Shehanne Moore's Blog, page 24
September 13, 2015
September 2, 2015
Vikings? Were they really so horrible?
No. She never.
Oh, not at all dudes. Now then
Enough. Now, history has portrayed Vikings as violent, piratical, pillaging heathens who took to the sea in their droves to wreak mayhem on the tribes of Europe.
Today we bring them in from the cold and show that Hagar the horrible wasn’t so horrible after all, that Vikings are greatly misunderstood and a lot of the stuff said about them stems from early Christian misunderstandings about paganism. Are we ready dudes?
Right dudes. Enough. These things are things I did explore in my new book. Obviously the hero is a raider AND obviously no heroine worth her salt is just going to accept this. But there were a number of misconceptions that he puts her right on.
In fact there is no proof Vikings had horns. Well… Certainly not horned helmets. Putting aside the fact that no helmet with horns has ever been found, just consider will you, the difficulties of fighting, or moving about a very cramped long ship where space was at a premium and you slept where you sat, with the equivalent of a ram’s horns stuck on your head? It would give a whole new meaning to counting sheep.
Now my heroine might say that for the life of her she can’t understand why, but the fact was some Saxon women did. So when it came to raping and pillaging, of course that went on. These were barbaric times. However some Saxon women did find the Vikings attractive. Why?
Vikings were actually clean. Combs, tweezers, razors are frequently found in excavation sites. And they liked to bathe. Often houses had their own bath house if there was a heated spring nearby. As Malice finds out they also had soap, usually made from chestnuts. Not only were the Vikings cleaner than their Saxon counterparts, there was another reason some women liked them.
Yes. Apparently it didn’t just take the pressure off Saxon men to do that but the church preached that desire was a sin.
Okay. So the Vikings did raid. The problem was the way in which property was inherited. Unless you had a nice big brother, you were going to be left out in the cold. So, the younger sons turned to raiding, like my hero has. Also the big brothers didn’t just have a patch of land. They had acres, banjoing their baby brothers off the park. The Vikings were mainly famers though. Many settled in the lands they’d raided.
Which in turn brings us to
When they returned to their homes they laid their swords at the door. A wife’s word was law in Viking households. SO? Bloodthirsty and nothing else? I don’t think so. Also a number of Christian women married Vikings who had no objection to their religion despite pillaging churches..yes.
Totally abhorrent. But so did the Saxons. While re-inventing the Vikings, we need to set them in the context of their time.
But I’m reckoning over the piece Hagar wasn’t so horrible after all
Filed under: heroes, Vikings, writing Tagged: Myths about Vikings, Norway, Scandinavia, The Viking and The Courtesan, Vikings, Vikings as lovers
August 29, 2015
Deeds steeped in infamy…. A meeting with Dark Dundee
Dudes, stop it. Right now. All this arguing is the reason you never got to the launch party…well some of you didn’t.. Well, okay, was it my fault some of my hosts broke ranks? Not looking at anyone Sharon Struth and Aubrey Wynne,
Now, today, we have a very special guest.
He is from my home city. And my home city is a place with the most fabulous history.
To answer the question about Jack the Ripper, Mary Shelley, Ulysses S Grant and Captain Kydd, well—they were all associated with there in some way. SO were William Wallace of freedom fame, , Grahame of Claverhouse of Jacobite fame, Admiral Duncan of The Battle of Camperdown fame, , Captain Scott of Antarctica fame, Mary Slessor of African fame, William Topaz McGonagall of world’s worst poet fame.
Where was the poet Robert Browning’s mother born?
Why, Dundee of course.
…just round the corner from Sugarhouse Wynd where her father worked in the Sugar House. Dundee has given the world jute, jam and journalism in the past… DUNDEE CAKE -thank you wonderful poet and blogger, Mike Steeden for reminding me,
now it is a thriving city which has given the world Grand Theft Auto amongst other things.
So let’s just sound it out today for another enthusiast ….
Dark Dundee…not just an enthusiast but, as you will see a man of many talents……
Dark Dundee, Firstly let me say a huge thank you for inviting me to interview; what a pleasure!
Shey. Why, thank you Tink. But I want to also thank Dark Dundee for giving my latest book a free ad in his forthcoming booklet. Anyway over to you Dark Dundee,
Dark Dundee : I’m Stewart and I run a small web and graphic design business called www.bluelagoondesigns.co.uk right here in our very fair city with my friend and business partner, Helen-Louise.
Shey. Stewart, do ignore them and tell us then where the idea for Dark Dundee came from?
Dark Dundee : The idea for Dark Dundee stemmed from a desire to showcase Dundee’s history in a way it had never been seen before, utilising our skills as Web designers and our previous experience in research.
Dundee’s history is rich and diverse but sadly much of it is being forgotten as the city moves forward with the times and stories and tales become lost or fade over the centuries.
Dundee has seen a lot of bloodshed, carnage and mayhem over the years, and we want to commemorate that in the best way possible! History can be seen as boring…but not on our website!
Shey. So it was nothing to do with your stand out performance mourning the shocking World War One war losses on the Dundee 800 show?
The Law Commemorative monument Dundee. it was said there was not a household without a loss.
