Elizabeth Ellen Carter's Blog, page 10
December 4, 2017
Tuesday Book Club: Romance In War series by Louise Roberts
I’m delighted to have as my guest, the wonderful historical romance author Louise Roberts. Louise is Australian, but is fortunate enough to now live in the lovely south of France. Welcome Louise and thank you for the opportunity to feature blurbs and excerpts from your two new books Letter From A Stranger and Dragoon Serenade which readers can get in one volume here.
LETTER FROM A STRANGER – Book 1
Blurb:
At the outbreak of the Second World War, in Britain, women were encouraged to write letters to the men on the front line. For Jean White this would lead to a friendship with Bill Brooks, an anti-aircraft gunner with the Royal Artillery serving on the south coast of England at the height of the Blitz.
As German aircraft drop their deadly payloads over London and devastate most of southern England, the relationship between Jean and Bill blossoms. Through their correspondence, at first, and then when they finally meet. It’s as though the world has stood still. A quiet weekend away from London strengthens their bond and romance blissfully flourishes.
As the war intensifies and Bill’s impending departure to foreign shores looms ever closer their future together seems insecure, until a few days before his departure when Bill proposes marriage. Will Jean accept the proposal or will doubt keep them apart?
Excerpt:
Jean had been seated by the window in their sitting room waiting to see when Bill would arrive. Although she didn’t have the faintest idea what he looked like, she knew he would be in uniform and would be arriving at around one o’clock. Although there had been a few military personnel coming in and out of the pub during the morning. When a tall, muscular-looking, blond-haired soldier approached the entrance carrying a couple of parcels, something inside her exploded with certainty that this was the man who had been visiting her dreams ever since they’d started to correspond.
Bill stood still and watched as she approached. She was like an apparition of heavenly beauty, and he found it hard not to look away, so he continued to gaze at her, smiling.
“Hello, Bill… It is Bill, is it not?” she asked in a happy, yet sultry voice that captured his attention.
“Yes, yes it is,” he mumbled like a love-sick schoolboy, whilst mentally chastising himself for coming across like some babbling fool. Quickly composing his thoughts, he recovered his manners and added, “I’m so very happy to finally meet you.”
She hooked her arm inside his and led him towards the bar. “Reg, this is Bill,” she said to her brother.
“Glad you could visit,” the young man said cheerfully. “Go on up with Jean, I’ll be along as soon as I can get this miserable lot out,” he added loudly so those around could hear. There followed a bit of friendly bantering as they feigned annoyance at the comment, but they knew it was in jest. The customers returned to their conversations and Reg to his duties; Jean led the way up the stairs to their residence.
At the top of the stairs on the landing Violet and Albert White waited to welcome their guest. “It is a pleasure to meet you,” Albert said and introduced his wife.
“Thank you for inviting me,” Bill answered politely. Holding out the cake to Violet he said, “This is for you. It’s a Christmas pudding with a difference.”
Violet accepted it smiling and said, “A difference? What’s different about it?”
“It’s a sponge cake,” Bill answered, bringing them to laughter and breaking the ice.
It had been a wonderful afternoon. Bill had felt very relaxed amongst Jean and her family, so much so, that when he asked if Jean would accompany him on a short walk there was no question their friendship had been sealed when she accepted the invitation. When her parents seemed to encourage them to go for the walk, his heart leapt for joy.
They walked hand-in-hand along Southwark Park Road in the direction of the river ignoring the bomb-damaged buildings. Side-stepping craters in the road created by parachute mines as they spoke on a variety of subjects getting to know each other. By the time they had returned to the pub, it was almost evening, and they had been grateful to Mister Hitler for not ruining their day. There had been a lull in air raids over Christmas, and it had been nice it had extended into Boxing Day.
“It has been a wonderful day, Bill. Thank you for my present, I shall enjoy reading it.”
“Well, you did say you liked Jan Tempest.”
“It was sweet of you to remember.”
“I will be heading up to Buckinghamshire at the weekend to visit my youngest brother and sister—”
“Yes, I would love to come along,” Jean said quickly interrupting him.
As he looked down at this beautiful young woman before him, his heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t experienced such a feeling before and wondered if this was what falling in love was like. He gazed into her eyes as she placed her hands on his shoulders. She reached up on the tips of her toes and kissed him lightly on the lips.
DRAGOON SERENADE – Book 2
Blurb:
On a dark night in July 1944, Special Operations Executive agent, Simone rows ashore from a submarine at the small fishing town of Golfe-Juan on the Côte d’Azur. She meets the Resistance Leader code name “Hibou” with whom she had a romantic affair during a mission in northern France several months previously. Once again, they engage in subterfuge operations against the German forces in the lead up to the Allied landings, code named Operation Dragoon, scheduled for the following month.
Although their relationship is reawakened, the tension of their exploits and the possibility of being caught by the Gestapo from information leaked by traitors in their midst causes some instability. However, love has a way to conquer doubt, but as their love deepens so too does the risk of them making mistakes.
Will Hibou be able to concentrate on the most important mission yet to come, or will his love for Simone lead to a moment’s carelessness that could be their undoing?
Reviews :
http://luminositypublishing.com/product/dragoon-serenade/#reviews
Dragoon Serenade Book Trailer Video:
Excerpt :
The dim red light seemed to engulf the space around her as she sat quietly out of the way of the busy mariners. She had just been told they had reached their destination and the crew was making ready to resurface the submarine so that she could disembark.
When initially Simone had learned that she had been hand-picked for this assignment she had wondered what special qualities she had to offer. Then she had been told the name of the Resistance leader’s code name was “Hibou” — the French name for an owl — and her heart had caught in her throat.
It was toward the end of 1943 during the lead up to Operation Overlord where she had first met Hibou at the community of Saint-Lô located in North West France. Although at the time no one was privy to the date and actual location of the planned invasion, it was deemed prudent that all Resistance fighters throughout northern France were to be well-equipped.
Could he be the same man? She truly hoped so. Surely the Special Operations Executive wouldn’t use the same code name for someone else?
Simone closed her eyes to remember that mission. Her directive had been to reorganize a Resistance unit and to supply them with arms and explosives…
Hibou was tall and stockily built with dark curly hair. He had large gorgeous blue eyes, and she could plainly see how the code name fitted him perfectly. It had been love at first sight, and despite the dangers, they had managed to nurture a strong romantic bond. Even though their intimacy had let down their guard, they had never divulged their own real names. When it was time to leave it was as though her heart had been wrenched out, but now there was a chance to meet him again. Would they be able to rekindle their relationship? Would he even remember her?
She tightened her eyes to concentrate on her memory and tried to ignore the noises about her.
At the beginning, their relationship had been strictly professional, but a close encounter with the Gestapo removed all pretense, and they found comfort in each other’s arms. One thing led to another, and before they could stop themselves, they were entangled naked on the soft straw of a stall in a barn. The only noise aside their heavy breathing was the sound of jingling bells that were tied around the necks of several goats nearby.
Simone could still ‘feel’ his touch and the sensation of fullness as his manhood slid within her. She subconsciously clenched the muscles of her lower regions as she conjured up those thoughts.
“Miss Dubois, the Commander would like a word.” The voice in her ear snapped her from the reverie. As she opened her eyes to regard the speaker she was grateful for the red light to help disguise the flushness of her cheeks.
Amazon Buy Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Louise-Roberts/e/B077KTYSFR
Author Biography:
Louise Roberts grew up and was educated in London, England and has always held a passion for history and English Literature.
She has been writing since her teenage years, but only began writing fiction in the 1990s having been inspired by her mother, Viviane Elisabeth Borg, who is a published author.
