Bits 'n Bobs Author Blog
Enjoy an excerpt and added bonus feature from Wareeze Woodson's romantic Regency suspense novel, An Enduring Love. http://buff.ly/1qqyBSe Cover blurb: Born and raised in Latvia, Rebecca Balodis marries Rhys Sudduth, an English diplomat. Shortly thereafter, he is summoned home to attend his father’s death-bed. Rebecca cannot accompany him at the time and becomes trapped in the turmoil plaguing her country. He is informed she died in the upheaval. Nearly four years later, she escapes and arrives in London with their son in tow. Arriving in the middle of his sister’s ball is very awkward, especially since Rhys plans to announce his betrothal to a young debutante later in the evening. Trouble, suspense and danger, follow her from Latvia. Can this pair ever find or even recognize an enduring love? Is it worth keeping? Excerpt: A liveried butler, stern of countenance and standing stiffly erect opened the door. “Your invitation, Ma’am.” Rebecca trembled, but forced out, “Surely, I don’t need an invitation. Please inform Lord Rhys that his wife is here.” Astonishment flashed across the butler’s face before he bowed his head and nodded for her to follow him. Sonja was seated in the hall while he led Rebecca to a small parlor papered with stripes of ivory and cream. The entire room seemed a little intimidating, with an elaborate sofa covered with gold brocade sitting before a wide window. Chairs were shattered about the room as well, but the beauty of the room did little to sooth her nerves. She glanced at the low table in front of the sofa then let her gaze shift to the fireplace, glowing with warmth. The softly burning coals added soothing comfort to the room and with that, her whole body relaxed. After the butler exited, Rebecca quickly knelt down to straighten Johnnie’s apparel. “We want to look our best mans maz cilveku, my little man. You must learn English better now we are home. They are not expecting us, but no matter. Your father will love you.” The door opened and Rhys stood on the threshold with a scowl of impatience on his face, speaking to the butler over his shoulder. “Some strumpet masquerading as my deceased wife. Be damned. You’re positive she said, my wife. Not a long lost relative wanting to sponge…?” Rebecca jumped to her feet, took Johnnie by the hand and pasted a trembling smile on her lips. “Rhys.” * * * An Added Bonus Feature! Letters discovered in the belongings of the villain. These letters are not revealed in the book but are held in my heart and give insight to the story. A tidbit solely for you. Enjoy. Wareeze Woodson The Year of Our Lord 1813 My Dearest Husband, I write with my heart filled with sorrow. My beloved mother has passed on to join my father in Heaven. I can only be happy for her although sadness weighs me down. I am now acquainted with deep sadness and how you must mourn for your father. Grief makes it hard to write, but you deserve to know why I am delayed in departing this land. At the moment, I am trapped in Latvia due to the up-rising in my country. I do not know how long it may be before I am allowed to travel to England to join you. There is a guard placed outside my gate to prevent my departure at present, but I will travel to Rica at the first opportunity and board a ship to London. Perhaps all will settle quickly. I can only pray it shall be so. I cannot wait to be in your arms again, to kiss your dear face and gaze into your eyes once more. With words, you painted a lovely picture of your home in England and of your relatives. The thought of meeting your family holds much pleasure for me, especially since I am now alone. Take care, My Love. I shall write to let you know as the hour of my departure grows closer. Keep safe and know you have my enduring love. Yours Always, Rebecca Sudduth Another letter confiscated by the villain. The Year of Our Lord 1814 My Dearest Husband, I have not received any word from you since you sailed away from Latvia. I hope you are well. I must write quickly in order to send this to you. There is still a guard at my gate. With your connection in the government, perhaps you can return and help me travel to England. There will be one added person in need of your assistance, our son. If you cannot come at once, please write. I am most anxious to hear from you. Never forget my enduring love. Anxiously waiting. Yours Always, Rebecca Sudduth * * * About Wareeze: I am a native of Texas and still live in this great state. I married my high school sweetheart, years and years ago. We raised four children and have eight grandchildren, and grandchildren are Grand. At the moment, all my children and my grandchildren live within seventy miles of our home, lots of visits. My husband and I still love each other after all these years, the stuff romance is made of, Happy Ever After! website - http://www.wareezewoodson.com/ face book - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wareeze-Woodson/523727757689755 twitter - twitter.com@wareeze face book - https://www.goodreads.com/wareeze
