Alison Stuart's Blog, page 18

Out of Africa... meet Beverley Eikli

BE and AS hamming it up... Sometimes in life we meet people with whom there is an instant connection. I have  known about Beverley Eikli (or Beverley Oakley) for a long time through the writing circles, but we never really got to talk until we went to the Phryne Fisher Costume Collection last year. Not only did we discover we were both big kids who liked dressing up, but also discovered some of the most amazing coincidences in our lives... beginning with the fact we were both born in the dying days of the colonial presence in Africa: me in Kenya and Beverely in Lesotho and moved to Australia at about the same age (Beverley to Adelaide and me to Melbourne) etc.  However what Beverley did, that I have never quite had the courage to do, is return to Africa and her life from there reads like a Girl's Own Adventure.

Beverley and I are doing a shared book launch on June 22nd and all of those (in the general vicinity of course!) are more than welcome to join us for an afternoon of wine, cheese, chocolate, books, poetry and music. (Proceeds will be going to Alzheimers Victoria). Details at the end of the post. 


So many questions I could pose, Beverley, but first let us compose ourselves with a cup of tea. I have been teaching George Swahili… “Peleke chai kwa Mgeni” (Take tea to the guest).  The question is what sort of tea is your preference?
Ah, there’s nothing like a good strong cup of tea, first thing in the morning when I sit down to work. Thank you so much for having me, Alison. So, tea? I’m a traditionalist and a ‘when in Rome…. ’ sort of person. In Australia it’s English Breakfast with no milk or sugar. However when we visit Norway, which we do quite frequently as my husband is Norwegian and I lived there for a year, my favourite is Jul Te or Christmas Tea (pronounced yule, as in yuletide), a fragrant fruit and spice tea, taken black and unsweetened, which I bring home in large quantities after every visit.
The reason I mention Swahili is because you and I have a very similar background. I was born in Kenya and you in Lesotho (formerly Basutoland) during the dying days of the British Empire. What took your family to Lesotho?
BE's grandfather on a survey trip of the Okavango Ah, Africa and the good old days…. Well, my dad, Ted Nettelton, had been born andbrought up in Botswana during the 30s and 40s and had studied anthropology at Cape Town University before he joined the British Colonial Service. They sent him to Cambridge University to do a District Commissioner’s Course, and then to the mountainous African kingdom of Lesotho in the mid 50s where he became a District Commissioner in Mokhotlong, known at the time as ‘The British Empire’s most remote outpost’. I was born ten years later during what mum and dad considered the happiest years of their lives in this far-flung region. Shortly afterwards dad was transferred to the capital, Maseru, where he took up the post of Private Secretary to the country’s first democratically elected Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan. We emigrated to Australia a few years after Independence.


