We have winners! The four winners of an ARC of Beguiling the Beauty as chosen by Random.org are:
#120: JulieM
#44: Terrie
#95: secohen
#257: scigirlcindy
Random.org has also given me a winner for the grand prize, an ARC and a bounty of beauty products made by Sherry Thomas: comment #161, JennyB!
Winners, please email me at sarahATsmartbitchestrashybooksDOTcom with your mailing address.
You can also try again to win an ARC at Sherry's Facebook page for the next 72 hours – and, whoo hoo! All of Sherry's backlist is on sale digitally for $3.99 right now!
- Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas * $3.99 * A | BN | K | S
- His at Night by Sherry Thomas * $3.99 * A | BN | K | S
- Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas * $3.99 * A | BN | K | S
- Delicious by Sherry Thomas * $3.99 * A | BN | K | S
Also: you guys are full of the good beauty advice – and I can't believe I needed a reminder to start using sunscreen on more than my face and neck, but I totally did. So thanks.
Sherry Thomas has a new book coming out on May 1, 2012, which you can preorder online now ( A | BN | K S ). Those of you who are Sherry Thomas fans are anticipating this one greatly – I know Carrie S has had this book on preorder since February at least.
So when Sherry asked if I'd like to do an ARC giveaway, I said HELL to the YES and then proceeded to ask her all sorts of nosy questions about the book. Behold! The Interview and Giveaway (-inator™)! There's ARCs and homemade Sherry Thomas beauty products to win up in here. Have a read while Sherry tells us about the book.
Sarah: So, tell us about this here book. And pass the lip balm?
Sherry: Beguiling the Beauty is the first book in the Fitzhugh Trilogy, which revolves around–surprise!–the three Fitzhugh siblings. The eldest sister is the titular beauty in Beguiling the Beauty, the middle brother will be the one Ravishing the Heiress in the second book, and the youngest sister is scheduled to wear the veil in Tempting the Bride.
(The trilogy is actually a 3.5-ology, as I am contributing a novella about a significant secondary character from book 2 to Midnight Scandals, a self-published anthology that also features Carolyn Jewel and Courtney Milan, available late summer 2012.)
Now back to Beguiling the Beauty, which is my contribution to the overpopulation of dukes in Romancedom. This particular duke, in present-day terms, would be described as an evolutionary biologist–but since my book is set in 1896, he is just a plain, old naturalist.
Our naturalist duke has a not-so-minor obsession with a certain beauty he's only seen from afar. This obsession bugs the ever-loving daylight out of him because he believes the twice-widowed Mrs. Easterbrook to be a money-grubbing, husband-dishonoring slut. (And you can't really blame him, as her first husband railed against her in front of the duke shortly before the man died broke and under suspicious circumstances–read, suicide.) The duke avoids Society because he isn't sure whether, even knowing her to be this money-grubbing, husband-dishonoring slut, he can trust himself around her light-bending beauty. But he's getting old–almost 29, that is–and has promised his stepmother that after a lecture at Harvard University, he will look for a wife in London, where he is certain to run into Mrs. Easterbrook.
This stresses him out. So, during the lecture at Harvard, when he is asked about the evolutionary aspects of beauty, he uses what he believes to be Mrs. Easterbrook's sins as a cautionary tale, little knowing that the beauteous Mrs. Easterbrook happens to be sitting in the audience, having a massive, “Oh, no, you didn't” moment.
One thing leads to another. Before the duke knows it, he's on a transatlantic ocean liner having a hot-and-heavy affair with a mysteriously veiled woman, falling for her–as SB Sarah would say–like whoa and damn. But she disappears at the end of the crossing.
Later, as it is wont to do, all hell breaks loose.
And, oh, I almost forgot, there are dinosaurs in this story. (And you thought it couldn't get any better!) (Okay, only dinosaur fossils, but still.) 🙂
Sarah: Are the dinosaurs dukes as well? Do the dinosaurs have a titled class system?
