Interview with historical romance author Jean M. Grant

Novelist Jean M. Grant is here today and we’re chatting about her new historical romance with a paranormal twist, A Hundred Breaths.

During her virtual book tour, Jean will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:

Jean’s background is in science and she draws from her interests in history, nature, and her family for inspiration. She writes historical and contemporary romances and women’s fiction. She also writes articles for family-oriented travel magazines. When she’s not writing or chasing children, she enjoys tending to her flower gardens, hiking, and doing just about anything in the outdoors.

Please share a little bit about your current release.

After finishing my first book (A Hundred Kisses), I was compelled to write the story of Deirdre’s parents, Simon and Gwyn, and thus the prequel came to life (never fear, the sequel, and third book in the trilogy is being written). This story came forth in a rush…apparently, my hero and heroine really wanted their story told, too! After setting up the 13^th century Scottish world in the first book, it was relatively easy to start putting the pieces together of the isles’ Ancients, a mystical culture from which Gwyn hailed. Gwyn is a Healer with great abilities to save lives, at the detriment of her own. Enter in a Norse culture intent on exploiting the Ancients’ powers and dominating the Scots. Simon is a Scotsman with deep emotional wounds and is hellbent on revenge against the Norse. This brings us to the Simon and Gwyn’s journey: can she heal his heart…with her last breath? Can they outwit her madman father and Norse betrothed? Will Simon die on the battlefield as Gwyn’s Seer sister has foreseen?

What inspired you to write this book?

My first book inspired this one. Originally set to be a standalone, that now published book will be the middle of this trilogy. If we go back to how I got the ball rolling on that book…well, I love Scotland. Everything about it. I’ve also been drawn to historical romances, especially medieval. When I first started writing years ago, I wrote a few (non-published, and as I like to call “practice”) novels in the 12^th century. When it came to this “hundred” series, I decided to jump ahead a century. Lo and behold, I found myself entrenched in a rich part of Scottish-English-Norse history. A vacation to Scotland for research several years ago sealed the deal for me. I was in love. During the critiquing phase of those practice novels, I was advised to add some twists, and from there came the idea of this culture of Ancients with mystical powers. Loosely based on Scottish lore, I took the reins and have been happy with the series that has unfolded!

Excerpt from A Hundred Breaths:
She breathed two deep life-giving breaths.

Pull breath from my body.

Heal this man with my own breath.

A thermal life filled her fingertips as she clasped the Healer’s stone in her pocket. For something small, water was not necessary. However, if left unattended, it

could and would kill.

The man faltered but didn’t move from her light grasp. Wind rustled her hair as Eir surrounded her. Unlike her mother, she never plaited it for healing. She liked to feel Eir’s fingers upon her and the fiery rush of healing as it flowed through her arms to the injured person, as the wind lifted her hair, announcing its presence.

“What the—?” He drew in a sharp breath.

She mouthed the rest of the chant, invoking the goddess’s power. She moved closer to him, their bodies an intimate—and stirring—distance apart. His nearness captured her breath, and not just from the healing.

“What are you doing?” His words said one thing while his body said another. He didn’t step away. His breathing hitched and then steadied.

“It’s not the devil’s works,” she clipped.

“Then what in the devil are you saying? That’s not Norse.”

She ignored him. He placed a gentle, nearly sedated hand on her free arm in protest, but he did nothing. Her healing had a way of stunning and spellbinding her charges. It was working.

