“It’s an honor just to be nominated.” Every actor nominated for an Oscar says those words. We’ve all heard them. To be honest I’ve always thought they were a little hollow. They’re just saying because they want to win. Who wouldn’t want to win? Well, now I know jus how they feel. My first book, A Woman of Honour is in the running for book of the Month at the Long and Short reviews and I’m over the moon. If I win that would be great, but to be honest the competition is so tough, with so many talented writers being nominated I’m honored just to be in their company. Now I know what all those Hollywood actors are talking about. Earlier this month I was surprised and delighted when the Long and Short Reviews gave A Woman of Honour 41/2 stars out of 5.
Click here to read their review Today, I’m going to share a final excerpt from A Woman of Love. Last week you met James Drake, the man who won her in a hand of cards, and saw him through Annabel’s eyes. Now you will get to meet James. Why has he brought her here and what are his true motives? To discover that you’ll have to read the book, but I hope you enjoy this short excerpt A Woman of Love will be released on 4th March. Maneuvering Peters into having his wife pay his debts had been easy. He had counted on the bastard to care more about money than his personal relationships. Of course, James had no intention of compromising her. He only wanted her alone for questioning. Hopefully, she would be forthcoming, and he wouldn’t have to resort to intimidation.
He led her to the library. Three of the four walls were lined with shelves, crammed with books. It smelled of old, musty paper, but it was the only room in the house, other than the bedroom, that contained furniture. “Take a seat.” He pointed to his old, leather couch, then carried the oil lamp from the stone mantelpiece and put it on the small table next to her. She clamped her arms around her body. Her large, oval eyes stared at the light, mesmerized by the small dancing flame. She reminded him of the refugees he’d seen when he served in the Crimea, giving the impression of a woman whose world had collapsed around her. Something in his chest twisted. He wondered if she was more a victim than he had assumed. In the flicker of lamplight her eyes looked dark, but every now and then he caught a glimpse of a lighter shade. Were they blue or green? Wisps of hair, the colour of honey, escaped their pins and trailed down her neck beckoning him to trace the strands with his lips. Damn, he might have become an animal, but there were limits to his depravity. He would not coerce a woman into his bed, wouldn’t touch her, kiss her, and he certainly wouldn’t make love to her. He needed her cooperation and honesty and couldn’t be distracted by a pretty face with sad eyes. When I asked Ruthanne Reid to write a post sharing her most gratifying experience as a writer, some mythology, or her inspiration, I expected her to pick just one subject. Imagine my delight when she graced us with all three. Thank you Ruthanne and I’m sorry for causing you so much work. Her most gratifying experience as a writer. This is a tricky one! I find it repeatedly gratifying to open a box of my own books, or run into someone online who’s read them. However, I think if I were to pick one moment, it would be when I realized I had fanart. See, I got into writing via fanfiction; I loved other people’s worlds so much that I just had to play in them, and I honestly believe that’s the best compliment a writer can receive. Finding out that really talented folks had drawn fanart of my world just sent me onto cloud 9. Her work is based in mythology - so an insight into her mythical world. In sum: everything is real, but humans didn’t get any of it right. That’s okay. The People of the Mythos don’t really understand humans well, either. My goal was to create a world that covered everything from history to mythology to most religions. In the world of the Mythos, here’s a place for every single weird thing humans have ever dreamed up, including aliens. Combining science and magic into something internally consistent was a challenge, but loads of fun. Real-life history and archeology and science are so weird that they just lend themselves to storytelling. Crypto-archeology is one of my favorite things to study, in fact. I mean, who wouldn’t be fascinated by the Voynich Manuscript, or the Antikythera mechanism, or megalithic jars of Laos? The world is utterly strange and wonderful, and I’m thrilled to be able to incorporate that into my storytelling. Inspiration for her favorite character. I have to pick a favorite? Hmmm. Fun fact: I haven’t published my favorite character yet. His name is Alex, and he’s half human, half something else – he doesn’t know what, which is kind of an issue. I’ve had him in my head since I was fourteen, and while he as a character grew with me, the only thing that’s really changed was the identity of his father. I like him because he chooses to be good even when it costs him; because he retains his sense of humor regardless of the horrors the world drops on his head. I like him because at the end of the day, he maintains a tender heart, which means he can forgive the most monstrous people – even as he is forced to defeat them. Alex is somebody I’d like to be, in many ways, and of the many characters in my books, he’s one I wouldn’t be afraid to meet. The Christmas Dragon Buy Links for The Christmas Dragon: Kindle Nook Kobo Play iTunes Scribd Oyster Flipkart Txtr Smashwords Paperback IndieBound Bookfinder Powell’s All Katie Lin wants is to get away from her family: from the magic, from the mayhem, and from the never-ending war. Unfortunately, someone has other ideas, and sends her a box. A box that jumps. The tiny fire hazard inside may just force her back to Wales - and right into the path of a dragon war, the Crow King, and at least one reluctant elf prince. Sometimes, running away just doesn't work as planned. Buy Links for Strings: Kindle Nook Kobo iTunes Scribd Oyster Flipkart Txtr Smashwords Paperback IndieBound Bookfinder Powell’s Strings |
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