Sherry: The dinosaurs involved, being mere plant-eaters, were prolly outside the titled system. Mere landholding gentry.
Sarah: What is Ms. Easterbrook's reaction to her beauty? Does she struggle with it? What animal is she based on?
Sherry: Err, she is like the cetiosaurus she dug up when she was sixteen–really a very sturdy character. She aims to deal with her beauty on practical terms, i.e., she recognizes both that it is quite advantageous to be drop-dead gorgeous and that her beauty is not necessarily a representation of her soul. But she does suffer a slight bit of insecurity at times, wondering who she is, or would be, if she didn't look as she did.
Sarah: For readers who have enjoyed your books in the past, what do you think will appeal to them about this one?
Sherry: I frankly have no idea. It doesn't have reunited lovers, long separations, gourmet cooking, spies, or super-duper angst. 🙂 So I will flatter myself shamelessly by relating what my critique partner told me, that reading Beguiling the Beauty is kind of like reading, in her words, “a really good Loretta Chase book.”
Squee!
I'd tried to write a Loretta Chase book with His at Night, which was my take on Mr. Impossible. His at Night didn't come out anything like a Loretta Chase book. Beguiling the Beauty is actually me remaking Judith Ivory's Beast–the ocean-crossing, the unseen lover, and whatnot. So if by trying my hand at Judith Ivory, I arrive at Loretta Chase, hey, I'll take it.
Sarah: What was the first scene or character you started with when you began this book?
Sherry: When I started out, I actually meant to rewrite Judith Ivory's Beast with only the sexes switched around, i.e, instead of a much older man who is somewhat odd to look at & a little lame (literally) seducing the much younger, rather wild, and extraordinarily girl he is set to marry, sight unseen, on an ocean crossing, I would have a much older woman who is somewhat odd to look at and a little lame (literally), seducing the much younger, rather wild, and extraordinarily beautiful man she is set to marry, sight unseen, on an ocean crossing.
I wrote ten pages and couldn't go on anymore. So I said, shove it, I'm writing something else. I'm just going to have a man who offends my heroine horribly, accusing her of all kinds of crimes of the heart she's never committed, and doing it in such a way that is impossible for her to defend herself publicly. So that's when she conceives the idea of making him fall in love with her as revenge. But of course, it goes all wrong and she falls in love with him instead.
But then I had to figure out why the hero would say such things about her to begin with. And whenever I have a conundrum like that, my answer always ends up being: Of course, he's been in love with her since 4EVA! 🙂
(Let me assure potentially concerned readers that when I am inspired by other books, the end results usually bear as little resemblance to the original as a peacock does a T. rex. Yes, there is some common DNA, but mine is a totally different animal.)
Curious? I hope so, because we've got 5 advanced reader copies of Beguiling the Beauty to give away.
And because Sherry Thomas is 68% pure evil, she's also offered “a collection of my homemade beauty items. Lip balm, solid body butter, bath bombs, and maybe even a scrub or two” to one lucky winner as well as an ARC. (I've received tins of Sherry's lip balm. It's super soft and very awesome.)
We will pick 5 winners from the comments at random to win. Standard disclaimers apply: I am not being compensated for this giveaway. Not even with body butter, which sounds really kind of awesome. You must be over 18 and dressed like a sphinx to win. Void where prohibited. Open to international entries, even though the shipping can be a bit slow. Head On: apply directly to the forehead. Some theories exist that suggest if the reader is not directly observing this giveaway, it may cease to exist.
So, tell us, since this book is about beauty and beguilement, what's your best beauty or fashion tip? What's one thing you do that never fails to make you feel awesome and spiffy? Share, and you're entered to win! Comments close in 48 hours, so bring on the beguilement!
Getting a haircut never fails to make me feel like an easy, breezy, beautiful cover girl. At least until I sleep on it.
Black eyeliner definitely makes me feel extra spiffy and special. I like to draw-out the lines ‘a la Cleopatra’. Also, pure coconut oil to moisturize entire body. There you go!
