Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Make Welcome Time Travel Mistress, Beth Trissel

Beth has more than proven her merit when it comes to writing sensual, tantalizing, and breathtaking romance! Her time travels speak to the heart. Now listen up as Beth speaks to us.


“Man ... can go up against gravitation in a balloon, and why should he not hope that ultimately he may be able to stop or accelerate his drift along the Time-Dimension, or even turn about and travel the other way.” ~H.G. Wells, The Time Machine.

Thanks Faith for having me as a guest on your lovely blog.  I’m here to share my love of time travel.  As an historical romance author all of my stories are time travels in a sense, but I first incorporated actual visits to the past in the form of flashbacks to early 19th century Virginia in my murder mystery/ghost story romance, Somewhere My Love. Following that, my ultimate challenge was to set a time travel romance in Scotland.

Slight problem, and one that held me back for years, I’ve never actually been there, though many of my family have and told me all about its grandeur and charm.  I’ve read, heard, and seen many descriptions of Scotland.  Being a history buff I’ve read up on and watched numerous programs set in the British Isles.


I’m a British junkie, an anglophile, while equally preoccupied with early America.  But then America and Great Britain are both tied together and were especially linked in the colonial time period.  Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley where I live and my family has lived for several hundred years resembles Scotland and Ireland and is partly why so many Scots/Irish settled here in the 18th century.  So that gave me an ‘in.’

Until Somewhere My Lass, I’d set all my stories in America, past and present. This departure to Scotland was a challenge, but I drew deeply on my English/Scots-Irish roots, as I’ve been doing all along. Apart from the prominent Native American characters in my work (Through the Fire, Red Bird’s Song, and Daughter of the Wind) the others are English/Scots-Irish with a smidgen of French.  My ancestors have a smidgen of French in the meld—a Norman knight who sailed and fought with William the Conqueror. 

But I digress.  A little more about the inspiration behind light paranormal romance SOMEWHERE MY LASS.  As is often the case, the opening of this book was inspired by a dream, as was my recently completed light paranormal/time travel romance, Somewhere The Bells Ring. These vivid dreams grab my attention and make me wonder where in the world I go from here.  Inquiring minds like mine want to know the rest of the story, so I delve, plot, and lie awake nights trying to recapture the dream to see where it leads.  Oh, and I finally dreamed the opening to the much pondered sequel to Somewhere My Lass so maybe I’ll make progress and Fergus shall have his story.

Ultimately though, Somewhere My Lass, and my other works for that matter, evolve from lengthy research, in this case into my Scottish roots. Not only those hardy souls who journeyed to the New World via Ireland, but also those who came directly from Scotland as early as the 17th century.  Along with my rich ancestry is a long-held absorption with the idea of actually being transported to the past, with a proviso that I can return to the present whenever the thrill wears off, of course.  Say, by tea time. My characters are far more adventurous than I. I’d be fortunate to survive a week back then.

Doubtless, I’ve been influenced by my beloved C S Lewis in his Chronicles of Narnia that I grew up reading. I’m still looking for Narnia. Isn’t everyone? And movies like Back to the Future, Timeline, The Time Traveler’s Wife And countless other films and books, but I like to think I’ve achieved an original take on the oft visited time travel theme.

Certainly, my love for old castles and the Scottish Highlands also lent inspiration.  The concept behind my SOMEWHERE series is that the story opens in modern-day, so far my home state of Virginia and I don’t see that changing, and then transports the reader SOMEWHERE else–either back to an earlier time in the same house, as in SOMEWHERE MY LOVE, or another place altogether, as in SOMEWHERE MY LASS.  Sounds simple enough, right? But writing these stories isn’t. And then there are the questions that haunt me.  Did I get the setting right?  Only those of you who dwell in that beautiful land or have visited Scotland can say.

Blurb for Somewhere My Lass:
Neil MacKenzie’s well ordered life turns to chaos when Mora Campbell shows up claiming he’s her fiancĂ© from 1602 Scotland. Her avowal that she was chased to the future by clan chieftain, Red MacDonald, is utter nonsense, and Neil must convince her that she is just addled from a blow to her head–or so he believes until the MacDonald himself shows up wanting blood. Mora knows the Neil of the future is truly her beloved Niall who disappeared from the past. Although her kinsmen believe he’s dead, and she is now destined to marry Niall’s brother, she’s convinced that if she and Neil return to the past, all will be right.
The only problem is how to get back to 1602 before it’s too late. The balance of the present and future are in peril if she marries another, and the Neil of the present will cease to exist. An ancient relic and a few good friends in the future help pave the way back to the past, but will Mora and Neil be too late to save a love that began centuries before?~

SOMEWHERE MY LASS is available in digital download at The Wild Rose Press , AmazonKindle, Barnes & Noble’s Nook book, and other online booksellers.

*SOMEWHERE MY LASS and SOMEWHERE MY LOVE were both featured on Barbara Vey’s blog at Publisher’s Weekly. Separate occasions.

Mark Your Calendars! Beth Trissel will be here on the 24th. Check out...

her time travel series and find out what this awesome author has been up to!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

LA HERE WE COME!


Hi everyone, it is so hard to believe the Romantic Times Booklovers convention will be here in a couple of short weeks, give or take a day or two.  I'm not quite ready yet, but getting there!

I want to invite everyone to the workshop I'm giving on Wednesday April 6th at 2:15-3:15 entitled 
"What Women Want."

Our distinguished panelists will be:

Editors:
Megan Records from Kensington Publishing
Frances Sevilla from  The Wild Rose Press

Romantic Times Book Reviews Senior Editor: Liz French

Reader: Stephanie Asay

Cover Model: Evan Scott 

And moi!

