Guest: Cynthia Owens + Giveaway!

Welcome, Cynthia! We're thrilled to have you as our special guest today. Please tell us about yourself.

Cynthia Owens: I believe I was destined to be interested in history. One of my distant ancestors, Thomas Aubert, reportedly sailed up the St. Lawrence River to discover Canada some 26 years before Jacques Cartier’s 1534 voyage. Another relative was a 17^thCentury “King’s Girl,” one of a group of young unmarried girls sent to New France (now the province of  Quebec) as brides for the habitants (settlers) there.

My passion for reading made me long to write books like the ones I enjoyed, and I tried penning sequels to my favorite Nancy Drew mysteries. Later, fancying myself a female version of Andrew Lloyd Weber, I drafted a musical set in Paris during WWII.

A former journalist and lifelong Celtophile, I enjoyed a previous career as a reporter/editor for a small chain of community newspapers before returning to my first love, romantic fiction. My stories usually include an Irish setting, hero or heroine, and sometimes all three.

I’m the author of The Claddagh Series, historical romances set in Ireland and beyond, and The Wild Geese Series, in which five Irish heroes return from the American Civil War to find love and adventure.

I’m a member of the Romance Writers of America, Hearts Through History Romance Writers, and Celtic Hearts Romance Writers. A lifelong resident of Montreal, Canada, I still live there with my own Celtic hero and our two teenaged children.

Q: Please tell us about your latest release. Do you have a review you could share with us?

A: Yesterday’s Promise is the fourth book in my Wild Geese Series. It’s the story of battlefield surgeon Declan Morrissey and Valerie Stanton, the courageous nurse who served at his side.

She broke the promises they made on the battlefield. Can they overcome their past and have the happily ever after they dreamed of?

…Like the Wild Geese of Old Ireland, five boys grew to manhood despite hunger, war, and the mean streets of New York…

An army doctor, Declan Morrissey fought for the survival of every wounded soldier, rejoicing when they recovered, mourning bitterly when they died.

Valerie Stanton was his beautiful battlefield nurse, strong, courageous, and dedicated.

He never dreamed she was an heiress, or that she’d break his heart in a desperate gamble to save the life of another man.

Now that they’ve found each other again, can they overcome past deception and claim the happily ever after they dreamed of?

Q: Sounds wonderful! Please tell us about your favorite character in the book.

A: Oh, do I have to limit it to one? I loved each and every character in this story, including my villains. I adore Valerie and Declan, both as individuals and as a couple. But if I really have to choose just one, I supposed it would be Edmund Stanton, Valerie’s tortured brother. His journey from a traumatized war veteran to a man determined to take charge of his life was an absolute joy to write.

Q: He sounds great! Which element of story creation is your favorite?

A: Definitely character creation. Let’s face it, creating the characters that make a story is a little like the child’s game of imaginary friends. Of course, the biggest difference between that game and story characters is that you can’t make your characters do what you want them to do. I’ve discovered through trial and error (and a lot of on-paper arguments with various characters) that it’s their story. They tell it to me, and then they guide my hand in writing it.

Q: Very cool! What inspires you? What motivates you?

A: History inspires. Ireland inspires me. Most of all, Irish history inspires me. There are so many stories in Irish history, both tragic and triumphant. Stories of famine and survival, of emigration and those who stayed behind. And of course, the legends and the music are wonderfully inspiring. In fact, the song The Fields of Athenry gave me the backstory for my very first heroine, Siobhán Desmond.

What motivates me to write? An absolute and compelling need to tell my stories my way. Ever since I was a very young child, ideas, stories, characters and scenes have played in my mind, and they’d stay in my mind until I went to my room and wrote them down in my “secret book” (in reality a loose leaf notebook). I don’t know how many of those notebooks littered every conceivable corner of my room, but most of them were filled from cover to cover.

Q: What is your writing process or method?

