–from B. E. Gent’s Dictionary of the Canting Crew, c. 1699
“David” by Michelangelo
Picture by Jörg Bittner Unna – Own work. Via WikiMedia Commons
Somehow I think that is enough said. LOL At least I used a classic to illustrate the “whirligigs.”
A modern definition from Merriam-Webster is “one that continuously whirls, moves, or changes.”
Perhaps I can see a connection. 🙂
My third House of Pleasure book, Only A Mistress Will Do, releases next Tuesday on April 4! To get the word out, I’ve been running a Thunderclap campaign to help promote it on release day.
Just click the link below and you can sign up to send out a Facebook post and/or a Tweet to your followers and friends announcing Only A Mistress Will Do. Just the one message.
If you haven’t signed up already, would you please? I’d really appreciate it! And tweet and share this post as well because if I don’t reach 100 supporters by April 3rd, none of the messages will be sent. 😦 With Thunderclap it’s all or nothing. And I’m hoping it’s going to be all 100 messages going out on Tuesday.
Hello, and welcome to my new feature for 2017.
I’ve begun a Wednesday weekly post to present interviews with authors across all romance genres. Although I’m primarily an historical romance writer, I do read outside my genre and suspect a lot of you do as well. And what’s more fascinating than finding out more about either your favorite authors or new ones? I plan to change up my questions (most of them at least) every three months or so, just to keep the interviews lively.
So now gather round the tea table, grab a scone or cookies, and a cup of tea or coffee and discover a new friend in the writing world.
Last week there was a last minute snafu. I was in production and didn’t get Gina Danna’s post up in time. She’ll be my guest in May instead.
So, this week on Be My Guest, I am really jumping up and down to have Sheri Fredricks as my guest! She and I met through a shared loop and I’ve admired her work for a very long time, so I’m truly tickled pink to have her here with me today.
Author Bio:Always on the hunt for the uncommon things in life, award-winning author Sheri Fredricks thrives on creating romantic adventures.
A former engineering secretary, she lives on California’s beautiful central coast. “I wanted to move away from a profession of inflexible right angles and create an unboxed world with no boundaries.” A voracious reader since her early years, Sheri found her brain crowded with stories of her own. “Ultimately,” she says, “my husband encouraged me to write them all down.”
Winner of the Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer’s Choice Award, and a Finalist multiple times for InD’Tale eMagazine’s Reward Of Novel Excellence award (RONE), she has numerous five-star reviews everywhere eBooks are sold.
Sheri loves to spend time at home and connecting with readers. A computer hutch keeps her focused on creating stories, but the panoramic view of life on a ranch will call her outside to play in the sun.
Where to find Sheri:
Newsletter signup: http://eepurl.com/bFicIb
Website: www.sherifredricks.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Sheri_Fredricks
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/SheriFredricks
So without further ado, please meet Sheri Fredricks!
Who has been the greatest influence on your writing?
Different people have influenced my writing in different ways, it’d be impossible to name just one. So I’ll go with the one who prodded me to start writing in the first place: My husband. From the beginning, he absolutely cheered me on and has continued to do so.
Support at home is a major factor in a writing life.
Who or what inspires your writing?
The “What” inspires me. Rather, the what-if. For instance: What if Tarzan was a lonely, sexually frustrated man alone on an island of gorillas, and a woman suddenly shows up? Or this one: What if centaurs could shapeshift into humans? The ideas are endless!
Like Stanislavski’s Magic If!
Which of your own books is your favorite and why?
The first book I published holds a special place in my heart. Remedy Maker taught me many things, the first being perseverance.
If you could have one wish granted just for you (not world peace, LOL), what would you wish for?
Excellent health for my family until the day we leave this earth. What more could anyone wish for?
Indeed.
What is the most exciting/daredevil thing you’ve ever done?
Why do I feel like I’m in junior high playing Truth or Dare? Ha! I’ll combine the two.
A bazillion years ago I took a SCUBA class and in order to pass to the next level, we had to make a shallow dive of forty feet in open water (aka the ocean). To that point, my deepest dive had been ten feet—in a swimming pool.
The ocean’s surge to swim past the breakpoint was scary enough, and there were tons of seals due to a slow moving bait ball offshore. But I swam straight out about five feet underwater to the marker, then tipped my fins to the sky and swam down. When I touched sand, I glanced up and saw the lighter colored water at the surface. In between, fish and seals swam.
