blinddatebrides.com

2009-02-27T08:43:00.000-08:00

www.blinddatebrides.com

Introducing a brand-new exciting trilogy from Harlequin Romance

From first date to wedding date!

Meet three very different women from around the world and follow their stories as they find friendship, love and their happily-ever-afters with a little help from the world of online dating!

April 09 - Nine-to-Five Bride by Jennie Adams
May 09 - Blind-Date Baby by Fiona Harper
June 09 - Dream Date with the Millionaire by Melissa McClone

To find out more about each book, read the heroine's dating profiles and read excerpts and story background, click on the links on the sidebar!

~Three women, three countries, three exciting love stories!~

Nine-To-Five Bride by Jennie Adams

2009-02-26T13:32:00.000-08:00

Book 1 in the blinddatebrides.com trilogy

WLTM: would like to meet Mr Nice and Ordinary!

Marissa Warren was not at all concerned about turning thirty – joining that online dating website was just a bit of fun!

So what if she hadn’t found her Mr Right yet? She was in love with her fabulous job. That was the reason she was happy to be single – it had nothing to do with how her sexy new boss made her go wobbly at the knees…

Plus, Rick Morgan was so not Mr Right! He was more Mr Tall Dark and Dangerous…and if he asked her out on a date Marissa would definitely say no…wouldn’t she?

Check out Marissa's online dating profile for Blinddatebrides.com

Read an excerpt from Nine-to-Five Bride.

Find out more about Sydney, the setting for Nine-to-Five Bride.

Out April 09 in North America and the United Kingdom!
Click here to buy in North America and here to buy in the UK

Out June 09 in Australia & New Zealand
Click here to buy in Aus/NZ

Marissa's profile

2009-02-24T12:41:00.000-08:00

Online Profile name: Kangagirl

My Ideal Partner....
I’m a very ordinary girl looking for Mr Nice and Ordinary to date, with the possibility of forever and a family one day if it’s both what we want. You should be willing to respect my rights in a partnership of honesty, openness, affection and friendship that will create the strong foundation we need to be together and stay together. You should be gainfully employed in a job that puts food on the table and pays the bills, rather than being the core of your existence. Therefore Mr Tall, Dark and Driven need not apply!

My Details....
Age: 29 years young
You’ll match if you... are between 29 and 35 years

I live: In Sydney
You’ll match if you... you either live in Sydney or want to live here

Marital status: Single
You’ll match if you... are also single, but with a child would be okay.

Occupation: Secretary
You’ll match if you....No corporate high-flyers!

Kangagirl to Sanfrandani and Englishcrumpet:

Kangagirl: I had six unread messages in my Blinddatebrides.com Inbox this morning.
hopefulguy84 blew me a flirtatious kiss: "Hi. Let's start with coffee and end with dessert. Your place or mine?" Don't you think that's kind of forward of him? And looneybarker007 sent an email asking how I'd feel about his six children. I'm more concerned about the moniker he chose for his profile.
What should that tell me about a man I've never met?

Englishcrumpet:That he's mad about dogs?

Sanfrandani: You don't need to date every man who makes contact. You'd be awfully busy if you did.

Kangagirl: There were three more asking if I'd like to meet them for coffee or dinner, and one who blew me a kiss because I clicked on his profile when I was scrolling through recommended matches the site put together for me.

Englishcrumpet: Did any of them sound like they might be your Mr. Nice and Ordinary?

Sanfrandani: Yes, Marissa. Did you reply to any of them?

Kangagirl: ...sort of got busy. I've had work on my mind. You know how it is. But I'll go back and read the messages again soon, I promise, and decide whether any of them seem like a good match.

Englishcrumpet: And actually respond?

Kangagirl: Um...of course. Yes, of course I will. I'll get my toe dipped into this dating pond very soon. Oops. Gotta go. Duty calls again!

Kangagirl has signed out....

Sanfrandani: Do you think Marissa will get over her dating nerves and actually go out with a man from the site soon?

Englishcrumpet: Let's hope so. If she wants Mr. Nice and Ordinary, surely she can find him among so many men!

Bryce's Profile

2009-02-24T09:22:00.000-08:00

Online profile name: Bigbrother

Real name: Bryce Delaney

My Ideal Partner....
Not sure there is one. I work hard, seven days a week. There isn't a lot of down time to simply hang out so you must be independent and not have to be attached at my hip 24/7. My priorities are work and my younger sister. I don't see that changing anytime soon.

My Details....
Age: 31
You'll match if you... are between 24 and 35 years

Location: San Francisco
You'll match if you... want to live here forever!

Marital status: Single
You'll match if you... are single and not looking for a serious relationship and/or commitment

Hobbies: Work
You'll match if you... have hobbies of your own you like to pursue

Occupation: Web developer
You'll match if you... don't ask too many questions about what I do for a living

Likes: baseball, family, French fries, predictability, blue eyes

Dislikes: trophy-wife-wannabes, dirt bag competitors, spammers, scammers, hackers and liars

Dream Date with the Millionaire: Settings

2009-02-24T09:07:00.000-08:00

I was thrilled to set Dream Date with the Millionaire in San Francisco. I'll be honest, it's my favorite city in the world. I set my very first romance, Fiance for the Night, there as well as opened Win, Lose or...Wed! there, too. The city seemed the perfect place to set Dani and Bryce's story!

Why do I love San Francisco so much?