We will be discussing what women want in today’s world in their books. And will be asking readers what they want to see or not see in the romance industry when it comes to romance.

So put us on your agenda. I’ll look forward to seeing any who can make it on Wednesday April 6th at 2:15!

Hugs and keep reading!

Faith




















Friday, March 18, 2011

Please Welcome Back The Most Talented Sky Purington! And one lucky readerwill win an Ecopy of Heart of Vesuvius!

Thanks so much for having me back to your blog, Faith. Always great to visit! This ‘pop in’ I thought I’d share with you my latest release, Heart of Vesuvius and perhaps add a dash about its prequel, Darkest Memory.
Here’s the rundown on HEART OF VESUVIUS…
Two vampires…one goal.

Alexandria has no choice. She must flee to the last place she wants to. Straight into the arms of a vampire she was determined to forget. Salvator, ancient vampire, finds this a clever fix to obtaining the one vampire he’s always desired…Alexandria.

Together, they must find a way to evade her powerful enemy, Salvator’s brother Luciano. On the run, they struggle to understand one another. Deep, dark secrets are revealed. Denied passion ignites. Blood is spilled.

Within the heart of Vesuvius, anything is possible. All can be conquered. But will it be? Can wrongs be made right? History is the locked door. Forgiveness is the key. Time will tell if ancient love can once again flourish.

…This time, instead of diving into all the details behind why I wrote Heart of Vesuvius, I decided to slam out with a variety of one-on-one dialogue exchanges between my hero, Salvator and my heroine, Alexandria (AKA-Alex). What does that mean? Well, each segment will include something my hero said and how my heroine responded or vice versa. All excerpt bits are found somewhere in the first half of the story. I thought this might give you an idea of some of the memorable exchanges between these two dynamic characters.

The Honesty

Her eyes shot open. They stared at one another, lips within inches. How easy it would be to close the distance, lull her until she willingly gave all. But he could not, no more than he could two hundred years earlier. Unlike all his previous prey, he would not take advantage of her.

“I would never forgive you,” she whispered. 

The Anger

Alex swung around, back ramrod straight and walked to the hearth, before she turned his way once more. “You won’t incite me.”

“I already have…multiple times.”

The Question

She’d leveled out; all nervousness vanished with the rejuvenation of both her strength and will. Salvator took a slow appraisal of the slim, tight thigh sliding free from her dress. Both athletic and properly curvy, Alexandria dripped sensuality, stunning really. “My little sacrificial lamb. If only it were that simple.”

“You have always played games, Salvator. It is half of what makes you despicable. Is it not enough that we are what we are that those such as you must make us seem even more horrible?”

The Fire

“Kiss me,” he murmured, luring without meaning to. “Please.”

Her soft lips traveled up his neck, tasted, before they found his. He swore sometimes she made him feel a heart beat within his chest. Opening her lips with his, he explored. As before, her energy rushed into him more powerfully than the greatest strength of the oldest vampire. He skimmed his palms down her back, trailed his thumbs along her spine. She arched. He groaned.

Salvator left her lips, kissed her cheek, whispered in her ear. “Do not fear me.”

Her eyes slid shut, full lips parted. “I never feared you.”

Oh, but she had to have. He grabbed her backside, kneaded lightly. Never in his existence had he taken his time with another vampire. They had never been worth it. This one was. Salvator watched the way her head fell back, how her slender throat gleamed in the crimson light of the cave. Always, the scent of a mortal woman’s blood beneath the surface of her skin had aroused him like nothing else.

It turned out there existed another sort of scent, another type of throat he found more arousing.

Sky here. Hope you enjoyed crawling inside the minds of Salvator and Alex. To learn more about this story and how you can purchase, follow this link… http://www.thewildrosepress.com/heart-of-vesuvius-p-4351.html

What they’re saying… "...this haunting story about loves lost and found is certainly worth the read. The ominous climax of the story, where we learn the origin of the feud between the two brothers and the truth that lies at the heart of Salvatore's relationship with Alexandria, was beautifully, heartbreakingly written."

~The Romance Reviews

Interested in learning more about DARKEST MEMORY, Prequel to HEART OF VESUVIUS? Here’s a little taste…
Calah Arlington lands a career-making interview with billionaire club owner, Gabriel Knight. His dark looks and mysterious nature captivate her. However, looks can be deceiving. Now bizarre things are happening to her. She hears his seductive voice when he hasn't spoken. She's become forgetful and worries when she's unable to remember her own actions. Could the truth behind the strange occurrences be deadly?
Vampire, Gabriel Knight would have waited a thousand centuries for Calah Arlington to return. A stormy night brings her to him. He should've remained a secret - to protect her. Fate has other plans. Making contact under the pretension of an interview, he lures her to his estate to keep her safe from the enemy. However, he underestimates his dark desire for her. Now who will keep her safe from him?
Follow this link to purchase…
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/darkest-memory-p-3939.html?zenid=ca7c58f3f2756440c4e5a1af4f374fc3
I hope you enjoyed discovering more about my vamp tales. Be sure to visit my website (www.skypurington.com) to learn more about my Highlander novels and how you can join me on all the social networks. Drop me a note. I love to hear from readers!
Are you an author looking for free promotion? My blog, A Writer’s Mind (www.skypuringtonwrites.blogspot.com), is opening its doors to a whole new way of promoting in May. Follow this link to learn more…
http://campaigns.ratepoint.com/campaigns/823672a06ac6dc3a2809c7f37c6c3599?r=202c1f807706174a5b417e466d34ac36
Please Note: Promotional spots are filling up fast. If you have a late summer or autumn release, book it now!
Cheers,
~Sky