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Kirsten gets a free autographed copy of The Wild Marquis , Miranda Neville's sexy, witty new historical romance. Congrats to Kirsten, and thanks to everybody who dropped by to chat with Miranda.

Chatting with Miranda Neville yesterday about her new historical romance, The Wild Marquis , I became reminded of what's in some way dearest to me about writing romance fiction -- the pleasures of participating in a genre that loves female wit and of imagining lovers as hot for each other's minds as for their bodies. I'm not sure when I first encountered such a couple in my youthful reading. Certainly there were elements in Jo March and her professor, in Darcy's admiration of Lizzy Bennet's wit and smarts (though for Austen heroes, my favorite has always been Henry Tilney, who's man enough to joke about muslin). For me, the fantasy probably found its fullest, most delicious embodiment in the sexy, brainy pairing of Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. And when I came to write romantic fiction myself, it was because I'd found myself in the clutches of just such a fantasy: of Marie-Laure, the eponymous bookseller's very bookish, rationally-minded daughter...

We hoydens not only love the ins and outs of history, we love the company of heroes and heroines who are not only bold and sexy, but brainy -- and sometimes as bookish as we are. Which makes it a particular pleasure to help celebrate the publication of The Wild Marquis , set in the world of Regency bibliophiles, by chatting with historical author Miranda Neville . (Readers who leave comments: Miranda will be giving away a signed copy to one of you, chosen at random.) Welcome, Miranda, and tell us a little about The Wild Marquis. Hello, Hoydens, and thanks for having me. While as to The Wild Marquis , first book of The Burgundy Trilogy: The Marquis of Chase wants to recover a family heirloom, a rare medieval manuscript that is being offered for sale at auction. To help him he hires a bookseller, the widowed Juliana Merton who, despite her knowledge of her subject, has a tough time making male book collectors take her seriously. In the process they are drawn into the obsessive rivalry ...