D.W. Wilkin's Blog, page 148

RAP has The End of the World

The End of the World This is the first of the Regency Romances I published. It is available for sale and I hope that you will take the opportunity to order your copy.

For yourself or as a gift. It is now available in a variety of formats. And now at the reduced price of $3.99 you can get this Regency Romance for your eReader. A little more as an actual physical book.

Barnes and Noble for your Nook

Smashwords

iBookstore

Amazon for your Kindle and as a Trade Paperback

Hermione Merwyn leads a pleasant, quiet life with her father, in the farthest corner of England. All is as it should be, though change is sure to come.�� For she and her sister have reached the age of marriage, but that can be no great adventure when life at home has already been so bountiful.

When Samuel Lynchhammer arrives in Cornwall, having journeyed the width of the country, he is down to his last few quid and needs to find work for his keep. Spurned by the most successful mine owner in the county, Gavin Tadcaster, Samuel finds work for Gavin���s adversary, Sir Lawrence Merwyn.

Can working for Sir Lawrence, the father of two young women on the cusp of their first season to far away London, be what Samuel needs to help him resolve the reasons for his running away from his obligations in the east of the country?

Will the daughters be able to find happiness in the desolate landscapes and deadly mines of their home? When a stranger arrives in Cornwall while the war rages on the Peninsula, is he the answer to one���s prayers, or a nightmare wearing the disguise of a gentleman?

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Friday Interviews- Heather King

For those who missed this last Friday, we interviewed Heather King and had over 200 views, which is a number we have rarely seen so far here.

So a repeat link to that interview:

Today we are fortunate to have with us Heather King, who writes in two genres, Regency Romance and Paranormal Romance. In the latter she visits her dark side to write about vampires and shape shifters. Though we want to hear of her historical work in the Regency.

1)What moved you to become an author?

I have written and made up stories since I was a small child. When I was about five and just starting school, the wallpaper in my bedroom was composed of flowered squares. They were just perfect for writing my ���news���! I have always been a dreamer and would spend hours lost in a world inside my head…..

Friday Interviews- Heather King.

Regency Personalities Series-John Campbell 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane

Regency Personalities Series

In my attempts to provide us with the details of the Regency, today I continue with one of the��many period notables.

John Campbell 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane

26 October 1796 ��� 8 November 1862

John Campbell

John Campbell 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane was born at Dundee, Angus, Breadalbane was the son of Lieutenant-General John Campbell, 1st Marquess of Breadalbane, and Mary, daughter of David Gavin. He was educated at Eton.

Breadalbane sat as Member of Parliament for Okehampton from 1820 to 1826 and for Perthshire from 1832 to 1834. The latter year he succeeded his father as second Marquess of Breadalbane and entered the House of Lords. In 1848 he was sworn of the Privy Council and appointed Lord Chamberlain of the Household by Lord John Russell, a post he held until the government fell in 1852. He held the same office under Lord Aberdeen between 1853 and 1855 and under Lord Palmerston between 1855 and 1858.

A freemason, Breadalbane was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland between 1824 and 1826. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1834 and made a Knight of the Thistle in 1838. The following year he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Argyllshire, a post he held until his death. In 1842 he entertained Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort at Taymouth Castle. He was a supporter of the Free Church of Scotland during the disruption in the 1840s.

Breadalbane was also Rector of the University of Glasgow between 1840 and 1842 and of Marischal College, Aberdeen, between 1843 and 1845, President of the Society of Antiquaries between 1844 and 1862 and Governor of the Bank of Scotland between 1861 and 1862. In 1861 he was sent on a special diplomatic mission to Berlin for the investiture of King William I in the Order of the Garter. He was appointed a Knight of the Order of the Black Eagle of Prussia at the same time.

Lord Breadalbane married Lady Elizabeth (“Eliza”), daughter of George Baillie and sister of George Baillie-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Haddington, in 1821. They had no children. She was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria. She died in Mayfair, London, on 28 August 1861, aged 58. Lord Breadalbane survived her by just over a year and died at Lausanne, Switzerland, on 8 November 1862, aged 66. On his death the barony of Breadalbane, earldom of Ormelie and marquessate of Breadalbane became extinct. He was succeeded in the lordship of Glenorchy, viscountcy of Tay and Paintland and earldom of Breadalbane and Holland by his distant relative and namesake, John Campbell. The marquessate was revived in favour of the latter’s son in 1885.

Space Opera Books Presents Trolling, Trolling, Trolling Fly Hides

Trolling, Trolling, Trolling Fly Hides!

Not only do I write Regency and Romance, but I also have delved into Fantasy.