Dark Dundee – Ha ha, yes I did have a part to play in the Dundee 800 play when I was just a pup – stole the show, so I’ve been told, but I’ve yet to see the video evidence for myself! With generations of my family coming from Dundee, I’ve grown up with a lot of the main stories such as the burning of Grissell Jaffray,
and the legend of the Nine Maidens,
The dragon statue and the dragon stone, Strathmartine
so local history has always had a place in my life. I’ve always also had a tendency to skirt with the dark side, so delving into Dundee’s blood – soaked and brutal history scratches both of those itches whilst sharing them with anyone who is interested.
Shey. Well, we are interested. We’re also big on time travel here for obvious reasons – but if you had a time machine, which era in Dundee would you like to go back to?
Dark Dundee. – Hmm, what era would I go back to…? Tough one because times have been tough for this city. If I could, I’d probably go back and make sure the Tay Rail bridge had been built right the first time! I think early Victoria era would have been a very exciting time to have been alive (but only if you were a rich person, otherwise it would have been awful). The clothes, the diction…the smell!! It would be cool to see the Howff in use as a real meeting place, however!
Shey ; And how about a favourite famous person from the past you would want to meet? I mean we will stick with the past here…. Not talk about the night George Clooney was spotted in a Broughty Ferry pub–yeah, the Open was on and he was staying here– and all these dames were on the skeck for him the next night.
Dark Dundee :A favourite? Mary Slessor would probably top the list because of the stories she would have and the things she would have seen in her lifetime.
Mary Slessor, Dundee mill girl who became a protector of children and a champion of women’s rights in Nigeria
Early 20th Century lantern slide showing the life of missionary Mary Slessor, Picture:
Centre for the Study of World Christianity
Bloody Clavers would also be up there – I bet he was a right laugh and a great drinker to boot!
Shey. Oh, bloody Clavers. Fascinating man. let me share a little picture here, of
yours truly playing his wife……
Now, how about you share a favourite gory historical tale of this fair city?
Dark Dundee –Jeez, I don’t have a favourite one – have you seen all the awesome tales on my website? I do like a good old fashioned murder and the murder of Ellen Bury has a lot of drama, mystery and unanswered questions.
William Henry Bury….. was he Jack the Ripper? Yours truly wis certainly NOT playing his wife.
I love the tales of the white ladies too – ghost stories are always good for putting the wind up folk! If you care to take a walk through the lunatic asylum, you’re sure to find a tale or two in there, too!
Shey; What about tragedies, let’s face it, the city’s past has been bloody. You probably didn’t have to look too far for the name Dark Dundee that way
Dark Dundee ; In my opinion, the worst tragedy in terms of loss of lives was the storming of the city in 1651 by General Monck. After they gained entry to the walled town, they spent 3 days ransacking and murdering wherever they went. The streets were said to have ran red with blood, the air thick with burning smoke. The siege culminated in a brutal stand off which ended in the barbaric slaying of the governor of Dundee Robert Lumsden. There have been many tragedies in the town, both on a small scale and large, but each one is just as poignant in its own right.
The last stand at St Mary’s Tower.
Shey: That is such a story and hard to believe when you walk around the City Churches or climb the old steeple, how they holed up in there and fought until they couldn’t fight any more. Hope you don’t mind me sharing this…. I tell you Dundee’s cheek was legendary even then.
Shey ; let’s move to how Dundee got its name. There’s a few theories, which do you favour?
Dark Dundee : I favour the dun daigh story, about it being named as an 11th century fort with daigh referencing fire. Our folk have always been a fiery bunch and there has been many a skirmish in these parts over the centuries…and the law is alleged to be an extinct volcano!
Shey It is indeed. Now, tell us about your online game?
Dark Dundee. Without telling you too much, it’s a decision based game, where the choices you make affect the outcome. There are a few puzzles along the way to keep your mind ticking over as you read through the scenarios and make your decisions. It took ages to put together all the images for it, but the end result was worth it…and you can play it for free, so what are you waiting for? Are you one destined to save the city from impending darkness? (There’s even a free ebook with a bit more of the story in it and a step by step players guide to the game.)
Shey: So gonna start this tomorrow! Now I mentioned booklet earlier and the fact is this is to accompany a very special new venture for you. Correct? Something to suit your dramatic abilities too!
Dark Dundee. Oh, we can’t wait to get the walking tours off the ground, but we’ve got a bit of red tape to get through yet before we can officially announce any tour dates. We want to take people on a short walk through part of our city, where we will regale them with tales from Dundee’s dark and sinister past. The walk is intended to take about an hour and a half and follows a very easy and accessible path so we can cater for all age groups and abilities. We’ve got our booklets ready to go to print as soon as we get the green light, and then you’ll be among one of the first to know!
Shey. I hope to be amongst your first walkers too! I can’t wait actually and I wish you all the best.
Dark Dundee Thanks again for inviting me to interview, it’s been wonderful.
Filed under: blogging, Guest bloggers Tagged: Admiral Duncan, Blue Lagoon Designs, Captain Kydd, Dark Dundee, Dundee, Dundee Howff, General Monk, Jack The Ripper, John Graham of Claverhouse, Mary Slessor, Robert Browning, Robert Falcon Scott, Tay Rail Bridge disaster, The legend of the Nine Maidens, Ulysses S Grant, Walking Tours, William Henry Bury, William Topaz McGonnagall, William Wallace
August 23, 2015
The August Author Interview….Yep it’s a Viking Author.
Excuse me dudes, who said anything about you interviewing Erin? Erin is my guest and a fellow Soul Mate author. 
A Viking gal, like myself, although her books, despite having romantic elements aren’t purely ‘romance’ . So, what we are going to do is sit up, be nice little hamsters dudes and hear what she’s got to say, without moaning or interrupting.