Well, it's where I fell in love with my husband. We were both living in the Marina District at the time. Pretty much all our dating happened in and around San Francisco. From walking through Crissy Field across the Golden Gate to hike in the Marin Headlands to catching the bus to North Beach for Italian food and coffee to sailing on the bay, our dating centered around "The City" When it came time for my then boyfriend to propose, he knelt on the beach at Crissy Field with the lights of the Golden Gate Bridge as the backdrop. At our west coast wedding reception (we were married in New York), we even had food stations themed to match the various neighborhoods of San Francisco.

I was fortunate enough to pay a visit to San Francisco in the summer of 2008 to attend the Romance Writers of America conference. It was fun to see all the places I'd mentioned in Dream Date with the Millionaire. Here are a few of them:

Chapter 5 and Chapter 8 - The Palace of Fine Arts

Two scenes in the book are set here. One during the afternoon/twilight and another at night. No matter what time of day, The Palace of Fine Arts is a great place to visit with its lovely landscaping and Roman-Greco inspired architecture.

When I lived in the Marina District, this Palace of Fine Arts was walking distance from my apartment on Beach Street. It was one of my favorite places to take a stroll both alone and with my then boyfriend-now husband. More than once, I saw film crews taping shows or commercials. For one ad, a car commercial, they added a backdrop that enclosed the circular area. I bet now they'd just use CGI to obtain the same effect!

Chapter 9 - Lovejoy's Tea House on Church Street

Summer of 2008, I attended the Romance Writers of America's conference in San Francisco. Imagine my surprise when I received an invitation to a tea hosted by the Harlequin Mills & Boon editors to a tea house called Lovejoy's, the same tea house I used in Dream Date with the Millionaire. I'd found the place via a google search, but it was so fun to actually go there for afternoon tea!

The interior was as cozy and eclectic as the website claimed it would be. Lots of chintz and lace, mismashed tea cups and teapots, old pictures and other knick knacks. I could easily see Dani preferring to have tea here rather than one of the fancier hotels. And I know she would have loved the scones!

Chapter 9 - Union Square

Dani takes Bryce on a tour of San Francisco. Even though Bryce was born in San Francisco and had lived there his entire life, he still hadn't seen a bunch of the touristy spots the city had to offer so Dani takes him on a tour. Fisherman's Wharf for a shrimp cocktail. Ghirardelli Square for hot fudge sundaes. And of course, a ride on a cable car.

When the pair reaches Union Square, Bryce takes over the roll of tour guide so he can show Dani his part of town. This includes Union Square and Maiden Lane. Maiden Lane used to be the red light district during the Barbary Coast area. Now it's a small pedestrian street with expensive boutiques and cafes. I took this picture when I visited in July. Unfortunately none of the umbrella covered tables are out yet, but you can see the iron gate the characters walk through as well as Union Square in the background.

Dream Date with the Millionaire: Inspiration

2009-02-24T09:06:00.000-08:00

This page is under construction!

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Nine-to-five Bride: Settings

2009-02-24T05:03:00.000-08:00

For Marissa and Rick, it could only be Sydney. I needed to start their story high on a bridge and end it.... somewhere even higher. What else could have worked for a Corporate Highflier and a woman determined to keep her feet very firmly on the ground?
Of all the cities of Australia, Sydney is the one that speaks loudest to me of strength and pulsing life, of corporate highfliers and big, multi-national businesses.

I love riding the ferry across Sydney Harbour, taking in the Harbour Bridge and Opera House from the open deck while the sea breeze blows the cobwebs away. Sydney is a city that makes anything feel possible.

My favourite moments are of the small things. Hearing the didgeridoo being played on Manly Wharf. Mimers on the city streets. Shops! Getting ridiculously lost with one of my buddies dragging a suitcase between us, map in hand trying to read it under a street light because we were talking too much and came out a different exit at Westfields shopping centre. Oh, wait. I probably shouldn't admit that, should I?

Beautiful ethnic foods in out of the way cafes and restaurants. Mixed languages on the streets. Kids in school uniforms and graffiti on trains and being ejected from an apartment complex at half past midnight because someone burned the toast (waves to Jan who got ejected with me).

Come see my Sydney. I hope you enjoy a taste of it....

Melissa McClone

2009-02-24T04:18:00.000-08:00

Melissa left her mechanical engineering job to write romances. A move that did not make her father happy since she had yet to sell a book! Fortunately, her husband gave his blessing. She sold to Silhouette and now writes for Harlequin Romance.

Melissa lives in Washington State with her hero-worthy husband, three adorable children, three oh-so-spoiled cats and an addicted-to-rubs Norwegian Elkhound named Chaos. Things are often chaotic in the McClone household, but Melissa still manages to sneak in some reading time, snow skiing and rock climbing. She considers chocolate a necessary food group when she's on deadline. And even when she isn't!

Dream Date with the Millionaire: Excerpt

2009-02-24T04:17:00.000-08:00

At three o'clock, Dani sat at the rectangular table that functioned as the "conference room" as well as the "break room" with her five coworkers at the fledgling Internet dating site www.hookamate.com. Pacing back and forth across the floor of the converted warehouse was their boss, James Richardson.

James wore ripped at the knee jeans and a black T-shirt. He had long, scraggly blond hair. He spoke fast and loud, as if fueled by caffeine and junk food. He reminded her of a stereotypical computer science graduate student in desperate need of a balanced meal, sunshine and a girlfriend, but his first two Internet ventures had made him tons of money. He'd sold them, and now wanted to replicate that success with a new on-line dating site.

Succeed at any cost, Dani had finally figured out.

During her interview, James had seemed more captivated with her double D bra cup sized breasts than the qualifications on her resume. Yet he'd surprised her by asking detailed questions about her schooling and work experience. He'd known exactly what he wanted for a marketing person.

