Shehanne Moore's Blog, page 45
July 29, 2013
There was only one thing missing from this place. The sign saying ‘Welcome to Hell.’
No. I am going to resist the temptation to blog the place we had the misfortune to spend one night in in York there, which sort of prompted a reworking of that song. you know the nice one from Les Miserables sung by a certain couple….
But that line about Hell, from my new book did come to mind. Of course I probably shouldn’t have been skiving off to York, looking at all its famous bars….
Oops sorry, of course I meant ye noble, ancient and ye right way up…
leaving poor Noelle Clark to hold the fort for me here, so she’s no doubt ended looking as I did a fortnight ago…
Noelle has been introducing the boys for me. That’s the
Anyway I’m sure now Noelle’s introduced a few of the ‘boys’, and she’s got story teasers in the shape of letters, she won’t mind me showing some of them here…. and their letters. Oh bear with me will you, I have the galleys to proof……. Why did I choose to set this one in Scotland? I wanted to do something different.
So…….exhibit one…….
Exhibit two…..Murdies…. Meet the Murdies………
For some strange reason Snosh and Eck already have a fan club…
Exhibit four.
Sure Google can translate… In case they can’t Wee Murdie is probably easier to understand.
Of course while Noelle has more cards than these, there’s one member of the Brotherhood she doesn’t have. The other day I showed you horse, dog, man, here’s daughter…… 
Eight words, seven of them swear ones….I have to say this girl, now grown up, is very special to me!! 
Filed under: writing Tagged: Etopia Press, His Judas Bride, Noelle Clark, Scotland, Shehanne Moore, York 
July 24, 2013
Hello, My Name is Joanne and I’m shy
Okay, so Piglet is now called Joanne? Hey, if I’d put Shehanne there you’d never have believed me. No, today I want you to meet Joanne…
Otherwise known as J.M. Stewart, author of some pretty good sweet and spicy books. It’s now a whole year since I first subbed Lady Fury to Etopia and I can’t believe how much my life has changed, even if I was a bit like this the other week….. Lady Fury is out and my second book is about to be released. Hope you are all following the Hottie Scot giveaway being hosted on my behalf by the fabulous Noelle Clark 
over on her blog http://www.noelleclarkauthor.com/2013/07/a-letter-from-black-wolf-of-lochalpin.html Of course Noelle does not guarantee you are going to win a Wolf but she does have amazon vouchers and you get anything there…right?
One of the things that is different is the amount of Social Media I undertook which proved to me, especially in the early days, dodos aren’t actually extinct at all. During that time I came across this book jacket by another Etopian……
i thought how cool, how sophisticated is this J.M. Swamming out there… Ooh this will be me soon. I had no idea the irony is that J.M Stewart has a problem. A big one when authors these days are expected to put themselves out there, build the following, do the blogs, interact with other authors, bloggers, sounding like a cool cat.
The lovely lady is shy. I’m not talking a little bit of toeing of the ground there till I get the hang of this gathering.
I’m talking wishing the ground would zip open so I can say Bye to everyone before they notice…… me. 
To quote Joanne I’m talking,
‘It’s trying to escape my body by way of my mouth kind of shy. My palms grow cold and clammy, my hands shake. Hell, who am I kidding? My everything shakes. When confronted with new people, my brain and my mouth seize up.’
Joanne actually did a blog but there’s a problem with getting into my mail box right now. I need this post up un terms of my own schedule this week. Besides the good lady has already waited. So I’m cobbling big time from a blog where she spilt the beans. Plus showing you some of her fabulous covers.
Nice eh?
Putting ourselves out there as authors, aspiring authors or bloggers is never easy. Often a complete novice, a dodo, where blogging is concerned, you’re trying to hit a mark, somewhere between sounding knowledgeable, having good content and praying you won’t bore the pants off someone and just maybe you can make that someone come back. When you feel like this…….
‘As an author, putting myself out there is terrifying. I’m not eloquent by any means. In fact, I stumble and stammer and say all the wrong things. Usually at the wrong time.’
It’s also worse when all the blogging advice is to get your mates to come by your blog and like you and leave a comment when you’re…..
‘not that person who collects friends. You know, those people who seem to make friends wherever they go and always seem to have dozens?’
Personally, if there is one thing the last year has taught me, in addition to knowing exactly who my friends are and valuing them, it’s of the importance of making new author/blogger ones. Ones who this last week, or so, came straight to my assistance, no questions asked. Noelle, Anne, Incy, Aimee, Susan, Antonia, Alison/Eleanor. Blogs, interviews….(Anne’s is here by the way…it’s hot! She didn’t behave. You would know that http://t.co/EEPRC96tsS )
But anyway, for someone like Joanne, this is hard. It’s important to know though, if maybe you are the shy author, aspiring or, in print, maybe Joanne sounds familiar to you and even if she doesn’t this biz of putting yourself out there, is terrifying…is
as opposed to
If Joanne can you can. She has this fabulous advice to give,,,,
I started small, took one step outside of my box and stayed there until I was comfortable being there. And then I take another step. I started doing one blog topic here and there. Interviews are super easy. I don’t have to think. Then I added things like tooting my own horn on Facebook or my author blogs. Now, I’m a member of two group blogs (okay, so one isn’t all that busy). My natural inclination was to back out quietly, but I force myself, so that once a month or so I’m forced to, oh, I don’t know, actually interact with people. Because I’m perfectly comfortable being a hermit.
She also has the book jackets to prove it.
The Blurbs. Recently divorced and working two jobs, Angela Lewis has no room in her life for love. Yet when her childhood crush finds her at the nightclub where she works as the sexy stripper, Candy Cane, and expresses his interest, Angela can’t resist. She only wants one night to live the fantasy her alter ego provides.
Alex McKinley is still trying to pick up the pieces of his shattered life, and one night with Candy is exactly what he needs. He gets more than he bargained for, however, when he discovers she’s the little sister of his best friend. Suddenly little Angie’s all grown up and driving him crazy.
The more time he spends with Angela, the more Alex finds himself falling for the woman she’s become. She makes him want to live again. But can he convince her to take a chance on him?
