by Bronwyn Jameson
Earlier this week I told the tale of the long road to publication for my April release.Tycoon’s One-Night Revenge suffered through several casting calls and location changes before I found the right mix. Originally I’d wanted to set the book in California and Lake Tahoe, in locations I scouted on my 2005 trip to the RWA National Conference in Reno. That didn’t work out quite the way I’d planned.
This story takes place at the same time as my 2005 story, The Ruthless Groom. I had to stick to the timeline established in that book. I needed Susannah to be in America five days after she flees her wedding (that is mentioned in TRG), but I also needed to start this book with her as the runaway bride. It was the right place to start her story.
Rather than putting her on a plane from Australia to San Francisco–14 hours of sitting and thinking is not a very dynamic start to any book!–I decided to send her somewhere else for those first 5 days. I needed a location close to her Melbourne home, somewhere she would be isolated by geography, by wild weather, and by a lack of phone coverage. Somewhere that would place my society princess at a distinct disadvantage. Somewhere as wild and primitive and pervasive as her feelings for Donovan Keane.
The obvious choice was Tasmania, the island state at the bottom of Australia (the pink one on the map) and little more than an hour’s flight from Melbourne. Tassie, as she’s known affectionately by we Aussies :grin:, has a total population of less than half a million and with national parks and wilderness areas taking up a significant proportion of the state (37%), there is plenty of scope for isolation.
It’s also where we honeymooned many moons ago, so I naturally equate Tassie with romance.
Tourism is one of the state’s most important industries; visitors love the wilderness forests, the back-to-nature escape, and the friendly laidback atmosphere. This isn’t a place for nightlife or for plush, beach resorts or over-the-top developments, so when I created an isolated resort for this book I tried to stay true to the Tassie ‘tude.
The Palisades at Stranger’s Bay is a scattered collection of luxury villas perched high on a rocky promontory. I imagined it as the ultimate retreat for a wealthy clientele who really want to get away. 
No cell phones, no neighbours, no need to see anyone for their entire stay.
Each villa is built to make the most of spectacular views of the wild southern ocean, but inside they’re five-star all the way. There’s a state of the art kitchen for clients who want to cook or the resort chefs will do all the work. Tassie is renowned for its produce — seafood, wines, fruit and veg, freshwater trout, it’s all natural, fresh, first rate. When Donovan and Susannah are stranded by some pretty wild weather they don’t exactly go hungry!
The location of Stranger’s Bay is anyone’s guess. It’s within a helicopter shuttle of Hobart, a little bit west coast, a little bit east, and inspired by the beauty of places like Honeymoon Bay and Bay of Fires and the Freycinet Peninsular. I even gave the resort its own private island, for clients who really want to escape civilisation.
Susannah’s family owns the resort; Donovan is determined to buy it. Their external conflict stems from a deal-gone-wrong and his belief that she sabotaged the sale. 
Although Susannah doesn’t work for her family’s business, I wanted her involved in the industry. I saw a magazine article on personal concierge services and, bingo, this fit Susannah’s skill sets to a T (or an S.) She’s the only daughter of a bigtime business magnate, has a name synonymous with Melbourne society, a lifetime’s knowledge of the luxe market, and a Blackberry filled with well-heeled contacts.
Those contacts include the Carlisle family (my Princes of the Outback), and the contract she has signed with the Carlisle Hotel Group will keep her struggling business afloat. It was much fun creating a credible reason for her agreeing to marry Alex Carlisle…and another for her to flee from that wedding. It was even more fun isolating her at a wilderness resort with a tycoon bent on revenge.
For the record, they do make it to San Francisco and Lake Tahoe later in the book, so my research there did not go astray.
For a chance to win signed copies of both The Ruthless Groom (a 2006 RITA finalist) and Tycoon’s One-Night Revenge, tell me about the dream job that would fit your skills set. Perhaps you’d be perfect in quality control at Godiva…or maybe you’d prefer to work on the cover-model selection panel at Harlequin. 