She had the skills so she'd made the most of what nature had given her, just as her mother had taught her to do, and secured the job. Which meant she only had herself to blame for where she found herself today. She wanted to bang her head against the table for her stupidity.

"The good news is we had an increase in traffic thanks to Danica's marketing efforts." James winked at her. No one at the company except him knew she was undercover, so to speak, spying on the local competition, blinddatebrides.com. "Unfortunately the traffic exceeded our capacity so we've been having to add machines. But that's not a bad problem. Traffic will drive our advertising revenue. That means more money for us. Anyone have other ideas to generate more users?"

No one said anything.

"Rethinking our branding might help," she suggested. "Taglines, image, ads, name."

James clenched his jaw. "Our website name rocks."

"Totally."

"Yeah."

Dani listened to the men in the room support their boss who they held with almost cult leader esteem. The only other woman at the table, Shelley, the office manager, shook her head and mouthed the word sorry to Dani.

The responses didn't deter her. She had to do something. Say something.

"Look at blinddatebrides.com." The name of the fastest growing competitor brought groans from the three engineers at the table, but Dani kept going. "When people hear blinddatebrides.com, they can't help but think about brides. That word connotes weddings which makes people think relationships, marriage, permanence. That's appealing to users."

"Only if you want to end up with a ball and chain," a Ruby on Rails developer named Andrew murmured.

Dani ignored him. "Granted, your, I mean, our site's name does have 'mate', but 'hook' makes people think of..."

"What?" James asked.

"One night stands," a PHP programmer, who probably hadn't showered let alone had a date in a month, said.

People--okay, guys--laughed.

"Yeah, sex," the interface hacker offered. "Sex appeals to a lot of people, too."

The two men gave each other high fives.

Dani sighed. "I worry the name brings about images of hook-ups, not serious relationships."

No one spoke.

"There's such thing as a niche market," Andrew said. "Hook ups can be our niche."

She stared at all the nodding heads. Male heads. No wonder women had a hard time finding good men to date these days. Not that she was interested in anything having to do with dating.

"I appreciate you bringing this up, Danica," James said finally. "I'll have to think about what you said."

Which meant he would never mention it again. That was how things worked around here. James' way or the highway. He'd given her a choice, join blinddatebrides.com or quit. She needed the paycheck so did as he'd requested. Up until that point, she'd really liked the challenges of being in on the ground floor of a start-up again. Now she hated getting up in the morning.

"Anything else?" he asked.

No one said a word. No one ever did. Except her. She didn't know why she bothered.

"Get to work, people." James clapped his hands together. "We don't want anyone to be lonely tonight. They need to hook a mate!"

Dani trudged back to her cubicle, frustrated and tired. She'd stayed up late last night sending out another batch of resumes. Speaking of which, she'd better check her email in case someone replied. She clicked on her inbox. There, at the top, was a new message, but not from a potential employer. This was one was from bigbrother@blinddatebrides.com with the subject header "I read your profile."

Oh, no. She squeezed her eyes shut. Another guy who wanted to get to know her.

Her stomach churned. She hated this. Sure, she could just hit delete-that was par for the course on many dating sites-but blinddatebrides.com was different. The site touted itself as a community where politeness and manners mattered. Users were requested to reply even if the intent was to give someone a brush-off. Still the thought of telling another guy she wasn't interested in getting to know him better made her feel physically ill.

But what else could she do?

Leading a guy on when she was on the site under false pretenses ranked right up there with corporate spying in her book. She massaged her forehead to stop a full-on headache from erupting. Okay, one rejection wasn't going to send some guy scampering back to his mommy in tears, but...

Why did this keep happening?

Dani had taken steps to ensure it wouldn't. What sense of honor she had left made her fill out the profile questionnaire truthfully so she understood when the compatibility programmed deemed her a match with someone. But Dani had hedged against the computer algorithms by uploading the most unattractive photo of herself she could find. She looked downright ugly. While other women uploaded more than one picture to their profile page, she hadn't.

She also downplayed her interests to make herself sound, well, about as exciting as a slug inching across a driveway at dawn. She'd listed the library as her favorite place to spend a Saturday night and a collection of Jane Austen novels as her must have item if stranded on a deserted island.

No man should want to date her.

Maybe this one didn't. Maybe he was one of those guys, the players, who only wanted to have sex. If that were the case, she wouldn't mind telling him to get lost.

Dani opened her eyes and read the entire email.

From: "bigbrother", bigbrother@blinddatebrides.com
To: "sanfrandani", sanfrandani@blinddatebrides.com
Subject: I read your profile

Who are you searching for? Mr. Darcy? Or Mr. Knightley?

-bb

Dani reread the message. Twice.

Okay, she was impressed some guy knew the names of two Jane Austen heroes, but who did he take her for? Intelligent, impulsive Lizzy or smug, interfering Emma?

Still his message intrigued Dani. She typed a reply and hit send. With a satisfied smile on her face, she leaned back in her chair. And almost fell over backwards.

Uh-oh. What had she done?

She shouldn't have replied. Dani grimaced. She wasn't supposed to engage bigbrother in more emails. She was supposed to tell him she wasn't interested. To. Go. Away. Politely, of course.

Only she hadn't wanted to do that.

Not when his email had been unlike any of the others she'd received. He'd obviously read her profile and asked his question based on what she'd written. Not on her photo or bra size. Maybe he was genuinely interested.

Or maybe he was ugly.

Her eyes locked on the link to his profile that would transport her to a page all about him, a page with his picture.

