Guest: Jennifer Haymore + Giveaway!

I'm thrilled to be interviewing some of the other authors from our new anthology, Captured by a Celtic Warrior. Everyone, please welcome Jennifer Haymore!

USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Haymore is the author of sexy historical and contemporary romance. Her books have been nominated for numerous awards, including five RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice awards and the prestigious RITA® award for best historical romance.

You can find Jennifer in Southern California trying to talk her husband into yet another trip to England, helping her three children with homework while brainstorming a new five-minute dinner menu, or crouched in a corner of the local bookstore writing her next novel.

I've read Jennifer's story in this anthology and absolutely loved it! It's titled Her Wicked Highlander and this is what it's about:

1816 - Maxwell White is the newest member of the Highland Knights, an elite mercenary group sworn to protect the Crown. His first assignment is to keep independent and spirited Aila MacKerrick safe from a madman determined to get his hands on a treasure she unwittingly possesses. But Aila isn’t going to simply allow some Highlander—as handsome as he might be—to capture her and whisk her away to an abandoned castle. She’ll fight to the death for her freedom...as soon as she rids herself of this pesky, insistent desire that makes her far more inclined to run into his arms than away from them....

Q: Welcome, Jennifer and thank you for visiting with us! What is the story behind your story?

A: Kris Kennedy came to me over a year ago and asked me to be a part of a box set she was organizing. The box set had two themes: (1) Celtic hero (easy since I’m in the middle of writing the Highland Knights series!), and (2) A capture story (a little bit more tricky, but capture stories? Yum!). My mind started churning immediately, and over the next few months, the story of Aila MacKerrick and Max White formed in my mind.

Q: I agree. The capture part of the story was fun but tricky. :) Why do you write romance?

A: I write romance because I love a happy ending that makes me feel good. I also like a bit of heat and sexual tension in the books I read. So it seems natural that the books I write should be romances as well. :)

Q: I love your Highland setting, naturally. :) Why did you choose this setting and why was it perfect for your book?

A: Strangely enough, my Highland Knights books have mostly been based in London (with frequent travels north). I have been craving writing a book that takes place entirely in the Highlands and I was finally able to with Her Wicked Highlander. Yay! And there is a dilapidated but beautiful castle thrown in for good measure.

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

A:  I love Aila, the heroine. She is the most feisty heroine I’ve ever written. She has a sharp tongue and a strong wit, and she so strong. She isn’t afraid of anything! But I love Max, the hero, equally. He’s one of those quiet, strong warrior-types, and Aila makes him scratch his head in confusion more than once. He’s not used to dealing with women like her, lol.

Q: I love them both too! Please tell us about your other books.

A: I have over 20 books published in four series. The James Series, The Donovan Sisters, The House of Trent, and now the Highland Knights. They’re all steamy historical romances with lots of heat and heart. You can read more about them all at www.jenniferhaymore.com.

Q: If you are self-published, why did you choose that route? Do you love it or what would you do differently?

A: I am both self-published and traditionally published—I am a “hybrid” author—and both routes have their pros and cons. Traditional publishing gives a bit more structure and built-in support while self-publishing offers a ton of freedom. So depending on my mood on any given day, I’m a fan of both.

Q: Do you have any advice for unpublished authors?

A: Read! Read tons of romance in the subgenre that you love, and read outside the genre as well. I really think reading books is the #1 way to learn how to write them.

Q: What’s next for you?

A: After Captured by a Celtic Warrior, I have another book in my Highland Knights series coming out—Highland Awakening.  It releases on March 29, and you can read more about it at http://www.jenniferhaymore.com/bookshelf/highland-awakening/.

Q: Would you like to ask readers a question?

A: Romance heroes. We love them. Warriors, pirates, rakes, gentlemen, bad boys, dark and damaged, alpha...and so many more. What is your favorite kind of hero and why?

One commenter will win an ebook copy of Highland Heat, book 1 of the Highland Knights!

Captured by a Celtic Warrior is available at:

Amazon  Nook  Kobo  Ibooks

Read an excerpt!

Please visit Jennifer Haymore online at:

JenniferHaymore.com

Twitter @jenniferhaymore

Facebook.com/jenniferhaymore-author

Thank you so much for being our special guest today, Jennifer!

