Travelling as Inspiration

I love to travel. Many of my stories have been inspired by places I’ve lived in or visited ... Venice, Paris, London, Melbourne, the US, the Lake District. I spend a lot of time thinking about the perfect setting and it’s not simply about pretty or interesting backdrops but locations that shine a little light on the characters…creating an environment that helps their story unfold. 

Many of my romances feature an heiress or a billionaire, and with that kind of incredible wealth it’s important to sketch a gloriously luxurious setting, one that is glamorous, fabulous, international.

My first novel, The Convenient Bride, was inspired by a trip to Venice where I was entranced and moved almost to tears to see so many gorgeous but decaying historic buildings crumbling into the canals. If I were as rich as the characters in my stories, I would have brought one on the spot and have it restored to its former glory. Long after leaving Venice, its tragic beauty continued to haunt my dreams and so I set The Convenient Bride there, with one of those Venetian gothic buildings playing a special part in the plot.

Being under the hot and harsh spotlights on a reality TV show was the experience that sparked the idea for Seducing the Secret Heiress. I took part in the Australian version of Dragon’s Den and the call for ‘action’ alone was enough to raise my heart rate.  Add judges, camera close-ups and a demanding Director, for an experience that was unbearably intense, yet exhilarating. I thought this pressure-cooker environment would make good fodder for a sexy romance. Not to mention that much can happen in a dressing room and those dressing rooms have mirrors, which adds a whole new dimension to a scene.

Parts of Seducing the Secret Heiress take the reader to London.  I lived in that amazing city for seven years. The seasons, the parks, the history, the pubs, the incredible mix of people who live there, left an indelible impression. Actually, London pops up a few times in my novels and one day I’d love to live there again. Who knows?

The Love Deception was inspired by my days working in the top end of town in Melbourne – think high-rise corporate offices with stunning views across the city, suits with high heels and stockings, business-class travel, luxury hotels. My heroine didn’t have a chance spending all those long stressful hours locked away in legal meetings with her hot boss in his private office.

A few scenes in The Love Deception are based on the terrifying experience of living through the remnants of a hurricane in North Carolina. A scary night! I’ll never forget the noise. My hero and heroine are in Barbados when they find themselves in the eye of the storm, literally and figuratively. They are only on the island for a very short time before nature unleashes itself and the hurricane hits. Of course I had them return to the island later in the book so they could enjoy everything this tropical paradise had to offer when a category five storm wasn’t causing mayhem. (It’s nice as an author to give your characters a reward when they have worked so hard to deserve happiness).

The core idea for The Billionaire’s Pursuit of Love popped into my head after attending a seminar dedicated to saving the world’s Orangutans. The wildlife workers lived in very basic conditions, working in the mud, rain and heat to ‘mother’ the vulnerable baby Orangutans until they could look after themselves – a little like nurturing human babies. When I read an article about a man worth millions who’d designed one of the world’s most successful computer games, I wondered what it would be like if these two people from incredibly different worlds were brought together through a twist of fate that just wouldn’t let them go. 

My latest release, Tempted by the Billionaire Tycoon, was inspired by a trip to a health retreat, an experience that gave me my heroine’s profession. Another trip to France and the UK inspired the lavish, deeply romantic locations in Tempted. Each time I visit Paris I fall under its spell – again. Seeing Versailles for the first time left me in awe of the beauty and romance of France, its history and great art. My heroine, Poppy, feels this too when she visits France for the first time. My billionaire hero of course has seen it all before, but it feels that little bit different now he is with Poppy!

At the moment I’m busy conjuring up my new billionaire novel. The hero and heroine are having a tortured time in a gorgeous old stately home in the UK, complete with a beautiful secret garden. That locked-up walled garden plays an integral role in the twists and turns in the story.

I hope they both find the key!

Is there a place you've visited that you found inspirational? I'd love to know.

Jennifer St George is a romance author whose sexy stories feature courageous, career-minded heroines, strong heroes in glamorous international settings. She has five books published with Penguin's digital-first imprint, Destiny Romance. 

Nerves. Nerves. How do you manage them?

Chatting with Mandy Nolan before kick-off

Today, I’m relaxed. My muscles aren’t tense. My mind isn’t racing. My heart isn’t hammering. 

This was not the case at 6pm last Thursday evening. I was sitting in a stool with comedian Mandy Nolan in the Byron Bay Mary Ryan’s bookshop watching the store fill with people. Of course, I was thrilled people had turned up for the launch of my book Sweet Seduction, but there were lots more people that I ever thought would come.  In the end about 100 people packed out the store.  They were standing three deep on the pavement.

