Shehanne Moore's Blog, page 48
April 24, 2013
Did I really say ten things?
I mean I am doing nothing else…..WRITE? When I am in the middle of first round edits on my new book. The removal of a subplot–a mere bagatelle NOT–because Madame (that is Fury) got out there first. Why not just add to pain and suffering and give her her own blog while I am about it? My editor knows I have nothing better to do…ahem.
Seriously, did I really say ten thing I loved about Aimee Duffy? I meant eleven. She sent me this– 
because of course she did herself. Aye. Right. So many people have lately, it’s determined me to give her her own blog, where she can show pictures of Italian organ grinders, hand out advice on her rules and fight with Flint to her heart’s content. Invited guests too.
She might get jealous of my new baby. The book that is. I said that once on Facebook and promptly had the blonde asking if she had a new brother or sister she didn’t know about. A great shock to all concerned. Me and Mr Shey most of all.
No. Fury and the Black Wolf would be a bad combo. I doubt very much they would know what to make of the other. And we don’t want rammies.
Anyway, you can see how hard it has been to get hold of her on her Where Am I Not World tour.
Leading me to see how knowledgeable you are about Caribbean islands by asking which one this is, Fury had a bit of a rammy with a floozie on?
Take Our Poll
because she did have the neck the other day to come up with this one.
The nearest I have come to getting my hands on her all week. Anyway now I have shown you these to help her cut the ribbon on her blog, I can announce she has a giveaway. An ecopy of the Unraveling of Lady Fury which you can read on your laptop, PC, or upload to your kindle.
All you have to do is pop over visit her and she will tell you the rest. It’s at http://furiousunravelings.wordpress.com/in-the-beginning/
Well if you ignore the home page tab shambles…she might….Oh by the way Sam is leading Amy’s poll. Not a vote for Patrick Swayze..can’t believe it!
Cue fanfare on the ribbon, good luck and may you come back in one piece……
Filed under: writing Tagged: Aimee Duffy, blog launch, Caribbean, Genoa, Postcards, Rome, Unraveling of Lady Fury
April 20, 2013
Ten Things I love about Aimee
Well, she doesn’t mind I sometimes type Duggy, not Duffy. And I show cute pics of ‘em, too.
Duggies.
She’s Scots.
Fabulously talented.
Likes shoes.
Clothes.
She lets me on her blog. Or rather she let Fury with another of her postcards and a silly pic of Ann Bonny in stripy stockings.
She let Fury on her blog.
She let Fury on her blog.
Why am I saying that four times? Because…
She survived the encounter.
Just.
Seriously, Aimee made the mistake of casting her eyes over Flint, never a good thing to do with Fury around. Which is why I have dragged the poor girl over here today to recover. Should you desire, you can read Fury’s blog on Lady Pirates here. It was all fine till the comments section…….where plainly Fury needed a gag.
http://www.aimeeduffy.co.uk/2013/04/lady-pirates.html
Despite everything, and the fact Fury won’t get anywhere again, Aimee is going to talk about a subject dear to my heart. Films. Her heroine of her own new book–a fabulous story by the way, I am in the middle of as we speak–worked in the film industry. Did I mention that Aimee’s books always have media backgrounds, music, film? Well they do. So no more preamble…here is the lady herself.
AIMEE DUFFY…First up, huge thanks to the very talented author of my favourite historical ever, Shehanne Moore, for having me here today. I adored The Unraveling of Lady Fury (how could I not?), the book is fantastic. (Shehanne -I never twisted her arm honest….)
So, I’ve been told my books are like watching movies (more particularly chick flicks) and decided okay, let’s natter about my favourites. Though I warn you, they aren’t all A Wonderful Life. Nope, my favourite love stories are a bit…well…I’ll let you decide.
Why? Because you don’t get one love story, you get two. The pretty airhead and the geek (who I was rooting for all the way) then the more interesting paring, Kat & Patrick, who, by the way, I crushed over.
Still do a little.
So, you have two hot heads, both with tortured pasts and he only agrees to date her for cash because of a scheme the geek construes to date Kat’s sister, Bianca. But when Patrick falls, he falls hard. Pity he breaks Kat’s heart along the way, but he mends it up well. I’ll admit it, I shamelessly watch this over and over.
Isn’t the why obvious? No?
*Happy sigh* (Shehanne…did I say Aimee also likes to drool?)
But, perving aside, I loved the plot. One woman proving she can make a guy fall for her then dump her in ten days? Not a brilliant premise for a love story, until you insert a hero who’s on to her. The banter in this film is fantastic, and the love story is original and convincing.
Another pervy reason for this one…
Plus, the film is hilarious. Van’s spent seven years at college, Gwen is a student journalist trying to get an exclusive interview, and although they irritate each other to the point they want to hurt each other, the sparks fly from the first meeting. But, Gwen is dating stick-up-his-ass Dick, and she can’t take Van seriously since he seems like the ultimate player, but as she gets to know Van she sees the guy all isn’t what it seems and falls hard and fast. This, plus the fabulous one liners, is why I loved this film
Monster-in-law
Starting to see a theme here? Yup, if they have a hot leading male I’m more than likely going to enjoy watching, even if the plot isn’t up to par. Yes, there isn’t much conflict going on between Kevin and Charlie, but if there was, they wouldn’t ever get their HEA. Nearly didn’t when Viola jumped into their lives. Again, this film had it’s funny moments and it’s why it’s on the list.
That’s it for humour, my top five are not all fairy tale endings.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Isn’t that reason enough?
Seriously though, even though Jack didn’t find his one true love at the end of the series, Will and Elizabeth did which is why I’m classing this as a love film. From the outset you know these two are going to be perfect for one another though they have to fight against impossible circumstances to get there.
AND there’s just something sexy about Pirates, isn’t there? I mean, Flint from The Unraveling of Lady Fury had me wiping the drool from my chin on more than one occasion, especially when showing off his…erm…many talents. (Shehanne..Aimee, Thank god you did not instruct me to insert Flint here , or really I would have been overworked…AND sporting a keeker from Fury.)
The Bodyguard
I don’t know anyone who didn’t love this film when they were growing up. I had the soundtrack (on cassette) and the VCR which I watched repeatedly. The only reason this film isn’t number one on my list is because Rachel and Frank didn’t get their HEA, but that was right for them. I even cried when she drove away in the car (still do). 
Van Helsing
Because the end made me cry. Yup, when Gabriel killed Anna, even though the two had fallen and fallen hard. He’s fighting to remember the past, she’s alone fighting to make sure her family can pass on and find peace, and together they’re the perfect team. Even though Anna didn’t get to spend a long and happy life with Gabriel, she got what she’d spent her life fighting for and it choked me up. I still have to watch the sequel. Hoping poor Gabriel can fill the holes in his memory and find what he’s looking for.
Romeo & Juliet (1996) Starring Claire Dane and Leonardo Dicaprio
Out of all the renditions and plays, I preferred this one. Nothing to do with him at all…
Torn apart by their feuding families, bound together by an almost impossible love, and committing suicide because neither can face to be without the other. How can that not be on the list?