The Trolling series, (the first three are in print) is the story of a man, Humphrey. We meet him as he has left youth and become a man with a man���s responsibilities.

We follow him in a series of stories that encompass the stages of life. We see him when he starts his family, when he has older sons and the father son dynamic is tested.

We see him when his children begin to marry and have children, and at the end of his life when those he has loved, and those who were his friends proceed him over the threshold into death. All this while he serves a kingdom troubled by monsters.

Troubles that he and his friends will learn to deal with and rectify.

It is now available in a variety of formats. For $2.99 you can get this fantasy adventure.

Barnes and Noble for your Nook

Smashwords

Amazon for your Kindle

Old age is catching up to Humphrey and his friends. He feels it in his bones and with his son and heir having reached the prime of his life, it could very well be time to pass the baton of rule to Daniel.

With the Valley Kingdom of Torahn at Peace, that would not be a terrible thing to do. Though breaking his decision to his wife Gwendolyn, the Queen, might be the hardest battle that he ever would fight.

Even as the life of retirement looks to be attractive and possible, however, the Valley Kingdom is beset again. Not Goblins, Trolls, Giants or Men, this time. No. That Humphrey knew would be far too easy.

Those obstacles had been overcome before and the problems they presented had solutions that the army of Torahn was trained to deal with. No, of all the creatures that came forth from Teantellen that they had beaten, the one they had never faced now came forth. Dragons!

Who in the realm knew how to fight these mythical beasts? Was there even away to do so?

Now Humphrey who had thought to spend the remainder of his days quietly writing his memoirs and drinking, was faced with the greatest challenge he had ever known.

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New book release-1st in Masqueraders Chocolate House series

Today, I and five others are releasing the first in what could turn out to be a few, an anthology centered around Bath of the Georgian and Regency period.

The Chocolate House

All For Love

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Our Authors are noted and award winning storytellers in the genre of Georgian and Regency era Historical Novels:

David W Wilkin

Francine Howarth

Giselle Marks

Jessica Schira

Susan Ruth

Elizabeth Bailey

 

A Sensual blend of Chocolate, Romance, Murder & Mystery at “Masqueraders”.

The beautiful City of Bath, famous for its Roman Spa, its Abbey, its Pump Room & Assembly Rooms, and Sally Lunn���s bun shop, is a place made famous within the literary world by the likes of Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, and other authors of Georgian and Regency historical novels. Thus Bath is renowned as a place for intrigue and romance, but few readers will have stepped across the threshold of Masqueraders���, a notorious and fashionable Chocolate House, that existed within the city from 1700 to the latter part of the reign of William IV. What happened to it thereafter, no one knows, for sure. Nor does anyone know why Sally Lunn���s bun shop disappeared for decades until it was rediscovered.

So it could be said, essence of chocolate drifting on the ether denotes where the seemingly mystical Masqueraders��� once existed, and it is that spiritual essence that has brought authors together from around the globe, to pen a delightful collection of Georgian & Regency romances, that are, all, in some way, linked to The Chocolate House. We sincerely hope you will enjoy the individual stories, and be assured all the royalties earned will be donated to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London.

The stories:

A Rose by Any Other ��� Giselle Marks.

A Fatal Connection ��� Elizabeth Bailey

The Runaway Duchess ��� Francine Howarth

Death at the Chocolate House ��� Susan Ruth

A-Pig-in-a-Poke ��� Jessica Schira

A Little Chocolate in the Morning ��� David W. Wilkin.

My story (As the author and owner of this Blog, I feel I can tell you more) is the story of Charles Watkins the Marquis of Rockford (for those who want the nitty gritty, ask and we can discuss the very specific creation of name details that went into this) who has recently come into his title and estates, his father dying just about a year before. Now he is to return to London after his mourning is over to use his seat in the House of Lords in aid of the war against Napoleon. He is not in Town to seek a bride though the dowager Marchioness should like that he attain one.

No, certainly not the schoolmate of his younger sister Emma, Lady Caroline Williamson, the daughter of the Earl of Feversham. A girl as young and silly as his sister, he would never wed, and certainly not fall in love with. But rescuing her from the clutches of a man who was old enough to be his own grandfather, that he could do with ease, and perhaps Panache.

Available at Amazon Digitally for your Kindle or Physically in Trade Paperback

Regency Personalities Series-Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

Regency Personalities Series

In my attempts to provide us with the details of the Regency, today I continue with one of the��many period notables.

Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

16 December 1790 ��� 10 December 1865

Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was the youngest son of Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and Countess Augusta Reuss-Ebersdorf, and later became a prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha after Saxe-Coburg acquired Gotha from Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg in 1826 and yielded Saalfeld to Saxe-Meiningen.

