How do my heroines’ gardens grow?

Tags

blogging, Book tour, Catherine Cavendish, Dark Avenging Angel, heroines, Jane Hunt, Samhain, Soul Mate Publishing, The Viking and The Courtesan, Time-travel, Vikings

 

Alright…alright dudes, can we get with the program here?

Dudes, that was last week. This week…

Dudes, that’s tomorrow, although we are all going to say HAPPY RELEASE DAY CAT, my fav horror writer.  May you rock the charts!

This week…. this week you are welcoming me.

Okay dudes… what did I say about the program?

Because I want to thank Elyzabeth M. Valey for letting me blog about the ‘Heeling power of shoes.’

http://inadreambeyond.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/shoes-shoes-and-shehanne-moore.html

And also Jane Hunt for not only interviewing Lady Malice, but reviewing her as well with a lovely review.

http://jolliffe01.com/2015/07/29/an-interview-with-lady-malice-shehanne-moores-latest-new-release-the-viking-and-the-courtesan/

Then there was Lady Fury and her invite…but perhaps the less said about that the better.  http://t.co/wdB8rxWAo7

What I would like to say is I have been  popping corks that it has got into the top 100 in Viking and also Ancient World Romance on both Amazons –  an absolute  first for me. I know cos the lovely Cat Cavendish and Jane Hunt told me.

Anyway, when I was battering the brain thinking of doing blogs for the blog tour and trying to make them all different–like shoving bamboo sticks under the fingers, when you are still in ’round’ edits and that release date is ticking like a time bomb,  I thought I would take some pictures of my four book jackets for promo.

no I never I said PROMO not PORNO, do clean your sweet little ears out. And that was what had gave me the idea of the posts about handbags and shoes and defining my heroines through their personal tastes.  It is important when you are writing NOT to churn out the same characters with the exact same traits after all.  They might share certain things in common.

They are different. SO I took each book jacket into the garden and  tried to photograph them where I felt my four ladies would prefer.

Lady Fury, I chose the decking. It has mirrors and she does like looking at herself. Then there’s the pot. Very handy for hiding a body in. Not that she hides her hubby in a garden pot. No. Why keep him in there when there’s a cellar with a box in it.

I gave Sapphire the remodelled patio… It’s next to a herb garden you see and she might use some of these herbs as a help with Devorlane Hawley’s opium addiction. Oh wait… she also buried a body…with his help, in a herb garden.

I gave Kara and the Wolf the loggia.

I figured it was preferable to his cave and they could eat and he could cook in comfort. But hey who knows?

Lastly I gave Sin and Malice the courtyard.  Malice is rather appalled by what Sin regards as the height of Viking advancement with pigs, chickens and ducks snorting in and out the house floor  and clucking about the yard   and at one point  thinks it will be nothing to get rid of them all, WHEN she finally gets her mitts into  Sin…. To quote the lovely Alison Lodge and her wonderful review, you can tell that will NOT end well.

I thought Malice  welcome somewhere devoid of these things in the first place.

I quite enjoy when I’m writing, fleshing out the kind of clothes, hairstyles, bags, shoes etc, my heroines have and matching them to their personalities. If nothing else it gives me something to blog about!

Oh, and  a Happy HAPPY  Release Day tomorrow Cat Cavendish. https://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/2015/07/12/nemesis-a-darkly-avenging-angel-and-catherine-Cavendish/

It’s Girl Tuesday with Jane Hunt

Tags

Creating believable heroines, Crimson Frost books, heroines, It's Girl Friday, Jane Hunt, The Dragon Legacy, writing

Nonsense, Hamsta Dickens. I am sure the publishing world awaits your opus.  I was just a bit busy on Friday visiting the lovely Elyzabeth M. Valey.

Indeed, it was for her new Happy Hour Feature, as you can see,

http://t.co/wKpJa3KOw2 where we discussed the history of the Singapore Sling for everyone’s literary benefit. The lovely Jane Hunt, author of

was invited for It’s Girl Friday yoinks ago.

Before my 3 weeks 3  books blogs, but she’s been kinda busy.

Then someone had to write Fury’s latest blog post for her. ..

http://furiousunravelings.wordpress.com/2014/08/17/did-anne-bonny-really-die-in-south-Carolina/

Talking Fury, I want to thank the wonderful author of Heart of the Arena and three other books, Mishka Jenkins for her review.