After applying foundation and powder I lightly spritz my face with rose water. That way the makeup doesn’t look too cakey.
Super interview, and I’m really looking forward to reading this series!
My beauty tips: Sunscreen (EVERY DAY!), moisturizer and Diorshow mascara.
Personally I find that putting on a coat of lipstick always makes me feel dressed up and ready to get going for my life, even if I’m not leaving the house for the day. Putting on lipstick is my symbol of getting down to business, of getting out of my lazy phase even if it is just to sit in my living room looking at things online. I have a preference for loud, aggressively bright colors, but even a quieter nude lipstick makes your face automatically look done if you aren’t wearing any other makeup.
I love this! I can’t wait to read it. My favorite beauty tip is actually for hair. I use a Conair brush curling iron that dries my hair as I style it. Cuts my hair styling time in half! I bought mine at Target and I’ve had to replace it twice (over 10 years) because I use them so frequently!
I love you Sherry Thomas! Okay with that out of the way… sad to say it’s not really a fashion tip to make you feel spiffy, but fit really matters! just because it is cheap don’t buy it if it doesn’t make you look awesome without massive alterations. it’ll just sit in your closet, and you’ll never use it. I feel spiffy though when I get a facial and my eyebrows done so that’s the second part of the question?
i can’t wait for this book! My beauty tip: well groomed brows. Getting my eyebrows waxed makes me look instantly five years younger.
Dressed like a sphinx? Can I dress like an Egyptian instead?
Sherry Thomas’ books are wonderful and I CAN’T WAIT until Mayday!
You can use your jeans to buff away deodorant marks. I don’t know why it works, but it does!!!
My beauty tip: always take the time to curl your eyelashes and put on mascara, even if you do nothing else. Although for me, it’s less of a ‘tip’ and more of a ‘necessity’.
Having your eyebrows waxed is a quick and cheap beauty fix that makes you look instantly better! (Unless your waxer gets a little wax-happy and takes off half your eyebrow. Not that that happened to me a few months ago. Nope.)
Can I win because “titular” made me giggle?
Ok, ok, beauty tip. Hmm. Long hair. Because guys always like long hair. Because…well, use your imagination Bitches, I know you’ve got one!
From someone who will wake up late and slap the ballcap with work logo on her head as she dashes out the door … well … my best one is the celebration of every gray hair I’ve been coming across lately.
I feel like I’ve graduated, and am crazily excited to see how the gray will make itself known. But um…that might just be me.
My other tip—don’t worry if you’re a 42DDD – a v-neck and an awsome necklace are the best accessories you can come up with to celebrate you have a pair.
Yay, more Sherry Thomas!
Beauty tips: always wash your face at night and you need less soap in your life than you think. Once I stopped washing my hair at night and using cleanser in the morning as well, my hair and skin glowed. Just rinse your face with water in the morning. I believe the soap strips the natural oils.
I don’t wear a lot of makeup on normal days, but my favorite way to freshen up is to use a little non-alcohol-based toner. It evens out the dry and oily parts of my skin and makes me feel a lot fresher before I walk out the door.
I’ve been wearing less and less makeup as the years have passed, but a really good smokey eye still makes me feel insanely glamourous and sexay. My tip, then, is how to get a long-lasting smokey eye, or just make your eyeliner last all day.
What you do is line your eyes like you normally would, and then take a skinny eyeshadow or liner brush and trace over your eyeliner with matching eyeshadow. The shadow makes your eyeliner look way more intense and polished, and it helps “set” the makeup. This trick always helps keep my eyeliner from sliding into all the little lines and bags that plague me these days.
This is the brush I have used for years and absolutely love: http://www.clinique.com/produc…
I won’t even try with a good fashion tip since I’m really rather sad at picking out outfits that match (! I’m color blind. Lol) but I will say that nothing makes me feel better than a new pair of shoes! Or a dress! I LOVE a cute simple dress.
