Maxwell Bretherton of Love & Mayhem by Luanna Stewart @Luanna_Stewart #HistoricalRomance #Pirates #BritishGentry.

I'd like to welcome Maxwell Bretherton of Love & Mayhem by Luanna Stewart.  This will be the last post on this blog for the foreseeable future, as I am retiring.

RW:    What’s your story/back story? Why would someone come up with a story about YOU?

MB:    Good afternoon, allow me to introduce myself. Maxwell Bretherton, at your service. I believe I’ve led a somewhat exciting life to this point. It’s not every young man who sails from England to Canada to stake his claim only to be taken prisoner by a band of cutthroats and scoundrels and forced into a life of piracy on the high seas. Nor is every prisoner lucky enough to survive, purchase his freedom, and amass a small fortune.

RW:    What problems do you have to face and overcome in your life?

MB:    I just want to settle my parents’ meagre estate and return to my home on the island of Jamaica. I have no desire to remain in London longer than necessary—it’s too blasted cold, for one thing. I wish to be done with my past. My childhood was not the happiest. Oh, I was fed and clothed and sent to a good school, but I received little affection. My fondest memories are of the days spent with my friend, Oswald, and his family on their sheep farm. In fact, I’d been affianced to his young sister, Sybil, before I was kidnapped.

RW:    Do you expect your heroine to help or is she the problem?

MB:    Sybil is quickly becoming a thorn in my side. I’d thought her a pretty enough young lady when I last saw her and now she’s grown into quite a beauty. She’s also grown into a stubborn, headstrong, outspoken—woman—who seems to think she can get what she wants, regardless of society’s rules. This is 1883, not the time of the debauched Romans. A young lady cannot merely take a lover should the mood strike.

              

RW:    How are you coping with the conflict in your life?

MB:    I assure you I am coping quite well. I’ve explained to Sybil in no uncertain terms what I expect of the woman I’m to marry—and marry we will, regardless of her assertions to the contrary.

RW:    Cherries or Bananas? Leather or lace? Black or red?

MB:    I must say, those are bizarre questions. Bananas are rather puny and full of seeds. I’ve not eaten cherries in many years—perhaps I’ll see about importing some when I return to my home. Leather. I’ve not worn lace since infancy.

           Should you be asking my preference for a lady, then I’d say lace. Black or red what, exactly? If you are again speaking of attire, you can never go wrong with black. Though I do have a waistcoat embroidered with red flowers of some sort which has garnered several compliments.

RW:    When I’m alone, I (fill in the blank).

MB:    Ah, an easy answer. When I’m alone, I read. I have a sizable library at my home to which I’m constantly adding volumes. The climate can be a trial—damp is an enemy to books, as are insects. I most enjoy the biographies of men, and a few women, who have shaped the world. The great explorers and their feats of bravery hold me spellbound for hours at a time.

RW:    Those are all the questions we have for you. Thank you for speaking to us.

MB:    My pleasure. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a pirate to find.

Luanna Stewart

Luanna Stewart has been creating adventures for her imaginary friends since childhood. As soon as she discovered her grandmother's stash of romance novels, all plots had to lead to a happily-ever-after.

Luanna writes full time, concentrating on sexy romantic suspense, steamy paranormal romance, and spicy historical romance.

Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Luanna has recently returned to the land of her birth with her dear husband and two spoiled cats. When she's not torturing her heroes and heroines, she’s in her kitchen baking something delicious.

Under her previous pen name of Grace Hood she has two novellas published with The Wild Rose Press.

Love and Mayhem

The Plot:

Sybil is happily on the shelf, tending to her sheep. But she fears she’ll depart this life without experiencing physical love, which she suspects is rather enjoyable. When her long-lost fiancé returns from sea, she decides he’s the lucky man who’ll receive her virginity.

Max is eager to return to his sugar plantation and has no intention of remaining long in London. However, he didn’t bargain on a wilful, pretty, exasperating spinster determined to take him to her bed.

He insists on marriage but she wants only his body. Her heart is not part of the deal. Unfortunately, love doesn’t always follow the rules.

Excerpt:

“I see all sorts of advantages to the married state.” He brought her hand to his mouth, kissing each knuckle in turn before kissing her palm. Then he flicked his tongue over the inside of her wrist. She bit back a moan. Who knew the wrist was such a sensitive spot?

She forced her mind back to the task at hand. Which, when you came to think of it, served the other task as well. Namely, getting him to flick his tongue on other sensitive parts of her body. She took a deep breath. “Some enjoy those advantages without the bother of a marriage ceremony.”

Buy Links:

Wild Rose Press: https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/non-american-historical-romance/5180-love-and-mayhem.html

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Love-Mayhem-Luanna-Stewart-ebook/dp/B072TQGG3J

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/love-and-mayhem/id1252491353?mt=11

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/love-and-mayhem-1

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-and-mayhem-luanna-stewart/1126952180?ean=2940158555770

Contact Luanna At:

Website:  http://www.luannastewart.com/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Luanna_Stewart

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Luanna.Stewart.nau

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/luannastewart/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14104212.Luanna_Stewart

Amazon Author Page:  https://amazon.com/author/luanna_stewart

Ana Morgan @anamorganana Author of Stormy Hawkins #Historical #Romance #Western

I’d like to welcome Ana Morgan, author of Stormy Hawkins to my blog today.