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7/9/2014 8 Comments Guest Author Elizabeth PrestonElizabeth Preston is with me today to give us a look at her novella, The Outcasts, a story of the Australian Rainforests, prejudice, and an unlikely love. (The Outcasts is scheduled to go live on Amazon TODAY! I will post the buy link as it comes available) Back cover blurb: In 1889, the Northern Australian Rainforests are cruel and prejudiced places to live. Hunter, born from an English mother and a native Australian father, does not fit well with either group. He is an outcast. The new English settlers fear and demonise him because he is dark skinned, unpredictable and frighteningly strong. Long ago, Hunter survived his mother’s murder. An Aboriginal witch doctor found the dying boy and used tribal magic to save his life. Hunter grew fearfully strong, but this gift of ferocity and strength came at a cost. Now, as an adult, he wanders the rainforest at night venting his anger and frustrations. He is not safe to be around. But wayward Alice thinks otherwise. Excerpt: “So, is this how it is to be? The English have sent me a prize this time, a fine English lady who also knows how to be a whore in bed?” That was it! She was seething now, way too angry to feel fear, or restraint. “No one has sent me. I am my own person, I go where I please. I do not care what the others say. And I would not make advances toward you if my life depended on it.” “Ha!” he said. “I think you might.” “I can assure you,” she hissed, “that I would not. I’d rather seduce a python, I’d rather bed a Tasmanian tiger and I’d kiss a web filled with spiders rather than be intimate with you. All three creatures at once would be a preferable fate.” He roared with laughter. Then he stopped laughing and crept close enough so that his heavy lashes brushed against her cheek. “If I kissed your beautiful mouth, then you would respond. I would see to it that you did.” Almost spitting, she said, “You are rude, contemptuous and . . .” She struggled for words. “. . .gravely misguided. The English do not sacrifice their women. And what on this God-given earth makes you think that anyone, not just the English but anyone at all, would want to please you?” “You have been sent down here to warm my bed. I am sure of it.” Alice supposed that she should be scared. Anyone that deluded deserved to be feared but she was simply too angry to care. “The others warned me about you,” she said. “There. I knew it. You lied. You do know more about me than you let on.” He backed away, almost satisfied. * * * About Elizabeth: Elizabeth spent her first life in New Zealand but now calls sunny Sydney home. She lives with one patient husband, one grown son and one very naughty little dog. She always wanted to be a writer but tried everything else first. She’s been a teacher, a ship’s cook, a ticket seller and an advertising person paid to spend other people’s money. She likes being a writer best. Elizabeth dreams of moving to the postcard-perfect Southern Highlands of New South Wales. There, she will unleash her dark heroes and dastardly plots and generally cause mayhem. The dream also involves flapping ducks, wandering alpacas and an assortment of other animals for her dog to bark at. Elizabeth won an award from The Society of Women Writers, WA and slogged away at a writing degree from Southern Cross University. The Outcasts, published by Soul Mate Publishing, is her first novella. Elizabeth’s blog address is: http://elizabethpreston.wordpress.com. Congratulations, Debbie McCreary and Joy Boothby! You have each won your choice of a Kindle ebook copy of either The Highlander's Accidental Bride or The Highlander's Reluctant Bride! Please email me at cathymacrae@cathymacraeauthor..com or message me on facebook for instructions on how to receive your book. Thanks to everyone who commented! I enjoyed hearing from each of you! 7/7/2014 2 Comments My guest author today is Cynthia Owens with her Irish historical book, My Dark Rose, the third in her Wild Geese series. Welcome! Hi Cathy, and thanks so much for having me today! Good morning, Cynthia! It’s great to have you here. Could you please tell us a bit about yourself? I believe I was destined to be interested in history. One of my distant ancestors, Thomas Aubert, reportedly sailed up the St. Lawrence River to discover Canada some 26 years before Jacques Cartier’s 1534 voyage. Another relative was a 17thCentury “King’s Girl,” one of a group of young unmarried girls sent to New France (now the province of Quebec) as brides for the habitants (settlers) there. My passion for reading made me long to write books like the ones I enjoyed, and I tried penning sequels to my favorite Nancy Drew mysteries. Later, fancying myself a female version of Andrew Lloyd Weber, I drafted a musical set in Paris during WWII. A former journalist and lifelong Celtophile, I enjoyed a previous career as a reporter/editor for a small chain of community newspapers before returning to my first love, romantic fiction. My stories usually include an Irish setting, hero or heroine, and sometimes all three. I’m the author of The Claddagh Series, historical romances set in Ireland and beyond, and The Wild Geese Series, in which five Irish heroes return from the American Civil War to find love and adventure. I’m a member of the Romance Writers of America, Hearts Through History Romance Writers, and Celtic Hearts Romance Writers. A lifelong resident of Montreal, Canada, I still live there with my own Celtic hero and our two teenaged children. CMR: Wow. You seem to have a destiny with history. How long have you been writing? CO: To be perfectly honest, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t write! In the first grade, we were told to write a few sentences about Dick, Jane and their dog Spot. I wrote about four paragraphs! But talk about stifling creativity: instead of being pleased and praising me, my teacher scolded for writing too much! I can’t help