Shey. Firstly Erin tell us a little about yourself?
Yes. We did interview you once and you told us all about how to eat your manuscript in ten easy steps if you remember. Now let’s hear from Erin.
ERIN. I am a lover of the written word—fiction and non-fiction, historical to YA to the classics. I will read anything as long as it’s well written. I am also dyslexic, which makes life very interesting! Dyslexic writers have two best friends: spell check and their editor. My educational background is in psychology, but I’m also a lactation consultant and a car seat installation technician. Why? Just because. I’m interested in lots of random things: archaeology, quilting, tarot cards, making YouTube videos, football (American), past life regression, and so on. I just truly enjoy learning about new things.
I love history and I have a special place in my heart for warrior societies. Vikings and the ancient Greeks are my favourite. I have two children, a girl and a boy, and I’m married to the best looking man on the planet. We’ve been together since I was 16 years old.
Shey :What drew you to write Viking Romance?
Erin : I don’t necessarily consider my books to be a “romance” in the traditional sense. They have strong romantic elements, yes, but they are more a mixture of genres, with adventure and suspense just as important as the romance. I enjoy writing characters with psychological depth who grow and change as the series progresses. As to why Vikings, I just love them.
The danger and violence of that time in history is definitely an attraction. Seriously, who doesn’t love a big blond man with an axe?
Shey : Now Sons of Odin isn’t just a series, it’s your first set of books, why did you decide to start with a series as opposed to a standalone?
Erin: Well, the story in my head was too long to do in one book. By necessity, I had to put it into three separate books. Trying to fit everything into one book would have felt rushed. Each book leads into the next one.
Shey : Do the same characters appear in each of the stories at all?
Erin : Yes. They all do, except the ones who don’t make it. These are Vikings, remember! Violent times.
Shey : Where are your books mainly set?
Erin : Mainly Norway. A bit in Ireland and a bit in Wales.
Shey : We are all big Viking fans here.
Can you share an interesting fact about Vikings?
Erin There is a rare genetic mutation that causes a type of inherited breast cancer (BRCA1 and BRCA2 are the damaged genes) that is directly traceable to the Viking invasion in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Most people who carry these faulty genes also carry Viking ancestry.
Shey : Wow. Interesting indeed. My father had a hand condition that is unknown outwith Scandinavia. He had some Scottish ancestors, but originally his people mainly came from Normandy which was also overrun by the Vikings. Our last guest here brought recipes which the dudes loved. Do you have any?
Erin :Blood Pudding and Sheep’s Liver.Slaughter one sheep and drain the blood into a clean bowl…. ha ha, just kidding. I don’t really cook, sorry.
Shey. No worries. Erin. Dudes, do not start that sheep biz again. Thank you. A lot of aspiring hasmsers- sorry, authors follow this blog, any advice for them?
Erin : Write about something you’re passionate about, get a good editor who understands your vision, and promote the heck out of it. Repeat.
Shey ; Thank you Erin for being our guest today.
Although Facebook launch party is a dirty word with the dudes here, A FLAME PUT OUT, book two in the Sons of Odin series, releases on August 26th! You can join Erin on Facebook for an evening of games, prizes, guest authors, and lots of Viking fun. Invite your friends who love Vikings, history, adventure, and romance–there will be something for everyone!
https://www.facebook.com/events/1031309273555206/
What’s more Odin’s HSadow in on sale for 99 cents.
Blurb…. Odin’s Shadow.
Obsession. Treachery. Revenge. Redemption. Certain themes resonate across the centuries.
Selia is a girl on the verge of womanhood, frustrated by the confines of her gender and resentful of the freedom her brother boasts of. Intelligent and resourceful in a time when neither is valued in a female, she longs for an escape from her sheltered existence. Fascinated by the tales of Viking raids told by her maidservant, her hunger for independence is fed through the stories of heathen ferocity she hears at the woman’s knee.
A decision to sneak to the city’s harbor to view the Viking longships leads to an encounter with Alrik Ragnarson, a charismatic Viking warlord whose outward beauty masks a dark and tortured mind. With the knowledge that her father is about to announce her betrothal to a man she doesn’t love, Selia marries Alrik and within a day is on the longship bound for Norway and a new life.
While Selia’s relationship with her new husband grows, her friendship with his brother Ulfrik grows as well. And as Alrik’s character flaws come to light and tension mounts between the two brothers, Selia begins to have misgivings about her hasty marriage . . . especially when a secret from the past is revealed, one that threatens to destroy them all.
Erin S. Riley Bio
Erin S. Riley has an undergraduate degree in psychology and a graduate degree in clinical counseling. She is also a board certified lactation consultant and has had extensive training in maternal-child health. Since Erin was a child, she has been fascinated with human nature and what motivates behavior. Erin’s books feature complicated, imperfect characters who love deeply, make reckless decisions, and try again until they get it right.
A lifelong lover of books, Erin taught herself to read at the age of four and hasn’t been without a book since. She is an equal-opportunity reader of fiction and non-fiction, and her shelves are filled with books on psychology, archeology, anthropology, and general history. The social history of women and their place in society across the ages is a favorite reading topic of Erin’s. Erin is drawn to any creative pursuit, from making hand-stitched quilts to producing mini-movies for family and friends from home videos. But writing has always been her passion. When Erin isn’t writing, she enjoys spending time with her two wonderful children, reading anything she can get her hands on, watching football, and renovating her house with her husband of 17 years.
https://twitter.com/erinsriley1
Filed under: Author Interviews, blogging, book tour, heroes, Romance, Vikings, writing Tagged: author interview, Erin S. Riley, interview, Odin's Shadow, Soul Mate Publishing, Vikings, writing
August 13, 2015
Crème Custarde, or Bustarde, Gentle Viking recipes.
