GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE!
Thank you, Vonnie, for having me here today and helping me celebrate my
release day! I’m so excited that
Immortal Surrender is finally here and everyone can meet one of my favorite
Templar Knights, Farran de Clare.
I wanted to talk a little bit about history – you know that
subject everyone shied away from in school, unless like me, you were one of those kids. Yes, I looked forward to history class, and I
loved the essay tests. Which paired rather nicely, I discovered—writing about
history.
The past surrounds us.
It’s in everything we see, everything we touch, everything we are. And so often we forget about the little
things, like how someone went from building houses of thatch, into houses of
wood, and made nails out of little wooden pegs.
And we writers like to romanticize it. Think of all the wonderful regency romances
we’ve poured over. Or the contemporary
dramas that use history to craft sweeping mysteries about artifacts. While you’re at it consider how many time travel
romances are available.
I for one put history in almost every book I write. Starting with my very first, there’s pages
out of horse racing history included.
Tiny facts that fascinated me.
With the series, The Curse of the
Templars, it’s evident from page one.
While it’s by no means a historical romance, my knights are a product of
the era of their birth—chivalrous, stoic, arrogant, and seasoned to war. They live by the sword, not pistols and
rifles. And heaven forbid should a lady
be mistreated in their presence, particularly their seraph.
Even the dark, horrific Azazel is grounded in historical
accounts of the fallen angel. Sure, I
embellished him a bit, but that’s where the writing part gets liberty!
For me, writing about history—even if it plays a minor role
and is more or less background scenery—allows me to step back in time and live
the lives that came before us. I can be
a medieval maiden, or sail on a pirate ship, or run through the Scottish hills
with the painted Picts.
And even better? As
an author, it doesn’t always have to end the way the text book says. Sometimes,
the power of a simple woman can have world-altering events. Which makes pairing
history with writing even that much more romantic.
So what are your thoughts on history? Boring stuff best left to weirdos like
myself? Or does it capture you and take
you to places far away?
Immortal Surrender Back Cover Blurb
Farran de Clare, loyal member of the cursed Knights Templar,
wants nothing to do with predestined mates. Even the Almighty won’t turn him
into a fool again—he’d rather sacrifice his soul. Yet in the scientist Noelle
Keane, a devout atheist, Farran meets the seraph designed for him.
Ordered by the archangel Gabriel to protect Noelle, the
possessor of a sacred relic that could give Azazel incredible power, Farran
swears to do his duty—but in name only. Fighting an attraction that grows with
each day, he’s determined that he’ll never pledge himself to her.
As they war over her future, their mutual passion ignites a
conflict far more damning. But before Noelle will agree to eternity with him,
she demands the ultimate sacrifice – his heart.
“This series (The Curse of the Templars) is explosive, sexy, riveting, and Claire Ashgrove is a master of her craft.” ~ NYTimes Bestselling Author, Maggie Shayne
EXCERPT:
In the blink of an eye, his
serene expression morphed into a dark scowl. “You do not believe me.”
“No,” she answered on a chortle.
“Did you really expect me to? I’m sure someone else would—you’ve put so much
feeling into the tale. But I’m a scientist. I don’t even believe in God.” To
soften his disappointment, she reached between them and patted his hand. “You
did good though. Better than some of the things Gabriel has told me.”
He abruptly pulled his hand
away. “Everything Gabriel has ever told you is true, damsel. He is an
archangel. Whilst he may behave most strange, he is God’s messenger and cannot
lie.”
Gabriel an archangel. Oh man, the two of them were in this
together. When she saw him next, she’d buy him a drink for this. She grinned at
Farran and shook her head. “You two are something else. I swear, I should have
known. He tries to do this to me all the time.”
“Woman,” Farran barked. “’Tis no
jest! You are branded as mine.” He grabbed the hem of his shirt and yanked it
over his head. “Look for yourself.”
Noelle gaped at the vision that
sat before her. Smooth bronzed muscle lacked any trace of hair and bulged even
as he sat still. The chest she remembered so vividly was nothing less than a
wall of corrugated stone. Thick forearms led to even thicker biceps, arms so
strong she felt three times smaller than normal. He could crush a man—or so her
imagination said.
Her appreciative stare dropped
to his belly and stopped on her gasp. Scored into his taut abdomen, a white
scar ran from his ribs down beneath the waistband of his jeans. A good three
inches wide, and easily three times as long, the scarred flesh assumed the
distinct shape of a ring-hilted dagger. Someone had heated metal and pressed it
to his skin.
“My word,” she whispered.
Drawn to the horror of the mark,
she leaned in and traced a fingertip down the length of the hilt. The pain he
must have felt—her heart twisted hard. “What happened to you?” She glanced up
at his face.
Eyes closed, he sat utterly
still. “’Twas meant to gain my confession.”
Noelle winced. Looking back at
the ugly scar she couldn’t take her hand off of, her chest tightened. What sort
of person could do that to a man? His stomach bunched beneath her fingertips,
mystifying her even more. As deep as the wound had been, he was lucky he could
feel anything at all. Whoever had done this was sick. Sick, sick. “Were you in
the war?” she asked quietly.
“Aye,” he exhaled.
“Oh, Farran, I’m so sorry.” And
she was—sorrier than she’d ever been for anyone. All the stories she’d heard
about beheaded captives, tortured soldiers, and political screw-ups amounted to
nothing when faced with the stark truth of what he’d been through. He’d
suffered. Through some miracle, he’d survived a wound that would have killed a
lesser man.
On sheer impulse, she leaned in
and pressed a kiss to the ringed pommel.
Award-Winning
Author Claire Ashgrove has been writing since her early teens and maintained
the hobby for twenty years before deciding to leap into the professional world.
Her first contemporary novel, Seduction's
Stakes, sold
to The Wild Rose Press in 2008, where she continues to write steamy, sexy
stories for the Champagne
She is an active member of Romance Writers of America, and
her local RWA chapters, Heartland Romance Authors, Midwest Romance Writers, and North Texas Romance Writers of America.
Claire lives in Missouri
To learn more about
Claire, visit her on the web at www.claireashgrove.com,
or www.toristclaire.com.
You can also connect with her via Facebook, and Twitter.
Claire is giving away one digital copy of any one of her
backlist books, excepting those in the Templar series, to one randomly drawn
commenter at each stop on the blog tour.
In addition, commenters’ names will be added into the tour-end drawing
of a 25.00 Amazon gift card. Follow the
tour – the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. Complete tour dates can be found here.