A: It depends on the book. When I began writing Deceptive Hearts, Book 1 of the Wild Geese Series, I did extensive research, plotting and character creation. I had character sheets, timelines, and so on that I kept in a binder and referred to during the course of writing the book.

With Yesterday’s Promise, it was completely different. I wanted to write Declan’s story and I came up with the bare bones of the story. I even had a heroine, Sarah, though I wasn’t completely happy with her. Then Valerie Stanton burst onto the scene, and I was off and running. No real plotting, no extensive character sketches, and not much research. But the characters were very real in my mind, and they willingly told me their story. And I had an absolutely wonderful time getting to know them!

Q: Can you share with us “the call” story?

A: Like most writers, I suppose I will always remember “The Call.” It was July 15, 2006. I’d had some correspondence with my editor already, so I knew she was interested in In Sunshine or in Shadow (Claddagh Series, Book 1), but I’d had too many rejections to really get my hopes up until I signed the contract.

It was a Saturday, and it promised to be a busy one. Not only was I taking my then-ten-year-old daughter into town to see a touring production of Cats, but as we were having company that night, I had a thousand things to do. I woke early, and only checked my e-mail through force of habit. I think it was about 6 a.m. I opened my inbox, and there it was. “I’d like to buy your story.”

I think I screamed. I know I cried. Then I flew up two flights of stairs to tell my husband…and I woke the kids as a result.

The show was great, dinner was delicious (we got take-out), but all I can remember was saying, over and over again, “They like me!”

 Q: What’s next for you?

A: I like to have a lot of projects going at the same time, and right now I have four. At the moment, I’m wrapping up Wishes of the Heart, which I hope to have on my editor’s desk in the next few days. It’s the seventh book in my Claddagh Series, historical romances set in Ireland and beyond, and it’s Cinderella-with-an-Irish-twist.

Once that’s done, it’s time to think about Christmas. I’m working on a novella that’s a spin-off of My Dark Rose (Wild Geese 3). The Christmas Mirror shows Nuala Donavan where her heart truly lies. After that, I’ll write the final full-length novel of the Wild Geese Series, The Carousel, Kieran Donnelly’s story.

And while I’m working on those stories, I’m planning a new Irish historical fantasy series, The Five Princesses of Glenrath, set on a mythical island off the Kerry coast which is based on Tir na nOg, the legendary Land of the Ever Young.

I’ll be giving away a signed copy of Deceptive Hearts, Book 1 of The Wild Geese Series, to a lucky commenter!

Check out this fantastic and emotional excerpt!

 http://www.cynthiaowensromancewriter`.com/#!yesterdays-promise/c3jt

Visit Cynthia online!

Website: http://www.cynthiaowensromancewriter.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCynthiaOwens

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cynwrites1

Google +:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/+CynthiaOwens/posts

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/Cynthia-Owens/e/B003DQ1V2E

Thank you again, Cynthia, for being our special guest today!

How to travel the world with free accommodations

World travel on your bucket list but not in your budget?

I just read a fascinating book on how you can travel the world on the cheap, paying nothing at all for your lodging. It’s a new travel trend called Home Exchanges.

Australian author Ainslie Waldron has written a how-to book called Luxury Globetrotting on a Staycation Budget, and the secret is to trade your home for a home in the country you’d like to visit. Ainslie lists several websites where you can place your house up for exchange, and search other countries for houses that other people are willing to exchange.  Always wanted to go to Ireland? Maybe someone in Ireland wants to visit your home town!

Ainslie says she's done this for years and visited all seven continents (she has a beach house in Brisbane she puts up for exchange).

It seems like a brilliant idea if you live in an interesting location (for instance, I live in Orlando, where probably some people might like to visit). When I started reading the book I was a little leery about having strangers sleeping in my house, but I guess these home exchange websites vet the people who participate, so there’s little problem and rarely any theft. (Basic advice is to keep your valuables in a locked room in your home when you leave or in your bank safety deposit box.)  And there’s a ‘comment’ section on the home exchange websites where you can read about other peoples’ visits to a particular home you might be interested in.

