For this month of festivity, lights and decoration (and because I’m currently re-watching The Tudors) thoughts turn to another era resplendent with fetes, frolic—but also danger, especially for those close to the throne. We’ll explore the lives of some real queens and one view of the Tudor world through the eyes of a fictional court observer. Setting the frame of excess and drama, we begin with MURDER MOST ROYAL by Jean Plaidy, who focuses her story on Henry’s two executed queens, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. The women are cousins, both related to the powerful Howard family headed by the Duke of Norfolk, both used as tools to forward their families’ desire for wealth and power, but their personalities are nearly polar opposites. At first a resistant participant, the clever Anne becomes a determined and ruthless schemer in her pursuit of a crown, while the simple Catherine, guileless and willing, falls victim to her own voluptuous pursuit of pleasure. When the king’s eye falls on the passionate and intelligent Anne, angry at being prevented from wedding Henry Percy, the man she wants, she rejects her family’s plotting to make her the king’s next mistress. She will not be used and…
Do you freak out at the thought of aliens (intelligent nonhuman life) visiting earth? Maybe you think they do not exist. Many lifetimes and ages ago, I got my answer to the question of nonhuman intelligent life. A rip-roaring yes, they are real. And they have visited earth over a vast span of time. One alien has an important role in my high fantasy series, Stoneslayer. The series is based on four of my past lives and the past lives of family and friends. I encountered this alien, Maguari the Mist-Weaver, during those past lives. Alien wisdom master Maguari. Art by Christine Miller. In having an alien key character, Stoneslayer is part of a long tradition of speculative fiction based on the premise of aliens. Most alien-inclusive books, films, or TV shows, however, offer one or two versions of the nonhuman others. First version: The good alien, like the Vulcans of Star Trek or the Newcomers of Alien Nation. Second version: The very bad no good evil devouring alien, as in Alien(s), Independence Day, or War of the Worlds. (Kind of like how women are depicted in so much of the fiction written by men. Virgins or whores. But I…
What is the title of your latest release?THE GINGERBREAD THIEF What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A grumpy wizard and a chatty widow are thrown together on a quest to win a wish promised as the prize in a magical baking contest. The wish would give Ansgar the chance to restore his waning powers and stave off death—and it’s Josephine’s only hope to find out if the odd cat she’s toting around is actually her late husband under an enchantment. On their way to the contest, they’ll face fiery trials, dubious soup, and raging rivers. Only one of them will win the wish, but in the end, they’ll both discover that life’s sweetest ingredient is love. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?France seemed like the perfect place for luxury-loving Ansgar to begin a new life after leaving the wilds of a German enchanted forest. At the end of The Gingerbread Queen, he’d just broken the years-long spell that had confined him within the body of a duck, so he was more than eager to celebrate being human again with every indulgence nineteenth century France offered: the latest fashions, rich cuisine, and fawning mistresses….
November, 1944 It’s funny: I’ve always lived in San Francisco, so it feels like a normal city to me. But I suppose it isn’t a typical place at all, is it? Maybe it’s the war that has made me see my hometown in a new light. For the past few years, the city has been bursting with servicemen from all across the country, passing through on their way to the Pacific. I meet lots of them through my volunteer work as a junior hostess at the USO. Many of these fellows are amazed by San Francisco, and I get to see it through their eyes. So in a way, I too am discovering my own city. This past year, ever since I inherited the seamstress shop from my mentor, I’ve seen so many parts of it I never knew before. Take Nob Hill, for example, where the richest San Franciscans live. Cynthia Burke, the newly-married socialite, lives here. She called me to remake an evening gown for her, and I tried hard not to look too obviously impressed by her gorgeous penthouse apartment; it’s such a far cry from the orphanage where I grew up. But I’ve always had a…
Eight sisters. Eight curves of fate. One unforgettable promise. That’s how the Harrington sisters’ story begins – each of them standing at a crossroads, holding a letter from their late father that changes everything. Raised under the suffocating rules of propriety, they were taught to stay quiet, proper, and invisible. But their father’s last wish is a rebellion in ink: live boldly, love recklessly, and never hide the curves of your lives or your bodies. That’s the heart of The Busty Bodice Club – a shared world created by eight authors who adore writing sensual, empowering historical romance. Each book tells the story of one Harrington sister as she breaks free from her gilded cage, steps into her own desires, and claims her version of happily ever after. From scandalous wagers to forbidden portraits, each story celebrates the lush, the daring, the unapologetically female. Why I’m Writing This Series When the idea for The Busty Bodice Club came up, I didn’t hesitate. I’ve written my share of feisty heroines and brooding heroes over the years, but this project struck a different chord. It wasn’t just about romance, it was about reclamation. About writing women who take up space in every…
