1–What is the title of your latest release?
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Two damaged people, one purpose.
A man and a woman with scars from their past find love and a future together…
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
Aldbey Park (the estate home and stables of our heroine in the first book, Lady Amelia Darley) is actually a true place. It is where the first Darley Arabian came to England and was bred with the heavier coach-horse type breeds to create the “thoroughly bred horse” now known as the Thoroughbred. (Hence the titles of this series.)
This book is Miss Lula Darley’s story and is inspired by my life on a horse farm as a single mom, caring for horses, teaching, and training them.
In my research, I found that though women could not be actual doctors or veterinarians, they could study and take the exams. However, they could not be officially recognized as such.
During the many wars that England was involved in during the Regency, women were left quite often to their own devices. Medical practitioners, including veterinary practitioners, were needed on the battlefields, leaving no one in the villages and towns save for women. Lula Darley works with horses on her family’s estate and has studied hard to be an animal practitioner. In those wars, thousands and thousands of horses were needed and thousands and thousands were killed or suffered horrific injuries on the battlefields.
Who cared for their injuries? What happened to them when they were lucky enough to be sent back home with those injuries? Someone had to see to them.
I decided that person would be Lula who had suffered an attack and has been left with both physical and mental scars. She has panic attacks and tries to hide the scars on her hand and forehead. Because of this, she thinks her chance of finding a husband is not in her future so she sets off seeking employment as a veterinary practitioner. This is her story and the story of a man who also has horrific scars from past battles. He has made his family’s castle a haven for injured soldiers and the loyal horses that were injured as well. Together Lula and the man named War will find their own scars healed as well as a love found only once in a lifetime- with each other.
4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Oh yes!
5–What are three words that describe your hero?
Caring, brave- even though she has panic attacks, highly intelligent. A woman ahead of her time!
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
During the Regency, women could take college courses but not receive that degree even though they may pass the exams. The number of horses needed in the wars was astounding. The injuries incurred is disturbing and so sad because most that were injured never actually came home. In this book, they do, however.
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I write every day, all day! The next day I begin by editing what I wrote the day before, and then continue writing.
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Dark chocolate with molasses caramel filling! Yummm
9–Describe your writing space/office!
I have a twelve-foot-long dining table made out of old beams from a cottage that was on the farm. I have taken over the entire table with pages of research and outlines of the current story I am writing with character lists and their descriptions and idiosyncrasies. I can also look out on the horses in their pastures when I need a break to think through a scene.
10–Who is an author you admire?
Elizabeth Lowell- she creates amazing images and incredibly romantic stories in multiple genres
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
ONLY HIS by Elizabeth Lowell. It showed me you can write romance and include horses!
12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)
I tried and tried to get published! I had been writing as a ghostwriter for years and put out several number 1 bestsellers as that author. I was paid only a very small flat fee per book and then watched the sales go through the roof and a huge increase in followers for my stories. As a single mom with four growing boys, I needed to earn more. I needed to get away from ghostwriting! I finally told the publisher I was trying to get signed with my ghostwriter’s name. She knew who ‘I’ was and knew my books! The acceptance was immediate!
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
That’s hard. Probably Medieval Historical Romance- gotta love a handsome knight on a gorgeous horse, and then there is the castle! I also LOVE Scottish Historical Romance and Western Historical Romance. My family is Scottish. I also lived in Colorado for many, many years which gave me a love for the history of the West.
14–What’s your favorite movie?
Far too many to narrow it down!
15–What is your favorite season?
Fall! I love the colors and the smells!
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I love it when my four sons come home and we have a family dinner and some cake. They are all grown up and off on their own now and I miss them! I also have a grandson and daughter-in-law! The best birthday present is to have them all back home!
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Bridgerton is fun! I totally loved Frankie and Grace. Those two older, newly divorced ladies made me laugh out loud and got me through a terrible time in my life. Ted Lasso is wonderful. We all need a Ted Lasso in our life. He is determined to find positivity in every situation and everyone!
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Italian! But I am pretty meat and potatoes most of the time.
19–What do you do when you have free time?
Ride horses and teach riding lessons
20–What can readers expect from you next?
THOROUGHLY CAPTIVATED (which comes out April 15th) is the third in the Aldbey Park series. It is preceded by THOROUGHLY IN LOVE, and THOROUGHLY BESOTTED. THOROUGHLY SEDUCED is the last in the series, which I am writing now. I will also be writing a short story for A DUKE IN WINTER. It is an anthology with several other Dragonblade authors coming out in late December. All the stories are based on one of Shakespeare’s plays but with a HEA. I think it will be fun!
THOROUGHLY CAPTIVATED by Chantry Dawes
A man and a woman with scars from their past find love and a future together.
London 1812
Graestone Castle has become a place of refuge and recovery for men who fought for their king. Coming home to Graestone does not mean refuge for the Baron of Graestone, however. He is a man otherwise known as Captain War.
War is riddled with guilt from the loss of men and artillery horses who served under him, as well as a terrible family secret.
He can rebuild the decaying Graestone Castle. He can help the wounded men find a purpose in life after battle, but War realizes he must have help for the injured horses.
Sometimes you are so busy saving others, you don’t realize that you need saving as well.
Miss Lula Darley of Aldbey Park is an unusual young lady. Out of necessity due to the wars, she has been the veterinary practitioner for her family’s horses at her home of Aldbey Park.
Lula has scars physical and mental left from an attack in Hyde Park after a night at a ball. Though her memory of the night is not clear, it has left her with anxiety and panic. With the scars on her hand and forehead, she believes marriage is not possible for her. With recommendations in hand, she pursues a position as an animal practitioner at Graestone Castle.
War does not want Lula in his castle of injured men and horses. She irritatingly faints at the sight of him and manages to rile him like no other. However, he has no choice but to let her stay as a winter storm descends on Graestone.
Lula works hard to help the injured horses while she is snowed in at the dour castle. At the same time, she realizes that War holds a terrible secret for she hears the faint sound of weeping daily and finds out there has been a murder at Graestone.
She is determined to find out more because she is falling in love with War and it is he that is accused of the murder.
The gruff baron vows that he has no love to give to anyone, even though he cannot resist kissing Lula.
Lula will help the horses, but she will also bring life, love, and healing from hurts past and present back to all at Graestone Castle, including the man named War.
Romance Historical [Dragonblade Publishing, Inc, On Sale: April 15, 2022, e-Book, / ]
Buy THOROUGHLY CAPTIVATED: Kindle | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Chantry Dawes
Chantry Dawes lives on her horse farm in the south east where she raised her four sons and wrote historical romance in her spare time. She has two dogs, a cat and several horses. Once her four boys were grown up and gone, she turned to writing full time.
Chantry’s stories always have strong women, oftentimes a horse or two, and men who very often think they are coming to their ladies’ rescue, only to find out that it was themselves who were blissfully rescued by their lady. A self proclaimed history nerd, she is fascinated by the massive part that horses have played all throughout history. She believes that no tale is complete without that sigh worthy hero who comes riding up to his lady on an equally swoon worthy horse.
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