A long moment passed. She opened her eyes and stepped back, releasing her hold. He let go of her other arm and immediately reached to touch the wound. Her stomach twisted as she broke from the enchantment. This was her father’s enemy, a murderer. Finished with her prayer, she stepped away, hit with coldness.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I’m writing the third book in the “hundred” trilogy! Also, I have two other books set to release this spring. One is a contemporary romance novella, part of the Deerbourne Inn series put out by The Wild Rose Press, and the other is a contemporary women’s fiction novel. On the backburner, because I always have ideas churning, is another contemporary romance and an edgy, dark mainstream novel.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Good question. As I was pursuing publication, I decided to also “write what I know” and submit work to travel magazines. When that first article came out three years ago, and subsequently that year when I signed my first book contract, I felt I could finally call myself an author/writer. However, I’ve been honing the craft and learning the industry for over two decades now. And if I go farther back, I enjoyed writing poetry in my teens, and even wrote a mini-novel that is lost in a box in my basement somewhere.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
My background is in science (specifically, Marine Science and Biology in undergrad, and Microbiology and Immunology in grad). After several years in the science field as researcher and contractor, I stayed home for a few years while my children were younger. When they got more independent and school-aged, I worked part time as a church education director. During those years I wrote in all the nooks and crannies I could find. I like to incorporate my love of science, nature, travel, history, and parenting into my fiction and non-fiction work. Last year I took the leap to pursue my writing profession full-time. It’s been quite the journey! I tend to write throughout the day while managing other life tasks, and I enjoy chatting with the #5amwritersclub on Twitter. Morning and day are my peak productivity times.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
My obsession with red pens and pink Post-its. Followed closely by my “word purges.” I have a love-hate relationship with them but I feel so much better after whittling down my word purge list in polishing the manuscript.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

My first love was art. My mother was an artist and my inspiration. I would also help my elementary school art teacher with organizing the classroom or hanging up art for the art shows. My mother also loved poetry. I got my creative side from her. Then in my teens I showed an interest in science, especially sharks, and even though words and art remained on my mind, I ultimately took that career route. During college, I wrote my first (practice) novel and fell in love with microbes, and that was a good thing, because I get seasick! Twenty years later, I am now a full-time author with an arsenal of scientific knowledge and writing practice. Though, do we ever feel equipped enough? Even now, I am still learning more about the craft and publication world, especially the marketing/promotion front.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Bookbub | Amazon Author Page

Buy links:

Amazon | The Wild Rose Press | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | Kobo | Google Play

Thank you for being a guest on my blog!

Thanks for hosting me!

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Interview with novelist Leonide Martin

Novelist Leonide Martin is here today to chat with me a bit about her new historical romance, The Prophetic Mayan Queen: K'inuuw Mat of Palenque.

During her virtual book tour, Leonide will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too.

Welcome, Leonide. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

Leonide (Lennie) Martin: Retired California State University professor, former Family Nurse Practitioner, Author and Maya researcher, Research Member Maya Exploration Center.

My books bring ancient Maya culture and civilization to life in stories about both actual historical Mayans and fictional characters. I've studied Maya archeology, anthropology, and history from the scientific and indigenous viewpoints. While living for five years in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, I apprenticed with Maya Elder Hunbatz Men, becoming a Solar Initiate and Maya Fire Women in the Itzá Maya tradition. I've studied with other indigenous teachers in Guatemala, including Maya Priestess-Daykeeper Aum Rak Sapper and Maya elder Tata Pedro. The ancient Mayas created the most highly advanced civilization in the Western hemisphere, and my work is dedicated to their wisdom, spirituality, scientific, and cultural accomplishments through compelling historical novels.

My interest in ancient Mayan women led to writing the Mayan Queens' series called Mists of Palenque. This 4-book series tells the stories of powerful women who shaped the destinies of their people as rulers themselves, or wives of rulers. These remarkable Mayan women are unknown to most people. Using extensive research and field study, I aspire to depict ancient Palenque authentically and make these amazing Mayan Queens accessible to a wide readership.

My writing has won awards from Writer's Digest for short fiction, and The Visionary Mayan Queen: Yohl Ik'nal of Palenque (Mists of Palenque Series Book 1) received the Writer's Digest 2nd Annual Self-Published eBook award in 2015. The Controversial Mayan Queen: Sak K'uk of Palenque (Book 2) published in 2015. The Mayan Red Queen: Tz'aakb'u Ahau of Palenque (Book 3) received a Silver Medal in Dan Poynter's Global eBook Awards for 2016. The Prophetic Mayan Queen: K'inuuw Mat of Palenque (Book 4) is the final in the series, published in November 2018.

I live with my husband David Gortner and two white cats in Oregon's Willamette Valley wine country, where I enjoy gardening, hiking, and wine tasting.

Please share a little bit about your current release.