Right dudes, Enough. Today, we are indeed going to sound it for a secondary character and welcome Gentle, from The Viking and The Courtesan. Gentle is a Saxon lady whose husband dumped her in a convent in order to get his mitts on her money and she is a sort of cook. She and the heroine Malice, initially loathe one another on sight and cross swords on several occasions but do forge a friendship. So, without further ado, let’s welcome her and hear a bit about…..
Ccooking up a feast in Viking Norway.
Hello Shehanne, it’s so nice of you really to ask me here. I’m a very plain cook.
In fact, so plain, I don’t mind what I throw in the pot.
See, from what I see round here, the Vikings ain’t fussy either. Lady Poshluggs- that’s Malice by the way, just don’t tell her I still call her that–turned up her nose at reindeer stew, when it was a delicacy it took me all day to burn..sorry prepare. 
The amount of cabbage and turnip I gets asked to boil is no-one’s business. And nuts, if I eats another nut, I will go just that. Though at least they do like their ale and mead. And so do I.
Now, where was I? Oh yes. Having another tankard. I gets to do a lot of filling of them in the book. And not just other peoples’ neither when the occasional back is turned, although that Snotra has got eyes in the back of her head as well as the front I can tell you. She’s got a tongue like a whip too which is why I can’t linger.
Now, you didn’t seem to like my Reindeer Stew recipe. Or my eels. So here’s my Viking soup recipe.
½ kg of trout, salmon, cod or another fish.
10-12 cups of water
Salt
One cup of milk
3-5 cups of herb such as the top shoots of stinging nettles, young dandelion leaves, ashweed, wild chervil, cress, wild marjorum, dill, plantain, angelica, wild onions, caraway greenery, parsley, thyme, … or whatever the season has to offer.
Clean the fish, wash and cut into small pieces.
The slices of fish must be cooked until they are tender. This takes 20-30 minutes.
Put the cooked fish slices on a dish and bone them.
Put the fish back in the soup. Add the milk and chopped herbs.
The soup should now cook for about 20-30 minutes adding salt as desired. Then it is ready to be served. Fish soup can be served with flatbread.
A little dab of butter in the soup tastes good!
Although, with a little MEAT in it now…..
And now, my Creme Bastarde recipe.
4 hamster ….sorry, forgive me my transgressions, that should have read, egg whites, beaten as much as Snotra likes to beat everyone in sight.
2 cups cream
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup milk
pinch salt
2 tsp sugar
Beat the egg whites until just frothy. Mix into cream and bring to a boil slowly, stirring continuously. Simmer for about five more minutes, stirring continuously. Add the honey, the salt. Keep stirring. Then pour through a strainer. Add the rest of the milk and the sugar and then beat it for a couple of minutes. Allow to cool. You know something you would be better buying a tin of custard, a tin opener. I’m sure Creme Custarde is what it should have said and it gives you more time with the mead you see…..
Extract.
“Gentle.” His voice rumbled so close to Malice’s spine, it stiffened. “I thought I told you to go indoors?”
“But you also told me she’s got a handmaiden, Drottin. She won’t want me. Isn’t there something else I can do? Plough the fields? Build walls? Or cook…”
“Gentle…”
The huffed breath didn’t just say no. It said if she didn’t shut up she wouldn’t be anything. How was that? The man was made of ice. And it was hardening?
“And take Mother Bede with you, till I decide what to do with her.”
“But—”
“Sir, I can plough.” Malice couldn’t. Only think what it would do to her hands. Only think what it would do to her back. Only think of that moment when he held her on the Raven more. What if she liked it? Being his bed slave? What if she didn’t want to go home? What if Snotra set about her with the meat mallet?
Filed under: blogging, book tour, Guest bloggers, heroines, Romance, Vikings Tagged: Creme Bastarde, recipes, Romance, Shehanne Moore, Soul Mate Publishing, The Viking and The Courtesan, Viking Fish Soup, Viking food, Viking recipes, Vikings
August 8, 2015
Interview with the villain.
Dudes, can we back off here before Snotra reaches for the rat poison? A few years ago I did a post on the villain
https://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/an-ordinary-human-being-with-failings/
I have had villains is all my books–sometimes more than one. Until now the record for the most cardboardy has been held by Lady Margaret. Lady Fury’s mother in law but even she had her reasons for acting as she did. Snotra, my new villain is –hands up– the most obvious villain I’ve written. She’s pushy, driven, money-orientated, insulting, nasty, bossy, argumentative, greedy and determined to have her own way and the hero at all costs.
I had such fun writing her, I didn’t even try to disguise her. So I think to be true to that second quote card above, we should hear her side of things…
Dudes, let’s let Snotra answer all right.
Snotra: Rats? I am being interviewed by rats?
Dudes… settle down okay?
Snotra: You have rat poison. Yes?
