Monday, February 27, 2012

The Strange Tale of Bus Tours of Scotland and TEACH ME!

by Cassandra Dean

Hi peeps! Cassandra Dean here, armed and overwhelming ready to chat with you all!

So extremely exciting news – my second book,  Teach Me, is out February 21st, 2012!  Teach Me was a labour of love from beginning to end, and I’m absolutely ecstatic it will be available from Decadent Publishing very soon.

The Story Behind the Story
The idea for  Teach Me  came at a low point in my life. I hadn’t written anything for ages, and was not in the right frame of mind to turn this around. To cheer myself, I decided to achieve another of my life goals, and thus I booked a three-month holiday around Europe.

After a few days hanging out in London with a friend who resided there, I then journeyed to Glasgow to begin the second part of my trip, a two-week bus tour of Scotland. About four days in, the block that had plagued me for so long suddenly lifted and all my creativity came flooding back. Instead of staring at the back of heads, the epilogue of what eventually became Teach Me  popped into my head and I couldn’t for the life of me get rid of it.

However, as I was convinced I wouldn’t need such, I had packed no pen and no paper with me and so couldn’t write my idea down. Silly Cassandra! Luckily, most hotels will set out a lovely pen and pad on the desk in their rooms. Huzzah! So that night I appropriated my assigned pen and paper, and spent all evening detailing my idea. For the rest of the three months I was in Europe, I scribbled away at my pad every spare moment I had. It certainly amused my fellow travellers to no end!

After my return home, I wrote and wrote and Teach Me was born. The rest, as they say, is history!

So what, precisely, is Teach Me all about?  Teach Me  is the tale of a curious widowed lass who seeks to enhance her knowledge of erotic pleasure. She gets more than she bargained for when her tutor turns out to be the dissolute Earl of Malvern...

Not convinced? Well, let me attempt to convince you of the awesomeness of  Teach Me  some more, with cunningly arranged words and punctuation which results in the fabulous blurb below:

Ever curious, Elizabeth, Viscountess Rocksley, has turned her curiosity to erotic pleasure. Three years a widow, she boldly employs the madame of a brothel for guidance but never had she expected her education to be conducted by a coldly handsome peer of the realm.

To the Earl of Malvern, the erotic tutelage of a skittish widow is little more than sport, however the woman he teaches is far from the mouse he expects. With her sly humor and insistent joy, Elizabeth obliterates all his expectations and he, unwillingly fascinated, can’t prevent his fall.

Each more intrigued than they are willing to admit, Elizabeth and Malvern embark upon a tutelage that will challenge them, change them, come to mean everything to them…until a heartbreaking betrayal threatens to tear them apart forever.

Sounds pretty nifty, hey? :D

And now, just because I’m super awesome, a contest! Comment below and go in the running to win a prize* pack containing an ebook copy of Teach Me, a signed Teach Me postcard, a Teach Me magnet and a Teach Me keyring!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all enjoy Teach Me!

Cassandra Dean
Find me at:

**The small print: Comment before midnight on Friday, March 2, 2012 (Australian Central Daylight Saving Time) to be entered to win one (1) ebook copy of TEACH ME, one (1) signed TEACH ME postcard, one (1) TEACH ME magnet and one (1) TEACH ME keyring. Winner will be selected via random.org, with winner’s name posted on Cassandra’s blog by March 6, 2012. Cassandra will also contact the winner by e-mail; the winner will be required to reply with their postal address so Cassandra can send the prize to them. Only one entry per ISP address. International entries are welcome. No purchase necessary to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. 
Void where prohibited**

15 comments:

D L Jackson said...

Nice story. Before I had my laptop, I had notebooks all over the house, around twenty total, and it drove my husband nuts. I couldn't write on my breaks, waiting for the end of the day to pen them down. Lol. But what I did learn when I started scribbling in the spiral bounds, was that it slowed me down, forced me to think about each and every word I wrote. Now when I write myself into a corner, or I get blocked. I forgo the laptop and pick up a pad and paper.
And sometimes when the nude attacks, ya have to do what you have to do.
"Honey, why is their writing all over the toilet paper?"
"Don't touch that, it's chapter ten."

