Get Lost with Delilah Marvelle in Paris

Educating one's self in the art of love takes time...

Lady Caroline Arabella Starling has been in love with her older brother's best friend, Caldwell, since she was thirteen. Unfortunately, too many things keep getting in the way of proving her love. Her four younger sisters, her mother, her brother, all of society and the man she loves himself. But where there is a will, there is a way, and Caroline is about to redefine not only respectability but true love.
​
Ronan Henry Dearborn, the fourth Marquess of Caldwell, lives to see himself through Caroline's eyes but knows he is leading a life unworthy of her or her dreams. He will do anything to keep her from learning the truth about himself and his past, including keeping her at a distance. But when he and Caroline get tangled in a situation neither of them can get out of, the only way to create a happily-ever-after between them is to take up the advice of a French courtesan who re-educates them both in the art of love.

Delilah Marvelle is the winner of RT Reviewer's Choice for Best Sensual Historical Romance of the Year and had Booklist name her historical romance 'Forever and a Day' one of the TOP 10 Romance Novels of 2012. When she isn't writing, she's digging through research books. You can visit her at her website at http://www.DelilahMarvelle.com or her blog that explores the naughtier side of history at http://www.DelilahMarvelle.blogspot.com

Delilah (and yes Delilah is her real name) recently returned from an anniversary trip to Paris. On a scale from one to ten, I'd say an anniversary vacation to Paris is an eleven. I enjoyed Delilah's daily Facebook snapshots from various locations in and around the City of Light so much, I asked her to share some highlights with Get Lost in a Story readers.

View of the Seine and Eiffel Tower from the
gargoyle gallery, Notre Dame 

Jillian: Why Paris? Why not Prague, Sarajevo? (kidding) No really, what was your inspiration for Paris? 
Delilah: I have wanted to go to Paris since I was sixteen. I took four years of French in high school and so the excitement for Paris has stayed with me ever since. Aside from being able to celebrate my 19th year anniversary in Paris with my husband, I mainly went there to do a ton of research for an upcoming series (two of them!). A lot of French characters keep popping up in my head and so I knew I had to just go and see the dang city, lol. 
Jillian: Name your top three sightseeing favorites:
Delilah: That's a hard one because Paris is full of them but here is the top three I would give if I had a gun to my head:
1.) Jacques-Mart Andre Museum
2.) Louvre
3.) Eiffel Tower at night
4.) Because I can't stop! Being at the very top of Notre Dame
(And Versailles comes in 5th only because the crowds didn't make it fun. But the gardens?!...oooooo) 
Jillian: What was your best and worst adventure in the City of Light?

Hero of all Delilah's novels, Mr. Marvelle,
rowing on the grand canal at Versailles.

Delilah: Best? Taking a boat on the grand canal at Versailles. My husband rowed (slaved) while I feasted on chocolates and lounged on the boat, enjoying the view of the Versailles Palace. It was a perfect day and soooo romantic.
Worst? Walking 18 miles in a single day where it rained ALL DAY. So I was wet and tired and miserable....

Jillian: One of the great treats of Paris is all the art museums. Share an artist you discovered or gained a new appreciation for while you were there.
Delilah: The art museums were AMAZING. One of the artists I discovered that I absolutely fell in love with is Henri Gervex. His painting Rolla was from my era and just stunning. It was 'the morning after' between a gentleman and a 'lady'. Mesmerizing. It captured a historical, erotic moment.

Rolla, Henry Gervex

Jillian: Best fast food in Paris?
Delilah: The double hot dog and cheese on bread with dijon. Holy Gawd.
Jillian: Best beverage?
Delilah: Their sparkling lemonade. So good.
Jillian: I want one! Help me, how would I order that in a cafe? Citronnade avec gazeus? 
Jillian: What's your macaroon color? 
Delilah: Raspberry (pink!). But I looooved them all.

From left to right: Holy Gawd double hot dog and cheese on bread with
dijon, Delilah sipping sparkling lemonade, and....les macaroons!

Jillian: There will be a new book set in Paris...mais oui?

Parisian brothel remains

Delilah: Mais oui! lol. That was why I went to Paris, was to be able to research several books in two separate upcoming series. In particular, naughty history. I visited courtesan houses (there is only one left standing in Paris) and brothels from days gone by that look NOTHING like they did back when. Only things like the marble staircase remains. There was SO much to research, even though I was in Paris for 16 days, it still wasn't enough. I only tracked down about 75% of what I intended to do. C'est la vie, as they say. It means I'll have to go back, lol.
Jillian: I'm not sure you can ever get enough of Paris...and wow, this was such a fun interview! Thank you so much for sharing your romantic vacay with us, Delilah. And for those of you who haven't read a sexy, sensuous Delilah Marvelle novel you are in for a real treat!

