I always love meeting debut authors. They have that starry-eyed glow about them. And of course, it gives us all a chance to discover a new favorite author. So let’s start the New Year off right with debut author, Cecilia Grant and Five Things:

1. Where is the most beautiful/romantic place you’ve ever been? I once journeyed by bus from Aberystwyth, on the Welsh seacoast, to the inland mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog. I was traveling alone, and didn’t know anybody in either place (I’d sort of picked them off the map), so it was just me and the craggy, impossibly green Welsh hills and the little towns where the bus would occasionally make a stop. I’ve never seen another landscape with that combination of grandeur and intimacy.

2. Do you celebrate when you finish a book and what do you do? Oh, heck no. The few weeks after a book is finished are some of the most stressful in the process, because that’s when I send it off to my editor and wait to hear what she thinks. And it always seems possible, in those weeks, that her response is going to be, “Oh, my god, reading this manuscript has made me realize you really can’t write at all! What were we thinking, signing you to a contract?”

3. What blogs do you visit? Dear Author and Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, for generally keeping up with the Romance world. History Hoydens and Word Wenches for fascinating articles about historical detail. ReadReactReview for thoughtful, accessible analysis of the genre. And Gossamer Obsessions, because AnimeJune can make me laugh just as hard with a good review as with a bad one.

4. If you were not writing, what job would you have? I wish writing were my only job. But as long as I’ve got dependent kids and a mortgage, I’m going to be pretty wedded to the health benefits and steady income of my day job – I’m just cautious that way. So if I weren’t writing, what I’d have is my same not-very-interesting day job plus more free time. Minus a lot of fulfillment.

5. Most embarrassing song on your iPod? It’s possible there might be some Journey on there. In fact it’s altogether possible that Journey singer Steve Perry’s solo hit, “Oh, Sherrie” is on there, for sing-along purposes. “You’d be better off alone!/If I’m not who you/thought I’d be-EE-ee!”

If anything, the cover for her debut, A Lady Awakened, makes me pea-green with envy. Quite literally! Isn’t this the most gorgeous cover you’ve ever seen? And thus begins Cecilia Grant’s career. You can find out more about her at her website, CecilaGrant.com. Make sure to get your copy of A Lady Awakened, and be on the lookout for her second book, A Gentleman Undone, coming June 2012 from Bantam.