Ghost
This too made me cry. It wasn’t your usual love story, one with the hero and heroine fighting to be together, which is probably why it ranks top of my list. Sam dies early on, and Molly is dealing with her grief, but her life’s in danger and Sam desperately tries to save her from the guys who killed him.
A lovely story about how love lives on even after your soul mate is gone, and I can’t help but respect Molly for finding the strength to pull through and live the rest of her life as happily as she can, knowing Sam’s waiting for her on the other side.
In fact, it touched me so much I even included a similar scene in my latest release, Never Say Never. Instead of Molly teaching Sam pottery, Sander teaches Chloe how to mix music in a pottery scene kind of way!
So that’s it for my top ten. Thank you so much Ms Moore for having me!
Shehanne– Well, Aimee, you can come here again. Just give me advance warning to bring out the drool bowl. Do take part in the poll.
Take Our Poll
Find Aimee here http://www.aimeeduffy.co.uk/
http://pinterest .com/aimeeduffyx/activity/
https://twitter.com/AimeeDuffyx
And try out her book. I LOVE that title.
When pretend turns to desire, heartbreak is unavoidable.
Sander Chase needs a date for his ex-fiancée’s engagement party, but he doesn’t have time for a woman in his life. Between working on the TV show Do You Have What It Takes? and his band reforming, he’s too busy for a relationship. What he needs is a pretend girlfriend. He thinks he may have found the perfect woman for the job, and the bribe he offers means she’s sure to accept.
After losing her job in the film industry, breaking up with her movie star boyfriend, and finding out her mum has dementia, Chloe Butler returned to the UK determined to put her life back together. The last thing she needs is to parade around London on the arm of a celebrity, and after the heartbreak caused by her ex, she swore she’d never again date a star. But when Sander offers her a chance at her dream job, it’s not something she can turn down.
As Chloe gets to know Sander she learns he’s nothing like her scumbag ex. But she struggles to fight her attraction to him, knowing their relationship is only for show and their separation date is closing in fast.
Ignoring the insane chemistry between them should be easy for Sander, especially since he carries a secret that means there can be no future for them, but the more time he spends with Chloe, the harder it is to keep his hands to himself.
Content Warning: contains more denial than you’ll find in a courtroom, more sexual tension than most people could handle, and explosive sex that some readers may find long overdue..
Amazon UK / Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / All Romance Ebooks / Beachwalk Press
Add to Goodreads
Reviews Aimée creates an atmosphere of a developing friendship, kindred spirits, and a couple with whom you’ll fall in love. I love that she sprinkles her prose with bits of British slang that, although it means looking things up occasionally, lends a London air to the environment of the story that draws you in even deeper.
Her characters are full-bodied and charismatic which is quite amazing considering the modest length of the book. ~ Unwrapping Romance
Filed under: Guest bloggers, Lists of, writing Tagged: 10 things I hate about you, Aimee Duffy, Beachwalk press, Flint, Ghost, How to lose a guy in ten days, Leonardo Dicaprio, Monster-In-Law, Never Say Never, Romeo and Juliet, The Bodyguard, Unraveling of Lady Fury, Van Helsing
April 18, 2013
Stop five…..We interrupt transmission
Yes. This tour was to head with writer, Elin Gregory, over to some very sandy, stunning beaches and all but it looks like the balloon’s been high-jacked and not just by the A-Z challenge Elin is on. No. And there was me going to wheech you over to Spetses to show you the Black Wolf’s cave….
….yes, the Bekiris doubling for that. Look. Inspiration found in all sorts of places. Just be glad it’s a warm place, although you will get somewhere like that when Elin gets done with the challenge. That is provided we get out of our next guest’s world.
I am sure having survived beneath the Black Wolf’s nose we will, but let me tell you this trip, in true Jules Verne tradition, is not just unexpected, it is to an imaginary and dangerous world. The world of (cue scary music)
Today’s guest is the talented Lindsay J Pryor, British paranormal author of the series and having stepped aboard the balloon-high jacked it rather, (her cover is gorgeous so we will forgive her) she’s here to spill beans….let’s hope the ride isn’t too bumpy.
Welcome to Blackthorn by Lindsay J. Pryor
Blackthorn was inspired over sixteen years ago, when I’d moved to a big city over 300 miles away from everything I knew. Walking home one night, I got lost in a very isolated and run-down part of the city. Iron bars were on windows. Metal shutters were on doors. The place was dead, but the idea for Blackthorn was born.
In an imaginary future, the world is controlled by humans who rule over vampires with an iron fist. Society is divided and ‘third species’ are both feared and discriminated against. Additional seeds of unrest are sown by whispers of a vampire prophecy foretelling the overthrow of the human regime.
Blackthorn itself is the most impoverished of several, newly formed administrative districts – a real melting pot for vampires, lycans and humans – and a subsequent hive of social unrest. Guarded borders, corruption and injustice add to the claustrophobic feel of a society about to implode.
But primarily, this dark and dystopian urban backdrop is the setting for intense forbidden romances – romances that will not only impact on the fate of humankind, but also on the fate of the ‘third species’ who have spent far too long waiting for their time.
My Blackthorn paranormal romance series is primarily based around one polluted, over-populated, rotten core of a locale. It is the district where vampires (and the fewer numbered lycans) are forced to live. They’re given the dregs in terms of location, provision, opportunities and rights. I wanted the physical environment my characters live in to enhance a sense of segregation created by humans. I wanted a world that was dark, unfair and oppressive.
I also wanted the setting to pose the same threat and conflict that echoes not only the nature of the stories but also the characters who inhabit them. Dark and dangerous, sexy and unrelenting, unpredictable and with hidden depths, Blackthorn is a physical representation of many of the anti-heroes that inhabit it.
With this shady, threatening backdrop, overarching storylines and romances that skirt dangerously close to the edge, Blackthorn isn’t a series for the faint-hearted. But if you like your heroes edgy, your heroines willing to fight back, a complex story and a new twist on an established subgenre, Blackthorn might be the series for you…….
SO THERE we have it folks, the tour has gone from Sisi’s Vienna to Lindsay’s Blackthorn, via Noelle’s Cambodia, the Black Wolf’s Glencoe, oh and of course Fury’s Genoa, although frankly, getting Fury back this week has proved difficult. I don’t even know where the blazes she is now with all these pictures and postcards of hers but she says she is appearing with Aimee Duffy not duggy tomorrow… Maybe Flint will get her back before then and spare Aimee? It only remains for me to tell you about the talented Mz Pryor whose world can be glimpsed here on Pinterest.
And to wish her the very best for her forthcoming release, Blood Roses.
Lindsay J. Pryor is a British Paranormal Romance author who writes dark, intense, multi-layered stories set in the dystopian world of Blackthorn. Her writing was first discovered through Mills & Boon’s New Voices competition, where she finished as a runner-up in both 2010 and 2011.
Blackthorn really captured the imagination of Lindsay’s publisher as a fantastically vivid and complex world, one which readers will utterly lose themselves in. She paints this multi-layered world effortlessly, and uses it as the setting for intense forbidden romances.
