Pippa Roscoe | 12 Hours to Fall In Love

Ever since I first saw the 24 series on tv, sitting cross legged in front of a tiny 11 inch tv screen, I was captivated by the idea of real time story telling. Okay – clearly I had to suspend my disbelief… not that Kiefer Sutherland's character could pull of the amazing death defying struggle against the baddies, but that he could cross LA in less than five minutes! But still. The idea of a narrative unfolding as I watched was something thrilling, new and utterly enthralling. And then I read the wonderful HIS UNTIL MIDNIGHT by Nikki Logan – set in Hong Kong, the hero and heroine meet once a year in December over several years, until one night, and one incredible gourmet meal, the hero must decide whether he will fight for the heroine, or lose her forever. Apart from the fact I am a massive ‘foodie', I loved the way this story unfolded over those series of ‘one nights', and loved the way it played with time.

And I couldn't shake the thought… could I combine my love of 24 and real
time
story telling with my passion for romance? Could I really do that within a
book?
I will hold my hands up and most definitely agree that I'm not the first
person
to do so, but could I find a way for two people to fall in love in just
twelve
hours? The only way to find out was to try!

First, I decided that these two characters must know each other. For their
love
to be a deep, solid, and true love that lasted long after the last page, it
would only be believable if they already had a basis for that love. So I was
able to combine this idea with one of my favourite romance tropes… marriage
reunited.

I LOVE a marriage reunited story. There's so much passion, emotional
tension,
hurt and betrayal, but underneath it all is the one thing that first drew
the
hero and heroine together, love. Complicated and messy, a reunion story
tells of
the overcoming of those hurts and deep sense of betrayal, and more
importantly
how each character has changed, become the person that the other always
thought
they would be. It's a journey about the individual characters as much as
their
relationship and to reach their happy-ever-after at the end? Ohhhh, gives me
goosebumps every time!

And where to set the story that takes just one night? There are things that
the
location must have – and sadly with just 12 hours, there's not really
enough
time for the hero to whisk the heroine away on his private jet to some
exotic
location. (I settled for a limo, and no – even on the page you can't
traverse
London in five minutes!). I needed a hotel, a glamorous function room and a
spectacular view. A few years ago a friend had invited me to a party at the
Heron Tower in London. It was only when we were in the lift, flying our way
up
nearly forty floors did she reveal that she had a fear of heights! But even
she
couldn't resist a squint at the stunning view of London at night from the
glass
fronted elevator. It was absolutely the perfect setting for my 12 hour
romance.

And lastly the couple in question… Odir Farouk Al Arkrin worked his way in
to my
mind full of brooding intensity, struggling within the chains of duty and
furious at the woman who threatened to undo him. Eloise was once the girl
who
had let others control her life, and now she was determined to live it her
way!
In my mind she matched him toe to toe, barb to barb, kiss to kiss. And I can
only hope that this translated onto the page.

I'm thrilled with my title, and the incredible covers from Mills & Boon and Harlequin. It's truly an incredible moment when you see the thing that is a book, a real book, that came from a little spark years before, sitting in front of an 11 inch tv screen cross legged on the floor. I really hope that you enjoy CONQUERING HIS VIRGIN QUEEN as much as I did writing it. In the meantime, as I've said, I love a marriage reunited story… but what's your favourite and why?!