Garden in the mountains of Mokhotlong in Lesotho
Your own life reads like a girl’s own adventure or at the very least the plot of a romance novel. Again, like my family, yours emigrated to Australia but unlike me, Africa has drawn you back and that in itself is a story. Can you give us a potted history of your African adventure?
Thanks Alison… I love telling this story because it’s a reminder that real-life romance is just as interesting as fiction. So, how did I end up back in the land of my father’s and grandfather’s birth, a whole generation later?
BE with microlight in BotswanaIn my late twenties I came upon my grandfather, Gerald Nettelton’s pictorial diary, which details his extraordinary adventures as a young District Officer between 1916 and 1922 in the Okavango Delta in Northern Botswana. About that time, an unexpected freelance windfall gave me the funds to see the country for myself on a fly-in safari, so I persuaded dad to come along, and we had a brilliant time, the icing on the cake being a job offer to return later in the year to do two months relief management at Okavango Wilderness Safari’s luxury camp, Mombo. I leapt at the opportunity and took leave from my job as a journalist on Adelaide’s The Advertiser to immerse myself in bush life. This was twenty years ago so communications were basic. There was nothing as sophisticated as wifi or GPS or fax machines, though we had a two-way radio. Delivering fresh supplies and tourists to camp was done by light aircraft due to the floodwaters which turned so many camps into islands for six months of the year, but those  floodwaters attracted vast herds of game to the area which the tourists paid big money to see. Botswana’s successful economy is based largely on high cost, low impact tourism, in addition to revenue from its diamonds which were – fortunately for Botswana – discovered after they gained independence from Britain. (I later had some exciting times working in survey in the closed diamond town of Orapa, several years later, but that’s another story.)
Anyway, back to my own fairy tale in the pristine, romantic environment of the Okavango, where fate intervened the evening before I was due to fly home to resume my old life. After dining around the large table with the 14 guests staying in our small camp, we all convened around the campfire, and this is when I got talking to the handsome Norwegian bush pilot who’d just flown in four tourists.
Eight months later, after a whirlwind courtship consisting of these six hours of conversation around the camp fire, dozens of long-hand snail-mail letters three faxes and two long-distance phone calls, Eivind (pronounced Ivan) boarded a flight from Botswana and jetted over to Australia to ask me to marry him. It’s been a brilliantly successful 20 years, as that was only the beginning of our adventures around the world.
How has Africa influenced your writing?
I’ve always felt part of me stayed in Africa, though I’ve lived in many countries and Australia is home. As a child I wrote childish, dramatic stories about kidnapped earl’s daughters, and, as an adult, more sophisticated stories of kidnapped earl’s daughters, but a novel with an African setting has always been something I’ve wanted to do.
A poaching background might have been an obvious choice due to my having worked in the safari industry. I’d heard so many stories from Dad who’d grown up in the bush, and hunted for the pot during boyhood expeditions. Tragically, his brother, my uncle Gerald, was trampled to death by an elephant in Tanganyika; later, when I worked in Botswana, and then when I returned once more to live with Eivind in a tiny thatched cottage in the middle of a mopane forest by a flood plain, I formed a very healthy respect for elephants, and for the other African wildlife which surrounded me.
However, although I was working and socializing with pilots who flew for photographic safaris, and pilots who flew for hunting safaris, and also game rangers, documentary makers and long-time game hunters, I wanted to set a story in the country where I’d been born during the final years of the Colonial Administration.
Dad had prosecuted many medicine murders and Illegal Diamond (IDB) Buying cases in Lesotho, so I decided to make my hero a bush pilot who becomes embroiled in IDB to save the reputation of the District Commissioner’s daughter, whom he loves, but who has set her sights on a more illustrious match: an up-and-coming Cape Town lawyer. In addition to the dramas of conflicted love and how many risks a man will take for honour, despite the fact his ultimate goal seems hopeless, I also wanted to explore the nuances of the class structure amongst both blacks and whites in a country that has never experienced Apartheid yet which was surrounded by Apartheid South Africa.
The Sani Pass - one of the world's great mountain passes - was just down the road and separated us from South Africa. I returned several years ago and remembered all over again how terrifying it was to negotiate those hairpin bends in a 4x4
You are best known for your wonderful cross genre historical novels (indeed you write spicy historical under the soubriquet Beverley Oakley). Do you have a particular period that holds your passion?
I enjoy so many, and I have to admit that when I set a book in a particular time period, it’s often a good excuse for me to make a full costume, with all the corsetry and underpinnings to wear in order to promote it. The two favourite settings for my spicy stories are the English Civil War (The Cavalier) and the 1880s during the pioneering years of Photography (Saving Grace). Pan Macmillan Momentum have just included Saving Grace in a bundled collection of their Hot Down Under series, which was launched a few days ago on May 27th. And I have to say, that although my Beverley Oakley stories were classified erotic, most of them were more an exploration into how desperation motivated my heroines during key historical moments, rather than a celebration of eroticism, though the descriptions were reasonably explicit, as the heat level of my Beverley Oakley stories always are.
Your latest book (and your second with Choc Lit) is THE MAID OF MILAN. What was the inspiration behind this story?
I worked on this story over many years, while other stories of mine were published. Honour and redemption are key themes, as is generally the case with my books. As almost every reviewer remarks, The Maid of Milan is ‘not your typical historical romance’, and that the ending isn’t what any of them expected. I love to keep readers guessing and to lead them to expect a certain ending, but to get another.
I also wanted to explore the issues of wrongdoing and manipulation, and how far love and forgiveness will stretch. I agonized over getting the nuances just right in this book and I strove for an atmosphere reminiscent of the 1944 mystery-thriller movie ‘Gaslight’ starring Ingrid Bergmann. In the beginning of The Maid of Milan , everything at first seems obvious. The reader knows that Regency party-girl Adelaide has come a cropper and, following four years of unspectacular marriage, she’s just begun to appreciate her noble, energetic and reformist MP husband, Tristan, who’s nursed her through her darkest hours.Then Adelaide’s former lover, (who happens to be Tristan’s boyhood friend), turns up, and Adelaide is forced into a series of lies and counter-lies to hide the secrets of her past, while being thrust reluctantly into the limelight as the celebrated muse of a famous painter.
But that’s when everything stops being obvious as, hopefully, the reader grapples with who, in fact, is manipulating Adelaide, and why? The answers are definitely not as clear-cut as first appears and  Adelaide finds herself spiraling into a world where, despite all her best intentions and efforts to be the woman her husband deserves, she is trapped, a pawn in someone else’s game.
ABOUT THE MAID OF MILAN
How much would you pay for a clear conscience?
Adelaide Leeson wants to prove herself worthy of her husband, a man of noble aspirations who married her when she was at her lowest ebb.
Lord Tristan Leeson is a model of diplomacy and self-control, curbing the fiery impulses of his youth to maintain the calm relations deemed essential by his mother-in-law to preserve his wife’s health. A visit from his boyhood friend, feted poet Lord James Dewhurst, author of the sensational Maid of Milan, persuades Tristan that leaving the countryside behind for the London Season will be in everyone’s interests. But as Tristan’s political career rises and Adelaide revels in society’s adulation, the secrets of the past are uncovered. And there’s a high price to pay for a life of deception.
The Maid of Milan is available in ebook, paperback, Large Print and audio book from: Amazon US, Amazon UK, iBooks, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository
MEET BEVERLEY EIKLI
Beverley Eikli is the award-winning author of eight historical romances, laced with mystery and intrigue.She has worked as a journalist, magazine editor, a safari lodge manager in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, and an airborne geophysical survey operator on contracts around the world.Beverley loves exploring complex issues such as the consequences faced by characters who make errors of judgment in a punitive society. Her own experiences have provided rich fodder for her books, the highlight of her tumultuous past being the handsome Norwegian bush pilot she met around a camp fire in Botswana and married after a whirlwind romance, twenty years ago.Beverley teaches in the Department of Professional Writing & Editing at Victoria University. She lives with her husband, two daughters and their Rhodesian Ridgeback, in a pretty country town near Melbourne, Australia.
You can visit her website at: www.beverleyeikli.com or follow her on Twitter @BeverleyOakley or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beverley.eikli
GIVEAWAY: It’s been a pleasure to be here, Alison. Thank you. I’d also like to offer a copy of my Regency romantic mystery/suspense Lady Farquhar’s Butterfly to a randomly selected reader who can tell me what year France’s Madame Guillotine beheaded its last victim. (I ask this during my History Through Costume talks, because my last book, The Reluctant Bride, was partly set during The Reign of Terror in 1792.)