Although Louise had immigrated to Sydney, Australia in 1988, and became an Australian citizen in 1991, she relocated to Europe in 2016 and today resides in the coastal town of Golfe-Juan in the south of France.
Louise retains membership of Romance Writers of Australia and Australian Romance Readers Association.
Connect with Louise Roberts:
Blog: https://louiserobertsromance.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/louiserobertsromance/
Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/LouiseRobertsAu
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5810942.Louise_Roberts
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November 30, 2017
Burleigh Beach Memories
Welcome everyone who has been taking part in the #HolidayRomance blog hop!
I hope you’ve enjoyed all of the great blog posts and story excerpts so far.
Being an Australian, Christmas means summer and summer means the beach! I live in a beautiful part of the world called the Gold Coast where we have 45 kilometres of the most gorgeous beaches in the world.
My favourite beach is Burleigh Heads, it’s sheltered by a headland, but more than that, it was the very first place I remember living. Burleigh was a little seaside village. My folks were not long married and they lived in a block of flats up on the headland where you could see the beach. My mother had a part time job at the local supermarket.
My grandparents were itinerant workers and they traveled around Queensland in their caravan and for a while lived in the caravan park across the road from our flat.
I only recall having Christmas Day on the beach just once but even so, there is nothing better than whiling away the long, hot days of summer, finishing up the inevitable leftovers with a beach side picnic and I definitely remember one of those.
My grandparents and my mother have all passed away so Christmas is sometimes bittersweet as we remember those no longer with us. If you’re fortunate to have loved ones close, do give them a special hug.
A lot has changed, but Burleigh still has a lot of that village feel that brings back warm memories of Christmas picnics, of tinsel glinting in the summer sun, and of Carols by Candlelight as the waves crash onto the white sand that glows bright in a full moon.
As you can you can see I have a great affinity with the coast and write about it frequently. My first novel, Moonstone Obsession is set in Cornwall, and starts with a shipwreck, my free read, Three Ships.
And, although it’s not set by the sea, I am fond of another Christmas novel I wrote last year, The Thief of Hearts, a cute little Christmas mystery romance set in late Victorian London.
Three Ships is a lovely little Christmas short story set on tidal island in Devon in the early 19th century – it features a lighthouse, a brave lighthouse keeper’s daughter, a handsome naval officer, pirates and two mischievous moggies based on my two cats. It’s a lot of fun and it was my tribute to the sweet romantic adventure stories that came in Girls Annuals that my grandparents gave me for Christmas.
The Heart of the Corsairs series is a big epic adventure set in the early 19th century on the Mediterranean as our heroes and heroines do battle with the Barbary Coast Pirates.
Welcome to the Coastal Romance Christmas Blog Hop
Our Facebook Group…click to join
The members of this coastal romance group are authors and readers who love reading romance by the water, whether it be the ocean, a lake, a tropical island or any other body of water where our heroes and heroines fall in love and live happily ever after!
Some of our authors have combined their resources and planned this Christmas blog hop. Once the blog begins you have the opportunity of winning by going to their blog post for the day (Each author will post until Christmas Eve) and commenting on their post to go in the draw to win a book. Then by clicking on the rafflecopter link below, you will be entered in the grand prize draw for a $150 Amazon gift card.
Prizes:
An e- book prize on each author’s blog
A fabulous prize drawn on Christmas Eve… with a $150 Amazon Gift Card.
Each of the contributing authors below will also be giving one of their books to a reader who comments on their blog
So what are you waiting for? Come visit, get clicking, commenting and enter EVERY day.
It’s like an advent calendar so bookmark this page and open a blog every day on the calendar below until Christmas!
The more blogs you read, the more entries you have, and the more chances of winning the fabulous prize!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Meet the Authors!
24th December: Prize Draw
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November 27, 2017
Throughout Time, It’s Never Been Too Late For Love
Welcome, Time Travellers, to 1795
You have gone back in time from New Zealand of 1886 to Revolutionary France of 1795.
A stained glass window from a church in the Vendee marking the execution of rebellious civilians – men and women alike by the French army.
In January of this year, England records its coldest month since records began in 1659 and France exports revolution beyond its borders by invading the Netherlands.
War was also fought between Frenchmen as the people of the Vendée struggled to keep their liberty and their religious freedom.
Lovers
It was a sad time for lovers as Prince Regent George was forced renounce his long-time lover Catholic divorcee Maria Fitzherbert to marry Caroline of Brunswick.
As soon as George and Caroline’s only child was born, he desperately tried to return to ‘the wife of my heart’, but it was too little too late but the legacy of their romance lives on in Brighton’s Royal Pavilion.
The Lives of Lovers
Across the pond in France, the church was forbidden to perform marriage ceremonies. Couple were required to have a civil marriage before they could have a religious service.
For those who had fallen foul of Revolutionaries there was a grotesque form of execution attributed to Jean-Baptiste Carrier.
An elderly man and woman depicted undergoing a ‘Republican Marriage’. Artist: Joseph Aubert
He would order his men to perform a ‘Republican Marriage’. This involved taking by taking one male and one female rebel, stripping them naked, binding them together back to back and either dumping them in the Nantes river to drown, or to run them both through with the sword.
Priests were tied with nuns, old men bound with old women, young men to girls.
What they ate
The Vendée is on the coast and therefore fishing is a very important industry in the region. The region has a number of specialties – especially sardines from St-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, mussels from L’Aiguillon and oysters from the Bay of Bourgneuf. Shrimps, prawns, crabs and langoustines are also readily available and feature heavily in home cooking. Fish soup is a recognised speciality of the region.
Many Vendée food specialities are based around wholesome, traditional foods. These include cabbage, potatoes and white haricot beans (what the locals call ‘mogettes’ introduced to the Vendée by monks during the 16th century). A common recipe for these small white beans is to simmer them for several hours and serve them with local gammon. Some of the region’s best, sweet tasting potatoes are grown on the Ile de Re and Ile de Noirmoutier and mushrooms are also very popular with a broad range to choose from including ceps, horns of plenty and chanterelles.
Delicious brioche. You can try making it yourself. Here’s the recipe.
The most famous of desserts from the Vendée has to be the brioche – a fluffy bread which is believed to have sprung from a traditional Norman recipe
Where they lived
People have lived in the Vendée since prehistoric times; there are menhirs and dolmens scattered all around the region and these date from 2,500 BC. With the arrival of the Romans in 57 BC, the provinces of Aquitaine and Poitou were united under the “Pax Romana” this precipitated the building of many roads which are still visible today.
The role of women
The Revolution itself inspired great social change in France, leading women to call for increased social justice. One such woman was Olympe de Gouges, who published the “Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen” in 1791 as a counterpart to the famous revolutionary document that focused specifically on the rights of men. De Gouges is a symbol not only for France’s growing feminism, but also for the Revolutionary opposition to changing gender roles. The Jacobin Club, one of the most influential political groups during the Revolution, executed de Gouges in 1793 and outlawed female political clubs on the grounds that women belonged in the private sphere of family rather than in the world of politics.
Celeste Bulkeley leads men into battle to defend the Vendee
Not all women supported the Revolutionaries. One such woman was Celeste Bulkeley was a French soldier in the Catholic and Royal Army during the war in the Vendée. She was one of at least six women known as the amazons in the army of François de Charette. She is particularly known, being included as a heroine in many school books during the 19th century.
Barriers To Love
Night Of The Feast is set on the eve of one of the battles in the Vendée .
As much as I love the heroine Jacqueline Archambeau and the hero Michael St John, based on the fact that close to half of the the Vendeen population – men, women and children – were killed, we can only pray our lovers survived the aftermath and were able to be reunited.
