Book Blitz: The Shadow of the Tudor Rose by Wendy Leighton-Porter

A graduate of Exeter University in the early 1980s, I spent 20 years as a teacher of French, Latin and Classical studies, before a change of career led me to writing children's fiction. Currently residing in Abu Dhabi, I live with my husband and our beautiful Tonkinese cat.

The Shadow of Atlantis is the first in a series of time-travel adventures, featuring 3 children and a rather special cat called Max. I'm now working on the 17th book, The Shadow of the Great Fire. The series also includes several novellas that feature Max the talking Tonkinese cat undertaking solo adventures. As I take my young readers on a magical mystery tour through the past, I'm hoping that my love of history, myth and legend will rub off on them too. 

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In 1588, a plot to invade England and overthrow Queen Elizabeth the First is about to unfold. At this crucial moment in English history, four visitors from the future arrive in Elizabethan London. 

Twins Joe and Jemima Lancelot, together with their friend Charlie and their talking cat Max, embark upon their next journey into the past as they continue the search for their missing parents who are lost somewhere in the mists of time.

Finding themselves at the heart of a web of conspiracy, can the young time-travellers solve the mystery of the Tudor Rose?

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Character Casting:

The characters in my series of books

There are four main characters in my series:

Eleven-year-old twins Jemima and Joe Lancelot; their best friend from next door, Charlie Green; and my favourite character, Max the talking Tonkinese cat.

Jemima and Joe have lost their parents who vanished in mysterious circumstances. With their parents missing, the twins are sent to live with their father’s brother, Richard Lancelot, a confirmed bachelor. Uncle Richard, a professor of ancient history and archaeology at the University of London, has no experience of bringing up children and, although he loves his niece and nephew dearly, he has a steep learning curve ahead of him. The loss of their parents and their move to London are tough for the twins, and they find it hard to adjust until, one day, they discover something that gives them hope – their parents travelled back in time through the portal of an ancient book, but left behind the key that would bring them home. Jemima now has that key, and so the children embark upon a quest to find them, searching through the pages of history. The twins share a close bond but their characters are quite different. 

Jemima is sensitive and caring but, with a tendency to speak her mind, she has a temper when provoked. She adores Max and is fiercely protective of him.

Joe is more laid-back, but has an impetuous, reckless streak, sometimes acting without thinking.  

  

Charlie, whose parents are divorced, hasn’t had many friends before and was always something of a loner before the twins moved in next door. Exceptionally clever, he’s a bit of a geek and has suffered a lot of teasing at school. His marked resemblance to the fictional character of Harry Potter, complete with round glasses, didn’t help. Since becoming friends with the twins and joining them on their time-travelling expeditions, Charlie emerges from his shell and his self-confidence grows. His amazing brainwaves and encyclopaedic knowledge make him a vital member of the group.

Max, short for Maximus, is an exceptionally large but devastatingly handsome lilac Tonkinese cat with aquamarine eyes. Everyone he meets falls for his charms, but he has a unique ability for a cat. With a magic owl charm that he wears on his collar, he can speak and understand human speech. The character of Max brings an element of humour to the stories, thanks to his grouchy one-liners, his clumsiness and tendency to get into scrapes. There is also something extra-special about Max, but I’m not going to let you into the secret here – it’s too much of a spoiler!

If my stories were made into films, I can just imagine an animatronic version of Max stealing the limelight! 

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Great Summer Reads Day Fifteen: The King's Ransom by Cheryl Carpinello

I’m a retired high school English teacher. A devourer of books growing up, my profession introduced me to writings and authors from times long past. Through my studies and teaching, I fell in love with the Ancient and Medieval Worlds. Now, I hope to inspire young readers and those Young-at-Heart to read more through my Tales and Legends for Reluctant Readers set in these worlds—Ancient Egypt, Medieval Wales, and coming soon, a hair-raising adventure through ancient worlds in search of 5 rare Phoenix Feathers.

All of my books come with Free study guides and/or extensive Back-of-the-Book materials.

My husband and I love to travel. In 2008, we spent three weeks in Egypt traveling by local train from one end of the country to the other; in 2014, we spent three weeks in the UK driving over 1700 miles through England, Wales, and Scotland; and in 2016, we spent a week in Iceland. We’ve also traveled to Mexico, Jamaica, and Aruba. Our next big adventure will be to Greece and Italy.

