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!
This really makes me want to read the book (the Q&A I mean)!
I’m rather fashion challenged, so my tip is more about feeling good than appearing aesthetically pleasing. I love wearing Neon colored socks with dark flats(preferably yellow or blue), so the color stands out. Every time something doesn’t go my way, I look at my socks and the color cheers me up. I actually carry myself better under the influence of Neon 😉 I think confidence is one of the most attractive traits in any person—-friend, romantic partner, whatever. I try to bolster that within myself, and the socks work for me!
Beauty tip: Get lots of rest!
Eyeliner….dunno why, but when I wear it I feel fierce and come hithery. 🙂
Unless my skin is really freaking out I don’t wear foundation, powder or cover up. I find using a moisturizer with light reflecting particles makes me look well rested and evens out my skin tone. When you pile on tons of base it makes you look tired and old. So my best beauty tip is take care of your skin! Drink lots of water, get enough sleep, wear sunscreen and wash your face morning and night (or whatever works for you) and moisturize. 🙂 I’d love to get my hands on an ARC
“oil of olay twice a day”… I was a bit skeptical when, ahem, I didn’t have any wrinkles… but I am believer now…
btw, anyone out there remember that old olay commercial with the guy who hits on the lady saying, “… you were in my class” and she responds with “I was your teacher”… classic. when I read Harlequins from the 80s I think of that commercial.
Bring a friend when you shop for clothes, even as an adult. They will make you happier, you will look better to yourself, your clothes will be invested with happiness and you will always like them more. You also are more daring in your choices and you will look better in something that makes you happy.
OMG, totally with Virginia E, read the ingredients, especially if you have allergies. A food allergy to wheat means that wheat germ oil will make you break out in a rash. Other than that, my only beauty secret is Noxema. My grandmother used it and people believed she was more than an decade younger than she actually was. (Well, and she dyed her hair.)
So, totally hoping I win, the book sounds awesome.
I won’t go out of the house without lipstick (as Sofia Vergara says, “it’s a Latin thing.”) You should take a look at Lancome’s new, appropriately named, Rouge in Love lippies, the colors are gorgeous and the feel is sensual!
Sounds like a great read!!
I always like how I feel just after getting my hair done!
Most of my beauty tips were already listed, I think – though I recently started exfoliating with sugar and it’s been working well.
In terms of what makes me feel awesome and spiffy fashion wise, it’s colour. I work in a very conservative environment, so I always have colourful toenail polish hidden beneath my boring black shoes and on weekends it’s all colour all the time for my wardrobe. Love it!
Beauty is as much a state of mind as a state of body, I think. Every now and then—or more often, if you can—pick out something to wear that you know looks good on you, even if it’s just an accessory, like a scarf or a pair of earrings. Just the knowledge that you’re wearing something flattering does wonders for your confidence.
Not Quite a Husband and Private Arrangements are two of my very favorite books. Something about her writing is just perfect.
I’m not much of a beauty expert but the one thing I can’t do without is some kind of eyeliner.
MAC has the best lipsticks. If, like me, you are terrible at looking at a tube of lipstick and figuring out whether it will look good on you, it is totally worth it to go to the counter and have the salespeople pick something that will look fabulous on you. It’s the one makeup item I splurge on.
My
Compliments are guaranteed to make you feel awesome, especially ones like “You are great. Thanks for your help. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
I’m also in the manicure camp! Do it yourself: first a layer of clear nail strengthner (or whatever the hell that’s called), then 2 layers of color (my recent favorite is really dark deep blue, but red is always good), then a top coat. let the layers dry in between and don’t reach into your purse for a while after! Also, they have these manicure correcting pens that I find super useful.
And do your toes while you’re at it 🙂
I’m going to go with Oscar Wilde and the cult of beauty (I’m so sorry!) in honor of ST’s Victorian-set books!
“Wilde had not actually walked down Picadilly with a poppy and a lily as Gilbert and Sullivan satirized in PATIENCE (1881). “Anyone could have done that,” Wilde said. “The great thing was what I achieved—to make the world BELIEVE that I had done it.” (John Lahr in the introduction to THE PLAYS OF OSCAR WILDE, 1988)
So! For beauty’s sake, be alive to beauty. Be complete. Be fond of paradox. Be the kind of person who seems to carry bouquets of strange extravagance, even when holding nothing at all.