Captain Flint is specially pleased to get in on the action there Mishka. So, on the mop up of outstanding blog posts, today we bring you….

 So Jane, are your heroines nice or bad?

In the books that I’ve written so far I wouldn’t describe my heroines as nice

(no one wants to be described as ‘nice’ do they?) but they’re not gratuitously bad either.

That’s not to say they won’t cross the line if the situation warrants it.

They have qualities and flaws found in many young women.

I like to explore how seemingly ordinary women react and develop when faced with extraordinary creatures, worlds or situations. I love living vicariously through my heroines. I don’t get out much!

In a word, or maybe ten, how would you describe them?

Independent, strong willed and courageous and in the beginning a little naïve.

 The heroines in The Dragon Legacy series encounter paranormal creatures both good and evil. To survive in this world they need to be all of the things above.

 Why do you choose to write heroines who are not nice but not bad either?

I like these character traits. My heroines can want and love the hero without doing what he thinks they should do. Love affairs are much more fun when the couple fights for supremacy and eventually (if they want a happy ever after) compromise.

 

When faced with a situation that scares them it’s okay for the heroine to be frightened but even better if she can use that fear to get the outcome she wants. Naivety makes the heroine vulnerable. If she is all knowing there wouldn’t be the journey of discovery that I love my heroines to experience.

 What kind of hero do you match them up to?

I write romance so I should say Alpha and my heroes do have alpha qualities but even in a paranormal world characters can’t be two dimensional they have to have weaker traits and I like to explore some of these through my heroes.

In successful relationships one partner is often stronger but not all the time it depends on the conflict faced and what is at stake. The most important thing is that the hero and heroine are strong together.

This doesn’t stop my heroes being sexy and arrogant all of them are. But they can also be jealous, revengeful, thoughtless and depressed.

A line from the book to describe your heroine.

The Dragon Legacy Series – Book 1

 ‘Fleur stepped forward. Her actions went against every instinct for self-preservation, but she must save the infant dragon from Xavier.’

Her favourite line or motto?

Fleur from ‘The Dragon Legacy’. “I know what I want.”

Tips on creating a believable good or bad heroine?

Creating a heroine with good or bad character traits relies on personal experience, people you’ve encountered in your day to day life and imagination.

I base my characters on people I’ve met.

I aim for realistic heroines so that the reader can step into their shoes. The conflicts my heroines face are extraordinary, especially in my fantasy/paranormal series. My heroines meet adversity head on and survive or fail and learn from the experience, a great way to reveal a heroine’s true qualities.

THAT’S IT FOLKS, except to say Jane Hunt is one of the nicest, most helpful and supportive ladies going. She does a ton to help others. Her next book will soon be out. The Dragon Legacy is her first book

Blurb

‘When emotionally fragile Fleur Curwen decides she wants excitement in her boring life she signs up for a Murder Mystery Weekend in the wilds of the English Lake District. She enters a paranormal world where
danger and death are common occurrences.

Demon slayer Lukas Draco is a loner. He lives by two simple rules: No
emotional entanglements and duty must remain his first priority. His
beliefs are challenged when he’s inexplicably drawn to Fleur, a human
woman with an unusual psychic aura. Sparks of sexual attraction ignite
threatening both his search for the dragon’s egg he buried a thousand years ago and Fleur’s life. Under the cover of a murder mystery weekend an apocalyptic hunt begins’

Author Bio: As a child Jane  had a complete stable of make believe horses and her imagination remains as vivid. Now it creates characters and scenarios which provide the inspiration for her  stories.

She is  so excited to finally have career as a writer.

Her  love affair with the written word started as a teenager. She secretly dreamed of writing the romantic novels she loved to read. Life had other plans for her. Marriage at twenty-one whilst still at university launched her into a career in health service management. She  often thought about writing in her spare time but her career and two wonderful children kept her occupied 24/7.  Illness forced an abrupt end to her  career. Always the optimist she  seized the opportunity to write full time in 2012.

The Dragon Legacy is her first published novel and she is excited to be sharing it with a wider audience.

When  not writing she  enjoys reading, book reviewing, social media and walking in the countryside. She is  passionate about animal welfare.

