Maya Rodale Blog » The Rogue And The Rival

One of my dreams is about to come true!

Maya — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:52:32 +0000

My first introduction to Romance Writers of America was the massive literacy booksigning that kicks off the national conference. Hundreds of authors gather, and hundreds more readers pack into a gigantic hotel ballroom. It’s so loud, and it’s so crowded, and books are flying everywhere, and I find myself gushing like a schoolgirl fan to my favorite authors instead of acting like the poised Lady I like to pretend that I am.

So, it’s thrilling. And it can be expensive, but it’s all for charity, so it’s really ok.

Anyway. The first time I attended, I had just submitted the manuscript for The Heir And The Spare and had yet to hear back from any publishers. As I made my way through the throngs, trying not to lose my grip on my books, I vowed that One Day I would be one of the hundreds of authors.

Two years later, I was sure it was about to happen, but ALAS! My book was released about two weeks too late. Next time, I vowed.

And then the next time, I was stuck in library instead of attending the conference (the library was in London–check out my blogs about my summer in London–so I really can’t complain).

But this time…I have registered. I shall attend, and sign copies of The Rogue And The Rival. I just have to figure out what to wear!

If you’ll be in the DC area on July 15th, c’mon on out and buy romance novels for a good cause! Check out the details on my events page.

Maya — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:38:17 +0000

It’s that time of the year for lists–best of, highlights, reviews of the past twelve months…I thought I’d join the trend, so that end, here is a list of blogs I wrote about The Rogue And The Rival that appeared on other sites. Hope this keeps you amused until the New Year!

Elizabeth Boyle: Reforming Rakes and Redeeming Rogues
I decided to go for the perennially popular subject: rakes and rogues. A friend of mine once described a guy she liked as “a good man but a bad boy.” I thought it was a very good way of describing all those rakes and rogues we love in romance novels. But we don’t want ‘em to be too bad, so occasionally, they need a little improvement. Read more…

Romance Junkies: Where Do Story Ideas Come From? Or, The Invention of The Rogue And The Rival.

The Rogue and The Rival, my newest novel, was conceived when a sentence popped into my head one day: Time had been good to Phillip Kensington, Marquis Huntley, even though he certainly did not deserve it. Read more…

Romance Novel TV: Villains!

The villain of my new novel The Rogue And The Rival is named after a boy who broke my heart. Read more…

Dear Author: My First Sale
It all begins with the book of the heart, doesn’t it? Mine was a tale of duels, disguises, heiresses and fortune hunters, distracted chaperones, an American heiress snaring a duke, and true love conquering all. It was titled The Heir And The Spare. Read more…

Shameless Self Promotion: My booksigning this Friday night!

Maya — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:53:24 +0000

This Friday night I’ll be signing copies of The Rogue And The Rival in my hometown of Emmaus, Pennsylvania. In fact, I’ll be signing in a shop on Main Street, a few blocks from where I grew up. I won’t be the only one, either–lots and lots of local authors will be signing their books. I’m most excited to pick up a signed copy of Marley and Me by John Grogan, just in time for the movie (I’ll be bringing tissues since I wept during the preview. Sheesh!).

Come visit me at the adorable gift shop Cottage at 379 Main St Emmaus, PA 18049 on Friday December 12th from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

Click here to view a flyer featuring all the participating authors and the shops of Emmaus. For one last bit of local love, my hometown paper wrote a lovely article about moi titled A Romance-Embracing Rodale Tells Racy Stories.

A Rake In An Abbey? Really!? (The History Behind The Rogue And The Rival)

Maya — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:23:38 +0000

One day it occurred to me that the perfect place to reform a rake would be an abbey. At first, it seems like a rake’s dream: all those women, all to himself. They weren’t going anywhere. Plenty of opportunities for flirtation and perhaps seduction. But the nuns certainly weren’t going to succumb to a rake’s charms easily, if at all.

Before I began to write, I thought it might be worthwhile to do a little research. Like, would or could this ever happen? How do you get a rake in an abbey and keep him there for a while?

It turns out that England in the 1820’s was not exactly the heyday of monastic living. Henry the eighth had dissolved the monasteries in the 16th century. Anglican orders don’t really appear until the 1840’s.

My novel takes place in the 1820’s.

Had I been willing to set my novel in a convent in France, things might have been easier on me. As my professor recently said in class, many monasteries and the like were havens for girls that might have gotten into a bit of trouble (like my heroine, Angela) and actually provided plenty of opportunities for more trouble (um, like my heroine). But I didn’t really want to set a novel in France. Language barriers, stinky cheese, numerous nausea inducing channel crossings…not my idea of romance.

However, thanks to google I did find a mention of a female religious group who were in existence in England during the Regency (who eventually moved to Stanbrook Abbey). It wasn’t much, but it was something.

There was only one thing to do. Recalling that I write fiction, I decided to take a liberty with the dates. So, concerned readers, it is unlikely there would have been a rake in an abbey in the 1820’s, simply because it was unlikely there would have been an abbey at that time. Far more likely before the 16th century or after the mid 19th century.

Here’s what is true, though:

The orders of poverty, chastity and obedience that Angela delays in taking are from the Anglican religion (of which she and Phillip would have been members). Click here for more info. You can view Stanbrook Abbey’s official website (although I really only used their name). I did, however, enjoy their “day in the life” feature. (A clue: prayer of all sorts. Also: Arts and crafts, music hour, free time. Sounds like summer camp!).

But a rake in an abbey!? Really!? Lord Phillip is found severely injured, and the abbey was the closest place. Why wouldn’t they take him on and care for him? They couldn’t very well let a man die simply because boys weren’t allowed within their confines. Or perhaps they would in real life, but that was not going to happen in any fictional world of mine. But I did want to double check that the premise of my novel was plausible so I emailed the nuns at St. Cecilia’s Abbey to ask. They didn’t write back and then my manuscript was due…so the rake remained.

Good News: Great Reviews!

Maya — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:20:11 +0000

Many people have lots of good things to say about The Rogue And The Rival! In a fit of shameless self-congratulation, I’ve listed some wonderful things people have been saying about my new book.

From The Romance Readers Connection:

THE ROGUE AND THE RIVAL is interesting and captures the reader from the very first page and continues to keep the reader involved throughout the story. I found the relationship between Angela and Phillip genuine and the secondary characters just as well written.

From Rakehell.com:

When I discovered that the villain from Maya Rodale’s last book, The Heir and the Spare, was to be the hero for this book I thought “no way!” But Rodale pulls it off. By the end of the novel I believed that the heartless cad who drank, gambled, and ruined four (yes four!) girls could be redeemed through love.

From Coffee Time Romance:

Their relationship was brought beautifully to life by the author, showing the reader both the ups and downs, as well as the pitfalls, making for a read that kept this reader glued to the pages. This is a great story, and one well worth adding to anyone’s library!

Click here for more reviews.