Angie Morgan's Blog

…that I am now represented by Liza Fleissig of the Liza Royce Agency!

I am thrilled to make this announcement! It’s been a challenging couple of years — for a lot of people, and for a number of reasons! — but after taking some much needed time focusing on falling back in love with writing, and going through the motions of querying again for the first time in over a decade, I am so excited to have found an literary agent who is passionate about my writing and the future of my publishing career.

I’m not going to sugarcoat it: there were many moments when I wondered if I should switch careers, give up writing and do something that was more of a sure thing, some nine to five job with benefits, maybe? But each time I let myself think in that direction, it was like my mind would dig in its heels and stop me from going any further.

I love writing. I love creating stories. I love entertaining readers. I knew I couldn’t give up.

I am so glad I didn’t. This is a new beginning, and I’m overjoyed to be at the start line with Liza and her team!

Hi all! In just a few short weeks, the third book in my historical Highlander romance series with Entangled Publishing is going to be released, and my co-author Amalie Howard and I are SO EXCITED to be revealing the cover for it today–and to be holding a cover reveal giveaway! THIS COVER, you guys! Cue all the heart eye emojis and palpitating hearts. We love it so much!

Right??? Entangled has always created awesome covers for our books, and this last one for our Tartans and Titans series is no exception. If you’re wondering what WHAT A SCOT WANTS is about, here’s the summary:

Highlander Ronan Maclaren must marry, but he’s in no particular hurry. He’s perfectly happy as the laird of his clan, running the Maclaren Whisky Distillery, and besides, he just hasn’t found the right woman.

Lady Imogen Kincaid has cleverly avoided wedlock for years. Men, she has learned from painful experience, are not to be trusted. Determined to remain independent, she takes an indecent amount of pleasure in making herself as unattractive to potential suitors as possible.

When desperate measures are taken by their parents and a betrothal contract is signed, it’s loathing at first sight. They each vow to make the other cry off—by any means necessary. But what starts out as a battle of wits…quickly dissolves into a battle of wills.

We’re celebrating the cover reveal with a $25 Amazon gift card or your choice of book(s) from Book Depository! Fill out the Rafflecopter giveaway below to enter.

We had so much fun writing this one, and can’t wait for you all to read it!

Hi Halloween Hoppers! Who’s excited for a chance to win a $50 gift card and a stack of books??

And who’s excited for Halloween?

After trick-or-treating became so un-cool to teenage Angie, I didn’t care much about the holiday. It wasn’t until my kids were old enough to start picking out their own costumes and greedily counting their candy booty that I was reminded just how fun it can be. And with kids came school Halloween parties! I always sign up to bring in a treat, and because I have more Pinterest Fails than successes, I like to keep things super simple. I’m sharing my absolutely delicious and chocolatey homemade brownie recipe with you today! Really easy and so much better than boxed!

Then, in the spirit of Halloween, why not place a whole bunch of candy corn pumpkins over the finished and cooled brownies?? Enough for each brownie square.

I hope you love these as much as I do!

And to keep hopping to all the other participating Entangled authors, follow the links below!

Good luck, readers!

www.harmonywilliams.com/halloween-hop

https://www.facebook.com/jennifertretheweyromance/

https://www.heathermccollum.com/

https://diana-lloyd.com

https://www.facebook.com/TinaGabrielle/

https://www.facebook.com/TaraKingstonAuthor/

Https://facebook.com/MaddisonMichaelsAuthor

https://www.facebook.com/LianainBloom/

I spent Mother’s Day relaxing as much as possible, but Sundays aren’t really rest days around my house. I’m usually cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, or fitting in some other project that I want to finish before the school week starts up. This year, though, I made it a point to TREAT MYSELF.

via GIPHY

I don’t usually treat myself. Sometimes it makes me feel guilty, like I should be doing something for someone else instead. Mom guilt? Societal pressure? But you know what…treating myself felt really, REALLY good. Like, I could get used to it.

I’m a scotch girl, so I went out and bought myself a bottle of Dalwhinnie (a scotch I’ve been wanting to try for a while). Then, I took my mom and sister to get manicures. Can you believe I’d never had a manicure before?? I can’t stop staring at my nails.

via GIPHY

And to top it off, I bought myself a pair of cashmere joggers. OMG. I cannot wait for them to show up at the post office. Though, I’m going to have to aggressively protect them from my twelve- and fourteen-year-old daughters who like to steal my clothes.

Self-care is something I’ve had to think more about this past year. Most authors will identify with just how easy it is to NOT employ self-care. We work from home, usually, and sometimes have other part-time or even full time jobs. Whether you have a family or not, there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything we need to do, and then add on top of that the toxic online world that we absolutely have to take part in, in order to stay visible and relevant and “accessible.” It’s difficult, and sometimes it downright sucks. Especially if you haven’t been able to sell a beloved project, or you’re struggling with a WIP, or feeling Imposter Syndrome. (If you have a minute, check out this great new post from romance author Peggy Jaeger on Imposter Syndrome)

Pulling yourself out of that spiraling funk is not easy. I’ve been having a great time writing historical romances with my co-author and friend Amalie Howard, and Entangled Publishing has been awesome to us, but there are other projects I love that haven’t sold. Not just one or two, but a handful, and it often leaves me wondering, What now?