The buy links And Amazon best seller status for Her Knight In Black leather to prove it! .
Oh And the blog! Where you can see more and how to connect with Joanne. http://jm-stewart.blogspot.co.uk/p/books_2.html#sthash.19eB5S9L.dpuf
Filed under: Author Interviews, writing Tagged: A Second Chance at Forever, battling Social Media, Her knight in Black Leather, J.M Stewart, Shy writers, Social media, The Playboy's Baby, Writers and Social Media
July 23, 2013
My Highland Lord by Tarah Scott
Okay…. It’s my first time so be gentle with me…. That is as a book tour host. Ooooh yes. The amazing thing being it’s a Highland romance. Happy dance, me being a Scot, me shortly having one out myself and me getting to host the wonderful Tarah Scott, who, when it comes to favourite books loves the ones I do. Her book sounds smexily s’marvellous So, without further ado, let’s get to it. Lol, not having my own cover yet, it’s great to be able to show Tarah’s! I only wish I could have decked the whole blog in tartan. 
“Phoebe Wallington (London Heiress) and Kiernan MacGregor (the Marquess of Ashlund) tale is absolutely riveting.” –Rhonda Tutt
“Fast paced and passion filled. If you enjoy conspiracies,romance,witty banter,danger and passion,then pick up this title. You will not not regret reading this wonderful story!” – My Book Addiction
And here’s the extract.
Edinburgh , Scotland
The criminal was alive and well. Yet, the one man who could have exposed him was dead. Phoebe stared at the clipping of the obituary notice printed in the Times five days ago. The knowledge of his death settled around her as black as the darkness surrounding her carriage. The lantern flickered with the sway of the carriage as she slid her gaze over the paragraph that extolled Bow Street Sheriff John Stafford’s criminal expertise, and past the mention of his involvement in The Cato Street Conspiracy. A man’s life reduced to two paragraphs. For the hundredth time since she’d first read the obituary, she settled her gaze on the final line.
September 1837, John Stafford died in his London home.
Phoebe refolded the clipping, set it on her lap, and pulled another document from her reticule. She ran her fingers along the age-yellowed edges of the only letter her father had written to her mother, the letter she had shown John Stafford when she’d visited him in his home five years ago. She unfolded the foolscap and, with a deep breath, began reading. Her lips moved in tandem with the words she’d long ago memorized.
May 20, 1820
My Dearest Amelia,
Please forgive this letter so long overdue. I am well and I have found safe haven—at least for the moment. You have, no doubt, heard the news that I am wanted for high treason, and now you know that my suspicions were correct. Amelia, you cannot know how my accusers make even the most abhorrent criminal look like one of God’s angels. I sorely underestimated the depth of their deceit. Fool that I am, I did not anticipate being branded a traitor in their stead.
I know your heart is heavy, my love, but no more so than mine. It is shocking to learn that one’s leaders are willing to sacrifice their countrymen for money and power. Ironically, had I known then what I now know, I would be guilty of their accusations. Do not shudder. I know I speak treason, but you cannot comprehend the fine line between reason and desperation when all choices have been eliminated.
Would it shock you to hear that I relish the day I shall destroy my accusers? They have taken all I hold dear: you, our darling Phoebe and, lastly, my freedom. While I cannot like Arthur Thistlewood—his motives are not pure as he would have us believe—in one thing he was right: those few rich and powerful men who rule supreme in our society have stolen our rights.
I have a plan, which, of course, I cannot elaborate upon here, but I must uncover the truth. Otherwise…well, otherwise, I am no better than Thistlewood—or those men who brought him to justice.
I do not know when I will have another opportunity to write. Give Phoebe my love, and do not despair. I have not.
Your loving husband,
Mason
It wasn’t until her mother’s death ten years ago that Phoebe learned her father sent this letter. The letter, hidden amongst her mother’s personal correspondence, had been folded with a newspaper clipping dated February 24, 1820, the day after the Spencean Society’s planned assassination of the Cabinet. The newspaper clipping, a statement made by Lord Sidmouth to the London Gazette concerning the charge of high treason against Thistlewood and his murder of Bow Street runner Richard Smithers, also mentioned the bounty on Thistlewood’s head. The paragraphs were framed by a note written in her father’s hand on the sides.
Sidmouth could not have yet known that Thistlewood killed Smithers. Here is proof positive the noose had been put around Thistlewood’s neck before he even planned the assassinations.
“Why?” Phoebe whispered. Why had her father been falsely accused and why had he cared that the government ensured Thistlewood’s capture? Thistlewood was a known murderer, a man—A sharp sideways jostle yanked Phoebe back to the present. “What in—” Another jolt cut short the exclamation.
She yanked back the curtain and peered into the darkness. No lights dotted the countryside as they should have, and moonlight revealed open fields beyond the road.
She quickly refolded the letter and clipping, stuffed them into her reticule, then opened the door an inch and called, “Where are we, Calders? I don’t recognize this road.”
“Taking a shortcut, Miss,” came the muffled reply.
“Wha—” The coach listed, and she slammed the door with the force of the movement, tumbling back against the cushion. “By heavens.”
Phoebe seized the handle again. The door was yanked from her grasp and flung open. A man filled the doorway. She jerked back as a rush of air guttered the lantern flame. Her heart jumped when she lost sight of the intruder for an instant, then the light flared to life again. The man gripped the side of the open doorway of the slowing carriage, one leg braced on the floor. She took in eyes bluer than any she’d ever seen, an angled face, and a fit body leaning forward on one powerful leg—a leg clad in finely cut trousers. Thievery paid well these days!
She cut her gaze to his and he grinned. Phoebe pooled her strength. Understanding flickered in his eyes the instant before she kicked his shoulder with a slippered foot. With a loud grunt, he toppled from the coach. She lunged forward, caught hold of the flapping door, and hung her head out the doorway, scanning the road behind for the brigand. The coach was slowing even more, and her heart leapt higher in her throat when he jumped to his feet and starting toward them.
“Calders,” she yelled, “lay whip to the horses. Quickly!”
The coach halted so suddenly, she tumbled through the door, and landed on her side. A dull pain throbbed deep in her shoulder. She pushed onto an elbow and fingered the tender place on her arm. No blood. Thank God she’d worn a cloak.
