Mr. D here! This is a great day, and we're going to celebrate! I'm totally excited because today is not only my lovely wife's birthday, but her good friend and wonderful author, Delilah Marvelle's birthday, too! (See, I even dressed up for the occasion and brought along our dog, Rocky) He's all smiles.
Best of all, I've got Mr. Marvelle here with me and together we're throwing our special ladies a birthday bash---WITH PRIZES!
Lila and Delilah struck up an instant friendship when they met years ago at one of the RWA conferences. It was then that they learned they had a lot in common. Like their birthdays---and great taste in men.----Those are Lila's and Delilah's words, I swear.
(Looks over at Mr. Marvelle and sees him nodding.)
Mr. Marvelle is a great guy (and I'm not just saying this because he's standing here). A real Romance Husband who supports his wife every step of the way! I had a blast interviewing him for one of my Romance Husband interviews. (You can read that interview
HERE.)
Welcome back, Mr. Marvelle! Great to see you again! Before we get to our prizes, I've just got to ask you a few questions. ----Hey, I'm Mr. D. That's what I do. :)
Your wife's book trailer for FOREVER A LORD is AMAZING! What was it like starring as Lord Atwood in the trailer? I heard from Lila that it was brutal.
Mr. Marvelle: It *was* brutal. But I wouldn't take a moment of it
back (I swear). Because Delilah's hero in FOREVER A LORD is a bareknuckle
boxer, getting into the sort of shape she wanted me to be in for
the book trailer was eye opening. I've always been in great shape and run
marathons and do Tae Kwon Do, but this took me to a whole new level. I had to
hit the weights in a way I haven't done in years. Of course, that was the
easiest part. The brutal part was realizing that Delilah wanted me to wax the
hair off my chest *wincing*. I swear to God I will never be doing it again. I
don't know how women go in and get anything waxed. I bow to them. The best
part, I'd say, was being able to work with my son (who plays the younger version
of the hero) and my wife. We created something together as a family and the
trailer basically turned into a family affair I really enjoyed every moment of.
Aside from meeting a lot of new and interesting people from Victorian and
Regency societies, I also learned a lot about bare knuckle boxing. Delilah had
a 19th century bare knuckle boxer specialist on the set of the trailer that
taught us how to properly box back in 1830. It was an amazing experience I'll
never forget. Brutal, yes, but amazing.
Mr. D: I'll say it again: You are one awesome Romance Husband, Mr. Marvelle. What a great family project! Is there a story behind the 'inspiration' of Delilah's
upcoming Christmas Anthology, ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A
DUKE?
Mr. Marvelle: Let me just say that Delilah's favorite holiday has always
been Christmas. She goes all out every year. From decorating the house and the
tree and advent calendars and cookies. She even makes us all watch It's a
Wonderful Life, Elf, Home Alone, and A Christmas Carol every year (and we never
complain). She kept saying she wanted to write a Christmas story, but was
waiting for something 'special' to hit. That hit happened during the summer
when we were re-watching 'THE GRADUATE'. She popped up and said, "An older
woman and a younger man set during Dickens Era Christmas. I'm doing it. And
I'm totally calling her Mrs. Robinson. Because I have to." So there you have
it. I was there when inspiration hit. The Graduate apparently has Christmas
connotations. Though don't ask me where those Christmas themes are.
Mr. D: That is so cool! Last question: What is (in your opinion) the best and worst Christmas present you
ever gave your wife?
Mr. Marvelle: I'd like to think that I would never be stupid enough to
give my wife a present she could define as 'worst'...Though I will say over the years of our marriage, I quickly learned
that kitchenware was never quite as popular with Delilah as diamond earrings and
facials. Who knew.
Mr. D: Yeah, power tools don't go over well either. LOL
Mr. Marvelle: Okay, Mr. D, it's my turn to ask *YOU* some questions. I heard from Delilah that you actually inspired your wife, Lila,
to write her Christmas Novella, THE DUKE'S MATCH GIRL. That's really cool and says a lot about how closely we as husbands
work with our wives 'behind the scenes.' Tell me more about what inspired the
'inspiration' of The Duke's Match Girl.
Mr. D: Like Delilah, Lila's favorite holiday is Christmas, too. We have a ten foot tree plus a foot tall angel on top and every branch is covered with ornaments. We really go all out with the decorations, both inside the house and out--though the neighbors don't get my humor when I tied a Santa to the chimney one year, but that's another story. Lila has always wanted to write a Christmas Fiery Tale. And she's always loved, The Little Match Girl. She and I were at a coffee shop chatting about it, and an idea struck her. A grown up romantic version of that famous Christmas fairy tale---with a happy ending of course.
Mr. Marvelle: I understand you read all your wife's books before they come out. Can you tell me what you think of THE DUKE'S MATCH GIRL. How does it compare to her latest novel, UNDONE?
Mr. D: UNDONE and THE DUKE'S MATCH GIRL are both emotional, hot reads. UNDONE is a full length novel that has a very special heroine with special circumstances in her life. This Rapunzel retelling has touched many readers and moved them to tears. With THE DUKE'S MATCH GIRL, Lila has written a novella with a beloved story theme: second chances. The hero, Leo, Duke of Mont-Marly, has done what a lot of guys have been guilty of: He totally blew it with a great girl, and lost her. Years later, he's never been able to forget her. Leo wants Suzanne back. And this Christmas, he's going to do everything it takes to make his one and only Christmas wish come true. Have her back in his life and bed. Add a whole lot of sexual heat, the Christmas season, a scientifically-minded heroine, and some quirky/fun secondary characters and you've got a recipe for a novella I think readers will love. :)
Mr. Marvelle: Sounds great! Have you ever gotten Lila a bad birthday or Christmas gift, one she didn't like.
Mr. D: Let's just say, a smart man learns very quickly how to please his woman. :)
Okay, folks, you've just GOT to check out Mr. Marvelle and son in Delilah's upcoming novel, FOREVER A LORD! They're fantastic in it! Well done, Marvelles!
A very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Lila and Delilah!
GIVEAWAY---Mr. Marvelle and I are giving away FOUR prizes to FOUR LUCKY COMMENTERS!
(Open to the US and Canada only)
Prize #1: White Jasmine Hand Cream from Delilah, copy of FOREVER A LORD, e-book copy of THE
DUKE’S MATCH GIRL (upon its release).
Prize #2 – White Jasmine Hand Cream from Delilah, copy of FOREVER A LORD, e-book copy of THE
DUKE’S MATCH GIRL(upon its release).
Prize #3 – Pocket watch ornament from Lila, copy of FOREVER A LORD, e-book copy of THE
DUKE’S MATCH GIRL(upon its release).
Prize #4 - Pocket watch ornament from Lila, copy of FOREVER A LORD, e-book copy of THE
DUKE’S MATCH GIRL (upon its release).
QUESTION: What was your favorite birthday? What did you do that made it special?
Contest open until Sunday December 2!
Praise for the Fiery Tales:
This holiday novella will be out later this year. I've moved its release forward so that it will be out closer to the release of the final book in the Fiery Tales series, THREE RECKLESS WISHES.
