Today is Tempting Eden’s official release day! I’m filled with both excitement and trepidation. Margaret Rowe’s writing is much darker and more explicit than Maggie’s, but I must say it’s been fun to exercise both sides of my imagination.

Here’s Tempting Eden’s notorious first line: “When he was done, she’d be the greatest whore in all Christendom.” People have asked, “Why did you write about a girl tortured and trained by her stepfather?” All I can say is that the idea took hold of me when I was writing a light, frolicsome (unpublished) book, and I couldn’t shake it. I never had a nasty stepfather (or a nasty father for that matter), I have no personal knowledge of dominance and submission, and I certainly have never hung out in a house of prostitution. But there was Eden, vulnerable and isolated, needing her hero to help her overcome her past and me to tell the story.

Have I scared you off yet? I hope not, for Tempting Eden is an emotional Regency Noir that will “stay with you long after the final page is read.” (~Featured review, The Season) Writing it pushed me past my own comfort zone. I know the book will not appeal to the conventional romance reader, which is why it’s marketed as erotic romance. But if you’d like a chance to win a copy of Tempting Eden and decide its merits for yourself, just leave a comment below. Because I have somewhat run out of ideas, I’m going to plagiarize myself from last month’s Margaret Rowe contest and ask, “What’s your greatest temptation?” I had lots of entries, and most of them involved chocolate in some way. I’ll announce the winner–and something else pretty exciting–on Monday, June 7. Get tempted!

(For more chances to win a copy this month, please visit my news page to see my guest blog stops.)

Here’s the very first look at my December 28 Kensington Brava release Mistress by Midnight! I am in love. Laurette’s blue dress plays a role in the story, and here it is, falling off.

Margaret Rowe’s Tempting Eden comes out next Tuesday, so there’s excitement on both sides of the aisle. Come back here June 1 for a chance to win a copy. Have a great holiday weekend.

Look at this! Seeing double! From a wonderful reader in Hawaii, both my books are cuddled up together. So excited!

Congratulations to Mrs. Hanson , who will receive an ARC of Margaret Rowe’s June debut for Berkley Heat as soon as she sends her address to margaret@margaretrowe.com

It seems a little strange referring to Margaret Rowe as if she’s some stranger, but in a way she is. Much darker, more mysterious, slightly demented, LOL. Tempting Eden is the featured June review at The Season. Beverley Kendall says, “Deeply disturbing, dark, and poignant, Tempting Eden is a love story that will stay with you long after the final page is read.” Eden and I tortured each other in the writing of this book, and I skirted–then plunged past many of my own boundaries. I hope readers will appreciate and accept Eden for who she is, and fall in love with Hart, who works so hard to be her hero.

For another chance at an ARC, visit Margaret Rowe’s contest page and tell me what your greatest temptation is. So far, a lot of the answers mention chocolate. Next week, look for ways to win on Twitter. Release day is Tuesday, June 1!

After you read this mesmerizing post, please visit the Brenda Novak 2010 Auction to Benefit Diabetes Research. I have been busy bidding, and noticed that some wonderful person has already offered $42 for a copy of Mistress by Mistake! The Romance Dish ladies have also tucked in a copy in their fabulous basket too.

Right now I’m up to my eyelashes preparing for our imminent move. I’m hoping this is the last time I ever pack anything–my intentions are to be carted away from the new house by the undertaker many, many years from now. My oldest daughter and I have been in the cellar throwing away my college term papers (Emile Zola? Really?) and preserving my great-grandparents’ marriage certificate. We’ve found some hilarious family photos, John’s bronzed baby shoes and more than our fair share of mouse droppings. Ewww.

Yesterday, I began to crate up the “good” china. My pattern is Royal Worcester’s Evesham Gold, which John bought a million years ago from the Reject China Shop in England, when the pound was low. I was not consulted on the pattern, just as he was not consulted when I bought our new house. But I love those dishes, and he loves the house, so all is good.

We have decided, still operating on the “Life is short” mode, that we are going to use those “good” dishes every single day from now on. But to be practical, I ordered 8 place settings of Evesham Vale, which does not have a gold rim which will kill the microwave when it is accidentally put in to warm up Thanksgiving leftovers by a child who did not know better then but does now. So, we can have 20 people over for dinner. As soon as I buy a dining table.

Here’s my philosophic rumination for the day. Use the “good” dishes.

I hear from my Berkley editor that I’ll soon be receiving my author copies of Tempting Eden. Can’t wait! But I’ve got an ARC for a commenter below. Winner announced Friday, May 21.

Do you have a favorite china pattern? Do you save the best china for holidays, or do you think “good” china is something from your great-grandmother’s day? I confess to using paper plates whenever I can.

The past few weeks have been chock-full of such highs and lows I’m not sure who I am anymore (Oh, yeah. I am two people, Maggie Robinson and Margaret Rowe, LOL. Confusion is understandable.). What began as a totally terrifying end of April has smoothed out to a very mellow May.

Why? On Saturday, April 24, I brought my husband to the emergency room at 7 AM. By 7 PM, he was in the OR having a tumor and part of his colon removed. The doctor sat with me and my oldest daughter around midnight, talking about chemo and radiation, and a future operation six months from now to reattach his plumbing.

By Monday the diagnosis had changed miraculously from cancer to an unnamed gremlin mass which had twisted and tormented everything inside, resulting in a diseased colon.

On Tuesday–release day for Mistress by Mistake–I bought a house. Yup, while John lay seriously stoned in his hospital room I put a deposit on something we looked at before he got sick. I was totally operating on the “Life is short” mode, and after watching my kids try to put together a dinner for me in my tiny kitchen Sunday night, I knew we all needed a change.