The carriage creaked and Phoebe looked up to see the murky form of her coachman as he dropped to the ground. She scrambled to her feet and turned in the direction of the highwayman. He wasn’t hastening to them as expected, but strolled forward while dusting off his trousers. She turned on unsteady feet to face Calders and her eyes came into sharp focus upon the face of a stranger.
She recoiled, then narrowed her eyes on him. “Where’s Calders. What have you done with him? If you harmed him—”
“Never fear, madam, he is unharmed.”
Phoebe whirled at the sound of the velvet, deep voice belonging to the highwayman.
“I promise,” he said, “Calders was simply delayed.”
A sudden pounding of hooves riveted her attention onto the distant shadowy forms of four approaching horsemen.
“There!” one of the newcomers shouted. “There she is.”
She looked back at the highwayman in time to see him step toward her. He seized her arm. She tried to yank free, but he dragged her toward the carriage.
“Mather,” he said in a low voice, “get this coach underway. Now.”
Phoebe dug her heels into the ground and was abruptly hauled over his shoulder. She cried out, but he didn’t slow his pace.
“Release me, you fool!” she shouted. His shoulder dug into her stomach with each long, hurried stride he took. Phoebe kicked, despite the pain.
“Be still” he ordered, and clamped his arm down on her legs.
She thrashed harder. A shot rang out. She jerked her head up, but found herself tossed onto the cushions of the carriage.
The highwayman jumped into the carriage after her. “Damnation.” He slammed the door shut. “They mean to put a ball through me.”
He pounded on the coach roof and they lurched into motion. Phoebe clutched at the door handle, but pitched forward despite the effort. Her captor shoved her back against the cushions, holding her firm as he pulled back the curtain and peered out the window.
“Bloody hell.” He looked at her. “Fine time for shenanigans.”
She frowned. “Perhaps you should keep a tighter hand on your band.”
“They are not my band, madam.” His gaze was still fixed out the window. “They are, however, a persistent band and will reach us momentarily.” He twisted to look in the direction they were headed, then pounded on the carriage roof and shouted, “Mather, make for that abandoned farm up ahead.”
The carriage veered and Phoebe bounced left and right despite his hold on her. Stories of runaway carriages conjured pictures of broken necks and twisted bodies, and she envisioned herself pitching forward head first into the opposite seat. The arm pinning her to the cushions suddenly encircled her waist. Another jolt of the carriage, and her unwanted companion yanked her tight against his chest.
Her senses flooded with the aroma of wool and musky sandalwood. They listed when the carriage swayed perilously to one side. Phoebe seized his lapel and buried her face deeper in his chest. If there was a God in heaven, she would land on the brigand when the carriage rolled and he would break his neck while saving hers.
The carriage halted. He threw back the door and jumped to the ground, dragging her with him. The farmhouse stood a few feet away. Phoebe scanned the distance. The riders approached at a gallop and would soon reach the barn that sat sixty feet from the house. The highwayman grabbed her hand and started around the side of the ramshackle farmhouse. She started to yank free, but hesitated. Two bands of extortionists? Why—and which was the more dangerous?
LINKS:
Website: http://www.tarahscott.com/
Blog: http://tarahscott.tarahscott.com/
@TarahScott
ABOUT Tarah Scott
Award winning author Tarah Scott cut her teeth on authors such as Georgette Heyer, Zane Grey, and Amanda Quick. Her favorite book is a Tale of Two Cities, with Gone With the Wind as a close second. She writes modern classical romance, and paranormal and romantic suspense. Tarah grew up in Texas and currently resides in Westchester County, New York with her daughter.
ABOUT My Highland Lord
London Heiress kidnapped by the Marquess of Ashlund, read the headlines. Yet no one tried to save her.
Phoebe Wallington was seven years old when a mass assassination attempt rocked Regency England. Her father was the only accused traitor to elude capture. Now as a grown woman and a British spy, she is no closer to learning what really happened that day.
Phoebe’s quest for the truth takes a sudden turn when she’s kidnapped by a suspected traitor. But Kiernan MacGregor, the Marquess of Ashlund, may not live long enough to stand trial. Someone wants him dead. And Phoebe stands in the killer’s way.
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My Highland Lord by Tarah Scott (roomwithbooks.wordpress.com)
Filed under: blogging, book tour Tagged: Arthur Thistlewood, Cato Street Conspiracy, My Highland Lord, Tarah Scott, Thistlewood
July 18, 2013
Kara has forgotten she’s a woman. Meet the hot-Scot who will remind her…
Having blogs sitting in a queue here, I was not going to blog this today. But since Fury, clearly in a fit of pique and in response to my posted pic….. 
then posted pictures of what she regarded as a hottie scottie….
Yes…. So…what am I meant to do in addition to acknowledging that the answer to my question what makes the Scottie hottie is not the sight of a lady dog in a tasty red jacket, a male dog either…but set the record straight?
Also the lovely Noelle Clark, my good Aussie friend and stablemate, the author of Let Angels Fly is shortly going to be doing the reveals of the Brotherhood of Wolves….now…tasteful reveals…over at her blog http://www.noelleclark.net/ behave.
So, what I’m doing here is this……
if you’re now thinking what the hell kind of book is this. she’s got coming out, having shown you these gentlemen… 
then I have your attention… Draw up a chair. Sit down while I show you…
Horse….. Satan. Only missing the animal skulls threading the mane.
Dog….Dug. you know someone asked me on Pinterest the other day was it dog or wolf…..?
who knows…
Man….
What’s hot about the Scot? Well, if the fact he’s the Black Wolf of Lochalpin and the fact he oozes smex the way a berry does juice, isn’t enough, he’s a guy who knows what it is to lose…really lose. So, all that smex appeal is something he keeps to himself, along with his heart. At least he tries to, till Kara comes along.
The trouble is she’s wholly destined for his brother.
The trouble is she’s the daughter of the man whose clan didn’t just give false name to power, they raped and murdered the Wolf’s wife.
The trouble is Kara has reasons why she doesn’t intend to love, honor, or obey anyone……
Well??????
