25th Anniversary Commemorative Editions of The Bride Quest

Posted on April 13, 2023 by Deborah Cooke

Hard to believe, but it’s been 25 years since the publication of The Princess and the launch of the Bride Quest. I thought that was something to celebrate!

I’m creating new commemorative editions of all six books in the Bride Quest series – even though only The Princess pubished in 1998. It was released in August actually. There will be a new hardcover edition of each book and a new mass market paperback edition of each book. These new print editions will be available at retailers in November.

Here are all four print editions: from left, the original mass market edition, the 25th anniversary commemorative mass market edition with new cover art, the currently available trade paperback edition, and the 25th anniversary commemorative hard cover edition at right.

The Princess, book one of The Bride Quest series of medieval romances by Claire Delacroix, all print editions

The two new editions be available in my next Kickstarter campaign, running from May 16 to 27. You’ll be able to order the books there and get them either signed or personalized, as well as some goodies available only at Kickstarter as part of the festivities. The new editions will be available at retailers in November – the pre-order links for the two new editions of The Princess are below..

Follow me on Kickstarter right here.

Let’s have a look at the books first.

Here’s the pretty new cover illustration of Luc and Brianna:

The Princess, book one of the Bride Quest series of medieval romances, 25th anniversary commemorative edition, new illustration for case laminate and mass market paperback

This is the cover image for the new mass market edition. The size is slightly different from the original mass market. I ordered a copy already and here’s a pic of it alongside the original. It was a bit of a dingy day.

The Princess, book one of The Bride Quest series of medieval romances by Claire Delacroix, both mass market editions

The new editions are also printed on creme paper instead of groundwood – the groundwood used in the original mass market edition changes color with age and isn’t quite as thick. I like the creme much better.

And here are the backs:

The new hardcover editions are really pretty. They have a dust jacket similar to the current trade paperback – but with the new seal for the anniversary editions. But instead of a plain case, these books are case-laminated, which means there will be an illustration on the actual book cover. The idea is to evoke those stepback covers we knew and loved. You get BOTH covers with the hardcover

Here’s a digital mock-up of the hardcover with the dust jacket:

The Princess, book one of the Bride Quest series of medieval romances, 25th anniversary commemorative edition, hard cover dust jacket

What you can’t see here is that the outside back cover is different from the trade paperback. This edition has review quotes on the back instead of the cover copy. The cover copy is on the inside front flap.

Here’s a mock-up of the book once the dust jacket is removed:

The Princess, book one of the Bride Quest series of medieval romances, 25th anniversary commemorative edition, hard cover case laminate

And here’s a photograph of the actual book, because I ordered a copy to check it out myself. In this picture, I’ve removed the front of the dust jacket and you can see the case laminate. The illustration continues around the back without type – there’s just the bar code on the back.

The Princess, book one of The Bride Quest series of medieval romances by Claire Delacroix, 25th anniversary commemorative hard cover edition

The commemorative print editions will include a new letter from me and the hardcover edition will include the Bride Quest family trees. They’d be too small to read in the mass market edition, but you can download them free right here and print them out.

The trade paperback and the ebook editions will remain as they are.

The Bride Quest 25th anniversary commemorative editions seal

Here’s a better look at that new seal, which I think is just beautiful.

There will be similar new editions of the other five books, but you’ll have to wait until the Kickstarter campaign to see them. 🙂

There also will be a new bonus epilogue to catch up with the family called Christmas at Tullymullagh, which will be included in the new print editions of The Heiress. I haven’t quite decided how to deliver that in ebook, but there’s a lot of time before November to get it straightened out. 🙂

You can also pre-order the new editions for November delivery from your favorite retailers.

Order the 25th anniversary commemorative hard cover edition of The Princess for November 20 publication:

Order the 25th anniversary commemorative mass market paperback of The Princess for November 20 publication:

Tumbling Dominoes

Posted on March 7, 2023 by Deborah Cooke

Yesterday, I moved out my publication dates. Moving one meant moving the next and so forth, so we have a domino effect.