Commenters, Delilah would like to know: If you could visit one place in the world, what would it be and why? She'll be giving away three e-copies of LADY OF PLEASURE for Nook, Kobo or Amazon to three lucky commenters. And please remember to leave your contact information if you wish to be in the raffle for giveaways!


***Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America  addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

Delilah Marvelle

Get Lost in these Stories…

Today, we welcome HQN author Delilah Marvelle to the blog.  Her scandalous new series is coming out back to back, with the first book, Prelude to a Scandal releasing Jan 1, 2011 followed by Once Upon a Scandal on February 1 and The Perfect Scandal on March 1.

Here’s the blurb for Prelude to a Scandal…

Having been raised in the jungles of South Africa, assisting her father in the study of mammal copulation, Lady Justine Fedora Palmer sweeps back into London to embark upon her coming out. She quickly discovers animals are far more civilized than the men surrounding her.  When her father's observations are made public, proving buggery is natural to the animal kingdom, all of London is in a huffing outrage, including His Royal Majesty. Her father is imprisoned and slapped with outrageous penalty fees they simply cannot pay.  

Lady Justine becomes more than willing to trade her good name and her place in London's gossip hungry society to secure her father's release. There is only one person she knows she can trust: her father's patron, the Duke of Bradford. A dashing libertine, yes, but one she passionately adores for his unwavering kindness, wit, humor, and a willingness to support her father's studies even as everyone else had laughed her father off.   To her astonishment, the Duke of Bradford is not the same man. His newly marred face hides a scandal that is about to test them both...

Without further ado, Meet Delilah…

Heather: What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you WISH more people COULD know? 
Delilah: English is my second language.

Heather: What’s your favorite movie of all time? 

Delilah: Amelie, with a close second being for the movie Secretary.  Both are quirky and romantic in surprisingly twisted ways.

Heather: How often to you get lost in a story? 

Delilah:Being a writer and a reader?  I'd say every breathing moment.

Heather: What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in? 

Delilah: Anything with romance and history.  I'm a sucker for any story that can balance both.

Heather: Where do you read and how often? 

Delilah: I read in my writing area by the fireplace every day.

Heather: Be honest, when reading 1^st person...do you miss the hero’s POV? 

Delilah: Oh, hell yeah.  I love first person, but nothing beats going into the heads of our hero. 

Heather: What’s your favorite fairy tale? 

Delilah: Cinderella.  I had a stepmother and a half sister growing up and related to the story on so many levels.

Heather: How about your favorite cartoon character? 

Delilah: Shrek.  He was a no nonsense kind of guy with a soft spot I related to on so many levels.

Heather: What’s your favorite kid joke? 

Delilah: Here goes:  What is the fruttiest subject in school?  History.  Because it's full of dates.  (Heh).

Heather: What sound or noise do you love? 

Delilah: Silence.  Weird, isn't it?  There just really isn't too much real silence in this world anymore.  There's always something in the world interrupting it.

Heather: What was the first story you remember writing? 

Delilah: I was 9 when I rewrote the story of Peter Pan.  The whole premise of the movie Hook is basically stolen from my brilliant 9 year old mind.  Seriously, though, I wanted to know what would happen to Peter Pan if he decided to go back home with Wendy and the boys.  I wrote that story.  

Heather: What would you say is your most interesting quirk? 

Delilah: My writing process is freaky.  I become a different person and my poor family has to live with it.  The truth is, I can’t  have anyone in the house when I write.  Even if someone were to lock themselves in the closet and hold their breath, I still wouldn't be able to write.  It’s hard to explain but I feel like their energy is leaking into my ability to think.  I have a hard time transporting myself into a different era when the modern world is breathing on my neck.  Once I’m able to get everyone out of the house,  I sit at my desk surrounded by piles and piles of research books and write.  As I write, I verbalize my words aloud in a British accent.  It’s the actress in me.  It makes the characters and the setting feel real when I read it aloud as I’m writing.

Heather: Do you write while listening to music? If so what kind? 

Delilah: I never write to music.  It distracts me too much and prevents me from escaping the real world.  But I do listen to music before I sit down to write in order to put me in a certain mood.  What kind of music do I listen to?  It depends on what I'm writing.  It can be everything from Mozart to Nine Inch Nails.  I pick the music that defines the characters I'm working on to put me in their heads better.

Heather: Is writing or story-telling easier for you? 

Delilah: Story telling is easier.  I can see everything in my head being told but putting it down on paper and writing it?  Omgosh, torture sometimes

Heather: What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book? 