wondering what she’d say if she knew I’ve become a (dare I say it?) multi-published author! CMR: What do you enjoy most about writing? CO: Well, let’s see, there really isn’t much I don’t enjoy about writing. ;) But I think the best thing about writing is the creative rush I get when I first begin the story. I love creating my characters, deciding on the time frame, the setting, and of course, the plot. It’s a little bit like falling in love for the first time, with all the wonder and excitement that entails. It’s a great feeling! CMR: What is it that draws you to historical romance? CO: I love history! Irish history in particular. Despite the tragedy and hardship of the Irish people in the Victorian era (Queen Victoria was known in Ireland as the Famine Queen), there was so much political upheaval happening at the time, such determination to survive. The Irish are a great people, and I only hope I can do them justice. CMR: That sounds wonderful! So, tell us a bit about your newest book. CO: I’m so thrilled to announce the June release of My Dark Rose. It’s the third in the Wild Geese Series, and it’s Dary Greely’s story. …Like the Wild Geese of Old Ireland, five boys grew to manhood despite hunger, war, and the mean streets of New York… He was the lucky one… Dary Greely is the only one of his brothers and sisters to survive the hunger in Ireland and the coffin ship to America. He was the one whose parents made a bit of money, the one who emerged from the war virtually unscathed. He was the lucky one…but when the war ended, his luck ran out. She was burdened by too many responsibilities… Róisín Donavan is an Irish girl who lives in a Five Points tenement room. She dreams of a future as a great diva and sings Irish songs at Paddy Ryan's Pub. But her stubborn Irish pride won't allow her to abandon her family, even if it means sacrificing everything for them. Can Dary make Róisín see her true worth? Can Róisín heal the festering wounds that tear at Dary’s soul? And can love truly mend their grieving hearts? CMR: What was your inspiration for this story? CO: My hero, Dary Greely, inspired this story. The lucky one, the one who grew up with a few advantages, who’s everyone’s friend. The easy-going one with the sense of humor. But what happens when his luck runs out? That’s what I wanted to find out! CMR: That's a great premise! What kind of research did you do? CO: A lot, and since I love my research, I had a great time! J I’d already done some research into the Famine, the coffin ships that brought the five “Wild Geese” to America, and the Five Points, where they grew up. But My Dark Rose took the characters to such places as Delmonico’s Restaurant, a well-to-do family’s home, and a Central Park roller-skating rink. So I had to find out just what Dary and Róisín would have experienced. And since Róisín’s a singer in an Irish pub, I had to research the lyrics to several Irish songs. No hardship there, as I listen to Irish music whether I’m writing or not! CMR: How did you decide on the setting? Have you ever been there? CO: My Dark Rose is set in New York City, and deciding on the setting was easy. Most Irish immigrants arrived in New York, and many of them stayed on and became a close-knit community. I have been to New York City, but only for brief visits. I hope to go back one day soon and explore the city more thoroughly. CMR: Which character was the easiest to write? Why? CO: Róisín was very easy to write because we shared a lot of the same character traits. She’s very insecure about her relationship with Dary because of the differences in their economic stations. And she worries about disappointing her music teacher. Having been painfully shy my entire life, I could relate to those insecurities. CMR: What surprises did you uncover as these characters and story developed? CO: Probably the biggest surprise was how endearing Róisín’s family was. From her spoiled, selfish sister, Nuala, to her wastrel brother, Joe, I fell in love with all of them. I hope my readers grow as fond of them as I have, because they’ve been tugging at my sleeves and asking for their own stories! CMR: I’ve learned a lot today, Cynthia, and I’ve certainly enjoyed getting to know you better. Is there anything you’d like to add? I love to hear from my readers! I love to connect with them on Facebook or Twitter, and I love receiving e-mails through my website. I usually answer right away too. Readers can contact me or connect with me at the following links: Website: http://www.cynthiaowensromancewriter.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCynthiaOwens?ref=hl Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cynwrites1 Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Cynthia-Owens/e/B003DQ1V2E/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1 CMR: Thanks so much for joining me today, Cynthia! Best of luck with your books! Thanks so much for having me! I really enjoyed answering your questions, and I look forward to meeting your readers! 7/5/2014 24 Comments Ebook Giveaway on my blog!We're in the middle of a long, fun weekend, so I thought I'd add a bit of excitement. Leave a comment below telling me your favorite thing about the Fourth of July (or any long weekend). Two lucky commenters will win an ebook (Kindle format) of their choice of one of the featured books! Giveaway ends Monday morning, July 7, 8:00 CST. Winners will be posted later that day. I hope everyone is having a great weekend! |
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