Like I said, it’s a fascinating concept. Imagine living like a local in Tuscany or Greece or Paris. Buying fruit for breakfast at the local grocery store, hanging out at the neighborhood café or using your new house as a home base to leisurely explore the surrounding area. You’d really be able to immerse yourself in the culture, instead of seeing it from a tour bus!

My husband is ready to pack his suitcase, but I’m still trying to decide where I’d like to go. Hmm… Ainslie’s beach house in Brisbane sounds awesome. I wonder if she’d like to trade for a house close to Walt Disney World?

What about you? What do you think of the concept of home exchanges?

Leigh

www.leighcourt.com

Guest: Pat McDermott and The Band of Roses Trilogy

Everyone, please welcome our special guest, Pat McDermott! She will be giving away a copy of Salty Roses to one commenter!

Thank you so much for your hospitality today, Vonda. I can’t think of a better way to visit a “Fierce” blog than to feature a story packed with pirates: Salty Roses, Book Three in my Band of Roses Trilogy. So where did this trilogy come from?

Thanks to my Irish-American family, I once believed that Ireland meant banshees and leprechauns, rebels and ancient kings. As I learned more about Irish history, I found several comments stating that if High King Brian Boru had survived the Battle of Clontarf in 1014 A.D., Ireland would be a very different place today.

I began to wonder… What if he had survived? And then the fun began.

The Band of Roses Trilogy stars the royal Boru clan, still on the throne of Ireland after nearly 1,000 years. The current King Brian upholds ancient traditions, as does his daughter, Crown Princess Talty, though Talty has a knack for landing in trouble.

In Book One, A Band of Roses, Talty must conceal her identity to outwit assassins, but she can't conceal her ingrained training as a warrior sworn to protect her homeland. From Japan to an eleventh century Ireland, she finds romance and adventure, yet all she wants is to return to her family and Neil Boru, the adoptive cousin she secretly loves and cannot have—or so she thinks.

Book Two, Fiery Roses, plunges Ireland’s royal family into a web of blackmail and murder when the residents of rural County Mayo object to plans to run gas pipelines over their land. An arsonist tries to change their minds. One of his fires sends ardent newlyweds Talty and Neil to an ancient Etruscan-like world beset by a waking volcano.

Book Three, Salty Roses, finds Talty overwhelmed by royal duties. She and Neil plan a cruise on a luxury submarine to view old shipwrecks, but treachery lures them to Brittany, where a passage tomb transports them to a world infested with pirates. Talty takes charge of a pirate ship and its mangy crew, while Neil matches wits with a temptress who jeopardizes his wedding vows.

Excerpts from each book are available on my website, but I’ll share one from Salty Roses now.

Neil visits Talty in her Tara Hall office—an office she suspects is haunted.

Muffled thuds whacked the wall on the other side of the door to Talty’s office. Neil cringed at the sound. “How long has she been at it this time, Denis?”

“Not long, sir. Go right in. You’ll be safe enough if you don’t distract her.” From his chair behind his paper-strewn desk, Talty’s ever-smiling assistant spoke cheerfully, as if the strange activity on the other side of the door was the most natural thing in the world.

Neil supposed it was, for Talty. He twisted the bronze doorknob and stole into the room. Talty stood on the far side of her office, her back to him, her right arm rocking, her fingers gripping the glinting blade of a throwing knife. The round red bull’s eye on the wall before her looked like a numberless clock with three black-handled knives set at three, six, and nine. A heart-stopping blur later, a fourth juddering knife neatly filled the twelve o’clock spot.

Neil could throw a blade well enough, had learned it as part of his Fian training. Talty had mastered the skill, and many other martial arts, during her Japanese sojourn several years before. He was proud of her, and more than a little in awe of her Shurikendo proficiency.