AND MEET BEVERLEY AND ALISON:

Taking Tea with... Jenn J McLeod

My guest today is Australian author Jenn J. McLeod.  Jenn and I met over a cup of tea at a Romance Writers of Australia conference. We were both in a blue funk about the difficulties of breaking into the publishing industry. Fortune smiled on Jenn and within a year of that conference (or was it two?) she had found an agent and been picked up by Simon and Schuster just at the moment when Australian "rural" romance was taking off... although personally I would describe Jenn's books as more akin to "women's fiction" (if you are into labels). They are wonderful small town stories of real people and I am delighted to call Jenn a friend.
Jenn, it’s always a particular pleasure to welcome old friends and in honour of our Australian-ness… George is out the back swinging the billy for a cup of good old fashioned bush tea. However if that is not to your taste we can do something else…?
Any tea I don’t have to make is okay with me. Thank you, Ms. Stuart. Oh, and can I see a small slab of damper over there? (AS - it is... with real butter!) 
Oh, and speaking of boiling billies, hope you enjoy my little segue at the end. Ha! (AS:  )
I actually feel slightly nervous serving you tea as you are famous for having thrown in the corporate life and buying a tea shop in a small country town… can you tell me how that came about?
Funny you should use that word – famous. I discovered a sense of celebrity comres from moving into a small town and into a much-loved business. I had never made an espresso coffee – never even stood behind a coffee machine – but I had consumed a small continent of caffeine in corporate life so I figured how hard could it be.
HARD!
Owning a small town cafe was a dream come true until I realised how physically demanding the work could be. One Sunday, over the breakfast/lunch period I walked 16 kms!! (Sitting on my butt all day at a work desk seemed suddenly very appealing!) We last 4 years before selling the café. We now run a dog-friendly B&B. Absolutely no regrets (in fact I champion sea changes. Get your life back, people!) Most importantly, my sea change allowed me to focus on ‘other’ next dream. To be a published author. Four years later … ! *smilie face* (AS:  As a lawyer I saw clients who had always dreamed of owning 'a little cafe' trying desperately to offload their dreams when the reality of how HARD it was hit home)
I am curious – what was the worst/funniest/most memorable customer experience in your café?
Hmm, the worst was a phone call (after only a couple of weeks in the business). My chef had been locked up in jail for a traffic offence. We were on our own and I had never worked the grill or done more than assemble toasted sandwiches. No meals and definitely no poached eggs. Well, I did 35 breakfasts and 58 covers over the lunch that day. You don’t know what you can do until you do it. So, aspiring writers out there. Just start putting words on the page. (AS:  As that famous Chinese philosoper Ni-Ke said... Just do it!)
The most memorable customer experience was much later when I rather robotically said to a customer after they ordered at the counter: “Take a seat. I’ll bring the coffee over.” His reply. “I have my own seat, thanks.” Yes, the customer was in a wheelchair. Thing is, we had such a laugh that day. Glen (his humour and attitude to life) became the inspiration for my character, Will, in House for all Seasons. Both guys are just gorgeous.
Funniest – there is nothing funny about working that hard at my age! ;)
Your debut novel, HOUSE FOR ALL SEASONS, has been a great success. When did you start writing seriously and was this the book that first called to you?
Thank you. A highlight was certainly finding out HOUSE came in at #5 in the 2013 debut best-selling novels list (in Aust). I’d say 2008 was my ‘get serious’ phase. I’d sold the café and I set a deadline (my 50th). If I hadn’t managed to attract some attention for my writing by then I would stop trying to BE published and go back to writing for enjoyment. (I was living and breathing my books and had no time for family of life in general.) I signed with my agent the day before my 50th !
Like most authors, there are old books in the bottom drawer. I learned a lot by writing them. I learned what sort of writer I was and what I wanted to write. But it was NaNoWriMo 2009 that made me stop trying to be a writer and start being a storyteller. The process of writing as many words as possible very quickly (with no editing or endless perfecting) allowed my natural voice to come through. It was this that attracted Simon & Schuster’s publisher and won me a book-a-year offer. (AS: It sounds like a dream come true... but there is a lot of hard work behind making it all seem so effortless. Congratulations!)
I am very excited about your new book, SIMMERINGSEASON which is just out. Firstly is it in the same series as HOUSE FOR ALLSEASONS and are there are any more to come?  What is the premise behind the series?
Loosely linked is how I describe my first two novels (HOUSE and SIMMERING) as they are both set in the same fictional town of Calingarry Crossing and a couple of characters from HOUSE make an appearance in SIMMERING. Other than that they are standalone stories. Book 3 (Season of Shadow and Light) is set in a new town, but not too far away as I found it hard leaving Calingarry Crossing behind. Book 4 is looking more coastal, closer to some of the lovely areas near me in Bonville (a quaint rural hamlet south of Coffs Harbour).The ‘seasons’ theme came about when planning HOUSE. It is the story of four estranged school friends who inherit a century-old house and have to spend a season each back in their old hometown. I wanted to write a story with four women, each as different as the seasons. To me, the seasons offer so many sights and smells and sounds. Such wonderful contrasts and contrast makes for great conflict. Don’t you agree?   
SIMMERING SEASON revolves around a school reunion. I have never actually been to a school reunion and after nearly 40 years I’m not sure I’m all that keen to start now…  Have you endured a reunion and if so what is your enduring memory of the day? If not… what is your enduring memory of school!
Funny thing, the day I finished SIMMERING SEASON edits I received an email from an old school friend inviting me to a reunion. I couldn’t attend but I have since connected with the Manly Girls High Facebook page. I think there is a little bit of me in my lead character, Maggie Lindeman when she thinks about school reunions. She and I both had a nemesis at school - P.E Class, balance beams and floor mats! Argh! Here is a little extract from the book in which Maggie sums up how I feel about reunions:
In a matter of days, her so-called youth would be catching up with Maggie, the past and present converging with the unpredictable in a celebration of Calingarry Crossing’s centenary.The idea of a school reunion to Maggie remained both terrifying and fascinating, like a swollen river about to burst its banks; just going for a look could be dangerous, yet it was impossible to stay away. The worst thing was how this reunion was making her question her worth, her achievements ...Her life.
Thank you for the tea, Ms Stuart. It was delightful. You know, Watching a simmering billy on the fire reminds me of the slow simmer in SIMMERING SEASON and how, if you turn up the heat a little and overload the pot with lies, pretty soon you will blow the lid of that lifetime of secrets. (What a segue!)
More about: SIMMERING SEASON
When a school reunion brings home
more than memories… It’s summer storm season and Calingarry Crossing is sweltering.
A devoted mother, sole breadwinner, and now local publican, Maggie Lindeman is back in Calingarry Crossing with her teenage son to sell the family pub, hoping to turn their lives and finances around. The trouble is, the girl people once called Magpie is so busy protecting everyone else she has no idea the perfect storm is heading her way, until her past and present converge with the unexpected to blow the lid off a lifetime of secrets.


