Reticules, women of dubious backgrounds, and Shehanne Moore.

Today I am thrilled to have as my esteemed guest, Scottish author and great friend, Shehanne Moore. Shehanne writes smexy historical romances - no frills, fainting, or fluttering of eyes here. Her 'ladies' - the heroines of her novels - display qualities some would describe as conniving, sluttish, and dishonest. But most readers embrace the feisty heroines, loving their strength of character, their humour, their choice of men, and their get-up-and-go. She calls them the Sisterhood.

When I spoke to Shehanne, she said she'd like to get readers of this post involved in a mystery, with a wonderful prize for those who solve it. It's not a difficult problem to solve, and it is a lot of fun.

Here's what Shehanne said when I screwed up my eyes at the mention of the word 'reticule', not sure I'd ever heard the word before.




So? Just what is a reticule exactly? Before anyone should get too excited, like one of my blog readers did that day, it’s a woman’s handbag.


My heroines carry them a lot in my book. Being a historical author you try to give a little authenticity. I’m just not sure that any of my heroines would carry one like that one. Dress Like this either. I mean I just cannot imagine my heroine Lady Fury taking a swing at the hero, Captain Flint, dressed like that.   

Noelle Clark, a million hugs for inviting me to your lovely blog today. I haven’t brought the hamstah dudes along which means they will moan more than ever and you just might have to ask them back. I haven’t brought my reticule either. What I have is a little picture of four bags.

And I have four heroines. So I am wondering how easy it is from the description to match the heroine to the bag. 


We can get to the contents later. Fury’s is likely to be a brick given the amount of swipes she takes with that bag, whereas my new heroine, Lady Malice, well, she likes to keep cards in hers.  Her business cards.

So, what do we know of these ladies? 

Lady Fury

Well, the heroine of the Unravelling of Lady Fury as you might guess has a great fondness for silks, satins, perfumes,  spending money she does not have, dressing in evening gowns at ten in the morning and despite everything, the hero.  She’s a lady, don’t you know? At least she things she is and her taste reflects that. She’s also a pirate’s lady….

Next up, Kara McGurkie from His Judas Bride.

Well, the title speaks for itself, doesn’t it, if you think about these things brides have?

Her bag probably contains a wedding garter…for strangling the groom with.

Did I also say my heroines are a bit like that?

Kind of ready to commit murder if need be?

Sapphire, the heroine of Loving Lady Lazuli, doesn’t quite go that far but like Fury, she does have a corpse to dispose of.

What can I tell you about Sapphire? She’s an ex jewel thief, doing the poor grieving widow bit. But her reticule isn’t very likely to have anything in it. God no. She’s more than likely to plant her ill gotten gains on you…although there was that one time she didn’t…. 

Finally, last but not least we come to Malice, owner of Strictly Business, a strictly business like business, I  turn a blind eye to, and heroine of The Viking and The Courtesan.

Malice isn’t quite all she seems and I think her reticule reflects that fact.  

We’ve been talking reticules. I think it’s time for an extract concerning one.  

She snapped her reticule open. In it, in addition to the other things ladies kept in their handbags, was a gauze square. It was not the one she had worn that night she attempted to seduce him, obviously. That had been trodden underfoot or tied around the head or hips of some Viking, or other. But it was similar. The gauze square was nothing to her business card.
That she removed and pressed into his hand.
        “I believe you contacted this agency.”
“Malice...” The manner—the starkly horrified manner-- in which his brown eyes roamed it, spoke oceans.
“Yes?” She shrugged her scantily clad shoulders.
“That was... That was...”
“Obnoxious of you. Especially the lies you told. About me.”
“But, Malice...”
“Yes, Cyril?”
“Malice, whatever, whoever said such things about you...”
She held up a gloved hand. “Cyril, before you go further, there is something you should know.”
“Yes?”
“I am Strictly.”

Now I asked if you could guess whose handbag is whose? I’ve also numbered them. So why not guess in the comments box here, leaving your email addy and I’ll draw  a winner from those who are right. 

The book isn’t available till 29th July but I do happen to have a free copy of The Viking and The Courtesan for that person. 