When I’m not writing or traveling, our 4 grandkids keep us busy.

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Three Friends

Three Quests

Three Mysterious Predictions

Gavin, Philip, and Bryan bravely vow to clear their friend of murder by taking the Knight’s Oath and embarking on individual quests to save The Wild Man. In the end, each one faces their fears and even death in their determination not to fail.

And one will have to disclose the biggest secret of all.

Join Gavin, Phillip, and Bryan on their quests and share the adventures that await them in the land of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.

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Q&A With the Author:

How many books do you have out, and do you have a favorite?

I have 10 books in print. Four are Arthurian Legend (Guinevere trilogy, The King’s Ransom); two are Ancient Egypt (Tutankhamen Speaks, Sons of the Sphinx); two are picture books (Grandma/Grandpa’s Tales 1 & 2); Guardian of a Princess (Arthurian shorts); and a Writing Journal.

It’s hard to pick a favorite.  I love my Guinevere trilogy because it really shows the character growth of Guinevere and Cedwyn. All of my Arthurian stories are fascinating adventures into the days of King Arthur. I absolutely love being transported back to ancient Egypt in those stories.

How do you come up with character names?

I take my Arthurian characters from the legend and from Welsh name lists. My ancient Egyptian characters are actually from history.

Do you have a favorite author/book that inspired you?

In college, I was introduced to writers of the ancient worlds and in-depth Arthurian legend. Rather than a single book/author, this is what inspired me to write, along with my high school students.

What is your favorite writing snack?

Fudgsicles.

What is one piece of advice you could give to a new author that you wish someone had passed to you?

I’ve used this advice for several books: Re-read the previous writing session and then just continue on from here. Let your Creative Voice do the writing and don’t worry about errors. Kick that Critical Voice out the door!

What is the best Holiday/vacation you ever went on?

Without a doubt, the three weeks we spent in Egypt in 2008. We went on our own, stayed in local small hotels and hostels, rode the train from Cairo to Aswan back to Luxor and then on to Cairo, and saw so many amazing sites. I would go back in a heartbeat! I do believe I left part of my soul there.

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Great Summer Reads Day Fourteen: Mail Order Roslyn by Zina Abbott

My name is Robyn Echols. Zina Abbott is the pen name I use for my American historical romance novels. I’m a member of Women Writing the West and Western Writers of America, and American Night Writers Association. I currently live with my husband in California’s central valley near the “Gateway to Yosemite.”

I love to read, quilt, work with digital images on my photo editing program, and work on my own family history.

I am a blogger. In addition to my own blog, I blog for several group blogs including the Sweet Americana Sweethearts blog, which I started and administer.

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Roslyn Welsh is sent by stagecoach to Junction City to marry a man with whom her aunt and guardian, without Roslyn’s knowledge, had been corresponding. His requirements for a wife were that she must be at least twenty-one years of age with a family Bible for proof, and she must have no children. Only, Roslyn is not quite twenty-one, she has a baby, and her aunt has no intention of sending the family Bible with her. The marriage prospect turns into a disaster. Stuck in a strange town with no money, she is told there is no work for a decent woman with a baby. To allow herself time to figure what to do with her future, Roslyn accepts an offer to ride the stagecoach to the Ellsworth B.O.D. Stagecoach station to help the stationmaster’s wife.

        Elam Stewart survived the American Civil War, but his left leg from above the knee down did not. With no home to return to and realizing there are very few people willing to hire a man with only one good leg, he’s convinced he has no future. While working as a day laborer in the local Junction City livery, he becomes intrigued by a visitor named Ross who is anxious to spend time with the horses. Elam discovers Ross’s secret. Then he learns where Ross intends to seek work. Even though he does not have a future, he does have a Spencer repeating rifle. He can have a purpose.

        Roslyn and Elam ride the same stagecoach to the Ellsworth Station on the Kansas frontier. Between resentments among the stock tenders, difficulties with animals that pass through the station, and the threat of attacks by the Cheyenne Native Americans, is there a future for Roslyn and Elam at the station? Or will their future take them on another stagecoach ride away from Ellsworth?