Filed under: Glencoe, writing Tagged: Etopia Press, Highlander romance, His Judas Bride, Hot Scots, Lady Fury, Let Angels Fly, Noelle Clark, Shehanne Moore, The Black Wolf of Lochalpin
July 16, 2013
S’wonderful…. S’marvellous
No, you’re okay. You are in the right place. I just did some revamping here and on my website. I mean what else was I doing? Lady Fury was going off on another book tour….. 
which was…..
I had invited the lovely author, J.M.Stewart to appear on this blog post and she not only agreed, she sent me the post–also…
My edits on my present WIP were back on track which was even more…
The lovely Incy Black gave ME a Summer Sun Award, which was so
I danced just like Gene. So then on this run of good luck I opens my inbox at some God forsaken time in the morning and there’s an email saying His Judas Bride is coming out on August 2nd.
Not, that is the right picture. Here it is again, just to make sure
But bigger. And kind of more like ….
Yes. Greeting Teenie.. Shades of wahhhhhh.
So then there was ..
So there could be…..
And….
and it was
in the morning before I knew it. But just think of all these fabulous posts to come–from J.M certainly, but also from the lovely S.L.Stacy, while I introduce you …no, not to the hottie Scottie, behave, to the Wolves. That is, as in the brotherhood of Wolves….
some of them anyway. Of course it takes more than that to guard Lochalpin Glen and keep it safe from dangerous intruders. The Brotherhood are a sort of glen bandits type of bunch, living….
oh, no prizes for guessing…Glencoe, although it is called Lochalpin. What is the book about? Well, just how far you would go to get the thing you want most. I am ending this blog on the ….sort of …blurb…. Normal service will be resumed next post….
To love… honour… and betray…
To save her son, there is nothing she won’t do.
Dire circumstances force Kara McGurkie to forget she’s a woman. Dire circumstances force her to swear to love and honor, to help destroy a clan in order to get back the life she lost. But when dire circumstances force her to seduce her fiancé’s brother on the eve of the wedding, will the dark secrets she holds and the things she wants most, be enough to save her and them, from his powerful allure, especially when she knows he may just be playing with her.
To save his people, neither will he.
Callm McDunnagh, the Black Wolf of Lochalpin, ruthlessly guards heart and glen from dangerous intruders. But from the moment he first sees Kara he knows he must possess her, even though he also knows that surrendering to his desire may prove the most dangerous risk of all.
Now no problem becomes big problem as passion and desire rage out of control. Kara must look into the soul she thought she sold to make a choice. But can she look deep enough? Only she can decide who and what passion can save, or destroy, how when and who will finally learn the truth of the words… Till death do us part.
You can see more at my smexy revamped website
http://shehannemooreweeblycom.weebly.com/
Filed under: Glencoe, writing Tagged: Etopia Press, Glencoe, His Judas Bride, The Black Wolf of Lochalpin, WIP
July 11, 2013
A Rose for Elaine – The July author interview
So this has been a busy week. Hotel-wrecking always is. I think the tally of a broken dimmer switch, loo door and coffee machine is impressive. Perhaps not as impressive as the time we were nearly marched off Tilos, Mr Shey having kind of vandalized the island’s prize apartment, not to mention nearly left a pizza in the prize gym, due to be photo-shot the following morning. But then this latest was only an overnight stay.
So? Pairings. These are not the before and after pics of that hotel. These are same fountain, different views…ok not the exact same fountain…but since the one on the right is very familiar, I thought I’d snap the one on the left. 
Another pairing this week has been 
Aimee Duffy and Lady Fury out on tour together. Very nearly running into one another too on http://tamariasoana.blogspot.com/ Not a good idea since the relationship between Fury and Aimee is …well…
Here we have another sort of pairing. White rose, red rose,
more of which in a mo..
Here is the fourth pairing… 
Well, the Scots have always bled away their people. From the Highlands of ten the result of force, from the Lowlands, usually in pursuit of a better life. World-wide, many tens of millions can claim Scottish descent.
My guest today doesn’t just claim Scottish descent. She was born in Scotland, for all, like so many before her, she now lives in Canada. She’s been here before to talk Roman names. Today she’s going to answer some questions on that rose picture. The White Queen, the story of Elizabeth Woodville, is of course on UK tellies at the mo.
Got to say now, I’m not a hundred percent sure about the dramatisation. But hey, maybe I am meant to be rooting for the opposition and finding her and her folks, a greedy, conniving bunch.
Christine Elaine Black’s new book isn’t about Elizabeth but it is set in the time of Wars of the Roses, that dynastic struggle between the Lancastrians and the Yorkists. It is my pleasure to welcome her here today to answer some questions, not just on her story but on her life as a Scot’s lass abroad.
Q. Your book has a very definite York/Lancaster title and theme. Can you tell us a little bit more?
A. Thanks a million for having me as a guest, Shehanne. It’s a pleasure to visit Scotland and a fellow Scot anytime. Rose for Lancaster is indeed out in time for lovers of the White Queen to enjoy. It takes place about a year after Henry VII 
has won the throne of England and he’s married to
Elizabeth of York, daughter of the White Queen.
Bit Henry and young Elizabeth feature briefly in the story. The main male character, Giles Beaufort, meets the royal pair and relates their relationship to his own marriage, as a Lancaster man married to a York woman. The story revolves around a real plot to overthrow Henry.
Q. Sounds fabulous Elaine. Just the sort of thing I love to read. Your previous books were Roman, what inspired you to move from Roman history to English history, because comparisons..well…can we make any here?
A. I’ve always loved ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian history as well as medieval, Tudor and some Regency. Also, my daughter who inspires much of my work is studying Shakespeare and her interest in Richard III piqued my interest again. I plan to write more royal tales in the Tudor Rose series shortly.
Q. Well, it’s really good to see someone do that. It gives so much more scope. Now we’ve talked writing a little, tell me a bit more about you. I can’t believe you’re from Glasgow!
A. I was born in Glasgow and grew up in a town not far from there. Had the best of both worlds as it was clean and spacious but still had the conveniences of good shopping, schools, and entertainment. I love Scotland and many members of my family live in Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Galloway.