Mesmerized, I ended up laying on the bottom of the ocean, holding onto a stalk of bull kelp to keep me from being dragged away by the constant surge. Every once in a while I’d take the regulator out of my mouth and blow air rings, then watch seals chase the rising bubbles to the surface.
WOW! That sounds absolutely awesome! I used to SCUBA dive way back in the day and loved it. Never got to play with seals, though. This sounds way cool.
What is your biggest regret?
Not listening to my heart as a teenager. That’s really when I wanted to start writing.
Do you have any hobbies/passions outside of writing?
If I had time to peruse other hobbies, I would. My husband, a landscape contractor, has a home office which I run full-time. We have also have two teenage boys who are active in high school varsity sports. On top of it all, we’re partners in a sheep ranch. Obviously we needed “one more thing to do”, so my husband raises and trains border collies for livestock herding and competition. He’s a nine-time national qualifying competitor himself. Me…I just like to pet the pretty dogs and feed them! Currently, we have nine dogs in our kennels.
Good Grief! And I think I’m busy!
Now, tell us a little bit about one of your books.
You’ve heard of twisted fairytales, Lord of the Jungle is a little like that. I’ve taken a character we all know and put an unconventional spin on him.
Tarzan is the only hairless gorilla on the island. Regardless, he’s pushed his way to the top and became Alpha of his family’s band. When a female washes up on shore and her features are hairless like him, his curiosity is peaked to find out if she’s hairless all over.
Do you have plans for a sequel to this book?
I do! Forever My Jane, Book 2 of the Jungle Island series, is available at Amazon.
I loved Lord of the Jungle and Forever My Jane sounds just as delicious!
Now, the Infamous Lightning Round:
What is your favorite amusement park ride? The roller-coaster!
Tea or coffee? Half-caff coffee in the morning and herbal tea after 2PM.
French manicure or color (and if color, what color)? Lately, I’ve been going for anything with sparkles. Right now that color is Candy Apple Red.
Would you rather skydive or scuba dive? I think SCUBA, but won’t rule out skydiving.
Would you rather vacation in Hawaii, Vegas or London? I’ve been to Hawaii and Vegas, so London it is!
What’s the one thing you would never do? Work on a marine engine in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. (I know nothing about mechanics)
BLURB:
A shipwrecked woman.
The uncharted island.
Jane Porter craves a thrill but when marauders scuttle her ship and she washes ashore onto an island inhabited by animals and one sexy wildman, that’s when the real adventure begins. Dependent upon her vine-swinging rescuer who acts more ape than musclebound man, she places her survival in his rugged hands and relinquishes her desire to his raw sensuality.
For more seasons than he can remember, Tarzan has lived among the tiny island’s gorilla band. Instinct propels him to save the female he finds half-dead in the surf, but gazing into her eyes, his mating tool dances an ancient tribal beat.
While the pirates search for their bounty, Tarzan and Jane are in danger. To survive, they’ll have to hang onto each other as they swing for dear life. Their adrenaline-rush of passion among the canopy of the jungle threatens not only a dizzying fall from a great height, but also into love.
Lord of the Jungle is available at Amazon and Books 2 Read.
Next Wednesday will be a bit out of the ordinary. My guest for the day will be…me. My third House of Pleasure book, Only A Mistress Will Do, releases next Tuesday, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to give you a bit more information about me as an author. I’ve changed up the questions for the next few months, to give you all a little different look at my guests and in this case, me. Hope you’ll come by on Tuesday for the Release Party as well!
Today I had the great pleasure to interview Lord Henry of Chauvere, who is visiting today to celebrate the 99 cent sale of his book, The Lady of the Forest. The novella is by author Barbara Bettis.
How did you and your writer meet?
I met Lady Barbara a few years ago, when she wrote my sister’s story. We hit it off right away, but I was recovering from a near-fatal battle, so we couldn’t get together for my story until I recovered. Then, she was involved with Sir Giles and after that, Sir Stephen. Finally I got her attention. But it was worth the wait.
Have you had any major disagreements so far?
Not major ones, no. We’re both a little stubborn, so I had to insist on my way once or twice. But when she and Lady Katherine got together, I was outnumbered. Good thing I admire independence in a lady.
What was your first impression of your hero/heroine?
