Hi Vonnie. Thanks for the warm welcome.
I’m so happy to be on your delightful blog today. I remember sometime ago when
you appeared on my blog, you offered to host me when I finally published. That
day is finally here! J WooHoo!
And today is a good day: It’s the
official starting day of the second half of my year. That may sound odd, but it
leads into to a question you had asked:
What
is your life like away from the computer?
I’m an English comp instructor at a
nearby college, and I spend most of my time away from the computer at home
grading essays. Actually, it works out fine, because during holidays, I revise
my writing schedule. Ironically I’ve found I’m more organized when I have
several demands on my time. When I finally retire—to devote more time to
writing—my first challenge will be to make sure I have specific deadlines so
that I still feel that urgency.
You have my dream job--teaching college level English composition. Sadly, I'm a tad old for a career change. Tell us, what are you currently working on?
Right
now I’m completing edits on my next medieval The Heart of the Phoenix, Evie’s story. I’m also working on the
account of how her brother Henry met his wife, Katherine. Looks like that will
be a novella. Its working title is Lady
of the Forest. The action actually takes place immediately after the final
battle in Silverhawk, and features
the end (at last) of the villain, Sir Paxton. (Don’t you love the way our
characters seem like real people?)
They are real...in our minds and hearts. If your new release
were being made into a movie who would you cast to play your heroine and hero?
I’m
so glad you asked that question. J
Silverhawk
/Giles—definitely Richard Armitage (with light gray eyes, of course.) In fact,
his photo served as inspiration throughout the writing of the book.
Emelin
is a bit more difficult to choose. I finally settled on Amy Adams.
1.
Heels, sneakers or flip-flops?
Heels
2. Chocolate,
champagne or cheesecake?
Yes, please. Oh, I have to choose...only...one?
Dang. Chocolate, I suppose.
3. SUV, sports car or
minivan?
I could do a small SUV. It must be small or I’ll run
into things.
4. Earrings, bracelets
or navel piercing?
Earrings. I love bracelets but they clatter on the
desk when I’m typing.
5.
Fav vacation destination: beach, mountains
or city?
City (I’m
thinking London)
Blurb:
He’s
everything a proper lady should never want; she’s everything a bastard mercenary
can never have.
Sir Giles has come to England to kill
his father, who seduced and betrayed his mother. First, however, he’ll seek
sweet revenge—kidnap the old lord’s new betrothed.
But when Giles uncovers a plot against King Richard, he faces a dilemma: take
the lady or track the traitors. What’s a good mercenary to do? Both, of course.
Lady Emelin has had enough.
Abandoned in a convent by her brother, she finally has a chance for home and
family. Yet now she’s been abducted. Her kidnapper may be the image of her
dream knight, but she won’t allow him to spoil this betrothal. Her only
solution: escape.
Rescuing the intrepid
lady—while hunting traitors—is a challenge Giles couldn’t anticipate. But the greatest challenge to Giles and
Emelin is the fire blazing between them. For he’s everything a proper lady
should never want, and she’s everything a bastard mercenary can never have.
Excerpt:
The
Lady’s Garden. Such a grand name for the stick and weed enclosure beside the
keep. Giles eased open the weathered door, the faded wood rough against his
fingers. He tipped his shoulder to slip through the narrow opening. The musty
smell of plants gone to seed hung in the air, and he inhaled the odor. Strange,
the comfort he felt, like a flash of memory.
He
glanced around. Where was his quarry? Moonlight flooded the enclosure, and
several bonfires in the bailey sent wavering light bobbing over the fence top.
Emelin knelt at a patch of what looked like dead grass, undoubtedly remnants of
flowers. Perhaps they’d resembled the colorful blossoms that once dotted his
mother’s palm-sized yard. How she’d loved the sparse but fragrant blooms that
escaped their one hen’s search for food. His head jerked. God’s blood! Why had
those thoughts surfaced just now, of a nearly forgotten long ago? This was
neither time nor place for childish reminiscence.
Intent
once more on the graceful figure before him, he picked his way through the
tangle of growth. She wore the same green gown as when he arrived, some kind of
embroidered figures at the neck and wrist. The color suited her vibrant auburn
hair, draped now with a flimsy square of fine white linen. He should have known
the color would be fiery to match her spirit.
As
he advanced, the bright moonlight cast his shoulders as a darker shadow on the
ground ahead. By the rigid set of her back, he knew she heard him.
She
sat back on her heels with an exaggerated sigh. “Would you move your shoulders,
Sir Knight? They block what meager light I’ve found.”
If
a tone could cross its arms and tap its toe, hers did. A lightness inside him
felt shockingly like a smile. That’s why he was here. She amused him.
“Where
would you like me to move them, my lady?”
“London, I should think.”
11 comments:
HI Vonnie, Thanks so much for hosting me and making my post look and sound so terrific. I'll drop by to greet guests between classes. Barb
Fun post. I would have no idea who be my H/H. I don't watch TV and rarely go to the movies. Tweeted.
Oh, I loved the interview, the blurb and the excerpt! So much fun! And I think Amy Adams is such a perfect heroine! Her fragility seems endearing, but she has a spark of toughness that seems to come out of nowhere. She's a great inspiration!
-Lani
Thanks, Ella. So glad you stopped by. I appreciate your support.
Hi Lani. It took me a good while to choose her--but I do think she'd make a good Emelin. Thanks for being here!
Great interview! I'm reading Silverhawk right now. You write so beautifully.
Isn't it ironic how much more you get done when your schedule is full? When I have a wide open day, somehow the hours just slip away, but when I have limited time, I know exactly what I need to be doing at all times.
Great interview, Barb!
Thanks Allison. Coming from you that means a lot. Can't wait for your next one!!
Thanks, Sharon! With your schedule, you *must* organize. Glad you're feeling better!
Hi, Barb and Vonnie. A great post. I love "casting" the people from my stories, too. And one of the most enjoyable things I did after retirement was to arrange my own writing schedule. I loved it and you will, too!
Hi Barb,
You know - one of the things I like the most about you- your sense of humor. You crack me up with your responses in emails.
Lisa
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