But even so, they have much to overcome, Michael has been drifting since his wife’s death and now with war on England’s doorstep, Michael becomes a spy to give his life purpose. Jacqueline is the only woman who has interested him in all that time.
Jacqueline has been wounded by the disappearance of her lover Patric, presumed dead. She tries so hard to be brave for his daughter and to keep the garrisoned French soldiers under control in her tavern.
Farewell from 1795
Thank you for dropping in. Your next stop should be on Amy Quinton’s blog on 30th November. Or return to the time machine page on our Bluestocking Belle’s website and pick a year as they are posted over the next few weeks.
I wish you safe travels. Good luck. Try not to land in the midst of the Battle of Hastings or American Revolutionary War!
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November 24, 2017
Heroines & Grand Narratives
What makes a kickass heroine?
There is a great 1967 episode of The Avengers called The Fear Merchants. The villains were business consultants who would find out your competitors’ greatest fears and help you exploit them.
Steed goes undercover, but he’s not nearly clever enough and the Fear Merchants plot to kill him by burying him alive.
When Steed goes missing, Emma retraces his steps and into the examination room of the villainous management consultants.
The villain observes that Emma has no fear. She corrects him, saying that she does have fears but she has learned to master them.
That’s what makes her a true heroine.
We all know what one looks like in a contemporary setting – she is Wonder Woman, Emma Peel, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Dana Scully.
But in a historical context things are much different – for one, the long skirts!
In all seriousness though, there is a school of thought that suggests that heroines of historical romances cannot be powerful unless they share 21st century sensibilities.
I disagree.
A hero (or heroine) is an individual who acts out of courage in the cause of a principled goal and at great risk to themselves.
Thanks to the ubiquity of superhero movies, I wonder whether we haven’t conflated heroic action with action hero.
Fortunately in books we have the luxury of getting into the heads of our characters.
And this is where we get to explore all the small acts of courage that turn our female main characters into true heroines.
And the heroine always wins the day.
So, what are the characteristics of a heroine?
She is not a victim.
She might be a victim of circumstances but she never plays a victim.
A victim says woe is me.
A victim blames everyone about her.
A victim waits for someone else (the hero, perhaps) to save her.
A victim screams and retreats to a safe space.
But not a heroine.
A heroine may be knocked off her feet (physically or metaphorically) but she doesn’t stay there. She dusts herself off and gets back up.
That is the very first little act of internal heroism. She could remain defeated and stay in the same place, but that is lousy psychology and boring storytelling.
We often see our heroes and heroines face defeat in round one because we need to understand what our main characters are up against. We then, as readers, understand the courage and determination necessary to defeat the dragon.
A heroine examines what she might have done differently – not because she is to blame – but by understanding how she was ‘defeated’, she understands how she win the next time. And there will be a next time.
This period of self reflection is tremendously important. Without it our heroine has no agency.
The Wounded Cavalier by William Shakespeare Burton. Imagine what our brave heroine is risking by tending to this man. An act of courage, of heroism is required.
Let’s look at it this way: if everything experienced by the heroine is the result of someone else’s actions, then the heroine is nothing more than a puppet. She has no autonomy. She’s as lifeless as a rag doll.
Again, a dull story.
A heroine screws every atom of courage she possesses, standing on edge of chaos and confronts the leviathan – the monster of her fear – and slays it.
And what are those monsters?
They are the things she doesn’t know, the unknown that lurks in the shadows, the invisible voice what whispers lies in her ear.
That doesn’t mean she’s any less afraid. In fact, she may be even more afraid, but she’s become braver.
Examining Agency
There is what CS Lewis describes as the ‘snobbery of chronology’ that claims that people of the past were stupid and ignorant.
That couldn’t be further than the truth.
Women have always had agency.
She has always had control over her own mind and her own actions and there is plenty she can do within the mores of her time. Plenty of women have.
Boudicca the heroic queen
Yes, everything I’ve written suggests grand narratives the big heroic myths and legends – of Deborah, of Esther, of Boudicca, of Jean D’Arc, of women who led men into battles and emerged victorious – and I confess to loving stories with action and adventure (which is why I write it).
But heroism doesn’t always come in great, conspicuous acts of courage where lives are put on the line.
Heroism also comes quietly, privately, such as when our heroine realises that no matter how many times she’s been hurt in the past, she is taking the monumental step to risk her heart to return the feelings of the man in whom she recognises his heroic qualities.
Live Like A Heroine
Little acts of heroism is going that extra step beyond what is comfortable and finding truth, answers, courage, love and a better version of yourself that you didn’t know existed.
This is why great tales of heroism that are hundreds, if not thousands, of years old resonate with us today.
They stand as exemplars that encourage us to find our ‘in-courage’ to be a better person today than we were yesterday and with the expectation that we will make ourselves even better tomorrow, than we are today.
The journey from one psychological/emotional state to a better state is the very definition of a happily ever after.
So if anyone is ever dismissive of romance as ‘just a love story’, you can tell them that the power of the romantic grand narrative is a time-honoured tradition that they would benefit from taking seriously.
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November 10, 2017
ARC of the Covenant
In author land this week, the big news was the revelation that some book reviewers were selling ARCs – Advance Review Copies – of books they’ve received for review.
One on particular forum, the discussion got heated between those who saw no issue with the practice as those who most certainly had a problem with it (mostly authors).
A 1987 copy of Australian band Pseudo Echo’s extended mix album and a 20th Century Review tape of The X-Files from 1995.
Both are from Elizabeth Ellen Carter’s personal collection and given to her and her husband as review copies at the time.
Others said they would not ‘take sides’ on this issue and the suggestion was made that a publishing expert or a legal expert weigh in on this topic.
Well, I’m not a legal expert, but I am a publishing expert, having been a professional writer from the age of 17, when I was a journalist with one of the largest newspapers in Australia, and a marketing and communications specialist in the second half of my working life.
As a newspaper journalist I received, as did my journalist husband before me, ARCs of many different types – books, albums, and TV shows. Most of them had a sticker which had variations on the following message:
For review purposes only, not for resale.
As you can see from the sticker on the Pseudo Echo album, all rights are exclusively reserved by Thorn EMI.
Journalists who received review copies did so on the understanding – a contract, if you like – that the conditions were to be met.
And in my experience, journalists (who could rarely be trusted with anything else) for the most part, abided by that contract.
Yes, my husband (who was entertainment editor for that same newspaper) did become aware of reporters selling review copies of albums and books from time to time. When that happened, the reporter was barred from being part of the review team.
These days, thanks to the internet, the opportunity to be part of a review team is no longer dependent on being employed as a journalist.
Participants in social media are, ipso facto, in the media – bloggers, Instagrammers, Amazon Vine Reviewers etc, etc – all have the same responsibilities my husband and I did in the 1980s and the 1990s.
But unlike journalists, who are notionally bound by a code of ethics established by their union and could face the sanction of their editor and employer for breaches, today’s 21st century social media reviewers have only the restraints of their own ethic.
And as we know from human experience, a person’s ethics are shaped (or warped) through internal justifications used to salve a guilty conscience – but that’s a topic for another time…
So, let’s get back to it. Are disclaimers like the one above legally enforceable?
I’m not a lawyer, but to the best of my knowledge (and the recent research I’ve done), the answer is ‘no’ – not prima facie in a legal sense.
However…
There are two things to consider:
To accept an ARC is to enter a contract with the copyright holder
Just became something is not illegal, doesn’t mean it is ethical to do it
Let’s examine these two points in greater detail.