RW:    Tell us about yourself, your family, where you live, etc.

AM:    I had an intercontinental childhood, immersed in the disparate cultures of Washington, D.C., Europe and Africa. So, when my new, ex-Marine husband announced he wanted to try dairy farming in northern Minnesota, I said, “Sure.” (We’re still together.)

RW:    Why did you decide to write? When did you submit your first manuscript and what genre was it?

AM:    The nag to write started after a horoscope reading. The astrologer said, “If you aren’t writing, you should be.” I committed to writing after I read a contrived ending in well-known romance writer’s book. I assured myself I could do better. (I had a lot to learn.)

RW:    Has your life changed since you became a writer? What’s the best thing about being a writer?

AM:    I get up early, usually between four and five am, so I can write when the house is quiet, before I have to go to work.

Two best things about writing:

1.            The sense of joy after reaching each mini-milestone, be it crafting a just-right sentence, uncovering a character’s deepest emotions, or typing The End.

2.            The amazing generosity of the romance writer community.

RW:    Who are your favorite authors? Who influenced your writing?

AM:    I will always be in awe of Jane Austin, Bertrice Small, and Robert Heinlein. Each time I reread their stories, I am humbled by their ability to tell a story.

RW:    How much does reader feedback matter to you? Do your fans’ comments and letters influence you in any way? Do you have a favorite comment or question from a reader?

AM:    Stormy Hawkins is my first published book, and I have been thrilled to receive four and five-star reviews. I labored over the manuscript for five years, often doubting it would ever be good enough. When a reviewer wrote that she was looking forward to book two, I was over the moon.

RW:    How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?

AM:    Some scenes in Stormy Hawkins are based on real experience. I’ve herded cattle, put in fence posts, cooked on a wood stove. We borrowed a bull from a neighbor one summer, and it tried to kill me.

RW:    How do you come up with story ideas? What kind of research do you do for a book?

AM:    I start with an issue that interest me: herbal vs modern medicine; reincarnation; gossip in a small town, etc. I conjure a hero and heroine who start on opposing sides of the issue. Then I add in a villain who can destroy them unless they overcome their differences.

About a quarter of the time it takes to write a story is devoted to research. I check most every historical detail, for my Soul Mate editor will call out everything she can’t verify.

RW:    Would you like to write a different genre or sub-genre than you do now?

AM:    I have a time-travel that needs a rewrite. I have a half-written contemporary suspense on hold until I fulfill a contract for two sequels to Stormy Hawkins.

RW:    What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels?

AM:    I cut my author teeth on Beatrice Small’s erotic historicals and Robert Heinlein’s chauvinist science fiction. Neither shied from descriptive sex, but neither fully developed emotional arcs. I feel a good author has to do both.

RW:    Bubble baths or steamy showers? Ocean or mountains? Puppies or kittens? Chocolate or caramel?

AM:    Steamy showers! Kittens. (Puppies grow into dogs and I am not good at dog training.) Definitely chocolate, preferably dark.

I hate to choose between oceans and mountains. I live far from both right now, and I miss both deeply. But lovely seasides and ski slopes tend to be crowded places. I do like living in a log cabin hidden in the woods.

RW:    Those are all the questions I have for you. Thank you for speaking to me.

Stormy Hawkins

The Plot

Blade Masters has finally spotted his ideal Dakota Territory ranch, where he can live alone, forget his cheating ex-fiancée, and bury the shards of his shattered heart. All he needs to do is sweet-talk the ailing owner, and his spitfire daughter, into retiring.

If she weren’t desperate, Stormy would never hire a cowhand. She’s learned the hard way that she’s happier working her family’s ranch alone. But, the greedy banker who holds their mortgage just demanded payment in full—or her hand in marriage.

Will this handsome drifter protect her? Or does he have designs of his own?

An Excerpt:

Stormy gripped Blade’s hand as they approached the docks.

Fires in iron cressets, mounted on poles, gave off smelly black smoke and illumined the dock with an eerie, writhing glow. Hulking men in mismatched clothes spit tobacco on the rough-hewn planks suspended over the river. A woman wearing an eye patch leaned against a stack of burlap sacks and tossed a small dagger into the air.

Showing no fear of challenge, Blade strode purposefully through the maze of goods piled on the pier. Soot-covered dock rats who stared at Stormy soon looked another way and said, “Evening, sir.”

Blade stopped a foot from the edge of the dock and looked down at the river.

She did the same and gasped. The water flowed with a ghostly light.

“Moonlight reflects off silt particles suspended in the water. Missouri River freighters run day and night.”

With a stab of guilt, Stormy realized Blade’s tales of working on the river were true. She’d chosen not to trust him. About this and a lot of other things. Hoping he wouldn’t read her face, she turned her head and peered downriver. “I don’t see the freighter.”

Blade tapped her arm and pointed in the opposite direction.