Combining sizzling passion and dark, sinfully seductive vampire heroes, Lindsay J. Pryor’s writing is an exciting new find for those who love paranormal romance and urban fantasy. If you’re a fan of J.R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Kelley Armstrong, Christine Feehan, Kresley Cole or Felicity Heaton then you’ll love Lindsay J. Pryor’s books too.
Following the critically acclaimed Blood Shadows, Blood Roses, book two in the Blackthorn series, is to be launched next week. Blood Torn will follow in the Autumn of 2013.
Find out more about Blackthorn at http://www.lindsayjpryor.com
Blackthorn is urban fantasy dynamite.’ ~ GraveTells.com
’ Earns a place alongside Paranormal Romance’s best writers.’ ~ Michele Hauf
‘An incredible voice for paranormal.” ~ Rhyannon Byrd.
Filed under: Uncategorized
April 16, 2013
Stop four – A late day in Glencoe
Apologies for this post being late. I was in the land of Oz… aye right, if only…blogging with Noelle Clark, on the subject of the Bloody Code. 
Now that is what the 222 crimes in Britain punishable by death was called. Do you know the things I would have been hung for in 18th century Britain, the threatening letters I have written in my time? I wouldn’t have been alone either.
http://www.noelleclarkauthor.com/2013/04/my-guest-author-today-shehanne-moore.html
Then Fury got invited elsewhere. I knew I should never have let the bloody woman on here with that picture of that bloody organ grinder and Thomas. What it is about bad women? Now she can’t shut her chops about them. And all this blabbing is stuff I have to write for her as you can see here https://t.co/redirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FtizmoT8MM4&sig=5fe1688c6b293ef8f7f0eef342ac3b8bf08a539f&uid=719929340&iid=09829699-7acc-43fb-8104-07f3f8cbd99e&nid=4+252&t=1
I have a special guest and fabulous writer up next blog, Mz Lindsay J.Pryor to finish the tour on a very unusual note.
Lindsay J. Pryor
I also have this
where my next contracted book is set. Oops sorry wrong picture, but it does give new meaning to the phrase a bog in Glencoe, it is amazing what lies about hill tracks. This is of course what I meant to show you. Sorry Mr C. 
Second books are tricky, although as this was actually my first, not Fury, what was tricky was seeing that email from my editor in my inbox the day before Fury’s book launch, 10 days after I subbed the manuscript. Passez me the gas, I thought dismally, pulling the big girl pants on. She’d already said it would three weeks for any kind of decision which would have to come from up the tree. This doesn’t look as if it’s even getting on the tree. Never mind up it.
But hey.. it had been and now it was coming back down early. So now I’m going to sneak you round….and I do mean sneak, if my hero the Black Wolf catches us we are dead, unless we can look like this
and even if we do (sorry bambi lovers everywhere) ….some of the interesting places in the pass connected with the book. Starting right here..
Oops sorry, just taking a leaf out of Fury’s book there. Though let me tell you this place is interesting,’specially on a Sat nite.
Starting here
The Devil’s Staircase. 
In 1692, the path was the approach route for the (apparently delayed) troops coming from Kinlochleven to provide reinforcements for the Massacre of Glencoe in which 38 people died. Does one need any more inspiration? Guard the pass, you guard the glen. because massacres? There’s been a few of these. But we should move swiftly on if we don’t want another….DO mind the stones….
The Hidden Valley 
And the Macdonalds hid their stolen cows here? I think I asked the first time I was ever here. I mean the coos must have had quite a climb, how they got along the rake with their big cloppers I can’t imagine. Still, having entered the ‘forbidden’ world of the Black Wolf, this place was ideal for disappearing further, which maybe we should do now……without falling to the foot of that gully there…
The Lochan
All right…man made under the most romantic circumstances by Lord Strathcona, http://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/she-had-seduced-him/ so here doubling as the lovely loch of Lochalpin. Naturally in the story it has a castle out on the loch, and the Black Wolf and his bunch of bandits live in underground caves on the shore…so let’s not hang about here either…..
No not a person. A place. The burial island once used by the Stewarts of Ballachulish, the MacDonalds of Glencoe and the Camerons of Callart. The clans shared the island and the maintenance of the graves, even when they were responsible for putting one another in them. Also the site of a chapel built by St. Fintan Mundus…naturally chapel and island doubles for the Island of the Saints.
Of course Glencoe has lots of other famous landmarks but I built the story round these ones. And as we don’t want caught by the Black Wolf…. it’s time to make like a tree and leave.
To Love…Honor…And Betray… ‘HIS JUDAS BRIDE’ by Shehanne Moore coming soon from Etopia Press.
Related articles
I just sold my first book! (shehannemoore.wordpress.com)
Walking the trail of the Kinlochleven Navvies (stravaigerjohn.wordpress.com)
http://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/she-had-seduced-him/
Filed under: Glencoe, writing Tagged: Eilean Munde, Glencoe, Kinlochleven, lord Strathcona, Massacre of Glencoe, Noelle Clark, Shehanne Moore. Lindsay J Pryor, The Devil's Staircase, the Hidden Valley., The Lochan
April 13, 2013
Stop three. Fury, Mary Shelley and Genoa
So here I am back with a different set of balloons. Now readers, this is NOT YOU. This is for Noelle Clark, my last guest, pertying as we speak with her official release for Let Angels Fly. All right so maybe I should send her these instead..
I do accept it. I’m just reminded here of my own little shindig and how I squinted at the PC the following morning to be greeted by an email from Antonia Van Zandt–very nice, very cheerful –about doing promo. Do I write? I asked myself. Book? What book? Ou est le disprins…..?
Anyway the hot air balloon now hovers over Genoa. If Ottoman Dandy is reading this post he already got the low down on why I chose Genoa as the setting for The Unraveling of Lady Fury. But Mr Shey doesn’t and I don’t want him looking blank. that is even blanker than he sometimes does, the next time someone asks him.
On the subject of a location, to paraphrase the lady herself on the subject of finding someone to father the heir, I could have put a pin in a map and chosen a location. Anyone remember this?
I could have sworn Genoa was a port in this game but hey, I am probably mistaken. Marseilles was. Cadiz too, Putting that aside I’ve brought along the gal herself, plus an interviewer to tell you about the sights and give you the lowdown on her Genoa. Interview her myself? Are you kidding?
You can see she’s been busy though, launching a series of Where Am I Now? postcards, though I’m not really sure she should be showing this one unless she wants the answer to be at the end of a rope.
Lady Fury’s Genoa.
Q. So Fury, I may call you that?
Fury. No.
Q. Lady Fury, we’ve had some tremendous posts in this tour. Cambodia and of course Antonia gave us Sisi’s Vienna. is this to be similar?
Fury. Well, I should very much like to speak of the famous English poets and writers who made Italy their home, round about the time I was living there myself, part of a sort of émigré community, featuring a large proportion of…well you’ve seen the pictures haven’t you, of my potential ‘helpers’? But I thought I was here to show you the sights?
This one , down at Porto Antica, the harbour area, is very nice.