Entering a contract
The first part of the contract is an author saying the following:
I will provide my book for free, in exchange for the book to be read and an honest review left (on a blog, on an etailer’s site, on Goodreads, etc, etc).
The second part of the contract is a reviewer raising a metaphorical hand and saying:
I will read your book and leave an honest review.
Some reviewers will add a clause stating that they will not make public a review that is less than three-stars and, in that instance, they will contact the author privately with the substance of that critical review.
Then the author, if she is wise, will remind the reviewer that the copyright for the work is hers and the further condition is that the review copy is not on-sold.
And therefore, in that email or social media exchange, a contract as been entered into despite no pen being put to paper and no signatures witnessed.
But it is, nonetheless, a contract.
In Australia, and I’m sure it happens in other countries, that when you walk into a shop with a bag, you may be asked to open your bag on exit to make sure there are no shoplifted items inside.
You may not have signed a contract at the front door, but you will have seen a sign stating that a bag stop is a condition of entry. Find Law describes it like this:
A customer enters a store under licence and retailers are able to search any bags, containers, parcels, or other items that may potentially be used to shoplift, however, retailers must display a prominent sign at the entrance stating that a condition upon entering the store, is the intention to check bags.
When a bag search is conducted no items are allowed to be touched with the retailer only able to look at the contents inside the bag. Customers do have the right to refuse to have their bag searched, but since a customer enters a store under licence, the retailer also has the right to ask a person to leave, therefore revoking the licence.
The provision of an ARC and its obligations can be understood in the same light.
Just like legal copyright enforcement, prosecuting individual breaches of contract is too expensive and time consuming for authors. But let’s not mince words: to sell an ARC is to breach a contract. It’s a form of petty theft.
Yes, it is unlikely that a SWAT team is going to break down your door in the middle of the night and arrest you for it, but then people get away with pilfering every day, too. It doesn’t mean it’s right.
Legal vs Moral
The truth of the matter is, unless you’re JK Rowling, an author does not have the resources to enforce breaches
Even if it weren’t, a reviewer has either given their word or accepted the free book under those provisos.
But it is mine, so I can do what I want with it!
Those reviewers who see nothing wrong in selling ARCs miss the point. Reviewers receive a book under specific conditions, one of them being that it is not to be sold.
This is not like receiving a book in a giveaway (a gift without obligations). Even under those circumstances, the copyright is enforceable – you may have received your one copy for free but that doesn’t mean you can start reproducing and selling multiple copies of it.
And this is exactly the case when it is electronic ARCs we’re talking about.
PDFs, .mobi and .epub files are endlessly sharable. The distribution of those files unambiguously eats into an author’s sales.
Let me tell you, there is nothing more dispiriting to see your new title being given away for free on a bit torrent site or made available for sale on unauthorised channels where you will not see a penny in royalties.
Abuse the trust and…
Reviews and reviewing exists in a spirit of trust.
We trust that you like our book, we trust that you will review it in the spirit of open and honest opinion, we trust that you will review as you say you will, we trust that you respect our work enough to respect the spirit of the exchange.
Let’s list the consequences for both author and reviewer if that trust is breached:
One book given away by a third party is one sale an author does not receive for her work
An ARC may not be a final version and thereby not a true representative of the publisher’s final standard or the author’s best work . Selling that advanced copy damages the reputation of publisher and author.
A reviewer who becomes known for selling ARCs will find themselves banned from receiving ARCs from not just one, but many, many authors (we do talk to one another, you know)
ARC reviewers who consistently breach their duty of trust (their contract) with the author/publisher, will make it impossible for authors and publishers to trust social media reviewers who may then limit review copies to verified bloggers and mainstream media outlets.
Are there any more consequences you can think of that I’ve not listed? Let me know in comments below.
Great question!
If you’ve received an electronic ARC and you don’t intend to keep it, DO NOT SELL IT! Just delete it from your device.
If you’ve received a print ARC and you don’t intend to keep it, DO NOT SELL IT! Offer it to a friend or a family member. Who knows? They may like it and leave a review.
If you have no friends who are interested in the book, DO NOT SELL IT! Give it to your local Op Shop/Thrift Store. If the author is not going to make money from a sale, at least give a charity a shot.
If the print ARC is poorly edited or incomplete (I’ve received ARCs without covers before now), DO NOT SELL IT! If it is not fit for purpose, then put the paper in for recycling.
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October 13, 2017
Tuesday Book Club: Renee Dahlia’s In Pursuit of a Bluestocking
One of my great joys is meeting fabulous romance authors and I have to admit to being horrible biased and say that Australia has the best romance writers in the world! It is my privilege to know some absolutely marvellous historical romance authors who open a window into the past, and take us on a wonderful journey through time with a cup of happily ever after to finish it off.
My guest today is Renee Dahlia whose debut novel To Charm A Bluestocking, it was pleasure to feature here earlier this year. Today, we learn more about Renee and her new title In Pursuit Of A Bluestocking.
What were you like at school, Renee?
Welcome to Renee Dahlia who is my Tuesday Book Club guest
I attended a small country public high school, and my father taught there. I spent most of the time hiding in the library, trying to keep a low profile. Eventually, I learned that this was futile, and in my final year, I dyed my hair in school colours, and used a Mad Magazine slogan to run for the school student council. This experiment went as expected – not well.
What inspired you to write?
It’s probably fitting for someone who has worked in the horse racing industry. Writing for me was more about chance, and taking a gamble on an opportunity, rather than inspiration. Over a decade ago, a magazine suggested that I write a series of articles based on the data behind various horse racing theories – myth busting, if you will. This grew over time, until a bookmaker asked me to ghost write a book for him. It remains unpublished until he decides what he wants to do with it. However, the process of writing this book (a large non-fiction biographical style tome) gave me a taste for long form writing. From there, it was an easy choice to write the types of books that I read for relaxation. Romance.
Which writers inspire you?
Inspiration is a rather lofty concept, and I’d like to think that reading a wide variety of authors helps me to improve my own craft. In particular, I enjoy reading writers who balance a well crafted romance with diverse perspectives, such as Courtney Milan, Alyssa Cole, and Beverley Jenkins. I read plenty of Australian authors such as Anne Gracie, Clare Connelly, and Darry Fraser. Other writers I’ve enjoyed lately include Maisey Yates, Suleikha Snyder, Tessa Dare, Jackie Ashenden, Cat Sebastian, and Alisha Rai. On my keeper shelf are books by Nora Roberts, Stephanie Laurens, Lisa Kleypas, as well as many of those mentioned already.
What inspired you to write this story?
This story, In Pursuit of a Bluestocking, is the second in a series, and the main character Marie is happily engaged to Bertrand in the first book, To Charm A Bluestocking. While I was deciding how to deal with boring Bertrand, my father discovered an interesting piece of our family history. One of his relatives was shot in the Battle of Shipka Pass in 1877, and the bullet was removed from his leg and encased in a gold cage. My father rang his cousin to ask if this was true, and Sergei said, “Of course it is. It is sitting on my desk in front of me.” From there, the story of Bertrand as a conman tracking down a famous fictional bullet grew, and the pursuit began.
How much research do you do?
More than reaches the page! Before I start writing, I like to read a few non-fiction books about the general topics that I’ll cover during the book. For example, for the third Bluestocking book, I read a lot about the British in India, especially from an Indian perspective, because the hero’s mother was born in Mumbai. Most of these books were recommended by friends of mine who have relatives there. I also spent a lot of time trying to understand the diversity of London in the 1880s, and discovered that London has always far more diverse than popular history tells us. Once I start writing, little pieces of research pop up as I go along, eg can I use this phrase? The online etymology dictionary is hugely useful for writing historical novels. Google maps is also invaluable, and for In Pursuit of a Bluestocking, I used a few different historical transport websites to work out the time it would take to travel different distances by train in that era. One also provided menus for the first class carriages, and I cooked some of these meals as part of my research.