Great interview and I can’t wait to read this! Especially if he’s using her as a bad example right in front of her! Revenge followed by falling in love always gets me. 🙂
Aaaaah! NOT QUITE A HUSBAND made me cry – CRY I tell you! I can sometimes relate to other characters in the books I read, and whatnot, but my reaction to Bryony Asquith was pretty visceral. I was pretty much that way – not very social at all, I’m terrible at interpreting emotions.
Just a question – what goes into the bath products?
Tell me more about this shoe hierarchy you speak if. It sounds awesome.
Wear a nice, non-clumping mascara, and an outfit you feel comfortable in that flatters your shape. That certainly makes me feel prettier.
Oh my god I want this book! Umm.. I have no beauty tips since I really don’t wear make up, don’t even wash my face every day and don’t even shower every day. Apparently, my genes are good so I don’t even need deodorant. However, when I do wear make up I try to look like I’m not except for eye liner. Just a little eye liner goes a long way though.
Love love love Sherry’s books – I own all and have re-read them several times.
Fashion tip: Don’t hang on to clothes that don’t flatter you, even if you “love” them from 20 years ago (speaking from experience). Don’t be afraid to embrace different styles, if you know, or if someone whom you trust tells you, they look good on you.
Exfoliating once a week always makes my skin feel better all over, but exfoliating before shaving your legs makes them extra smooth!
I like lipbalm… it makes me feel kissable… 🙂 Looking forward to reading your new book…
Beauty tip: Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!! (And a good haircut doesn’t hurt either.)
I love wearing heels, even though I know they’re horrible for feet. But they make you stand up straight and tall, and you get a sexy strut-walk 😉
I just tripped over Sherry Thomas for the first time about a week ago when I found His At Night on my recommended list at Amazon. What a great buy!! I’m so glad to see that the Bitchery enjoys her as much as I do. I’ll probably have her backlist read by the end of the week.
Beauty Tip—Lipstick tends to leech all of the moisture out of my lips, so I always put a layer of chapstick on my lips before applying lipstick. This not only provides a protective barrier for my lips, but it also helps spread the lipstick evenly and gives an added gloss.
Mascara….and Burt’s Bees.
And YAY FOR THIS BOOK!!
I don’t really have a beauty tip, but I got new glasses today and they are Fabulous!
My must have item is a good cleanser. Without cleanser nothing else looks right. But then again I don’t layer a lot but I still want my face clean from all the day’s grime.
Thanks for the post!
My personal beauty tip? Lose the glasses and put in my contacts.
It’s like a chain reaction: My enormous frames aren’t there to hold back my hair from my eyes so I need to brush and style my locks until it’s practically coiffure in nature. My eye look small and naked with out the cover of glasses, so I have to break out the eyeliner and what have you and make a decent stab at shadowing. The shadow then makes the rest of my face an amorphous blob, so it’s on to the lip tint and blush.
No wonder this can only happen two or three times a month
Blot face oil instead of piling on the facial powder.
Sherry’s attempt at Judith Ivory? Sounds good, count me in.
How will you know if I am dressed like a sphinx? Will photo evidence be necessary?
Showering does a lot to make me feel more attractive. I think this came to mind since I couldn’t for 2 days after my surgery. So, in short, be clean.
I always feel awesome (and spiffy for that matter) when I get my hair done at the salon. I could be dressed in my nicest clothes or in a dodgy old tracksuit, but I still feel a million bucks when I vanquish the grey.
My bath bombs are made with baking soda, citric acid, sea salt, fractionated coconut oil, trace amounts of essential/fragrance oil, and trace amounts of mica for coloring—or not, depend on the scent.
If you blow dry your hair always finish on the cool setting.
Really looking forward to this book!
My bath bombs are made with baking soda, citric acid, sea salt, fractionated coconut oil, trace amounts of fragrance/essential oil, & trace amounts of mica for coloring.
Wear a belt to show off your waist. Wash your face morning and night and moisturize once a day.
I’m looking forward to reading a new-to-me author.
Sleep. Lots of it. (I have two small children, and oh, it shows on my face.)