Prize drawn April 7.
Tycoon’s One-Night Revenge, an April release from Silhouette Desire, is in stores now.
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I sure love the pictures and the description up there! But geez, Australia is so far away! (although I haven’t left the US mainland period, but that’s another story!) 
My skills set. . . ah, can one be an editor without editing anything? You know, get to read all the great books before they go out on the market but not actually have to work more than just that? LOLOLOL
Lois
by Lois
on April 5th, 2008 at 8:31 am
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I agree with Lois as I love to read… being an editor would be a dream job… but I have no skills associated!
by Nathalie
on April 5th, 2008 at 8:49 am
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I am quite good at drawing shoes on paper, plus I am a very detail-oriented person. It would be a dream to design shoes in some french villa next to the beach!
by Lily
on April 5th, 2008 at 8:52 am
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For a year and a half I had my dream job: academic advisor in the college of arts and sciences at University of New Mexico. I helped students find a major that suited their goals, made sure they took courses that would qualify them for graduation and, most rewarding of all, counseled students facing difficulties with professors or life experiences. AND when times were slow I was free to do whatever I wanted, like read a book. 
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I would love to write the blurbs on the back cover of Harlequins. What fun it would be to read the book and then write something to give a hint of what the books about.
by Maureen
on April 5th, 2008 at 10:24 am
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A dream job would have either to involve reading, or allow plenty of time for it.
So, let me see… is beta-reading a profession? No? *kicking rock* shoot.
Kidding aside, I’ve always dreamed of owning a used book store 
I think between my love for books and my OCD tendencies (yes, my DVDs and my CDs are alphabetized, why do you ask?), I would be good at it–and there’s no doubt I would live in heaven.
by azteclady
on April 5th, 2008 at 10:25 am
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Ha! Godiva chocolate taster! I’m there!
Actually, I’ve always dreamed of going into business with my sister making deserts. She’s such a great cook and I am great and finding new ideas. Something like deserts from around the world, she makes a mean Tiramisu!
by brownone
on April 5th, 2008 at 11:00 am
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I would love to visit Australia one day; friends of mine have and the photos are absolutely gorgeous plus all the wonderful things they have to say about it.
Oh, my absolute perfect job would be taste tester for an ice cream company…any ice cream company would do as I LOVE ice cream…any flavor. I never say ‘No’ to a dish of this wonderful dessert or an ice cream cone.
by Shari C
on April 5th, 2008 at 11:22 am
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Definitely quality control at Godiva!
by Minna
on April 5th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
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I think I would love to have the job that Samantha Brown does on The Travel Channel. She goes to the best places, stays at the best places and eats the best food. Yeah, that would be an awesome job for me. If I couldn’t do that job exactly I wouldn’t mind scouting movie locations or photo shoots. Still get to travel, a lot, but wouldn’t have to worry as much about what I eat and having the cameral add 10 extra pounds.
by Laura J
on April 5th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
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Dream job I am not sure about. Maybe a food credit you go to different places and get to try all of their foods. Hey I love to eat!!! I am good at sewing and cooking. So maybe a fabric designer or something on that order. I need it to pay really well would help out a lot.
by Virginia H.
on April 5th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
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Hi Bron 
We’re talking dreams, right? I’d like to be in a job involving a nice share of adventure and traveling like a relic hunter or something of the sort on the condition that I’d managed to get the relic and get home in one piece. 
by Mona
on April 5th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
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Oooh… Bronwyn, I could definitely get into chocolate tasting or ice cream tasting
I’d also love to work as an editor for romances! Do they undergo proofing? copyediting? I’m not sure if I’m exactly cut out for top-level editing… I worked as an editor before, but for an educational software company–lots of making sure content was correct as well as age-appropriate and “PC”… not sure exactly how those skills would fit into the book world! But this is my dream, right? Not going to worry about reality at the moment–pass the ice cream!
by Fedora
on April 5th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
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Funny you should ask, I am trying to figure out what I would like to do , job hunting now, my job is a dead end.