Q. Fury, if you can’t behave yourself any better than Shehanne, here, then maybe it would be a mistake to continue.
Fury. Sorry, but she was the one who mentioned the handsome Italian organ grinder down on the harbour there. So far we’ve had a picture of everyone else.
Q. The other picture above is of the landmark Lanterna lighthouse?
Fury. Well if you’re not meaning immediately -indeed..yes…. And here is the odd boat.
The harbour was of course a place I spent a lot of time, especially when Flint decided to get awkward Oh, and this is the stunning interior of the cathedral.
Shehanne had some line about the villa being a place at the mercy of cicadas and church bells. Obviously my head quite rung a lot of the time, rather like hers the other week.
Q. And you were in the cathedral a lot?
Fury. Er no. No Shehanne never chose Genoa because of that although given her obsession with pirates, she did want an old sea port, rich in history. And she is very partial to the Med. The light, the color, the heat, the people. Also it was very necessary the dowager toad– that is my mother-in-law.–didn’t turn up on the doorstep. So Shehanne told me anyway.
But we started with the poets and writers and really, being a woman myself I want to talk about Mary Shelley, who actually stayed for a time in Shehanne’s home town, of Dundee. Then a place of book shops, radicalism and whaling ships. Not only did she stay but Frankenstein was in many ways born there when Mary saw these totally crumpled by icebergs ships return.
People may know about how her son died in Rome in 1819 and her husband, the poet Percy Shelley drowned off the coast of Livorno afew years later.
Not so commonly known is that after his death, Mary lived for a year with Leigh Hunt and his family in Genoa, where she often saw Byron and transcribed his poems. She resolved to live by her pen and for her son, but her financial situation was precarious–something I can completely identify with.
I don’t think there’s any doubt that one Dundee girl to one Dundee visiting girl, the roving lifestyle of Mary was probably what inspired Shehanne to write a book set in just such a one in Genoa.
EXTRACT.
“Have it your own way, madam. You always do. But I’m not thinking of Lady Margaret. I’m thinking of you.”
“Then don’t. You know I don’t require it.”
“I’m thinking you should just tell that old toad where to stuff her money. You could find a protector here in Genoa. A woman like you.”
A woman like her? Fury met her reflection in the not yet paid for glass. And what was that exactly? Long ago she’d stopped wondering, buffeted by fortune’s changing winds. Forced to snatch what she could to survive. Always knowing one false foot would bring her down. However, she was certain of one thing.
“I don’t want a protector.” It was after all what Thomas had been to start with. Now look at her, without a penny to her name. Again. “I’ve had my fill of them. I want to guarantee my future. The future of…” her voice trailed off, her eyes dulling in the glass. “Well, anyway, things that are dear.”
Susan knew the dire nature of her predicament. When Thomas had first taken Fury to meet his mother, the dislike had been instantaneous. It had flourished down the years, until now, it consumed her.
Fury imagined that at night, Lady Margaret lay awake thinking of new ways to torture and humiliate her. But poisoning Thomas’ father against her? Cajoling him on his death bed into insisting Thomas must provide an heir, before succeeding to the dukedom? Well, it was one blessing at least that Lady Margaret lived in England and Fury here.
“You know what I must guarantee, and why.”
Filed under: Author Interviews, writing Tagged: Antonia Van Zandt, Dundee, Frankenstein, Genoa, handsome organ grinders who resemble Gerard Butler, Lanterna, Mary Shelley, Noelle Clark, Shehanne Moore, The Unraveling of Lady Fury, Vienna 
April 11, 2013
Stop two-from Vienna to Cambodia, the angels fly
Up in the air in a lovely balloon, just like Phileas Fogg — look not just hot chairs we have here, it’s hot air too.
Have to say I like this one though-
The other day, as you know we had a fabulous post from the muchos-talented Mz Antonia Van Zandt, who had sufficiently recovered from her ordeal in the woods with her hero of Vienna Valentine, Karl —- http://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/normal-service-is-resumed-return-of-the-chair/ ——to brave a return here.
Although, when it came to talking of Vienna, she did noticeably stay away from the woods to concentrate on this instead—-
http://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/its-all-about-location-vienna/
SO today, today we move on, yes to have tea for two….and don’t these cupcakes to offer today’s guest, bribe the poor girl abut coming along, look mouth-watering….
No. get up off the floor, I haven’t been taking lessons, but I do kiss the cakes of talent. I eat them too. So, you get a mo check out these absolute feasts.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mamas-Kitchen/431002043619495?fref=ts
Bev did my Lady Fury cake. The artistry is yummy. So today’s guest is like me a debut author. I have to tell you the surreal feeling that was at the weekend when between games of pool and bouts of boozing and hillying, my pal Lora kept telling me what bit she was on in the book. ‘Course I had to button my beak — for once– and refuse to tell her what happened next. It’s why my arm is in a sling right now. Only joking.
But being a debut, I am going to be gentle with Noelle, here today all the way from the land of Oz but joining us on the world tour. So fanfare for Mz Clarke AND her guest blog on Cambodia. Quite a country for a book setting…And may I say, having got the book, quite a book too.
Noelle Clark
Location! Location!
My debut novel, Let Angels Fly, is set against the exotic – yet harsh – backdrop of Cambodia, a country of abject poverty, and with a history which made it an unlikely contender for a romantic location.
I fell in love with the happy, kind and friendly Cambodian people on a visit there last year. It’s a country I would like to spend more time in, especially as a volunteer in one of the orphanages.
My heroine, Abbie, does just this! She sets off for the adventure of a lifetime after suffering the pain of rejection. Now free from her long, loveless marriage, she digs deep to find the courage to get on with life.
Craig, the handsome and charming hero, also bears scars. Together they embark on a journey of renewal and healing.
The magnificent ancient temples of Angkor Wat are the stars of this story. Built for Khmer kings thousands of years ago, the mysterious stone structures have secrets of their own.
The setting is perfect for a story of suspense, intrigue, and action. Abbie finds herself in the midst of a sinister plot which has dire consequences for the ancient ruins. She tries to intervene, but places herself in danger.
Meanwhile, romance blossoms for Abbie and Craig, but it’s not a smooth pathway. Abbie’s curiosity draws her in, and very nearly ends up tragically, when Craig tries to help her. The incident forces them to face the reality of their feelings for one another.
I’ve included a cast of supporting characters who reflect the lovely Cambodian people. They brighten up the story with their quiet charm. The town of Siem Reap, and the nearby Angkor Wat temples, are showcased in this book.
Could I have set this story anywhere else? Possibly, but few countries that I’ve visited have left me so impressed with not only the beauty of the scenery, but also with the inner beauty of the people.
My hope is that anyone who reads ‘Let Angels Fly’ will themselves feel the call to visit Cambodia, and see for themselves all that it has to offer.
***
Let Angels Fly is published by Etopia Press and now available for purchase from Amazon.com (as well as their European sites in England, Germany, and France), Barnes & Noble, Kobo, All Romance e-Books and Sony.
You can connect with Noelle here. She’s a lovely, friendly lady…like all us romance writers…ahem.
next up…oooooh…it’s finally GENOA…..