Delilah: Sleep.  When I am in full writing mode, I get very little sleep.  I become obsessed with my world and just write and write until it's done and sleep gets tossed to the wayside a lot.

Heather: What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing? 

Delilah: Being published was my biggest dream.  My writing allowed me to not only realize that dream but also better explore who I am as a person considering all the years of struggling it takes to achieve that dream.  Took me 11 years and over 200 rejections to get to where I'm at.

Heather: If you couldn’t be a writer anymore, what profession would you take up? 

Delilah: My second love, which is cooking.  I went to culinary school to become a personal chef and miss the hustle and bustle sometimes.  Fortunately, I still get to play chef at home.

Heather: Which of your characters would you most/least to invite to dinner, and why? 

Delilah: Oh, I'd have them all over for dinner.  Villians, heros, heroines and all the side characters.  I'd love to see chaos unfold at the dinner table and plates being thrown and fists being launched in the name of conversation.  I'm all about entertainment.

Heather: What is your favorite tradition from your childhood that you would love to pass on or did pass on to your children? 

Delilah: I would say reading to my children every night.  My dad read to me almost every night and it's what I remember and cherish most growing up.

Heather: What does it mean to love someone?  

Delilah: To uphold them emotionally and physically, come what may.

Heather: What color would you make the sky if it wasn’t going to be blue anymore and why?  

Delilah: I would make the sky be a soft pink.  I love it when pink hues appear in the sky as the sun is going down and would totally kill to see the entire sky  lit up.  Though I'd probably get bored of it and then want to see it green just for the hell of it.  I'd love to be able to change the sky like the background screensaver on my computer!! 

Heather: If you were given a chance to travel to the past where would you go and specifically why? 

Delilah: Being a history freak, this is probably the hardest questions to answer because I could never settle for just ONE place and just ONE time.  But if I had to???  I'd say take me to London in 1820 for a week so I can just study the hell out of everything and everyone.  A week in London in 1820 would give me a lifetime of stories, no doubt...

Heather: Which era would you least like to have lived in, fashion-wise and why? Most?

Delilah: Least favorite?  Stone age.  Exposed hairy legs topped off with dead, mangled fur that probably still had blood on it?  Ewww....I don't think so.  Any era had far more fashion sense than cave men did, lol.  What era would I have looooved to have lived in?  The Regency era without any doubt.  The hair and the gowns were more natural in appearance.

Heather: What question are you never asked in interviews, but wish you were?  

Delilah: The only question I wish people would ask, “Why do you write sex?”  Most people think the industry has created what I write.  Not true.  I don’t write racy scenes to scandalize people or because I have an orgasm quota my editor and readers expect from me.  I write it because it fascinates me to explore the nuances of grittier, more intimate moments between a man and a woman.  People take on a different persona once the clothes come off and THAT is what intrigues me.  It allows me to dig a little deeper into my own understanding of my characters and in turn allow my readers to have a deeper understanding of them, as well.  It’s not about the sex.  It’s about what happens to them emotionally during those moments and how it carries itself through the rest of the story.

Heather: What soundtrack or playlist do you recommend for your current release? 

Delilah: CLOSER by Nine Inch Nails.  Listen to it, be scandalized, and then read my book and take it to the next level realizing the hero is a sex addict.  That song created my hero.  Edgy, earthy, yet real and awesomely smooth.

Heather: What’s something you’d like to tell your fans? 

Delilah: Thank you for your incredible support through my transition between publishers.  One day, I hope to finish the School of Gallantry series.

Heather’s GOTTA  ASK – Delilah’s GOTTA  ANSWER  J.

Heather:  So, you’re on the cover of RT Book reviews this month, and looking pretty good, too, I might say!  I read on your website that your husband is a model.  So, here’s my question…have the two of you thought of being the cover models for your next books?

Delilah:  I would *love* to have a clinch with my own husband!!!  Omgosh, I'm just giggling excitedly at the thought.  I'd buy up the original artwork and hang it on the wall, too.  My kids would probably stop inviting their friends over after that, no doubt, lol.  Hey...now there's an idea...

Now, Delilah asks YOU:

What do you want to see from me next?  I'm all ears.

One random commenter will receive a SIGNED copy of Prelude to a Scandal…We’ll draw and post the winner here and on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Get-Lost-In-A-Story/

Thanks for joining us today, Delilah!

If you’d like to find out more about Delilah on the web, visit her at:

www.DelilahMarvelle.com 

Blog: A Bit O'Muslin which explores the history of sex www.DelilahMarvelle.blogspot.com