Ana Morgan

Bio

When she was small, Ana Morgan’s dream was to know something about everything. She has studiously waitressed, driven a school bus, run craft service on indie film sets, wandered through European castles, wired a house, married a Marine, canned vegetables, and studied the stars. She knows how to change a flat tire but prefers gallant, handsome strangers who strip off their jackets and spin the lug nuts for her.

Ana embarked on her writing career by crafting succinct cooking directions for her Secret Garden soup mixes—and graduated to lyrical essays about living on a small organic farm for her CSA’s weekly newsletter. Eventually she realized she wanted to write what she loved to read—steamy romance novels.

She and her husband eloped six weeks after they met and moved from southern California to northern Minnesota. They taught themselves how to milk cows (at first by hand), and raised three go-getter children. One is an award-winning woodworker. Another is IT super-smart. The third is an actor-director-producer.

Ana edits for a regional literary publication, “The Talking Stick,” and currently serves as president of From the Heart Romance Writers.

Book Links:

Soul Mate Publishing: http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/stormy-hawkins/

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2wXgykQ

Contact Ana at anamorgan1950@gmail.com

Website: http://anamorgan.net/

Blog: https://heroineswithhearts@blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoranamorgan/

Twitter: @anamorganana

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B075PC6RVG

Luana Stewart @Luanna_Stewart Author of Enchanted Keepsakes If Wishes Were Earls #Cornwall, #HistoricalRomance, #Magic

Hi Rochelle, thanks for letting me hang out again with all your fans and readers!

I was going to talk about big life changes and how to keep writing amidst upheaval. I’d written an entire blog post about what I’ve been up to for the past few months. Namely, surviving the hubby’s retirement (he’s home all day!), selling the house (it sold before we even listed it!), packing all our stuff (who needs all this stuff?), and saying goodbye to the world’s best neighbours (sob!).

But rather than focus on the negative (most of what I’d written was sorta-kinda whiney, LOL,) I’ll rejoice in the positive. After living away for over thirty years I’ve returned to Nova Scotia, the land of my birth. Huzzah!!

Two things convinced me to change the focus of this post. The first was going for a hike to one of my favourite places in the whole world. Located on Long Island off the tip of Digby Neck in Nova Scotia, Bear Cove is a broad expanse of perfectly smooth rocks and tumbled boulders. On a fine summer’s day there’s nothing better than spending an afternoon clambering over the rocks with the wind whispering in the evergreens and the waves lapping at the shore. It wasn’t a fine summer day when we were there a few days ago. Near gale force winds sent waves crashing to the shore and just about blew me off my feet. But I still loved it.

The second thing that made me rewrite this post, was watching the construction crew start building our dream home. Which happened today. After years of waiting and months of planning, they dug the foundation trenches.

Oh, and the writing bit? During all that packing and moving (and hubby being home all day!), I sold a book to one of my publishers, did two rounds of edits, and read the galley word by word, comma by comma. I wish I could tell you the secret formula for getting all that done but I honestly have no clue how I did it. The last few months are kind of a blur.

Have you accomplished something monumental and looked back with astonishment at getting it done? If you’ve moved house recently, have you come across something during your packing that you’d totally forgotten you owned? I discovered several yards of fabric and I have no idea what I’d planned to do with it.

Enchanted Keepsakes: If Wishes Were Earls

The Plot

When a mysterious note directs Miss Miranda Large to a tiny village in Cornwall to find her heart's desire, she has no choice but to go. An enchanted keepsake heightens her curiosity. A snowstorm forces her to accept the hospitality of a sullen, albeit sexy and handsome, earl and Miranda's wish doesn't seem so out of reach.

Edward Penhallion, the 12th Earl of Claverlock, is not in the mood to start his search for a new wife. He wants to be left alone with his books and his dreams of revenge. But the arrival of a headstrong, sharp-tongued spinster forces him to play the charming host. Not a difficult task, given her intelligence and beauty. Suddenly, he’s not terribly eager for her to leave.

But as the snow falls and the winds blow, Edward discovers there’s more to Miranda than a lively wit and a lovely face. And Miranda wonders if the trappings of wealth are enough for true happiness.

About Luanna:

Luanna Stewart has been creating adventures for her imaginary friends since childhood. As soon as she discovered her grandmother’s stash of romance novels, all plots had to lead to a happily-ever-after.

Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Luanna has recently returned to the land of her birth with her dear husband and two spoiled cats. When she’s not torturing her heroes and heroines, she’s in her kitchen baking something delicious.

Writing under the pen name Grace Hood, she has two novellas published with The Wild Rose Press.

Contact Luana:

Website:  http://www.luannastewart.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Luanna_Stewart

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Luanna.Stewart.nau

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/luannastewart/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14104212.Luanna_Stewart

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/author/luanna_stewart

Buy Links:

Enchanted Keepsakes: If Wishes Were Earls

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N0QJSHA/

Nook:  http://bit.ly/2ifWvXO

Kobo:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/if-wishes-were-earls-2

iBooks:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/if-wishes-were-earls/id1184695145?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4