Linda Francis Lee | The Inner Debutante in You

When it comes to debutantes, it takes all kinds to make the world go round. In THE EX-DEBUTANTE Carlisle Cushing is a debutante who has always been a fish out of water, the odd duck in a world of swans. So she hardly fits into any category. In fact, she left her Texas high society world to become a determined lawyer far away in Boston . . . then committed the unforgivable sin (as far as her deeply southern mother is concerned) of becoming engaged to a Yankee. Then all of the sudden she can’t believe it when she gets dragged back to Texas to take over the debutante ball . . . and comes face to face with the man she loved and lost.

Take the quiz below to find your own inner deb!

What Kind of a Debutante Are You?

When you are in line ready to make your official bow, you:

1. hope the deb in front of you face plants into the floor cracking her porcelain veneers
2. have warned the photographer to capture your best side
3. are certain you will be voted Deb of the Year
4. pray you aren’t the deb who face plants into the floor

Under your debutante gown, you wear:

1. nothing
2. a rhinestone thong
3. La Perla bikini briefs
4. granny panties

Your favorite accessory is your:

1. personal life-philosophy tattooed on your back
2. pink diamond navel piercing
3. Harry Winston diamond earrings
4. grandmother’s clip on pearls

On your guest list you have included your:

1. probation officer
2. plastic surgeon
3. childhood nanny and clique you’ve reigned supreme over since kindergarten
4. psychiatrist

At your debutante party the guests are:

1. afraid for their lives
2. gossiping about your infamous, old, ex-rocker dad who still pretends he’s 18
3. vying for a scrap of your attention—or so you assume
4. bored out of their minds

You are a deb because:

1. your mother threatened to tell all your friends your real name is Winifred
2. you do anything that involves paparazzi
3. of course you’d be a deb, hello, your grandmother, mother, and sister were debs
4. your parents bribed you with a new set of leather-bound encyclopedias if you participated

Your “look” of choice is:

1. Look? What #$*@ look?
2. whatever just hit the runways in Milan
3. whatever your personal shopper picks out for you
4. argyle sweaters and penny loafers

TOTAL:

1’s: ____

2’s: ____

3’s: ____

4’s: ____

If you answered mostly with:

1’s: you are a REBEL DEB

2’s: you are a CELEB DEB

3’s: you are a POSH DEB

4’s: you are a DUD DEB


To find out more about more THE EX-DEBUTANTE, hop over to www.lindafrancislee.com for debutante fun facts, photos, and an excerpt.

Happy Reading!
Linda Francis Lee
www.lindafrancislee.com/

Julia London |The Price of My So-Called Fame

Ah, this business! You plug along for years, putting out book after book, hoping that your small group of readers will grow into a group large enough that you might actually pay the mortgage. You plod along at a steady pace, building slowly, while other authors evolve at lightning speed. Nothing happens for years, and then suddenly, out of the blue, your books start to sell well. Print runs go up. Your publisher tells you that they are going to do more to promote your books. Your agent pumps you up and tells you you're becoming a Big Deal, and you get all excited, even though you know she says that to all her clients. They approach you about doing a tie-in novel to a soap opera. A what? you cry, but you do it, because you're no fool.

And then one day it happens. You're in a bookstore, talking with the bookseller whom you've known for years. When another customer approaches, you walk away to peruse the stacks, and you hear that customer say, "That's Julia London? Ohmigod! Ohmigod!"

You are so glad you put on some make up and changed out of godawful linen pants you've worn all summer and fall. You quickly swipe your fingers under your eyes just in case there are any make up smudges, because it's been that long since you wore make-up, and you turn.

The bookseller presents a beaming--beaming--customer. The customer says--no, squeals-- "Ohmigod, you cannot believe what an honor it is to meet you!"

You give her demure smile. "Thank you. It's a pleasure to meet you, too..."

"Mary!" she cries, still beaming. "Wow! You don't look anything like your picture!" You are determined not to take that in the wrong way. Your hair is a different color after all. She continues, "I absolutely loved your last book! I've read it five times."

You smile and nod, like this happens to you all the time, like you are being the saint of patience with this adoring fan who read your last book five times. Who wouldn't want to read it at least once or twice? It was, you'll admit, among your best.

"I loved the heroine. What was her name? Miranda?"

"Ava," you kindly correct her.

Mary's smile fades a bit. "Ava?" she repeats slowly, obviously thinking. "I am sure it was Miranda."

Ah, the fans! They read so many romance novels they lose track of names! But she surely remembered the writing!

"It was her diary, remember?" Mary says, looking at you curiously now. "Her secret diary?"

Your heart does a funny little flip at the same time the bookseller noticeably pales. You say--or rather, stammer-- "Ah...hm...I'm sorry, but you're thinking of Julia Quinn. I'm Julia London."

Mary's smile fades altogether. "Ooh," she says, clearly disappointed. "Is Julia Quinn here?"

You wish Julia Quinn was there. You wish you could crawl into the stack of books and hide behind all those lonely Julia London novels. You go home with a stack of books and grudgingly start the process of trying to get the word out: You have a new book. And as you write this blog, you hope that readers and fans will remember that said new book, THE DANGERS OF DECEIVING A VISOUNT, which happens to be the third book in the Desperate Debutantes trilogy, is written by Julia London, and not Julia Quinn. London. London. London. Not Quinn.

I have something new and fun in my bag of tricks to form an identity separate from Julia Quinn: A bulletin board! It's designed to be a place where friends and fans can hang out, talk about books or whatever they want, and win free stuff. Who doesn't love free stuff? As a kick off, we are hosting a contest for aspiring writers. The winner gets to put her material in front of my agent. The details are all at the new board. I hope you will stop by and join in the fun at Julia's Bulletin Board!

Julia London