Pre-sale links. 

http://amzn.to/1M7Mh3R

http://amzn.to/1gz67YL

BLURB 

In 898 AD she wasn’t just from another land. 

Wrecking a marriage is generally no problem for the divorce obtaining, Lady

Malice Mallender. But she faces a dilemma when she’s asked to ruin her own. Just how businesslike should she remain when the marriage was never consummated and kissing her husband leads to Sin--a handsome Viking who wants her for a bed slave in name only?  

She came from another time. 

Viking raider Sin Gudrunsson wants one thing. To marry his childhood sweetheart. Only she’s left him before, so he needs to keep her on her toes, and a bed slave, in name only, seems just the thing. Until he meets Malice. 

One kiss is all it takes to flash between two worlds

But when one kiss is no longer enough, which will it be?  Regency London? Or Viking Norway? Will Malice learn what governs the flashes? Can Sin?  

Where worlds collide can love melt the iciest heart?

BIO

When not cuddling inn signs in her beloved Scottish mountains alongside Mr Shey, Shehanne Moore writes dark and smexy historical romance, featuring bad boys who need a bad girl to sort them out. She firmly believes everyone deserves a little love, forgiveness and a second chance in life. 

Shehanne caused general apoplexy when she penned her first story, The Hore House Mystery—aged seven. What didn’t she work at while pursuing her dream of becoming a published author? 

Visit her blog to find out about past releases and hear more about her forthcoming time-slip, The Viking and The Courtesan.
historical,

http://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/

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https://twitter.com/ShehanneMoore

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https://www.facebook.com/ShehanneMoore

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It's the Christmas Hamster Hamper!!

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the hoose

Not a creature was stirring, except hamsters with tongues all a-loose 

They whined and they argued, they’d cooked their own goose 

But the biggest question was, had they been naughty or noice?

Today I am celebrating the fun, friendship, and frivolity that our little friends, the Hamsters from Shey's Blog, deserve. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you ---

THE CHRISTMAS HAMSTER HAMPER 

Let's meet them all:

Mitsy

Ratsy

The Dood

Fez

Ginger

Dougal

Vinnie

McHoots

Bobsleigh

Tink

Hamstah Dickens

The Sheystah

Yes, the little pack of hamsters who have kept Shehanne Moore, and us, company all year are suffering from a very debilitating illness – Christmas Countdown Regret.

You see, everyone knows that for Santa to bring you presents at Christmas, you have to lead an exemplary life, a year of being kind, helpful, friendly, hard working. The big test comes a month or so before Christmas, as soon as all the supermarkets and department stores drag out the tinsel and trees.

And that test is:

Have you been a good hamster all year?
Have you been naughty or nice?

Okay, most of us lie through our teeth, and no doubt some of the hamsters will do that too, but a couple of the more…sensitive…hamsters will answer truthfully, and will wake up on Christmas morning with nothing under the tree for them.

So, in an effort to help Shehanne’s furry little friends step up a little and ensure that they get a gift under the tree from Santa, I’m going to teach them some rules.(We all know how much Shehanne loves rules.)

Rule 1: Thou shalt not whinge, whine, or carry on when Shey constantly overlooks you in favour of some fancy US Best Seller author, or some tramp who writes naughty books.

Rule 2: Thou shalt not interrupt when Shey is speaking. The consequences of you continuing to do this are awful. Heck, you’ve seen what happened to Mr Shey! He’s lost all his hair from being told to shut up all the time. A bald hamster will be a very cold hamster in the freezing Dundonian winter.

Rule 3: Thou shalt learn to bring Shehanne her slippers without her even asking; fill her wine glass before it’s empty; and help her in her new garden. Reason is, a happy Shey makes for a happy day.

Rule 4: Never, never, NEVER, interrupt Shehanne when she is on a deadline, or has edits to do. This will make her angry, and she will withhold certain important…favours…such as feeding you, changing your water bowl, and letting you visit her blog posts.

Time for some Christmas Carols.

Hint: sing this to the tune of the First Noel.