Q. Ah Rabbie Burns country. You obviously have tons of memories of Scotland.
A. Loads of memories, my Mum and two siblings live there currently and I’ve taken my daughter and husband (he’s Canadian) three times to make memories with and for them.
Q. Wonderful. Elaine, are there things you miss? Like the lousy weather for a start?
A. I miss lots of things about Scotland. Family, friends, the history, the rolling hills, the funny phrases that come to me now and again. My mum sent the Broons books over and my daughter and I read them and have a laugh. 
Q. The Broons? Move aside the Lancasters and Yorks! You know at one point I worked for Thomsons, writing graphic comic strips. I never worked on this one though! But great stuff eh?
A Great stuff. If only I could be in two places at once… or maybe three or four when I need to do research!! Also miss the humour, went to the Panto when we were back at Christmas. lol – need I say more.
Q. At least you come back.
A Loads, probably six or seven times and the Scottish family have come to visit me in Canada a number of times, especially when my daughter was little. Phone calls and skype really help.
Q. What opportunities has Canada given you?
A. My husband! He’s Canadian so the main reason to stay here is for his career! It wouldn’t really translate into a job in the UK. I’m settled here and life is good.
Q. Glad to hear it. Just one beef though, a Scot’s lass writing Sassenach history! Tell me, do you have a favorite Scottish historical character and why?
A. So many great people came out of Scotland and the UK in general. I’d love to write about Robert the Bruce just because he sounds romantic. Hmmmm!!
Q Well, here he is a knight in armour. Quite a man. Quite a story. His wife’s too when she was captured and kept prisoner by the English. Will you write about him?
A. I will write a romance about a man in a kilt. Just need more hours in a day. I enjoyed featuring Henry VII and Elizabeth of York in A Rose for Lancaster and plan to have a real setting and event as a backdrop for my future Scottish historical.
Q. Where, can readers buy your Lancaster book now it has been released?
A. I’ve links for A Rose for Lancaster and my website, blog and twitter.
Q> Elaine…what a pleasure to see you today. Best of luck with this and all future projects.
Buy Links:
A-Rose-for-Lancaster-on-Amazon
ChristineElaineBlack-Website
ChristineElaineBlack-Blog
ChristineElaineBlack-AmazonBuyBooks
ChristineElaineBlack-Twitter
Blurb:
A York woman and a Lancaster man are forced into a marriage contract to please King Henry VII.
Blanche Langley is swept into King Henry VII’s ambitious maneuvers to secure the throne. Tensions flare as a plot to overthrow the king is discovered. York forces gather to make one last effort to win the throne. Will Blanche betray her king, and her husband, Giles Beaufort?
Excerpt: I heard a commotion at the far end of the hall as my household men jostled a group of strangers dressed in riding clothes stained with mud. My immediate thought was to rush out of the hall to my rooms but as head of the house at Langley mansion I must deal with the arrival of newcomers. The steward talked with hasty gestures designed to delay the men, but they pushed past him and strode to the front of the hall.
I rose off my chair, regretting my choice of attire. The men looked roughened by hard riding and I had no wish to attract attention. They paused in a semi circle and shuffled their feet.
“What’s the meaning of this intrusion?”
A young man broke through the line of ruffians, boldly staring at my person. The sight of his proud stance, even though his dress left much to be desired, irritated me.
“We seek the mistress of the house.”
I flinched. He wore the livery of Lancaster and carried a missive bearing an official seal sending a shudder through my bones.
“You carry a message for Lady Langley?”
The young man held the parchment tightly. “It must be delivered in person.”
I dreaded the content of the letter. King Henry had the power to remove me from my home and pass ownership to another noble, driving me into destitution.
“Follow me, if you will.” We moved through the passageway leading to my father’s private room, used for dealing in matters of our estate. My steward discouraged the others from following and I faced my unwelcome guest with impatience.
“I am Lady Langley.”
My hand reached for the letter but he eyed me dubiously and refused to hand over the message.
“I seek the mistress of Langley. The woman betrothed to baron Somerset.” The strength and timbre of the voice belied his years, and cloaked in confidence his bearing held effortless grace. Steel gray eyes met mine without a shred of humility.
Give me the message.” His hesitation irritated me into sharp speech, a thing I did when vexed by servants. “Now, damn you!” I tore open the missive and read it twice before laughing in contempt.
“Somerset is reported dead. I can no more marry him than I can marry Richard of England.”
“You are Lady Langley?” The cheeky lout stared at me with a curious quirk on his lips.
“I am Blanche Langley, mistress of this house.”
“Indeed,” he mused.
“The king orders me to marry the baron of Somerset within the month. Does he not know the man died?” I shrugged in confusion.
“I am Giles Beaufort, heir to Somerset
Filed under: Author Interviews Tagged: A Rose For Lancaster, Canada, Christine Elaine Black, Elizabeth of York, Elizabeth Woodville, Robert the Bruce, Scotland, The Broons, The Wars of the Roses, Tudor Rose 
July 5, 2013
And a star to steer me by
Okay finally, here it is, les pirates and les ships of les home city. BUT before we talk this-
This-
and this -
Yuss…the Battle of Camperdown, the sea not the park one, I am going to talk this….
and this…
The fact that the lovely S.L Stacy of Urge 2 Write, a blog follower, who has a great blog on writing, opted to suffer me as her First Friday Feature!
http://slstacy.wordpress.com/2013/07/05/new-friday-featured-author-shehanne-moore/
So I did… I did it on being invited to be a Vacation Crasher too.
Whazzat? Well, you can find out here,
http://reneamason.com/2013/07/02/let-us-crash-your-vacation/
And here… vacationcrashers.reneamason.com
who the crashers are and what you have to do. You can find out what the prizes are too. But a Kindle, $75 Amazon gift card, book swag and more, does sound good.
Okay, finally, tootling fanfare, the promised post. 
Why am I blogging ships, more ships and pirates? I forgot. But it is certainly different from chatting to garden gnomes and having spiders scuttling about the place. Hell hounds too. Of course Fury should be doing this post over on her blog, since she and Flint were the ones to offer great affront to Captain Scott. 
