The Danelle Harmon Newsletter, October 1998, Issue No. 3

Dear readers,

My friend and nemesis, Danelle Harmon, has asked me to pen a few words by way of an introduction. As I am more accustomed to addressing hardened military men than I am romance readers who, I daresay, are mostly of the feminine persuasion, I hope you will forgive me if I don't do as fine a job of this as Ms. Harmon could. I am a man of action, not letters.

I am Captain Lord Charles Adair de Montforte from THE BELOVED ONE. Last year, Ms. Harmon introduced you to my brother Gareth in THE WILD ONE, the first book in her exciting new de Montforte series. As you may recall, Gareth -- a fun-loving, irrepressible young wastrel who led a band of n'er do wells called the Den of Debauchery -- was forced to grow up when our wily, Machiavellian older brother Lucien, the Duke of Blackheath, coerced him into marrying my grieving fiancée, Juliet. As you'll also recall, the reason Gareth married my Juliet, and gave our illegitimate daughter her proper name, was because everyone was under the mistaken and very unfortunate impression that I had been killed in battle while fighting those infernal rebels in Boston. Alas, I was not killed, and I suppose that now, everyone thinks I have returned from the supposed dead in order to make their lives a living hell.

Though that was certainly not my intent, I must confess that my return to both the land of the living, and to England, has been a living hell for me. I will not elaborate on my experiences, but I will say this: no, I did not have amnesia. No, I was not abducted from the British Army. And no, I did not get "cold feet" and abandon my pregnant fiancée to her fate. Ms. Harmon says that you will just have to read THE BELOVED ONE to satisfy your curiosity, and for once, I am afraid that I am forced to agree with her.

I leave you now in her capable hands.

Your most humble servant,
Captain Lord Charles Adair de Montforte.

Well! He certainly DID say it better than I could have done. What he didn't tell you, however, is that THE BELOVED ONE is a Cinderella-tale of love, sacrifice, and triumph in the face of deep personal adversity. Once again, we see another sexy, dashing de Montforte brother who must rise above the limitations of his own character and the often cruel hand of fate; once again, we see the manipulative Lucien, Duke of Blackheath, stepping in to play God in yet another of his siblings' lives. And once again, we have a hero -- and a heroine -- who are up to the challenges with which they're presented.

I hope you'll enjoy this emotional tale of a very wounded hero who finds love, life and healing with the help of a very special woman... and that Lord Charles will earn a space in your hearts and on your keeper shelf.

'Til next time!

Danelle Harmon

DANELLE HARMON's BOOK LIST:

• THE BELOVED ONE, October 1998
• THE WILD ONE, November 1997
• WICKED AT HEART, 1996
• TAKEN BY STORM, 1995
• MY LADY PIRATE, 1994
• MASTER OF MY DREAMS, 1993
• CAPTAIN OF MY HEART, 1992
• PIRATE IN MY ARMS, 1992

If you're looking for an out-of-print title, and your local bookseller can't get it for you, try Carey's Bookstore, Northland Mall, Rt. 108 Newton Road, Plaistow, NH 03865 (tel: 603-382-5506). They stock many of my hard-to-find titles.

AUTHOR APPEARANCES! My friend Margaret Evans Porter and I will be touring New England in the coming months signing copies of our new books, THE BELOVED ONE and KISSING A STRANGER. For more details, email me at Danelle@danelleharmon.com or drop me a line at P.O. Box 1091, Newburyport, MA, 01950.

WEBSITE: My website is at http://www.danelleharmon.com. Recent additions include a photo gallery, a list of my favourite (and UN-favourite!) things, and information about THE BELOVED ONE. Of course, you can still vote for your favourite Harmon Hero and add your comments to my guestbook!

CONTESTS: Fifteen lucky winners received autographed cover flats in my last contest, and now it's time for a new one. This time, I'll be giving away a set of the first two de Montforte books, THE BELOVED ONE and THE WILD ONE. Details are on my website.

On the personal side... Since my last newsletter, life has become quite interesting -- and chaotic! -- in our household. Chris and I have no children, and lavish our love, time and attention (not to mention money!) on our "fur-kids", Roscoe (our elderly German Shorthaired Pointer) and Gemma (our tortoiseshell cat). Last autumn, we decided to make an addition to our little family, and after careful research, bought a darling eight-week-old German Shorthaired Pointer puppy whom we promptly christened "Poppy" after our favourite English wildflower. Now, "Minado's Wild Poppy" is fourteen months old and the charmer of our household. Though we purchased Poppy with the intention of showing her (her daddy, "Chief," won Best of Breed at Westminster this year!), she, being named after a flower, is a late bloomer and not quite ready for the ring... so we've started her in obedience and agility in the interim, with the hopes that someday she may compete in these doggie-sports as well. You can see Poppy, Roscoe, and Gemma on my web page; just click on "photo gallery" and you'll be right there!

Well, that's it for now. Lord Andrew, "The Defiant One" of the de Montforte family, is trying very hard to get my attention and he is a very difficult man to refuse. I hope you've enjoyed this latest newsletter, and if you want to be removed from the mailing list, or know someone who wants to be added, just drop me a line!