The first little Hamstah, appeared in Shey’s post

And to certain poor authors, they were the ultimate hosts.

Always cheerful and glad, and happy all the while

They brightened our days with their innocent guile.

Hamsters, hamsters, hamsters, hamsters

Move over Shey, and give room to hamsters.

Here's a cute little guy to sing for you:

And now, to follow the Hamsters go and visit Shehanne Moore's BLOG. Click here.

It's the Liebster Award!

Friend and fellow author, Shehanne Moore, has nominated me in her list of Liebster Award winners. What this means, is that I have to display the badge, plus answer some questions. Then I'm supposed to nominate some other authors to go through the same process. So, thank you Shey for this award. Much appreciated.










1. Which fictional character would you most fancy having a fling with and why?
Pietro Lombardi in Rosamanti. But not just a fling. I’d like to keep him forever. He’s just a lovely guy. He's good looking, he can cook, he makes Sarah laugh, and he's hot in bed.

2. Do you have a favourite type of character?
I like men who are strong, fit, and easy on the eye, but they must also have a soft spot which can be very well hidden, but it’s there.


3. Apart from writing, what are you most passionate about?

my grand children (and children but they'd kill me if I put a pic here)



my dogs and cats

my Maton guitar

 

my vege garden

 
4. What are you working on right now?
Honor’s Debt: a contemporary romance set in Ireland.





5. You’ve been shipwrecked on a desert island, what book can’t you be without?
Well, it's a TV show, not a book.  Who can tell me who this is?

6. Who is your favourite author and why?
I have too many to list. I like reading many genres: romance, biographies, historical, suspense, mystery, memoirs. Partial to Louis deBernieres.







7. Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’m a plotter, with pantserish tendencies.



8.  Have you been known to ‘torture’ a character and if so why?
Um, not yet.




9 Do you remember your favourite childhood book?
Yes, and I still have it. Alison’s Island Adventure.



10. Have you ever cried over a book? If so, which one?
I often cry when reading a book where I have connected with the character and care about what happens to them. When I was very young – too young to be able to read – I remember looking at the colour pictures in Peter Pan and Wendy. There was one picture of the little boy and his teddy with a neck brace and chain. I remember howling over the injustice of it.

11.  Do you prefer sweet or angsty?
Sweet but realistic, believable.

12. Is there anything you do particularly to get inspiration for writing?
Yes. I turn off Facebook, email etcetera and put my phone on silent. I re-read my notes and plotting outlines. Sometimes I look at pictures I’ve taken of the location. I sketch the house, characters, I draw maps. I sit quietly and focus my thoughts on the characters and ask myself, what would they do? How will they react when they find out….? And I ask all the ‘What if?” questions. Sometimes I go for a walk with my dogs to clear my head. If all that fails to get me inspired, I read books and watch movies until my subconscious pushes them aside and lets my story come through.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who shall I nominate for the Leibster Award?

Kendall Talbot
Isabella Hargreaves
Tania Joyce
Susanne Bellamy
Suzi Love

There you are girls. You know the rules. Write a blog post, answer the questions, display the badge, link back to moi, and nominate some recipients. Hop to it.

Now, I’d like you all to go and visit the very extensive list of wonderful writers below who were also nominated by Shehanne Moore.

Ellis Vidler http://t.co/aBdBygwLCX
Sharon Struth http://t.co/fwHWRlJXmk
Christine Elaine Black http://t.co/0mtcFYgj53
Catherine Cavendish http://t.co/un1uiotgNq
Aubrey Wynne   http://t.co/QmoxBcf3rD
Amelia Curzon. http://t.co/G9CmQkNot9
EE Carter http://t.co/PnzIrl890o
CeeLee http://swimintheadultpool.com/2014/03/14/its-been-a-star-studded-week-the-lighthouse-award/
Renea Mason  http://reneamason.com
Poet Quinn http://perspiringpoet.wordpress.com/2014/02/19/no-be-lang-noo
Faith Ashlin http://t.co/uoOgTgVyXY

Happy St Valentine's Day

Today I'm one of the lucky guests over at Shehanne Moore's blog. A dozen or so of us - all authors - are sharing the First Kiss scenes from our novels. We are also spilling the beans on whether it is love or lust, and what happens at the happily ever after.