Signing copies of Sweet Seduction

Mandy kicked off and within two minutes I had tears of laughter streaking down my face.  Mandy is so incredibly funny.  She’d singled out my husband and made him blush. I don’t think I’d ever seen my husband blush. Mandy had planned to chat for twenty minutes, but everyone was still laughing after three quarters of an hour.

I was then handed a glass of champagne and was installed at a table to sign books. And sign I did. Mary Ryan’s sold out of Sweet Seduction in about fifteen minutes. The whole event was a huge success. I was on such a high.

But, I hadn’t sleep for three nights beforehand as I was so nervous. I’ve done lots and lots of presentations in my life, but usually I’d been presenting about a product or a service, not about my own creative efforts.

Before I left for the launch, I meditated for fifteen minutes. I think I would have been a lot more nervous if I hadn’t. I learned to meditate when I used to work in big corporations to manage the stress. I pull this calming technique out of the bag whenever I’m heading for a stressful time (I know, I should do it everyday).

So, what tricks and tips do you have for managing nerves? I’d love to hear.

Together for the first time in one heartwarming volume.

The Convenient Bride: Sienna De Luca will do anything to save her family's hotel, and ruthless Italian businessman Antonio Moretti knows it. With problems of his own, he proposes a marriage of convenience that will secure his next business deal and save Sienna's hotel.

In keeping with her part of the bargain, Sienna travels to Venice with Antonio, who introduces her to a life of luxury and opulence. Antonio soon realizes he has vastly underestimated Sienna. Unexpectedly, she gets too close, and when she discovers his dark secret, Antonio's perfectly planned life begins to unravel . . .

Seducing the Secret Heiress: Diamond heiress, Charlotte Wentworth, is passionate about two things - cooking and her  fiancée, Paul. Until the day she finds out Paul has been unfaithful. 

Charlotte flees to Europe, determined to build her own life without her family's fortune. When she meets gorgeous TV producer, Gabe Grenville, she keeps her connections secret and soon finds herself the star of his new cooking show. But how will he react when he discovers Charlotte's true identity?

Available in print through Big W and other good book stores. Also from Amazon, iTunes and more...

Sunday Smooch with Jennifer St George

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!

Today we have a smooch from  Jennifer St George but first 

... the the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is Sharlene. 

Can you please contact amy (at) amyandrews (dot) com (dot) au to receive your copy of The Most Expensive Night of Her Life.

And now for today's Sunday Smooch from Sweet Seduction.

Sweet Seduction brings together The Convenient Bride and Seducing the Secret Heiress for the first time in one fabulous volume which is now available in print as well as ebook.

The Convenient Bride

Sienna De Luca will do anything to save her family's hotel, and ruthless Italian businessman Antonio Moretti knows it. With problems of his own, he proposes a marriage of convenience that will secure his next business deal and save Sienna's hotel.

In keeping with her part of the bargain, Sienna travels to Venice with Antonio, who introduces her to a life of luxury and opulence. Antonio soon realizes he has vastly underestimated Sienna. Unexpectedly, she gets too close, and when she discovers his dark secret, Antonio's perfectly planned life begins to unravel . . .

Scene set-up: Sienna is bound up in a marriage of convenience with Antonio Moretti. Just before she cuts the wedding cake, she discovers the 'real' reason Antonio wanted the marriage and she's horrified. 

Sienna allowed Antonio to lead her to the enormous three-tiered cake. The crowd gathered around as they held the knife together and cut the first piece. Cameras flashed. The rich aroma of chocolate and cream fed the turmoil in her stomach. The noise, the crowd, the cameras threatened to close in on her.

‘I need some air,’ she said, rushing from Antonio’s side to the nearest door she could find. She stumbled into the long hall that led to the foyer. People turned to stare. Where could she go? She had to get away from the continuous scrutiny and the innocent faces of Antonio’s aunt and uncle.

Antonio pushed through the door. He came up close. ‘What are you doing?’

‘How can you deceive your own family?’

‘Quiet.’ He ground out the word. ‘Someone will hear you.’

‘You didn’t tell me your aunt and uncle owned the hotel.’

‘What does it matter? The facts are still the same,’ he whispered harshly, fixing her with stony eyes. ‘They read everything that’s written about me and believe every word. They won’t sell me Villa Paradiso because of those lies.’

‘Lies?’ She knew she should keep her voice down, but she couldn’t help it. ‘What is written about you is all true from what I’ve seen.’

His icy stare matched her own. ‘What? That I’m a womanising, hedonistic playboy?’ he bit out.