More and more, I think of the term ‘self-care’ and what it means. It doesn’t necessarily mean buying good scotch or cashmere or getting your nails done (though let’s be honest, those things can’t hurt!). Take time to be offline, to block out the toxic chatter, to just sit outside in the sun or read a book in your TBR pile. It could be as quick as brewing a pot of coffee or tea. Self-care looks different to everyone, and all choices apply.

I’ve had a lot of people assume that being a full time writer is a cushy and easy job. There are definite perks—not having to go into an office every day, making my own hours, being able to do what I love, etc.—but there are pit falls too. I’m not even going to list them, because honestly, I don’t have to in order to make them real for me. I’ve come to the realization that I don’t have to prove myself to anyone. I need to do what I need to do, and that means taking care of my mental health with some self-care every now and then. And maybe some more cashmere. So go be you, do you, take care of you, whatever you need. I’ll be over here doing the same thing!

I finally saw Avengers: Infinity War over the weekend, and while I knew there was going to be a BIG ending, I am rather proud of myself that I managed to avoid any specific spoilers beforehand. I had to scroll fast on Twitter and FB; I had to warn my kids that if they heard spoilers at school they were NOT to repeat them at home. And it worked! So when the end came… I HAD THE FEELINGS.

But mostly, I think I’m okay. And that’s because I went right home and Googled the hell out of “Infinity War Ending.” I like some of these theories I saw, and I’d already formed a few of my own on the drive home. Thank you, Dr. Strange, for being more interesting in this movie than you were in your own. (No offense Benedict, I heart you). But I’m OKAY. I AM. I mean…I think I am, so long as what I think is going to happen actually happens. There. Spoilery-free review.

On the book front, I’ve read two really fun books:

A CURIOUS BEGINNING, by Deanne Raybourn. Historical mystery with just a dash of romantic tension, with the promise of more in future books in the series. Hot and brooding lead hero (with an eye patch and lots of dark secrets!) and an admirable heroine (who has a rule that she will only take part in romantic trysts with men from other countries). Here’s my review on Goodreads.

I’m almost finished with GLADIATOR, Anna Hackett’s first Galactic Gladiators sci-fi romance book. There are upwards of ten in this series, and I can see myself picking away at them, for sure. If my Kindle’s battery hadn’t died and I didn’t keep forgetting to charge it, I would have finished it by now. Very cool setting, lots of action, and if you’re looking for steam, it’s here. Like, a sauna full of it. And I love alien stories, so I’m in.

This week, I’ll be working on my own alien YA WIP, something I plan to publish (under my YA pen name Page Morgan) by the end of 2018! It’s been my Sunday Funday project for a few years now, and considering I’ve finished books one and two, I think it’s time to get these out there for other sci-fi lovers. So, more on that soon!

Amalie and I have been waiting for weeks and weeks to be able to share the cover for the first book in our new Highlander romance series with you, and FINALLY we can do it!

Feast your eyes, dear readers:

I KNOW, RIGHT??

This first book in our Tartans & Titans series (arriving May 28) is a spin-off from the last book in our Lords of Essex series (My Scot, My Surrender, on sale right now for $.99!), and we are so excited to be sharing Niall and Aisla’s story with you.

More about the book:

Lady Aisla Montgomery has a perfectly tolerable marriage…as long as her husband stays in Scotland and she in Paris. But now, years later, she wants only one thing—a divorce.

Niall Stuart Maclaren, the rugged Laird of Tarbendale, rues the day he met his beautiful, conniving wife. Though the thought of her incites a bitter and biting fury, no other woman has ever stirred his blood as hotly.

When Aisla returns to Scotland to sever ties, Niall agrees on one condition—one week with him for every year of desertion. Six weeks as his wife in his castle…in his bed…in exchange for her freedom.

You can add SWEET HOME HIGHLANDER to your Goodreads list. Preorder links coming soon!

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Drumroll please…we would like to share the smoldering new cover for the last book in the Lords of Essex series: My Scot, My Surrender, out January 29, 2018! We are so happy with it! What’s not to love about a brawny Highlander in a kilt swinging a sword? *swoon*

What do you guys think?

Be sure to enter our romance holiday giveaway below for a chance to win a signed paperback prize pack of the first three books in the series as well as a chance to win an e-ARC of My Scot, My Surrender!

One of them will have to give up everything.

SCOTLAND, 1819.

Brandt Montgomery Pierce is a bastard—and proud of it. Raised by the Duke of Bradburne, Brandt enjoys an uncommon life of privilege. Despite the mystery surrounding his birth, he has wealth and opportunity, and wants nothing more. Especially not a wife.