Here's my portion of the post - re-posted with the permission of Shehanne Moore. But please visit her blog by clicking here, and read what the others have to say.

Why is this story called Rosamanti?
Rosamanti is a villa. A 400 year old villa. In its lifetime, it’s witnessed its fair share of happiness, sadness, loss, even violence. When you’re 400 years old, you gain a bit of wisdom.
Rosamanti seems to have a hand in causing good things to happen to good people who deserve happiness.
Do you believe in magic? I do.

The first kiss between Sarah and Pietro:
Pietro picked up the bottle of wine and the glasses and indicated to her to follow him. She walked behind him up a steep but well-trodden pathway. After about ten minutes, they reached a flat area atop the big headland that she recognized from her study window. They sat down on the grassy knoll and looked across to the east where the big full moon again made its slow climb, spreading gold on the waters of the calm, dark sea. The sheer beauty of the place was very moving.
Trapped in the moment, she hardly noticed Pietro remove the glass from her hand. She detected the silhouette of his head as it blocked her vision, then his warm, soft lips caressed hers. It was a mere whisper of a kiss, but tender. He pulled back.
“I couldn’t help myself, bella. Do you mind?”
She didn’t know what to say. She shook her head. Did she mind? No. No she didn’t mind at all. But no words would come out.
“Ah, I see. Then please forgive me. The wine, the moon…”

She reached out in the darkness and placed her palm gently on his cheek, unable to speak. His big hand covered hers, then his strong arms embraced her. His kiss this time was warm and robust. She found herself responding. It was delicious. He parted her lips with his tongue and probed for hers. Caught up in the moment, she touched his tongue, tasting saltiness, mixed with wine. Somewhere deep down, something fluttered—oh so delicately—through her. His embrace became tighter. Linked together, they lay back on the spiky turf, their kiss becoming more passionate.

What happens next?
He cooks for her, gives her a whole cellar of gorgeous wine, charms her with his smooth Italian ways, makes her laugh again.

But is it love?
She watched enthralled as Pietro spread the pliant dough on the smooth, floured bench in Nonna’s kitchen. Sipping wine, she could feel contentment oozing through every pore of her skin. He started singing as he worked—firstly skinning the rich, ripe tomatoes, and dicing the onion and basil finely. Every so often, he looked at her and winked, a happy smile resting on his handsome face. When the meal was ready, they sat opposite each other at the old wooden table. She loved the meal, and she loved the happiness that he infused into the food. Wholesome, calm, generous, and sweet.
When they finished eating, he raised his glass to her. She clinked hers with him and smiled. “Bella, you look so happy.”
“I am happy, Pietro. I’m happier than I’ve been for a long time. I don’t know if it’s your wine, your food, or Rosamanti, but I feel like I’ve been transformed into a fairy tale where everything is good.”
His face took on a look of mock admonishment. “Ah, bella,” he chided, “maybe it is because of me!”
They both laughed. She looked thoughtful for a moment, tipping her head to one side. “You know, maybe—just maybe—it is.”
The tender look in his eyes, and the happy smile on his face, warmed her heart.

When it is love, how does Sarah know?
Taking her coffee outside, she sat at the little white wrought-iron table under the pergola and waited for the sun to rise. Her thoughts turned to Ted and she felt the weight of sadness deep within her. When he was first diagnosed, they talked a lot. She remembered his words: “You’re still a young woman. Promise me you’ll love someone else.” She drew an involuntary breath as she realized she may have just done exactly that. The vision of Ted’s sick, pale face dissolved into a brown, smiling countenance brimming with life. Pietro’s black eyes twinkled as they gazed out from his handsome face. She felt like she was sixteen years old again. No way—no way at all—had she expected this to happen. Not so quickly. Maybe even never.

Loving Lady Lazuli - new release from Shehanne Moore

Good friend and fellow Etopia Press author - Shehanne Moore - is releasing her latest book on January 17th.