Connect with Jane Hunt on Social Media:

  Jane Hunt Writer Website

Jane Hunt Facebook

Jane Hunt Writer Facebook Page

The Dragon Legacy Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/JaneHuntWriterBookReviews

Twitter

Goodreads

Jane Hunt Pinterest

Jane Hunt Google+

My Books Google+ Page

Buy the book here.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Dragon-Legacy-Jane-Hunt-ebook/dp/B00H9K29SU

My Writing Process…

Tags

Anne Lange, blog hop, Elyzabeth M. Valey, Jane Hunt, Sharon Struth, writing processes

I interrupt this all things Scottish series cos you know me–big gub–who couldn’t just say….to the lovely and talented Sharon Struth

author of and lander of a 3 book contract –oooh– when she asked me to join the My Writing Process Blog Hop, I said…

SO here I am. Answering the specified questions and handing on the baton to three other lovely authors who will each post about their writing process on their blogs, next Monday. Ooh lucky them! You can check Shaz’s answers to the set questions here.

http://www.sharonstruth.wordpress.com/ 

as well as  the answers of Ellen Butler http://www.ellenbutler.net/ and another fab writer pal, Noelle Clark, who Sharon also chose. http://noelleclark.blogspot.com/2014/02/my-writing-process-blog-tour.html

All brill when it comes to showing how things work….or don’t.

What am I working on?

Right now? Finishing that cup of coffee, the bag of peanuts and NOT eyeing up the vino. Sorry was I meant to be discussing my writing process? Do I have one? Oh. Okay. I am working on book 2 of

….Splendor, who is not actually a Starkadder Sister as such, more their general do-it-all skivvy, and her obviously sizzling (Ahem) romance with the somewhat difficult and a tad bad tempered Earl Stillmore.

But also–why stick at one–a  sumexy little, presently at 80 thou words,  something involving a sumexy bed-slave owning Viking….

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Okay? In a nutshell? I think The Book Review probably says it better than I can.

‘If you are looking for the traditional regency period historical romance, you won’t find it here. This is one of the darkest Historical romances I have read in a good long while.’

I guess I just don’t do flounces very well and I don’t have my characters falling easily either. To quote another reviewer on Amazon –

Ms Moore specialises in thrawn, feisty, troubled characters who refuse to bow down to what life throws at them.

My absolute preference is for flawed people because let’s face it, we are all flawed in some way. No-one is perfect. Every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future. Think of the realism it adds. Does my sumexy new hero, Hawley, go down on bended knees to declare his undying love for Saff for her cooling hand on his brow—— —–he suffers battlefield flashbacks coupled with  paralyzing fevers caused by his opium addiction and a poisoned leg? No. What he goes is titz cos she’s used all his shaving water.

In terms of plotting….To me… 

Completely… Cos I am, so why not think outside the square? Throw the pieces in the air, do the exact opposite of what is expected? A bed-slave owning Viking? I know what you’re thinking this is going to be about and how it’s all going to pan out. But you’re wrong.

Why do I write what I do?

Lol. Because what I would like to write doesn’t fit neatly into tropes and genres. For example you get told that you can’t have a book with several mains when it comes to characters nowadays. Pass.

But there it is.  I loved books like Again the kind an author would get told to red pen these days .It’s got to be about one main….

Romance as a genre, is so popular you can break into it. And believe me I despaired of ever breaking into print. Period. I had to think long and hard about tailoring my writing, learning to write a romance –it’s actually not easy–and ok, doing it my unflouncy black-humoured way because that’s the niche I want to carve for me. The bits of me I didn’t want to sacrifice to get into print. I chose historical because my passion is the past. Lol. Probably I was influenced by all these creaky old movies I adore…. Beautiful women, Handsome men.

Let’s face it, the fundamental things apply, whatever.

Of course I have a little raunch in it. Why not? That’s fundamental too!

How does your writing process work? 

Er…… does it ? Do I have one? Well. I sit down and I hit a few keys. Then I go have a coffee. Then I go have another. 

Honestly? I have no idea where I am going next. Something comes on the page and I think WTF? Hawley is an opium addict? Fury got up to stuff in Jamaica? The Black Wolf gets it page one the heroine is a lying be-atch. What?

Scenes never go the way I want them. Right now I am ready to blood eagle that damned Viking. Instead of being nicey-nicey  to the heroine -FINALLY- as I’ve set it up for him to be,  he went and got in another  fight with her. Don’t ask. So long as I get there in the end is all that matters.

