Tote Bag of Books Presents Special - Lynn Raye Harris

Today's Tote Bag author is a brand-new signing to the line. Last year Lynn Raye Harris won the Harlequin Presents Instant Seduction contest and this year her very first book Spanish Magnate Red Hot Revenge is out in the shops in August.

Welcome to Presents - and to the blog, Lynn.

I am so thrilled to be a new Harlequin Presents author. I just can’t describe to you the feelings when I knew my book would be published. Not only because an editor wanted to buy my book, but also because Harlequin Presents were THE books to read when I was a teen. I loved them so much, and I never imagined that my life would turn out like this. That I, a kid from the southern United States, would grow up to write the most elegant, gorgeous, glamorous books imaginable. I still have to pinch myself!

When I sat down to write this blog post for the awesome Kate Walker (and I’m still hyperventilating over the fact she invited me to do so!), I was thinking hard about my next book and wondering what the characters really wanted. See, I have a situation, but I have no idea WHY this thing has happened.

I often begin books this way. In fact, Spanish Magnate, Red-Hot Revenge began in my head with a simple picture of a woman in a hotel room, receiving very bad news about her company over the telephone. Then I had to think why this happened, why the hero was the one taking her company away, and what they each wanted from the situation. Sometimes, I know right away. Other times, I have to dig really hard before the characters tell me their reasons.

But that’s all part of the fun. Discovering who these people are and what they want is a journey that never gets tiring (though it can be frustrating when the answers don’t come easily). I am so lucky to be a part of this wonderful line that features the most dynamic, complex, and sexy men on the planet. Add in a courageous heroine who refuses to accept the hero’s way of thinking or his plans for her, and you’ve got a fabulous adventure that gallops across the (too short) pages. As a reader, each time I close a Presents, I’m sorry it’s over – but I know there will be more fabulous stories to read very soon.

I hope you will enjoy my debut novel, and I hope it gives you that same feeling of satisfaction that I get every time I read a Harlequin Presents. While the story is my own, I was very aware of the hefty weight of tradition and the standards of excellence that I had to live up to if I wanted to see my book published. I hope I succeeded.

Lynn's Question:

For a little bit of fun, and the chance to win a signed book from me, what does Rebecca Layton do that shocks Alejandro de Ramirez once he’s told her he’ll demolish her favorite hotel before ever selling it back to her? You can find the answer on my website.