Journey back 1300 years to the splendor and intrigue of Mayan civilization, the most advanced in the Western World. K'inuuw Mat, a royal girl who wants to dedicate her life to serving Mother Goddess Ix Chel, instead finds her destiny is marriage into the Palenque royal family, overlords of her region. With her skills in scrying and prophecy, she seeks a vision of her future husband, but upon arriving at his city she realizes the face she saw is his older brother, Kan Bahlam. They are immediately attracted, though she resists and marries the younger brother. As family conflicts, regional politics, and high court dramas play out, K'inuuw Mat shares intellectual and astronomical interests with Kan Bahlam while keeping her distance. He schemes to fulfill his passion for her, assisted by fateful events that bring them together in most unexpected ways.

What inspired you to write this book?
Several years ago when living in Yucatan, Mexico to study the Mayas, I became fascinated by the prominent roles of ancient Mayan women. At the world famous archeological site of Palenque (in Chiapas, MX), after visiting the tomb of "The Red Queen" I wanted to know about her. Studying her history led to learning about the royal women in the Palenque dynasty. Two of these women ruled in their own right, and two others including the Red Queen and K'inuuw Mat were influential wives of rulers. Other ancient Maya cities had "warrior queens" who led forces in battle. I wanted to bring the stories of these powerful women to a wider public, who know nothing about them. Since I knew the most about the Palenque royal women, I developed a historical fiction series about them. All four women married and had children, so the stories of their personal lives were as important as their official positions. This quite naturally leads to their romantic involvements and childbearing experiences. K'inuuw Mat is the fourth queen in the "Mists of Palenque Series" and her story is the final one. Each book in the series stands alone, a complete story in itself, so you can read them in any sequence.

Excerpt from The Prophetic Mayan Queen: K'inuuw Mat of Palenque:
After several rounds of dancing, Tiwol took K'inuuw Mat's hand and they returned to their mat. Her fingers entwined with his; she liked the warmth of his grasp. She felt happy and content, thinking that the Goddess' intentions were surely coming to pass. Tiwol turned to talk with two young men who stood by the mat. Still standing, K'inuuw Mat looked across the patio to watch the more vigorous dancing that had started. She patted one foot in rhythm to the music, until suddenly she caught view of the man who had just entered from the far veranda.

Her heart did a flip-flop and began pounding, while her stomach clenched into a tight knot. Eyes wide in disbelief, she stared at the tall man slowly weaving his way between dancers. Torchlight caught his face and brought his features into sharp focus—the face she had seen in her scrying bowl.

No-nooo! Her mind screamed silently. This could not be happening. The exact face, every feature she had so carefully memorized, of the man who would be her husband. Just when she accepted that her scrying was inaccurate, he appeared precisely as she had been shown. A wave of nausea swept over her and she clutched her stomach, dropping her gaze and collapsing onto the mat.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I'm an admirer of historical mysteries, such as Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series set in early 1900's Egyptian archeological digs. Now I'm thinking about trying my hand at similar mysteries in the Maya regions in the 1920's. During this time women had major breakthroughs and opportunities for adventures. It was rampant with juicy archeological happenings such as tomb robbery and artifacts pilfering. My protagonists would be young women cutting loose and exploring different worlds, with an older female archeologist mentor. Writing mysteries (not involving murders) is branching into a new genre for me, and I've got lots to learn. I'm still in the conceptual and information gathering phase, and not yet writing the stories.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

My earliest memories of writing are during the pre-teen years. I penned (literally) short stories in a spiral notebook, mostly set in the Wild West. At that time I really enjoyed Zane Gray and science fiction. In high school and college I took writing and literature courses, and have always been an avid reader. I loved writing term papers and found it a creative process. Once I'd attained advanced degrees and became a university professor, writing became part of my job, my daily activities. Publishing was required, so I authored numerous journal articles, major textbooks, and popular non-fiction about health. Writing has always been integral to my professional work.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I've never written full-time, though writing was part of my academic career. After retiring, I expanded my interests in ancient cultures, especially the Mayas. Although writing non-fiction was natural for me, I thought that more people could be reached through fiction. I'd spent years studying archeology and anthropology textbooks, and only a seriously dedicated "Mayanist" would plow through such complex details. Although daunting at first, I decided to write historical fiction about the Mayas. When I started this, I was still working in the university and at a medical clinic, where I was a Family Nurse Practitioner. Now I've been retired for over a decade, still continuing to write.