Meet JENN J MCLEODNo stranger to embracing a second chance or trying something different, Jenn took the first tentative steps towards her tree change in 2004, escaping Sydney’s corporate chaos to buy a small cafe in the seaside town of Sawtell. Moving to the country was like coming home and she now spends her days maintaining her NSW property and writing contemporary Australian fiction—life-affirming novels of small town life and the country roots that run deep.
Ms. Stuart in her final year. I recently participated in a blog Jenn put together in which she asked authors about their enduring memories of school... School Daze. A recommended read if you have a moment to spare :-)   This was my contribution: “Unpick it and do it again”… from Mrs. Plummer the sewing teacher. But seriously I think I owe my biggest debt of thanks to Miss Robinson who had the misfortune to try and teach a bunch of Year 9 girls English grammar. She was the first teacher who encouraged my creative writing.”
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What are your memories of school or your experience of a recent school reunion?
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A Dog of A Life - A moment on the soapbox

I'm going to take a moment to dust off my soapbox and vent about a situation which is seriously impacting on me! The dog next door.. 


Not Freda...For the last 12 months I have been under siege in my own home from a brindled mutt called "Freda" (name changed to protect the guilty). Freda belongs to the new neighbours and she spends her day on their rooftop balcony, where she has panoramic view of the neighbourhood. She stands on their outside table and barks at anything or anyone or nothing at all, because she is young and she is bored and her owners are out of the house from early in the morning until late in the evening.

We live in an inner city suburb where yards are small and houses are close together and my office faces directly on to the balcony where Freda reigns as self proclaimed Queen of the street. We get barked at as soon as we show a nose outside and collecting the mail or going to the car or gardening are under constant scrutiny from madam.

There is no doubt that the persistent barking is seriously affecting my writing. Noise reducing headphones and  music are OK up to a point but I really don't like things on or in or over my ears for any length of time. I have decamped downstairs with my notebook computer but I can still hear dear Freda and that option really only works when I am home alone. It is hardly fair on my husband to have to tiptoe around me. 

I won't go into the attempts we have made to deal with the problem. Let's just say addressing the issue directly with the neighbours has made no difference  If it was me, I would be mortified if a neighbour approached me to tell me my animal was a nuisance and do everything in my power to remedy the situation...particularly when the only thing being asked is to prevent Freda from having access to the balcony.

Don't get me wrong, I love animals and although I am primarily a cat person, I have had some lovely dogs in my life and do not grudge for a moment anyone's rights to own a dog.  However there is such a thing as responsible ownership and if you work full time and own 2 large dogs surely there is some obligation on you to ensure they are exercised and entertained and not left to become a neighbourhood nuisance? All dogs bark but there are plenty of other dogs living around us who make for perfectly acceptable doggy neighbours!

Is it me or is there a movement among certain (not all!) dog owners to think in some way their dogs are "special" and exempt from council by laws, such as nuisance laws or being kept on leashes near playgrounds or have their droppings picked up?  The leash off exemption for "special dogs" is particularly prevalent along our most popular walking paths by the sea. As a runner (cough!) I have been tripped by loose dogs who should have been on leashes and if you dare point out to a "special dog" owner that their dog should be on a leash, you get a stream of abuse for your efforts.

There is no doubt that the stress of living next door to Freda is affecting not only my quality of life, amenity of my home etc but also my writing. I think I will have to consider working away from home, from my beloved office (and my favourite desk) unless the situation changes. Watch this space.

SOAPBOX OVER!
It is the last days of my Rafflecopter Contest, so please enter below!

Also if you are in or around Melbourne (Australia) this weekend is the Williamstown Literary Festival where I will be running a beginners workshop on Scrivener and Chairing a fabulous panel of Romance writers! Come along and cheer...



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What is it about the Regency?

This is reblog of a recent post on LOVE HISTORICALS... 

In the film “Austenland”, the heroine, a mousy young woman obsessed with Pride and Prejudice, and believing she will never find her “Mr. Darcy” in modern New York, spends her life savings on a trip to England and a Jane Austen theme park, Austenland. Of course all is not as she may have dreamed and Mr. Darcy may not be what she expected… but you need to read the book or see the film.
Having just released my first Regency romance (suspense), LORD SOMERTON’S HEIR, I have been thinking about the Regency. My previous novels have been set mostly in the English Civil War and while I love all periods of history, there is SOMETHING about the Regency that draws readers like magnets.
I wasn’t brought up with Georgette Heyer or, I am ashamed to say, Jane Austen. My own reading taste was rather more for battlefields rather than drawing rooms, so I am a late comer (and a full on convert!) to the genre.
So in my quest to understand more about Regency Romance I have discovered there are two distinct sub genres: TRADITIONAL and REGENCY HISTORICAL. I am probably preaching to the converted when I note Traditonal Regencies are found in the tradition of Georgette Heyer, mannered romances where romance and attention to historical detail is all. Regency Historicals are everything else (and do run the risk of being modern costume dramas). Attention to historical detail is terribly important in whatever period you write and small details like Christmas trees in a Regency drawing room or an English lady fussing about her pumpkins for Thanksgiving are going to be noticed.

These are my thoughts and it will be interesting to know what others think:Firstly I believe that Regency romances are, in fact, fantasies. If the real Regency England had been filled with quite so many amorous members of the aristocracy, there would have been no room for the common people and there were common people. It was actually a time of great misery - the Napoleonic wars and the industrial revolution had a huge impact on the populace. Poverty was rife in the large, industrial cities and changes in agricultural practice were forcing more and more people off the land and into the cities, worsening the situation. No one wants to read about that in the world of Regency romance, it is big houses and beautiful people, brooding Dukes and feisty heroines.  Secondly I think it is the first accessible period of history. The clothes and the hairstyles and the way of life are understandable in a modern context. The civilising factor allowed for gracious houses and comfortable furniture. We recognise (and can transpose ourselves) into the lifestyle of the “ton”.