In 1795, as a mere child, Leopold was appointed colonel of the Izmaylovsky Guards Regiment in Russia. Seven years later, he became a major general. When Napoleonic troops occupied the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg in 1806 Leopold went to Paris. Emperor Napoleon I offered him the position of adjutant, but he refused. Instead, he took up a military career in the Imperial Russian Cavalry. He campaigned against Napoleon and distinguished himself at the Battle of Kulm at the head of his cuirassier division. In 1815, at the age of 25, Leopold reached the rank of lieutenant general in the Imperial Russian Army.

In Carlton House on 2 May 1816, he married Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only legitimate child of the British Prince Regent (later King George IV) and therefore second in line to the British throne, and was created a British field-marshal and Knight of the Garter. On 5 November 1817, Princess Charlotte delivered a stillborn son; she herself died the following day. Had she lived, she would have become Queen of the United Kingdom on the death of her father, and Leopold presumably would have assumed the role later taken by his nephew, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, as Prince Consort of the United Kingdom, and never been chosen to reign as King of the Belgians. Despite Charlotte’s death, the Prince Regent granted Prince Leopold the British style of Royal Highness by Order in Council on 6 April 1818.

From 1828 to 1829, Leopold was involved romantically during several months with the actress Caroline Bauer, who enjoyed a striking resemblance to Charlotte. Caroline was a cousin of his advisor Christian Friedrich Freiherr von Stockmar. She came to England with her mother and took up residence at Longwood House, a few miles from Claremont House. But, by mid-1829, the liaison was over, and the actress and her mother returned to Berlin. Many years later, in memoirs published after her death, she declared that she and Leopold had engaged into a morganatic marriage and that he had bestowed upon her the title of Countess Montgomery. He would have broken this marriage when the possibility arose that he could become King of Greece. The son of Freiherr von Stockmar denied that these events ever happened, and indeed no records have been found of a civil or religious marriage or of an ennobling of the actress.

Following the Greek War of Independence, Leopold became the favoured candidate of the allied powers to become king of the new Greek state. However, on 21 May 1830, he finally rejected the offer of the Greek throne. He cited as reasons the perceived opposition to his candidacy from some quarters in Greece (he did not wish to be seen as a king imposed on the country by foreign powers), and the powers’ insistence that certain areas in Greek possession (in Acarnania and Aetolia) were to be given up to Turkey. The Greek throne was eventually accepted by Prince Otto of Bavaria following the London Conference of 1832.

After Belgium asserted its independence from the Netherlands on 4 October 1830, the Belgian National Congress considered several candidates and eventually asked Leopold to become King of the newly formed country. He was elected on 4 June, accepted, and became “King of the Belgians” on 26 June 1831.

An Unofficial Guide to how to win the Scenarios of Wild the 2nd Expansion for Rollercoaster Tycoon 3

An Unofficial Guide to how to win the Scenarios of Wild

I have been a fan of this series of computer games since early in its release of the very first game. That game was done by one programmer, Chris Sawyer, and it was the first I recall of an internet hit. Websites were put up in dedication to this game where people showed off their creations, based on real amusement parks. These sites were funded by individuals, an expense that was not necessarily as cheap then as it is now. Nor as easy to program then as it might be to build a web page now.

Prima Books released game guides for each iteration of the game, Rollercoaster Tycoon 1, Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 and Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 (RCT3) but not for the expansion sets. And unlike the first two works, the third guide was riddle with incorrect solutions. As I played the game that frustrated me. And I took to the forums that Atari, the game publisher hosted to see if I could find a way to solve those scenarios that the Prima Guide had written up in error. Not finding any good advice, I created my own for the scenarios that the ���Official��� Guide had gotten wrong.

Solutions that if you followed my advice you would win the scenario and move on. But if you followed the ���Official��� version you would fail and not be able to complete the game. My style and format being different than the folks at Prima, I continued for all the Scenarios that they had gotten right as well, though my solutions cut to the chase and got you to the winner���s circle more quickly, more directly.

My contributions to the ���Official��� Forum, got me a place as a playtester for both expansions to the game, Soaked and Wild. And for each of these games, I wrote the guides during the play testing phase so all the play testers could solve the scenarios, and then once again after the official release to make changes in the formula in case our aiding to perfect the game had changed matters. For this, Atari and Frontier (the actual programmers of the game) placed me within the game itself.

And for the longest time, these have been free at the ���Official��� Forums, as well as my own website dedicated to the game. But a short time ago, I noticed that Atari, after one of its bankruptcies had deleted their forums. So now I am releasing the Guide for one and all. I have added new material and it is near 100 pages, just for the first of the three games. It is available for the Kindle at present for $2.99.

