Showing posts with label Regency Romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Regency Romance. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Author Abigail Wilson's Third Regency Waits in the Wings. . .


We're closing out one of the last weeks in December with Abigail Wilson, one of the Diamond Mine's favorite authors. She's turning out her third book and it's bound to be as exciting as the other two! May is just around the corner, (when her book releases) and I couldn't wait to don my white gloves and chat with her.

PT: Welcome back to the Mine! So, for the readers who haven't met you, tell us a little more about your genre, Regency.

AW: Thank you so much for having me back on the mine, Peggy!

The Regency era is by far my favorite time period in England and took place between 1811 and 1820 when George, Prince of Wales, governed the country as 'Regent' due to the madness of his father George III. Though the Regency period spanned only a few years, thanks to Jane Austen and the romanticized mix of honor, class, and societal expectations, it has sparked countless stories.

And, while balls and matchmaking mamas were giving their daughters seasons in London in hopes of snagging husbands of wealth and status, the Napoleonic Wars were raging on the continent, which provides a delicious mix of adventure and romance with which to set my own stories.

PT: Ahhh. The perfect backdrop. So share with us, when can we expect to see your book on the shelf and where is it set?

AW: My second novel Midnight on the River Grey
released in July 2019, and it is set on the southeastern coast of England where smuggling and spying with France flourished.
My next book Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey will release in May 2020 in the same location.



PT: Smuggling, spying, gracious I must fan myself! Tell us, is your new book a standalone novel or part of a series?

AW: Each one of my stories are loosely connected but can be read as a standalones, including Midnight on the River Grey.

PT: Such an exotic location to build a story. Have you ever been to London/Europe or do you research extensively for your projects?

AW: Traveling to England continues to be a dream of mine. However, I like to say I’ve visited Regency England thousands of times in my imagination. Thanks to the popularity of the Regency time period, there are so many research options online as well as in books. And Google Earth is a huge help too.

PT: Virtual reality is an ideal way to travel, especially to us book worms! So go ahead, wow us with your favorite regency quip (using your best regency British brogue, LOL.)

AW: There are so many I can hardly choose. Here’s one that comes to mind:
“I daresay the boot is quite on the other leg.” (The situation is the reverse)
And in response, “Eh, wot?” (Right?!)

PT: Is there Biblical themes/lessons in your books?

AW: My books are considered crossover books, which means they are presented from a Christian world view with a strong moral message rooted in faith, but can be picked up by anyone in the general public.

PT: Favorite place to be? Favorite place to write? Tea, Coffee, or other for writing?

AW: One of my favorite places that I’ve ever been is Glacier National Park, gorgeous sweeping mountains and waterfalls.
My favorite place to write is anywhere comfy and quiet. Currently, while my kids are at school, I like to put up my feet in my recliner and type on my laptop.
And I absolutely cannot write without tea by my side, preferably chai tea.

PT: Name 5 things fast about Abigail Wilson that have nothing to do with writing.

AW: I love visiting the National Parks and plan to see every single one in my lifetime.
I’m addicted to Coca-cola.
My dog is trained to do all kinds of tricks.
I’m a mom of two crazy kids (One is a competitive diver and the other plays the French horn).
I’m always planning my next road trip.

PT: What’s your next project?

AW: Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey will release in May 2020, and I’m so excited to get the chance to give Elizabeth Cantrell a happily ever after. Here’s the blurb:

When the widowed Lord Torrington agreed to spy for the crown, he never planned to impersonate a highwayman, let alone rob the wrong carriage. Stranded on the road with an unconscious young woman, he is forced to propose marriage to protect his identity and her reputation, as well as his dangerous mission.

Trapped not only by her duty to her country but also by her limited options as an unwed mother, Miss Elizabeth Cantrell and her infant son are whisked away to Middlecrest Abbey by none other than the elder brother of her son’s absent father. There she is met by Torrington’s beautiful grown daughters, a vicious murderer, and an urgent hunt for the missing intelligence that could turn the war with France. Meanwhile she must convince everyone that her marriage is a genuine love match if her new husband has any hope of uncovering the enemy.

Determined to keep her son’s true identity a secret, Elizabeth will need to remain one step ahead of her fragile heart, her uncertain future, and the relentless fiend bent on her new family’s ruin.