Curiosity trickled down the length of her arm to her fingertip hovering above the laptop's trackpad. She wanted to know more about bigbrother. Read what he'd written about himself. See what he looked like.

Temptation flared. She moved the cursor to the link. All she had to do was click, but she couldn't.

The less Dani knew about bigbrother, the better.

She wasn't looking to meet a guy. She didn't want to meet a guy. Especially one from blinddatebrides.com.

Not under these circumstances.

Ignoring the twinge of regret, she closed his email.

Goodbye bigbrother.

Dani's Profile

2009-02-24T04:12:00.000-08:00

Online profile name: Sanfrandani

Real name: Dani Bennett

My Ideal Partner....
Probably doesn't exist outside the covers of my Jane Austen collection. I'm independent. I don't want a guy to be the center of my world, and I'm not sure I want to be any part of his. Getting my career back-on-track is my number one priority.

My Details....
Age: 26
You'll match if you... are between 24 and 35 years

Location: San Francisco
You'll match if you... don't leave your heart here

Marital status: Single
You'll match if you... are single and want to stay that way

Hobbies: Trying not to get caught doing what I shouldn't be doing
You'll match if you... can look the other way

Occupation: Sales (don't ask)
You'll match if you... are employed

Likes: cooking, chocolate, Colonel Brandon

Dislikes: mimes, players, flirts, being patronized, dishonesty

Private chat between Sanfrandani, Kangagirl and Englishcrumpet:

Kangagirl: What were you thinking? This profile doesn't sound anything like the Dani we know and love.

Sanfrandani: That's okay. I'm not exactly surfing for dates.

Englishcrupmpet: But we found our Mr. Rights, it's your turn now.

Sanfrandani: I'm not really sure Mr. Right exists.

Kangagirl: But you'll never know unless you try.

Englishcrumpet: We can help you modify your profile!

Kangagirl: Yes! A few changes and you'll have more dates than you know what to do with.

Sanfrandani: Thanks so much, but there isn't a lot of room in my life for dating. My new job isn't exactly what I thought it would be and that's...complicating things. But I found you two here, so joining blinddatebrides.com has been worth every penny!

Dream Date with the Millionaire by Melissa McClone

2009-02-24T04:10:00.000-08:00

Book 3 in the Blinddatebrides.com trilogy

I'll go on this one date, and if nothing comes of it that's good, isn't it? I've never met a man who can see past my chest - why would this guy be any different?

Dani Bennett is not looking for a man, but her new job requires her to sign up for blinddatebrides.com. The last thing Dani expects is to be paired with a devastatingly attractive millionaire! Her poor background and blonde bombshell looks mean she expects Bryce Delaney to take one look and judge her - like all other men.

But Bryce isn't just any man...!

Check out Dani's online dating profile for Blinddatebrides.com
Read an excerpt from Dream Date with the Millionaire.
Find out more about the inspiration behind the story.
Take a look at the settings of Dream Date with the Millionaire.

Out June 09 in North America and the United Kingdom!
Click here to buy in North America
Click here to buy in the UK

Out July 09 in Australia & New Zealand
Click here to buy in Aus/NZ

Jennie Adams

2009-02-24T04:04:00.000-08:00

Australian author Jennie Adams began her Harlequin career with the publication of her first two Harlequin romance stories in 2005. Jennie’s first release ‘The Boss’s Convenient Bride’ hit the Waldenbooks Bestseller list in its first week of release. Hundreds of thousands of copies of Jennie’s books are in print around the world in English, hardback, paperback and eBook formats and in over a dozen foreign language editions marketed in countries as diverse as Russia, Japan, Spain, Poland and South Africa.

Jennie is a long time member of Romance Writers of Australia, and credits her membership of its Isolated Writers Scheme, online email group and attendance of its annual conferences as a major impacting factor in her rise to success as one of Australia’s popular Harlequin Romance authors.

An avid romance reader, particularly in the historical, paranormal and suspense romance sub-genres, Jennie is the self-confessed owner of an over-active imagination. When she isn’t writing her own romance stories, or reading, Jennie keeps her imagination busy writing articles and short stories on anything from alpacas to gardening to visiting the zoo. Jennie’s articles and short stories have been published under various pseudonyms and versions of her name in magazines and periodicals in Australia and overseas.

Jennie has travelled in America, trekked Australia’s Kosciusko National Park, lived and worked on a wheat/sheep farm, played piano at marriage ceremonies, sung in a choral production, and worked in jobs ranging from Legal transcription typist, to motor mechanic’s office assistant. Jennie makes her home in a small inland city in New South Wales.

Noah's Profile

2009-02-24T03:25:00.000-08:00

Online profile name: Snowman41

Real Name: Noah Frost

My Ideal Partner....

I’m old enough not to fall for all that love-at-first-sight, finding-your-soulmate nonsense. What I’m looking for is a partner in life. My job can be a lonely business and it would be nice to have someone to come home to, someone to share a meal and glass of wine with at the end of the day. And, if there is a little chemistry there, so much the better…

My Details....

Age: 41

You'll match if you... are looking for a mature relationship

I live: London

You'll match if you... love the city as much as I do

Marital status: Single

You'll match if you... would like to help me with that!

Hobbies: Creative writing, military history

You'll match if you... like to discuss art, music and literature

Occupation: Writer (but I’m not saying what I write – that’s a face-to-face, need-to-know bit of information)

You'll match if you... can be flexible with your work and like to travel

Likes: Good music, fine wine, great food.