But she has gone noticeably quiet about that, so I gets left with the mop up. I’m going to look today at why Captain Scott’s ship, the Discovery, is berthed in my hometown Dundee, and what famous sea-farers the city gave the world. How very serious. Master that yawn now.
Dundee is of course a sea-faring city, in its past being home to the Arctic Whalers. No. Not a US football team. Pay attention here. Proper whalers with harpoons and all as in Moby Dick–a book not a mobi app. Discovery was the last traditional wooden three-masted ship to be built in Britain and the reason Dundee ship builders were chosen to build it and we now have all these penguin statues hopping all over the place, nearly breaking your ankle as you stroll about the city centre trying to look cool, sexy and all, was because of the skills in building whaling ships. Maybe these boats came back with their hulls reshaped. The fact was they came back at all. Unlike the tourists encountering the penguin statues… 
The Discovery (above, penguin statues below)
(some anyway)
took Captain Scott on his first Antarctic Expedition, which was forced to turn back from the Pole because of the state of Shackleton’s feet. (And that was without meeting a god-damned penguin statue) (a penguin maybe ) The ship was stuck in ice but rescued and blown free by another Dundee ship, the Terra Nova. Co-incidentally the self same ship that took Scott on the ill-fated expedition of 1911, in which he perished. 
The same ship that was recently discovered off the coast of Greenland, having been submerged in water for over 70 years.
So, what other ships are associated with Dundee? Well, there’s the frigate Unicorn, one of the six oldest ships in the world, Scotland’s only preserved warship and the most completely original ship in the entire world to have survived from the golden age of sail. Phew…Puleaze note the figure head there. It is not a penguin.
I just don’t want to say too much more there as Fury kind of has her eyes on it. Inside it is something else…..and very roomy, although not sure about the My Little Pony figurehead. Then there’s the North Carr Lightship…. 
the last remaining Scottish lightship, the purpose once being to warn mariners of the dangers of the North Carr rocks. That it was in trouble itself was the reason the local lifeboat, the Mona, was launched in 1959 with the loss of its crew of eight, a tragedy that stunned the area.
Dundee was also once home…or rather Wormit, across the river was, to the infamous Mars Training vessel. The threat ‘Yir going tae Mars,’ having nothing to do with shortly becoming an astronaut.
No it was home to ‘bad boys.’ But before anyone gets excited about that, thinking…hmmm don’t we love them? behave! These were young boys, many of whom had no family. 
So. that’s some of the ships…what about the sailors Dundee has produced who have stepped on the world stage. Well, it claims an association with Sir Andrew Wood of Largo, a privateer no less, who had trading connections with the port. 
The Yellow Carvel
But in larger world terms Admiral Duncan, who defeated the Dutch fleet off Camperdown in a victory that is considered one of the most significant actions in naval history, was born in Dundee no less. What is more…unusually for the city that prefers penguins there is even a statue to prove it. 
With a telescope’n all. You can tell he’s not going to break an ankle penguin-spoting. And lastly we come to Captain Kydd. Yes, that is as in either ‘one of the most notorious pirates in the history of the world or one of its most unjustly vilified and prosecuted privateers in an age typified by the rationalisation of empire.’
Forget the Greenock claims, Kydd’s baptismal records turned up in Dundee where his father was a sea captain. The first records of his life date from 1689, when he was a member of a French-English pirate crew that sailed in the Caribbean. Kidd and other members of the crew mutinied, ousted the captain of the ship, and sailed to the English colony of Nevis. Exciting? Yes. And but the start too.
The belief he left buried treasure all over the Caribbean added to the legend. . 
Kidd also once sailed away during the night to preserve his crew, rather than subject them to Royal Navy impressment. So wrong really?
After an impressive and colourful list of exploits, he was however tried and executed for piracy–awww- which brings me finally to the end of this post. Tall ships and stars. If I write any more I will be seeing them. So will the other penguins statues….. cute huh?
Filed under: blogging Tagged: Admiral Duncan, Battle Of Camperdown, Captain WIlliam Kydd, Dundee, Robert Falcon Scott, Sir Andrew Wood of Largo, Terra Nova, The frigate Unicorn, The mars Training ship, The North Carr Lightship, The Yellow Carvel 
July 1, 2013
Here comes the Sun- LOVE ON THE BEACH BLOG HOP (JULY 1ST – 14TH)
Wow…what’s that big yellow thing in the sky? Is it the sun? Nah. Be still my beating heart. It’s a big yellow football flying across our very own rainforest jungle. Yes, why go to the Amazon, when you can have the Amazon right on your doorstep courtesy of the average Scottish summer.
Look, I know some like it cold. I am not one of that some.
All right so today, I am doing two things…oh, be still your beating hearts if you thought this was finally the pirate post… Nest time, to tie in with Fury going on virtual tour. Actually I am doing three– I am listening to what appeared to be a clap of thunder. OOPS, and that was another. Could it be the sound of Dundee multis being blown to bits? No, that was yesterday. 
Church wedged between them left standing by the way. 
No I am firstly giving a shout out for Beachwalk Press. Why am I doing that when I am an Etopia Press author? Do I want my guts displayed for garters? No way, but I am doing it because you start out on this writing game, you start out blogging and that can be hard, so you don’t forget those who friended you and one of the first was Beachwalk’s Aimee Duffy. (Here spelt correctly.) Also Etopia Press are fab.
But you know me I don’t do just straight promo, so I’m instigating Sunshine Sun Blog Award. Details and tres fortunate nominees–oih, where are you all going, get back here?- to follow this.
Two years ago this month Beachwalk Press released their first books. To celebrate, they’re hosting a Love on the Beach blog hop. This will run from July 1st through July 14th. Over 20 Beachwalk Press authors are participating and they have some fabulous prizes to give away.
The grand prize is a Kindle Paperlight!
Additional prizes include:
* A beach tote bag filled with Beachwalk Press print books (winner’s choice of 5 print titles)
* Two gift certificates of $25 each (winners’ choice of GC from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or All Romance Ebooks)
Also, each author–including Aimee Duffy– will be giving away an additional prize of their choosing.