(Click on the picture to purchase)

Not only are all 12 Scenarios covered, but there are sections covering every Cheat Code, Custom Scenery, the famous Small Park Competition, the Advanced Fireworks Editor, the Flying Camera Route Editor which are all the techniques every amusement park designer needs to make a fantastic park in Rollercoaster Tycoon 3.

Scenarios for WILD!

1) Scrub Gardens

2) Ostrich Farms Plains

3) Egyptian Sand Dance

4) A Rollercoaster Odyssey

5) Zoo Rescue

6) Mine Mountain

7) Insect World

8) Rocky Coasters

9) Lost Land of the Dinosaurs

10) Tiger Forest

11) Raiders of the Lost Coaster

12) Saxon Farms

Regency Personalities Series-Benjamin Robert Haydon

Regency Personalities Series

In my attempts to provide us with the details of the Regency, today I continue with one of the��many period notables.

Benjamin Robert Haydon

26 January 1786 ��� 22 June 1846

Benjamin Robert Haydon

Benjamin Robert Haydon was born in Plymouth, the only son of another Benjamin Robert Haydon, a prosperous printer, stationer and publisher, and his wife Mary, the daughter of the Rev. Benjamin Cobley, rector of Dodbrooke, near Kingsbridge, Devon. At an early age he showed an aptitude for study, which was carefully fostered by his mother. At the age of six he was placed in Plymouth grammar school, and at twelve in Plympton Grammar School, where Sir Joshua Reynolds had received most of his education. On the ceiling of the school-room was a sketch by Reynolds in burnt cork, which Haydon loved to sit and look at. Reading Albinus inspired him with a love for anatomy, and from childhood he wanted to become a painter.

Full of energy and hope, he left home, on 14 May 1804, for London, where he entered the Royal Academy Schools. He was so enthusiastic that Henry Fuseli asked when he found time to eat. In 1807, at the age of 21, Haydon exhibited, for the first time, at the Royal Academy. The painting he entered, The Repose in Egypt, was bought by Thomas Hope a year later for the Egyptian Room at his townhouse in Duchess Street. This was a good start for the Haydon, who shortly afterwards received a commission from Lord Mulgrave and an introduction to Sir George Beaumont. In 1809 he finished his picture of Dentatus, which, though it increased his fame, resulted in a lifelong quarrel with the Royal Academy, whose committee hung it in a small side-room instead of the in great hall. That same year, he took on his first pupil, Charles Lock Eastlake, later a leading figure in the British art establishment.

The financial difficulties which were to dog him for the rest of his life began in 1810 when, in response to Haydon having achieved a certain amount of commercial success, his father stopped paying him his annual allowance of ��200. He also became involved in disputes with Beaumont, for whom he had painted a picture of Macbeth, and with Richard Payne Knight, who had outraged Haydon by denying both the aesthetic and the financial value of the sculptures from the Parthenon, recently brought to Britain by Lord Elgin. Haydon was fascinated by the “Elgin Marbles”, and believed that they provided evidence that ancient Greek artists had studied anatomy. The Judgment of Solomon, his next production, was sold for ��700, to two Plymouth bankers, and also brought ��100 voted to him by the directors of the British Institution, and the freedom of the borough of Plymouth. The income was not enough to pay off all his debts, but it maintained his credit, allowing him to continue borrowing.

At the end of May 1814 he took advantage of the cessation of hostilities with France to visit Paris with his friend David Wilkie, and see the art collections gathered by Napoleon from across Europe at the Louvre. Much of what he saw there disappointed him: he described Raphael’s Transfiguration, a painting he had particularly wanted to see, as “small & insignificant”. At Fran��ois Gerard’s studio he saw a portrait of Napoleon, and began to develop a fascination with the defeated French leader, although, unlike some of his more radical friends such as William Hazlitt, Haydon never admired him politically.

On returning to England, he produced Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem, which was later to form the nucleus of the American Gallery of Painting, erected by his cousin, John Haviland of Philadelphia. While painting another large work, the Resurrection of Lazarus, his financial problems increased, and he was arrested but not imprisoned, the sheriff-officer taking his word for his appearance. In October, 1821, he increased his commitments when he married Mary Hyman, a widow with two young children, whom he had known for some years. In 1823 Haydon spent two months imprisoned for debt in the King’s Bench Prison, where he received consoling letters from leading men of the day. While there, he drew up a petition to Parliament in favour of the appointment of “a committee to inquire into the state of encouragement of historical painting”, which was presented by Lord Brougham.