These knives, a set of four ten-inch carbon steel blades, had been a Christmas gift from her samurai mentor. She claimed that throwing them not only kept her eye keen and relieved stress, it had also helped her regain her sleek, thoroughbred, pre-baby shape.

“So,” she said, still facing the target. “Are you enjoying the show?”

“Always, darlin’.”

She turned so fast he nearly ducked. “Neil! I didn’t…I’m…How are you?”

If she hadn’t known he was there, to whom had she been speaking? He crossed the room and kissed her. “Having a tough day, love?”

“Tough? Of course not.” She plucked the knives from the target, set them on the table, and prepared to throw them again. “I thought my father being back would help lighten my schedule. So I can see my son before he—” Thwack! The first knife pierced the target dead center. “—forgets who I am. And where is my father? In his office with his tailor, looking over swatches of material for new suits. ‘We’re still on vacation, Tal,’ he says. I couldn’t stand that hot sun anymore,’ he says. ‘So I’m taking your mother—’” Thwack! “‘—to Scotland for a week!’” Thwack! Thwack! The knives quivered on the target in a neat vertical row.

Neil stared in admiration. He knew from stolen ISF reports that Talty’s deadly aim had saved more than one life. “Did you tell Uncle-Dad about our submarine outing next Wednesday?”

Again, she pulled the knives from the target, this time carrying them to the wall safe where she kept them. “Yes. He said it was a great idea. Said it’s about time I learned to manage my schedule.”

“He’s right.”

She stopped. “What? You know very well this isn’t my normal schedule!” Her tone was indignant, her face flushed.

Quickly closing the gap between them, Neil caressed her soft auburn hair. “Tal, what if, God forbid, something happened to your father and it was your normal schedule?”

She met his gaze and sighed. “Then I’d make some serious adjustments. But I’m thinking, Neily. We shouldn’t go on this submarine cruise Wednesday. We should spend the day with the baby.”

“We’ve already agreed to go. It’s only for a few hours. Donal is perfectly safe with Nanny Maude.”

“He’ll think Maude is his mother. He won’t remember me!”

“Hell, you’re so busy, I don’t even remember you.” He’d said it to make her laugh, but she looked as if she’d either start crying or tossing those knives at him. Hustling to derail either development, he squeezed her shoulders and kissed her. “We both grew up with nannies, Tal. It did us no harm, and we both love our parents.”

In true Boru fashion, her tiny pout curved into a spectacular smile. She placed the weapons in the wall safe. As she shut the hinged portrait of some medieval Boru prince over the safe, she spoke to the oil painting: “What are you looking at?”

“Tal, are you all right? How long have you been tossing knives?”

Still smiling, she turned from the portrait. “For years, Neily.”

“I know that! I meant today. You’re talking to people who aren’t here, darlin’.”

“Am I?” She returned to the bull’s eye and closed the small double doors that concealed it. When she’d first found the old dartboard hidden in the paneling, Neil had helped her transform the secret recess into a training target. Besides himself and Talty, only Denis knew her elegant office housed the setup.

“I’ve been practicing about fifteen minutes,” she said. “Not long enough.” She approached him with one side of her mouth turned up in a provocative smile he knew well. “Did you have some substitute activity in mind?”

His arms slid around her, and hers around him. Her thigh-pressing hug left him struggling to remember why he’d come to see her. “And they call us poor fellas rascals.”

Pat’s Bio:

Boston, Massachusetts native Pat McDermott writes romantic action/adventure stories set in an Ireland that might have been. Autumn Glimmer, a young adult paranormal adventure featuring Ireland’s fairies, is the sequel to Glancing Through the Glimmer. Both books are “prequels” to her Band of Roses Trilogy. She is currently working on a contemporary romance set in Ireland.

Pat is a member of the New Hampshire Writers’ Project, Romance Writers of America, and Celtic Hearts Romance Writers. She lives and writes in New Hampshire, USA.

Pat’s Website: www.patmcdermott.net

Pat’s Amazon Author Page

Thank you for being our guest today, Pat!