Years ago, I met her as a childhood friend of my sister’s. But my first impression of Katherine as an adult? She felled me. Literally! Knocked me right off my horse and tied me up. I knew I’d found my match the moment I opened my eyes and saw her. A strong, determined lady, just what I needed as my wife. I know most lords expect their wives to run the castle and see to the servants. Not me. I wanted a partner, an equal. I knew Kate was up to my weight. Who else would have thought to fake her death to escape an unwanted match? She was the one for me.
What was she doing when you first saw her?
I have to laugh when I remember that. She was trying to tend the injuries I got when she attacked me. I surprised her so, she upended a basin of water all over me. Thank St. Jude I wasn’t wearing my mail, or the chain links would have rusted into a mass and I couldn’t have gotten it off with a visit to the blacksmith’s.
What was the most memorable part of your story for you?
I’ll tell if you won’t mention it to Lady Barbara or Lady Katherine. It was my fight with Sir Paxton. My friends and I had been after the murdering traitor for years. Finally I was able to bring him down. He was a worthy opponent. His sword skills were a real challenge. But I’d been waiting too long to allow him to triumph.
Don’t look so incredulous. What knight wouldn’t remember such an important battle?
Oh, all right. I admit it. The most memorable was finally freeing Katherine, knowing she would be at my side for the rest of our lives. But I’d just as soon you don’t mention that to Sir Stephen or Sir Giles. And certainly not to Lord Roark. They’d not let me forget it.
Would you like for your writer to create a sequel for you? Why or why not?
After telling the stories of my two sisters and now me, Lady Barbara might have a challenge finding a follow up. Unless she took on some of my friends’ stories. I like that idea. Then, of course, I have a son and daughter who might challenge her when they grow up. I’d like to see her deal with them. Those two are wearing me out.
What do you fear most?
That’s simple. I fear something happening to my children or my darling Kate. Without them, life wouldn’t be worth living.
What would be your favorite place to vacation?
When I was on crusade, I crossed a beautiful island of Cyprus. The sun is brighter there, the waters bluer. I’d like to take Kate to visit one day, once King Richard has settled all the unrest in that part of the world.
What are you proudest of?
My children and my lovely lady. I’m proud of both my sisters and their families, certainly. I’m glad I could be of service to the king both on crusade and now here at home. But if all the honors I’ve won were taken away, I’d be happy with my Kate, little Eleanor and baby Hal. And with all of you who read our story. Thank you. I’m honored with your friendship.
Thank you so much for coming and speaking to me today, Lord Henry. You are quite the swoon-worthy hero!
He must pursue his enemy; she must protect her people. Can their love survive the duties that drive them apart?
When her elderly husband dies, Lady Katherine fakes her own death and disappears into the forest with others escaping the brutish new lord. Determined to protect her people, she knocks the wrong man senseless. But Lord Henry isn’t an enemy, he’s the brother of her childhood friend. Although his tender confidence tempts her, she’s bound by duty.
Henry of Chauvere has found the one lady he wants for his own, never mind she’s tied him hand and foot. When he learns the king has ordered her to wed Stonehill’s ruthless new master, he insists Kate seek haven with his sister. But she won’t desert her friends. Henry vows to solve her problem, provided he catches a traitor before the threat from Kate’s past catches her.
When a daring rescue compels Henry and Kate to join forces, their attraction grows into love. If only duty didn’t drive them apart.
Villains!
is our theme for this round of Medieval Monday!
Join us and discover some of the most evil and dastardly villains our medieval romances ever produced! And we are doing something a bit different this time around. We’re breaking our excerpts up into tantalizing little bites–only 8 to 10 sentences each week. So you’ll need to keep up to get the whole excerpt. We let you know each week whose blog we’ll be at the week so you can keep up with each Medieval Monday author’s work the same way.
“You’ll let me know your decision, Wesley.”
Jamie brought Laura to a halt. An exasperated male voice drifted out of the great hall.
“I want to make the announcement as soon as possible. With Richard gone and Glen Kirk so close to the Scottish border, you need someone strong to hold back the devils.” Lord Bryce Mitchell of Ravencroft, the manse next to Glen Kirk, stood with Wesley and Darla.
Standing at the great hall entrance, Jamie stiffened when Laura’s pulse skittered into a panic beneath his fingertips. Jamie’s free hand covered hers until the beat settled into a normal rhythm. If Bryce couldn’t feel sympathetic toward the family, couldn’t he at least curb his speech?
Follow along next week by checking out Sherry Ewing’s blog for week #9.