I’d love to be able to go to movies before they are released and give my reviews. Like when we get an ARC, same thing, but for movies.
by Dina
on April 5th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
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My dream job would be proof reading romance novels… I love to read them anyway all the time!!!
by Colleen
on April 5th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
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OK - so I’m gonna be way off base here - but my dream job? hmmmmm… I’ve always been a bit different so I’m gonna say “I’d love to be a test fisherperson”. I LOVE to fish, so if there were a job that required me to test rods, reels, and lures, (especially if it involved travel) I’d be there in a heartbeat!
by DeeAnn
on April 5th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
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I would love to be the host of a travel show. I could see the world and get paid for it.
by Jane
on April 5th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
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Hi Bron,
I love all the “behind the book” details you’re sharing with us in this blog. Thanks!
Hm… my dream job that would fit my skills set? Haha - the problem is figuring that out… I’d love to be a critic, I think - so I get to read and review all sorts of nifty things. Or a food critic would be lots of fun - a travel writer, or someone who gets to have their own travel food show - how terrific would that be? I can handle travel, and eat a lot of different things
*laughs* I just saw Jane’s comment - and scrolled up -looks like a lot of us have the same ideas!
by limecello
on April 5th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
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I sure love the pictures and the description up there! But geez, Australia is so far away!
Hey Lois. Yes, we’re a long way from everywhere BUT there is a silver lining. Just think of all that uninterrupted reading time on the plane!
I just knew that my question would bring out a lot of latent editors and proofreaders. (Hi Natalie, Fedora, Colleen.) That would suit my skills set very well indeed. I love to read and I’m very picky, so unless I get completely lost in a story, I tend to notice details and typos and such. So perhaps proofreading would suit very well.
Bron
by Bronwyn Jameson
on April 5th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
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Lily, shoe design. Wow, what a cool dream job. Perhaps I can come visit you in your French villa and test drive your shoes?
Byrdloves2read, that does sound like both a dream job and a very rewarding job. People with the skills to counsel, to teach, to help others through difficulties = veru special people.
Maureen, perhaps I can employ you to write my blurbs? I’m SO not good at condensing a book into a few pithy paragraphs. That is a special skill right there.
Bron
by Bronwyn Jameson
on April 5th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
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Azteclady, perhaps there are beta-reading positions with commissioned scripts for TV and movies? Oh, what about a PA to a romance writer? Now, wouldn’t be an awesome job? I bet you would get to read the books first of anyone, too. I’m an organised bod so I reckon I’d make a great author’s PA…except for the fact that I’d spend too much time writing instead of doing my work. 
But a UBS is a mighty fine choice. Bet there a few more out there who’d love to spend every day surrounded by beautiful, bounteous books.
Bron
by Bronwyn Jameson
on April 5th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
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Brownone, I’m just thinking that I have the perfect skills set to be a beta taster for your desserts. I mena, you couldn’t turn them upon a paying public without taste testing, could you? Oh, and it looks as if ice-cream loving Shari might be fighting me for the position.
We all have so much in common; no wonder I love blogging here and look forward to reading your comments every time!
Bron
by Bronwyn Jameson
on April 5th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
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I think I would love to have the job that Samantha Brown does on The Travel Channel.
Laura, yes! SNAP!! I’ve watched her shows and thought, so many times, how do I get me THAT job!!! The downside, of course, is the camera on you and needing to remember lines, when I’d be much more comfortable just enjoying all the fab hotels and resorts and food and sightseeing. But for the sake of THAT job, perhaps I’d adapt.
I see that Jane would also be lined up at the Travel Show interviews. (I’m just smiling at the visual, because we’d be the three sitting in the waiting room reading romances, right?)