Pat is giving away an ebook copy of Salty Roses to one lucky commenter! Please leave a comment and your email addy to enter.

Thanks!!

Vonda

Pat McDermott brings us A Band of Roses

Born and educated in Boston, Massachusetts, Pat McDermott grew up in a family full of music and inspiring Irish tales. Before the kids came along, she had fun in between real jobs as a singer and guitarist in an Irish-American band. She has attended various writing classes over the years and studied science fiction writing with the late Harry Clement Smith (Hal Clement). Besides creating rousing adventure stories, Pat enjoys reading, cooking, gardening, hiking, and traveling—especially to Ireland. She lives and writes in New Hampshire, where she is currently working on her next novel.

Vonda Sinclair: Welcome, Pat! Congratulations on your new release from Tiger Publications! What a beautiful cover! Please tell us about your book, A Band of Roses.

Pat McDermott: A Band of Roses is an alternate history set in modern day Ireland. The story’s “what if” premise supposes what Ireland would be like today if King Brian Boru hadn’t perished at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014 AD. I’ve created an Ireland that’s still a monarchy, one where the present King Brian is a descendant of the first Brian Boru, and his daughter Talty is a princess in trouble.

Talty Boru becomes a pawn not only in the high-stakes gamble for offshore oil, but in a scheme to seize the throne of England that escalates into murder and treason. From Japan to California to an eleventh century Ireland preparing for the Battle of Clontarf, she finds romance and adventure and brings back a discovery worth more than any oil well. Yet all she wants is to return to her family and her lifelong friend and protector, Neil Boru, the adoptive cousin she secretly loves but can’t have—or so she thinks. Talty’s warrior cousin has a secret of his own, one that emerges as the Boru clan scrambles to thwart an invasion of Ireland and bring Talty home..

VS: Sounds exciting, full of adventure and action! What is the story behind the story?

PM: I’m blessed to have two wonderful aunts who happen to be devotees of Irish history. When I was a little girl, they entertained me with all sorts of legends and assured me that we were descended from Irish royalty. (Isn’t everyone who’s Irish?) From one of their trips to Ireland, they brought me a gift of a copper statue of Brian Boru, and I wanted to know more about him than I already did. Everything I found said how sad it was that Brian didn’t survive Clontarf, as Ireland would be a very different place today. So, I started thinking . . . what if he had survived?

VS: How fascinating! Isn't it amazing how things like this from our childhood can influence our adult lives so much. What element of this story was hardest for you?

PM: Writing the chapter where Talty visited the aftermath of the Battle of Clontarf. Weaving the historical details around the characters without bogging down the story was a challenge.

VS: That does sound difficult. Please tell us about your favorite character in this book.

PM: “Roses” has quite a cast of characters, and I love them all, even the villains. To answer the question, I’ll choose Neil Boru. Being an adopted member of the royal Boru clan causes Neil to feel less than worthy of his noble station in life. He’s an Air Corps pilot and a warrior sworn to protect his cousin, Princess Talty. When she comes to harm, he feels a failure. He loathes himself for falling in love with her, as she is his adoptive cousin and such feelings are forbidden. Neil’s struggle to choose the honorable path shows a nobility that transcends bloodlines.

VS: Forbidden love is one of my favorite elements. When did you know you wanted to be an author?

PM: Getting stories on paper has always been a sporadic hobby for me. For years, those pesky ideas and characters made me drive by my exit on the highway. My kids were away at college when I finally enrolled in writing classes to deal with my imaginary friends, and I made some wonderful flesh-and-blood friends along the way.

VS: I'm glad you decided to pursue writing seriously. What's next for you?

PM: I’m currently finalizing a sequel to A Band of Roses, and the third book in the “Roses” trilogy is in the works. For me, the sound of a fiddle in a real Irish pub often helps the writing process along. A trip or two to Ireland may be in order . . .

