the town are insubstantial. By town I mostly mean the internet, of course, but it can happen in any circle. All I can say is that any time you want to talk about my books to friends, fellow workers, or on line groups I'll be thrilled.

I'm still blogging at Word Wenches, but we've moved to a more spread out schedule to allow for some longer discussions so I'm only posting about once every two weeks. My next blog will be May 2nd and I have no idea what I'll be writing about. I try to address something that's currently interesting me. Click here to visit Word Wenches

However if you want to interact with me on line, you can do that right now. From April 23rd to May 13th I'm the featured guest author on the Romantic Times web site.

This is a chance to ask me any burning questions lurking in your mind about my work to date, or to talk about Lady Beware. Your expectations, perhaps. Your reaction to the excerpts. I've added a poll about readers' reaction to the excerpts and I'd really like to know what you think. A couple of people have suggested that Darien is too aggressive for comfort, and if it wasn't a Jo Beverley book, they might be turned off. I certainly didn't intend that, so please cast your vote. I'll put up other polls over the next weeks.

You will have to register to vote or post -- unfortunately that's necessary these days to try to foil spammers -- but it's a simple registration and you may find other topics on the Romantic Times bulletin boards of interest.

For your internet amusement I have:
A new post at Minepast. I found a wonderfully detailed description of childbirth in the 16th century. Click here to visit Minepast.

Pier's Egan's Life in London is a rollicking account of high times for gentlemen in Regency London, and this site has some prints from the book, like the one at the top. Click here to look at the pictures.

Scroll down to I. Robert & George Cruikshank Tom and Jerry in the Saloon at Covent Garden, from 'Life in London' by Pierce Egan

The "gay moments"one is of the waltz, believe it or not, and observe one gentleman's casual leg-on-chair position.

Finally, talking of buzz, I'm adding a plug for my friend Naomi Bellis's new book, Draw Down The Darkness, because I truly do love her mix of historical drama and adventure, all with a touch of magic. If you tried her Step Into Darkness, you're probably convinced and will just be thrilled to know that a new one is out. If not, read an excerpt on her site. Click here to visit Naomi's website.

Happy spring, happy reading!

Jo

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