The Widow's Wager, book 3 of The Ladies' Essential Guide to the Art of Seduction series of Regency romances by Claire Delacroix — The Widow’s Wager

The Scot and the Sorceress, book four of the Blood Brothers trilogy by Claire Delacroix — The Scot & the Sorceress

One Knight's Desire, book three of the Rogues & Angels series of medieval romances by Claire Delacroix — One Knight’s Desire

The Widow’s Wager will now be published April 11.

The Scot & the Sorceress will now be published June 15.

One Knight’s Desire will now be published August 15.

The culprit was a story that I added into my schedule in January, mistakenly believing it would be a novella. Kiss of Enchantment is a full-length book and one that has to be nestled into the existing world of the Dragonfire Novels. It’s the first book in a new PNR series and hopped onto my schedule during my Kickstarter campaign. It also publishes in April. I was just too optimistic about getting the story done in a short period of time and, as a result, everything moved a little bit further along the conveyor belt.

On the upside, my next Kickstarter campaign will feature new print editions of The Bride Quest – not omnibus editions, but individual hard covers and mass market editions. That will launch in May or June, and I’ll tell you more as we get closer to that. You can also follow me on Kickstarter to be notified of all new campaigns.

The Stolen Bride Cover Reveal

Posted on February 6, 2023 by Deborah Cooke

The Stolen Bride, book three of the Brides of Inverfyre series of medieval Scottish romances by Claire Delacroix

The Stolen Bride is Evangeline and Ramsay’s book, book three of the Brides of Inverfyre series of medieval Scottish romances. This pair met in The Runaway Bride and there’s a lot of energy between them. Evangeline, of course, will be expected to make a strategic marriage but won’t be pleased about it. I’m thinking Ramsay will offer the perfect temptation for her to defy her father, the Hawk, and to evade her arranged marriage. Hmm. But why does Ramsay want to marry her? Evangeline may think she’s jumped from the fat to the fire…

This one will be published in December 🙂

She will be no man’s prize….

Evangeline Armstrong is resolved to evade the strategic marriage arranged for her by her father, the Hawk of Inverfyre. She feigns compliance, intending to flee to the king’s court for protection once her party is away from Inverfyre. Instead, she is seized by Ramsay MacLaren, an outlaw and her father’s sworn enemy, and compelled to wed him.

Ramsay MacLaren owes a debt to the eldest daughter of the Hawk of Inverfyre, one he will never forget‚ just as he cannot forget the beguiling beauty who helped him escape her father’s dungeon. He has learned that no other woman can satisfy him, though he knows the Hawk would never allow their match. When Ramsay witnesses Evangeline’s departure with only a small party, he sees his chance and claims her for his own.

In morning’s light, Evangeline fears that Ramsay’s sweet words were solely to earn her capitulation—and support his claim to Inverfyre. All the same, she cannot regret the marvel of his touch. Does she dare to trust the warrior whose kiss ignites her very soul? For his part, Ramsay finds himself captivate by the woman he has taken to wife—even at the expense of his own plan for vengeance. Can he truly destroy all of import to her to avenge the past? When Ramsay is challenged by Evangeline’s wealthy betrothed, how can he choose between his vow to his family and the lady who holds his heart in thrall?

Evangeline and Ramsay’s story is coming December 26, 2024.

Pre-order available at some portals:

Great Start to the Year

Posted on January 10, 2023 by Deborah Cooke

We started the new year off well with that sale on The Wolf & the Witch. Even when I returned it to the regular price yesterday, Maximilian was still on the charts. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a long tail on a BookBub Featured Deal. He is one stubborn guy. LOL

The Wolf & the Witch at #2 in Ancient World Romance and #7 in Medieval Romance at Amazon.com on January 9, 2023

I’m also thrilled with the results of my first Kickstarter campaign ever. The 15th Anniversary HardCover Omnibus Editions of the Dragonfire Novels funded at 350%, which was great. My plan for 2023 is to work on building my platform at KS, so I’ll be offering other existing series in new editions. Based on this campaign’s performance, I’m not going to bother with stretch goals and my new campaigns will be shorter. They’ll be more like flash sales and limited-time opportunities to buy both digital content from me and signed print books. I’ll only be selling print books directly through Kickstarter. In 2024, I plan to offer more new content through Kickstarter and Patreon early, before it’s available at the portals.