During 1825, following an agreement for his financial support with his lawyer, Thomas Kearsey, Haydon turned, rather unwillingly, to portrait painting, and at first he had considerable success. His works in the genre were, however, attacked in a savage review in Theodore Hook’s weekly newspaper John Bull. Haydon later blamed the article for his loss of clientele, and falling back into unmanageable levels of debt. Following a second period of incarceration at the King’s Bench Prison in 1827, he painted the Mock Election inspired by an incident he had witnessed there. The picture was bought by King George IV for ��500. Encouraged by this success, he painted a companion picture, Chairing the Member, returning to the prison to make drawings of some of the inmates. A third painting of contemporary life showed the audience at a Punch and Judy show in the New Road at Marylebone. His hopes that the king would buy this work were disappointed, a setback he blamed on the actions of the Keeper of the King’s Pictures, William Seguier.

Among Haydon’s other pictures were: Eucles (1829); Napoleon at St Helena, for Sir Robert Peel; Xenophon, on his Retreat with the ‘Ten Thousand,’ first seeing the Sea; and Waiting for the Times, purchased by the Marquis of Stafford (all 1831); and Falstaff and Achilles playing the Lyre (1832). Curtius Leaping into the Gulf, and Uriel and Satan. (1843) As a supporter of parliamentary reform, he had the idea of painting a grand canvas of a meeting on Newhall Hill, addressed by Thomas Attwood, leader of the Birmingham Political Union. Attempts to raise subscriptions to fund the painting failed, and only sketches were ever made, but Haydon did receive a commission from the new Whig prime minister, Lord Grey, for a picture of the Reform Banquet held at the Guildhall. Completed In 1834, the painting contained 597 individual portraits. He also made a painting of the Meeting of the Anti-Slavery Society, now in the National Portrait Gallery.

Haydon became well known as a lecturer on painting, and from 1835 onwards travelled throughout England and Scotland on lecture tours. He campaigned to have the country’s public buildings decorated with history paintings showing the glories of the nation’s past, and within three days of the destruction of the Palace of Westminster by fire in 1834 he visited the prime minister, Lord Melbourne, in order to impress on him the importance of government patronage of art, especially in relation to the opportunities offered by the rebuilding made necessary by the disaster. Although a scheme along the lines of his suggestions was in fact carried out at the new Houses of Parliament, Haydon played no part in it. When, in 1843, an exhibition was held at Westminster Hall, to choose designs for paintings to decorate the Houses of Parliament. he submitted two cartoons, The Curse of Adam and Edward the Black Prince, but the commission charged with artists to carry out the work (which including his former pupil, Eastlake) found neither suitable.

He then painted The Banishment of Aristides, which was exhibited, along with other works, at the Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, where he had hired a gallery several times over the years. The American dwarf General Tom Thumb was then appearing at the same venue; over the Easter week 12,000 people paid to see him, while only 133 visited Haydon’s exhibition.

The artist’s difficulties increased to such an extent that, whilst employed on his last grand effort, Alfred and the Trial by Jury, overcome by debts of over ��3,000, disappointment, and ingratitude, he wrote “Stretch me no longer on this rough world,” and attempted suicide by shooting himself. The bullet failed to kill him, and he finished the task by cutting his throat. He left a widow and three surviving children, who were generously supported by Haydon’s friends, including Sir Robert Peel, the Count d’Orsay, Thomas Talfourd, and Lord Carlisle. A resident of Paddington, he was buried just to the north-west of the grave of Sarah Siddons at St Mary’s Church, Paddington, London. The cemetery was converted to a park, St Mary’s Gardens, in 1885. Haydon’s is one of the few preserved stones. It is modest and eroded but his name is still (2014) just legible.

In 1839 Haydon began work on an autobiography, drawing on materials from his extensive diaries. Before his death he had completed the story of his life up to the year 1820. It was published in three volumes in 1853, edited by Tom Taylor, with additional material from the diaries, under the title Life of Benjamin Robert Haydon, Historical Painter, from his Autobiography and Journals.

The autobiography was assessed by the Encyclop��dia Britannica Eleventh Edition this way:

Haydon’s autobiography is one of the most natural books ever written, full of various and abundant power, and fascinating to the reader. His love for his art was both a passion and a principle. He found patrons difficult to manage; and did not have the tact to lead them gently. He failed, abused patrons and patronage, and intermingled talk of the noblest independence with acts not always dignified. He was self-willed to perversity, but his perseverance was such as is seldom associated with so much vehemence and passion. He had confidence in his own powers and in the ultimate triumph of art. He proclaimed himself the apostle and martyr of high art, and believed himself to have a claim on the sympathy and support of the nation.

Readers of his autobiography were struck by the frequency and fervour of the short prayers interspersed throughout the work. Haydon had an overwhelming sense of a personal, overruling and merciful providence, which influenced his relations with his family, and to some extent with the world. He had many enemies, actuated by motives as unworthy as his own were always high-pitched and on abstract grounds laudable.