Lady Sorcha Maclaren, the fiery and scarred daughter of Laird Maclaren, the Duke of Dunrannoch, is desperate to avoid marriage to a loathsome marquess at any cost…even if it means risking a kiss with a handsome stranger at a Scottish border festival.

But after an innocent kiss turns into a scandalously public embrace, Sorcha and Brandt get more than they bargained for—a swift trip to the altar. When danger chases them into the Highlands, and deceit threatens to tear them apart, their only hope will be to surrender…to each other.

Doesn’t it look gorgeous with the rest of the series?

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Amalie and I are so excited to reveal our spectacular new cover for MY HELLION, MY HEART, the third book in the Lords Of Essex series!!

Steamy, sassy, and so much FUN! My Hellion, My Heart kept me guessing and swooning until the last page—I never wanted it to end. This is Regency Romance at its best, my friends. ~ Rachel Harris, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Nanny Arrangement.

He fought battles for crown and country. She waged war for his heart.

Lord Henry Radcliffe, the scarred but sinfully sexy Earl of Langlevit, is a beast. The only way Henry can exorcise the demons of his war-ravaged past is through intense physicality. In and out of bed. An endeavor that has no shortage of willing participants.

Intent on scandalizing London, Princess Irina Volkonsky is a hellion and every gentleman’s deepest desire…except for one. Irina knows better than to provoke the wickedly forbidding earl, but she will stop at nothing short of ruination to win the heart of the only man she’s ever loved.

But when one scandalous kiss makes dangerous passions ignite, neither of them can fight their sizzling attraction. When a sinister plot emerges to threaten them both, they will have to fight one last battle, this time for the ultimate prize…love.

What do you guys think???

To celebrate, we’re doing a giveaway for a signed paperback set of books 1 & 2 in the Lords of Essex series!

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Amalie and I can finally reveal the gorgeous cover for MY DARLING, MY DISASTER, the second book in the Lords of Essex series! We love so much about it…the dress, especially. Don’t you just want to touch those ruffles??

And thank you, Eliza Knight for the the lovely cover quote! Here’s the quote in full:

“A hearty dose of scandalous secrets, danger, and burning passion, My Darling, My Disaster by Amalie Howard & Angie Morgan is a delicious page-turning escape!”  ~Eliza Knight, USA Today bestselling author of historical romance

To celebrate, Amalie and I are hosting a giveaway for a paperback prize of MY ROGUE, MY RUIN and MY DARLING, MY DISASTER, along with some fun Lords of Essex swag!

And please be sure to add MY DARLING, MY DISASTER to your Goodreads to-read list!

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Hello Readers!

Considering I write historical romance, it’s probably no surprise that I’ve been watching the new Masterpiece Theatre show, VICTORIA. Have you? The first season aired across the pond last year, leaving us Americans high and dry, forcing us to wait until 2017. As if I already didn’t want to be British enough, right? Victoria just looked so decadent and romantic, and it’s exactly the kind of slow burn I love. For the last few Sunday nights, I’ve been getting my girls in bed, pouring a glass of wine, and hopping on the couch, all before 9 p.m.

So can we talk about Lord Melbourne? (Warning! SPOILERS ahead!)

I had to research the real Lord M and his relationship to the young queen because I was just so in love with the idea of them hitting it off, and then fighting the rules and expectations of their stations, and maybe even more so, a May-December romance. I’m not going to lie – I was hoping for them to at least kiss.

The real Lord Melbourne was definitely old enough to be Victoria’s grandfather. Or at least father. And while he had that prim and jovial grandfather look going on…

he wasn’t nearly as I’m-going-to-destroy-your-heart-handsome as Rufus Sewell…

But apparently he did have a rather scandalous marriage and suffered the death of a child. The first two episodes drew me in with the setting, the costumes, the intrigue, Victoria’s bold attitude, and especially the romantic tension between Lord M. and Victoria. So when Lord Albert showed up I automatically didn’t like him. I mean, I know it’s historically accurate and everything, but could he, I don’t know, maybe hold his head up a little higher (what’s with all the hunching over?), push his hair out of his eyes, and stop being such a wet blanket?

I can see what the writers for the show are doing, though. To compete with the attraction Victoria and Lord M have, they needed to do something special with Albert. The friction between him and Victoria is well done, and I especially like how his unflappable attitude and the little digs he takes at her behavior shine some light on her flaws. While Lord M adores her, Albert isn’t going to let her off the hook so easily.

Still, my heart was breaking for Lord M in the last episode (ep.4), when Victoria had seemed to be completely over him. Then again, the real Lord M never remarried, which is kind of in line with this Lord M’s reluctance to accept Victoria when she all but proposed to him.

Alas, we all know Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s marriage was a love match, and that when he died she mourned him for the rest of her life. So I suppose there is no room for Lord M after all!

If you haven’t started watching VICTORIA yet (and haven’t been ruined by all the spoilers), check it out on Masterpiece!

(images taken from Pinterest and the illustrious Wikipedia!)