Guest: Collette Cameron & Highlander's Hope

Please welcome Collette Cameron as our special guest today!

In February 2011, Collette decided to sit down and write a Regency suspense romance with a few Highlander’s thrown in to spice things up a bit. She wrote Highlander’s Hope, the first book in her Blue Rose Trilogy. She has a BS in Liberal Studies and a Master's in Teaching. She's been married for 30 years, has 3 amazing adult children, and 5 dachshunds. Her puppy, Ayva, sits on her lap while she writes. Ayva also nibbles at and lies on the keyboard. Collette loves a good joke, inspirational quotes, flowers, the beach, trivia, birds, shabby chic, and Cadbury Chocolate. You'll always find dogs, birds, quirky—sometimes naughty—humor, and a dash of inspiration in her novels. Her motto for life? You can’t have too much chocolate, too many hugs, or too many flowers. She’s thinking about adding shoes to that list. 

Q: Thanks for visiting with us, Collette! Please tell us about your latest release. And do you have a review you could share with us?

A: Thanks so much for having me here today!

Highlander’s Hope released in May, 2013. It’s the first book in my Blue Rose Trilogy. I deliberately created a large cast of characters in the book. Many of the secondary characters get their own books too.

Not a day has gone by that Ewan McTavish, the Viscount Sethwick, hasn't dreamed of the beauty he danced with two years ago. He's determined to win her heart and make her his own. Heiress Yvette Stapleton is certain of one thing; marriage is risky and, therefore, to be avoided. At first, she doesn't recognize the dangerously handsome man who rescues her from assailants on London's docks, but Lord Sethwick's passionate kisses soon have her reconsidering her cynical views on matrimony. On a mission to stop a War Office traitor, Ewan draws Yvette into deadly international intrigue. To protect her, he exploits Scottish law, declaring her his lawful wife—without benefit of a ceremony. Yvette is furious upon discovering the irregular marriage is legally binding, though she never said, "I do." Will Ewan's manipulation cost him her newfound love?

I just got a 5-star and top pick from The Romance Reviews."HIGHLANDER'S HOPE is a merry chase of an action-packed, exciting escape into a lively enjoyable romance ... I rate it five stars but wish I could make it more. It is a wonderful book."

Q: Awesome review! What inspired this story?

A: A single scene popped into my head one day. It was the Banbury Inn scene where Ewan finds Yvette asleep in his chamber. I built the entire plot around that scene.

Q: Why did you choose your setting and why was it perfect for your book?

A: I wanted to go outside the typical trappings of a Regency and have much of Highlander’s Hope take place in Scotland. Though Ewan is a title English lord, his Scot’s heritage is what drives him.  Some of the niceties of English society were left at the border so that Scot’s boldness and daring could take over. 

Q: Sounds fascinating. I love that Scots are daring and bold. :) How do you choose names for your characters?

A: I consider their heritage, occupation, and personalities. Yvette’s mother was French so I wanted Yvette to have a French first name.  For my hero, I wanted a strong Scot’s first name, but I also wanted his English title to be catchy. I thought Sethwick had a nice ring to it.

Mrs. Pettigrove acquired her name because she’s a fussy, petty matron. Her sister, Lady Clutterbuck is a terrible gossip. Ewan’s siblings and cousins all have traditional Scot’s names (Gregor, Dugall,  Callum, Alasdair, Isobel, Seonaid) because they eventually get their own Highlander saga.

I also use family and friends names for middle names because my characters all have at least four names.

Q: Great names! Did you choose the title of your book and if so how did you do it?

A: I’m grinning here.  This is embarrassing, but the original title was Love Hath No Fear. I changed it to Love’s Fearless Embrace, and it still wasn’t right. It wasn’t until I had finished the book, and was in the middle of editing, that I realized one of the driving forces of the plot was Ewan’s ongoing hope that he could make Yvette his.

Q: Sometimes we do have to go through several titles before we find the right one. Please tell us about your favorite character in the book.

A: Adaira Ferguson is my favorite character. Don’t me wrong, I love Yvette. After all, she’s my firstborn heroine, but Addy— Well, Addy is a sassy Scot’s lass that swears, wears breeches, and cares more about her horses than conventions. I love her daring spirit.

Q: Please tell us about your other books.