Haydon’s Lectures, published shortly after their delivery, showed that he was as bold a writer as painter. He also wrote the long and elaborate article on “Painting,” in the 7th edition of the Encyclop��dia Britannica.

Charles Dickens wrote in 1846 that “All his life [Haydon] had utterly mistaken his vocation. No amount of sympathy with him and sorrow for him in his manly pursuit of a wrong idea for so many years ��� until, by dint of his perseverance and courage it almost began to seem a right one ��� ought to prevent one from saying that he most unquestionably was a very bad painter, and that his pictures could not be expected to sell or to succeed.”

Fantasy from Space Opera Books, Trolling’s Pass and Present

Trolling���s Pass and Present

Not only do I write Regency and Romance, but I also have delved into Fantasy. The Trolling series, (the first three are in print) is the story of a man, Humphrey.

We meet him as he has left youth and become a man with a man���s responsibilities. We follow him in a series of stories that encompass the stages of life.

We see him when he starts his family, when he has older sons and the father son dynamic is tested. We see him when his children begin to marry and have children, and at the end of his life when those he has loved, and those who were his friends proceed him over the threshold into death.

All this while he serves a kingdom troubled by monsters. Troubles that he and his friends will learn to deal with and rectify.

It is now available in a variety of formats. For $2.99 you can get this fantasy adventure.

Barnes and Noble for your Nook

Smashwords

Amazon for your Kindle

Years since their battles with the Trolls, even on foreign soil, the warriors of the Valley Kingdom of Torahn need something to keep their edge honed.

The economy too is beginning to fray a little without the great wars to support. The Leaders hit upon the idea of searching for a path to reach the east side of the continent.

The Elves swear that at one time their writings tell of such, the Dwarves swear such a pass across Teantellen is legendary. Teantellen though is filled with races man has never gotten along with well. Goblins, Dark Elves, Trolls, Giants and Dragons.

It has been years since the mountain tops exploded, and perhaps that has changed things enough that a way can be found to link the western lands with the eastern lands and increase trade, and prosperity for all. Even should they fail in their quest, as the history of man has shown to this point in time, the attempt will do much to spur the economy.

Tens of thousands of gold will be spent by the Council of Twenty-One to pay for such an expedition. Gold that those who are not so scrupulous might choose to pocket as they tried in the Troll Wars.

With such shenanigans taking place again, are the hopes of the previous generation, the leaders from the Troll Wars now in retirement, ready to be achieved? Is it time for Torahn, called the Valley Kingdom, but the only Kingdom without a King, to have a King once more?

Feedback

If you have any commentary, thoughts, ideas about the book (especially if you buy it, read it and like it ;-) then we would love to hear from you.

Friday Interviews- Heather King

Today we are fortunate to have with us Heather King, who writes in two genres, Regency Romance and Paranormal Romance. In the latter she visits her dark side to write about vampires and shape shifters. Though we want to hear of her historical work in the Regency.

1)What moved you to become an author?

I have written and made up stories since I was a small child. When I was about five and just starting school, the wallpaper in my bedroom was composed of flowered squares. They were just perfect for writing my ���news���! I have always been a dreamer and would spend hours lost in a world inside my head. I used to make up the continuing story for books I had enjoyed and I began my first attempts at novel writing when I left school. My first Regency came about when the Foot and Mouth crisis prevented me from working; up until then I���d felt that as I would never write anything as good as Georgette Heyer, I would not sully her memory trying. Actually believing I could be a writer has taken a lot longer. There are times when I���m not sure I truly believe it yet.

2) Tell us about your current novel.

An Improper Marriage features Miss Eleanor Honeybourne and Captain Charles Ribblesford, childhood playmates who meet again in difficult circumstances after some years apart.

When her stepfather suggests she should marry ironmaster Jeremiah Knight, Eleanor Honeybourne knows a lifetime of dullness awaits her, but at the annual glass-maker���s ball, the discovery of an injured man in a summer-house and an overheard conversation lead her to suspect Mr. Knight is not all that he appears. With both her own and Robert���s life at risk, Eleanor sees only one way out of the fix��� and when she meets her childhood hero, she is forced into a situation which could well spell her ruin���

For Charles Ribblesford, meeting again the hoyden who once tagged behind him on his boyish adventures is a revelation. She is now a beautiful young woman who troubles him in an entirely different way. How can he preserve her reputation and keep her safe? What is the family secret behind Knight���s malevolence and why has the man in the summer-house appeared at Sir Thomas Winningham���s house party?