That’s almost 30 prizes in total! SO what are you waiting for?
To join Beachwalk Press in this exciting venture just visit: http://beachwalkpress.com/2013/07/love-on-the-beach-blog-hop-July-1st-14th/
Right that’s that…painless. The prizes up for grabs are something, so I advise a pop over. So the Summer Sun Award for bloggers who brighten the day in some way, either by their blog content or by what they do for others.
Well, firstly you display the logo and link back to the blog of the person who nominated you. Then you answer the following summery questions before nominating a lucky eight ….one for each sunray on the picture there. Then you must tell the lucky eight and name and display their blog link.
Of course the questions are all summer based. Don’t expect me to answer them…I wasn’t nominated!!
Favorite song with summer in the title or the words (give the line) - Mine is Dishwalla‘s Opaline. Summer dies here and so could I somewhere underneath, where the ground is made of stars.
Favourite book about summer – it might be a children’s book….
Or it might be something more adult…..
Favourite hot summer film
Favourite summer memory
Favourite summer holiday destination
What books will be in your suitcase this summer?
What’s your likely destination this summer?
What hottie would you most like to be sharing the hot days and long nights with this summer?
Okay that’s it.
My eight nominees ..oh stop trembling in your boots – are
Aimee Duffy http://t.co/wScJt0Sa7E
Noelle Clark http://t.co/f36t0xR1dx
Susan Arden http://t.co/g2wNM5Abd4
Antonia Van Zandt http://t.co/c8lM9ewJDU
incy Black http://t.co/tLMFyyWcjY
Charley Descoteaux http://t.co/MBIL9BuYV7
Tracey Rogers http://t.co/83fOaW2cQs
Jerrie Alexander http://t.co/naZapHnFNE
(Okay I cave and make mine nine…or Fury will go crazy….anyway sure she has stories to share. )
PS …I will be over to read these answer so…….
Filed under: writing Tagged: Aimee Duffy, Antonia Van Zandt, Beachwalk Press Bloghop, Charley Descoteaux, Etopia Press, Incy Black, Jerrie ALexander, NoelleClark, Summer Sun award, Susan Ardne, Tracey Rogers, writing
June 27, 2013
Lose more sleep – not
Now I know what I promised…that little post on ships and pirates. But, having offered one post by way of reparation, you cannot expect me offer two in a row, or be responsible for what my creations get up to behind my back..as reported on their own blog. It is quite enough being responsible for myself, although I will, I swear sensibly blog local ships and pirates next time. Look…once again, to prove it, Dundee pirate, Captain Kydd.
coming soon to this blog.
Starting out with Sharon Struth and her lovely creation, Polly Positive,
we’ve had a season of authors, some on the hot seat, some talking about rejection, some even sending along their garden gnome to be interviewed. What better way to end that season than by introducing a debut author on their very first guest blog?
Tracey Rogers, ladies and gentlemen. 
A very special lady, talking honestly today about the perils, the pitfalls and the joy of finally getting there with her soon to be released book, aptly titled, Daring To Wish.
Save me from daytime TV! by Tracey Rogers
First of all hello Shehanne and thank you so much for inviting me here to tell you my reasons for writing Daring to Wish.
Does save me from daytime TV sound too dramatic? 
Maybe it does, but that was the reason I decided to start reason and how the concept for Daring to Wish came about. Everyone needs a reason to write. For some it’s the desire to be published and for others it’s for the pleasure of being creative. For me it was pleasure and illness. No, no don’t get the violins out, this is a positive post!
In my final year of studying I had to withdraw. A flare up of an existing lung condition had me sitting on my bum in front of the TV waiting to get better. It never happened. Eventually I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, a pain and fatigue syndrome. I was a quitter! This frustrated me big time. After all I’d worked since the day I left school and hoped to set an example to my children that if you work hard then you can achieve.
Sitting with the remote in my hand watching people air their dirty laundry in public wasn’t doing it for me. Do I really need to know that you were abducted by aliens and are now having an alien baby?
Bikini body in two weeks?
Would never happen. So off went the TV. Being active wasn’t an option, so what could I do? Read and think. I read and read and read. And often my thoughts strayed to those ‘what if’ scenarios. What if I’d studied straight after school? What if I’d bumped into Brad Pitt and he’d swept me off my feet?
But the truth is I wouldn’t want my life any different, or I wouldn’t have become the person I am now, or had the family I have now, or met the wonderful people that I have. The good and the bad shape who we are. So I started to think of the future. What would I like to do? And so came the idea of the wish list. Although Eve’s is much more exciting than mine!
One of my wishes was to write. This I could do. I have an imprint of my bum on the sofa to prove this is possible. And after reading so many books I had got my inspiration back. I used to write all of the time until family life and work made it impossible. So I now think of Daring to Wish as my rescue book. It made me happy. It gave me purpose. Made me rediscover my love for writing and introduced me to the very fabulous writing community out there. Getting a contract is the icing on a huge fat cake.
(Not made by Shehanne)
And if my book makes one person smile, or forget reality for even the shortest of moments, then that’s a huge tick on my list. Now to learn to play the piano and learn another language (also will never happen). As for Brad Pitt, well you have to dream don’t you?
To anyone out there who is thinking of writing, think of your reasons for writing and DO IT! You might find that life isn’t so bad after all
…………….SO there we go ladies and gentlemen. It has been a huge pleasure to host Tracey here today AND her fabulous cover too. 
Daring to Wish Blurb
What happens when you dare to wish?
In an effort to regain her independence and break out of her shell, shy Eve Ward writes a daring wish list of all the things she wants to do before her thirtieth birthday. It’s a good thing the list is for her eyes only, because some of the items are pretty risqué.
Adrenaline junkie Lucas Riley becomes Eve’s “victim” in a kiss-a-stranger dare, and she thinks he’s perfect for her one-night-with-a-stranger wish.
With Eve, Lucas thinks he’s found the distraction he needs before he has to say goodbye to his bad boy image. When he finds Eve’s sexy wish list, he can’t keep himself from giving into temptation and sneaking a peek, and wish number eight is impossible for him to resist. Being good can wait.
