"The Interview" - Andrea Zuvich.

Today for “The Interview” I have the lovely Andrea Zuvich talking about her novel

The Stuart Vampire.



Andrea Zuvich is a historian specialising in the Late Stuarts of the 17th-century and is the creator and writer of the popular Early Modern history website, The Seventeenth Century Lady. Andrea was born in Philadelphia to Chilean immigrant parents, and later educated in History and Anthropology at both the University of Central Florida and Oxford University. A member of London Historians, the Historical Writers Association, and the Historical Novel Society, she has been independently researching the 1600s since 2008.A UK resident, Zuvich is a leader on and one of the original developers of The Garden History Tours at Kensington Palace, Historic Royal Palaces. She has been interviewed by NTR (Netherlands), BBC (UK) and others about the Stuarts and has written for The Huffington Post UK.

The Interview:

(1) What actually inspired the writing of your novel(s)?


I have always been interested in gothic novels. I really enjoyed Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, and The Monk by Matthew Lewis. Dark tales, and stories that combine both the wicked aspects of humanity and those of supernatural folklore intrigue me. When I wrote my first novel, His Last Mistress: The Duke of Monmouth and Lady Henrietta Wentworth, I focused on the doomed love affair between the two main characters, who once actually existed. In The Stuart Vampire, I have the first chapter start off as a standard historical/biographical fiction novel but then more fiction and the horror elements begin to take over.


(2) Alpha or beta hero –profession/title/rank?– brief description!


Our main (anti)hero is Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester, who contracts smallpox when he's twenty years old. Instead of dying, a vampiress (who has been obsessed with him from afar) turns him into a vampire and brings him into a world of death and darkness – a world he despises. He does some pretty horrific things, but there is the light of goodness still in his heart. He is plagued by a conscience and this is something the transformation into vampirism was supposed to have destroyed. I became interested in the real Henry Stuart after seeing his portrait – his whole face seemed most vampire-like –and that just made me imagine a storyline with him as the protagonist.


(3) Can you describe your heroine’s personality- title/rank?– description!


The heroine is a long-suffering young woman named Susanna Edmonds. She lives in Coffin’s Bishop, which is a severely inbred town, and her life is a series of horrors – rape, bullying, servitude, and more – and that’s before she becomes acquainted with horrors of the supernatural world! In spite of the numerous hardships she has faced, Susanna is not a bitter, angry woman, but sweet and hard-working, and Henry acknowledges this and respects her for it. Susanna does, however, undergo a major character change and she finds the strength to avenge certain wrongs.


(4) Are there secondary lead characters with important roles?


The secondary (lead) is the antagonist, Griselda di Cuorenero, an Italian countess who is exceedingly beautiful. Her extreme vanity leads her into the arms of the Devil – and she pretty much becomes the Devil’s groupie. She’s besotted by his power, but she still has a strong need to be loved and desired by a man. First, there was Adolphe de la Fontaine, a man who couldn’t accept the creature she was and paid dearly for it. She’s a very interesting character because she is a combination of madness, of obsession about things most of us consider superficial, and she loves evil. I pity her a bit because all of her life she was taught that she was beautiful and so she treated everyone like dirt. She simply doesn’t understand that beauty really is only skin deep. And in her case, she’s rotten on the inside.


(5) Where is the novel (s) set? – time-frame – country etc.


The story takes place in several times and countries. It begins in the Victorian period, goes back to the 1650s, then further back to the 1400s, back to the 17th-century, then to the 16th-century, 17th-century, and back to the 19th-century. Readers go from England to France, to Constantinople.


(6) What is it about your chosen era/periods that you most enjoy?


I absolutely love the 17th-century because it had everything – the political landscape is fascinating, the historical figures from this time are vibrant, and the moral pendulum swung this way and that. I felt quite happy, however, to have been able to write in other time periods for once – I quite like the gas-lit streets of Victorian London and the coastal palace in Italy during the Renaissance. Let’s just say I had a LOT of fun writing this!


(7) Which if any of your characters do you dislike, and why?


The whole town is dislikeable! That being said, both Belinda and her brother, Peter (who is just a thug) are the worst. Both these characters make Susanna’s life quite miserable. But they might just get their just desserts. I don’t like people who are cruel or aggressive and both of these characters exhibit both.


(8) Do you avoid sex scenes, gross violence or other in your works?


No. In fact, there are some very violent scenes, but I tried not to make any of the scenes gratuitous. They are there for a reason – each and every one of them. There are massacres, a rape scene, a disturbing witch trial and hanging – so it is not for children!