Can you give us a blurb to let us know what the story is about?
When he goes hunting a thief, he never expects to catch a bluestocking…
Marie had the perfect life plan: she would satisfy her father’s ambition by graduating as one of the first female doctors in Europe, and she would satisfy her mother’s ambition by marrying a very suitable fiancé in a grandiose society ceremony. Only weeks away from completing the former, Marie is mere days away from achieving the latter. But her whole life is thrown into chaos when her fiancé dies, mysteriously returns, and then is shot and killed, and Marie risks her own reputation to save the life of the man falsely accused of the murder.
Gordon, Lord Stanmore, finally tracks down the conman who stole from his estate, only to find himself embroiled in a murder plot. The woman he rescues offers to rescue him in return, by marrying him and providing an alibi. Gordon’s ready agreement to the scheme grows the more time he spends with his new wife. Her wit, her intelligence, her calm, her charm: Gordon finds himself more and more enchanted with this woman he met by mistake. But as the clues to the identity of the murderer start to align with the clues to the thief, they reveal a more elaborate scheme than he could have imagined, and though he might desire Marie, Gordon is unsure if he can trust her.
As their chase leads them out of Amsterdam and into the UK, both Gordon and Marie must adjust to the life that has been thrust upon them and decide if marriage came first, can love come after?
Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?
Marie has imposter syndrome (not that she would call it that in 1888 as it wasn’t named until the 1970s). Yes, this is related to how I felt about my publishing journey while I was writing this book! Marie believes that all her achievements are good luck, or due to someone else, and that eventually someone will realise that she doesn’t deserve it. She’s socially bubbly, but also polite at all costs. That’s how she ends up engaged to Bertrand, because she wants to be loved, and he uses that need to con her. When that world falls apart, she has to learn that she is worthwhile, that she did the work, and she does deserve real love.
What book/s are you reading at present?
This question is a tricky one. I read three to four romances a week, so this changes frequently. This week I read The Lawrence Brown Affair by Cat Sebastian during my commute to work, Sword Dancer by Jeannie Lin, and am slowly making my way through Thyzra by George Gissing (published in 1886).
For research, I’m reading a local history about the life of Quong Tart, who founded the suburb in Sydney that I live in. My next book is going to feature his fictional descendant as the heroine, so I wanted to get a good understanding of his personal history and how that would potentially flow through down family lines. I’m also reading How Far Can You Go by John Maclean, about a triathlete who broke his back, which is a fascinating insight into willpower. Other non-fiction books that I have on my side table include Romance Readers Guide to London, and a re-print of the 1863 Bradshaws.
What writing project are you working on next?
I’ve just completed the first draft of the third book in the Bluestocking series. And I’m writing a contemporary category romance set in Sydney which is a lot of fun.
Tell us something unique about you that they wouldn’t guess from just looking at your photograph?
My favourite sport is cricket, especially test cricket. Yes, that five day contest of skill and strategy that often is derided by those who don’t watch. Test cricket is an epic battle of athletic toughness, soundness (no replacements for injury are allowed), and strategy. The aggressive fast bowler, and the cheeky, wily spin bowler versus the batsman who must stand their ground. I volunteer at our local cricket club, and am proud that our club is a pioneer of female cricket in Sydney, participating long before the current rapid growth of the sport.
What is your favourite book and why?
I have a whole shelf of favourite books. If I had to pick a series to recommend to a reader new to romance from my shelf, it’d be Courtney Milan’s Brothers Sinister series, starting with the Duchess War.
What is your favourite positive saying?
“There is no glory in practice, but without practice, there is no glory.” This is similar to Plato’s quote “Excellence is a skill that takes practice.”
How can readers discover more about you and you work?
Website: www.reneedahlia.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reneedahliaw...
Twitter: @dekabat
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16450970.Ren_e_Dahlia
Book pre-order links are available at: http://www.escapepublishing.com.au/product/9781489251619
Would you like to share an excerpt from your book?
To Charm a Bluestocking:
‘Josephine, my friend, you have many great qualities, and some men like statuesque women. It’s not like you are gigantic. There are enough men out there taller than you. It’s not as big a burden to love as you think,’ said Marie. Claire rolled her eyes and snorted.
‘Love. Says the only one of us with a real fiancé. You see romance everywhere. Some of us don’t want love.’
‘Everyone wants to be loved,’ Marie said wisely.
In Pursuit of a Bluestocking:
Spring 1888
Marie sat, head bowed, in the tiny red-brick church on the edge of the small village of Kleindorp. Her carefully constructed life plan lay in ruins. In only two days, the grandiose wedding ceremony that she’d spent two years helping her mother plan should have taken place. Instead, she sat at her fiancé’s funeral, unable to believe that Bertrand was dead. How could a simple accident take away all her dreams? Light shone at an angle through the side windows in the church, sending scattered streams across the aisle, creating shadows on the wooden pews. Dust motes danced in the light breeze that swirled in the empty space, much like the vacancy inside her. The Aanspreker droned on, and his voice echoed around the empty room. His words muffled in Marie’s ears against the clamour inside.
The final preparations for her extravagant wedding had been well underway when that fateful note had arrived from his sister, Loretta. Her dear Bertrand had been crushed by a wagon carrying fruit to market two days prior, and the funeral would be today. Guilt rose in her throat, and she rubbed her palm against her neck as she thought about how she’d spent more time with her mother on the wedding preparations than with him in the last week. Now the news of his demise seemed to appear out of nowhere. She’d left her mother and her two best friends—Josephine, now Lady St. George, and Claire—at her parent’s house in Amsterdam, surrounded by happy wedding clutter. Flowers and gowns and the like filled the room with the happy scent of love.
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October 7, 2017
Maria – The Battle-Hardened Ballerina
Revenge of the Corsairs, coming soon! Revenge of the Corsairs is the sequel to Captive of the Corsairs is an action packed historical romance. Published through Dragonblade Publishing. Captive of the Corsairs is out now!
This weekend marks the anniversary of a battle few people have heard of, The Battle of Lepanto of 1571, a maritime battle as important as the Battle of Trafalgar in the early 19th century or the Battle of the Coral Sea during the Second World War. It involved more than 400 ships – mostly oared galleys – and is still considered one of the greatest naval battles in region since antiquity.
It was a hard fought battle between various kingdoms of Europe united under the banner of the Holy League against the rapacious Ottoman Empire – a battle of such deadly proportions that the ships of the line of both sides were involved in active fighting rather than directing the battle from a safe distance.
The Holy League were out manned but the victory against the Ottomans was decisive with loss of only 16 Allied ships representing 8% of the fleet compared to the loss of 214 Ottoman ships (76% of its fleet).
Without victory on that day, the Ottomans would have overrun the Mediterranean and would have remounted a land-based campaign to invade Europe (and specifically Rome) which had been successfully defended by Charles Martel 800 years earlier and then in later generations the Europeans pushed back southwards to reclaim their continent and then attempt to reconquer the holy lands in the centuries-long Crusades.
The story of the Battle of Lepanto is enough to inspire poems such literary luminaries as as GK Chesterton and novelists such as Miguel de Cervantes of Don Quixote fame. Cervantes was also soldier on board one of the Holy League ships.
And if the story wasn’t interesting enough, one of the fighting force was a woman simply known as Maria la Bailadora – Maria the Dancer. The lover of one of the officers aboard the Real, the flagship commanded by Don Juan (no, not that Don Juan), a Austrian aristocrat who was rather handsome in his own right.
