Turning Up The Heat in A Scandalous Matter

ASM3DMy darling husband reads every one of my books – just once, right before publication, to help ensure I haven’t missed any egregious typos or made any other noticeable boo-boos. I love him for that (well, and for a zillion other reasons).

Last night, he finished A Scandalous Matter. When I asked him what he thought, his first response was, “It’s more explicit than the first two.”

I laughed. Partly out of nervousness – was that a good or a bad thing? Then I defended: “Yes, it is, a little, but that’s because of who the characters are, who the heroine is.”

And that’s the truth.

In fact, A Scandalous Matter‘s Amara Mattersley sprang out of my desire to create a heroine quite different from A Man of Character‘s Catherine Schreiber and A Matter of Time‘s Eliza James in regards to sex.

Both Cat and Eliza are a bit more conservative, for lack of a better term, in their approach. I hate to use that word, as it implies a judgment I don’t feel – if you can think of a better one, let me know! What I mean by it, is they’re not interested in sex for sex’s sake; Eliza, especially, can’t and doesn’t want to separate the emotional from the physical.

That was easy to write, because that’s how I am.

A Man of Character and A Matter of TimeBut as I was crafting A Man of Character and A Matter of Time and I realized Eliza’s view on physical pleasure just for the fun it was a basic, “No, thank you,” I thought to myself, “What would it be like to write a heroine more driven by physical desire? Who only wants the sex, and not the emotional attachment?”

I didn’t want readers to think, via Cat and Eliza, I was implying that such an approach to sexuality was wrong. I believe women can and should choose for themselves (as long as they’re being honest with themselves and not bowing to pressure or judgments from anyone else in either direction). If they want to wait until marriage to have sex, fine. If they want to have casual encounters, fine (but be safe!). If they choose somewhere in between, or their views evolve and change, more power to them. I know where I fall on that continuum, but I’m not going to say where anyone else should.

Thus, Amara was born, showing up as quite the spitfire as Deveric’s sister in A Matter of Time.

Of course, in truth, as I got to know her better, it became clear she was much more than her initial impression. That there were reasons behind her behavior – major hurts to overcome. And as A Scandalous Matter unfolds, emotions definitely come into play – I am a romance writer, after all, with a firm belief in love.

Insta1But I also made it clear physical passion has always driven Amara. Not necessarily an easy thing to deal with for a high-born woman raised in an era with fairly stringent expectations in regards to women’s sexual purity.

In real history, of course, tales abound of women engaging in scandalous affairs and all of that – I know the past is never as “pure” as many of us try to make it (thank you, Victorian ideals!). But by and large, the expectations Amara Mattersley faced in 1813 when it came to sex and sexuality were far different from 2016.

And therein lies part of her inner conflict.

And mine, in writing. This book is somewhat steamier (though not as steamy as many romances – I don’t want to raise expectations in the opposite direction! There’s still plenty going on outside of the bedroom). Will my audience be okay with that? I hope so.

Once you’ve read it, you tell me. 🙂

A Scandalous Matter Debuts July 6th! Preorder for #Kindle available now.

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Why, yes, I AM getting a wee bit giddy (& nervous!) about A Scandalous Matter hitting readers’ Kindles and bookshelves on Wednesday, July 6th.

I hope you adore Amara and Matthew’s story. These two touch my heart, because I definitely know what it’s like to feel as if I don’t fit in (heck, doesn’t everyone feel that way at some time or another?).

Here’s the blurb:

Independent, spirited Amara Mattersley may live under scandal’s shadow, but at least the nineteenth-century Regency society judging her is familiar. That’s all about to change when she finds herself in twenty-first-century Charlottesville, Virginia—and locking horns with one very befuddling, very male, UVA professor.

Computer science professor Matthew Goodson has no time for love—no time for anything, actually, but his quest for tenure and his obsession with the screen. The last thing he expects is to get side-swiped by this adorably odd British miss. Yet something in her calls to him, pulls at him, in a way unknown—and uncomfortable.

Can the past and the present blend together into a mutual future? Or will old wounds and new complications sabotage any chance at a twenty-first century happily ever after?