After seeing Antonio interact with his staff, she knew there was more to him than his shallow tabloid reputation, but anger consumed her. ‘If the shoe fits,’ she threw back at him.

A camera flashed nearby. Sienna jerked in the direction of the light.

‘Then let’s give them what they want,’ he said through clenched teeth before his lips claimed hers. Sienna felt her mouth explode with sizzling heat. His tongue forced her lips apart.. His teeth grazed her bottom lip as he deepened the kiss.

She willed herself to pull away but her mind didn’t seem to control her body.

His hands slid down her back pulling her close. Her breasts crushed against his chest and desire pooled deep inside her. She’d never been possessed with such fiery passion. She knew she should protest, push away, but his mouth ground against her, bringing her body to life as never before.

She pulled away, breathless.

‘Antonio,’ she breathed. ‘Not here.’

Without a word, he swept her into his arms and carried her to the bank of lifts. She wanted to object but found she couldn’t. Or was it that she didn’t want to? Her emotions swirled in a wickedly seductive combination of raging desire and a huge dash of apprehension. She gazed into his dark eyes but looked away quickly. Determination mixed with lust shone in equal parts. What she felt and what she saw in his eyes scared her.

The lift arrived quickly and he pushed through the doors before they’d opened completely. Cameras covered their every move. He swung her round to reach the button for the penthouse.

‘Antonio, you can put me down now.’ She needed to escape his strong, hard body. It made her want what she didn’t want. Not with this man.

‘No.’ His voice was heavy with lust.

She tried to wriggle from his grasp, but he held her in an iron grip. ‘Put me down.’

‘No, you wanted me back there. Don’t deny it.’

‘No,’ she said, hoping her voice wouldn’t betray her lie. She couldn’t want this man. The man who forced her into marriage, forced her into deceit. ‘It was just for the cameras,’ she said, stiffening in his arms. ‘A fight on our wedding night wasn’t going to convince anyone this marriage is real.’

He placed her feet on the floor and held her steady until she found her balance on the four-inch heels. ‘Just an act?’ he asked, his black eyes searching hers as the lift doors opened.

She looked at him squarely. ‘Of course.’ If he touched her now, she’d agree to anything.

I hope you enjoyed the Smooch. I'm giving away an e-copy of Sweet Seduction. Leave an answer to the following question for a chance to win. The Convenient Bride is set in Venice, which is one of my favourite cities in the world. It has everything...fabulous architecture, romance, history, gastronomic delights, art, music and so much more. I would love to visit again and again. Is there a city you'd love to return to and if so, why? 

Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced and a smooch from Helen  Lacey will be posted!

Smooch Graphic by WebWeaver

Destiny Romance to Celebrate its First Anniversary and a Giveaway

It is my great pleasure to welcome my fabulous Destiny Romance editors Sarah Fairhall and Carol George to Lovecats today. It’s been nearly a year since Destiny Romance hit the international e-book scene and I caught up with Carol and Sarah to find out about the year that was and what we might expect in the future.

Carol George and Sarah Fairhall

It's coming up to Destiny Romance's first anniversary, what's been your greatest highlight?
That we managed to stay sane? No, truly, it’s been the joy of discovering and publishing new, quality, Australian writing. Nothing could be more exciting than that.

What reactions have you had from readers to Destiny?  

On the whole the feedback has been fantastic with romance fans loving Destiny books. We are passionate about what we do at Destiny and as genuine fans of romance, we seem to be on track with our readers. And of course, we like to push the envelope a little, as well.

Are there any plans for the future you can share with us?

We’ll continue to be innovative with the range of romances we publish and the way we publish them. We published the unconventional Untamed this year and will continue to roll the dice with any romance we love, even if it isn’t exactly ‘traditional.’ This year we experimented with print versions of Destiny titles going into Australia Post offices around Australia. A few other ideas like this are in the mix.  

Tell us a little about your June releases?

June marks the release of the first romantic suspense from popular Destiny author, Jennifer St George. The Love Deception is about Felicity, a brilliant young lawyer who joins a law firm in order to investigate a case in which she has a huge personal stake.  Only one complication – she wakes up in a stranger’s bed one morning, no idea how she got there and he turns out to be her new boss.   

From new Destiny author, Leisl Leighton, we have the very scary Killing Me Softly. Alexia, a famous, reclusive record producer is being stalked.  The danger seems to ratchet when a famous band joins her on her country property to work on their next album and Alexia finds herself deeply attracted to the lead singer.

Will we see Destiny Romance at the RWA conference, GenreCon or any other literary events this year?