Dislikes: Cocktail parties and gold-diggers

Nine-to-Five Bride: Excerpt

2009-02-24T02:56:00.000-08:00

Click on the 'browse this book' link below to read Chapter One of Nine-to-Five Bride!

Fiona Harper

2009-02-24T02:20:00.000-08:00

Coming from two generations of journalists, writing was in Fiona’s genes, she just didn’t unscramble the code in her DNA until after she’d tried out a few other creative professions first. Little did she know that all she needed to do was combine her lifelong love of words and reading with her runaway imagination, and she would have a new career. Instead of reporting stories, as her father and grandfather had done, she decided to make them up!

Fiona lives in London with her husband and two young daughters, who have inherited her habit of staring off into space, lost in thought. She loves good books, good films and good food, and can always find some room in her diet for chocolate.

Blind-Date Baby: Excerpt

2009-02-24T01:55:00.000-08:00

The girl standing behind the reservations desk glanced up at him. It was the same girl as last week. He remembered the neat little bun she wore at the nape of her neck and how he’d wondered if it hurt to scrape one’s hair into something that tight. Just like last week, she didn’t seem to be in a particularly good mood. A raised eyebrow was all the welcome he got. Good. His attempt at going incognito was working.

‘Smith,’ he said, returning her look. ‘Table for two. Eight o’clock.’

She blinked, then deigned to check the reservations book. ‘This way, sir.’

She took off at a brisk pace.

‘Has my…dinner companion…arrived yet?’

The girl didn’t even turn to answer. The little bun wobbled back and forth as she shook her head. If Barucci’s didn’t have the finest wine list in this corner of London, he’d have boycotted the place weeks ago. But it was the best little restaurant in the suburb of Vinehurst, right on the fringes of London’s urban sprawl. A few minutes’ drive to the south and it was all countryside. Vinehurst had probably once been an idyllic little village, with its narrow cobbled high street, a Norman church and an old-fashioned cricket pitch that was still used every Sunday. Somehow, during the last century, as London had spread, it hadn’t swallowed up Vinehurst, as it had similar hamlets and towns. There was a distinct absence of grey concrete and high-rise buildings, as if the city had just flowed round the village, leaving a little bubble of rural charm behind. It was a great place for a first date.

At eight o’clock on the dot, a woman walked into the restaurant.

It was her.

The dark, wavy hair was coiled behind her head somehow and she wore a neat black coat, fitted at the waist. Even though he was too far away to tell if her eyes were really the same colour as her profile photograph, they drew his attention—bright and alert, scanning the room beneath quirkily arched brows. He watched as her gaze flitted from one table to the next, pausing for a split-second on the men, then moving on when she saw they weren't alone.

Noah put down the menu he’d been perusing and sat up straighter, giving no indication that his was hearting beat just a little bit faster. Could the hamsters at Blinddatebrides.com finally have got it right?

Finally, the woman leaned over and whispered something to a waitress . The girl nodded and waited as the woman stopped to remove her coat. There was a collective pause as every man in the place held his breath for a heartbeat, then pretended to resume conversation with their friends, wives or girlfriends. In reality, they were tracking the woman’s progress across the room. Even the ones that were far too young for her.

Under the respectable coat was a stunning dress. The same shade and sheen as a peacock’s body. The scoop neck wasn’t even close to being indecent, but somehow it didn’t need to be. It teased very nicely while it sat there, revealing not even a hint of cleavage. The hem was short and the legs, the legs…

Well, the legs hadn’t been visible in the Blinddatebrides.com photo, but they were very nice indeed. Too nice, maybe. Maybe she was a vixen incognito. He loosened his tie slightly and tried to smile as she followed the waitress through the maze of tables, leaving a trail of wistful male eyes in her wake. The smile felt forced and he abandoned it. He didn’t do small talk; he did conversation. And he didn’t do overly-effusive greetings these days, even in the presence of such fine legs.

When the waitress pulled out the chair opposite him for her, he stood and offered his hand. ‘Noah…Smith.’ A necessary diversion from the truth if he was to gauge if his dates really liked him for his personality rather than his bank balance. Sometimes he wished he’d had enough sense to use a pen name, but the lure of seeing ‘Noah Frost’ stamped in square letters across the front of a book jacket had been too great after all the years of rejections.

‘Hello,’ she said, shaking his hand then quickly pulling hers away again. ‘You’ve got really nice teeth.’

He opened his mouth to say, All the better to eat you with, but managed to stop himself. Instead he just kept quiet and motioned for her to sit down. He did the same.

‘Nice teeth?’ he said, smiling again. ‘Do you want to check my hooves to see if I’m good stock too?’

She blushed ever so slightly and the mischievous little smile from the profile photograph made an appearance.

‘Grace Marlowe—blind-date virgin…’ She clapped a hand over her mouth. It looked as if she was trying to wipe a cheeky smile away as she dragged her hand over her lips and let it fall. It didn’t work. The grin popped back into place as if nothing had happened.

‘That came out all wrong. What I meant was…this will be my first time.’

She closed her eyes and bit her lip. Without opening her lids, she kept speaking. ‘I’m making it worse, aren’t I—digging myself an even deeper hole?’

Noah stared at her. This wasn’t how the other dates had started. Where was the murmured conversation, the polite questioning as to jobs and musical tastes?

‘It’s only because I’m more of a blind-date veteran that I’m not in there with a matching shovel.’

She opened one eye. ‘You’re nice, Mr Smith. And chivalrous to a lady in distress.’ The other eye popped open and she tipped her head to one side. ‘How come you’ve had so many first dates if you’re such a nice guy? What’s wrong with you?’