My work day is really variable. I can go weeks without working on a book and then return to the project dedicating hours a day to writing. I'm intensely involved then, virtually ignoring the outside world (much to my husband and cats' annoyance). I write from a detailed outline and set up timelines for myself that drive my writing. Meeting deadlines for editing and publication also keep me on track. Usually I don't write at night; I get tired and feel my concentration isn't good. Mornings are best for creative writing. For editing and cross-checking, most any time works except night.

When not engaged in research, planning, outlining, fact checking, writing, editing, and marketing for my books, I enjoy a number of activities: taking walks, cooking and putting up food, dinners with friends, going to concerts, wine tasting, petting the cats, and various volunteer groups (bane of the retired existence). Evenings I usually read, or watch very selected TV programs with my husband, such as PBS, movies, and football/baseball.

I don't find time to write, I make time as needed.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Editing and re-editing as I write is an interesting quirk. Many writers just let the writing flow and return later to clean up the grammar, language, and word use. Not so for me. If I don't like the sentence when it's finished, I go back at once and re-work it. However, I don't spend too long at that, because I know I'll re-read my work again and again. I'm quite a rapid writer and touch typist, creating on my computer.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be some type of scientist, maybe related to space travel. Then I found I could draw pretty well, but being practical thought I'd be a commercial artist. The one thing I did not want to be was a teacher, so what happened? I had a teaching career, at the university level in health sciences, after nursing education and several advanced degrees.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Be open to branching out in your reading. We all have preferred genres, but exploring new ones can be rewarding in surprising ways. Many books cross genres, as mine do. Be open-minded to cultures and ways of communicating that are different. Be respectful of other cultures, especially when names are strange and hard to pronounce. Mayan names are difficult, you can't tell sex from the name, but they have linguistic beauty and cadence. I provide pronunciation guides in all my books. I've read books using Aztec names, which are even more difficult than Mayan ones. Just read books using full, authentic Hawaiian names if you really want a challenge.

But finally, keep on reading!

Links:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Amazon | Blog

Thank you for being a guest on my blog!

You're most welcome, Lisa! Thank you so much for hosting me. I'm excited to be part of my first Virtual Blog Tour. Your blog is so helpful to readers in finding stories that interest them, and gives great exposure for indie/small press authors. For your readers who take the leap into K'inuuw Mat's exotic world, my deepest gratitude. May your reading discoveries continue to inspire and fulfill you.

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Interview with romance author Sofie Darling

Romance author Sofie Darling is here today to chat with me about her new historical romance, Tempted by the Viscount.

During her virtual book tour, Sofie will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Welcome, Sofie. Please share a little bit about your current release.

Tempted by the Viscount is the second book in my Shadows and Silk series.

Jake is new in Town. He’s been a sailor all his life, but he recently inherited an English viscountcy that he didn’t really want. He has two goals: sort out the estate’s finances and find a wife. Well, mostly a stepmother for his daughter Mina. She has a mixed-race heritage and for her to succeed in English Society, she will need a proper stepmother of impeccable reputation to guide and protect her.

With her pedigree, Lady Olivia Montfort might perfectly fit the bill, except she’s a scandalous divorcée and has sworn off men entirely. What she really wants is her own townhouse and complete independence.

When Jake’s past in the Far East surfaces in London and threatens Mina’s future, Jake and Olivia must strike a bargain to help each other. What they don’t anticipate is the temptation of each other.

What inspired you to write this book?

I read a historical fiction novel set in early 19^th century Dejima, Japan and was fascinated by the setting. Before 1854, Japan was closed to all Western trade with the exception of the Dutch and only on the small, man-made island of Dejima located in the Bay of Nagasaki. It wasn’t long before my half-Dutch, half-English sea captain came to me, and his story began to unfold. I love the setting so much that I’m planning on returning there in a later book in the series.

Excerpt from Tempted by the Viscount:

The string quartet struck up the opening notes of a waltz, the crowd raised its voice in a unified cheer, and Lord St. Alban held out his hand to her. “May I have the honor of this dance?”

She should say no. She needed to say no.

She couldn’t. Not without inviting more scandal from the odd curious eye that might be observing them. She’d endured enough scandal these last six months to last her a lifetime.

She stepped a hesitant foot forward and held out her hand, willing herself to look up at him. Most extraordinary were Lord St. Alban’s eyes: arctic blue rimmed in navy. They should be frosty, but they weren’t. They burned with the whitest heat of a blue flame.