Destiny and many of its writers (the ‘Destineers’), will be at full strength at the RWA conference. Destiny will celebrate it’s first birthday on the Thursday night. Expect balloons and candles.  Sarah Fairhall will be taking pitches for Destiny and you can visit us at the Penguin/Destiny trade table. Please come and say hello! Sarah is also attending RWNZ this year and looks forward to meeting New Zealand readers and writers.   

Thanks Sarah and Carol for joining us on LoveCats today.  I’ve loved my first year as a Destineer. Destiny is giving away four fabulous print Destiny titles – The Convenient Bride, Uncovererd by Love, Cityglitter and Her Italian Aristocrat. Leave a comment for a chance to win.

The Love Deception is available now from Amazon, Apple, Kobo and Destiny Romance.

Meet Debut Author Jennifer St George!

I’m thrilled to welcome Jennifer St George author of The Convenient Bride to the LoveCats today.

She writes contemporary romance for Penguin’s new digital-first imprint, Destiny Romance.  Her debut novel The Convenient Bride is out now!

The Convenient Bride has just been launched by Destiny Romance - can you tell us a little about the story?

Sienna De Luca will do anything to save her family's hotel, and the ruthless Italian businessman Antonio Moretti knows it. With problems of his own, he proposes a marriage of convenience and plans to use Sienna to secure his next business deal. But things don't go quite according to plan.

In keeping with her part of the bargain, Sienna travels to Venice to be with Antonio, who introduces her to a life of great luxury and opulence. But after thinking he can manipulate her at his will, Antonio begins to realise he has seriously underestimated Sienna…her intelligence, her skills, her courage – and her beauty. Unexpectedly, Sienna gets too close and when she discovers his dark secret and Antonio's perfectly planned life begins to unravel.

What was the inspiration for The Convenient Bride?
I visited Venice for the first time not long ago and found it one of the most magical and captivating cities I’ve ever seen.  Venice is the perfect backdrop for a romance and who can’t love a wounded Italian hero?  Unbearable grief also features in the story and unfortunately this is an emotion I know something about having lost my sister in tragic circumstances.

Your story revolves around luxury hotels.  Have you ever stayed in one?

In my life before romance writing, I worked in marketing for large corporations including Guinness and Ford.  My jobs required extensive travel.  For example, I launched Guinness in Russia, marketed forklift trucks across Europe and travelled to Germany, Japan and Korea to select new cars for the Australian market.  So, having spent many day sand nights in five-star hotels, I was able to draw on this experience when writing The Convenient Bride.

The romance writing award season has just wrapped up and you have had some wins.  Can you tell us about them?

It’s funny how everything seems to come together at the same time after several years of hard work.  I came 2nd and 3rd in the Romance Writers of Australia (RWA) Emerald contest and have just arrived home from New Zealand a few days ago where The Convenient Bride won the 2012 Clendon Award. I have to admit I was a little overwhelmed but obviously delighted.

What keeps you entertained when you’re not writing?

I love keeping fit so I walk up to the Byron Bay Lighthouse about four times a week.  Just today I saw four whales very close to shore, which is always thrilling. I also love walking on the beach with the family and our new puppy, Toffee.  My indulgence is watching my favourite movies over and over.  I’ve enjoyed Sense and Sensibility, Gone with the Wind, Pride and Prejudice, Downton Abbey and Bridget Jones’ Diary more times than I care to count.

Having just been published, what would you say to aspiring authors?
Never give up. 

I decided very early on that to gain publication I had to take my writing very seriously and that it would probably take a long time.  I established a very strict writing routine (including getting up at six am on New Year’s Day when I was rushing to finish a manuscript for RWA’s 5DI program) and worked hard at learning the craft.  I attended every romance writing workshop I could, studied relevant textbooks on writing and devoured stories similar to the line I was targetting. I applied to the RWA critique partner scheme and found a wonderful writer in Melbourne.

Probably the best thing I did was volunteer for RWA.  I’ve met so many multi-published, award-winning authors who have given me advice, guidance and encouragement (obviously Rachel, you were one of those wonderfully generous authors along with a couple of other LoveCats!).  I believe I would not have been published without their help.

Aw, you're too sweet, Jen. :) What’s Next?

Following the last two whirlwind weeks with the Romance Writers of Australia’s annual conference and then the New Zealand conference, it’s back to reality.  I have to plot my next book and return to the discipline of writing every day.

My next book, Seducing the Secret Heiress will be coming out with Destiny Romance in a few months. 


If you’d like more information about Jennifer, visit:
website: www.jenniferstgeorge.com or www.destinyromance.com