Now it was his turn to laugh. His male pride really ought to be dented. None of his other dates had been so blunt. But none of his other dates had been quite so interesting.

‘This is only the fourth date I’ve been on.’

‘In how long?’

He shrugged. ‘A month?’

‘That’s a lot of ladies who passed you by, Noah. Tell me why I shouldn’t follow the crowd.’

Despite the fact he was known for his cool, unruffable demeanour, he found himself laughing again.

‘I’ve got nice teeth?’

‘There is that,’ she said, her eyes twinkling. And they really were that blue. She looked at the table cloth and scratched at a catch in the linen. ‘Sorry about the teeth thing. I was a little nervous, and when I’m nervous, I tend to say the first thing that pops into my head.’
Although it seemed to get her into trouble, he found it quite endearing. And refreshing. The more successful he’d become, the more people second-guessed their every word around him. Getting an honest reaction—rather than one that had been carefully edited before it left a person’s mouth—was a wonderful novelty.

‘Shall we order?’

She breathed out a sigh, making a little round shape with her mouth. ‘That would be lovely.’

He opened the large, unwieldy menu and scanned it, even though he was pretty sure he was going to start with the carpaccio of beef and follow it with the scallops.

‘We can discuss my many faults over the appetisers,’ he said, completely deadpan.

The bright eyes appeared above the menu, laughing at him. Noah smiled to himself and paid careful attention. You could tell a lot about a person from what food they ordered. She chose the beef too. Another good sign.

No. Not a sign—he didn’t believe in signs. Just an indicator of compatibility.

She let him choose the wine and, by the time he’d narrowed the choices down to match their courses, their appetizers had arrived.

‘So, what do you do, Grace?’

She looked up from her salad—not by raising her head, but by looking at him through her lashes. A flicker of emotion passed across her face and she popped a piece of avocado in her mouth. Didn’t she want to tell him what she did for a living? It couldn’t be as bad as last Saturday’s date. A pet psychologist, for goodness’ sake!

When Grace finished chewing, she mumbled, ‘I’m a barrister.’

Not quite what he expected. He wondered if she’d be too tied down to her job to think about travelling with him. That might be a deal-breaker.

‘How about you? What do you do for a living?’

He opened his mouth and closed it again. Time to learn from past mistakes. The moment he mentioned thrillers and novel-writing the game was normally up. Noah wasn’t a particularly common name and people tended to guess the connection, even if he used his totally imaginative Noah Smith alias. And he didn’t want Grace to go all giggly and stupid like some women did.
‘You do have a job at the moment, don't you?’ Grace said.

‘Of course I do. I'm a writer.’

To his relief, Grace looked pleasantly unimpressed. ‘What kind of writer?

He shrugged. ‘I write about military stuff. Quite boring, actually.’ Another little detour.

Grace dabbed her mouth with her napkin. ‘Are you pulling my leg?’

Rats. She could tell he was fudging the issue. Just as well he hadn’t decided to be an actor instead of a novelist. At least his characters were convincing, even if he wasn’t.

‘No,’ he said with his best poker face.

Grace looked at him long and hard. Had she guessed his secret? If she had, she wasn’t smiling and going all gooey, which was unusual.

‘So, tell me about your other dates,’ she said, her eyes never leaving his face. ‘What went wrong?’

‘Nothing.’ He took a deep breath and let his face relax out of his smile. ‘But it’s a serious business, finding a wife. I’m not just going to trot off down the aisle with just anyone.’

She put her knife and fork down and stared at her salad for a few seconds. ‘You’re really looking for a wife on an Internet dating site?’

Why did his dates seem to find that so hard to believe? After all, the site in question was Blinddatebrides.com. It kind of gave the game away.

‘Aren’t you looking for a husband?’

Grace shook her head hard to loosen her hairdo a little.

‘What are you looking for then? Love? A soulmate?’

She dropped her chin and gave him an Are you serious? look from under her lashes.

Good. She didn’t believe in those things either.

‘I’m glad we’re on the same wavelength,’ he said before taking a sip of wine.

Grace pursed her lips. ‘It’s not that I don’t believe in those things. Just that I’m not expecting to find them at Blinddatebrides.com. Nor do I want to. I mean, the whole Romeo-and-Juliet, all-consuming passion thing really only works for teenagers, don’t you think?’

He raised his eyebrows in what he hoped was a non-committal way. He wasn’t sure what this ‘in love’ thing was. Oh, he thought he’d found it once, but it had turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. What people sang about in love songs or wept over at the cinema wasn’t real. It was all an illusion.

His parents didn’t do all that hearts and flowers nonsense and they had been perfectly happy for almost fifty years. If it could work for them, it could work for him too.

® and TM are trademarks of Harlequin Enterprises Ltd and/or its affiliate companies, used under license.

Blind-Date Baby: The Settings

2009-02-24T01:53:00.000-08:00

There are two main settings in Blind-Date Baby: the London suburb of Vinehurst and the city of Paris.

Vinehurst

Vinehurst is based vary loosely on the south London suburb of Chislehurst. Although it’s part of Greater London, driving through parts of Chislehurst, you be mistaken for thinking that you were passing through a quaint English village. There’s a cricket pitch with a pavilion where men in whites play most Sundays in the summer, some wonderful Victorian architecture, a parish church with a lych gate and a common. Further afield is a high street with pubs and a pond.