Filed under: Guest bloggers Tagged: Angkor, Angkor Wat, Antonia Van Zandt, Cambodia, Etopia Press, Let Angels Fly, Noelle Clark, Phileas Fogg, Siem Reap, Sisi, Vienna, Vienna Valentine 
April 9, 2013
It’s all about location – Vienna
Now I know I promised Why Genoa? Over a week ago, or thereabouts now too, so Mr Shey would be able to answer that question when he gets asked about Lady Fury. And okay Vienna isn’t Genoa, even I know that. But I don’t think I’d do any better on a Q&A show than I would at sticking to the point, or knowing which is mushy peas, which is broccoli soup.
Stick around though and I might even explain why Glencoe is the setting of my new book. You lucky people, you have no idea the blogs being planned for you. That is why today I am launching the grand world tour. No seriously, today in the first in a short series, It’s all about location. To kick off I am asking the talented Antonia Van Zandt along to talk about Vienna.
Straight off I have to tell you Antonia and I share so much. And not just muses. Her recent blog about Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With The Wind was a shared interest. http://antoniavanzandt.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/whatever-happened-tomargaret-mitchell.html
AND now she goes and produces this, Vienna with a slant about mental illness and Mayerling in another historical character I’ve always been interested in!
Sisi’s Vienna
She was born Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie on 24th December 1837 in Munich, the fourth legitimate child of the licentious minor royal, Duke Maximilian in Bavaria, and his wife the Duchess Ludovika – sister of the Austrian Emperor’s mother.
A long history of inbreeding within her family – the Wittelsbachs – had led to an inherent mental instability, which most notably showed itself in the eccentricities of Elisabeth’s cousin, King Ludwig II of Bavaria. He built the fairytale palace of Neuschwanstein along with many others, virtually bankrupting his country in the process.
Elisabeth – or Sisi as she was known within the family – became one of the most painted, photographed and admired women in Europe. She was an accomplished horsewoman and lover of all things romantic and beautiful, but she was doomed to desperate bouts of deep depression and anxiety. She was obsessed with her looks (especially her magnificent long, chestnut hair) and the need to be as thin as possible. As a result, she barely ate. Sisi was a woman incapable of true happiness, though she spent a lifetime searching for it.
She married for love. Her first cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria adored her and their lavish wedding took place on 24th April 1854. By the next year, Sisi had given birth to the first of four children. Her third was the son and heir, Rudolf, who was prone to violent mood swings and was destined to die in tragic and controversial circumstances in his father’s hunting lodge in Mayerling in 1889, at the age of just thirty-one. There, it appeared, he took the life of his young lover, Marie Vetsera, before shooting himself. Conspiracy theories remain rife and I guess we’ll never really know what actually happened.
Sisi adored her son and never recovered from his death. She had always been restless and her husband had done everything he could to entice her to stay in Vienna – even building her a palace where she would be surrounded by all the things she loved most – Greek statuary, animals, lavish poetry, and, above all peace and privacy. It even boasted a well-equipped gym for the Empress who loved to put herself through a punishing daily exercise ritual. Today, you can visit the palace, known as the Hermes Villa, in Lainzer Tiergarten, a quiet location on the fringe of Vienna http://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/from-g-to-k/hermes-villa.
As she grew older, the strictures of the Viennese court became ever more anathema to her and she spent as little time as she could at the Hofburg http://www.hofburg-wien.at/en.html and the sumptuous, Versailles inspired Palace of Schönbrunn http://www.imperial-austria.at/schoenbrunn-palace-1.html?___store=english&gclid=CI_xjJmbu7YCFQLHtAodYHQAfA&___from_store=german
In time, she barely visited Austria, although she was adored by her people.
Sisi’s death reflected the tragedy that had dogged her life. On a visit to Switzerland in 1898, she was stabbed by an extremist anarchist, Luigi Lucheni. Afterwards, he declared that he hadn’t stabbed her for who she was but what she was. He intended to kill a Royal and she was an Empress – simple as that.
You can visit her tomb in the Imperial Crypt of the Capuchin Church http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Crypt
Her husband mourned her until the day he died. He built monuments to her. A lovely one to visit on a summer’s day is in the Volksgarten http://www.city-walks.info/Vienna/Volksgarten.html
You’ll see images of the beautiful Sisi all over the city – on tea towels, mugs, posters, liqueurs, chocolates; the list is endless. Within the Hofburg, is a museum dedicated solely to her http://www.hofburg-wien.at/en/things-to-know/sisi-museum.html
She championed the poor and downtrodden and was especially beloved by her Hungarian subjects. She was indeed Austria-Hungary’s People’s Empress and these have been just a few of her haunts. Find out more about her here: http://www.wien-vienna.com/sisi.php A quick search on Google will reveal hundreds of pages devoted to perpetuating and venerating her memory. In the hearts of her many thousands of admirers, Sisi will never die.
You can connect with Antonia here:
http://antoniavanzandt.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.facebook.com/antonia.vanzandt
https://twitter.com/AntoniavanZandt_._,_.___
Her latest paranormal erotic romance, Vienna Valentine, is available from
My next guest on this fabulous tour is debut author Noelle Clark who is taking us in the jet seat to Cambodia.
Filed under: Guest bloggers, writing Tagged: Antonia Van Zandt, Austria, Austria-Hungary, Franz Joseph I of Austria, Imperial Crypt, Lainzer Tiergarten, Margaret Mitchell, Sisi, Vienna, Vienna Valentine
April 7, 2013
Marie’s Very Special Message-The April Author Interview
‘But who is on in the bar tonight?’
Before we start this month’s actually very special interview, I’m just back from another trip to Glencoe during which my pal Lora had reason to ask an actually very special–pertinent anyway–question. It was with regard to Sat nite’s entertainment. I confess I had no idea.
So I was astonished to see…..
I mean imagine that. I didn’t know the good captain could sing, play the bagpipes and bodrum either. But needless to say I was one of these waiting with anticipation last nite at 9 to find out.
Anyway this is a special interview. My guest today, Marie Carhart did not write the book she is here to talk about. When you see on the book trailer that this was a first and last book, by J.R.Egles, you may be wondering what that means exactly. Perhaps hoping it does not mean what you think.
I’m thrilled Marie’s here today and I just want to hand you over to one helluva lady and one helluva book.
Marie: Thank you for having me here today Shehanne.
Marie
But before we go any further, I have to give credit where it is due and that is to another Etopia Press author, Laura Diamond. Laura is the one that came up with the suggestion to discuss what it was like to bring The Kabrini Message to life and get inside Joe’s head via his manuscript. I was so happy with how that idea turned out that I asked Laura if it would be OK with her to continue to tell that story and she generously agreed! Here is a link to Laura’s blog: http://lbdiamond.wordpress.com/
OK, so here goes:
I’ve asked Amy Bell of WritePunch Inc. to join me since we will be discussing the process of bringing The Kabrini Message to life, and I could not have done it without Amy.
Amy: Aw, shucks. You are too kind, Marie. I feel honored to have had an opportunity to work with you—and Joe, at least in spirit.