        Please look for my other two books in the Widows, Brides & Secret Babies series, Mail Order Lorena and Mail Order Penelope, that will be published this summer. The three stories are related and part or all of them involve  the stagecoaches and stations on the Kansas frontier in the late 1860s.

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Q&A With the Author:

1.   What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I enjoy reading, first of all. I also enjoy quilting, creating book covers and advertising memes on my photo-editing program. I will be so happy when Yosemite National Park reopens, because I love to drive in the mountains and foothills close to home, and that is one of my favorite “go to” spring and summer destinations.

2.  What was the hardest part of writing your book, and how did you overcome it?

The hardest part is I accepted the deadline that did not allow me as much time as I comfortably like to write and publish a book. I thought I had most of my research about frontier Kansas in the late 1860s finished after I finished my book before this one. Then I started digging deeper into stagecoaches in the region during that era. I had great scenes in my mind—my characters kept leading me interesting places—but had to settle on those that I could tie up into a connected story. In the middle of all this, Covid-19 became recognized as a pandemic and life became interesting and challenging. Face mask, anyone?

3. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Anywhere outside the home that is not the grocery store, drive-through pharmacy, drive-thru restaurant drive-through, or gas station sounds good.

4.  Where do you get information and ideas for your books?

I get my information mostly from the internet and research books. Sometimes I luck out and find good research books at my local library. Other times, I find them online. Many of my research books I found in the bookstores of museums or state/national historical parks.

As for my ideas, I use a business workgroup technique called “brainstorming.” Where, in business, I brainstormed with other people in the room, as a writer, I brainstorm with my fictional characters and research sources. Here is how it works.

In my book, Hannah’s Handkerchief, (set in 1865 after the Civil War) one scene takes Hannah to the Fort Leavenworth hospital to visit her brother. She barely misses connecting with her love interest, Jake. To flesh out the scene where she spends time in the hospital ward, I created an injured soldier named Elam in the bed next to Hannah’s brother. I gave him my favorite dialect to write—Appalachian. By the end of those chapters, I was in love with Elam. I had to use him somewhere else.

  **BRAINSTORM ** Elam became my hero in my next book, Mail Order Roslyn in the series, Widows, Brides & Secret Babies (WB&SB). Because Mail Order Roslyn is part of a multi-author project (MAP), and because, if I write more than one book in a MAP, I like them to be connected—a series within a series—

** BRAINSTORM ** My second book, Mail Order Penelope, will be about Roslyn’s cousin. They both will travel in about the same direction.

What direction? While writing the series which included Hannah’s Handkerchief and Otto’s Offer, I did a lot of research on frontier Kansas and the Smoky Hill Trail. For Hannah’s book, because she becomes enamored with a lieutenant at Fort Riley who then is transferred to the forts in the wilds of western Kansas, I did even more research on Kansas frontier forts. A lot more. Frequent mention was made that one mission of the Kansas frontier forts was to provide escort for the stagecoaches.

** BRAINSTORM ** My WB&SB books will involve stagecoaches and stations. The first frontier fort along the Smoky Hill trail just west of more civilized Salina was Fort Ellsworth. It also had stagecoach stations nearby (Kansas Stage Company and Butterfield Overland Despatch (not a typo) or B.O.D..

** BRAINSTORM ** My stagecoach station in Roslyn’s story will be in Ellsworth. For Hannah’s story, I also reviewed, once more, a book I bought two years earlier for Otto’s Offer titled Tales of the Smoky Hill Trail. Lo and behold, this year I noticed the last half of the book detailed about 500% more information about stagecoach lines and stations on the Smoky Hill Trail, particularly the B.O.D., than I have yet to find on the internet. My California library does not have a thing on that topic.

**BRAINSTORM ** My Roslyn story will feature the B.O.D. stagecoach and Ellsworth station in Kansas.

One of the secondary characters in my Roslyn story is sort of a jerk, but redeemable (I hope), because, as a solution to a problem at the Ellsworth stagecoach station, I wrote one of characters to offer the suggestion he marry Lorena. He’s reluctant, because of her circumstances. One of the men points out, “Like you, she’s from the South. A lot of Southern women have fallen on hard times because of the war.” I wrote four paragraphs about this in Roslyn’s book, but then I could not get Lorena out of my head.

