Hallo! Today we have one of my favorite people, Lorelie Brown visiting with us today! Whee! She’s a regular here now, and I’m glad to have her. So everyone chat her up, okay? 😀

Hello Little Lime-ettes! I’m so happy to be here. I always make sure I hit up Lime’s joint when I’ve got a new book out, and plenty of times in between. I just lurve her so.

I’m fully caffeinated, can you tell?

I’m also currently writing the third book in my current Victorian series. (These two facts are related.) Wayward One comes out today. YAY! (Well, on Tuesday.) I have a new solo book out. It’s been more than a year! My naughty co-written Katie Porter books have kept me too busy.

Anyway. Wayward One is about Seraphina Miller, an orphaned charity case at an expensive boarding school. Except she discovers her bills aren’t being paid by some noble charity, but rather an underworld crime boss, Fletcher Thomas.

Oops.

Except when I was writing Wayward One and setting everything up, I didn’t want her to be completely alone in the world. She was an orphan, sure, because there were more orphans running around Victorian times than, say, there are today. But that didn’t mean she had to be alone, did it? I kinda hate that. It’s not enough that the heroine has no family—she has no friends, either!

All I keep thinking is if your heroine’s so fab, why hasn’t she made a friend in the break room at her job, huh? Or if she’s a historical heroine really so awesome that the hero’s penis is acting like a divining rod, she could meet someone at the myriad balls and musicales and functions good little debutantes are taken to. So many opportunities for meeting fellow females!

So I gave Sera friends. Of course I did. I like my own friends, I want my heroine to have some too.

There’s Sera, the prim and buttoned up one who’s trying to keep a lid on her own possibly less than honorable origins. Then there’s Miss Charlotte Vale, who’s wild and fun and completely outrageous. Last is Lady Victoria, the daughter of a duke who’s already engaged to another duke and who is completely level headed and sane. The one of the trio who keeps both Sera and Lottie from flying off the handle.

Remind me never to come up with a level-headed heroine again. Sounds so nice in theory. In execution…this is one of the most difficult books I’ve ever written. I’m kinda tempted to shoot her in the foot, just to create some drama.

Maybe that’s not such a bad idea…

Sorry. Got distracted. Three friends. They’re thicker than thieves and all those sorts of clichés. In the first draft of Wayward One, I had this awesome scene where they sat around drinking wine and being besty friends and generally being super cool. Kind of like those most spectacular sorts of evenings where you’re just so very happy because everyone is clever and funny and you’re just chillin’.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t exactly make for the most compelling drama. I had to cut it. And I thought about offering it as an excerpt, but after I made that cut, there were some motivations that needed fine tuning and I don’t think the pages would make much sense out of context.

But rest assured, they’re awesome! Or were. As the case may be.

(By the way, you should thank me. I just came thisclose to inserting YouTube code for “Friendship” from Anything goes. Except I couldn’t find the 1956 version uploaded and that Sutton chick with the two Tonys has an annoying voice. OMG annoying. I don’t like her version of Reno. *sad panda face*)

TL;DR = heroines with friends, good. Heroines completely alone in an island of misery, bad. (Ok, not bad. Just overdone.)

To win a copy of Wayward One, hook me up with some recommendations of books you love where the heroine isn’t alone in the world! A family, good friends, a job occupied by real human coworkers? Bring it on!

My website  (Lime will probably tell me it sucks, were I to ever ask her for an honest opinion. This is me, not asking.), my twitter, my book, for the buying (hopefully).

You see why I like her, yes? 😉 So please answer her question(s) because inquiring minds want to know!