Snotra: That woman, that one who my betrothed brought back from England, Malice and her fat ragbag friend, Gentle. Oh, very well, you don’t think these women were villains and I did not see what they were up to, playing me off against Sinarr, talking about me behind my back, stealing my beloved? Obviously you don’t. Well, do you know Shehanne asked that fav villain question the other day on facebook and do you know, it was Moriarty, Cruella Deville and Raoul Silva from Skyfall who topped the list. Why was my name not there? because I am a very nice person.
Snotra: Well, I could say Sinarr and I had known each other since we were children and the way had been hard for me, having no money. But the fact is Shehanne needed a device, a device to show the hero and the heroine’s otherwise questionable actions – him in taking a bed slave, her in conniving behind my back to get back to her own time and all that happened afterwards– in a sympathetic light.
Then you should swop them for horns. I have just the pair with poison tipped pins… Anyway, that is why Shehanne
decided that I should have twice chosen money over my betrothed, why I should call Malice and Gentle names and all these other things, including trying to burn them. We villains are very nice people but these authors need us. And what they need is us NOT to be nice.
Next question?
Snotra : Shehanne says it here,
To that I would add,
1 Your villain should NOT drive the plot. We should leave that to the flaws of the heroine and hero. Believe me, Malice and Sinarr had so many, I quite lost count. A villain is only so-oh bad. It might even be that they can come good….. Especially in ridding the world of rodents.
Snotra. You see.
Snotra : Apart from asking you to drink from my poisoned chalice, you mean you can’t guess?
Snotra :
Extract. The Viking and the Courtesan.
“My apologies for getting right in your way, mistress.”
No doubt Gentle would have far rather said something else but the thought of being turfed out into the rain presently battering the thatched roof and spitting on the roaring fire so the flames sizzled, probably prevented her.
“It’s all right, Gentle. You are so fat we all know you can’t help it. How you never sank the Raven on the way here is a miracle of Odin. We know it was so you could come here and be my giant house-slave that you were spared.”
“Snotra…”
“Oh, don’t frown, Sinarr, you of all people are not going to dispute it.” Give Snotra her due, she knew how to keep the crowd in her orbit by flicking her gaze over the opposition. “She’s a cart-horse. Do you know, Ari, that is why he never chose her for his bed slave? If she was in his bed she’d break it. Here. Drink up. Enjoy. You might as well savour all this house has to offer.”
In 898 AD she wasn’t just from another land.
Wrecking a marriage is generally no problem for the divorce obtaining, Lady Malice Mallender. But she faces a dilemma when she’s asked to ruin her own. Just how businesslike should she remain when the marriage was never consummated and kissing her husband leads to Sin–a handsome Viking who wants her for a bed slave in name only?
She came from another time.
Viking raider Sin Gudrunsson wants one thing. To marry his childhood sweetheart. Only she’s left him before, so he needs to keep her on her toes, and a bed slave, in name only, seems just the thing. Until he meets Malice.
One kiss is all it takes to flash between two worlds
But when one kiss is no longer enough, which will it be? Regency London? Or Viking Norway? Will Malice learn what governs the flashes? Can Sin?
Where worlds collide can love melt the iciest heart?
Filed under: blogging, Vikings, villains, writing Tagged: character interview, interview, Romance, Shehanne Moore, The Viking and The Courtesan, Vikings, villains, writing, writing villains
August 3, 2015
How do my heroines’ gardens grow?
Alright…alright dudes, can we get with the program here?
Dudes, that was last week. This week…
Dudes, that’s tomorrow, although we are all going to say HAPPY RELEASE DAY CAT, my fav horror writer. May you rock the charts!
This week…. this week you are welcoming me.
Okay dudes… what did I say about the program?
Because I want to thank Elyzabeth M. Valey for letting me blog about the ‘Heeling power of shoes.’
http://inadreambeyond.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/shoes-shoes-and-shehanne-moore.html
And also Jane Hunt for not only interviewing Lady Malice, but reviewing her as well with a lovely review.
Then there was Lady Fury and her invite…but perhaps the less said about that the better. http://t.co/wdB8rxWAo7
What I would like to say is I have been popping corks that it has got into the top 100 in Viking and also Ancient World Romance on both Amazons – an absolute first for me. I know cos the lovely Cat Cavendish and Jane Hunt told me.
Anyway, when I was battering the brain thinking of doing blogs for the blog tour and trying to make them all different–like shoving bamboo sticks under the fingers, when you are still in ’round’ edits and that release date is ticking like a time bomb, I thought I would take some pictures of my four book jackets for promo.
no I never I said PROMO not PORNO, do clean your sweet little ears out. And that was what had gave me the idea of the posts about handbags and shoes and defining my heroines through their personal tastes. It is important when you are writing NOT to churn out the same characters with the exact same traits after all. They might share certain things in common.
They are different. SO I took each book jacket into the garden and tried to photograph them where I felt my four ladies would prefer.
Lady Fury, I chose the decking. It has mirrors and she does like looking at herself. Then there’s the pot. Very handy for hiding a body in. Not that she hides her hubby in a garden pot. No. Why keep him in there when there’s a cellar with a box in it.
I gave Sapphire the remodelled patio… It’s next to a herb garden you see and she might use some of these herbs as a help with Devorlane Hawley’s opium addiction. Oh wait… she also buried a body…with his help, in a herb garden.
I gave Kara and the Wolf the loggia.
I figured it was preferable to his cave and they could eat and he could cook in comfort. But hey who knows?