Excerpt from LORD SOMERTON'S HEIR

In this short excerpt Sebastian Alder ventures out to explore the new world he has just entered...
He sanded the letter and folded it and picked up a seal, engraved with the same coat of arms, and applied it to the wax, shaking his head in disbelief as he inspected the impression.Rising carefully from the chair, his hand going to his side, he limped over tothe door.Beyond it, a wide gallery circled around from a broad, sweeping staircase. Using the balustrade for support, he took the stairs with care, cursing the infernal weakness of ill health.When he reached the ground floor, he found himself in an elegant, circular entrance hall with a floor of black and white tiles. He turned a slow circle, taking in the elegant Grecian statuary in the alcovesand the fine paintings on the walls.A number of closed doors, all of which were nowhis to open, led from the hall. He took a deep breath, hesitating and, for a moment, closed his eyes. Surely this magicalworld would vanish and it would all be revealed as a fevered dream. But when heopened his eyes, a white marble statue of Diana and her hounds beamed back at him. He smiled and put hishand to one of the doorknobs. .The first door revealed a dining room dominated by a long polished table and the second a handsome reception room. The third revealed a bright, cheerful parlour — a woman’s room, he thought.‘Captain Alder!’Lady Somerton rose from a small escritoire as he entered, her eyes wide with surprise. 

Don't forget to enter the May Rafflecopter to win an author goody bag... details on my website:  www.alisonstuart.com

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Taking Tea with... Lisa Belcastro + Giveaway

When you see the word "Shenandoah", apart from being a lovely song, thoughts come to mind of the beautiful  Shenandoah River and images of the American Civil War.  In fact the actual CSS Shenandoah was a Confederate War ship that visited my home town of Melbourne during the the Civil War... but that is a story for another blog.

When I saw the title of Lisa Belcastro's books AND they are time travel stories, I felt she was destined to be a guest of Ms. Stuart. Lisa writes seafaring historical time travel novels and lives in (or is that on) the island of Martha's Vineyard. 


Hi Lisa…tea or coffee?
Hello Alison, and thank you for having me visit with you. I am an avid fan of Australia and delighted to stop by and pretend I’m actually IN Australia. I spent a month there a few years ago. Had a fabulous time, swimming the Great Barrier Reef, horseback riding for five days in the Snowy Mountains, and flying over to Tasmania and the Cadbury Chocolate factory. As to your question, I am a tea drinker. I have a large assortment of teas to suit my mood, the weather, or a guest’s palate. (AS:  I was only at the Cadbury factory in January... sadly you can no longer do the tour!)

I have a confession. I am no sailor… being out on a small boat on the big, wobbly blue thing (to quote Blackadder) absolutely terrifies me. How big a part of your life is sailing and when did you begin?
I wish I could tell you that I own a sailboat, even a small one, and that I’m on the water at least once a week. Sadly, no such luck. The boat I’m on most frequently is the car ferry between our Island and America. If a friend invites me to go sailing or fishing, then I can get dressed and ready to go in five minutes! My love for sailing on a proper sailboat – no motor, straight wind power --  began five years ago when I chaperoned my daughter’s school trip aboard the schooner Shenandoah.All of the Island schools are offered the opportunity to sail for a week aboard the beautiful vessel, and the students experience life as it would have been hundreds of years ago – no electricity, no cell phones, no iPods, no running water, no hot water for that matter.  I fell in love with the peace and solitude. Nights were the best, anchored in the ocean with gentle waves lapping the sides of the ship while I drifted off to sleep. Pure bliss! (AS:  It sounds wonderful... and I love this picture)
You live on Martha’s Vineyard which the whole world knows as the summer playground of Presidents of the United States. Firstly, how did this little island get its name and have you always lived there? I also have to ask, what is it like when the President comes to holiday there? (Imagining the place swarming with security and gawping tourists!)
You have the right image in your mind, Alison. “Swarming” brings to my mind the annoying buzzing of hornets around one of their nests. When the president is here, there is much swarming about. The traffic increases, the noise increases, roads are closed down, and people act a little silly as they hope to be in the place he or his family are passing through. I went for a walk one afternoon with a girlfriend who’d recently had a child. We strolled down familiar streets in my neighborhood, happily chatting and ooohhing over her precious baby girl. Next thing we know, we round a corner, and are stopped by four secret service. The President was playing golf on the course to our left. We couldn’t walk any further. Two moms and a newborn baby were a threat to national security. Go figure!
The Island was named Martha’s Vineyard by the English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold in 1602. The “Vineyard” part of the name is easily explainable. Many years ago, an abundance of grape vines grew all over the Island. When I moved here fulltime, there was only one winery left, and it has since closed. There are no clear records where the “Martha” came from. Gosnold had a mother-in-law named Martha and his second child, who died before her first birthday, was also named Martha. Depending on which historical account you read, the namesake varies. ( AS: That's fascinating - I love knowing the origin of place names)
When you are not writing, what occupies your days? 
I am an outdoor girl at heart. I love walking the beach looking for sea glass, or packing up a cooler and hitting the beach for a picnic and evening sunset. During the warm weather months, I’m often found in my gardens, weeding, harvesting or planting seasonal flowers and vegetables. I am also a runner. Over the last five years I completed a full marathon (26.2 miles) in all fifty states. Now I’m training for a 50-mile race this fall. With summer coming, I can’t wait to get back to hours in the sunshine.   (At this point, Ms. Stuart, collapses fainting on the sofa and has to be revived with smelling salts!)
You have written three time travel stories (and I LOVE a good time travel!), SHENANDOAHNIGHTS, SHENANDOAH CROSSINGS, and SHENANDOAH DREAMS (which comes July1, 2014). Here in Melbourne, Australia, we have a special affinity with the real life Confederate Ship Shenandoah which docked here during the American Civil War (fabulous story – I must do a blog about it).  What was the inspiration behind your Shenandoah?
I’m so glad you asked, Alison, and I’d love to read a blog about the Confederate Ship Shenandoah. In 1964, Captain Robert Douglas launched the Shenandoah from Vineyard Haven Harbor. She has been sailing the Island waters and beyond for the last fifty years. As I mentioned above, I was fortunate to chaperone two school trips aboard Shenny. During the first summer sail, my mind begin to imagine what it would have been like to live, sail, and experience life during the American Revolution. Living without hot running water, a modern-day toilet, and electricity can do strange things to my already overactive imagination. The following summer, when I was back on board to chaperone another trip, I took copious notes and pictures. From those two journeys and my notes and imagination, Shenandoah Nights became a reality. The first book led to another, and now I’m toying with the idea of writing a Christmas novella because I miss those characters.