Marie: As you know, The Kabrini Message is a novel written by my late brother, Joe Egles, back in 1987. I only recently discovered Joe’s manuscript (hand typed by our mother) in a box in my attic. It was in a manila envelope labeled “Joe’s Book” in my mother’s handwriting. You can read the full “story-behind-the-story” in the two-part blog post I wrote:
http://kabrinimessage.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-story-behind-story.html
http://kabrinimessage.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-story-continues.html
First of all, I have to say that I could never have done it alone. I had a lot of help from a very talented writer, Amy Bell of WritePunch Inc., whom I’ve asked to join me here today.
I asked Amy to polish the manuscript, flesh out the characters, elaborate on the ending (with more details), describe locations in more detail, etc. We also needed to update the technology and certain references to the present day. There were also two areas, as I recall, that Joe had written as the characters discussing what happened after the fact, and Amy revised both of those situations so that the reader is taken through those actual stories.
Amy: As soon as Marie contacted me and described how she’d stumbled across her late brother’s manuscript, I knew I had to take on this project. It was such a compelling, poignant story, and I truly believe that Joe and Marie’s mother led her to his manuscript. Then I actually read The Kabrini Message. I was absolutely blown away. For a book that was written back in 1987, it was incredibly timely and insightful—a unique mixture of buddy comedy action adventure (a la Indiana Jones) and deep space sci-fi.
Uh-oh. Sci-fi. When I realized the book ventured deeply into the sci-fi genre, I was suddenly petrified. Before Marie reached out to me, I had ghostwritten and edited an array of books—everything from religious memoirs to southern fiction novels to business books. But I had never so much as dabbled in the realm of sci-fi. And then, it dawned on me. I happen to be married to a rabid sci-fi fan. My husband Rob has been reading sci-fi books since he could reach his dad’s book shelves, and I can’t tell you how many sci-fi movies he’s dragged me to the theater to see. So, with Marie’s permission, I lent The Kabrini Message to my husband, who devoured the manuscript in one night. He was hooked, and he promised to help me with the project. At that point, I realized there was no way I could turn it down.
Marie: As far as getting into Joe’s head while working on the manuscript, I guess Amy had to do that more than I did – which had to be challenging, since she never met Joe. Somehow she was able to pull it off, though, because I could not tell who wrote what unless I got out the original manuscript and compared it to the edited chapters as she sent me each one.
Amy: Thanks, Marie. Now I’m blushing! Believe it or not, it was fairly easy for me to mimic Joe’s writing style. That’s because his style is actually quite similar to my own: simple, to-the-point and at times gritty and sharply sarcastic.
Although Joe had not written back stories or detailed physical descriptions for most of the characters, I could imagine who they were, what they looked like and where they’d been simply by reading their dialogue. (As a side note, my husband and I both agree that Joe’s direct, witty dialogue is some of the best either of us have ever read—especially in the sci-fi genre. He was a truly talented author.)
Marie: In fleshing out the main character of Jeffrey Driscoll, most of that is fictional. However, we gave him some of Joe’s background particularly regarding his love of astronomy, building telescopes, and hanging out at an observatory for fun during high school and college years.
Amy: Yes, and we enjoyed imagining Driscoll “as played by” Bradley Cooper. Not a bad vision to have in your mind all day.
Marie: No, definitely not!
Amy: For me, fleshing out the characters and modernizing the story was the easy and fun part. The most daunting task was elaborating on some of the stories and expanding the ending, which involved writing new content from scratch. This included a few chapters and stories that dealt heavily with futuristic technology, deep space realities and other sci-fi topics. That’s where my husband Rob saved the day. Not only is he a self-professed sci-fi nerd, but he’s also a veteran who spent a year in Afghanistan and currently works in federal law enforcement. There’s no way I could’ve pulled off this project without his vast knowledge of military, technology and national security topics. I can’t tell you how many times he researched bizarre tidbits for me, such as “what would happen to a dead body in outer space”? We’re probably on some government watch list after a few of those online searches! Google was definitely our best friend throughout this process.
Rob and I also spent a few nights brainstorming together over cocktails, debating over how to connect the dots and fill in the missing pieces for The Kabrini Message. I could not have done it without him…which is another reason why I think Joe “chose” me, or should I say us, for this project.
After our wine and beer-fueled brainstorming sessions, I would sit down at the computer the next morning and breathe a silent prayer. I asked God to let Joe speak through me. I know it sounds strange, but I was absolutely terrified that I would somehow screw up Joe’s manuscript. I realized The Kabrini Message was unfinished when Marie handed it over to me, and I wanted to stay true to Joe’s original story. I kept thinking, “If I wrote a rough draft of a manuscript and then died, and some random ghostwriter took it over and completely screwed it up, I would be livid! I would come back and haunt them!” Obviously, I didn’t want that to happen to me. So, I literally prayed to get it right, and I also asked Joe for guidance. When I struggled with the new content, I would take pause and ask, “What were you trying to say here, Joe? What the hell did you mean by this? How would Driscoll have handled this situation? How did you plan to connect these dots?”
And miraculously, the words would flow again. I can’t explain how it happened, but it did. Every time I asked Joe for help, the words came to me.
Marie: Thanks to Amy, by the time the manuscript went to the publisher, it was so polished that the only changes the publisher made during final edits all had to do with punctuation. They really did not change one word! Wait…I take that back. They did change one word. Everywhere it said “mankind,” they changed it to “humanity.” I guess “mankind” sounded sexist perhaps? But that was it!
As far as bringing The Kabrini Message to life, we were diligent to change as little as possible. We expanded the novel, but really took nothing out.
I couldn’t wait to read each chapter as Amy would complete the editing and send it to me! I made notations of questions and comments in red and we would go back and forth working on them. It was so much fun!
Amy: I would wait on pins and needles after sending Marie each chapter. “I’d always wonder, “Is she going to hate it? Is she going to say it sounds nothing like Joe and ask me to rewrite the entire thing?” But she was always ecstatic. Her excitement and enthusiasm was contagious, and I grew increasingly confident that I could actually pull off a sci-fi project.
Not only did I genuinely enjoy working with Marie, but at times we actually read each other’s minds. I would think something like, “We really need to change that one part about the Genie Drug,” and suddenly I’d get an email from Marie expressing the same opinion or idea.
Marie: Yes, the drug Athenium was originally called “The Genie Drug” and it was a serum discovered inside a crystal. We thought that should be changed, as drugs are not really named “The ‘something’ drug.” For example, Viagra is not called “The Impotence Drug.”
Amy: Actually, in the example I used, I’m pretty sure I called it “The Boner Drug.” Classy, I know.
Marie: Joe had also written that the drug was a ruby serum inside the crystal stone, but we figured the serum would have dried up after thousands of years. We decided to change it so that it wasn’t the actual serum in the stone, but the directions to make the serum inscribed on the stone. We chose the Tiger’s Eye as the stone itself because Joe described it as a large, football shaped crystal, which is also the shape of an eye. Also, Tiger’s Eye is one birthstone (in addition to Topaz) for November, Joe’s birth month.
