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Reviews for At The Tycoon's Command
(Romantic Times February 2003)
"Two days after her father's funeral, Kimbra Donaldson is struggling to put her financial affairs in order when Jared Stevens knocks on her door and demands full payment for a $20,000 debt. Since that is not an option, she reluctantly agrees to work the summer as his assistant to pay off the balance. Accustomed to a carefree, playboy lifestyle, Jared is caught off guard by the immediate and intense physical attraction he feels for Kim, which leaves him feeling something close to fear. Still, he is hard pressed to keep his hands, and his kisses to himself. Shawna Delacorte has more than a few surprises in store for readers with her touching and passionate AT THE TYCOON'S COMMAND (4)."
Visit Samantha Gentry's web site
An excerpt from At The Tycoon's Command
About Samanatha Gentry Samantha Gentry currently lives in Kansas, but has lived most of her life in the Los Angeles area.
For twenty years she worked in television production before becoming a full time writer. For many years photography was her avocation and that's what started her writing—non-fiction magazine articles to accompany her photographs. The writing eventually segued into fiction and novels.
Writing as Shawna Delacorte, she has twenty-one novels published with Harlequin. Her first Samantha Gentry ebook was published in January 2006. In addition to writing, she also teaches an eight week fiction writing class at the state university twice a year.
To learn more about Samantha Gentry and her books, take a look at her website and check out her blog.
/www.samanthagentry.com
http://samanthagentry.blogspot.com
Back list
My Shawna Delacorte backlist of 21 Harlequin and Silhouette books, including cover and blurb, is on the Shawna Delacorte page of my Samantha Gentry website. Excerpts from the 4 Silhouette Desire ebook reissues are on the books page along with my Samantha Gentry ebook releases. www.samanthagentry.com
My Shawna Delacorte ebook reissues can also be found on the blog at http://shawnadelacorte.blogspot.com.
An Interview with Samantha Gentry
By Holly Hewson for The Romance Studio
HH: Samantha, thank you for talking with us at TRS. Your featured book is At The Tycoon's Command, recently re-released in ebook under the pen name Shawna Delacorte. When did the story first release? SG: Thanks to The Romance Studio for providing me with this opportunity to talk about one of my recent ebook reissues from my Harlequin backlist of Silhouette Desire titles. A complete list of my 21 Harlequin-Silhouette backlist titles along with cover and blurb is on the Shawna Delacorte page of my Samantha Gentry website www.samanthagentry.com with the ebook reissues including excerpts shown on the Books page.
AT THE TYCOON'S COMMAND was first released in print a little over eight years ago, in February 2003. It's hard to believe it was that long ago. Time seems to be really flying by. "They" say that happens when you get older. LOL Apparently "they" are right.
HH: It's the story of a teacher who goes to work for a man whose grandfather is in a feud with hers over her father's debt. And how romance begins. Where did you get the idea for this wonderful story? SG: There are many stories and historical events where a family feud has come down through the generations and the current generation defies the odds and tradition by falling love. We certainly have Romeo and Juliet in literature and there's the Hatfields and McCoys as historical reality. Of course, my story being a romance means it definitely has a happy ending. I expanded and embellished on that basic concept. Jared Stevens had taken over the reins of his father's company a few years earlier. Kim McDonald's father had just died leaving a long standing unpaid debt to Jared's company. Jared and Kim did not personally know each other prior to that time. Neither wanted anything to do with the three generations old feud. Jared simply wants to clear the debt off the company books. After he provides a skeptical Kim with proof that the debt is legitimate, he agrees to let her work off the debt by being his office assistant for the summer. Since there is no way she can come up with the money to pay the debt, she reluctantly agrees but insists on a legal agreement about the arrangement.
HH: What do you like best about Kim and why will readers identify with her? SG: Even though Kim assumes Jared is just like his younger half-brother, a member of the Stevens' family Kim knew from her high school days and thoroughly disliked, she feels she has an obligation to take care of her father's debts and is sincere in her attempt to do the right thing. The working situation turns out to be totally different than what she had anticipated. Instead of office tasks, Jared has her doing lots of menial chores such as taking his dog to the groomer. Even though she's not happy about it, she sticks to the agreement and performs the chores to the best of her ability. And as the days pass, and she has an opportunity to observe Jared at work, she is willing to admit that he's nothing like his half-brother and as she discovers more about him she's willing to totally change her attitude toward him and admit she was wrong.
HH: What do you like best about Jared and why will readers love him? SG: When his father died, he was pulled out of his comfort zone and thrown into the position as president of his father's company. Even though it totally turned around his carefree playboy lifestyle, he took the responsibility of running the business seriously and threw himself into what needed to be done which included trying to keep his younger half-brother out of trouble. Yet he maintained his mischievous streak and sense of humor and was not above testing Kim with things that seemed to her to be something he pulled out of thin air. He's a good combination of ethical and responsible along with fun loving. And, of course, drop dead sexy and gorgeous.
HH: Your book is available again in an entirely new publishing world. How do you feel about that? SG: I am thrilled that some of my Harlequin-Silhouette backlist titles are being made available in ebook format. This allows a new audience to be introduced to my older books, as well as the older books of many other Harlequin and Silhouette authors. I hope Harlequin expands their efforts as far as my backlist titles are concerned. I'd love to see my Harlequin Intrigue mysteries reissued in ebook.
HH: What else do you have in the works? SG: I have three works-in-progress at this time, as in actually working on the manuscripts. I also have four other storylines I'm putting together. And as a result, I'm feeling a little scattered and disorganized at the moment. I've got to pick one and concentrate on finishing it before dealing with the others. And right now I'm also teaching my twice yearly eight week fiction writing class at the university, so that's cutting into my time, too.
HH: What do you enjoy most about the writing itself? SG: I like the creative outlet, to be able to take an idea and turn it into a complete story. I enjoy developing the characters. I also have to admit that I like being able to put "The End" on a manuscript and submit it so that it's out of my hands and off of my 'to do' list for the time being. LOL.
HH: What advice would you give to aspiring writers today? SG: Perseverance! Stick to it and don't get discouraged by multiple rejections. You have to keep in mind that a rejection is basically one person's subjective opinion on a given day. Four of my Harlequin-Silhouette books had previously been rejected by Harlequin-Silhouette and two of them rejected by the same editor who later contracted them. I didn't do any significant reworking of the manuscript, it was primarily a matter of second time around being right time and place. Actually, one of them had previously been rejected twice before the third time being a charm.
HH: What are you reading right now? SG: For fiction, Linda Wisdom's O'Hara vs. Wilder, recently available in ebook at Amazon. I'm also reading a non-fiction book about California ghost towns.
HH: Any fun plans for the summer? SG: Nothing specific at this time. I want to do several 2 to 3 day photography trips. I'm also hoping to be able to work in a trip to visit friends in California sometime in May with a quick side trip to Sedona, Arizona. Which means I'd better get back to work and complete one of those works-in-progress. :)
HH: Thank you!
AT THE TYCOON'S COMMAND Text Copyright © 2003 by SKDennison, Inc. Cover Art Copyright © 2003 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited. Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. Cover art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved. ® and TM are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.
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