Blurb:
Laura Reynolds is in love with her long-time friend, Jamie Maxwell Collins. She adores his playful sense of humor, caring nature as well as his strong sense of family and honor.
Jamie lives across the border in Scotland. Outwardly carefree, he hides a dark secret. He can’t involve Laura in this deception. He can’t give her hope for a future together.
Laura stumbles upon Jamie’s secret. In her heart of hearts she knows Jamie is innocent. Their relationship in tatters and with no hope of reconciliation, she plays a deadly game to exonerate Jamie, she agrees to a political marriage. She has no idea the entire game has been orchestrated by her future husband, Jamie’s greatest enemy.
Buy Link:
MY GREAT APOLOGIES! To those last week who visited my blog and did not get a return visit from me. I did some in the morning, but around noon I went into a technical rehearsal for a show that went up this past weekend, so I’ve been sort of off the grid for about a week. But I’m back now and if you visited last week, I’ll be coming by your blog first thing and reading and commenting on both last week’s and this week’s posts. I appreciate you all so much for coming by and critiquing my work!
I’m still counting down to my upcoming 2017 release, Only A Mistress Will Do, here’s more of Mistress before its release on April 4th.
I’m skipping ahead from Violet’s interview with Madam Vestry to the night Violet finally meets her first customer. Here is the link to the previous post if you want to catch up.
Miss Violet Carlton is a woman facing a horrifying decision: become a prostitute in order to live or retain respectability and starve. Madame Vestry, owner of the House of Pleasure, has agreed to see Violet. To evaluate her as a prospective employee, Mavame Vestry insists on an inspection to confirm Violet’s virgin state. And having been satisfied of it, she arranges for Violet to entertain her first customer.
(Creative punctuation used to conform to the WWW rules.)
Her head came up, back straight, forced smile plastered on her face as the door opened wide and she caught a glimpse of the man who had bought her for the night. Madame Vestry had informed her this morning that one of her regular customers had responded favorably to her invitation—she’d actually called it an invitation—and for Violet to make herself available in the green room at eight o’clock tonight.
She’d not been told who he was and somehow it mattered little to her she did not know the name of the man about to ruin her. One of the house rules forbade her to ask, though if the gentleman offered his name, that was his business. The other girls had told her if she needed to put a name to the face, to think of customers as “Lord John.”
This Lord John entered the small room in a swirl of black fur and sandalwood, the spicy scent tickling Violet’s nose, making it twitch.
She tipped her head back and looked up into the swarthy face. Dark hair and piercing blue eyes, a strong jaw, and a long, straight nose. Too tall though; he was too tall for her. The ridiculousness of the irrational thought broke through her lethargy and she forced herself up out of the chair as he strode toward her.
BLURB:
The man of her dreams…belongs to another woman.
Destitute and without friends, Violet Carlton is forced to seek employment at the House of Pleasure in London. She steels herself for her first customer and is shocked when the man rescues her instead of ravishing her. A grateful Violet cannot help but admire the handsome Viscount Trevor. But she must curb her desire for the dashing nobleman she can never have because he is already betrothed to another . . .
Tristan had gone to the House of Pleasure for a last bit of fun before he became a faithful married man. But when he recognizes the woman in his bed, he becomes determined to save her instead. Now, his heart wars with his head as he falls for the vulnerable courtesan. Unable to break his betrothal without a scandal, Tris resolves to find Violet proper employment or a husband of her own. Still, his arms ache for Violet, urging him to abandon propriety and sacrifice everything to be with the woman he loves. . . .
And Only Marriage Will Do, Book 2 of my House of Pleasure series, is on sale this month for .99! Here’s the link if you want to check it out before Mistress releases!
And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.
Francesco Brunery, artist
“To taste; as, pree my sneeshin, taste my snuff.”
–from John Jamieson’s Supplement to the Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish
Language, 1825
To taste. The Scotch think this phrase, “I preed her mouth,” a poetical way of saying “I kissed her.” Its literal translation into common English, “I tasted her mouth,” doesn’t sound like poetry, while its Cumbrian form, “I teasit her feace,” sounds like anything rather than poetry. The different versions of the phrase illustrate the difference of character on the two sides of the border.
–Alexander Gibson’s Folk Speech of Cumberland, 1880
Villains!
is our theme for this round of Medieval Monday!