So now I am handing the baton on to three lovely ladies who will post next Monday. Please check them out! They are worth it!

My Naughty Days of Christmas blog hop buddy.  Anne Lange

http://authorannelange.com

Anne is a wife and mother who works full time and lives in Canada. Books and shoes are her passion.

She started writing in late 2009, realized she needed to figure out what in the world she was doing, and began her trek of workshops and networking, and writing. She finally got her break in October 2012, when Etopia Press asked if they could publish her novella, Worth the Risk. Her second book Friends With Benefits was recently released.

My doodle buddy . Elyzabeth M. Valey

Defined as weird since she was about eight, Elyzabeth honors the title by making up songs about her chores, doodling stars and flowers on any blank sheet of paper and talking to her dog whenever he feigns interest.

Losing the battle to the voices in her head is her favorite pastime after annoying her younger sister with her singing. Writing stories full of passion and emotion where love conquers all is her happy pill and she’ll forgo sleep to make her readers live the dream. www.elyzabethmvaley.com/

The latest addition to Lady Fury’s book club.  Debut author- Jane Hunt. 

As a child Jane  had a complete stable of make-believe horses and her  imagination remains as vivid. Now it creates characters and scenarios which provide the inspiration for her stories. The Dragon Legacy is Jane’s  first published novel and she is excited to be sharing it with a wider audience.
When  not writing Jane  enjoys reading, book reviewing, social media and walking in the countryside. She is passionate about animal welfare. She is mum to two children and was, of course, a child bride. www.jolliffe01.com/

‎

 

On the Fourth Day of Christmas…..There be dragons

Tags

Anne Lange, Christmas, Crimson Frost Press, Etopia Press, Friends With Benefits, Giveaway, Jane Hunt, Loving Lady Lazuli, Shehanne Moore, The Dragon Legacy, Twelve Days of Christmas

Yep, it’s that banner again. SO-

Welcome to Day 4 of the Anne and Shehanne giveaway

…and more besides..

where we’re re-inventing the lyrics to a certain fabulous Christmas song and putting our own sexy twist on it in honor of the cover reveals for our same day upcoming releases from Etopia Press. Ooh-hoo

Between times we’re posting other Christmas things…As you can see with Anne’s blog today

http://authorannelange.com/2013/12/12/o-holy-night/

Returning to the song, yesterday Anne did line 3. Very, very smexily too.

http://authorannelange.com/2013/12/11/third-day-of-christmas/

So smexily I have to show it….

The Twelve Naughty Days of Christmas…

One the third day of Christmas, our true love gave to us…

Three French kisses,

 Two lace stockings,

And a brand new pretty red thong.

Today, I have line four….

In the actual song that’s four calling birds

    Well they are, aren’t they?  At least that one at the head of the line is. Of course maybe you were thinking this…

What are they saying?

It could be some real sexy calling birds…..

But our song isn’t crude like that. Our song is worse. And today what our true love gave us are four red silk ties……..

Yes. Now…clearing the throat here after  Day 2’s extract involving bedrails and things led to you ignore my request for your fav song and come up with suggestions as to what was going to happen next instead. I mean ..heavens I don’t want you all thinking I have a thing for bedrails and ties…..just because a few sentences later, it says….

 “So don’t be coy,” she whispered. “Or I’ll have to tie your ankles as well.”

“Is that so, Miss Armstrong?”

“Cassidy. You should call me it.”

But do feel free to let your imaginations run wild as to what happens next. You can see constraint does somewhat feature…..

To enter the giveaway it’s all you need to do–leave a comment.  Also….do please help me welcome my special guest today, debut author and all round nice girl, Jane Hunt, who does a ton of work for other people. Jane is here today as part of a blog tour, which I signed up for before Anne and I got going. So that is why there be dragons here today too. No. Not Jane..her book. On the very first stop of her tour too!

Actually, I thought it was Jane, but it’s not, it’s her heroine….  Fleur, from The Dragon Legacy, just released by Crimson Frost Books. AND there’s a giveaway. Yes! The link is below at the end of the post. A piccie of some of the prizes too….

                       Oops…sorry….wrong one. Jane’s not giving away them. Are you kidding? She’s keeping every one.

Fleur:  It’s lovely to be here Shehanne.