(9) How would you rate your novel – historical fiction, romantic fiction, tear-jerker, emotional drama, swashbuckling adventure, or...?


This is a historical horror with a touch of romance. It begins as a normal historical fiction, and then the supernatural elements come in.

 

Back cover blurb:


Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester, is the youngest brother of King Charles II and James, Duke of York. A handsome, good man, his life ends in 1660 with smallpox...or does it? Obsessed with Henry, Contessa Griselda di Cuorenero - one of the Devil's concubines - turns him into a vampire and plunges him into the world of night. Pacts with the Devil, massacres, plague, fire, witch trials, and the love of a lonely outcast from the sleepy village of Coffin's Bishop have an irrevocable impact on the young vampire. Henry must choose between his humanity and his monstrous, insatiable desire for human blood. From the author of "His Last Mistress," The Stuart Vampire is a dark gothic tale incorporating the real horrors of mankind in the Early Modern period, natural disaster, and the supernatural world.

Amazon:
Author web site/blog url(s). Andrea's Website
Goodreads:

Pinterest:

Facebook:

Thank you to Francine for this interview!

You're welcome, Andrea.

My Review of Andrea's novel: The Stuart Vampire.

With the restoration of Charles II to the throne of England (1660). there is much rejoicing within the royal court. Nonetheless, the seeming Stuart Curse is once again set to bring more heartache to the royal household, for while the opulence and profligacy of the royal court, (as history dictates) is yet to manifest in full splendour, death is already stalking through the royal apartments. Needless to say, a royal death is the catalyst to The Stuart Vampire. Thus this novel, although well-researched and historically correct, fantasy soon begins to creep centre stage when a wraithlike creature enters the room of a sick prince. The reader is then thrust into the realm of the un-dead, an overall existence that can lead to purgatory and a tortured soul, or to that of love with a tempting beautiful vampire. Beauty, though, is often merely skin deep, and eventually forbidden love brings the tortured soul from the darkness of entrapment, a love that knows no bounds and crosses the great divide.

Cast disbelief aside, go with the flow of this novel, and enjoy the dark side!

The Interview - Doug Boren

Today I have the author, Doug Boren, talking about his array of swashbuckling tomes: "The Alexander Family Chronicles"

 

Pirates Revenge, Patriot’s Point, Beyond the Horizons, and

The Final Voyage of the Sea Explorer.

 

 

 

 Douglas Boren has lived a full and exciting life. A retired Physician Assistant, he has lived from Alaska to Florida, from New York to New Mexico, and many places in between. An avid Master scuba diver, he divides his time between the Caribbean and his home in North Carolina. He has always had a profound fondness for history, believing that rather than just a series of dates and events, it is a living record of real people, much like ourselves, how they live, and their impact on those around them and their role in the unfolding story of life.

Towards that end, his writings have focused on a particular family through the generations. He informally calls them the Alexander Family Chronicles. From 1600's England, to 1700's Caribbean, to the American Revolution, to the American Civil War, right on up to present day, you can follow the exploits of these remarkable men and women as they face their unique challenges and overcome incredible odds.

 

Questions:

 

(1) What actually inspired the writing of your novel(s)?

 

Ever since I was a teenager, I have loved reading.   Over the course of time, I felt like, “Gosh, I know I can writer as good as that… maybe better.”  So I have always dreamed of writing. One day about 14 years ago, I was brainstorming about what kind of scenario would make a good basis for a book.  I finally came upon the idea of an isolated individual beset by hostiles.  This could mean almost anything, but it eventually became a section of my first book, Beyond the Horizons.This is set in the American Civil War, and shortly thereafter, and I knew that historical fiction was the genre for me. My next book saw more of the Alexander family, so I determined to write about a different generation of that family.  To follow the adventures, the trials and tribulations of these remarkable people in remarkable times.

 

(2) Alpha or beta hero –profession/title/rank?– brief description!

 

My main characters are very much the alpha hero, but there is a very generous addition of many secondary characters who are in supporting roles, who are of various types.  And they all come to be admired, even loved by the reader.

 

(3) Can you describe your heroine’s personality- title/rank?– description!

 

Most of the female characters are somewhat proper, maybe even a bit naïve, at least at first.  They all have an incredibly good heart that easily sets them apart from their peers.  But one female character was definitely nor of that ilk.  The Black Widow was the Queen of a pirate nation, and she is as ruthless and daring as any man… maybe more so.

 

(4) Are there secondary lead characters with important roles?