VS: Wonderful idea! That would inspire me too. Would you like to ask blog readers a question?

PM: Yes! Does knowing too many personal details about an author interfere with your enjoyment of a story?

VS: Interesting question. Thanks again, Pat, for being here to talk to us today! Everyone, please visit Pat's website

To purchase A Band of Roses please visit:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Nita Wick tells us How Faerie Dust is Made

Today we have a wonderful guest here, my friend, Nita Wick, talking about her book, How Faerie Dust is Made... released today!

NN: Welcome, Nita! Thanks for being a guest at Fierce Romance! What a beautiful, creative cover. Please tell us about How Faerie Dust is Made.

Nita Wick: Hi, Nicole! Thank you so much for inviting me. How Faerie Dust is Made is part one of The Roscommon Faerie Tales. In the series, a colony of faeries lives among the lush green forests of Roscommon, Ireland near the Arigna Mountains. Their lives would be peaceful were it not for the humans who live in the area with them. The humans dislike faeries and their magic, and the two races are often at odds. But faerie or human, love makes no distinction. And both will soon find that love is the greatest magic of all.

In How Faerie Dust is Made, Conall may be human, but he is Aisling’s life mate. She’s certain of it. After all, a faerie knows these things. Can her magic end the feud between their families? And just how is faerie dust made?

NN: Sounds like a fun, entertaining, romantic story! Please tell us more about your faeries and their world.

NW: The faeries of Roscommon have the ability to be both human size and small. With their magic, they can take their smaller form which is about six inches high. In this form, they have wings. Their magic can be put to many uses such as helping plants to grow and healing arts. Some faeries are more powerful than others. And some even practice other, darker forms of magic like witchcraft. Just like humans, the faeries have their faults as well as virtues. Some of them are very nice people you’d love to befriend. A few you might want to avoid.

NN: They sound charming! What a unique world. Please tell us more about the hero, Conall.

NW: Oh, Conall is one handsome Irish man. He stands well over six feet, has auburn hair and blue green eyes, and that lilting Irish brogue that makes a woman’s heart flutter. If he weren’t so blasted opinionated and stubborn, he’d be almost perfect.

NN: He sounds yummy!! What inspired you to write this story?

NW: I’ve always been fascinated with stories of faeries. I suppose like all my stories this one began when I was daydreaming – again. I imagined a very handsome hero stumbling across a lovely, petite woman in the forest. I didn’t understand at first why he was so upset to discover that the woman was faerie. Turns out, the humans of Roscommon don’t much like faeries.

NN: Interesting! Which element of this story was hardest for you?

NW: I can’t say that any of it was really hard to write. I loved my characters and my imaginary world so much I didn’t want to leave it. So I didn’t. I’m about half finished with part two and I’ve begun an outline for part three.

NN: Wow that's super! I'm sure everyone will want to visit this world again and again. Do you have any advice for unpublished authors?

NW: Hang in there. Don’t give up. And write what you enjoy writing. Don’t force yourself to write what’s hot in the industry right now. By the time you get it written and submitted, the trends will have changed anyway. You can always tell when an author has put her heart and soul in a book. That’s the kind of book a reader remembers. That’s the one on their Keeper Shelf.

NN: Great advice!! Would you like to ask blog readers a question?

NW: Yes! Do you like faerie stories? Did you ever imagine yourself as a faerie princess?

Oh, and I’d also like to ask everyone to stop by my web site. I have several pages with more information about The Roscommon Faerie Tales. You can learn more about the characters, the setting, Irish Gods & Goddesses, and some Gaelic words used in the book.

I’ll be having a contest to celebrate the release. There will be a print copy of How Faerie Dust is Made as well as other prizes! Every member of my newsletter mailing list will automatically be entered to win! So sign up for my newsletter at www.nitawick.com! You’ll find more info about the contest on my site soon!

Available in ebook and print – http://www.thewildrosepress.com/

Direct link to purchase: How Faerie Dust is Made