I spent the rest of the week not sleeping and wondering if I could do what I needed to do. By Friday we were home, my big strong ex-jock husband lying in bed quietly while I suited up in rubber gloves.

I could hardly pay attention to the book release stuff–I had posted my guest blogs early and my fabulous critique partners Elyssa Papa, J.K. Coi, Tiffany Clare and other equally fabulous writing friends were running my Twitter contests, giving books away, and generally cheering me on. I will never, ever be able to express how much I appreciate everything they did. There are not enough words.

Mistress by Mistake has gotten some great reviews. It’s one of the books on the Dear Author Recommends for May list. Five blue ribbons from Romance Junkies. Other good stuff too. Kensington made it available for free downloads and I was actually #1 in Historical Romance on Kindle, and #4 overall for a while. Free is the magic word. Mentioned in the L.A. Times. Surreal.

Got my first slam on Amazon to prick my balloon, though. I know, I know. You’re not supposed to read them. One star, and nearly ALL the plot revealed. Why, thank you for downloading the free book and then complaining so eloquently. But in the grand scheme of things, a disgruntled reader can’t affect me right now. My husband is going to be okay, knock wood, and I can depend on my four children who have turned out to be caring, loving, funny adults. Any dread I had about negative reviews is now firmly put into perspective. Not that I’m asking for more. But if they come, so be it. I’m going with the flow.

So maybe release day wasn’t quite as I planned. Much of life never turns out quite how you expect it to. But I feel we’ve been given a gift, a second chance. And since I get a second debut next month with Margaret Rowe’s Tempting Eden, maybe things will be a little different next time around.

5/7 :Time’s up! But if you want to pay actual money to download a copy of Mistress by Mistake (of course you do!), just click on the links below.

Kensington Brava has made Mistress by Mistake available as a free download for your Kindle, nook or Sony Reader from May 3-May 6.

Kindle download

nook download

Sony download

Serenissima, come on down! You’ve won a signed copy of my debut Mistress by Mistake. Please e-mail your address to maggie@maggierobinson.net and I’ll get the book to you shortly.

I want to thank everyone who helped make my release day as special as it was. The Vauxhall Vixens and the Vanettes and the Write Chic girls and the Pirates made the day possible in so many ways. The romance community may write about love, but they also practice it in ways large and small every day. Thank you–you don’t know how touched I am by everything you’ve done, but I’m trying to tell you right now.

It’s release day for my debut Mistress by Mistake! Firsts like this don’t come along every day, and I want to savor the moment…and would, if I weren’t feeling nauseous and insane. Here’s the first sighting of the book on the shelves that I received last week from a wonderful woman in Hawaii. Hawaii! And how I wish I were there, lying under a palm tree with a pineapple drink in hand. I guess I could go drink a pina colada in Maine to celebrate if my stomach settles.

How have you celebrated special occasions in your life? Comment to win a copy of Mistress by Mistake!

Lucy Monroe is sponsoring a neat event during RT’s annual conference. For those who are at home (like me), there’s the Reader at Home Conference. Here’s some information and the schedule:

Reader at Home Conference
April 26-30, 2010

Each day will begin with a post listing that day’s special guests and the prizes to be awarded for the day. Closely following, a Cover Model & Hero Inspiration post will go live. Then beginning at 6 a.m., special guest posts will go live every 3 hours until 6 p.m. (6 a.m. ~ 9 a.m. ~ 12 p.m. ~ 3 p.m.~ 6 p.m.).

NB: Time zone = GMT – 8 (or -7 if your area is not on daylight savings) – that is Pacific DST for those in North America.

Following are a list of Special Guests for each day in the order in which their posts will go live on the blog:

April 26

Jami Davenport
Jules Bennett
Kate Davies
Leigh D’Ansey
Patti Shenberger

April 27

Maggie Robinson
Diana Duncan
Elizabeth Amber
Erin Nicholas
Elisabeth Naughton

April 28

Cynthia Eden
Kay Stockham
Mary Wine
Nicola Marsh
Jenna Bayley Burke

April 29

Gabi Stevens
Helen Scott Taylor
Barbara Freethy
Karen Van der Zee
Rick Reed

April 30

Susan Meier
Tricia Jones
HelenKay Dimon
Kaylin McFarren
Kimberly Fisk

May 1
Special New Release Announcement

I’m guest-blogging Tuesday at Lucy’s on release day and giving away a copy of Mistress by Mistake. For multiple chances at a copy, come back here on April 27, visit the Vauxhall Vixens, or find me at Romance Reader @ Heart. And if you’re not sick of me yet, check the News page for my Internet wanderings and giveaways. I will also announce a Super Special Surprise on May 3.

Hope to see you soon to celebrate the release of Mistress by Mistake!

Psst! Want to see (and read) something gorgeous? Here’s my May historical books page and review at The Season!

“All in all, whether my heart was being wrung dry, or I was smiling, or I was fanning myself silly (because the book is HOT), every word in Mistress By Mistake (because boy does Maggie’s prose sing) kept me completely enthralled until the very end.” Thanks so much, Bev! I’ll be sleeping with the review under my pillow.

Another Twitter #MistressMonday is coming up! Last weeks winners were @kellykrysten and @sara_lindsey. And a reminder again to check the contest page on this website and enter.

Want to know why I created Jane Street as the fictional home to my mistresses? Read my first Brava Authors blogpost and find out!

Have a wonderful weekend and week ahead. I’ll be beating back the butterflies.