���I have nothing to say to you.���

���No? You do surprise me. I was quite sure you would wish to pull caps with me. I promise I will not dodge if you wish to throw pillows at me. I do draw the line, however, at any expensive vases or glassware.���

3) How did the story begin to develop in your mind?

It began with a short story I wrote for a local competition, but it was always destined to be a novel. When researching something else, I had come across an interesting snippet of historical information (as often happens) and that intrigued me to delve deeper. I cannot remember where the initial idea came from, but it was one of those which grew and developed in layers, a bit at a time.

4) What did you find most challenging about this book?

The cover! Finding the style of historical cover I wanted at a price I could afford was proving impossible, so in the end I created my own. I���m really pleased with how it has turned out and I hope my readers like it too.

5) How did you choose your publishing method?

I am a traditionalist. I like the feel of a ���real��� book in my hand. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find a publisher willing to take a chance on unsolicited submissions ��� and even fewer are interested in the Regency genre, even though millions of readers still love nothing better than a good Regency novel. I decided, therefore, to self-publish, after the umpteenth rejection and the feedback from those whom had read my debut novel.

6) Tell us a little about yourself?

I am English and I live in a lovely rural part of the Midlands with various life forms, including two ponies, three cats and a very boisterous, rescued ���Staffie��� X, who is marginally slower than the cats!

I enjoy listening to Il Divo and the Moody Blues; watching costume dramas and old television shows; baking, reading and walking the dog, although at the moment I seem to have little time for any of them apart from the last. I am interested in homeopathy and herbal medicines, but more for my animals than me. I love looking around stately homes. One of my most memorable holidays was a visit to Salzburg in Austria. The atmosphere in the fortress was incredible.

I cannot start writing until I���ve had a cup of tea!

7) What is your next work, and beyond that, what do you want to work on.

The publisher of my debut novel, A Sense of the Ridiculous, has recently closed down, so I shall be re-editing and reissuing it under a new cover as soon as I can. I am involved in a forthcoming anthology set around the Battle of Waterloo, so my intention is to have my novel ready at the same time as the novella collection. I have been asked to join two regency era anthologies in 2015, the first set for this April and am due to submit a second Regency novella in June. I have a non-fiction book ��� on writing about horses in historical novels ��� to be polished, as well as a Shape Shifter novel I am very excited about to get ready for publication. The latter will probably be released under my pseudonym, Vandalia Black. No peace for the wicked! It would be nice to write a Christmas story, possibly a novella; also I have a Regency novel that is very close to my heart and which will hopefully be my next full-length release in that genre. It is the one my late mother both inspired and enjoyed.

8) In the current work, is there an excerpt to share? Your favorite scene, a part of your life that you put into the work and think it came out exceptionally well that you would like to share.

I���m sorry to say Eleanor is not always as well-behaved as she should be. This scene was great fun to write! It incorporates all my favourites ��� description, equine matters and (hopefully) witty dialogue.

Eleanor���s entry into the stable yard was nearly Charles��� undoing. She took his breath away in the bluish-purple habit his mother had chosen and he had to remind himself sharply that she was believed to be his wife in order to keep from staring at her with his tongue hanging out like a regular Johnny Raw. The habit looked as if it had been tailored specifically for her. The close-fitting jacket admirably outlined her feminine curves ��� of which, to his extreme discomfort, he had been only too aware that morning ��� and with its long tight sleeves, high collar and lapels, was cut in a masculine style which became her boyish personality. The skirt was full; the whole ensemble quite plain apart from a row of silver buttons down the front, whilst perched at a saucy angle upon her head was a small round confection with a wisp of veil and a dashing peacock���s feather.

She was accompanied by Lady Rodney, a striking figure in purple, the pair lagging somewhat behind the rest of the ladies. Deep in conversation as they passed beneath the archway, he was surprised to witness the Baroness affectionately pat Eleanor���s cheek before walking purposefully to where a bright chestnut was standing in the care of a groom garbed in the Rodney livery. After a quick survey of the yard, Eleanor stepped nimbly around a small tan and white terrier which was nipping at the heels of the horses and came to join him. Her face was pale but composed, her delicate cheekbones highlighted with the veriest touch of rouge. Striding forward to meet her, he bowed over her hand in formal greeting, but could not resist whispering:

���I do not recall that that hat was mounted with a peacock���s feather, Eleanor. How did you come by it, or should I not ask?���

Screened by her eyelashes, the look she cast him made his stomach lurch. Had it been any other female but Ellie, he would have suspected her of flirting. She lightly tapped his arm with her riding crop.