D L Jackson said...

Okay, this phone is not my friend. That's when the MUSE attacks, not nude. I hate auto correction. Argh....

Jessica E. Subject said...

I have notes absolutely everywhere. I, too, began writing in notebooks and often still do. Mostly because young children try to close my laptop or steal keys. It's much easier to deal with a scribbled on piece of paper. Haven't used toilet paper yet. LOL

Teach Me sounds so intriguing! All the best to you, Cassandra! :)

JoAnne Kenrick said...

YEAY! Grats on the release xx cover and story sound awesome.
And what a great blog post. I love hearing how stories came to be x You must have loads of photos you could use in a book trailer or video reading.
This one's going on my to read list -- of all the places in the world that I've lived, Scotland is my favorite. For SURE! The people, the land, the attitude. All good. Except for the fact that we had to explain we were Welsh, not English, all the time. But we were right in the thick of the highlands. I don't think it's like that in the major cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh. The borders were actually my favorite part of Scotland. Jedburgh is a gorgeous little town I could really see myself retiring in IF we ever moved back to the UK that's where you'll find us.

Anonymous said...

Great post, Cassandra!

'Teach Me' sounds like a wonderful read. I've added it to my kindle wish list.

Tam :)

Barbara Elsborg said...

Congrats, Cassandra! I'm another one who scribbles on bits of paper - especially in the middle of the night - it's then a challenge to dicipher what I wrote!
Or killed ma in carcass - is puzzling me at the moment - I suspect I meant car crash!

VS Morgan said...

Congratulations, Cassandra! Thank you for sharing your story - very inspiring. Teach Me is a wonderful book.

I also take notes everywhere. :)

KaceyHammell said...

Notebooks...I have about a dozen everywhere, in every tote/purse/backpack. I love the dollar stores we have around here for that very reason -- notebooks are much cheaper!
I used to use a tape recorder but don't do it as often since I couldn't say bits and pieces of the spicier stories at the grocery store or in front of my kids! LOL So paper is a lot better.
Teach Me sounds like a great read. I've added it to my TBR pile.

Jenifer Probst said...

Big congrats Cassandra! I love stories about regaining your creativity - it is always wedged inside and sometimes needs something special to bring it back out. Can't wait to read the book!

Clarissa Yip said...

Hey Cassandra! Loved Teach Me! Loved your characters and I fell in love with James the moment I met him. Truly hope there's another book after this one! And thanks for sharing! I enjoyed reading the story behind the story!

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed your comments in your post. Thanks so much for the giveaway!

bn100 said...

I enjoyed learning about the inspiration for your book. It sounds very good.

bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

Christy said...

Hi Cassandra, Your book sounds great! Thanks for the great contest. I would love to read it. Thanks christina_92 at yahoo.com

The Scarf Princess said...

I constantly am writing in notebooks and on sticky notes since there's so many tidbits I want to remember and I'm not even a writer. I'm a big fan of historicals and love the sound of this story. Seeing how it evolved makes it sound even more exciting.

joderjo402 AT gmail DOT com

Cassandra Dean said...

Hi peeps!

Wow, what lovely comments! It also nice to know other people scribble all over the place :D

Well, the time has come to announce the winner of the contest. Drumroll please...

Congratulations...

Barbara Elsborg!

Barbara, you are the winner of an ebook copy of TEACH ME, a signed TEACH ME postcard, a TEACH ME magnet and a TEACH ME keyring!

And because I don't like to see anyone go away empty handed, I'd like to offer everyone who commented a signed TEACH ME postcard! If this is something you would like, please contact me via my website (http://cassandradean.wordpress.com/contact)!

Thank you all for commenting, it was a delight to read!

Cassandra
xx