Bron
by Bronwyn Jameson
on April 5th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
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Virginia, if you’re good at sewing and cooking then perhaps your dream job could be household administration for a billionaire. There’d be staff, of course, to do all the difficult stuff but you would be in charge and make the food choices and decorating changes and such. How does that sound???
Mona, like an Indiana Jones but without the snakes and the dangerous stuff???
Dina, ooh the beta-movie-watcher would be fab, too! I said we all had a lot in common, didn’t I?
Bron
by Bronwyn Jameson
on April 5th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
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A test fisherperson? Yes, DeeAnn, that is different but I it! A couple of television personalities in Australia — they produce comedies and movies and TV — are very keen fishermen and they did a series of shows whose name escapes me, but they travelled all over to reknowned fishing spots, and because they’re entertainers and could make anything interesting, I loved that show. Course I’ve drawn a mental blank on its name… 
And, yes, limecello, we have a lot of critics in here. Books, movies, food, travel. shows. Everyone’s a critic!
Bron
by Bronwyn Jameson
on April 5th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
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My dream job would be a taste tester for either Godiva or Ben & Jerry’s! Yum.
by Linda F
on April 5th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
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Hehe - yeah, I was just thinking how “negative” it sounded. I’d love to be a guinea pig too - for travel, resorts, etc I’m willing to suffer for the good of others, to let them know if a place is up to standards or not *angelface*
Or it might be fun to be chief of staff or in house counsel for a senator - then I’d probably be able to afford to do some of the things on my “wish list.”
by limecello
on April 5th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
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A personal secretary to a wealthy couple. I could have a great office where I would
send out invitations for gala events put on by my employers; I’d order gifts for his wife and go and personal shop for them. Imagine all the lovely stores and the attention that would be devoted to me because of who I am working for, lol.
by RobynL
on April 6th, 2008 at 12:01 am
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i say something in sports. a sports arena and teaching other females about sports, maybe a class .
by kim h
on April 6th, 2008 at 12:32 am
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Anything to do with books - owning a bookstore would be great - I also like to proofread but I don’t like deadlines lol. Or anything to do with animals - I help out with ferals at the moment. And then there’s the arts…what I really did for a living was secretarial/administrative but I wasn’t really made for the business world.
by catslady
on April 6th, 2008 at 12:35 am
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I’d love to travel and stuff and get paid for it. Kind of like that annoying woman on “Great Hotels” on the Travel channel who just goes to all these awesome hotels in awesome locations and has an awesome time- and get PAID for it.
by Kimmy L
on April 6th, 2008 at 1:05 am
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Hey Linda, sounds as though you, like limecello, are willing to put yourself on the line for the good of others. I mean, what if that icecream were substandard? Someone has to look out for the greater good.
Or it might be fun to be chief of staff or in house counsel for a senator Not sure I’d describe the pressure of those jobs as fun, but definitely a chance to do greater good so I say, go for it. Make it happen.
Ooh, Robyn. Shopping!!! Yes, I could handle that job as well. Good one.
Bron
by Bronwyn Jameson
on April 6th, 2008 at 2:55 am
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Kim, another good one. 
All that training would be great to work off the effects of taste-testing the desserts and chocolate and ice-cream.
Catslady, good for you on helping with ferals. Great cause. I’m with you on deadlines.
Kimmy, I find it especially annoying that she gets to stay in all those beautiful hotels and in the best suites and that she then tempts us with the prospect which none of us can afford. (Yes, I’d like that job, too!)
Bron
by Bronwyn Jameson
on April 6th, 2008 at 3:00 am
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Hi Bron, Those pictures are so beautiful! I would love to be a travel guide to all the romantic cities in the world.
by Dena
on April 6th, 2008 at 7:48 am
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Dena, most of us just want to experience the fabulous places by being a reviewer/critic but a guide would be such fun, wouldn’t it? You’d get to meet people from all over the world and share your favourite spots with them. I would love that!