Chislehurst covers a much larger area that my fictional location of Vinehurst. It’s spread out over a few miles, but I wanted to create an even more ‘villagey’ feel, so I took the best bits, pulled them all together in one location and added a few features of my own, like a cobbled main street, which was based on Chislehurst's Royal Parade - a single row of shops away from the main High Street that is full of stylish boutiques and restaurants. This is where I could picture the coffee shop that Grace worked in, The Coffee Bean, being situated, as well as the Italian restaurant where Grace and Noah have their blind date.

I have to add a disclaimer here! When I first write the book, this particular restaurant was in a totally different location in my mind - another part of London entirely - and was only as I was taking the pictures for this post that I remembered that there actually is an Italian restaurant on this stretch of shops. I just want to say that Barucci's was completely fictional and, having eaten at the restaurant on Royal Parade once, the staff are in no way snooty (as they were in my fictional establishment) and the food was delicious!

Here's the common where I envisaged Noah taking his morning runs - especially the morning he struggles with the idea of becoming a father - and the village church:

Paris

Well, Paris needs no introduction, does it? The city of lights, the most romantic city in the world. A fabulous place to have a honeymoon - even if Grace and Noah's marriage is not exactly a traditional one. But I liked the idea of using this very romantic destination to highlight both the cracks in Grace and Noah's developing relationship and the potential it had to be something wonderful.

Well, I could write all day about Paris, but I decided it might be better to restrain myself to a few of the locations that feature prominently in the story.

Angelina
First of all is Angelina, the patisserie that Noah takes Grace to after a full day of sightseeing. This wonderful place definitely didn't come out of my imagination; it's a real patisserie, just across the road from the Jardin Tuilleries. It's a popular tourist spot, but I decided I needed to go, just once, to savour their famous hot chocolate. And having done that, I may now how to visit next time I visit Paris...

I can't think of a better way to describe Angelina than how I did in the book:

It was all Noah could do to get [Grace] off the street and in through the door. But she found the inside was just as fabulous, with an ornate curved counter, filled with works of art. Pink macaroons, stuffed with raspberries and topped with delicate flecks of silver leaf, pistachio bombes the colour of fresh green shoots with contrasting pink icing, éclairs, mille feuille, tartes… It was almost criminal that anyone should think of eating them.

I queued for twenty minutes to get into Angelina, all the while salivating over the most amazing cakes and pastries I'd ever seen in a glass display case that was just inside the door. It was so hard to choose from all the delicious and colourful things on display. Mr Harper and I eventually made up our minds. I had a chocolate choux eclair and he had mille feuille. And we both had the wonderful bitter, thick, rich hot chocolate. I didn't understand why they served it with a glass of water until I'd had a few mouthfuls (the whipped cream, I got). But it was so rich, I needed to refresh my palate every now and then before I could go back for more.

The banks of the Seine
I can't talk about Paris here without mentioning the trees by the river, as they became such an integral part of the story. I visited Paris last March with my husband to celebrate my birthday and we took a walk along the wide grey stone quays line the river. We were just near the Louvre and along the quays were a line of silver birches. They looked kind of lonely in the cold March light, naked and shivering, and I’d bet they look spectacular in early summer, but without leaves to draw my attention, I noticed their trunks instead.

On every tree, on every available bit of bark there are carvings – the initials of lovers the world over who have come to Paris and sought a way to commemorate that moment forever. There were alphabets and characters in languages I couldn’t even recognise and I thought it was a wonderful little romantic detail. I took pictures of the trees, knowing that one day they would be perfect for a book. And when I decided to send the re-written, re-vamped Grace and Noah to Paris on their honeymoon, I knew I had to use them. I won't spoil the story for those that haven't read it, but I actually sobbed buckets writing the final scene with the trees. And I even made an editor cry, too - which is always a good sign!

And here are a few of my other favourite Paris sights:

Blind-Date Baby: Story Inspiration

2009-02-24T00:29:00.001-08:00

I was thrilled to be asked to work on a trilogy with Jennie Adams and Melissa McClone as I knew our writing styles would work well together and, having read their books, I thought we could come up with a really great idea!

Normally, I get an idea for a story and just set to work (after sending a synposis to my editor). Because this was a joint project, the process was a little different - and a lot more collaborative. Jennie, Melissa and I weren't given an idea to work from; we just knew we needed to come up with something fun, fresh and urban. A trilogy needs a strong theme to tie the books together and each individual story needs to work on its own too. The only thing we were sure on when we started thrashing out ideas was that our heroines would probably know each other through the internet, as it seemed to be the most obvious way to connect three women living on three different continents who weren't related to each other.

Working on the over-arching idea for the trilogy, we communicated just as our heroine’s did in the books – through Instant Messaging conferences. Since we live on three different time zones, it wasn’t easy finding times when we were all simultaneously near a computer and awake. Chat times were either 6am or midnight for me, so I was yawning while I typed whichever way we did it.

It took a few goes before we came up with something that worked for both us and the editors at Harlequin Mills & Boon, but in the end Blinddatebrides.com was born: three stories about three women reaching a milestone in their lives and finding friendship and support through an internet dating site. The three heroines become fast friends and cheer each other on to their very different happy-ever-afters.

My heroine, Grace, has not only just turned forty, but her teenage daughter has just flown the nest and she’s on her own again for the first time in eighteen years. My editor suggested a surprise pregnancy, and I loved the idea of having an empty-nester who finds herself back at square one.

Writing this book was not easy. My first version had Grace living in urban London and Noah was a philosophy professor. I handed it in and it didn’t thrill my editors (that’s me being British and understated, by the way). They didn’t like my hero, so he had to go. Unfortunately, with a character-driven plot, if you remove one of the main characters, you pretty much have to throw out the plot too.