Disguised as a man and fully armed, she was one of the first wave of soldiers to swarm the decks of the Ottoman flagship, the Sultana. According to military tactician, David Black , this is how Maria would have been armed.
The arquebus (arcabuz) used at the time was a smoothbore matchlock weapon, about 4.75 feet long, that weighed about 10-12 lbs. It fired a lead ball weighing two-thirds of an ounce. Maria’s sword was likely a double-edged espada with a straight blade suitable for both cutting and thrusting, with a complex hilt to protect the hand. Being a soldier’s woman during a time when the Spanish Empire was at its height, she evidently lived her daily life immersed in the martial culture of the time, which stressed skill with both firearms and edged weapons.
Maria is also credited with one of the first kills in battle – a hand-to-hand combat. Her valor in battle was so renowned that after victory had been won, she was considered a full member of the crew and was paid accordingly.
Also it is likely that Maria was motivated by additional events such as the full knowledge of her fate should the Holy Alliance lose. In the year prior to the Battle of Lepanto, Cyprus had been invaded by the Turks. In September 1570, 20,000 Cypriots – men and women alike – were murdered and about 2000 young boys and girls were sold into sexual slavery to the slave markets of Constantinople.
It was a practice which finally came to an end in the Mediterranean more than 200 years later.
And it was this period of this forgotten history that prompted its exploration in the Heart of the Corsairs series.
Book 2 – Revenge of the Corsairs will be released in November.
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September 30, 2017
Hugh Hefner, Playboy and the Realities of Harem Life
Revenge of the Corsairs, coming soon! Revenge of the Corsairs is the sequel to Captive of the Corsairs is an action packed historical romance. Published through Dragonblade Publishing. Captive of the Corsairs is out now!
When writing Captive of the Corsairs and Revenge of the Corsairs, I thought long and hard about how to portray harem life.
So much of it in romance (both contemporary and historic) is, well, highly romanticised – beautiful women, opulent surroundings, decadent pleasures and the sheik who loves one above all.
This fantasy plays into the unconscious fantasy of women to be object of desire by an alpha male who has his pick of the best in the world but chooses her above all.
The reality is much, much different.
A harem is first and foremost about sexual servitude, no matter how nice the trappings. Depending on the degree of coercion, it is also sexual slavery and forced prostitution.
It was that level of reality and authenticity that I wanted to bring to Captive of the Corsairs to provide a counterpoint of realism to the ‘sheik romances’, a popular subset of romantic fiction.
So it was with interest, that with the death this week of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, I read an excerpt from the book Down The Rabbit Hole by Holly Madison, one of Hef’s ‘number one’ girlfriends.
We were whisked away to a private area next to the dance floor. To an outsider, it must have looked incredibly glamorous: seven beautiful women dancing away behind velvet ropes with private table service to cater to our every desire – all at Hef’s expense.
But if you looked close enough, each girl appeared to be just a little bit vacant.
When Hef stood up to dance, his rhythm was so off that I let out a big laugh. I wondered why these women didn’t care enough to protect him from the embarrassment—surely they owed him that? Back at the table, he leaned towards me with a bunch of large horse pills in his hands.
‘Would you like a Quaalude? Hef asked. ‘No thanks,’ I answered cheerfully. ‘I don’t do drugs.’
‘That’s good, he said nonchalantly. ‘Usually I don’t approve, but in the Seventies they used to call these pills “thigh openers”.’
It should be pointed out that all the women in Hefner’s Playboy mansion were there consensually, but Madison points out a little discussed aspect of this modern harem life – it pits women as rivals.
Forget the once again romanticised notion of female solidarity. The internal politics within a harem is more like high school politics – think of living with the bitchy Heathers 24/7 in a relatively confined space.
I was too naïve to realise it at the time, but Hef wanted to have us wallowing in our own insecurities and pawing for his acceptance. Girlfriends that didn’t get along gave him the feeling of being fought over and desired, something he was desperate to feel in his old age…
… Meanwhile the girls were becoming increasingly hostile. I noticed a piece of paper taped over a vent on Vicky’s bedroom wall. ‘What’s that?’ I asked. ‘The girls who were in here last night put that up,’ she explained. ‘They were up here smoking meth and it has a really foul smell.’
Speaking of the other girls, Vicky added: ‘You know I can’t stand Dianna, right? You know how when you do coke, there’s a pile in the centre with some lines next to it for people to do?’ I nodded. I didn’t do it myself, but cocaine was the drug of choice for the girl.
‘Well, Dianna does the whole f*****g pile! And you know Amanda?’ she asked, jumping to the next subject. ‘Well, she makes a lot of money. Thousands of dollars a night. Actually, almost all of the Playmates make that kind of money.’
‘No way!’ I shouted. Rumours of Playmates working for escort agencies had circulated for decades, but I’d never heard it first hand before.
And make no mistake, some women thrived in a harem environment – the same way that any dominant personality will rise to the top – using the resources of sexuality to gain favour, and exercising the typical feminine power of ‘inclusion’ and ‘exclusion’ within cliques to consolidate a power base.
Because of their unique placement in palace life, the wives of powerful sultans and politicians were often well-placed to rule behind the scenes. While history notes their husbands and sons as princes, conquerers and kings, the efforts of these women are often forgotten or simply unknown. Three women in particular, Hürrem, Nurbanu and Kosem, played instrumental political roles in securing the throne for their sons and supporting their husbands behind the scenes.
Revenge of the Corsairs, as well as being a romance (of course!) is also the exploration of contrasts between of two women – Laura Cappleman, a young English woman forced to be a concubine and Rabia, a wife of a powerful sultan who uses her power as a wife and mother of the sultan’s only male heir.
Here’s an excerpt:
Rabia loved her son even more than she had loved her husband. She had worked hard to keep him safe from the endless jealous machinations of the other women. He had been raised to be a ruler, and she smiled thinking about the haughty bearing he had mastered.
Just a few weeks ago, her son told his father he was too big to live among the women. Selim Omar had laughed and hugged the boy to his chest.
“They order me about and I don’t like it.”
“Wait until you are bigger, then you can order them about.”
The boy’s eyes lit up.
“Even maman?”
Selim had looked up at her, his eyes twinkled with merriment, then smiled down to the child.
“No, a boy must always obey his mother, even when he is bigger,” then he had staged whispered into the child’s ear to be sure she could hear. “But if your maman is ever unfair, you have my permission to see me immediately, and I will decide her punishment if she is unjust.”
The boy raised his head and gave her a haughty stare that she had seen frequently on Selim Omar’s face. Memories of it aroused her. Selim Omar was her lord and master and a very, very accomplished lover.
It had not taken long to get the measure of the man. He admired beautiful, prideful women. His arousal ran hottest when he asserted himself forcefully. A woman who gave in too easily never kept his interest. That strength was also his weakness.
How easy it was to manipulate his mood – all she had to do was the opposite of what he expected.
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July 31, 2017
Tuesday Book Club – Susanne Bellamy’s Wild About Harry
One makes some wonderful author friends and I’m thrilled to say that Susanne Bellamy is one of mine. She is a fabulous writer, a generous lady and one of my go-tos when I need a fresh eye to go over my stories. Today it’s release day for Wild About Harry, book five in Susanne’s touching and intriguing Hearts of the Outback series.
To bring us up to speed, here is the blurb:
Trying to be both father and mother to his young daughter, Harry Douglas has no interest in a new relationship. If he had known that helping Briony Middleton on a lonely Outback road would put his closely guarded secret at risk, he wouldn’t have played the white knight.