Amy: Yes, that was a pretty major change from Joe’s original story, but we were worried “The Genie Drug” concept might come off as a little hokey in this day and age. We wanted to appeal to a modern audience of readers. I still worry that Joe might be mad at us about that one! After all, I spent this entire project trying to get inside Joe’s head and fill in the blanks in the way he’d originally intended. However, at times, it was challenging to walk the line between staying true to his story and ensuring The Kabrini Message is a huge hit today—25 years after Joe conceived the original manuscript.
Marie: I guess if I was able to get inside Joe’s head at all, it was the fact that I can hear him in the dialogue between his characters. It’s totally his sense of humor, and the conversations between the characters just sound like him to me and to other family members as well. In fact, the entire book just sounds like him, and we can hear his voice as we’re reading it! It was very important not to lose any of that in the editing and revisions, and we were completely successful – it is still 100% Joe’s personality and sense of humor.
Amy: Again, Joe wrote some of the funniest and most realistic dialogue I’ve ever read! As we worked on the book, Marie kept pointing out lines that “sounded just like Joe.” Even though I never met him, I feel like I know him, like we’re old pals. I’d love to sit down with Joe and share a few stories over drinks. Maybe I’ll have the chance one day.
Marie: Joe did weave a few personal things into the story. For example, Chapter 16 takes place at a radio station called KUX radio. Joe did work at radio stations and was also into ham radio, and his call letters were K2UX. Also, the character of the news reporter at the station is named Gwen Jones, the name of Joe’s real life wife!
There was a line in Chapter 31 that struck a chord with me, too. Mark Ranier (the Chief Extrusion Technician), tries to console his girlfriend Marla about the fact that it appears they will be stranded in space for several more years.
“It’s not forever,” Mark said, lacing his fingers in hers. “It’s just a continuation of…well…a different part of our lives. Or something.” It didn’t come out right, and he knew it was probably of no consolation to Marla. He hated how every time he tried to be sensitive, it just came across as awkward.
Something about that last line was, I believe, very telling. Joe was never one to show emotion, even though I know he loved his family very much. I think that line came straight from the heart.
Amy: I’ve always loved that line. It makes Mark, the ultimate tough guy, seem so vulnerable. When Marie told me it reminded her of Joe, it gave me chills.
Marie: All along, step by step, everything fell into place just as it should and just when I needed it to. There has been a very strong sense of guidance through the whole process—some subtle signs and some not so subtle!
There have been a lot of strange things happening around my house…lights flickering, computers going wacky, etc. Especially right before publication – that week my computer was going crazy, my fax machine wasn’t working right, my TV upstairs was turning off by itself and my TV downstairs had a picture but no sound on three different occasions! The night before publication, I was reading through the final proof from the publisher, and I remember thinking, “Please don’t mess with my computer tonight, I have to get this done.” I didn’t have one problem. (I guess I should have just asked sooner.) But as soon as I finished and thought to myself, “I’m done for tonight,” the lights flickered twice!
Amy: My computer also completely crashed a couple of days before publication. I was working on a few final edits to the back cover blurb, and my screen went completely black—something that’s never happened with this computer.
I figured Joe didn’t like the direction I was taking with the synopsis. When I emailed Marie with that concern, she assured me that he was just excited.
Marie: Oh, then there’s the author’s photo. Joe hated to have his picture taken so there are not many of them in existence. I asked my brother Bob, who has most of the family photos at his house, to try to find a shot of Joe from around the time the book was written. He managed to find one and tried to scan it and send it to me, but for some reason, it would not scan. Bob said that has never happened before, and he scans things all the time. The picture looked fine, but when you scanned it looked like a negative. So Bob physically brought the photo to me, I scanned it and it seemed to work. Do you know that somehow that photo managed to not make it into the ebook? The publisher apologized (I’m sure it was not their fault, I think someone intervened!) and promised to make sure it will be in the print version. I guess we will see who has the last say on that.
To learn more about ghostwriter and editor Amy Bell, visit www.writepunch.com.
Buy Links & Follow Info. For The Kabrini Message.:
Filed under: Author Interviews Tagged: Bradley Cooper, Kabrini Message, Science fiction
April 3, 2013
YAY..A Sunshine Award
And look….how pretty too!
Horror writer Cat…I always feel you have to watch not to put any commas in there round about the word horror, when Cat Cavendish isn’t just a lovely lady but a fabulous writer too, with two super recent releases, Miss Abigail’s Room and The Second Wife to prove it. A really interesting blog too. Anyway Cat helped make my Friday release day very special by awarding me this.
I’ve been so tied up meeting myself coming back on guest blogging and partying of course, oh and reading some dare I look at these, Amazon UK reviews through my fingertips, AND get the Cam done on my newly signed for book, his Judas Bride, I have hardly had time to sit down here at my new nice mouse mat
courtesy of my pal Lora, and answer the Award questions.
But today, I will. The Sunshine Award is a lovely sunny flower that bloggers give to other “bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere”.
Thanks so much to and – the fabulous blogger
http:// www.catherinecavendish.com
Catherine Cavendish who passed the award to me. When I was first signed by Etopia last July and had to get a web presence from scratch, Cat’s was one of the first blogs I looked at. I thought her articles were wonderful and informative. her latest on the real Agatha Christie is amazing. She’s also a really nice person. (Okay Cat you can let go me arm now). So I can say the following….Ouch . I got questions to answer.
As with most awards, the Sunshine Award comes with a few simple rules:
(1) Thank the person who gave you the award in your blog post.
(2) Do the Q&A below
(3) Pass on the award to 10-12 deserving and inspiring bloggers, inform them and link to their blogs.
Favourite Colour: I was always a black, gothie, kinda girl. Nails, Clothes the lot. Of course there’s those who say it ain’t a colour, colours are so beautiful, especially shades of blue and red, I can’t choose.
Favourite Animal: Hmm difficult, my younger girl had a hamster who proved to be adorable, after I sort of rowed with Mr Shey about Sly coming into the house when she sort of landed back on us to stay–t emergency situation– then told her I saw so much as saw or smelt Sly, he was out. But he was a sweetie, made fancy patterns with his food and everything. I love baby lion cubs. Just look at this. I bet that’s how the Beaumont heir turned out, the firecrackers Fury and Flint are…….
Favourite Number: The one that shows I’m not overdrawn this month
Favourite Non-alcoholic drink: Don’t be silly. I hate them all.
Facebook or Twitter: Neither. Both are necessary evils if you are an author.
Your Passion: Writing. Anything that’s hunky. Sorry was that passions?
Giving or getting presents: Aw c’mon. You want me to be nice here or truthful?
Favourite Day: Christmas Day.
Favourite Flowers: Bougainvilleas.
