The first few sentences of...
21st CENTURY RAKE
One of the 10 novels in the new boxed set,
PASSIONATE KISSES, just 99 cents! (see the cover to the left)
Asher Corbin turned side on and sized himself up in the cheval mirror. This was a good look for him. The black jacket fit like a glove, as did the dove grey waistcoat. The cut of the pants was tight, even by today's skinny jeans standard. And the high boots were simply wicked.
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FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT VICTORIA
What was the first romance you ever read?
Wow. That’s hard. I was digging into my grandmother’s romance novels from a pretty early age. But I think the first one I can remember is “Forever Amber” by Kathleen Winsor. I loved that book. The grittiness. The plague. The desperation of Amber to become something. Her willful use of her sexuality to try and change her lot in life. Her heartbreak. The King and the court. His little King Charles Cavalier Spaniels. I remember so much of that book even though it’s been years since I’ve read it.
What was your first date with your significant other?
I love our first date. I met my husband at a party on campus. I was a mature student who was taking university very seriously. He came to the party with a friend. For about two weeks he tried to get me to go out with him but it was exam time so I wouldn’t. During that time I was working the night shift at my parent’s restaurant which doesn’t close until 3 am. He called me at work and asked me out that night. I told him I didn’t get off until 3. He didn’t care. “I’ll stay awake,” he said. As luck would have it, I got delayed and wasn’t able to meet him until closer to 4 am. We met at a local 24 hour coffee shop. He had hot chocolate and I had coffee, of course. We talked and talked and talked. When we left the coffee shop we talked more outside, sitting on a picnic table in the cold Newfoundland dark you can only feel in April. I still remember the neon green sign of the local hardward store shining down. Finally as it neared 7, I told him I had to go home. I was doing Easter bunny duty for my cousins who were staying with us. The entire drive home we chatting on our cell phones and I recall sitting in the driveway till almost 8, still talking. It was sweet and romantic and as I walked into the house, instead of feeling like I was doing the walk of shame (which I’d done plenty of in my life) I felt as if I’d met someone who was real, and kind, and totally worth talking to for hours on end for the rest of my life.
Who was your first grade teacher? Any funny/interesting memories?
My first grade teacher was a lovely woman named Rosemary Ryan. I remember being terrified of her at first. She had a very minor physical disability. But she was sweet and encouraging. My best memory of her was when she brought in a newspaper and asked how many kids knew what this was. (Oh, I should say for the record that I went to an all-girls school so there were no naughty boys around to hamper our intellectual development. But there were plenty of naughty girls!) Anyway, as she explains to the class what a news paper is –this was 1981- some kids admit to looking at the comics. Myself and my friend admit to reading the paper. Miss Ryan didn’t believe us and had us come up in front of the class and read a bit of the paper, thus proving that we could indeed read at a higher level than she gave us credit for. I think it was after that that my reading assignments also got more difficult.
More about Victoria: Victoria lives on the island of Newfoundland, and is fiercely proud of her home. She can imagine no better setting for her Heart’s Ease series of contemporary romances, and hopes that her readers will one day come to witness Newfoundland and Labrador's rustic beauty for themselves.
She was born in St. John's, and raised above her family's fish and chips restaurant. She has traveled and lived in other parts of Canada, but chose to make her home where her heart has long resided. Victoria has a degree in History from Memorial University of Newfoundland, with a minor in Newfoundland Studies. The only thing that stands between her and a Master's degree in History from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia is her thesis. She has a background in broadcast journalism, advertising, and marketing. She is a proud member of both the Romance Writers of America (RWA) and their affiliate chapter, Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada (RWAC).
Victoria counts herself lucky to be surrounded by an incredibly supportive family, and thanks her husband daily for his unerring faith in her, and for being a wonderful father to their infant son.
You can find Victoria online here:
Twitter: @vickibarabour