 

The incredible bond of friendship between the main character and the secondary ones is a hallmark of my stories.  There is loyalty, and even love shared, and the reader comes to care as much for them as they do the main character.

 

(5) Where is the novel (s) set? – time-frame – country etc.

 

Pirates Revenge begins in England in 1700, and progresses to the Caribbean for the next three decades.  Patriot’s Point is set during the American Revolution in North Carolina.  Beyond the Horizons takes places during the America Civil War in New Mexico, and after the war, in Arizona, during the Apache wars, during the 1870’s.  The Final Voyage of the “Sea Explorer,is set in the present day, in the Bahamas.

 

(6) What is it about your chosen era/periods that you most enjoy?

 

I love history.  I always have.  I like to make history come alive in the imagination of the reader so they can be educated and see how people lived and struggled in times not their own, but in reality dealing with many of the same problems and emotions that we do today.

 

(7) Which if any of your characters do you dislike, and why?

 

I have written about some pretty despicable characters.  Two in particular stand out.  In Pirates Revenge, Ramirez is evil personified.  He is vile, sadistic, ruthless, and cunning and you come to really hate him for all the terrible things he does.

 

In Beyond the Horizons, a renegade Apache named Chactoke slaughters countless people wantonly, and tortures them with a vile sense of religious fervour.  You can’t wait for him to be killed… or can you?

 

(8) Do you avoid sex scenes, gross violence or other in your works?

 

I usually include one or two erotic scenes, if I think they will advance the story, and edify the characters to the reader to the point of identification.  I take great pains to make them tasteful, not pornographic.

Gross violence is certainly something I embrace. I write about some very rough and terrifying times, places and people.  To avoid the real essence of that and water it down would be a disservice to the reader.  There is something to be said for “shock value”.

 

(9) How would you rate your novel – historical fiction, romantic fiction, tear-jerker, emotional drama, swashbuckling adventure, or...?

 

The overall genre is historical Fiction. 

However, one could safely say they are also action/adventure, thrillers, and often have elements of a real tear jerker.  Every time I read Patriot’s Point I am brought to tears, and heck, I wrote the darn thing.

 

 

 

  Back cover blurb:

 

Imagine a fatherless boy, the result of a brutal rape, growing up in London’s worst slum in the 1700’s.  Think of him becoming a man of the sea, knowing nothing but the company of pirates, as he becomes the consort of the Black Widow, queen of the largest pirate fleet the world has ever known. As the need for vengeance nearly consumes him, will he be destroyed or will he find salvation from the most unlikely of sources?  This is Rafe Alexander!

 

And what of a young man growing up on the eve of a new nation, who is willing to give his life for his beloved country, the United States of America?  Deeply embedded in him are the

principles of liberty, freedom, justice, and equality.  He wants nothing more than to live in a free country with his beloved family, but will the forces that guide his life let him?  Meet Trey Alexander!

 

The descendants of these men navigate their way through turbulent times, reaching a climax in the American Civil War.And even after surviving the horrors of that conflict a certain young man must survive the most vile and terrible foe of all as he tries to live with his beloved in the Arizona Apache Wars.   This man cheats death in more ways than can be imagined.You will marvel at Mace Alexander!

 

And finally, what of the young man, just barely past being a boy, caught up in the treacherous

currents of intrigue in the crystal clear waters of the Bahamas?Naïve to the forces that are bearing down on him, the past of his ancestors catches up to him. He is driven to honour them, if he can survive.  This is Josh Alexander!

 

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Alexanders. Remarkable people in remarkable times.

Douglas’ profile page at Amazon where you can view all his listed books.

Amazon

 

Author website: www.dougboren.com

 

Thank you, Francine, for the opportunity to be interviewed by you.

 

Douglas Boren

 

-------

Thank you.

Today I have Heather King revealing aspects to do with her historical romance novel,

 

“A Sense of the Ridiculous”.

 

 

 

 

 

Heather prefers to remain anonymous!

 

From the age of about seven, when I won a third prize from Cadbury’s for a short story I had written at school, I was hooked on writing and stories. I was a dreamer and could go off into a make-believe world for hours, but I also loved art, reading and animals. For a long time writing was just another leisure activity, particularly during my teenage years. I worked in various jobs before getting the chance to train in a professional yard and pursue my dream of a career with horses. For all I swore never to be a teacher, I love training and schooling!