My favorite beauty tip?
Moisturize!
A new Sherry Thomas. Yay!!! My best beauty tip is to moisturize. People won’t believe your age. Of course, faithfully reading romance always gives you something to smile about. A smile is a beauty product too!
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No matter what, I always feel (and look) better when I’m wearing mascara and/or eyeliner. Often, I feel that’s all I need makeup-wise.
I moisturize, moisturize, and moisturize. Also I always go to bed with a clean face.
Every girl should own a red lipstick (there’s a shade for EVERYONE) and a signature scent. I spray mine in my hair, so it is subtle and surprising as I move through the day. I also get lots of compliments when people hug me! 😉
The red lipstick is like a warrior’s shield on days I’m not feeling up-to-par. I call it my own personal Boudicca’s Revenge.
Hmm. For me it is wearing foundation. I always feel better with foundation, it hides a lot of the imperfections.
Sleep—it’s what keeps you pretty!
I love Sherry Thomas, I can’t wait for this book. My beauty tip is you can never use too much lotion or chapstick. Dry lips and skin is never sexy.
Eyebrows trimmed with thread, like they do it in the Middle East – you get a great shape. And spa treatments. And sea salt peeling. And something that makes your lips red and pouty even when you’re not wearing actual lipstick.
And drink a lot of water – it makes the skin look nice even before you start with your beauty routine.
I am hoping like mad that there won’t be any geographical blocks as there were the last time i got this excited about a book.
Fashion tip: when you are underslept and feeling all urgh is when you pull out the dress-up outfits. A professional outfit with overtones of spies or schoolgirls or 50s minx or cowgirl (etc etc) just spiffs up the day and your mood.
Having had a baby 3.5 months ago, I am pretty chuffed these days if I manage to shower and dress before 9am… 🙂
My beauty tip is to use a lovely, fresh scent but use it sparingly so it does not announce its presence before you enter a room.
Love Sherry Thomas’ writing, really looking forward to this!
Okay, you had me at dinosaurs and beauty products!
My beauty tip… wear earings larger than a quarter. They will give your face a thinner look and will draw attention to your eyes!
Hm. I’m bad about actually DOING any beauty improvements!! Some days just actually getting a shower and washing AND moisturizingmy hair is as much as I can do! Some days I put on moisturizer and realize just how wonderful it feels to not have alligator skin..
There’s not much I wouldn’t do for a chance at an ARC of a Sherry Thomas book, so let’s see … beauty tip. My favourite probably comes from my beautician (a Very Wise Woman who waxes my brows and various other parts of me). She likes to say that we all have our own weird spots/lumps/bumps/hairs in funny places and think we’re the only one and that it’s really obvious … but that this is absolutely not true. Also, that your beautician should make you feel good about yourself and if she doesn’t, ditch her for one who does.
Great and hilarious interview! Cannot wait to read the book.
My best beauty advice is: hygiene. I always feel great after a shower. Makes me feel awesome 🙂
hi sb sarah its an interesting post thanks for sharing, your tips are amazing funny baby products
Looking forward to the book! And who knew Sherry Thomas was so chill? Love that.
Beauty tip: Drink plenty of water (you’d be amazed how people can neglect doing this) and use a good moisturizer regularly. Your skin will thank you.
Since I have light lashes I would go with mascara as the one thing I would use.
it’s all about the hair ladies. make sure your man (no matter how annoying you are) cannot stop thinking about your hair. make sure it reminds him of his favorite pony growing up.
Thanks for a fantastic interview! Sherry is who got me back reading romance and she is an autobuy for me. I’ve never read Loretta Chase so if I do, I’ll probably think she sounds like Sherry!
Lip balm and good moisturizers are my only real beauty products. if your skin is healthy you don’t need make up!
Sleep (I know, I know) is definitely the best beauty tips. Makes everyone look and feel better 🙂
As long as I can wash my hair with some good-smelling shampoo, I’m good to go.