Thanks so much for having me to visit. It’s my goal and dream to go back to Australia, and then to hop on over to New Zealand. I’ll be sure to let you know, and we can plan a non-sailing activity – such as chocolate consumption!
ABOUT SHENANDOAH DREAMS “It’s just a dream. It’s just a dream,” Melissa Smith whispers as her eyes focus on the two men standing before her. She lives in the twenty-first century. She is chaperoning her sixth-grade students on an educational sailing trip. They are not visiting Plimoth Plantation, or the Boston Tea Party Museum, or the Concord Bridge reenactment. They are sailing over the waters of the Vineyard Sound around the island of Martha’s Vineyard. So the men before her, dressed as though they’ve stepped off the set of a movie about the American Revolutionary War, cannot possibly be real. She’s dreaming. She will wake up.But can a dream man touch her and send bolts of electricity through her veins and ignite a fire in her heart the likes of which she’s never felt before? Can a dream man serve her food that tastes divine? Can a dream lasts for weeks on end? And if she’s not dreaming, then she’s traveled back in time, which is impossible. But here she is, in 1770, uncertain how she arrived, how she’ll get home, and if her heart could bare to be parted from Captain Isaiah Reed. Only time will tell if Melissa is given a chance at love with Isaiah or swept forward once again to her previous life.
 ALL THREE BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON and LISA is generously offering to give away copies of her first two books to one lucky commenter :-)

AND ALL ABOUT LISA BELCASTRO....
Lisa Belcastro lives with her family on Martha’s Vineyard. She writes inspirational romances set on the Island and the surrounding waters.  She loves chocolate, reading, writing, running, working in her gardens, including weeding, and almost all outdoor activities -- as long as the temperature is above sixty degrees! Being on or near the water is pure joy for her, and she can’t wait for the warmer weather to arrive. When she’s not at her desk working on her next novel or writing the cuisine column for Vineyard Style Magazine, Lisa is volunteering at her daughter’s school, serving in her church community, gardening, training for her first 50-mile road race, or walking the beach looking for sea glass.  To find out more about Lisa and her wonderful time travel stories visit her website. Click HERE
And down under... Williamstown's own Shenandoah connectionPlease stop and say hello to Lisa and I and go in the running for copies of SHENANDOAH NIGHTS and SHENANDOAH CROSSING but also get the chance to enter the May Rafflecopter CONTEST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Brenda Novak Auction - Win a basket of Ebooks by Australian authors

Brenda Novak Auction for Diabetes   The Auction for the BEST basket of E-BOOKS EVER is HERE! That's right, here's your chance to bid on a whole heap of books donated by more than a few wonderful Aussie Writers - mostly members of the HISTORICAL HEARTS.Thanks to the hard work by the lovely Christina Phillips a large bunch of us Australian writers, mostly writers of historical romance, donated some of our favourite books to this worthwhile cause. If you are interested in connecting with Australian writers and reading a collection of books in a different sort of voice, then this is the item to bid on!  

This is the 9th Annual On-Line Auction for Diabetes Research New York Best Seller Author - Brenda Novak has held.  Follow the links to find out more details and how to sign up for your bid here: Brenda Novak - Auction for Diabetes.To take a look at the Basket of E-Books on behalf of the Historical Hearts Group click the link  HERE
This magnificent collection of Romance Titles takes in Historical, Sci-Fi, Paranormal, Outback, Erotic and Spicy and Contemporary Reads. Something for everyone  OR Everything for one lucky Bidder!! (Including a copy of my own best selling, multi award nominated GATHER THE BONES).

I'd like to acknowledge the support of ALL the Authors who made the donation basket, from the Historical Hearts RWA group of Writers, such a marvellous item to bid for.Tamara Gill, Erin Grace, Maggi Andersen, Carol Hoggart, Euphrasia Holmes, Alison Stuart, Jo Duncan, Suzi Love, S E Gilchrist, Catherine Evans,   Kylie Scott, Marianne Theresa, Beverley Oakley, Annie Seaton, Keziah Hill,  Mel Teshco, Rhian Cahill, Nicole Hurley-Moore, Rhyll Biest, Shona Husk, Tracey O'HaraThere is also a virtual Gift Basket of Critiques for Writers from HEREThis basket Includes:
**From developmental & copy editor  Annie Seaton :1 10-page edit
**From author  Erin Grace One 3-Chapter Critique
**From author Euphraisa Holmes
1 10-page edit.
Thanks Ladies :))BUT WAIT - There's more ...  Check out these Hot & Spicy Reads from the Hot Downunder Authors. 14 Titles to help put a Sizzle into your Winter reading..  



You can Connect with Historical Hearts Authors on Facebook or visit the Historical Hearts Blog page
WIN A COPY OF GATHER THE BONES!

Taking Tea with ... Lisa Yarde and a wonderful giveaway

Before I open the door to my weekly guest... let me whisper to you that she has a VERY generous giveaway in her handbag, so read on my friends... George, the doorbell...


And I am delighted to welcome someone I have been simply dying to talk to for ages... Lisa Yarde. Lisa is a fabulous historical writer and den mother to the Unusual Historicals blog site and I think we have a lot in common... apart from writing historicals set in unusual historical periods!