 

Family commitments brought about a move from the north to Worcestershire, where I now share my lovely home with various life-forms, including two ponies, three cats and a boisterous new addition in the shape of a rescued ‘Staffie X’. I like to write warm, humorous romances, mostly in the Regency and Paranormal genres. I love Georgette Heyer’s Regency novels and whilst writing in my own voice, my aim is to follow (albeit with tiny steps) in her magnificent wake. I have just completed a shape shifter novel and am currently polishing a collection of Vampire Romance short stories ready for publication. A Sense of the Ridiculous is my debut Regency novel, but I have others at various stages of completion as well asmy second work, An Improper Marriage,due to be published sometime this summer.

 

When I’m not looking after the family or frowning over notepad or keyboard, I can be found walking my dog, fighting a losing battle against weeds and lawn, reading or baking chocolate and banana cake.

 

 

 

“The Interview”

 

 

 

(1) What actually inspired the writing of your novel(s)?

 

A love of the Regency and the Yorkshire countryside, coupled with enforced time off due to the Foot and Mouth crisis gave me the background and opportunity. Then, whenmucking out one morning, my pony charged across the field andI started to wonderwhat might happen if my heroine’s horse bolted and she found herself in unfamiliar country.

 

(2) Alpha or beta hero –profession/title/rank?– brief description!

 

 

Richard is definitely an alpha hero, yet he has beta characteristics too. He is an innkeeper, but unbeknownst to him at the start of the novel, he has more exalted connections. Aged 27, he is a handsome and personable man, with brown wavy hair and thoughtful blue-grey eyes. He likes a woman to know her own mind!

 

(3) Can you describe your heroine’s personality- title/rank?– description!

 

 Having lost her mother when still a child, Jocasta (20) has had an unconventional upbringing under the casual guidance of her father, bluff country squire Sir Thomas Stanyon. She has run semi-wild with her brother and his friends for much of her life. She loves dogs and horses and is an excellent rider, but is sometimes impetuous, which leads her into scrapes. She tries hard to be good, but is a little impatient of some the restrictions now imposed on her. She is also frustrated by the dull men in the locality, one of whom her father favours as a suitor.

 

(4) Are there secondary lead characters with important roles?

 

 Yes. It is partly because of heraunt, the Countess of Harford, that Jocasta finds herself lost. Harry, her brother, is instrumental in her separation from Richard. Richard’s mother, Meg Cowley, also has an important part to play, as her actions affect the final outcome.

 

 (5) Where is the novel (s) set? – time-frame – country etc.

 

 Regency England, autumn 1817; specifically the countryside around York (Yorkshire), although some action takes place on the road to London and in the capital itself. The novel covers a period of several weeks, with an epilogue set about three years later.

 (6) What is it about your chosen era/periods that you most enjoy?

 

I love the style, elegance and courtesy of the Regency era (as well as men in neckcloths, breeches and top boots!) I also like the quieter pace of life then. Although I sometimes think I should have been born in an earlier age, I like my mod cons too much!

 

(7) Which if any of your characters do you dislike, and why?

 

I wouldn’t say I dislike him as such, but Harry is annoying because he is selfish and thoughtless. He isn’t deliberately unkind; he just sees the world purely from his own perspective.

 

 (8) Do you avoid sex scenes, gross violence or other in your works?

 

In my Regency novels, while I touch on sensual feelings, I do not have sex scenes unless the characters are married and even then with no graphic detail. It is more emotional. In a contemporary novel, I have no problem with including a love scene if it is pertinent to the story and the characters are in love, but I prefer to leave much to the reader’s imagination.

 

 (9) How would you rate your novel – historical fiction, romantic fiction, tear-jerker, emotional drama, swashbuckling adventure, or…?

 

A Sense of the Ridiculous is romantic historical fiction; a light-hearted romp in the best tradition of the Regency genre, which I hope leaves readers with a smile on their faces!

 

 

 

Back cover blurb:

 When a prank goes wrong, headstrong squire’s daughter Jocasta Stanyon wakes up in the bedchamber of an inn with no memory of who she is. The inn is owned by widow Meg Cowley and her handsome son, Richard, who proves to be more than a match for the unconventional Miss Stanyon. Initial attraction leads, through various scrapes and indiscretions, to love, but their stations in life are far removed from each other and fate tears them apart with a cruel hand. Forbidden by her father to have any contact with Richard for six months, Jocasta is horrified when she is then summoned to receive the addresses of a fashionable stranger..

 

Heather’s author blog  http://regencywriter-hking.blogspot.co.uk

 

http://creative-babble-writing@blogspot.co.uk

(Creative Babble ~ The Online Writing Workshop)

 

Thank you.

