Award-winning author, Nancy Lee Badger, loves
chocolate-chip shortbread, wool plaids wrapped around the trim waist of a
Scottish Highlander, the clang of broadswords, and the sound of bagpipes in the
air. After growing up in Huntington, New York, and raising two handsome sons in
New Hampshire, she moved to North Carolina where she writes full-time. A former
EMT, volunteer firefighter, and 911 Dispatcher, Nancy writes about kilted
Highlanders, heart-broken dragons, and romantic thrillers and is a member of
Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers,
Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, Triangle Area Freelancers,
and the Celtic Heart Romance Writers.
Welcome, Nancy! Please tell us about your new release.
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The idea to add pirates to My Hunted Highlander, the final book in
my Scottish time travel series, came out of the blue. The blue being my love of
the sea. I grew up within walking distance of beaches on the north shore of
Long Island in New York and as older kids, we traveled in packs on weekends to
Jones Beach or Fire Island. Visiting Scotland is on my bucket list, and the
North Sea is at the top of the Scottish vistas I mean to enjoy.
My
Hunted Highlander’s
plot can be described this way: Plucked
naked from the North Sea, bruised and nearly drowned, Niall Sinclair wakes
bound to the mast of the pirate ship, The
Black Thistle. Hiding his identity, and brutalized by the first mate and
other seamen, their captain comes to his aid. Her identity, and gender, are a
surprise, and his physical reaction to her makes him nearly forget his need to
escape, and return to his clan.
When kidnapped
from her shipbuilding business in modern day Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the
last place Blair MacIan figured to end up, was
at the helm of a pirate ship in 1603 Scotland. With her abusive husband dead,
and the ship, the crew, and their people under her care, the last thing she
needed was to fish a naked man from the sea. His ravaged face and ragged sandy
hair could not detract from his magnificence, and she sensed in him, a means for her own escape.
A woman pirate? Why not! Mixing a
modern woman making the best of a horrid situation, and a scarred and lost
Highlander, gave me plenty of opportunities to twist this story into a scary,
upbeat, kilted, romantic romp. My research into pirates plying the North Sea
off Scotland’s eastern coast was spotty, but what little I found was enough to
create a crew, a ship, and a plot.
This book follows My Lady Highlander and My Dark Highlander, and is the last time
travel romance I will be writing (for a while), but not the last of books with
a Scottish theme. I plan to volunteer at the 40th annual New Hampshire Highland
Games and Festival this fall, something I share with my family. While
surrounded by thousands of men dressed in Highland kilts, with dirks on their
hips, and whisky on their breath, the next book will easily write itself!
Excerpt from My
Hunted Highlander
“What be this?”
“An eye patch. It’ll keep your damaged eye
from straining to stay closed. Keeping it covered will let it heal. Tie your
hair at the back of your neck with this, and I will show you how it works.”
Niall shoved his
fingers through his hair, then accepted a short strip of thicker leather. He
tied his hair into a short queue, then lowered his arms.
Blair stepped
closer and positioned the wool over his left eye. It rested alongside the left
side of his nose, running from his brow, to below his eye. The darkness and
softness of the wool was not as pleasurable as the gentle touch of her
fingertips, as she centered the cloth. The leather ties pulled across his
forehead and above his left ear. She walked behind him and tied them at the
back of his head.
“Too tight?”
“Nay.” The
strings were fine, but he lied about the tightness, elsewhere. Feeling like a
green boy, alone for the first time with a tavern wench aiming to share her
wares, he stifled a groan and waited.
She returned to
her side of the table, and stood gazing down at him. “How does that feel?”
Settling back in
the creaking wooden chair, he glanced around the room. His damaged cheek felt
the slight pressure of the cloth, but the strain to keep his left eye closed
had disappeared. “Aye, ‘tis fine. I thank ye, lass…Captain.”
She cocked her
head to the side. “You look like a pirate.”
“I would like to
join yer crew.”
“What?” she
cried, as she tumbled onto her seat. The chair teetered backward, and as her
arms flailed, he raced to her side. When the chair stopped bobbling, and the
front legs slammed back onto the wood floor, she glared up at him.
Nancy is giving away a $25 Gift Card to Amazon or
Barnes & Noble. Enter HERE.
Please visit Nancy online:
Blog http://www.nancyleebadger.blogspot.com
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Amazon Author
Page http://amzn.to/13ICHLq
Nancy's new book, My Hunted Highlander, is available at the following links.
Amazon ebook http://amzn.to/1GYQqpr
Smashwords http://bit.ly/1fha0kp
iTunes http://apple.co/1GzRhq4
AllRomance http://bit.ly/1G3xEaG
Amazon print http://amzn.to/1GT84sI
Thank you, Nancy, for being our special guest today!