Loving Lady Lazuli is Book 1 in the new series: The Starkadder Sisterhood. London Jewel Thieves, and focuses on Sapphire, one of the eight members of the Sisterhood.





As you'll see, the sisterhood are not part of a religious order, however they certainly lay claim to some odd, and even dirty, habits.

Shehanne, can you tell us a little about Sapphire, and why you chose to write her story first?

Firstly Noelle, thank you so much for asking me here today to your lovely blog. It's a great pleasure  for me to be here. I value it and I value your friendship too. Okay Sapphire, well, Sapphire has been stealing since she was five years old. There's mysteries about the years before that, before she and her brother Matthew, wound up in London with 'Uncle' Starkadder. These are mysteries she wants to solve. She's the number one jewel thief. The woman who can pull off any heist. The mistress of disguise.  But this gang is like Fagin's in a way. The girls don't gain anything from their efforts. They are forced to steal. Every time Sapphire refused  she was beaten till she agreed. So she and Ruby determined to escape. They've spent ten years planning it and they've faked their own deaths to do it.

I never meant to write about her first or indeed write a series. I only ever start with a spark of an idea. In this instance I saw Christmas Eve and this beautiful sixteen year old girl walking along the highway in distress so this young man offers her a lift in his coach. She plants a stolen necklace on him and he goes down for it. Lol! I'm sure you know what it's like. If I had written this twenty years ago that scene would have been chapter one and all the action would have taken place after it, with them ending up as convicts in Australia or something. But now, Regency romance is so popular, that's not how you'd write it. So that scene became the backstory.

When I got to chapter two and the idea of her past, and the girls coming into her thoughts, I found I was naming them after jewels, and I saw I could make up stories  about their lives after the gang breaks up.

This sounds to me like it will be your most powerful book yet. You always have extremely strong heroines, and they get into some tough situations, but do you consider Sapphire to be your grittiest girl yet?

Hmm. I don't know. Fury bolted over her emotions and Kara was fairly tough, although she bubbled away underneath. Sapphire has her emotions in control. Being  gritty without making that special effort is second nature to her because she's been getting out of tight corners since she was five years old. In some ways she doesn't know any better that way. It's what makes her so confident about
dealing with Devorlane Hawley, when the sensible thing to do would be to bolt. Her undoing, as I am sure you can guess.

There are eight girls in the Sisterhood - Sapphire, Amber, Diamond, Emerald, Splendor, Ruby, Jade, and Pearl. Can you share with us which of the sisters will feature in Book 2?

Splendor features in Book 2. She's actually not a thief. She's Dora-Do-It-All, their general skivvy. But she would like to be like them, so she has all these airs and graces. That's why she calls herself Splendor.

On your Pinterest board, I notice that Pearl looks totally out of place among the strong, sassy, sisterhood. You even describe her as "Pearl - plain as milk". Does that mean that Pearl won't get to star in her own book? Is she really too plain? Or does she have a dark side?

Pearl does look out of place and that is deliberate. She is only fifteen in Loving Lady Lazuli and she actually isn't a 'proper' thief like the other girls. She was being trained. Anyway when Sapphire and Ruby made their plans to escape from the gang they cut in Pearl in as they couldn't stand to see her having the kind of lives they've had. She's not the brightest spark. All the stories are set over a period of years after the gang has broken up, because Diamond has murdered Starkadder, so cutting forward, Pearl might get her own story.

Here's the blurb:
Only one man in England can identify her. Unfortunately he’s living next door.
 
Ten years ago sixteen year old Sapphire, the greatest jewel thief England has ever known, ruined Lord Devorlane Hawley’s life. Now she’s dead and buried, all the respectable widow, Cassidy Armstrong, wants is the chance to prove who she really is.

But not only does her new neighbor believe he knows that exactly, he’s hell-bent on revenge.  All he needs is the actual proof.  So when he asks her to choose between being his mistress, or dangling on the end of a rope, only Sapphire can decide…

What’s left for a woman with nowhere left to go, but to stay exactly where she is?
And hope, that when it comes to neighbors, Devorlane Hawley won’t prove to be the one from hell.