Briony has no time for relationships; her focus is on avenging her grandfather’s ill-treatment at the hands of a big mining company by gathering photographic evidence of wrongdoing and stopping a proposed super mine.
But as fate and Harry’s daughter keep throwing them together, what will Briony do when she discovers Harry’s secrets?
In most romances the focus is on the hero and heroine, but when there is a child involved, it is almost a love triangle. Were there any special challenges in writing this particular dynamic?
With two children of my own, I feel very comfortable writing children in my stories. Vicky, Harry’s daughter in ‘Wild About Harry’ is partly based on my daughter, and I thought carefully about how she reacted to the deaths of her grandparents and extrapolated from that.
The presence of a child who belongs to one protagonist absolutely changes the dynamic. Harry cannot pursue Bri just because he wants to; if she becomes part of his life, his choice impacts on his daughter. It was fortunate that Vicky and Bri clicked, but if they hadn’t, this would be a very different story. And Bri quickly learns lessons in parenting, such as that she needs to think before letting flirty quips fly free when Vicky is around!
Mourning is a deep and personal process and men deal with it differently to women. How did you explore that in Wild About Harry?
We have lost several members on both sides of our family in recent years. I lost my oldest sister, then my father and mother. My husband’s two brothers passed away through random and preventable accidents, while his mother died early this year. It was his reaction to those losses, especially the random nature of his brothers’ deaths, that I drew on to understand Harry’s state of mind. I also researched how death in the family affects those left behind; one important factor for a man with a personality like Harry is guilt that he somehow should have been able to protect his wife, but failed. That guilt and trying to be both father and mother to Vicky have delayed Harry’s healing.
However, as depressed and guilt-ridden as he is, Harry has to be strong and go on living for his daughter. Vicky is his reason for getting up in the morning; Bri gives him a new perspective on the event in which he lost his wife, and with it comes a reason to live life and love again.
How did you approach the serious topic of mining and miners’ health issues. What interesting research did you find?
Originally I planned for Bri’s grandfather to be suffering from mesothelioma and began researching this health issue. It’s topical and it’s disgraceful how big mining interests tried to ignore or sweep it under the carpet, putting profits ahead of people and compensation. During my research one article led me to black lung disease, which actually fitted my story better while preserving the David and Goliath element of the miners’ battle, and so Gramps’ health problem changed. For most of his working life, he worked above ground, which sounds like it should be much safer, but while it was better than being underground, air-borne dust particles were still dangerous with prolonged exposure.
One interesting fact that really depressed me was when I discovered that coal miners’ unions decided not to raise the black lung issue over a period of years because it might impede the mechanization that was producing higher productivity and therefore higher wages. Union priorities were to maintain the viability of the long-fought-for welfare and retirement fund, which would be sustained by higher outputs of coal. After the death of Lewis (a union leader), the union dropped its opposition to calling black lung a disease and realized the financial advantages of a fund for its disabled members.
What were you like at school?
Nerdy. In primary school I was given the nickname of ‘Tania’, short for (Encyclopaedia Britannica).
What inspired you to write this story?
Harry is the pilot briefly mentioned in book 4 (Winds of Change) and the opening scene of book 5 simply popped into my head while I was trying to plot a story around an entirely different protagonist! After we lost my mother-in-law, Harry’s story really drew me to write about him. This story flowed so easily as I wrote, and I think it had much to do with coming to terms with one more loss. Writing can be cathartic, and channelling emotions onto the written page can be a step towards healing.
How much research do you do?
It varies according to the needs of the story. Sometimes simple things like what type of raptors are common in the north west of the state needed to be checked for a single word reference; at other times, it was a lengthy session tracking down articles on black lung disease, and how grief affects different personality types.
Give us an insight into your main character. What does Harry do that is so special?
It takes a great deal of courage to be vulnerable like Harry, to know that you’re vulnerable and still choose to go forward. Courage isn’t knowing you will win, but knowing you could lose and going into the fight anyway. As a father, Harry has to keep fighting his grief and guilt to give his daughter the best life he can. Parents will do almost anything for their children and Harry is Vicky’s hero. As he should be!
Which actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead character from your most recent book?
Matt Damon would be a wonderful Harry. I have him on speed dial … (LOL) I love MD; I’d have him play just about any of my heroes, aside from the Italian ones, and the French pineapple plantation owner in Winning the Heiress’ Heart.
What book/s are you reading at present?
Moon Shot, a memoir by Alan Shepherd about the American space programme.
What writing project are you working on next?
Next up I’ll be using beta readers’ feedback on my romantic suspense novel, tentatively titled High Stakes. It is set mostly in Nepal on the Everest track. I have the most wonderful pieces of research to share from High Stakes when it is finally finished!
Tell us something unique about you that they wouldn’t guess from just looking at your photograph?
I have become something of an adrenaline junkie when it comes to high places: hot air ballooning, ziplining on Kauai, small planes … I would love to do a parachute jump.
What is your favourite positive saying?
Tomorrow is another day – we can go on, in spite of trials and tribulations, if we see tomorrow as another chance.
I also like: Live each day to its fullest.
What is your favourite book and why?
This is like asking a parent to choose their favourite child! I can’t!
What is your favourite quote?
“We’ll always have Paris”
What is your favourite movie and why?
Casablanca – for many reasons, not least of which are the many memorable lines, Bogie, Ingrid and a stellar cast, the conflict and romance of the setting, and the most wonderful rendition of “La Marseillaise” I’ve ever heard. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTsg9i6lvqU
How can readers discover more about you and your work?
You can find me at the following:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/susanne.bellamy.7
Twitter https://twitter.com/SusanneBellamy
Website http://www.susannebellamy.com/
Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/susannebellamy/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/6869630.Susanne_Bellamy
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Susanne-Bellamy/e/B00AYRGVRA
Buy Links: http://amzn.to/2rt5Ekt
Would you like to share an excerpt from your book?
As she drew near his daughter’s bedroom, the rising tones of the climax of a fairy story stopped her in her tracks. Harry, the storyteller was very different to the taciturn man on the highway.
Peeking around the door jamb, she saw him, seated on the edge of the bed, arms extended.
“ . . . and then Edgar the Echidna told his children to never play with matches or they’d set the bush on fire.”
“And his children listened to him and never played with matches, didn’t they, Daddy?”
“That’s right, Pumpkin.”
The little girl flung herself into his arms and put her head on his shoulder. “I wuv you so much, Daddy.”
Bright eyes met Bri’s gaze. “Daddy, who’s that lady?”
Harry glanced over his shoulder.
Bri took a step back, her hands wide. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I was just heading downstairs.”
He beckoned her back to the doorway and turned to his daughter. “Vicky, this is Briony. Her car broke down on the road and she was stuck in the rain.”
Bri smiled at the wide-eyed little girl. “Hello, Vicky. Pleased to meet you.”
A solemn expression, more grown up than a child her age should wear, crossed her face. “Hi, Briony. Did Daddy save you from the rain?”
Hero-worship shone in Vicky’s big blue eyes.
“I gave her a ride back to town, but there were no rooms left at the hotel so Briony is going to stay in our guest room for the night.”
“Can I get up and talk to her?”
“No, Pumpkin, it’s really late, but if you’re not a sleepyhead, you can talk to her at breakfast. Now slide under the covers and give Daddy a kiss.”
Harrison settled his daughter and walked to the door. He turned back and Bri caught the edge of a smile softening the hard plane of his cheek. “Go to sleep now. I’ll come in to see you before I go to bed.”
Vicky blew him a kiss and tucked her hand beneath her cheek before her eyelids fluttered closed.