Eve is thrilled when, out of the blue, Lucas offers to take her skydiving. Her sexy stranger has helped her tick so many wishes off her secret list. Her confidence has grown and now she’s having fun both in and out of the bedroom. It seems too good to be true…is it? She can’t shake the niggling suspicion that something’s not quite right.
Content Warning: contains dizzying heights and sensual sex
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance
Author Bio
A devourer of books from an early age, Tracey spent much of her childhood stepping into wardrobes, searching for that magical snowy world where conversing with animals would be expected. When she wasn’t searching for those worlds, she wrote about them instead. Her first step into the world of romance was when she stole sneak peeks into hernana’s books. I’m still in that world and refuse to leave.
Tracey live in Staffordshire, UK, with her husband and three wonderful children. An avid reader and writer of romance, she strongly believes that words make the world go around.
You can find Tracey here:
http://traceyrogers.wordpress.com/
On twitter: https://twitter.com/TraceRbookworm
Or email her at: traceyrogersaut@gmail.com
Or visit her author page here: Facebook
Filed under: Guest bloggers, writing Tagged: Beachwalk press, Contemporary Romance, Daring To Wish, Debut author, Romance, Staffordshire, Tracey Rogers, Writers Resources
June 22, 2013
And having thrown a gnome, here He is.
Yes. Having shockingly done the first, a gnome belonging to the terrifying Mountain Lord no less, I now, by way of ahem…. reparation invite said handsome, gnomely, marvellously talented and all round fabulous cap- wearing gent, Findle Nettlecrusher here to visit. 
I am even postponing my planned post about local ships and local pirates,
yes that is Captain Kydd no less, a post that, thanks to Lady Fury, is going to be offered in the same apologetic vein, till next blog. Just think of what you will lose sleep over. How much more you will enjoy meeting gnome Findle instead.
It is not every day one has a gnome on one’s blog now is it? Especially one the host has chucked through a window. Why, knowing what a lousy baker I am, he has even brought you a recipe.
Findle, please tell us a little about yourself.
I was born and raised in Tibet. My mother, Wendlina, was a cook and my father, Findl (Snr), a shoemaker. 
I had a happy early gnomehood, and at school it quickly became apparent that I had a gift for outdoor sports and dangerous activities. Unfortunately, I was expelled from my final year for jumping off the bell tower using the Principal’s wife’s bloomers as a parachute.
SO being chucked through a window would be small beer.
Well……..talking such things as that, about fifty years ago I was abducted by the Mountain Lord and taken to his fortress in the Karkonose Mountains. I enjoy living and working there, although I feel the Mountain Lord is getting increasingly stingy with our ale allowance as the years go by.
My job at the Citadel is to arrange outdoor pursuits and help show guests around. I occasionally do evening work as a stripper (and gigolo) in an exotic dance troop known as ‘The Dream Gnomes’.
I am proving popular with the ladies and on occasion they have used me as a conduit of pleasure. I am still recovering from a recent encounter with Lady Fury, who ravished me to the point of near death.
She was probably trying to conceive the Beaumont heir at the time, though I never saw your name on the list of contenders. Please tell us a little about the importance of gnomes to more than gardens?
I have no idea where all this garden gnome nonsense started if I’m honest. Rumour has it that a few hundred years ago my old friend, Grundl Wibblesnapper, was so smitten by the taste of a lady’s cakes that he hid in her garden to try and steal one. But – she saw him. At least she thinks she saw him. He certainly looks nothing like one of those silly garden ornaments, however.
I concede they do seem more plasticy. And of course, there is the biz of fishing rods and things…. What about yourself Findle? You have a lovely wife?
Alas, I am still single. I had a long-term relationship about one hundred and fifty years ago, but it sadly petered out. She moved to New England on a gnome exchange scheme, and I never heard from her again. Now, I am a gnome-about-town and quite content to sleep wherever I leave my pointy hat.
Well. What abiut a favorite TV program?
That’s easy. Gnome and Away.
This village you live in sounds fascinating. Are you able to tell us a little about the Mountain Lord himself?
Lord John is a very complex and fascinating person. Actually, you couldn’t really call him a person, as he has been around for far longer than any person (or me, for that matter). The local people know him as The Mountain Lord and throughout the ages he has been called various other names, for example Rübezahl, which has something to do with a dreadful turnip counting curse. Anyway, he can be charming and generous, or spiteful and nasty. He is able to control the weather and his character is just as changeable. Despite his faults, I am very fond of him.
Do you have a favorite villager?
Hmm, good question. Old Man Wenceslas is very interesting indeed, and he is said to brew the strongest hooch this side of the Himalayas. I had a fascinating evening with Madam Winklepummel about six nights ago, so I’d say she is probably my favourite right now.
Yes…well… We won’t ask too much about that Findle, here we are very fond of baking. Can you share a favorite recipe?
Grandma Gimblina’s Yak Soup
5 kg of ground yak
3 large onions
2 turnips (diced)
2kg carrots (julienne style)
3kg potatoes (cubed)
1 tablespoon salt
I tablespoon pepper
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons gnome spice
3 tablespoons chilli powder (extra hot)
5 spoons cooking oil
Fry the yak with onions and add water. Gradually place vegetables in the pot and add spices. Simmer on low heat for 2 weeks (or until the yak is edible – perhaps 3 weeks).
I am sure our readers will be rushing to make that. Finally, do you have a favorite book?
Well, until recently it was The Chaosifier by Mike Evers, which features some of my friends and colleagues at the Citadel.
However, at the moment there is an almighty buzz at the Citadel about Mike’s new book. It is a collection of three stories and is called The Hopfield Tales. Anyway, it is due out on Thursday June 20th 2013. You can read more about it on this blog: View from the Citadel
Also, to celebrate this auspicious event, you will be able to download The Chaosifier on Kindle for FREE from Friday June 21st to Tuesday June 25th.
Links:
Thank you and gnome salutations to you all!
Filed under: Author Interviews, Guest bloggers Tagged: Gnome, Himalayas, Mike Evers, Rübezahl, The Chaosifier, the Hopfield Tales, Tibet