I salvaged about a quarter of the book, but the rest had to be rewritten – in less than two weeks! I’m not quite sure how I did it now. I wrote 5000 words a day for 10 days and I wouldn’t be lying if I said I prayed during that time, so I can’t take all the credit for the end result.

However, I loved the second version so much more than the first! Grace stayed much the same, but Noah became a sexy best-selling crime writer and I moved the action into a fictional suburb on the edge of the city. Grace’s run-of-the-mill café became a quirky little patisserie and, once I’d thrown in a honeymoon in Paris, I knew I had the magic that had been missing from the first version. Thankfully, my editors agreed!

If you want to know a little about my hero and heroine, visit their online profiles for Blinddatebrides.com. Grace’s is here, and Noah’s is here. You can also find out a little about my settings for the book by visiting here.

Grace's Profile

2009-02-24T00:29:00.000-08:00

Online profile name: Englishcrumpet

Real Name: Grace Marlowe

My Ideal Partner....
Young at heart, just like I am. No cardigan-wearers, please! My teenage daughter has just flown the nest and it’s high time I remembered what it’s like to be young, free and single. I’d be lying if I said I was looking for a soul mate – true love like that only happens once in a lifetime and I’ve been there, done that, worn the black veil… But I’m looking for someone to share my life with, preferably someone who loves rock music and cold Chinese takeaway!

My Details....
Age: Thirty-ten (think about it!)
You'll match if you... are young at heart

I live: In London
You'll match if you... are London-based.

Marital status: Widow
You'll match if you... are unattached.

Hobbies: Growing old disgracefully.
You'll match if you... want to join me.

Occupation: I'll working towards opening my own patisserie one day.
You'll match if you... love what you do, whatever it is.

Likes: Loud music, being my daughter's best buddy, chow mein.

Dislikes: cardigans, the colour grey and acting like a 'grown-up'

Private chat between Englishcrumpet, Kangagirl and Sanfrandani:

Englishcrumpet: Come on, Dani. Entertain us with your dating disasters! Sanfrandani: Oh, you know… Same old, same old.
Englishcrumpet: But that’s just it, Dani! We don’t know. You’re always so vague.
Kangagirl: It’s time to spill the beans.
Englishcrumpet: Look, I told you about my dating bellyflop! Don’t try and divert the conversation, Dani. Tell me you’ve had your fair share of no-hopers.
Sanfrandani: I’ve had my fair share of no-hopers.
Kangagirl: And…details, please?
Sanfrandani: And your one date wasn’t a total wash-out, Grace. Has the mysterious Noah popped into the coffee shop any time recently?
Englishcrumpet: Yes, he has. In fact, he’s got into the habit of appearing at The Coffee Bean pretty regularly—for coffee and something sweet, he says.
Kangagirl: Awwwww. What does he do again? Not many men have time to lounge around in coffee shops in the middle of the day.
Englishcrumpet: He doesn’t lounge – he brings his laptop and sits there alternately talking to himself, typing and staring into space. He writes stuff.
Sanfrandani: What kind of stuff?
Englishcrumpet: Oh, I don’t know. Military stuff. Spy stuff.
Sanfrandani: And his name is Noah?
Englishcrumpet: Duh! Yes!
Sanfrandani: Have you looked for his stuff in a bookstore?
Englishcrumpet: No. Do you think I should?
Sanfrandani: Yeah, I really do.
Englishcrumpet: Anyway, that’s irrelevant. I just want to stress (looking at no one in particular, Marissa) that Noah and I are just friends.
Kangagirl: Just good friends. Now where have I heard that before?
Englishcrumpet: We are good friends now. But I’m starved of girl-type gossip since Daisy’s been gone. Come on, girls! Give me something juicy!
Sanfrandani: I might gossip a bit more if I could get a word in edgewise sometimes.
Englishcrumpet: Sorry! Look, you really don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, Dani. I realise some people aren’t as happy to witter on about themselves as I am.
Kangagirl: Noah doesn’t seem to mind.
Englishcrumpet: Seriously, Marissa, there’s nothing going on. I know you want to believe that everyone is going to fall in love as quickly and completely as you did with Rick, but I’m not looking for that. I just like the fact that Noah doesn’t see me as ‘Daisy’s Mum’. I’m just Grace with him.
Kangagirl: You can’t blame a girl for trying to matchmake.
Englishcrumpet: Wanna bet?

Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books SA.
Cover art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Ltd.

and/or its affiliate companies, used under license.

Blind-Date Baby by Fiona Harper

2009-02-24T00:14:00.000-08:00

Book 2 in the blinddatebrides.com trilogy.

Dear Noah

It seems like just the other day when I met you on blinddatebrides.com. When my daughter signed me up I knew it was because she felt I'd sacrificed my life to bring her up alone. But you can still be forty and...flirty!

I couldn't believe my luck when my blind date was a tall, dark, handsome stranger - yet you turned out to be that and so much more...

But now things have gone further and faster that I could have imagined, because - well, we're pregnant! Noah - we need to talk.

Love Grace

Check out Grace's online dating profile for Blinddatebrides.com
Read an excerpt from Blind-Date Baby.
Find out more about the inspiration behind the story.
Take a look at the settings of Blind-Date Baby.

In May, read Grace's blog as she takes her first steps in the world of online dating and comes away with a little more than she is expecting!

Out May 2009 in North America and the United Kingdom!
Click here to buy in North America and here to buy in the UK

Out June 09 in Australia & New Zealand
Click here to buy in Aus/NZ