Bri waited until they were in the white and green kitchen before she spoke. “She’s adorable. How old is she?”
“Five. She started kindy this year and loves it. I’m making toasted ham, cheese and tomato sandwiches. Does that suit you?” Harry switched on the sandwich press and pulled out the fillings for toasties. He seemed more relaxed now he was home. After meeting Vicky—and the very young nanny—Bri could understand his preoccupation on the drive. Maybe under all that tense and taciturn Harrison, there was a Harry after all.
She joined him at the bench and the whiff of fresh basil hit her. “My favourite meal. What can I do? Cut stuff, butter bread?”
“It’s fine. Do you want basil in your toastie?”
“Sure. I’m game.”
“Take a seat and tell me more about your photography.”
“Are you sure you want to hear? Fair warning, once I start you’ll have trouble stopping me.” Perching on a low-backed bar stool, she leaned her elbows on the bench.
“Not once you’re eating. I have it on good authority—my daughter’s—that I make the best toasties this side of Julia Creek.”
He cut thick slices of ham, added cheese, and tomato, and plucked several fresh basil leaves and added them, then set the sandwiches in the sandwich press. He set the timer on the microwave and leaned on the counter. “So, what do you photograph?”
“Landscapes primarily. I want to get some aerial shots while I’m up this way for an idea I have. Something along the lines of ‘How we see Australia’ or ‘One Country: Many Angles’ maybe. I’m not great with titles.”
“Flying gives a different perspective all right. It makes you realise how insignificant we are.”
“Do you fly?”
“Small planes. It’s helpful when I’m doing fieldwork if I don’t have to depend on a commercial pick up every time. Of course, it depends where I’m working. Some places are only accessible from the ground.” Fieldwork again, but her ears pricked up at mention of flying.
“Do you ever take passengers on—”
“No.” He turned to the fridge and took out a jug of water. “There are glasses in the cupboard beside your head.”
If she’d been less thick-skinned, Bri might have felt annoyed at his quick dismissal. She shrugged. Harrison didn’t know her, and rescuing her didn’t mean he owed her.
If anything, she owed him.
“I’ve also begun a collection of portraits. I plan to pitch it as something like ‘The Changing Face of Oz’. I love capturing the personality of my subject through the lens.” If she hadn’t been a guest in his house, she’d have loved to capture an image of father and daughter in the act of storytelling, unaware of their observer. Stolen moments like that revealed so much about the inner person and relationships.
“I like black and white portraits for that too.” Harry pointed to a photo hanging on the wall behind her. “Vicky was two in that photo, full of mischief.”
“So I see. Great shot.”
The timer buzzed and he turned his attention to their late supper, slicing each sandwich neatly into triangles and setting them in the centre of each plate. He passed one to Bri.
“Thanks—for the sandwich and the rescue. If ever I can reciprocate, let me know.” She bit into her sandwich, and touched her tongue to the corner of her mouth to catch an errant crumb.
For mere seconds—so swift she wasn’t entirely sure she hadn’t imagined it—Harrison’s focus dipped to her mouth.
Just a flicker of lowering lashes and a parting of his lips before the full intensity of his gaze captured hers. Seconds more in which she realised she’d been wrong about one thing. His eyes weren’t the dull brown she’d thought when he rescued her.
There was nothing dull about Harry’s eyes. They were rich, like melted dark chocolate flecked with toasted almonds.
And the raw hunger in them stole her breath until he blinked once—twice, and raised his sandwich.
“Kind of you, but I doubt our paths will cross again.” He gave his full attention to his sandwich and bit into it.
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July 10, 2017
To The Shores Of Tripoli… The Birth Of The US Marines
Set in 1814 in England, Sicily, Algeria and Turkey, Captive of the Corsairs is an action packed historical romance. It will be published on July 21 through Dragonblade Publishing. It’s available for pre-order now!
The fledgling American Navy plays an accidental but significant role in the life of Captain Kit Hardacre, the hero of Captive Of The Corsairs, and a direct one in the life of Samuel Cappleman, cousin of heroine Sophia Green.
“Will someone tell me what happened?” she demanded.
One of the officers from the Triumphant introduced himself. He looked exhausted, a man who in truth had not slept for nearly three days.
“Pirates, ma’am. We were two days out from Palermo when we saw them. They were gaining on us and fired across our bow. We did our best to outrun them, but they were firing volleys. If it wasn’t for the American ship showing up, we’d all be dead or chained to the oars by now.”
The United States Navy and Marines were officially founded in 1775 by the 13 colonies that governed the US during the American Revolution. The job of the Marines was to conduct ship-to-ship fighting and assist in landing forces. But ‘the Continental Navy’ was disbanded at the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783 and for over a decade the new United States had no navy.
The Barbary ‘corsairs’ were pirates and privateers from the North African client states of the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire. They attacked ships at sea and coastal villages, taking plunder and enslaving vast numbers of Europeans as well as their own people for sale in North Africa and the Middle East.
Ever since the Barbary Wars, the US Marines have been called ‘leathernecks’ because of the leather neckbands worn to protect Marines from the slash of the corsairs’ cutlasses. The high neckbands are reflected in their dress uniforms today.
Turkey entertained repeated entreaties to encourage their client states to stop – then routinely ignored the pleas. The corsairs were too valuable, supplying as they did the profitable Ottoman slave trade as well as African and Middle Eastern slavery markets. The corsairs operated with impunity throughout the Mediterranean, along West Africa’s Atlantic coast, and into the Atlantic as far north as the British Isles, the Netherlands and Iceland, with Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal their main coastal victims.
At sea, American merchant ships had previously been safeguarded by the British Navy but after the War of Independence no longer had protection from the corsairs. And the young US could barely afford the funds to pay annual ‘tribute’ to the Barbary states. Even when they did, paying this protection money was often useless as the corsairs would continue anyway.
In 1793, Barbary pirates sailed into the Atlantic and captured 11 American merchant ships and more than a hundred seamen. Despairing of the situation, the Americans determined the cost of a navy was less than paying the protection racket and commissioned six frigates.
Oil painting of Decatur Boarding the Tripolitan Gunboat during the bombardment of Tripoli, 3 August 1804. Lieutenant Stephen Decatur (lower right center) in mortal combat with the Tripolitan Captain.
Their first action was against the French Republic Navy in an undeclared sea war between 1798 and 1799, but in 1801 the US Navy and the Marines in particular fought their first major battles. The First Barbary War (1801–1805) against the pirates climaxed with William Eaton and First Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon leading eight Marines and 500 mercenaries in an effort to capture Tripoli and free the crew of the captured USS Philadelphia. They captured the city of Derna, a conquest sufficient to induce the Barbary rulers to sign peace treaties.
The US Navy went on to fight the British in the War of 1812-1815 after 13 years of sea-going provocation. The Royal Navy had a habit of illegally stopping American merchant ships and ‘pressing’ American sailors into the Royal Navy – an estimated 10,000 men between 1799 and 1812.
Seeing the US Navy distracted by that conflict, the Barbary pirates again began to capture American merchant ships and sailors. The United States deployed two squadrons, beginning the Second Barbary War. They captured Algerian ships, and negotiated a peace including a return of captured vessels and men, with a guarantee of no further tributes and a right to trade in the region.
Meanwhile, they also fought slavery and pirates in the Carribean and on the African coast. Between 1845 and 1850, working now as allies with the British, the US Navy captured 10 slave vessels far off the African coast, while the British captured 423 ships carrying 27,000 captives.
The Marines’ Hymn is now world famous and begins with references to the First Barbary War and the Mexican–American War (1846–1848):
From the Halls of Montezuma
To the shores of Tripoli…
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