The Husband List

One of the first authors I personally acquired when I started at Avon was Victoria Alexander. The book was THE WEDDING BARGAIN and the cover didn't always look like this. It used to have teeny little flowers. But it had the same fabulous stuff inside.

I remember very clearly how this all came to pass. Victoria's agent had submitted a proposal to me, and I just adored her writing. She'd published some romances for another house and I was impressed by the way she managed to combine humor with really powerful emotion. Trust me, it ain't easy.

In THE WEDDING BARGAIN, the heroine decides that she's going to make the hero perform the 12 labors of Hercules. I couldn't quite figure out how this was all going to work out in the context of a Regency-set romance what with capturing hydras and all that. But the idea of this hero jumping through all these hoops to win his bride was so much fun.  I decided she'd just have to figure it out as she went along (this was a proposal after all). Thank goodness she did.

You know, in looking back at the past three posts, I want to say that one of the most rewarding parts of working in romance is that you often get to work with authors over long periods of time. You really get to see how the creative process grows over time. These are only three of the authors I've had the pleasure to work with over the years. I hope this peek back at where things started was as much fun for all of you as it is for me.