Buy Loving Lady Lazuli by clicking here!

And here's an extract:

“Let him go.”

“Aye. Don’t ‘ee think ‘ee and yore fancy boots ‘ull get away wi’ this. Oih’ll defend ‘ee, moih lydy. Oih’ll get him. Leave this ter me.”

“That’ll be interesting.” Devorlane Hawley tossed his hair out his eyes. “You.” He jerked his head at Ruby.

“Whot? Me?”

He dragged a breath. “Unless you think I am somehow meaning the tree there? Fetch Lord Koorecroft.”

Lord Koorecroft? The county’s most senior magistrate? A turn for the worse? Now it was a somersault. A woman who planked a stolen necklace on this specimen should not blush to say it was rape. She would have to if he fetched Lord Koorecroft, because then there would be the matter of what the damned man could say to Lord Koorecroft. Being dead and buried might not be enough to save her then. Not when her crimes had been dutifully reported by every newspaper up and down the land. She would hang.

“Lord Koorecroft?” Ruby smoothed a copper tendril of hair back from her forehead. “Whot soddin’ fer?”

“What do you think it’s soddin’ for? To accuse me of rape and molestation. It won’t be difficult. He’s at Chessington right now. You can cut through the hedge. Go on.”

“That’ll be shiny bright.” Fortunately Ruby could always be counted on to do absolutely nothing. “What do yer think I am exactly? Yer bleedin’ servant?”

“’Ee got no roight after what ee—”

Barron made a strangled sound as Devorlane Hawley jerked the stick so hard across his windpipe, Cass was almost jerked off her feet.

“I have every right. You all want Lord Koorecroft fetched, don’t you?” He huffed out a breath. “So let’s fetch him. I’m relishing the thought of the little chat I’m going to have with him about our Mrs. Armstrong here.”


Let's watch the video trailer:





Visit Shehanne's website for more information on the intriguing Jewel Thieves. http://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shehanne-Moore/163736780417433

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ShehanneMoore


More information here:

The Starkadder Sisterhood. London Jewel Thieves  -  related link: http://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/the-starkadder-sisterhood-london-jewel-thieves/

Pinterest link http://www.pinterest.com/shehanne/some-rare-jewelsmeet-the-sisterhood/

The A.B.C. Award

My inimitable friend and fellow author, Shehanne Moore, has nominated me for an ABC Award. I am truly grateful that you bestowed this on me, Shey. Thank you.

Today – the first day of 2014 – is the perfect time to look at ourselves and seek out what really makes us tick. So, in keeping with the inevitable rules surrounding the acceptance of this award, I’ll do my very best to play honestly.

The rules are as simple as ABC!

 

1.    Display the logo and link back to the person who gave you the award.

2.    Nominate some other blogs.

3.    Work through the alphabet writing one word or phrase about yourself or things you like or associate with yourself, that begins A...B....C....  All 26 of them.

 

 

A – Abhor Arrogance; Adore my grandchildren Andy and Abbie
B – Books
C – Cats, Chardonnay, Chocolate
D – my Doggies too
E – Equality for all
F – Friends and Family
G – Grateful
H – Health, Happiness, and Humour
I – Internet
J – Justice, Joviality, Mum Jokes
K – skip
L – Love, of course
M - My Mum, entering her 96^th year, Music, Merriment
N – Never say Never
O – If I hadn’t already used E, I’d say I was Eccentric, but Odd will do
P - skip
Q - Quirky
R – Really Suck at This
S – see above
T – see above
U - skip
V – Verity
W – Wine, Work, Words,
X – Long gone
Y – Not?
Z – zzzzzz

 

OK, I now bestow this award on:

Kendall Talbot   http://www.kendalltalbot.com.au/blog.html

Elizabeth Ellen Carter   http://eecarter.com/

Isabella Hargreaves   http://www.isabellahargreaves.com/index.html

Sharon Struth   http://www.sharonstruth.com/

Susanne Bellamy   http://www.susannebellamy.com/

and now, linking back to the person who gave me this award, Shehanne Moore.