Excerpt from THE GOOD DAUGHTERS by Brigitte Dale: CHAPTER ONE CHARLOTTE Charlotte Evans has exactly one day left at home, and she is deter- mined to spend it wisely. For years, nothing mattered more to her than getting out—out of her brooding stepfather’s house, away from her mother’s criticism and her sisters’ squabbling. And out, most importantly, into the world, where ideas matter and intelligence is valued. When the day finally arrives to pack her bags, her fingers quiver with nervous energy each time she places a folded blouse in the valise. Months of studying by candlelight after her chores, books stacked high around her like a fortress, followed by weeks of begging, arguing, and pleading with her parents, earned her a spot at Girton College. She will not squander this chance at freedom. Still, it’s been a long summer. A reckless summer. “Charlotte,” says Sarah, lips pursed. “Come upstairs for a moment.” Charlotte’s stomach drops with a low, deep sense of dread, as she follows her mother up the creaky wooden staircase and into the master bedroom. The faded blue curtains are still drawn, even though it is almost midday, and they stand in near darkness. Even so, Charlotte…
Tis the season to be holly jolly, but I write these words with sorrow as I think about the untimely and sad passing of the great Sophie Kinsella. Her family wrote on Instagram that she slipped away happy to be surrounded by her family in the midst of the holiday season. Along with millions of readers world-wide, I am grateful for the many hours of joyous, romantic fun she gifted us. Her last novel, WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE? was filled with the love and humor that defined her work even as it unveiled the heartbreak of the author (and the protagonist) battling a terminal glioblastoma. Shop in peace and joy, Ms. Kinsella, and thank you. In other news, I am a white, middle-aged woman (any actuaries reading and calculating can take their interpretations of “middle” and leave, thank you very much) who fell in love with romance back when successors to Georgette Heyer were coming into their own. Yet this month I delighted in a number of titles that would have surprised the younger me. First off was a story I should have read when it came out several years ago. Christina Lauren’s AUTOBOYAGRAPHY is a book I now…
He Ain’t Me; I Ain’t Him People ask me all this time — well, not all the time, but often enough to cause me to wince: Is Ed Earl Burch you? Or, are you Ed Earl Burch? I suppose it’s my own damn fault because when I conjured up the main character for my five hard-boiled Texas crime thrillers more than a few decades ago, I gave him some of my physical features — he’s bald, bearded, has bad knees and wears specs — and a lot of my character flaws and endearing quirks and qualities. We’re both cynical and surly. Fairly smart but not brilliant. Don’t take shit off anybody. We’re also terminal smartasses who don’t know when to shut up. We’d rather deliver the wisecrack and get smacked around for it than keep our mouths shut. He’s still a saloon sport; I hung up the bar rail spikes more than a decade ago. He still chases women smarter than he is and likely to drive a spear through his heart. I’m a retired rogue, happily married and content to let him have one more ex on the books than me. We both love our bourbon — Maker’s Mark…
Exclusive Excerpt from A GRAVE DECEPTION by Connie Berry: It was almost six thirty when Ivor and I set out for Finchley Hall, a short fifteen minutes’ walk from the village center. The sixteenth-century estate had been gifted to the National Trust the previous January when Lady Barbara had admitted she could no longer afford the massive maintenance costs. That morning, knowing I wouldn’t have time to drive home and change before dinner, I’d brought with me a mid-length, pearl-white satin skirt and a fitted black jacket. I changed clothes in the shop’s single bathroom, brushed my dark shoulder-length hair into a ponytail, and slicked on a layer of the cherry-colored lip gloss I wore on special occasions. Tom had texted earlier in the day to say he’d meet us at seven unless the unexpected happened, which it did with disturbing regularity. The path from the church car park led us through Finchley Park with its stands of old oaks. It was a beautiful summer evening. Drifts of purple iris bloomed along the banks of Blackwater Lake. In the farmer’s field to the north, a small herd of black-and-white cows rested in the evening shade. Beyond that, on the far…
Each Monday the Smashwords store lists the top ten most highly anticipated indie fiction ebooks based on the previous week’s preorder accumulations. Each title on the list is scheduled to release within the next week. To help the talented authors on this list accumulate even more preorders, click the title of the book. The hyperlink will bring you to a Books2Read page where you can order from your preferred ebook retailer. If the preorder is part of a series, click the hyperlinked series title to learn about the other books in the series. Be sure to check back Friday for a list of the Top 25 Bestselling Indie Ebooks.