PT: And there you have it, dear readers! A chance to travel back to England and embrace the Regency time period. Merely pick up one of Abigail's books and off you go. Perhaps now, the boot is on the other leg! Simply click on here, and you can pre-order her new book or purchase her other ones. 
Otherwise, you can be entered to win Abigail Wilson's Midnight on the River Grey by simply commenting and leaving your email. Good Luck, and Merry Christmas!

Saturday, May 14, 2016

A Perilous Proposal Giveaway and Author Interview!


This month I have the pleasure of interviewing fellow, former Avalon author, Sarah Richmond. It is always so much fun to share a friend's story and Sarah has a wonderful one to tell you about. Be sure to leave a comment below in order to be entered into the drawing for an eBook or signed paperback (US readers only) copy of A Perilous Proposal.

Tracey:  I think every author has something that propelled them into a writing career. What inspired you to become a writer?
Sarah:  What propelled me into a writing career? I love making stuff up. I love taking an idea and expanding it with a what if? Most of the what ifs are crazy and nonsensical which can be fun. Or just crazy.

Tracey:  Readers love to hear about our quirky writing habits. Can you tell us a little bit about yours? Sarah:  I write with my corgi lying across my feet. He seems to know better that I that the book doesn't get written unless I'm sitting in front of the computer.

Tracey:  You were a Peace Corps volunteer; that must have been a wonderful experience. Can you share a bit about how this enriched your life?
Sarah:  When I graduated from the University of Michigan, I wanted to see the world. The Peace Corps allowed me to spend time in Africa. The experience turned out to be life changing since I married my husband there in the Presbyterian church of Nairobi.

Tracey:  How has faith inspired your writing? 
Sarah:  My faith teaches there is good in everybody and love heals all wounds. I think those principles are important in characterization because the heroine and hero are often struggling with redemption and forgiveness. Which creates conflict. Which makes a good story.

Tracey:  What one piece of advice would you share with an aspiring writer?
Sarah:  One piece of advice, which I received in my first writing class from teacher Marion Jones, is this: don't give up. You don't know if the next submission is the one that sells the book. Marion gave us a picture of a boa constrictor wrapped around a mongoose who has her teeth into the boa's back. The copy states: Never give up. I still have that picture.

Tracey:  A Perilous Proposal is such a great book title! Where did the idea for the book come from?
Sarah:  A Perilous Proposal wasn't the original title. I submitted the manuscript as The Milliner's Apprentice. We were in Portugal with friends when the email came that TWRP had accepted the work but with a title change. Every book needs to have conflict inherent in the title: The Reluctant Duke, for example, The Secret Diary of Miss Miranda Cheever, etc. I was trying to think of a good conflict that hadn't been used over and over. I came up with A Precarious Proposal but it still wasn't quite right. Precarious didn't fit the character's dilemma. I decided on A Perilous Proposal.  I decided the word perilous referred to both plot points and the romance. The name described both the external and internal conflict which involves pitting the heroine against a powerful man in court. The internal conflict involves risking her heart to love the hero. Happily, my editor agreed.
A Perilous Proposal
 
     Edmund Caruthers is a man with all the answers, comfortable in his own circle, and confident in his profession as a junior barrister with ambition to wear the silks of a King's Counsel. Born to privilege, he loves to gamble with the old money heirs at his club.
     A milliner's apprentice, Dolly Wycliffe pursues her dream to make fashionable ladies' hats, but her earnings cannot support her widowed mother and siblings. She seeks legal council to sue a powerful English peer for the wrongful death of her father who was in his lordship's employ. Everyone including Edmund turns her down. The death has been ruled an accident and there is nothing he can do. The old boys at  Edmund's club agree and bet he can't loosen the purse strings of a titled gentleman, especially with a shop girl as a client. With a sizable wager at stake,  Edmund decides to prove them wrong.
     Edmund and Dolly uncover a dastardly plot that suggests her father's death was not an accident, but murder. Together the risk ridicule and ruin to prove their suspicions are true.



Dear Readers,

Come take a journey with me to Edwardian England and the American West where feisty heroines and the men they love find adventure along with their happily ever after.

The question I’m asked the most is what I’m working on now. This summer I’m in the middle of a three book series of historical mysteries set in 1910-1912 London, England.  I’m having so much fun writing about murder and villains. I hope readers will like the books.

I welcome your comments. Let me know what you are reading and what kinds of books you like. 

With thanks,

Sarah

      
Facebook: Sarah Richmond Writer
Twitter: @srichmondwriter
Pinterest: Sarah Richmond