Lastly I gave Sin and Malice the courtyard. Malice is rather appalled by what Sin regards as the height of Viking advancement with pigs, chickens and ducks snorting in and out the house floor and clucking about the yard 
and at one point thinks it will be nothing to get rid of them all, WHEN she finally gets her mitts into Sin…. To quote the lovely Alison Lodge and her wonderful review, you can tell that will NOT end well.
I thought Malice welcome somewhere devoid of these things in the first place.
I quite enjoy when I’m writing, fleshing out the kind of clothes, hairstyles, bags, shoes etc, my heroines have and matching them to their personalities. If nothing else it gives me something to blog about!
Oh, and a Happy HAPPY Release Day tomorrow Cat Cavendish. https://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/2015/07/12/nemesis-a-darkly-avenging-angel-and-catherine-Cavendish/
Filed under: blogging, book tour, heroes, heroines, Romance, time travel, Vikings, writing Tagged: blogging, Book tour, Catherine Cavendish, Dark Avenging Angel, heroines, Jane Hunt, Samhain, Soul Mate Publishing, The Viking and The Courtesan, Time-travel, Vikings
July 31, 2015
All tied up with Felicity Kates. The writing of certain scenes
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=845163558906463&ref=ts&fref=ts
Never write what you are uncomfortable with writhing.
Anchor the sex to where your couple are in the story.
Remember sex is a great source of conflict and tension in a story. When I was writing the first sex scene in Loving Lady Lazuli I initially had Cass succumbing to Devorlane. That one touch and she is swooning with need scenario has been done- pardon that pun – to death. So I ripped the scene up and explored things differently. This leads me to…
Vary your scenes that way. Length-pardon that pun too- how much you describe, cut to fade occasionally. Repetition can be dull.
Remember the five senses. Appeal to each. Set your scene carefully that way even down to the lighting.
Watch the flying body parts. Phrases like, ‘she exploded, her head hitting the pillow’ sounds like she stood on a hand grenade and it went off.
Think about the physical possibilities of what you are describing. I think the main thing is to make it real. Sometimes that can mean lousy sex. Just look at the possibilities opening up when that sex starts to get better.
Change your POV. Men think very differently from women about sex. That’s half the fun of writing it.
Series: Little Miss Kick-Ass
Book: #2
Book info: A standalone sequel to Steam Bunny and Super-Sex Me. (no cliffhangers)
Genre: Erotic paranormal romance.
Tags: billionaire, god, Viking, alpha hero, urban fantasy, ghost
Word count: 40,000 approx. (novella)
Heat level: High
Content warning: contains voyeurism, light ménage, explicit sex scenes, graphic language, may trigger readers sensitive to miscarriage.
Blurb:
He was the bad guy in Steam Bunny. The superhero lover in Super-Sex Me. Now find out what deep dark secrets make Race Lindstrom Fit To Be Tied in the latest erotic romance novella in the Little Miss Kick-Ass series.
1 Viking sex god + 1 kick-ass heroine = 130 pages full of hot sex scenes, snappy dialogue and heart-aching romance. Grab a glass of wine, a fan to cool yourself, and a box of tissues. You’re going to need it.
From bestselling author, Felicity Kates, the Little Miss Kick-Ass series continues.
Casey’s BFF, Astrid Bitten, takes center stage this time with her nemesis, Race Lindstrom.
Is love written in the stars by the gods, or just a fantasy?
~Astrid~
He’s a liar. A manipulative ass. He doesn’t deserve a second chance. Yet I can’t stop thinking about him and that night we shared in Chicago four weeks ago. He dominates my dreams, making me want him more each day. Trapped with him at an Ice Hotel in Sweden, do I have a hope in hell of resisting him? Maybe not, but I’ll kick his ass if he ever calls me his goddess again.
~Race~
She’s the love of my life, my dream, the goddess I’ve been waiting an eternity for. I know she hates me for the deceptive life I’ve led, but I want to give her everything she’s ever craved, fill each second of her life with bliss. But…trapped for a weekend in the place where my life went to hell, how can I avoid the nightmare that haunts me? Not to mention the ass-kicking Astrid will give me when she discovers the darkest secret of my past.
Fit To Be Tied is available at:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Amazon AU
Kobo
B&N
iTunes
Filed under: Author Interviews, blogging, book tour, heroes, heroines, writing Tagged: Erotic Romance, Felicity Kates, Fit To Be TIed, New book, Viking, Viking Sex Gods, Writing tips
July 27, 2015
Here we believe in the power of true love. Chapter one The Viking and the Courtesan
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Chapter One
Somewhere near Regent Street. London 1819.
If she could not have a man, she would have shoes. Silver shoes with pearl encrusted buckles, delicate kidskin slippers with beribboned points, blue shoes, cream shoes, high throated pumps with clasps and buckles. While Malice Mallender hated to think she had grown a shade cynical about such things, shoes were a concept she knew many women would love and understand.
Upstairs, cracks ran like spider webs across the bedroom window and the landing roof leaked like a sieve. Spend a halfpenny on repairing the roof? On things that would make this place nice? She’d sooner swallow a crocodile. Whole. The humiliations she suffered could hardly be assuaged by possessing gleaming panes of glass the rain could run down unchecked, or a new Turkish rug to replace the one Agnes burnt with the fire tongs yesterday.
Shoes came from another world entirely. It was this or starve. There was a shortage of crocodiles in Regent’s Park.
Malice might as well throw off any bleak self-reflection about those things. A hundred guineas to ruin a marriage was nothing. A hundred guineas was a snip when she thought of the unsatisfactory state of her own life, never mind all the shoes for sale in Madam Faro’s shop window.