"The Interview" - Angela Christina Archer.

Today I have the lovely Angela Christina Archer talking about her historical novel

 "The Woman on the Painted Horse".



Living in a small town in Oklahoma with my husband and two daughters, I spend my days enjoying the outdoors with my family and chasing around two horses, four goats, six chickens, a dog, and two cats. I live life on a farm, milking goats, collecting eggs, and cooking and baking from scratch. It's hectic, at times, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

Growing up, I always wanted to write a novel. I never believed I could, though, so every time the desire flickered, I shoved the thought from my mind. Burying it deep down and ignoring it until one morning I awoke with the determination to finally follow my dream. 

"The Interview"

(1) What actually inspired the writing of your novel(s)?


Honestly, I have no clue. When I started toying with the idea of writing (something I had always wanted to do, but never thought I could), I knew I wanted a story with William and Alexandra, I just didn't know what their story would be until I started my research. 


(2) Alpha or beta hero – profession/title/rank?– brief description!


William is definitely an alpha hero, but in a very lovable way. I tried to give him a few flaws because perfect can be boring, which he is not, but he doesn't have so many that he wouldn't be loved. Protective, driven, down to earth, he knows what he wants and will fight for it. 


(3) Can you describe your heroine’s personality- title/rank?– description!



Alexandra can annoy a little, and yet draw you into her world all at the same time. She is every bit a young lady, but also a seventeen year old who has moments of weakness followed by moments of an inner most strength that gives her a poetic beauty, blending softness and harshness all at the same time.


(4) Are there secondary lead characters with important roles?



While most authors would probably tend to say their lead characters are their favourite characters, I have to admit that mine is John, Alexandra's brother. When I first wrote him, he was mean, arrogant, and I fought with him daily. I didn't like him and he didn't work well at all. When I finally had the light bulb moment to change him into a kind and caring person, he flourished, and he lights up every scene he is in.


(5) Where is the novel (s) set? – time-frame – country etc.



Montgomery, Alabama in 1861.



(6) What is it about your chosen era/periods that you most enjoy?



I've always loved the Civil War era. I don't know why, I just have. Although, I will say in writing in other time periods, I have discovered other eras I equally love. I just love history and diving into research is probably my favourite part of the process.



(7) Which if any of your characters do you dislike, and why?



I wouldn't say that I dislike any of my characters, but I would say there are a few I really don't know very well. Although, I developed each one as I should, I never spent a lot of time with Alexandra's parents.



(8) Do you avoid sex scenes, gross violence or other in your works?



I would love to say I avoid sex scenes since I can't stand writing them, but it's a romance, so I had to have a few in the novel. They are not explicit, though, very behind closed doors. I don't have much violence in the novel, either, however, dealing with slavery, I did have a few scenes that I've been told were hard to read. Not because of the details I wrote, but because of the realness in the issue at the core. 



(9) How would you rate your novel – historical fiction, romantic fiction, tear-jerker, emotional drama, swashbuckling adventure, or...?



Historical Romance. I think one of my reviews says it all. "Debut author, Angela Christina Archer, took me back to a genteel age which is now an all-but-forgotten era, Southern life in the mid 1800's and the build up to the War Between the States. I was vested in the story early on, and the author's voice kept me turning the pages to find out what happened next. I especially love how this author handled major issues of that time (which are still issues in today's world) of slave runners, mixed racial relationships, and how those Southern attitudes and traditions throttled so many--yet, they persevered." 

 

 

Back cover blurb:


Alexandra Monroe is a slave smuggler, smuggling slaves north to Tennessee where they can live as free people. Her crime is sedition and her punishment, if caught, is death. The daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Montgomery, Alexandra lives a life not by her own accord, but a life she willingly accepts for her secret quest to save the lives of slaves. Her ultimate sacrifice is to marry the town's most eligible bachelor, Thomas Ludlow.

One afternoon, Alexandra comes face to face with handsome William Graysden. He captivates her, and her thoughts confuse her. Born a Creek Indian, not only is William forbidden because of his race, but also because Alexandra is a closely betrothed young woman. William and Alexandra fascinate one another, finding in each other a bond they don't wish to ignore. After a series of events; however, William is forced to face the choice to continue the dangerous pursuit of Alexandra's affections or forget about her.

THE WOMAN ON THE PAINTED HORSE weaves through the social disparity in Deep South 1861—a time where blackmail, money, and greed could be more powerful than love.

Author web site/blog/s.