Bron
by Bronwyn Jameson
on April 6th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
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Australia is so beautiful! Never been there but would love to go!
My dream job would definitely have to be working for a theater behind the scenes in Chicago. That way I could see all the plays for free! I would love to work on the sets or even be one of the lighting control people. I have seen so many plays like Phantom of the Opera, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (with Donny Osmond), Wicked, The Lion King, etc. in Chicago, that it would be amazing to work at a theater to be able to see what goes on behind the scenes.
I dabled in theater here in my home town but then the little theater closed up from lack of funds. We have a new one now in town and it is really nice! I just haven’t had the time to help out.
by Michele L.
on April 6th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
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Michele, I LOVE the theatre, too, but don’t get to go nearly often enough. Earlier this year I went to the opera for the very first time. If only I could afford to go more often, I would. You’re right — working in the theatre and getting to see them all for nothing would be awesome!
Bron
by Bronwyn Jameson
on April 6th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
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Hi Bronwyn,
My friend Mary Ellen who lives in South Bend, Indiana ushers at the Morris Civic Center and gets to see the plays for free! I have seen many plays here and they are every bit as excellent as the ones in Chicago. It sure would be nice to live close to a major theater so I could do the same thing! I am an hour away from South Bend and Chicago. Drat!
I know what you mean by having the time to see more concerts. I work it in as much as I can into my schedule. I have never seen an opera and would love to someday!
Have a fun week! Many blessings that your year ahead is filled with opportunities for the theater!
by Michele L.
on April 7th, 2008 at 12:31 am
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I’d like to do some “30 Minute Meals” like Rachel Ray… that’s really about all the patience I have to cook and get something on the table! I loved her show where she traveled around on $40/Day. She saw some beautiful places and ate some “Yummy stuff”.
by Laurie G
on April 7th, 2008 at 6:13 am
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Oh.. gee.. at my age I don’t really have a dream job or I’m doing it. I work part -time and can take time off to be with my kidlets when they are sick or on vacation.
If I had to work full time I guess I’d want to do something with my engineering degree and do research. I’m sure my dad must be smiling down from heaven at my writing that.
We’re off to Tasmania next week when our little on is on holidays. YEAH. Our last vacation in Australia before we head back to the States.
by Ann M.
on April 7th, 2008 at 7:05 am
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Thanks, Michele and I wish the same back at you.
Laurie, I haven’t seen any Rachel Ray6 shows. Must keep my eye out for them as they sound as though they would apepal to me as well. My cookbook collection contains many titles which include the words easy, x minutes, simple, x ingredients, etc. And her travel show sounds like something for everyone rather than the exclusive that taunts us because we know we can never afford it.
Ann, having a job that allows you time off when you need it is a dream. And I’m so happy to hear from someone who is visiting Tassie. As you might have guessed it is one of my favourite places and so few visitors get to see it. Happy travels, both on your vacation and heading back to America.
Bron
by Bronwyn Jameson
on April 7th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
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I believe it’s April 7 on the American side of the world and so I am going to draw the winner of my giveway. Reaching into my barrel and numbers and I’ve come up with…
#8. Congratulations Shari. Please email me with your address and I’ll get yr prize in the mail!
Thanks everyone for visiting and joining the discussion. It’s been fun seeing how many of us have similar ideas and interests and dream jobs…and just as interesting reading about the variations as well. See you all here next month!
Bron
by Bronwyn Jameson
on April 7th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
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Bravo, Shari! Your week started out right, didn’t it?
Thanks, Bronwyn.
by azteclady
on April 7th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
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Congrats Shari
by Dena
on April 8th, 2008 at 6:48 am
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Yay, Shari! Thanks for a fun topic, Bron!
by Fedora
on April 8th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
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wtg shari
by kim h
on April 8th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
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Woohoo Shari! Congrats on the big win!
by Michele L.
on April 8th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
