This is just the thing to nudge me out of my blogging malaise, I’ve been tagged by my
fellow Scandalous Victorian Susan Macatee to participate in
the Next Big Thing blog hop. Thanks
Susan!
In
turn, I’ve tagged two author friends (I could only find two that haven’t
already done it LOL) who will blog next Wednesday, December 5.
Here
are the blog hop questions:
What is the working title of your book?
This Moment
in Time
Where did the idea come from for the book?
Where did the idea come from for the book?
Years of
reading about and researching the Civil War –and a teeny little fascination
with spies.
What genre does your book fall under?
American
historical romance
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I always have
an image in my mind of my characters, but it’s rarely based on the looks of one
specific person. So I’d say if a movie
was being made I’d want to cast an unknown.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Should he change history to save the woman he loves, or be with
her for This Moment in Time.
Will your book be self-published or
represented by an agency? It is published
by The Wild Rose Press and came out at the end of last month.
How long did it
take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Well the germination of the idea sat around in the back of my mind for a long time. Then one night driving past an old abandoned Greek Revival style house the main idea for the story came to me. I played the “what if” game at a critique session with my CPs and most of the story came alive right there and then. It didn’t’ take long to write, but I did struggle for a while with where and how to end it, I’m used to writing longer stories and it just didn’t come naturally to me to write short.
Well the germination of the idea sat around in the back of my mind for a long time. Then one night driving past an old abandoned Greek Revival style house the main idea for the story came to me. I played the “what if” game at a critique session with my CPs and most of the story came alive right there and then. It didn’t’ take long to write, but I did struggle for a while with where and how to end it, I’m used to writing longer stories and it just didn’t come naturally to me to write short.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
There are several
Civil War era books in the TWRP catalog and some are Time Travel sotires as
well.
Erin’s Rebel by Susan Macatee
Victory’s Gate and Season of Love by Leanne Tyler
Thorns of Eden by Diana Ballew
Who or What
inspired you to write this book?
The Civil War has been a fascination of mine as far back as I can
remember.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
We
are in the midst of celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Civil
War years. Interest in the era has been rekindled in a lot of readers who may
have forgotten what a fascinating and heart wrenching time in history this era was.
Excerpt:
This
is a favorite, where the reader first meets my feisty lady spy heroine:
Spring, 1862
Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
“I want
to know how Stonewall Jackson knew where my men were going to be.”
Josette
Beaumont resisted the urge to flinch. She’d not show a hint of weakness, even
as General Stillwater’s foul breath bathed her face.
He
grabbed her chin between his thumb and finger, squeezing. “You’ve been locked
in this house for a month, yet somehow you still managed to get information to
the rebs. I want to know how.”
She
jerked away from his touch, but he didn’t release her. “Has it not occurred to
you, General, that perhaps the Union army isn’t as clever as you think? You
were the ones who intended to win this war in a matter of days, as I recall.
Yet the North hasn’t won a single battle.”
He shoved
her against the wall with a thud that rattled her teeth. “Time spent in a
Federal prison would do you good.”
She held
her tongue. Until he could prove she was a spy, he couldn’t truly send her to
prison. At least she hoped not. Right now he had no proof of anything.
“Fortunately
for you, my dear, I’m a man who appreciates beauty.”
A cold
knot of fear coiled in her midsection. She stepped away from the wall, all too
aware of the bed in the center of the room and the lusty gleam in his eyes.
He closed
the distance between them in one long stride. “We could work out an arrangement
that benefits us both.”
“I’d die
before becoming mistress to the likes of you.”
“The time
may come when you change your mind. Until then, if I were you, I’d be very
cautious about what you choose to share with your sources. You never know when
the information you have access to is false. You could unintentionally send
those filthy rebels you care so much about directly into harm’s path.”
A lump
rose in her throat. “If I were a spy, as you claim, then that might concern me.
But since I am nothing but a poor widow—”
“A poor widow?”
“You know
perfectly well my husband’s passing left me with nothing. What little I had was
taken by you and your men.”
“There is
one thing I haven’t taken from you, Mrs. Beaumont.” His cold gaze raked her
from head to toe, leaving her as chilled as if he’d stripped her naked. “I
prefer to wait until you offer it freely—”
“Then
you’ve a long wait ahead.”
“My
patience is wearing thin,” he said, storming toward the door. “One of these nights
I may decide I’ve been patient enough.”
The door
slammed. She waited a half breath until she heard the key turn in the lock and
the General’s boots retreating down the hallway.
She
quickly pulled the pins from her hair, allowing the waist length strands to
fall free, combing her fingers through the tangles until the silk-wrapped
sachet fell to the floor. She scooped it up and hurriedly pulled the contents
from inside to review the notes she would slip to her contact later tonight.