A: The second book in the trilogy, The Viscount’s Vow, is due to be released in September.

Q: Wonderful! Congratulations! What do you wish you’d known before becoming published?

A: How important critique partners are! Oh, and that writing the book is only the first step. The rest can be daunting to a newbie to the industry.

Q: I agree with you on that. What’s next for you?

A: I’m almost done writing the third book, The Earl’s Enticement.  That’s Addy’s story.

Then I have a stand-alone single title based on a character introduced in The Earl’s Enticement. After that is a 5-6 book Highlander saga,  and another series, all based on characters from Highlander’s Hope.

Q: Wow that's fantastic! Would you like to ask readers a question?

A: I actually have two, if that’s all right. What’s the one thing that makes you pick up a book and devour it, and the one thing that makes you not finish a book?

  Highlander’s Hope Excerpt:

Escape.

Yvette stood on unsteady legs, grasping the table’s edge for balance. She strove for poised composure, despite feeling like a powerless pawn in a despicable game of human chess, played for the amusement of those who enjoyed tragic endings at the expense of someone else’s happiness-no-their very existence.

The Great Hall radiated silent tension. All eyes were on her. She looked at the strangers staring at her, their eyes reflecting a myriad of emotions. Embarrassment, horror, dismay, pity, outrage, compassion, and yes—even a few smugly satisfied.

“You knew?” She looked to Hugh and Duncan, before swinging her gaze to Alasdair and Gregor. They bowed their heads in chagrin. Her turbid gaze swept the rest of Ewan’s family.

“You all knew?” Yvette searched Giselle’s sorrowful eyes, then Adaira’s tear-filled ones. “You must think me such a fool.” Her agonized whisper exposed her vulnerability. Her shame. Her absolute humiliation.

Ewan touched her arm. “Evvy—”

She whirled around. “Don’t you touch me,” she hissed between stiff lips.

Yvette knew her gaze was a mirror of desolation when she finally met his eyes. “How could you?” she whispered. “I trusted you.” She’d never make that mistake again.

He reached for her again. “Please . . .

She slapped away his hand. “Don’t.”

She clenched her teeth to still her quivering mouth and chin. Closing her eyes against the torrent of tears cascading down her face, she drew in a bracing breath.

Lord, give me the strength to walk from this room with my head held high.

On wooden legs, she stepped away from her chair.

Ewan grasped her elbow, restraining her. “Evvy, I don’t know what she told you, but . . .”

***

Highlander's Hope is available at Amazon. Thanks again for being our guest, Collette! I've enjoyed it!

Thanks for having me here today! 

Everyone please visit Collette online:

Website     Blog        Twitter       Facebook   Buy Link

Amazing Reader Review for My Fierce Highlander

I was thrilled to receive an email and amazingly fabulous review on Amazon from a reader. Thanks so much, Kathryn from CA!!!

***

My fierce response to a new romance writer on the scene, September 14, 2011  By Kathryn (Beverly Hills, CA, United States)

I'm a huge fan of Highlander-type stories and I was amazed to find Vonda Sinclair's MY FIERCE HIGHLANDER was on a par with Julie Garwood and Judith McNaught. I was even more amazed to discover that Vonda Sinclair didn't have a big-time publisher promoting her books.

The story takes place 1618 Scotland where the heroine has been sent away by her father, an English earl, to a Scottish cousin's territory. When her father discovered Gwyneth pregnant by an English Marquis who then refused to be forced into marriage he banished her from the family. She married one of her Scottish cousin's men in order to give her bastard son a name and is now a widow. Gwyneth's strict Protestant upbringing makes her believe she's unworthy of love and it takes a good portion of the story for her to accept that she deserves happiness. Laird Alasdair MacGrath spends his time wooing and protecting her and her son from her murderous cousin and the English Marquis who has now decided he wants his son at any cost which includes killing Gwyneth.

It was so refreshing to read a story where the heroine is intelligent, passionate and brave without the silliness of a "misunderstanding" or "too-stupid-to-live" actions and reactions. The hero, Alasdair continues to woo her and doesn't initially know or care about her aristocratic upbringing. When he discovers she's the daughter of the earl it only makes his wooing more difficult. He's a good man made only a better man by his love for her.