She’d never entertained the idea that one could be incinerated by a waltz. But when he took her hand and her pulse jumped, she suspected that she would be lucky to escape this dance entirely unsinged.

She steeled herself and asked, “Shall we begin?”

On a nod, he pulled her toward him and set their bodies into motion. Her gaze remained resolutely fixed over his shoulder in the hope of foiling any attempt at small talk on his part. Her hope was immediately dashed.

“It is a strange sensation,” he began, “to have your body so completely in hand and, yet, the essence of you so far away.”

A shocked laugh escaped her. Words like body and essence could make a lady go speechless. They weren’t words used in polite circles, particularly in the way they’d crossed his lips, as if a promise was located somewhere inside.

Desperate to summon an upright ancestor or two, she said, “You know nothing of my body or my essence.”

What exciting story are you working on next?

I’ve just turned in the third book of the Shadows and Silk series, Her Midnight Sin, to my editor. It’s the story of world-weary Captain John Nylander and feisty widow Lady Calpurnia Radclyffe as they vie for the same Devon country estate. There will be pirates and apple brandy.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Honestly, I still have trouble with that. My first book was published less than a year ago. I keep waiting for the feeling to kick in.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I consider myself a part-time writer and full-time mom. A typical day for me begins with a pre-dawn run before I start the kid morning routine of packing the school lunch and seeing my youngest off to school. Then I write … until it’s time for school pick-up and after school routines.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I can’t create on a computer. I have to handwrite on a blank sheet of typing paper with a #2 pencil, preferably a Ticonderoga.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I was kind of a dreamy kid who was always reading. I never really thought about what I wanted to be. I think if someone had told I could’ve been a professional reader, I would have jumped on that.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Thank you so much for having me on your blog today. I really enjoyed it!

Links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Bookbub | Amazon

Thank you for being a guest on my blog!

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Interview with novelist Bobbie Smith

Novelist Bobbi Smith joins me today to chat about her new historical romance, Forbidden Fires.

During her virtual book tour, Bobbi will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too.

Bio:

After working as a department manager for Famous-Barr, and briefly as a clerk at a bookstore, Bobbi Smith gave up on career security and began writing. She sold her first book to Zebra in 1982.

Since then, Bobbi has written over 40 books and 6 novellas. To date, there are more than five million of her novels in print. She has been awarded the prestigious Romantic Times Storyteller of the Year Award and two Career Achievement Awards. Her books have appeared on numerous bestseller lists.

When she's not working on her novels, she is frequently a guest speaker for writer's groups. Bobbi is mother of two sons and resides in St. Charles, Missouri with her husband and three dogs.

You can follow Bobbi on Facebook in the group Bobbi Smith Books.

Bobbi has been awarded the prestigious “Storyteller of the Year” Award from Romantic Times Magazine (New York) and has attained positions on the New York Times Best Seller List, the USA Today Best Seller List, the Walden’s Best Seller List, B. Dalton’s List, and the Wal-Mart and K-Mart Best Seller Lists.

The foreign rights to Ms. Smith’s books have been sold to China, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Russia and Sweden. Smith’s current publisher is Amazon. Bobbi has written two faith-based contemporary novels – Haven and Miracles – using the pseudonym of Julie Marshall.

Welcome, Bobbi. Please tell us about your current release.

When Ellen Douglass saves the Union officer from the cold river, she doesn't think this one action will so alter her future. But as Price holds her is his arms, they try to forget that they fight on opposing sides and will be kept forever apart.

What inspired you to write this book?

When I was young, my parents took me to a river museum where I learned about the steamboat Sultana. It was a steamer carrying Union Soldiers home at the end of the Civil War. The soldiers had just been released from Southern prison camps and were marched to Vicksburg, Mississippi where they were loaded onto the Sultana. The Sultana was only supposed to carry 400 passengers and crew. When it left Vicksburg, it had more than 2,000 people onboard. It only made it to West Memphis, Arkansas before the boilers exploded. I believe it was the greatest maritime disaster of all time, and the memory of it stayed with me all those years and inspired Forbidden Fires, my second book.

Excerpt from Forbidden Fires:

On the Mississippi near Memphis

The sound of the Sultana’s explosion brought Ellyn Douglass upright in bed. She ran from her room to find her grandfather already in the hall.

“What was that, Grampa?”