Finally, these are the 12 fantastic bloggers I’m tagging for this award (Now, I’m off to tell them, so maybe they’ll have posts up in a day or two. If not, at least you can look around some terrific sites!):
Aimee Duffy http://www.aimeeduffy.co.uk
Incy Black http://incyblack.weebly.com/
Charley Descoteaux http://descoteauxwrites.wordpress.com/
Antonia Van Zandt htto://antoniavanzandt.blogspot.com/
Noelle Clark http://www.noelleclarkauthor.com/
Renea Mason http://reneamason.com/
Ottoman Dandy http://ottomandandy.com/
Lady Or Not http://ladyornot.com/
Sufey http://sufey.org/
Alison Lodgehttp://beloved-eleanor.co.uk/blog
Lindsay J Pryor http://www.lindsayjpryor.com/
Advocatemmmohanaksharaalu http:advocatemmmohanaksharaalu.wordpress.com
Filed under: Uncategorized 
March 31, 2013
I don’t usually do this
Now I don’t I did promise you the low down on Genoa. And of course there is the fact that the lovely Catherine Cavendish awarded me a Sunshine Award, so I got lots to ‘get to’. SO much I cannae wait for the Glencoe trip. Do hope it stops being under feet of snow there!
There is also Happy Easter to wish you all.
Not to mention some photies of the book launch on Friday, where I received some fabulous gifts-one of many from my pal Lora, 
cake…No I never baked it
And I put up the odd tag from wellwishers.
AND wore a red frock
Red flowers from my friend Irene,. AND being as I do have the Cover and Marketing form to fill in for my newly signed book, His Judas Bride to do today, not to mention pick meself off the floor after reading the first two reviews of Fury on Amazon UK–no, I never wrote them okay!- - I am reblogging the interview with Charley Descoteaux cos she was so fab with her questions–oooooh!–she should be a chat show host. Anyway it is my first interview so.. Here it is
I’m delighted to help my fabulous friend Shehanne Moore celebrate the release of her novel The Unraveling of Lady Fury! This is a racy historical Romance with rules and rum, ships and secrets — and a beautiful heroine and a rakishly-handsome hero, of course!
One question writers are asked frequently is whether their main characters are really thinly-veiled versions of themselves. That’s the subject of my first question, and things degenerated quickly from there as they often do when writers get together.
Charley: Now, I know Lady Fury isn’t you (or vice versa), but you do share a few characteristics—both being smart, feisty gals who don’t take any guff or suffer fools quietly. I’d like to help your readers figure out where Shey ends and Fury begins, to resolve any question about who’s in charge here.
Shey: Well she is obvi. But where she ends and I begin? Well? I don’t keep my hubby where she does. Not to say I’ve not considered it. Sorry, Mr. Shey. I’ve never set sex rules like her either. Of course, she does have her reasons…
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Source: shehannemoore.wordpress.com via Shehanne on Pinterest
Charley: Lady Fury has rules for her, um, interactions with Flint. What’s the most unique rule you live by?
Shey: Long as I can get my lippy on in the morning, whatever’s gone before– the hell with the rest.
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Source: shehannemoore.files.wordpress.com via Shehanne on Pinterest
Charley: You’re renowned on at least two continents for your culinary skills, does Lady Fury share your prowess in the womanly arts?
Shey: Well that depends on what skills we are talking of here, Charley. I take it you mean cooking? Let’s face it, it would be hard for her—for anyone—to share my actual prowess. In her grueling back story she did more than her fair of cooking. That’s why she now has Susan. Not that there’s exactly a lot of food around for Susan to cook.
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Source: shehannemoore.wordpress.com via Shehanne on Pinterest
Charley: In your book, Lady Fury is working on creating an heir. What’s the craziest place you ever considered trying for one?
Shey: Oh. Let me see. The Eiffel Tower. But I never yet got up it. So obvi I had to reconsider. Of course I never had boys…. Hey–maybe that’s why.
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Source: shehannemoore.wordpress.com via Shehanne on Pinterest
Charley: I hear you’re a climber of hills, both literal and figurative – does Fury share your athletic inclinations? In other words, who would reach the top first?
Shey: You did say the top right? Nothing to do with Flint’s attempts to undermine her rules by suggesting on top? Well, I don’t see her on any Scottish mountains in that dress. But then I couldn’t possibly swim a part of the English channel like she does. Hell, you are looking at the woman who nearly drowned in—what’s the name of that kids’ ride in Blizzard Beach, Florida again? The one that’s six inches deep?
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Source: shehannemoore.wordpress.com via Shehanne on Pinterest
Charley: Have you ever broken the law? Aside from decking the random dude who gets in your way, I mean.
Shey: If I was to tell you that Charley D. and any police were reading, I would be arrested, you might be too. Seriously. As Fury would tell you there’s some things a woman keeps secret. But I may email yah later with the gory details, unlike Fury ever would.
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Source: shehannemoore.wordpress.com via Shehanne on Pinterest
Charley: You mean she keeps secrets?
Shey: Sorry. I can’t tell you.
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Source: shehannemoore.wordpress.com via Shehanne on Pinterest
Quickies:
Yes or No? Yes is such a nice word.
Night or Day? Always had a thing for vampires.
Silly or Serious? Defo serious.
Casual or Glamorous? Well I love 6 inch stilettos and red lippy.
Walk or Ride? I think I walk plenty enough as it is.
Lights On or Lights Off? Candles actually.
Indoors or Outdoors? Depends on what is through the door.
Chests: hairy or smooth? Smooth.
Abs or Ass? When both are sexy don’t ask a girl to choose.
Length or Girth? Ooh that’s hard.
Wind or rain? C’mon I’m Scots. You gotta gimme sun.
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Source: shehannemoore.wordpress.com via Shehanne on Pinterest
The Unraveling of Lady Fury by Shehanne Moore
Rule One: There will be no kissing. Rule two: There will be no touching…
Widowed Lady Fury Shelton hasn’t lost everything—yet. As long as she produces the heir to the Beaumont dukedom, she just might be able to keep her position. And her secrets. But when the callously irresistible Captain James “Flint” Blackmoore sails back into her life, Lady Fury panics. She must find a way to protect herself—and her future—from the man she’d rather see rotting in hell than sleeping in her bed. If she must bed him to keep her secrets, so be it. But she doesn’t have to like it. A set of firm rules for the bedroom will ensure that nothing goes awry. Because above all else, she must stop herself from wanting the one thing that Flint can never give her. His heart.
Ex-privateer Flint Blackmoore has never been good at following the rules. Now, once again embroiled in a situation with the aptly named Lady Fury, he has no idea why he doesn’t simply do the wise thing and walk away. He knows he’s playing with fire, and that getting involved with her again is more dangerous than anything on the high seas. But he can’t understand why she’s so determined to hate him. He isn’t sure if the secret she keeps will make things harder—or easier—for him, but as the battle in the bedroom heats up, he knows at least one thing. Those silly rules of hers will have to go…
Thanks so much for coming, Shey! It’s always so much fun to chat with you, and your book sounds fabulous.
To get your copy of Shehanne Moore’s The Unraveling of Lady Fury published by Etopia Press, click the gorgeous cover up top, or zip over to Amazon from here.
Catch up with Shehanne Moore. Her blog is always entertaining, and she has a book trailer with more on the infamous rules (and nice visuals, you’ll want to check it out!).
Blog: https://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/
Web site: http://shehannemooreweeblycom.weebly.com/books.html
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShehanneMoore
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/shehanne/
You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaTv5I170o
Filed under: Author Interviews, writing Tagged: Book Launch, Charley Descoteaux, Comfort and Joy, The Unraveling of Lady Fury
