Romance By Catherine: Historical Romance
Showing posts with label Historical Romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Historical Romance. Show all posts

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Welcome my friend Beth Trissel

Please make welcome my friend and fellow writer, Beth Trissel.

Beth is celebrating her new release and wanted to share some of her joy with all of us. And might I start off with a big thumbs up on this cover. It's lovely!

Welcome, Beth!


Thanks for having me on your lovely blog, Catherine, to share my new historical romance novel, Kira, Daughter of the Moon. The third in my colonial frontier series, the story follows award-winning novels Through the Fire and Red Bird’s Song. Though written to stand alone, Kira, Daughter of the Moon is the long-awaited sequel to Through the Fire and features strong secondary characters introduced in that novel, with the addition of the very unique heroine, Kira, and other characters. The story builds on the conflict between Scots-Irish settlers, the Shawnee Indians, and British mandates regarding the return of white captives depicted in Red Bird’s Song. But back to ‘Kira.’

Can a beautiful Scots-Irish healer suspected of witchcraft and a renegade white warrior find love together and avoid the hangman’s noose in the Virginia Colonial frontier?

It’s a tough match with the terror of the French and Indian War still fresh in Kira’s mind, and a badass enemy and his cronies after Logan. That Logan’s old nemesis also desires Kira only makes matters that much more complicated.  But if any man is equal to the challenge, it’s Logan, and Kira has a few secret weapons of her own.



Blurb:
Logan McCutcheon returns to colonial Virginia after seven years in the hands of Shawnee Indians. But was he really a captive, as everybody thinks? He looks and fights like a warrior, and seems eager to return to those he calls friends and family.
Kira McClure has waited for Logan all those years, passing herself off as odd to keep suitors at bay––and anyone else from getting too close.  Now that he's back, he seems to be the only person capable of protecting her from the advances of Josiah Campbell and accusations of witchcraft.  And to defend the settlers against a well-organized band of murderous thieves.


Excerpt:
    “My secret in exchange for yours.”
     Tantalizing.  He was drawing her into his snare, but she couldn’t resist asking, “How do you know I’ve a secret?”
    “To begin with, you’re hiding in a tree.  What from, a wild beast?”
    “Near enough.  You.”
     He smiled.  “Was I to think you a large red bird, or overlook you entirely?”
     Drawing her remaining shreds of dignity around her like a mantle, she said, “This isn’t one of my best hiding places.”
     “Indeed?  Where are the others?” 
     “That would be telling.” 
     The strengthening breeze tossed the branches around them as he considered.  “You never could keep secrets from me, Cricket.  I’ll discover them and you.”
     An assertion she found both disturbing and oddly heartening.
     His lips curved as if the deed were already done.  “Why were you hiding?  Am I so very frightening?”
     “Oh––I feared you were some sort of warrior.”
     The humor faded from his eyes.  “I am.”

About Beth Trissel: Married to my high school sweetheart, I live on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia surrounded by my children, grandbabies, and assorted animals. An avid gardener, my love of herbs and heirloom plants figures into my work. The rich history of Virginia, the Native Americans and the people who journeyed here from far beyond her borders are at the heart of my inspiration. In addition to American settings, I also write historical and time travel romances set in the British Isles. For more on me, my blog is the happening place: One Writer’s Way
Kira, Daughter of the Moon is available in print and kindle at Amazon, in print and various eBook formats at The Wild Rose Press, and from other online booksellers.





Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Lauri gets "The Call"

Yes, THE CALL - Every author out there knows what THE CALL is... it's that one phone call you wish for, hope for, barter for, from the first moment you send your manuscript to a publisher to read.

Lauri Robinson is a very talented author I've had the pleasure of getting to know through author channels and she has agreed to come onto my blog and share her 'Call' story with us. Lauri is now part of a huge romance family... one of the first... Harlequin.

Take it away, Lauri.


Hey, Catherine, I love reading your blog and am so honored to be here today.

Everything in life begins with a dream, a single, perhaps fleeting, thought that builds and builds. For me that dream was becoming a Harlequin Author. I’ve always loved their books, (I blame that on my dear mother, her bookshelves were full of Harlequin books) and over the years, used them as a stress relief. At the end of the day (or the middle of it sometimes) I could forget about all my ‘to do’ lists and immerse myself in once upon a time and happily ever after. Soon I was imagining myself writing for them, and started penning stories. After many years of re-writes and rejections, I had a book published, then another, and though I love writing for other presses, my dream remained to write one for Harlequin.

When Harlequin announced their Undone line, (short, sensual, historical stories) several writer friends and I decided we should each write one and sub it to them. I was so shocked, honored, and disappointed when almost a year after I subbed my story, I received an email from HQN saying they were interested in my story. The problem was, since I hadn’t heard from them, I’d assumed they weren’t interested and sold it to another publisher. HQN asked if I would write another and sub it. Of course I said yes, and eventually sold that story to them, and over the course of the next year sold them four more Undone’s. Yes, it was awesome, exciting, I was finally writing for HQN, yet, my dream was a full-length book.

In June of this year, hubby and I had just returned from a ‘ten states in ten days’ road trip, and I slept in one morning. When I rolled out of bed and stumbled to the coffee pot, I picked my cell phone off the counter to thumb through emails. To my surprise, there was an email from HQN, asking if they could call at 3:00 pm UK time, that’s 9:00 am my time, and it was then 8:45! I quickly sent an email from my cell, telling them that would be fine, and barely had time to brush my teeth before the phone rang.

With my coffee cup in hand, I sat on my front deck and accepted their offer for both a full length story and a shorter story for their Christmas anthology. The stories are western historicals and will be released in 2012. Tentative titles (title changes are very common) are Unclaimed Bride and One Wish.