“It may have been a steamer . . .”

They rushed out onto the observation area to see the sky glowing a fiery red in the river’s direction.

“I’ve got to get to town,” he told her.

“I’ll come with you,” Ellyn offered.

“No. Stay here. If I need you, I’ll send word.” He hurried inside to get ready to leave.

Ellyn looked out toward the Mississippi. The steamer was farther south, drifting with the current. She decided at first light she would go down to the river.

At dawn, Ellyn hurried up to the observation area and searched the river for some sign of last night’s disaster. It was then she noticed something caught in a tree. Rushing from the house, she sought out Franklin.

“We have to get on the river right away.”

“Why?”

“Did you hear the explosion last night? I was checking this morning and I think there’s someone trapped in a tree.”

They hurried down to the river dock where the skiff was tied up. They pushed off and headed toward the flooded grove of trees.

“It’s a man!” Ellyn was shocked by the sight of the lone figure stranded motionless in the treetop.

Franklin maneuvered them in close and awkwardly managed to get the unconscious man into the boat.

“Is he alive?” Ellyn asked as she knelt next to him.

“Seems to be, but he’s cut up pretty bad.”

Ellyn tore off a strip of her petticoat and started to bandage the man’s bloody head wound. Much of his clothing had been ripped away from the force of the blast and he had been burned in several places.

The man groaned softly, and she reached out to soothe his brow.

“Hang on, mister. . . . Just hang on. . . .”

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I knew when I was in 5^th grade that I wanted to write. In fact, we had to write an autobiography that year, and the last question the teacher wanted answered was – What do you want to be when you grow up? I wrote, ‘I want to be an author and I want to be a teacher.’

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I wrote full-time for almost thirty years. It’s been a great career. Back in the 80s, I was blessed to be able to stay home and work while my kids were young. My most creative times are early morning and evening, so I was at the computer no later than 8 a.m. every day and usually there until 11 at night.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I fell in love with women’s history during the course of my career. There were so many adventurous women out there we never learned about in history class, so I started my ‘Women Ahead of Their Times’ series. My books with ‘Lady’ in the title feature a heroine who isn’t afraid to take on a challenge – and a fantastic hero! In Lady Deception, our heroine is a female bounty hunter who is a master of disguise. In Weston’s Lady, the heroine is in a Wild West Show. The heroine in Outlaw’s Lady is a judge, and in Half-Breed’s Lady our heroine is an artist.

Links:

Website | Amazon | Goodreads

Thank you for joining me today, Bobbi. 

Thank you so much for having me on your blog site! I hope everyone enjoys my stories!

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Interview with author dhtreichler

Author dhtreichler helps me kick off a new week and new month by chatting with me about his new historical love story, Rik’s.

Bio: 

dhtreichler toured the global garden spots as a defense contractor executive for fifteen years. His assignments covered intelligence, training and battlefield systems, integrating state of the art technology to keep Americans safe. During this time, he authored multiple novels exploring the role of increasingly sophisticated technology in transforming our lives, and how men and women establish relationships in a mediated world.

Welcome! Please tell us about your current release.

It’s September 2001. Rik Bogart has built the ‘In’ club in lower Manhattan with his separation check from the CIA and the anguish of a lost true love. At least that was in his mind.

Ingrid Johanssen, an international news correspondent living in Baghdad, did not show up at the airport to accompany Rik when Saddam Hussein instructed him to leave years earlier, in 1991, just before Desert Storm.

Rik consequently spent nineteen months in prison after going back in a failed attempt to get Ingrid out safely.

But on a September evening 10 years later, she walks into his club seeking his help. Understanding he cannot resurrect the love that has haunted him, Rik refuses, but comes face-to-face with his continuing love for her.

He must overcome that decade of emptiness, and feelings of betrayal, to react when he realizes she is in the New York World Trade Towers on the morning of the terrorist attack. Then, that night, he finally learns what happened back in Baghdad and why.

In a hair-raising finish to the book, he decides to undertake a dangerous mission that will not bring her back to him, but, as a consequence, will make their reunion impossible. Rik draws on relationships and talents unused for more than a decade to tackle his task, knowing that, even if he’s successful, he must let her go.

What inspired you to write this book?

