Tempting Susan Gee Heino

hosted by Donna MacMeans

It's my pleasure to welcome my good friend, Susan Gee Heino, into the lair. Susan's latest Regency, TEMPTESS IN TRAINING, is set to release July 5th and is the third in her series that began with her debut, MISTRESS BY MISTAKE. Romantic Times calls Temptress in Training: a spy thriller that has as many tangled threads as one of Sophie's garments. Welcome Susan!

Hi, Banditas! Donna, thanks so much for having me. I just love hanging here. And I'm really excited to get to see some of you all in just a couple weeks!

Yes, it's that time again—time to figure out what to wear to RWA Nationals. True, I should really put more effort into studying the workshop schedule, preparing for the two panels I'll be participating in, and thinking up intelligent stuff to discuss with my agent and editor, but seriously, this month is devoted to angsting over my wardrobe.

Anybody out there sew? I love it. I'm not fantastically good at it, and I think patterns are mostly just a suggestion, but I do love sewing. Especially fancy clothes. And costumes. And guess what? I get to wear both at National!

The biggest, fanciest event is the RITA/Golden Heart Awards ceremony. Also, I'm a member

of the Beau Monde Chapter which usually hosts a Soiree where we are invited to dance the night away in Regency-era costume. What could be more fun, right? I spend months dreaming about what I'll wear. I love selecting my patterns, fingering all the materials, choosing trimming, and basically being able to make the gowns exactly the way I want them. I feel so powerful!

Well, except for the hours while I'm actually making them. That's when I don't feel quite so powerful. I'm ripping seams, jamming the machine, poking myself with pins, and swearing next year I'm going to just wear something out of my closet. But eventually I'm done and I love my creation. I have the thrill of taking it out in public and feeling awesome. It's sort of like writing.

I don't know about other writers, but I go through pretty much the same stages in my writing. The thrill of brainstorming, planning my opening scene, and gathering characters that make me giddy with excitement. Then I actually have to write the book. Not as much fun. But then, eventually, it's done and my agent loves it and my editor loves it and I have the thrill of taking it out in public and introducing my creation to readers.

So not only will I finish my gowns for National and get to wear them to par-tay all night, but I also get to show my next book to readers. TEMPTRESS IN TRAINING comes out July 5th and I can't wait to introduce people to my latest heroine, Sophie Darshaw. And guess what? She's a seamstress! I found a way to incorporate my sewing interest into my writing. But OMG, some of the stuff

Sophie sews... woo baby, steaming hot! The cynical and secretive Lord Lindley gets a few surprises when he starts digging into Sophie's work.

Sorry, folks, I won't be modeling any of Sophie's remarkable creations. But I did get my daughter to model one of my Regency gowns. Isn't my sweet Joy just darling? She has to wait a few years before she's allowed to read my books, though.

So what gets your creative juices flowing? Are you a seamstress, or a fabulous cupcake maker? Tell me about your artsy/craftsy passions and I'll put your name in a drawing for a copy of TEMPTRESS IN TRAINING, hot off the presses. And if you'd like to read an excerpt of TEMPTRESS IN TRAINING, visit my blog at www.susangh.com.