Kickstarter requires one campaign to be completely fulfilled before I can create even a landing page for a new one, so my planned campaigns for this year won’t have long previews. I hope to have four campaigns per year, two for my PNR and two for my historicals. We’ll see how the timing works out on that!

The Bride Quest 25th anniversary hardcover omnibus editions by Claire Delacroix at Kickstarter

My second campaign at Kickstarter will feature hardcover omnibus editions of the Bride Quest trilogies. (Can you believe it’s been 25 years since the publication of The Princess?) There will be two omnibus editions, one for each trilogy, and the covers will look a lot like the digital bundles. There will, of course, also be some exclusive swag and the omnibus editions will only be available through Kickstarter. This first campaign will be your opportunity to have your copies signed and the page edges gilded. (This is one of my new tricks!) That will run in the spring, ideally in April, but maybe in May.

My third campaign will be for a hardcover omnibus edition of The Dragon Diaries with interior illustrations. I’d like to run another Delacroix Kickstarter in the fall, but we’ll see how the timing works out. Fulfillment of print editions can be an issue in November and December.

If you love special editions for your keeper shelf or early access to new stories, you’ll want to follow me at both Kickstarter and Patreon so you don’t miss out. Short campaigns mean you need to act quickly!

Follow me at Kickstarter

Follow me at Patreon

I’m also going to start sharing Kickstarter campaigns with you that I find intriguing, so that you can get an idea of what’s available there. Here’s an upcoming campaign from Christina Phillips for her Scottish medieval romances, The Highland Warrior Chronicles. You can follow the campaign now and be notified when it launches.

Coming in March – The Widow’s Wager

Posted on December 15, 2022 by Deborah Cooke

The Ladies’ Essential Guide to the Art of Seduction continues with The Widow’s Wager, book three of the series, coming in March. Matters become complicated for Mrs. Oliver when the Duke of Haynesdale’s widowed sister seeks out the secrets of her notorious book-in-progress, and the protective duke takes an interest in his sister’s activities.

The Widow's Wager, a Regency romance by Claire Delacroix

She wed once for duty but will only wed again for love…

For as long as she can remember, Eliza North’s heart has been in the possession of her older brother’s friend, Nicholas Emerson. But Nicholas has always been oblivious to Eliza, and when he bought a commission and sailed to war, she wed sensibly instead. Returned to her brother’s house a widow, she meets Lieutenant Emerson again and realizes neither of their feelings have changed. She accepts his request to chaperone his younger sister, Helena, hoping she might win his attention yet, with the assistance of the mysterious Mrs. Oliver and her guide for seduction.

Nicholas Emerson could never aspire to wed the daughter of a duke, especially one so pragmatic as Eliza has always been. That she married for the whimsy love makes him wonder how well he knew Eliza after all. She is still the only woman who captures his attention, but he knows his injuries mean he can never marry. Still, he cannot resist the chance to request Eliza’s assistance with Helena’s second season, and the chance to share her company.

Neither of them anticipate Helena’s wild behavior or their necessary alliance to defend her reputation. Entrusted with the manuscript of Mrs. Oliver’s advice on the seductive arts, Eliza puts its counsel to use, much to Nicholas’ delighted astonishment. How can he refuse the woman he loves, even knowing that he can never ensure her happiness? Caught between honor and love, Nicholas must accept his legacy from the war for this pair to have a future—is Eliza the woman who can heal his wounds forever?

Coming March 21, 2023

Pre-order available at some portals.