���Why, sir, whatever do you mean?���

He gave her a severe look. ���You know full well what I mean. Has some unfortunate bird lost its tail, perchance?���

Wrinkling her nose as if in thought, an action which caused his blood ��� already humming from earlier ��� to sing a demanding refrain he had to force himself to ignore, she waited several agonizing seconds before favouring him with a mischievous smile. Hot sensations pulled deep within his abdomen. She was playing with him, the romp. Wherever had she got the idea to��� His thoughts broke off in mid-sentence as she slowly touched her forefinger to her lower lip. This had to stop, now!

���Ellie������

���Do not panic so, Charlie,��� she said briskly, but in a low tone so that it did not carry. Her eyes were sparkling with laughter ��� and she had never looked more desirable��� ���We shall be having peacock for dinner on the night of the ball. It is already hung and the feathers had been placed in Lady Joanna���s sitting room. She kindly said I might take one.���

He fixed her with what he hoped was an admonitory stare. ���You, madam, are������

He was interrupted by a groom, who led up a very pretty bay mare with a white star on her dainty forehead. Eleanor twinkled at him as she stepped to the horse���s side and gathered up the reins. Wishing they were alone so that he might give proper vent to his feelings, Charles took her booted foot in his hands to boost her into the saddle and when she was safely settled, contented himself by muttering grimly:

���I shall deal with you later.���

A tinkle of female merriment met this declaration and he knew he was well and truly lost. She was a hoyden and a baggage playing at being a lady, and she was adorable, although what demon possessed her at the moment, he had no idea. Earlier, he had been well aware of her confusion. He knew she would have welcomed his kiss; however, he had also recognized her fear. Now she was playing the coquette.

9) Who do you think influenced your writing, this work, and who do you think you write like



In my early teens, I discovered the Regency novels of Georgette Heyer and the delightful, witty dialogue, the sense of fun and adventure, and sentence structure have all influenced me. The glorious stories by Elizabeth Chadwick have inspired me to find expressive ways of describing scenes and emotions. The wonderful writing workshops run by Sue Johnson have helped me to grow and expand my horizons as a writer.

An Improper Marriage grew from a short story I wrote for a competition. There was always a novel inside it trying to get out and both Sue Johnson and another good friend have been instrumental in its development. My writers��� group have also been wonderful in offering advice and feedback.

I have my own voice when I write and do not aim, as such, to be like any other writer. That said, I should very much like to be thought to uphold the traditions of the Regency genre as laid down by Georgette Heyer (if for a modern audience) and thus follow, with tiny steps, in her magnificent wake.

10) Who do you read? What are the things that a reader can identify with that you have grounded yourself in.

Between working the ���day job���, walking my dog and caring for the extended family, my days are pretty full! I don���t read as much as I would like to, but when I do have time, apart from revisiting old favourites from my Heyer collection, I love Elizabeth Chadwick, Barbara Erskine, the Poldark Series by Winston Graham, Jane Austen, JR Ward (the original Black Dagger Brotherhood series), Christine Feehan, Kerri Arthur and any well-written Regency Romance. There are many more I have yet to discover!

11) When writing, what is your routine?

Once the everyday tasks of feeding and caring for the four and two-legged members of the family are completed, I will work until lunchtime. I often continue working while I eat. After lunch, I walk the dog. This can be a time to plot ideas in my head, or allow an awkward scene to percolate. I firmly believe fresh air and exercise are essential to allow the creative juices to flow and for the well of inspiration to be refilled. I may work some more on my return if there is time before the menagerie needs feeding again, or later in the evening.

If I am mid-novel, I normally read the last few paragraphs in order to orientate myself before continuing. Otherwise I might be working on promotion tasks, blog posts, a short story, researching or other writing-related exercises. If I am starting a new project that is longer than a short story, I often do a plot sheet where I jot down ideas at random. I also do character profiles, so I have an idea of their personalities and past lives before I write ��� at least until they tell me I���ve got it all wrong!

12) Do you think of yourself as an artist, or as a craftsman, a blend of both?

Neither, actually! I am just someone who enjoys creating a world where the nasties of modern life cannot enter. I write stories I would enjoy reading and I hope they immerse readers in that world and allow them to escape from reality for just a short while. I like to describe the settings, clothes and food, to give my readers a full picture of the world my characters inhabit, as well as a few tidbits of historical information along the way. I believe a story should flow, carrying the reader from one chapter to the next until they come to the sometimes humorous, but always satisfying finale. I believe an historical novel should not be merely a ���modern romance story in costume���.

13) Where should we look for your work.

An Improper Marriage

Available at Amazon US and Amazon UK

A Sense of the Ridiculous

Available at Bookstrand

Vampires Don���t Drink Coffee and Other Stories

Available at Amazon US and Amazon UK

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