I recently sent my editor the manuscript for the third book in The Rarest Blooms series. It is titled Sinful in Satin. This is Celia’s story, and she is paired with the mysterious Jonathan Albrighton, whom readers met toward the end of Provocative in Pearls.

When Celia’s mother, the famed Venus known as Alessandra Northrope, passes away, Celia decides to strike out on her own and build a life for herself. Her mother’s need to keep up appearances for her noble patrons meant that little comes to her daughter as a legacy—only some personal items, a small house in London—and the opportunity to step into her mother’s place, as she was trained to do.

Celia embarks on her future, tries to learn the identity of her father, and faces the world’s assumptions that of course she will become a courtesan like Alessandra. Complicating her plans and decisions is Jonathan, an investigator for the Home Office who, unbeknownst to her, has been sent to pry into her mother’s past. When he finds a way to be ever-present in Celia’s world and life, she must decide what to do about the powerful attraction she feels for him—and whether he will be her “first man”, as either a lover or a protector. Betrayals, intrigues, and debts long uncollected create conflicts for them and between them.

These two characters have much in common to draw them together, but also much to keep them apart. Jonathan’s experiences have made him dark, cynical, and at times hard. In Celia he sees an honesty and internal radiance so in contrast to his own murky soul. He is aware that Celia was not raised like most women—in fact Jonathan first met her years earlier, when she was living in her mother’s house and being prepared for a very special launch into a very special society.

The sensuality that develops between these two is inevitable and intense, and eventually changes them both—their expectations and their goals, and even their own identities.

For those of you who have been reading this series, you may be glad to know that the Duke of Castleford once more plays a prominent secondary role in this story, and a critical one in the plot. And for those thinking that he should have been paired with Celia—what can I say? The muse did not dictate that story, but this one. Besides, the incorrigible Castleford needs a woman who will bring him to his knees, and who won’t be too impressed with him. There is one waiting in the next book who is more than formidable enough to take him on. She will learn to her dismay, however, that Castleford relishes a challenge.

I want to thank all the readers and booksellers who helped make the first two books in the series, Ravishing in Red and Provocative in Pearls such successes. Both made the New York Times bestseller list and also that of USAToday, and Provocative in Pearls was on both papers’ printed list of top sellers. I love writing this series, and your support has really been appreciated!

Madeline

P.S. A reminder that I blog over at The Goddess Blogs, All of my social media addresses and IDs can be found on my Contact page.

I am looking at a month of holiday preps and lots of writing, hoping the former does not interfere too much with the latter (you know how holidays tend to take over a bit!) I don’t think that will happen because I am totally engrossed in this book, the third one of my forthcoming series The Rarest Blooms.

Its title is Sinful in Satin, and it is the story of Celia Pennifold. Celia’s scandalous history is discovered in Ravishing in Red, and in her own book she grapples with the implications of the legacy and life bequeathed to her when her mother passes away. Her quest to strike out on her own, and to learn her father’s identity, is complicated by the presence of dark and mysterious Jonathan Albrighton, a man with his own secrets and scars.

The covers for the first two books in the series, Ravishing in Red (release 1/26/10) and Provocative in Pearls (2/23/10), are up, and so is the excerpt for RR. These first two books will be back-to-back releases. This means that along with Sinful in Satin in the fall, I will have three of this quartet’s books published by this time next year.

I continue to blog at The Goddess Blogs along with 9 wonderful bestselling writers of great wit and charm. Stop by and visit us for some lighthearted fun and gab fests at www.TheGoddessBlogs.com. And be sure to at least drop by on Sundays, when instead of blogging we offer refreshments of a special kind!

I am also on Twitter at @MadelineHunter, and I will soon activate a twitter account related to the new series. Daphne Joyes, the owner of The Rarest Blooms, will be commenting on her friends, revealing backstories, and discussing the inhabitants of Cumberworth, the town near her property. Daphne will eventually have her own book, the last in the series, to be titled Dangerous in Diamonds (anticipated release in spring 2011.) You can follow her at @DaphneJoyes on Twitter now and begin receiving her tweets from the start.

I have also had a widget made. Widgets are cute little applications that can be copied and put anywhere on a web page, sort of like mini web pages within web pages. Mine is similar to an entire mini web site. It should be on my homepage soon, but in the meantime you can see it (and copy it if you want) at http://www.clearspring.com/widgets/4ad79fd8389be07b

Madeline

It has been a busy summer for me. I feel like I have been traveling nonstop since May. First I attended a family reunion. Then my husband and I took a vacation to the eastern Mediterranean and visited Turkey and Greece. (I loved every minute!)

Close on the heels of that was the RWA national conference in Washington, DC, where I had the honor of presenting the RITA for historical romance to Pam Rosenthal. I also helped host a party for readers there after the big literacy book signing, along with the other authors who participate in The Goddess Blogs.

Finally, I am home, writing like a demon every day, finishing up the second book in my forthcoming series.

The first two books in the series will be published back to back by Berkley in February and March of 2010. I am excited to be at this new publisher and also by the series itself. I am having a lot of fun writing it, and love the way the characters are developing!

Titled The Rarest Blooms, the series is projected to have four books. The series tag refers to a household of unrelated women who live outside London, where they have a business, called The Rarest Blooms, growing hothouse flowers for commercial sale. Each woman has a past that makes her of questionable respectability, and most of them are less than forthcoming about their histories. Their mysteries thread through the series and, one by one, they are revealed as the past catches up with them.

The first book, Ravishing in Red, introduces this loving but unusual sisterhood who live according to Daphne’s Rule. The Rule consists of agreed upon policies of behavior that govern how they treat each other. Foremost is the part that says they do not pry into each other’s past or business. My inspiration for their group and Rule was the beguinage of medieval Europe, a community of unmarried women who lived together communally without taking vows, who followed an order of living, and who often had employment outside the group’s household. These were numerous in the 13th and 14th centuries, and could consist of a small group, or, as in a famous beguinage in Ghent, communities of over a thousand women

Ravishing in Red opens with a bang. Literally. Audrianna Kelmsleigh, the most recent addition to The Rarest Blooms, brings a pistol to a secret meeting where she hopes to gain information that will clear her late father’s name of disgrace. Before the night ends, that pistol will shoot Lord Sebastian Summerhays, one of the men she blames with hounding her father to the grave.

I hope to have the cover up very soon, along with an excerpt. In the next month or so I also expect to post information about book 2, Provocative in Pearls.

I want to let you know that I am on Twitter as simply MadelineHunter, and that of course I continue to blog at www.TheGoddessBlogs.com. Our blog is lighthearted fun, and a nice break from work or writing, so give us a try. The entire group blog, or just my individual ones, are available as RSS feeds.

Madeline