I was fascinated by the movie Casablanca and the novel Dr. Zhivago. Both told the story of how far someone would go for their one true love, even when they knew it was not going to end with them being together.

What exciting story are you working on next?

World Without Work will be available on Amazon later this month. It is the story of a world where half of the people can’t get a job because of automation. It traces the story of a young woman who has a job, but loses it. She must overcome impossible odds and a corporate predator who does not want to see her succeed, to triumph in the new reality with a little help from her friends and family.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

In elementary school when I was named the editor of the school newspaper.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I am a corporate executive who develops strategies and works technology integration for a major corporation. I used to travel globally much of the time. Many of my novels were written in airplanes and in hotel rooms. I now find the time on weekends and evenings, often writing from sunup to sundown when the story begins to flow.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

After writing from airplane seats for many years, I now write at a standup desk.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

An astronaut or fighter pilot.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I hope you have as much fun reading my novels as I had writing them.

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New interview with romance author Faye Hall

I’m happy to welcome author Faye Hall back to the blog. Today we’re chatting about her new historical interracial romance, Deceit & Devotion.

In July, Faye and I talked about her steamy romantic suspense novel Shrouded Passions.

Bio:

Murder, lies, deception, and love set in the outback under the Australian sun.

These are the stories of Faye Hall.

Her passion driven, mystery filled books are set in North Queensland, Australia during the development of the townships at the end of the 19th century.

Each of her novels bring something symbolically Australian to her readers, from Aboriginal herbal remedies, to certain gemstones naturally only found in this part of the world.

Each of her books tell of a passionate connection between the hero and heroine, surrounded and threatened by deceit, scandal, theft and sometimes even murder.

These romances swerve from the traditional romances as Faye aims to give her readers so much more intrigue, whilst also revealing the hidden histories of rural townships of North Queensland.

Faye finds her inspiration from the histories of not only the township she grew up in, but the many surrounding it. She also bases most of her characters on her own ancestors and their adventures when first migrating to Australia.

Faye was able to live her own passion driven romance, marrying the love of her life after a whirlwind romance in 2013. Together they are raising their 9 children in a remote country town in northern Queensland, Australia.

Welcome back to Reviews and Interviews, Faye. Please tell us about your newest release. Deceit & Devotion explores the scandalous world of a young Australian aboriginal man, Jarrah, who has been hired to seduce a wealthy white woman, Emily, so her husband can take claim of her wealth and properties. A relationship develops between Jarrah and Emily, and she ends up hiring him to investigate her husband and his murderous past, as well as his connection to her father’s death and the missing black opal collection she was to inherit.

There’s plenty of passion, suspense as well as a lot about the medicines and remedies of the Australian Aboriginals that can be found in this seductive story.

What inspired you to write this book?

My husband suggested to me quite some time ago that it would be interesting (and scandalous) if I were to write a story involving an interracial couple set in our Australian history. It’s not something I have done before so writing this book was an interesting journey for me.

What’s the next writing project?

I have a release Amorous Redemption, due out in May next year. I’m also working on Heart of Stone, a story about an Australian Slave trader who fall in love with an Irish slave.

What is your biggest challenge when writing a new book? (or the biggest challenge with this book)

I tend to always need to have accurate historical names for ships, hotels and so on in my books so usually my biggest challenge is finding that information.

If your novels require research – please talk about the process. Do you do the research first and then write, while you’re writing, after the novel is complete and you need to fill in the gaps?

I love history and am very familiar with the historical facts about the towns I write in due to my own family research. That said I do struggle finding some facts – such as street names, and names of businesses – as a lot of the documentation can’t be found. I spend a lot of time looking through family history books to find the information I need because it’s not as easy as a ‘google search’. Hence some stories take longer to write then others as I research as I go, so can be quite a few interruptions.

What’s your writing space like? Do you have a particular spot to write where the muse is more active? Please tell us about it.

I have a rather large desk with my computer on. I would love to say it’s spotless apart from the computer, but in truth it’s cluttered with notebooks and stationery and gifts from my children. But it’s comforting for me so I write well most days.

What authors do you enjoy reading within or outside of your genre?

I’ve always love Amanda Quick books! But I equally enjoy To Kill a Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers today?

Just thank you massively to all my readers and supporters and I really hope I can keep you intrigued in my books for many years to come.

Thank you for coming back to Reviews and Interviews!