Shey. Oh. that’s what they all say to start with. A pity I hadn’t know YOU were coming along, we could have brought out the hot seat and put Jane in it, so you could grill her.  But you’re up for a few questions are you?

Fleur :Ask away…

Shey.  What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

 Fleur : I recently hid in a dark creepy cave even though I hate confined spaces.

Shey : Hmmm. I have a hero does that.  So you’re impulsive?

Fleur. I never used to be. More timid, afraid to make any decisions on my own but meeting Lukas changed me. So did the world he exposed me to. I’ve a strong survival instinct now and will do what it takes to cheat death.

Shey : Sounds like you’ve had a wild adventure can you tell us about it?

Fleur : Well I never expected a murder mystery event to be so surreal. Forget ‘Professor Plumb’ and’ Colonel Mustard’

(He did it with his moustache)

and meet Lukas Draco and Xavier Serpente.

Shey . Lukas? Hmmmm. Xavier…So are they as hot as they sound?

           (Or maybe it was with that yellow playing piece? Could be nasty.)

Fleur . Mmm and some, in ways you couldn’t imagine.

Shey.  Intriguing you would think that…

Fleur.  Xavier isn’t my type too smooth. I like a man to have rough edges to hold my interest. Lukas is different he has a wildness which attracts me…

‘His face was the epitome of masculine beauty, characterized by well-defined angular cheekbones, covered with pale, almost translucent skin. Its apparent delicacy did not detract from his masculinity; he looked like a fallen angel.’

Shey… OOOH……..Sumexy. I’m glad we’re not talking about Colonel Mustard.

(My god, I know he said the rope…but….)

 Fleur (blushes,) I’ve probably said too much…

 Shey. No you haven’t said enough. So was it Love or Lust when you first met Lukas?

Fleur.   Neither Lukas frightened me; a passionate stranger who threatened my heart. I wanted to run but I kept turning round to make sure he was following you know what I mean?

Shey . I really can’t imagine (Winks) Do you believe in ‘Happy Ever After?….With a man like this??????

Fleur . I want to. Don’t we all if we’re honest.

Blurb

‘When emotionally fragile Fleur Curwen decides she wants excitement in her boring life she signs up for a Murder Mystery Weekend in the wilds of the English Lake District. She enters a paranormal world where
danger and death are common occurrences.

Demon slayer Lukas Draco is a loner. He lives by two simple rules: No
emotional entanglements and duty must remain his first priority. His
beliefs are challenged when he’s inexplicably drawn to Fleur, a human
woman with an unusual psychic aura. Sparks of sexual attraction ignite
threatening both his search for the dragon’s egg he buried a thousand years ago and Fleur’s life. Under the cover of a murder mystery weekend an apocalyptic hunt begins’

Author Bio: As a child Jane  had a complete stable of make believe horses and her imagination remains as vivid. Now it creates characters and scenarios which provide the inspiration for her  stories.

She is  so excited to finally have career as a writer.

Her  love affair with the written word started as a teenager. She secretly dreamed of writing the romantic novels she loved to read. Life had other plans for her. Marriage at twenty-one whilst still at university launched her into a career in health service management. She  often thought about writing in her spare time but her career and two wonderful children kept her occupied 24/7.  Illness forced an abrupt end to her  career. Always the optimist she  seized the opportunity to write full time in 2012.

The Dragon Legacy is her first published novel and she is excited to be sharing it with a wider audience.

When  not writing she  enjoys reading, book reviewing, social media and walking in the countryside. She is  passionate about animal welfare.

Connect with Jane Hunt on Social Media:

  Jane Hunt Writer Website

Jane Hunt Facebook

Jane Hunt Writer Facebook Page

The Dragon Legacy Facebook Page

Twitter

Goodreads

Jane Hunt Pinterest

Jane Hunt Google+

My Books Google+ Page

Jane Hunt Writer Book Reviews Google+ Page 

The Dragon Legacy — 20 December 2013

Link for Rafflecopter Giveaway:

The Dragon Legacy Blog Tour Giveaway

Prizes are:

The Dragon Legacy e-book (2 prizes)

Birdcage Necklace by Megan Jane

Crackle stone Bracelet by Megan Jane

Flower Bracelet by Megan Jane

£5 Amazon Gift Certificate (2  prizes)