Lisa, do come in.  I have been looking forward to welcoming you to my tea table, but first the formalities… what tea is your preference (or do you prefer coffee)?
Tea, always! I was born in Barbados, once known as “Little England” where we’ve definitely kept up our tea-drinking traditions. (AS: George... the fine china tea pot, please...!)
I know you as a prolific blogger and the founder of one of my favourite blogs – UNUSUAL HISTORICALS. As a writer of “unusual historical”, it means the world to have a place where those of us who like to venture outside the well trod historical paths, can go. What triggered you to start the blog up?
I was lucky enough in 2006 to receive an invitation from the former moderator of Unusual Historicals to do a series of posts. As you say, it’s so important to see novels outside the mainstream. I became a moderator of the blog two years ago. It still represents exactly what I write; the unusual historical, and I have a great team of fourteen other contributors who are prolific and knowledgeable writers.
You were born in Barbados, but now live in NYC. What is the journey that took you from the Caribbean to the jungles of New York?
I came with my parents when I was ten, so I didn't have any say in the decision to move. Life in Barbados was very different, less fast-paced, but we kept connections there with frequent trips back home. After twenty-eight years, I still call Barbados home although New York is also home for me. Actually Spain, too and Wales. 
What sparked your love of history and what period of history would you say is your passion?
My love affair with history started in Barbados, growing up in the shadow of colonial buildings in the capital and learning about the island’s British heritage. England’s past fascinated me, especially when I discovered the medieval era, which is my favorite period. (AS: We must have a chat about cricket...)
You have written two novels set in medieval England and Normandy but I really want to talk to you about the “Sultana” series set in the Moorish occupation of Granada where they built the wonderful Al Hambra (it’s on my bucket list). Are you able to give me a very short, potted history of this period of history?
Muslim kingdoms ruled Spain for over seven hundred years, but in the last two hundred and fifty years, only the Moors of Granada remained under the Nasrid dynasty. Just my luck that members of the family turned out to be the most dysfunctional group I’ve ever read about, with sons poisoning fathers and brothers stealing the throne from each other. Without their dynastic squabbles, the Nasrid might have held on to Granada, but then, I wouldn’t have so much to write about them.
Are the characters in your books based on real historical characters and what inspired you to write the series?
All of my novels feature the main historical figures of the period and some obscure ones when I can flesh out enough details from the sources. I’ve long realized that I write about the underdogs of history, people whose stories have been told by others with all the biases you can imagine. Everyone knows about 1492 and Columbus, but there’s the other 1492, where the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella recaptured Granada. What was life like for the losers? The question inspired me to research the Moors of Granada.
The latest book in the Sultana series is coming out later this month:
SULTANA: THE BRIDE PRICE
In fourteenth-century Moorish Spain, a young woman caught up in the dynastic struggles between warring brothers, struggles for her survival. Wed to a husband who looks upon her with more suspicion than lust in his eyes and surrounded by enemies seeking to claim his throne, she must escape a brutal past and find redemption, forgiveness and love.
The Bride price will be available later this month... please visit Lisa's website http://www.lisajyarde.com/p/buy-books.html  for information.
·    ABOUT LISA YARDE... 

Lisa J. Yarde writes fiction inspired by the Middle Ages in Europe. She is the author of six historical novels, which take place during Europe’s medieval period, including two works set in England and France, and a series about the last Muslim rulers of Spain.
AND NOW HER FABULOUSLY GENEROUS GIVEAWAY... LISA HAS A $25 Amazon gift VOUCHER for a randomly chosen blog commenter (and as a bonus if you leave a comment, you can go in the draw for my May Rafflecopter contest - click HERE to enter)
You have to be in it to win it so please drop past and maybe tell Lisa and I which "unusual" period of history most intrigues you. 

Meet My Main Character - Sebastian Alder from LORD SOMERTON'S HEIR

Thank you to my dear friends, ANITA DAVISON and FRANCINE HOWARTH for inviting me to join in this blog hop. The timing is excellent as my first foray into Regency Romantic Suspense, LORD SOMERTON’S HEIR has just been released.



What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or an historic person?

Meet Captain Sebastian Alder, a career army officer in Wellington’s army. Badly wounded at Waterloo, he is facing a dire future as a soldier on half pay until the day a strange woman, calling herself the dowager Lady Somerton appears at his bedside.

Of course he is totally fictional… but very real to me :-)

When and where is the story set?

You may have guessed from the mention of Waterloo… It is set in England in 1815 (Regency)

What should we know about your character?

Sebastian is, of course, the heir to the Somerton estate, something of which he had no knowledge. He had been brought up in a country parsonage and joined the army at the age of sixteen. That has been his life. 

He has a strong protective trait and takes his responsibilities toward his two younger siblings very seriously. However even they don’t know the dark memories he is masking.

What is the main conflict he must face?

As the new Lord Somerton, Sebastian finds that his inheritance is tainted by debt and the profligate living of his late cousin. Not only must he cope with the practical difficulties of his sudden elevation, he must rise to accepting his onerous responsibilities which include dealing not only with restoring the fortunes of the estate but also his late cousin’s widow, Isabel, who has been left destitute and two rather odd “cuckoos in the nest”. 

Questions arise about the manner of his cousin’s death and it begins to look like he also has a murder to solve.

What is the personal goal of this character?

To keep everyone he loves, and has a responsibility for, safe.

Where is LORD SOMERTON'S HEIR available?

Everywhere good ebooks are sold!
Kindle (where it has been on pre order sale for .90c! Hurry you may still catch it) Itunes  (where it has also been on pre-order sale for .99c)Barnes & NobleFor the other retailers, visit the Escape Publishing site. Click HERE

I have passed this on to three excellent authors who write wonderful historical novels...Tea Cooper (Australian)
Regan Walker (Regency/nautical)
Beverley Eikli (English Civil War, Georgian, Regency, Colonial Africa)