Join us and discover some of the most evil and dastardly villains our medieval romances ever produced! And we are doing something a bit different this time around. We’re breaking our excerpts up into tantalizing little bites–only 8 to 10 sentences each week. So you’ll need to keep up to get the whole excerpt. We let you know each week whose blog we’ll be at the week so you can keep up with each Medieval Monday author’s work the same way.
“Eh bien? And where would I live? With you and your new husband?” She scowled. “You are such a saint, Melisende. Everyone likes you, everyone has a kind word for you. Do you know what it is like to depend on the next person’s grace for an invitation to their home for a few days, for you do not have one of your own? To laugh and pretend `tis a new stain on your gown so your hostess will offer something of hers? To know if no invitations arrive, you will sleep on the street?”
Follow along next week by checking out Sherry Ewing’s blog for week #8.
Blurb:
Heir to a lairdship, Kinnon Macrory is driven to prove his worth by fighting the English on the battlefields of France. His dreams of heroic valor are destroyed by the realities of war—the atrocities visited by fellow soldiers on the very people he is sworn to protect. Three years in a French prison for a crime he did not commit leave Kinnon longing for the one thing of beauty in his war-torn life—a young woman of great kindness and wisdom named Melisende.
Melisende de la Roche struggles to stay one step ahead of soldiers who would imprison her for helping an injured Scotsman wrongly accused of treason. She finds refuge in her uncle’s shop—until a chance encounter sends her fleeing into the unknown once again, haunted by the beguiling friendship with the troubled young Scotsman she is certain she will never see again.
Determined to find the woman of his dreams, Kinnon returns to France, only to discover nothing more than a trail of clues to Melisende’s whereabouts. Their reunion will open the doors to passion, but half-truths and lies from the past could destroy the one thing they both are willing to fight for—each other.
Buy Link:
Counting down to my upcoming 2017 release, Only A Mistress Will Do, here’s more of Mistress before its release on April 4th.
I’m continuing with Chapter One of Only a Mistress Will Do, and here is the link to the previous post if you want to catch up.
Miss Violet Carlton is a woman facing a horrifying decision: become a prostitute in order to live or retain respectability and starve. Madame Vestry, owner of the House of Pleasure, has agreed to see Violet. To evaluate her as a prospective employee, Mavame Vestry insists on an inspection to confirm Violet’s virgin state. (Creative punctuation used to conform to the WWW rules.)
Steeling herself, without word or plea, Violet lay down on the disgusting sofa, raised her knees and turned her head toward the garish red satin cushion. Cool air rushed past her thighs as hot tears slipped down her cheeks. She hadn’t wanted to cry; the time for weakness had passed.
“You may sit up now.”
Indignant, Violet sat up and raised her chin, asking, “Are you satisfied as to my honesty now?”
“I always was, Miss Carlton.” Madame Vestry stared into Violet’s eyes, her gaze seeming to penetrate to her soul.
“Then why—”
“Respectable women often believe they can eschew respectability to save their lives, only to find, in the end, starvation far pleasanter than immorality,” Vestry continued matter-of-factly. “You, however, I believe will do.”
BLURB:
The man of her dreams…belongs to another woman.
Destitute and without friends, Violet Carlton is forced to seek employment at the House of Pleasure in London. She steels herself for her first customer and is shocked when the man rescues her instead of ravishing her. A grateful Violet cannot help but admire the handsome Viscount Trevor. But she must curb her desire for the dashing nobleman she can never have because he is already betrothed to another . . .
Tristan had gone to the House of Pleasure for a last bit of fun before he became a faithful married man. But when he recognizes the woman in his bed, he becomes determined to save her instead. Now, his heart wars with his head as he falls for the vulnerable courtesan. Unable to break his betrothal without a scandal, Tris resolves to find Violet proper employment or a husband of her own. Still, his arms ache for Violet, urging him to abandon propriety and sacrifice everything to be with the woman he loves. . . .
And Only Marriage Will Do, Book 2 of my House of Pleasure series, is on sale this month for .99! Here’s the link if you want to check it out before Mistress releases!
And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.
“Irish whiskey made in small, often illicit stills. from Latin Poitin, a small pot.”
–from C.A.M. Fennell’s Stanford Dictionary of Anglicised Words and Phrases, 1964
I looked and looked to find a word worthy of this Irish day! I’ve never tasted Poteen, although I’ve heard of it. If I get a chance today, I’ll raise a glass of Bailey’s Irish Cream instead. 🙂
By Ethanbentley – Photograph
Jenna Jaxon Romance--because passion is timeless. 