 

Angela Com   Angela Wordpress

Thank you.

The Interview - C.W.Lovatt on his hero and The Siege of Louisburg.

Today I have historical novelist C.W.Lovatt,  author of the best selling novel "The Adventures of Charlie Smithers", and co-author of the noir collection, "Wild Wolf's Twisted Tails". Josiah Stubb is his latest book, as revealed from within the interview chair.

C.W. Lovatt lives in Canada, and is the self-appointed Writer-in-Residence of Carroll, Manitoba (population +/- 20.)

“The Interview”

(1) What actually inspired the writing of your novel(s)?

After I’d finished writing The Adventures of Charlie Smithers, followed by a handful of short stories, I felt ready to tackle another novel. By now I’d been sending Charlie Smithers around the circuit of publishing houses, and was receiving replies along the lines of “Loved your story, but unfortunately we don’t publish historical fiction,” which was very enlightening, as well as very frustrating. Naive fellow that I am, I’d always thought that, if a book was good, it would be published. Not necessarily so. The message I was receiving was that they acknowledged that I could write very well, but they couldn’t publish because of the genre. Therefore I resolved that my next novel would steer well clear of historical fiction…and ended up writing a pretty darn good story based on the Siege of Louisbourg of 1758, which is about as historical as you can get. Why? The period has always interested me, as well as the siege.

 

 

Bottom line: if you want to grab a reader’s interest for any length of time, make sure that the subject you choose is one that will grab your own interest. Otherwise both of you will be bored to tears.

(2) Alpha or beta hero –profession/title/rank?– brief description!

I think that Josiah is a bit of both. While possessed with the makings of a dyed-in-the-wool type of hero (courage, good looks, et al) his beginnings were of the most humble imaginable. His mother is a prostitute, and by way of incest, led him along a similar path. Much of the story deals with Josiah’s struggle to break free of that degenerate cycle.

(3) Can you describe your heroine’s personality- title/rank?– description?

In many ways Elizabeth is the opposite of Josiah. Born with all of the advantages that were denied him, she has the will, and the courage, to attempt to bridge the yawning social gap between them.

(4) Are there secondary lead characters with important roles?

Oh yes. Isabelle Dawe is essential to the story, as well as Captain Beaumont. Both must be dealt with before Josiah can overcome his past.

(5) Where is the novel (s) set? – timeframe – country etc.

The second siege of Louisbourg in 1758, during The Seven Years War, in what is now part of Nova Scotia, Canada.

(6) What is it about your chosen era/periods that you most enjoy?

The Seven Years War had a lasting impact that is still felt today.
I’m fascinated with the struggle between Britain and France for control of what is now my country. Also, my American friends might take note, without it their revolution might never have happened.

(7) Which if any of your characters do you dislike, and why?

Although it’s never referred to specifically in the book, it is noticeable from her speech that Isabelle Dawe was of common origins, who gained social status through marriage, yet begrudged the same advancement to anyone else, specifically Josiah. Once her own position was secure, she was prepared to go to any lengths to keep her heel on the necks of the downtrodden, to make certain that they remained in the gutter.

(8) Do you avoid sex scenes, gross violence or other in your works?

I certainly don’t avoid such scenes, but I do try to contain them. For example, Josiah Stubb isn’t all about sex, nor is it entirely about violence, but they do form a significant part of the story. Therefore they need to fit within those confines, without taking away from anything else.

(9) How would you rate your novel – historical fiction, romantic fiction, tear-jerker, emotional drama, swashbuckling adventure, or...?

As much as I hate labelling a story, I’ve always considered Josiah Stubb to be historical fiction. However, to a greater or lesser degree, there are elements of everything else you’ve listed.

 

 

 





Back cover blurb:

 

 

It is 1758 and The Seven Years War is raging. The military might of the British and French empires collide in a desperate bid to control the key strategic Fortress of Louisbourg and, in turn, Quebec and French-held North America.

 

 

One man caught amidst the bloodshed is the young grenadier, Josiah Stubb. Raised by a whore amidst poverty and incest, Josiah seemed doomed from birth to a life in the gutter. His attempt to leave his sordid past behind leads him to Louisbourg, but it comes back to haunt him in the form of a gifted officer, battling his own inner demons.

 

 

As the siege blazes towards its inevitable bloody climax, will Josiah live to overcome the formidable obstacles that keep him chained to his past, or will his aspirations for a better life die with him on the brooding shores of Ile Royale?

Author web site/blog

 

Amazon UK    Amazon US

Thank you.