ABOUT LORD SOMERTON'S HEIR


Can the love of an honourable man save her from the memory of a desolate marriage ?
From the battlefield of Waterloo to the drawing rooms of Brantstone Hall, Sebastian Alder’s elevation from penniless army captain to Viscount Somerton is the stuff of dreams. But the cold reality of an inherited estate in wretched condition, and the suspicious circumstances surrounding his cousin’s death, provide Sebastian with no time for dreams, only a mystery to solve and a murderer to bring to justice.
Isabel, widow of the late Lord Somerton, is desperate to bury the memory of her unhappy marriage by founding the charity school she has always dreamed of. But, her dreams are shattered, as she is taunted from the grave, discovering not only has she been left penniless, but she is once more bound to the whims of a Somerton.
But this Somerton is unlike any man she has met. Can the love of an honourable man heal her broken heart or will suspicion tear them apart?
TO CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF LORD SOMERTON'S HEIR, I WILL BE RUNNING A RAFFLECOPTER CONTEST FOR THE MONTH OF MAY.Prize:  An Alison Stuart "goody bag" worth over $50 - details on my website
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Taking Tea with Ebony McKenna... Ondine and Snowgoating

Thank God, it's Friday and for an extra special Friday treat I have EBONY McKENNA with me today.  EBONY is the Emeritus Professor (Hon.) of BRUGELESE STUDIES and author of the wonderful ONDINE SERIES of young adult books set in the (fictional) kingdom of Brugel. 

You may recall she visited me back in September 2013 (Taking Tea with Ebony McKenna) and we enjoyed an interesting introductory discussion on the history and culture of Brugel, a small country somewhere in Eastern Europe. You may have difficulty finding it on a map...

It is a little known fact about Brugel that it was a candidate for the 1984 Winter Olympics. Despite an absence of mountains, Brugel is in fact the world champion in "Snowgoating" and it felt for that reason alone it should be considered. The Olympic Committee disagreed... 

However the snub severely offended the Brugelese and here to set the record straight on the beloved sport of "Snowgoating" is Ebony McKenna.



Welcome, Ebony. George has polished the samovar...

It's wonderful to be taking tea again with you. I've made a pot of my new favourite tea, Brugelish Brunch. Brugel is the country in Eastern Europe where my Ondine novels are set. Brugelish Brunch tea is an aromatic black tea that goes beautifully with a slice of lemon. It's designed to always be drunk as a black tea, and was blended specifically for students living in shared accommodation, who can never be too sure if the milk's fresh. They also struggle to wake up prior to breakfast.

There's a goat eating the cakes...

Don't mind the house goats, they're very friendly, but don't put your scarf over the back of the chair, they're likely to run off with it.  (AS... too late and it was my favourite pashmina too. I wonder if I should point out that eating my scarf is a form of cannibalism...?

We're heading into winter here in Australia, Ebony, which for Brugelese expats means ramping up the training for the SnowGoating season. The readers would love to know more about this sport.

It's a relatively new sport in Australia. It originated in Brugel, hundreds of years ago. Don't let anyone tell you SnowGoating began in the neighbouring country of Slaegal. It's simply not true.


The main difficulty in SnowGoating here in Australia is of course finding decent amounts of snow (it must be at least two metres thick). New Zealand has much more reliable snow, all year round in some places. Alas, the goats aren't as interested.


Future champions getting acclimatised to the altitude.A compliant champion goat is essential to a good SnowGoating season. Start with a young goat (called a kid). Colour is not important, but flexibility is. The tighter they can tuck themselves into a ball the better. Early training in hessian sacks is fine provided the goat is happy and comfortable. Hoof binding is not acceptable under any conditions.



Two horns or four is fine, but a lack of snow hampers the competition.



For a good SnowGoating competition, you'll need to herd at least six goats (or ten) to the top of a snow-covered mountain. Once they're in a straight line, (this can take some time) trainers encourage their goats to reach the finish line at the bottom of the hill. Goats can slide, roll, or ski on their horns. Or ride another goat if they feel like it (at least, that's what we tell the kids when some of the goats get a little frisky).




Points are awarded for speed, panache and kilograms of snow collected on their wool on the way down.




When the snow melts, the goats then move into their summer training schedule, which includes tree climbing, surfing and sprints in the sand.


This Billy and Nanny goat train all year round.
Champion Snowgoat "Monarch of the Vale" (deceased)
Thank you for that interesting lecture, Ebony... I'm not sure I'm any clearer about the sport of Snowgoating but in the interests of impartiality, all I can say is "All the very best for Brugel in this year's Snowgoating Championships"!

What else is happening in your life...?


In other news, slightly related to winter and Brugel, but not to goats, is that the third book in the Ondine series is out at last, just in time for spring in the northern hemisphere and autumn down here. Naturally.

This third enthralling instalment in the young adult fantasy romance series takes a dark turn, as the country of Brugel descends into anarchy.

THE WINTER OF MAGIC


Mutating magic is spreading across Europe. 'Normals' are developing supernatural powers at a startling rate and 16-year-old Ondine appears to be at the heart of it.

To unravel the mystery, Ondine and her boyfriend (and part-time ferret) Hamish infiltrate CovenCon, a gathering of hundreds of witches presided over by wanna-be-witch-queen Mrs Howser. There, she tempts Ondine with an intriguing offer - but can Mrs Howser be trusted? It transpires the powerful witch has her claws in the arrogant royal heir Lord Vincent, in a covert bid to control all of Brugel.

As dark magic riots break out in the nation's capital, Ondine is left with a heart-breaking choice that could tear her apart from her beloved Hamish. Forever.

The Winter of Magic is the third novel in Ebony McKenna's comedic and wonderfully weird four-part ONDINE series. Fans will devour this spellbinding adventure, which will have readers gasping in shock and laughing with delight. Occasionally at the same time.

Connect with Ebony McKenna:

twitter - twitter.com/#!/EbonyMcKenna

email - author@ebonymckenna.com

web - www.ebonymckenna.com

*** No goats were harmed in the making of this post.

And don't forget to enter my May Rafflecopter contest...extra points for leaving a comment on this post!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Day for LORD SOMERTON'S HEIR

Out now from Escape Publishing (and available at a ridiculous sale price on Amazon and iTunes!).

LORD SOMERTON'S HEIR...A Regency romantic suspense about a widow who wants to move on, a war veteran with an unexpected inheritance, an estate in desperate need of a Lord, and an unexpected attraction that complicates everything.

Visit Alison Stuart's website at www.alisonstuartcom for details on how to enter a month long Rafflecopter contest.

Lord Somerton's Heir