So there was no need to ask why the elegantly dressed woman with her tumble of red hair, seated opposite, candlelight playing about her features, had chosen to come to this discreet, carefully furnished salon, the only room in the house that was decent.
Lady Grace, the spidery scrawl on the visiting card, read. The scallop-edged vellum one that lay on her desk blotter. Lady Grace Newell.
From the looks of Lady Grace, the high heeled points with the dusting of diamantes were going to belong to Malice sooner than she could say the word divorce. The silver kidskin boots too and the kidskin boots were beautiful. So she might as well stop procrastinating and do everything in her power to ensure this went smoothly.
After all, it was not unknown for clients to bolt at this stage. She insisted on dealing with the female half of the partnership only and, as many of those were red-faced virgins, who had spent the greater part of an afternoon walking up and down the street trying to pluck up the courage to enter her salon, Malice risked them losing it all together.
Baiting the hook was never easy. Would she be wearing such awful undergarments and this drab brown dress with no ornamentation whatsoever bar a solitary black lace ruffle, if it was? Although Lady Grace exhibited not the least trace of nerves as she held to her parasol handle. Shame neither. Tall as a church candlestick, she’d swept in here as if the entire business was second nature to her. Or perhaps that was simply the impression she gave to mask her nerves?
“I am led to believe you have a little business here?”
Malice fixed what she hoped was her most serene smile to her lips. Once upon a time she might have thought words such as little and business an insult when the law was such an ass and she provided a vital service. Now sadly, she simply took the money.
“Yes. Indeed, I do. Please be assured the service is as discreet as the person who must have given you my name.”
“You don’t know how glad I am about that.” Lady Grace’s dimples deepened. She leaned across the desk in a rustle of lilac scented silk. “Because it’s like this… I have a man needing ruining.”
Relief slicked Malice’s palms. For a horrible moment there as the woman leaned forward, she’d wondered if Lady Grace had come to offer her services. But, no.
Lady Grace and her rake were very much in love. Rakes and ladies always were. Either that, or desperate. A hundred guineas? Shockingly cheap at twice the price. Was it any wonder as Lady Grace babbled on, Malice dipped the quill into the inkwell and drew a daisy on the blotter?
“But of course.”
“The problem is his wife.”
Obviously it went without saying that the problem was his wife–whoever she was.
Once Malice would have stopped, have thought badly of herself. That was before, before she hadn’t seen Cyril for dust. Before she had tried to help fallen women. Before she’d been reduced to touting embroidered tea cosies around Spitalfields Market at tuppence a time, earning enough to keep herself in candles for an entire afternoon. Now she doodled a few wives’ names to accompany the flower. Then she doodled a pair of shoes. High heeled ones.
Strictly Business dealt with such menaces as wives. This quiet room, with its drawn shades, the wardrobes stuffed with shoes, this sturdy oak desk, even the spindle chair she sat in, were testament to that fact. Her services weren’t just as discreet as the lavender scented candles burning in the Wedgewood candlesticks on the mantelshelf, they were necessary when the law was such an ass as to bind together couples who didn’t want to be bound, who had no further use for one another.
“A hundred guineas you say?” Lady Grace snapped her beaded reticule open. While she may have narrowed her sparkling green eyes, her excitement was so palpable, Malice could have reached out and touched it.
She gave a grunt of satisfaction. “A hundred guineas. In advance.”
“Well… it seems a lot, but…”
“Trouble yourself not, Lady Newell. Here at Strictly we believe in the power of true love. We believe in making such problems go away.”
Go away? For the wad of notes Lady Grace produced from the depths of her bulging reticule and set in a line along the oak surface of the desk Malice would have ruined Christ Almighty. 
One hundred and twenty five pounds. Was she seeing this properly? Had she really thought only two pairs of shoes? The woman needing ruin must be a termagant. Nothing Malice had not done before. Nothing she could not do now.
Still, to seem too eager would not speak well of her business-like detachment. It would say that this was something she did for money and not for true love. For all she ran things like a well-oiled machine, she slackened her grip on the quill, pretending to consider it.
“I take it he’s tried asking?”
“Asking?” Lady Grace drew auburn brows together. “A hundred times a week. Twice on bended knee. He has tried everything and she refuses point blank to entertain him. You have no idea of the spite of this creature.”
“I can imagine.”
“For the last…oh let me think, three years… she’s been a wife in name only. I hardly need tell you that at twenty seven, the age I am now, time is not on my side. In another few years I shall be thirty. How perfectly awful will that be for an unmarried woman of my standing?”
Exactly what Malice wanted to hear. Enough to knock any little qualm of conscience on the head when she wanted these shoes so badly. When she herself had tried in her own miserable, inexperienced way to be more than that and been horribly refuted, why be troubled by the thought of a woman who wanted her rights while refusing to bow to her husband’s? So now they came to the sticky part of the transaction, the actual infidelity, although it never ceased to amaze her just how many were desperate to grasp that notion of future happiness, if not wreak revenge on a tiresome spouse. Would the women who sought her services do that, unless they were desperate? Would they walk through her door to back out? Annulment bastardised children and meant no-one ever spoke to the guilty parties again, but Canon law allowed for separation, if a husband was unfaithful. That was why she’d no compunction now about reaching for the leather folder that lay on the far side of her desk. About taking a sheet of paper from it either.