Another great element of this story is how the romance and the plot of the evil cousin and English Marquis are woven into the story. It's seamless and organic to the progress of the romance. MY FIERCE HIGHLANDER has the perfect balance of romance, love scenes and plot and smoothly sets up a sequel with Alasdair's brother.

I haven't read MY WILD HIGHLANDER yet, but honestly folks, it's next on my buy list but I have to wait for the weekend because otherwise I'll be up all night reading it.

Do yourself a favor and read Vonda Sinclair and if there are any publishers out there reading this review you should grab this writer fast because her level of competence in writing romance is far superior to what I've been reading over the last several years. Thank goodness that Amazon Kindle allows authors to get their work out into the marketplace.

A HIghlander Comes Riding . . . March 3rd!!

Hi Fierce Friends!
It’s the last week before my new time travel romance, HIGHLAND REBEL, comes out on March 3rd and I am really getting excited! I’ve had some really great reviews this week on different romance websites, and my preorders seem to be going well. I’m at #28 on the amazon fiction Books list for time travels. Since I’m up against every single one of Diana Gabaldon’s books and each of their separate printings, I feel pretty good about being #28.

There’s still time to sign up to be one of my Troubadours – just saunter over to my MySpace and read the last few blogs there, and then email me @ tessmallory@yahoo.com if you have any questions. The prizes range from a free book to a $25 Barnes and Noble gift card, and a Celtic spiral necklace! It’s easy to enter, just read the details at myspace!

Since I've gotten some good reviews, I thought I’d share them with all of you, in the hope that some of you who are reading will think, “Hmm, that Tess Mallory got some good reviews; I think I just might take a chance and buy her new book, HIGHLAND REBEL.” (in the background the song, Take a Chance on Me begins to play).

You see, Fierce Friends, I would really like to be, no, I would LOVE to be on a Best Seller’s list. Wouldn’t that be cool ? Wouldn’t that just really be a terrific thing? “Sure,” you say, “that’s fine for you, but what’s in it for me?” Well, that’s why you need to read my blog over at myspace! Yes, I’m going to be mysterious. That’s just how I roll.

Meanwhile, here are some of the reviews:

From Harriet Klausner :
“The Queen of Highlander time travel romance (see HIGHLAND MAGIC, HIGHLAND DREAM, HIGHLAND FLING and HIGHLAND ROGUE), Tess Mallory writes another whimsical tale as the roguish hero follows his love back to the era he left behind. Part of the pleasure in this delightful entry is the reaction of Ian’s brother Angus to his siblings’ return after his being away over two decades from home . . .”

From Chris at Night Owl Romance:
“Full of historical information, jaunts about the countryside, a few explosions and some rocking romance, Highland Rebel was an enjoyable read. With the secondary romance between Davey and Katie, the story moved along smoothly. With a happily ever after, including a surprising one for Ian and his family, I enjoyed the story very much.”

From Maura at Coffee Time Romance:
“I am not usually a big fan of time travel romances, but Ms. Mallory’s are always an exception. Her characters are realistic despite their situation, and she manages to go from the present to the past with no loss of that realistic feel. Ian and Ellie are wonderful characters, each with flaws and virtues. Ian’s career as a Celtic Rocker is a masterstroke, and Ellie really comes out of her shell in the 1700’s. I also liked the subplot of Katie and Davy’s romance and the secret Jacobites.”

From Kathe Robin at Romantic Times Magazine:
(Sorry, I can’t find the magazine right now, but the gist of it was that she liked it and said it would receive . . . “A warm welcome . . . “ and then gave it 4 Stars!

So, okay, whaddaya say, Fierce Friends? Ready to give Time Travel Romance a shot? After all, don’t we all wish we could somehow be swept back in history to a more romantic place and time, where we could meet a hunky warrior, find true love and save the world? Well, our world as we know it? That’s what my characters always strive to do! It’s adventure, romance, history, humor, fun and a rollicking ride, I promise!

If everyone who reads this blog bought a copy of HIGHLAND REBEL on March 3rd . . . well, hey, maybe one of my dreams would come true and I would be deeply grateful to you, my faithful readers! But even if I don't make any of the lists, I still think you’ll enjoy the read, and I'll still be honored that you chose to read it!

Remember, Love is Timeless . . .
Keep Writing . . . Keep Reading . . . Keep Loving !
Hugs, Tess