Squee! I’m hoping you’re excited about A Scandalous Matteras well, and look forward to hearing what y’all think!

Bookversary Newsletter #Giveaway WINNERS List!

Wahoo! It’s Tuesday, so it’s time to announce the winners from last week’s Giveaway-O-Rama.

A note on how I chose winners: I compiled a list of every name/email entry in an Excel spreadsheet. Then I used random.org’s Sequence Generator to give me a random number sequence for each giveaway; the top number was my winner. Since people could enter any/all giveaways and the numbers are selected randomly, people can and did win more than once, as luck would have it.

I’ve not included last names for privacy’s sake – if you won, I’ll be emailing you! Thank you all for entering!

A Man of Character and A Matter of TimeWINNER of autographed copies of A Man of Character and A Matter of Time:


Carla M.

Trunk1
WINNER of the mini trunk:

Julie S.

WatchKey
WINNER of the key watch:

Lori N.

PocketWatch
WINNER of the pocketwatch:

Aleen D.

Screen Shot 2016-05-24 at 8.19.19 PM
WINNERS of a small key (5):


Lori N.
Juana E.
Carla M.
Mary P.
LL.

Amz
WINNER of the $25 Amazon Gift Card:

Lindsey B.

ASM3D
WINNER of an autographed paperback of A Scandalous Matter:

Melanie B.

If you missed the giveaway but want to be in on future ones, as well as keep up-to-date with new releases and sales, please sign up for my newsletter!

I only send newsletters as often as I have news, and I never give out names, so you’re safe with me!

It’s A Man of Character’s Bookversary! #Giveaway

Margaret Locke A Man of Character
That’s me the first time I ever held one of my books in my hands.

Holy cow. It’s A Man of Character‘s Book Birthday. That means I’ve been a published author for one year. Say what?

It’s been quite a ride, and I’m absolutely thrilled so many people have joined me on it.

I treasure every single Facebook exchange, email correspondence, tweet convo, and review left. Every. Single. One.

Because I couldn’t have imagined a year ago I’d have fans. Or that I’d publish two books in the space of a year, with the third debuting July 6th. Or that I’d final three times in the 2016 HOLT Medallion Awards

I’ve met amazing readers. I’ve met amazing writers. I’ve made lots of mistakes. I’ve learned lots more.

And I’m so very grateful for all of it.

Have you signed up for my newsletter yet? I sent one out this morning with TONS of giveaways as a Book Birthday present to you! You can check the newsletter out here: http://eepurl.com/b3gE8L

** Please note if you email me to enter a giveaway (or two or three or seven), I take that as consent for you to be added to my newsletter list. But don’t worry – I only email when I have actual news (such as a new release or a sale), and I try to include a giveaway every time!

MUCH LOVE to all of you. I wouldn’t be here without you. THANK YOU. 

A Man of Character and A Matter of Time

COVER REVEAL: A Scandalous Matter – Preorder Today!

Cover to A Scandalous Matter


Here it is, the cover for A Scandalous Matter. What do you think?
I’m in love with it, and so grateful to Joy from Lankshear Design.

And here’s the current blurb:

A Scandalous Matter

The past is always present.

Independent, spirited Amara Mattersley may live under the shadow of scandal, but at least the Regency society judging her is familiar, if not exactly beloved. That’s all about to change when this nineteenth-century duke’s sister finds herself in twenty-first-century Charlottesville, Virginia–and locking horns with one very befuddling, very male, UVa professor.

Computer science professor Matthew Goodson has no time for love–no time for anything, actually, but his quest for tenure and his obsession with the screen. The last thing he expects is to get side-swiped by this adorably odd British miss. Yet something in her calls to him, pulls at him, in a way unknown — and uncomfortable.

Can this odd couple blend the past and the present into a mutual future? Or will old wounds and new complications sabotage any chance at a twenty-first century happily ever after?

Wanna preorder the Kindle version? Find it on Amazon. Paperbacks will also be available on release day: July 6, 2016.


Thank you so much for your continued support! I’m excited and nervous and all of that good stuff, but, oh, do I hope you love Amara and Matt’s story!