Okay, so long story about my dream, what about yours, right? Well, I’m telling you all this to assure you dreams to come true. If you’ve subbed a story to your dream publisher, just hold on a bit longer, you will hear from them. If it’s not what they want, don’t give up, try again. THE CALL will be worth all the time, efforts, and waiting!

Ultimately, if you believe in yourself, others will, too.

Cheers,

Lauri

Lauri Robinson’s chosen genre to write is western historical. When asked why, she says, “Because I know I wasn’t the only girl who wanted to grow up and marry Little Joe Cartwright.” She lives in rural Minnesota where she and her husband spend every spare moment with their three grown sons and five grandchildren. Visit Lauri at www.Laurirobinson.blogspot.com or view her books by clicking HERE.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Interview with Jenna Petersen / Jess Michaels


Happy Birthday to Me... Ahh and what a wonderful way to hit 29 again! Oh, forget it! I'm 41 today and what better way to celebrate then to have one of my favorite authors over for an interview.

Please welcome Avon Author Jenna Petersen AKA Jess Michaels.
A few years ago,when I started pursuing my writing, I stumbled upon Jenna Petersen on her web-site The Passionate Pen.

Her passion for writing and desire to share her journey on this site enchanted me. A lover of historical romances myself, it was a given that I would pick up her novels and dive in.. And then it happened... I discovered erotic romance... And yes, Jess Michaels popped that cherry with Everything Forbidden.

After burning a perfectly good tri tip, I promptly logged on-line and sent Jess an E-mail praising her ability with the all mighty pen. I was hooked.

Thank you for joining me today, Jenna... or do you prefer Jess? I suppose I'll start with the pen name question that often hits peoples tongues when they hear you have two. Why two names?

Aw thanks, though sorry about the steak. LOL I’m glad I could help introduce you to the wonderful world of erotic romance! LOL

So I have two names mostly because I sold two stories to Red Sage Publishing, a small publisher, first. When I sold to Avon they didn’t love the name “Jess” and wanted to launch me as a new author in historical romance. They also hadn’t started the Red line yet, so they weren’t doing erotic romance. So we all decided it might work better to just have a new me. Now I write the erotic under Jess and the regular historical under Jenna and if people don’t want to read erotic it’s very easy to gently steer them away. :)

I really want to dive into Taboo-- by the way-- LOVE that title. Tell us about your latest erotic release.
Thanks! Here’s a little blurb about TABOO, which is out now:

Cassandra Willows has taken adversity and turned it into wild success. Not only is she one of the Empire’s most sought after seamstresses, servicing the very wealthy ladies of the ton, but in secret she creates erotic toys for high class courtesans and randy gentleman. Cassandra has but one regret: The Earl of Blackhearth, Nathan Manning, who once wished to marry her and will never forgive her for not showing up when they were to elope.
Nathan has been living in India and has returned to London at the behest of his ill father. His one duty is to find a suitable bride, but a chance encounter with Cassandra wipes that thought from his mind and replaces it with both desire and a need for revenge. So he blackmails his former love into a passionate affair. But the closer the two become physically, the harder it becomes for them to block out the feelings they once shared. And the closer Nathan comes to the devastating truth that tore them apart.

Not only do I love the title of this latest erotic... but oh, la, la... that cover!

Most writers were readers first... how about you? How long have you read the genre and how long have you been writing?

I actually came very late to the genre and started reading it about the same time I started seriously writing it, which was 1999. I had the silly idea that it would be “easy” to write. And quickly learned otherwise, as well as fell in love with the genre.
"Easy" **snort! Ya, right! Writers like yourself make it 'look' easy.
With such a busy writing schedule, do you make time to read?

I try, but it’s hard. I try not to read what I’m writing at the time, so I read a lot less of my favorite romance sub-genre, historical, though I do still have my must-have favorites like Jacquie D’Alessandro or Teresa Medeiros. And I read outside the genre. I’m currently reading a historical mystery called SILENT ON THE MOOR by Deanna Raybourn.

How do you answer the ever annoying question or comment... "Oh, you write that kind of book?"
I generally say, “Yes I do.” If I say it with enough conviction, it seems to end the conversation. It’s also good to quote that over half the mass market books sold are romance.

What do you love about writing? What would you change if you could?

I love the real act of writing, of telling a story. That feeds me in so many ways. It’s the “safe place” for me. The publishing part is the scary part, worrying about how the book is doing, waiting to hear about numbers, that sort of thing. I would probably insulate myself from that better if I could, but my personality doesn’t seem to allow it.

What will we see next from Jenna Petersen or Jess Michaels?

Well, this year I have four books out. Three are already out, A RED HOT VALETINE’S DAY (Jess Michaels), HER NOTORIOUS VISCOUNT (Jenna Petersen) and TABOO (Jess Michaels). My next Jenna release is in November, WHAT THE DUKE DESIRES and that starts my “Billingham Bastards” series. And in February you’ll see my next Jess release, which is NOTHING DENIED and the last in my “Albright Sisters” series that I started with EVERYTHING FORBIDDEN and SOMETHING RECKLESS.

*clapping* I love a series... and to know that all the Albright Sisters will find their men. Awesome!

Where can we find you on the web?

My author site is http://www.jennapetersen.com/ . I’m also at http://www.passionatepen.com/, which is my site for writers. You can find me on MySpace and Facebook, as well!

Thanks so much for having me!!
No, the pleasure is all mine. For those of you who love to learn more about the authors you read, check out Jenna's web-sites. A play-by-play account to Jenna's sucess is spelled out in her diary archives. For writers, The Passionate Pen is a must on your favorite list. It is full of links and valuable information about the craft. So check it out.