If you like humor and flirtatious fun in your romance reading, you’re going to love today’s guest! Donna Cummings is known for writing humorously ever-after  romances. And when she delves into the rakes and scoundrels of Regency England — oh my! *fanning self* Lets just say its easy to become besotted with her characters.

The first time I encountered Donna, I was a greenhorn newbie poking around on writing blogs. SHE was being interviewed *gasp* about LORD MIDNIGHT, a previous Regency release. Besotted by the sound of the book, I immediately hopped over to Amazon and bought a copy.

Later, I found Donna on Facebook and timidly sent her a friend request. When she friended me back, I was in awe — I’d been friended by an actual author who’s work I loved (Donna, I’m not sure I ever told you how stage struck I was, LOL).

Anyway, our friendship grew from there, and I’ve found her to be amazingly supportive, friendly, and helpful. She always makes me laugh with her light-hearted blog posts, and her novels are guaranteed to satisfy with a blissful HEA. Anything she writes is an automatic must-read.

Please welcome Donna as she celebrates the release of her new novella, LORD RAKEHELL’S LOVE, the first in a promising new series!

~ooOOoo~

What attracts you most to your chosen genre?
I love laughing, and hearing people laugh, and even better, making them laugh. My characters bring a wild assortment of personality quirks that make comical things happen, and it’s fun to see how humor helps them fall in love. So I guess I’ll always want to write humorously-ever-after romance.

You do those so well! I’m constantly delighted by the humor you weave through your romantic stories. Are you a draft writer or someone who invests a lot of time in editing and polishing as you write? Why does your method work best for you?
I’m definitely a draft writer. I feel like every book is a new variation of “just put it there for now — we’ll figure out where it goes later”. In Lord Rakehell’s Love, I knew the hero would be trying to win back the heroine after being late to their wedding. But after auditioning and rejecting several potential Chapter Ones, I decided to forge ahead with another section, and all of a sudden this scene appeared in my mind that showed the couple’s first meeting. It shows why they fell for each other, and I think made their breakup more poignant. I guess this “messy draft” method works best because the story is really in charge of everything. I’m just here trying to get everybody into their places before the curtain goes up!

A director’s, er…author’s job is never done 🙂 Which do you develop first, characters or plot?
The characters always seem to show up first, like they’re an advance team checking me out as a writer, to make sure we’re a good fit. LOL They show me a little “highlight reel”, which is usually one scene that depicts them interacting with each other, and naturally I’m intrigued and want to know more. So then I have to figure out a plot for them, and where this scene fits, and it all kind of grows from there.

I love the “highlight reel!” My characters do that too. Hmm.  They must be taking lessons from yours.

Now please tell us about your new release.
Lord Rakehell’s Love is a novella that commences The Curse of True Love series, where Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, decides to play matchmaker in Regency London. Unfortunately, she seems to put a curse on the lovers instead. In this story, Simon and Georgiana fall instantly in love, thanks to Aphrodite, but then Simon is late to the wedding, and, even worse, accompanied by ladies-of-the evening. So he has to win Georgiana back, not exactly an easy task after that kind of scandal!

Originally the series was supposed to start with the next in the series, Lord Wastrel, a full-length novel, but this novella decided it should be first. And while I grumbled about it, I have to admit it was right!

I can’t wait to see that wedding scene. How did you choose your title?
This book went through about forty-eleven potential titles before this one clicked. I must have used the word “bride” and “wedding” in every variation possible, and was beginning to wonder if I’d ever find the right title. Fortunately it came together right before Carrie Spencer started working on the cover. I don’t think I could publish something titled “WIP With No Name”. LOL

Ah, so I’m not the only one who struggles with those pesky titles! Which character did you enjoy writing the most and why?
I actually had a lot of fun with Hugh, the hero’s best friend, who will be the hero in the next book, Lord Wastrel. I enjoyed it because I know what he’s going to encounter soon, but he has NO idea that his playboy lifestyle is about to change in so many ways.

And I can’t wait to meet the lady who’s going to change things for him, LOL. I’ll be looking forward to that one as well. Without giving too much away, please share a bit about your favorite scene in Lord Rakehell’s Love.
One of my favorite scenes is between the heroine Georgiana and her best friend Felicia. It’s a “girl talk” scene, where Georgiana is trying to explain how Simon made her feel during their romantic interludes. Felicia is the heroine in Lord Wastrel, and there’s a sequel of sorts between Georgiana and Felicia in the upcoming book that also has me chuckling.

Ooh, so it’s Felicia that’s going to be Hugh’s undoing. I love when characters continue from book to book and get their own time in the spotlight as H/h. 🙂 Share one sentence – – yes, only one! – – of dialogue or description you love.
Eeek! Okay, I’m partial to this line, which the hero says to the heroine: “When your heart is ready for that leap of faith, know that mine will be there to join with it.”

I’m melting. *wisftul sigh* If you couldn’t be a writer, what else would you choose to do?
I don’t know! I really love being a writer, and interacting with other writers and with readers, and spending time with my characters. I just wish I could do this job all the time. It’s better than any of the other jobs I’ve had.

Wouldn’t full-time be awesome? I’m with you on that! If someone gave you a working time machine tomorrow, where would you visit and why?
I’d definitely go back to Regency England, so I could gather some first-hand research, and flirt outrageously with those sexy rakes and scoundrels. On my way back to the present, I’d probably stop by to say hello to my younger self and say, “Quit worrying so much and have some more fun. You don’t have any juicy stuff to put in your memoirs.”

But you would if you went back to Regency England and did all that flirting 🙂

Now some quickie questions for you!

Dream vacation gifted to you by a fairy godmother: A secluded beach with endless coffee drinks and a cute barista/masseur — oh, and in addition to perfect temperatures, time moves very slowly, except when I’m writing. 🙂

Favorite season: Summer — okay, let’s be honest — every season BUT winter!

Favorite time of day: Quittin’ time!

Favorite color: Red

Food you never grow tired of: Mashed potatoes

OMG, I love your answers…especially the first three! You always make me laugh, Donna. 😀 Thanks for visiting with me today. As always it’s a pleasure to have you on my blog and I wish you gargantuan success with Lord Rakehell’s Love!

Connect with Donna at the following haunts:
Website/blog: http://www.AllAboutTheWriting.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@BookEmDonna
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Donna.Cummings.Author
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5349107.Donna_Cummings
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/bookemdonna

Purchase Lord Rakehell’s love from:
Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes & Noble
Available soon from iTunes and Kobo

BLURB:
The Curse of True Love Series
Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, is attempting to play matchmaker in Regency London. . . only she’s placed a curse on the lovers instead.

Lord Rakehell’s Love

He was late to his own wedding

Simon is known as Lord Rakehell, so any sane woman would be wary of wedding a man of his reputation. He truly loves Georgiana, and is determined to prove it to her, but how can he convince her after his wedding-day blunder?

She was heartbroken by the scandal  

Georgiana knew the dangers of falling instantly in love with a celebrated rake, but even she had not expected him to show up for their nuptials with ladies-of-the-evening in tow. Now she must determine whether Simon’s protestations of love are genuine, or if she is being led astray by the passion he continues to incite in her.

Author Bio:
I have worked as an attorney, winery tasting room manager, and retail business owner, but nothing beats the thrill of writing humorously-ever-after romances.

Currently I reside in New England, although I fantasize about spending the rest of my days in a tropical locale, wearing flip flops year-round, or in Regency London, scandalizing the ton.

I can usually be found on Twitter, chatting about writing and coffee, or on Facebook, chatting about coffee and writing.