All that was needed was a name, then she would discreetly arrange the rest.
“Well, never fear. It is certainly my experience that most wives, when shown Strictly’s written testimonies, can’t agree to be divorced fast enough.”
Lady Grace’s peal of laughter echoed around the mulberry walls. “Thank goodness for that. For a moment there I thought you were going to tell me they still want to keep them.”
“Seldom. Once a discreet time has passed you will both be free to marry. He needn’t pay a penny towards his former wife’s keep either.”
“That is such a relief. I must say the service you provide is exceptional.”
“Oh, I won’t be providing it.”
Lord, no. What did Lady Grace think? That she slept with hundreds of men? She employed women to do that.
“Now we’ve discussed the nature of the transaction, I only need a few details. This man, the one you want us to ruin…what is his name?”
Lady Grace leaned closer as if the salon and all its contents had ears and it would damage them to hear. “Lord Hepworth. Lord Cyril Hepworth. Do you know of him at all? He is quite a dandy. But very dashing. And we are so in love.”
Know of him?
Malice’s gaze widened before she could stop it. For a second she felt as if rug, desk and chair had been yanked from beneath her and she sat in mid-air with nowhere to go except the floor.
Know of him?
Lady Grace had just asked her to ruin herself.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Felicity Kates, New book, regency Romance, Romance, Shehanne Moore, Soul Mate Publishing, The Viking and The Courtesan, time travellers, Viking Romance
July 24, 2015
Back to the past…Time Travel in books and movies
So little dudes, are we set to give this blog on time travelling.
Well done Tink, indeed there is.
No. Not quite. But….
When it comes to time travel….
There’s three types.
1 Time machine travel.
2 Time slip travel
3 Being a time traveller.
Time machine travel involves having some kind of machine that can transport us back to a particular time. It’s a device that needs little explanation so it’s a popular method when it comes to whizzing characters back and forth.
Now do we know of any famous examples of books or films?
Isn’t’ that good?
Not exactly. But yes. I think we could cite
Back To The Future, Doctor Who, Timecop, the hysterical
…love 12 Monkeys…
and HG Wells, classic The Time Machine as examples of time machine travel.
Indeed I think we can credit H G Well with popularizing the concept of time travelling. That simple title penned by him is now used to refer to such vehicle, thus paving the way for all the books, movies and TV programs that followed. He convinced such a thing could be made AND it could work too. In case is doesn’t, films like Timecop, Terminator—another love —
and 12 Monkeys are set in the future where we accept things will be very different given technological advances.
So well done dudes.
Now can we move to time slip travel?
What do we know about time slip travel?
Exactly. It is a paranormal phenomenon in which a person, or group of people, seem to either travel through time via unknown means.
So Tink there could well be out of here. But then she could come back.
Often in timeslip travel there’s some kind of portal the characters pass through. Whether they can find it again or not on the other side is up to the author!
Now do we know of any famous timeslip films, books TV series?
Well then?
Dudes????!!!!! You are doing me proud today. Well done. I knew you would.
Timeslip IS a very good example of a film of that kind.
Then we have books like Outlander and Tv series like
which I adored.
I suppose
which I also adored could count as a time slip, the interesting thing being that there wasn’t a portal as such, there was an island which could be moved..as islands can be…and it led to characters being flashed everywhere.
However, this medium is also popular for writers as it takes care of the business of transportation.
This brings us to the third type of time travel, that is where the character is a time traveller. We know Doctor Who is a time lord and traveller but he does have a machine. A real time traveller has no machine and there is no portal.
Absolutely, think
think having some kind of disorder, perhaps genetic, or perhaps a curse, whatever, but because of that disorder you have no control of the time flashes.
There’s not a lot of fiction, films, or series with actual time travellers. This one I liked because it keeps the notion small scale in that you can only go back within your own lifetime to your own life.
My new heroine is a time traveller and it was actually very difficult to get her past my editor without some kind of portal because the suspension of belief required is the biggest out of the three…which I am only starting to realize now I start googling time travellers.
I know. But I did get her past after some rigorous editing. But I did have a lot of fun writing her discovering she is actually a time traveller and leaving her clueless in a strange land for a while about how she can control her ability. Oh, and find the one thing that will control it. Love. It’s all we need.
In 898 AD she wasn’t just from another land.
Wrecking a marriage is generally no problem for the divorce obtaining, Lady Malice Mallender. But she faces a dilemma when she’s asked to ruin her own. Just how businesslike should she remain when the marriage was never consummated and kissing her husband leads to Sin–a handsome Viking who wants her for a bed slave in name only?
She came from another time.
Viking raider Sin Gudrunsson wants one thing. To marry his childhood sweetheart. Only she’s left him before, so he needs to keep her on her toes, and a bed slave, in name only, seems just the thing. Until he meets Malice.
One kiss is all it takes to flash between two worlds
But when one kiss is no longer enough, which will it be? Regency London? Or Viking Norway? Will Malice learn what governs the flashes? Can Sin?
Where worlds collide can love melt the iciest heart?
Coming July 29th.
Filed under: blogging, book tour, heroes, heroines, Romance, time travel, Vikings, writing Tagged: About Time, Back to the Future, Bill and Ted's excellent adventure, Lost, Lost In Austen, Outlander, Regency, Romance, Shehanne Moore, Soul Mate Publishing, The Time Machine, The Viking and The Courtesan, time travellers, Time-slip, Time-travel, Vikings