**BRAINSTORM ** Lorena needs her own story.

** BRAINSTORM ** So, I checked the WB&SB schedule and there was an open publication date that would allow me enough time (barely) to add Lorena’s story. (I can do it, I can do it, I can, I can…) Within 24 hours, I had my book cover lined up. I’ll give her the release date originally planned for cousin Penelope, and write Penelope’s story last.

How do I get my inspiration and ideas? That is just a taste.

5. Tell us a bit about a future project you are working on? Do you have any little sneak peeks you can share?  

See number 4, above. I also have a book I wrote three years ago, also set in Kansas, but during the cattle drive era of the early 1870s. Because it has a “happily for now” instead of a “happily ever after” ending, I want to finish the second book in that series before I publish Abilene Gamble.

6. Now that we've gotten to know each other, tell us a story of a favorite childhood activity you used to do during the summer. It can be long or short. Funny, sad, or somewhere in between. Just make sure it's yours. Tell us a story?

Go to the beach ~ the beach ~ any beach, but my favorites when I was young were La Jolla and Laguna in Southern California.

My story deals with the San Diego Bay—not my favorite beachy area because it did not have good waves for body surfing. For a few years, my father had a small fishing boat. We kids were not great fishers like he was, but sometimes he took my brother, sister and I out on the boat to spend an afternoon.

While at the bay, I recall seeing the harbor seals popping their heads above water. At a distance, they looked like human heads. At first, I wondered what those crazy people were doing swimming way out in the middle of the bay.

My problem was seasickness. If there was a bit of chop to the water, for me, there was not enough Dramamine in the world. On one boating trip, our lunch included raw carrot and turnip sticks. Up until that time, I thought raw turnip sticks, although not my favorite, were fairly good. After getting sick on them, I don’t think I ever ate raw turnips again. (I don’t recall eating cooked turnips since that time, either.)

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Great Summer Rreads Day Thirteen: Sea So Blue by Nichole Giles

Nichole Giles, author of the Descendant trilogy, and the Water So Deep series, has lived in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and Texas. 

She is a fan of all things paranormal and magical, and her dreams include raising a garden full of fairies, riding a unicorn, and taming the pet dragon she adopted at a local Convention. 

She loves to spend time with her grown children and two grand-babies, travel to tropical and exotic destinations, drive with her convertible top down—even when it rains—and play music at full volume so she can sing along.

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Caspian is looking for his mother. Snatched from the beach as a child and raised as a half-breed Mer-Prince in the long-lost city of Atlantis, his turn to rule is coming fast. Caspian learns that the Mer in Oceania have found a method to visit land—a practice forbidden in Atlantis—and later return to the sea. Unfortunately, the “magic” method involves poison so potent that only half-breeds with undamaged lungs can survive it. When his Sea King father forces Caspian’s engagement to a mermaid he can’t stand, Caspian decides it’s time to go in search of his human roots, and the woman who gave him life.

Elise has nothing left to lose, except the house she grew up in and a beat-up classic car her father had intended to restore. While her friends leave home for college and abroad, she’s stuck waitressing at The Sea Turtle, begging for enough hours to pay her power bill, and using her lunch breaks to place flowers on her parents’ graves. Not only is she not looking for love—she’s not even looking for friendship. Loss is something she knows too much of, and she can’t survive any more. But when she finds a mysterious stranger wandering the cemetery, she takes pity on the pathetic soul and brings him to her work where she can feed him a solid meal.

The innocent meeting turns into an unbreakable bond, and sets off a chain of events that leaves them both questioning their place in the world—be it land or sea—and discovering just how essential love and family can be.  

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Q&A With the Author:

1.  When did you start writing, and was there a specific event or person who influenced you to become an author?

I started writing about the time my youngest child started preschool. Looking back, I think I was searching for something of my own, since I’d finally gotten past the baby/toddler/diaper phase of motherhood. I’d always been a huge reader, and exceptional with my English skills, so when I came across an online writing class, I took it, just for fun. And then I found my first writing conference, and it kind of snowballed from there. 

2.  What is your favorite writing snack?

It really depends on my mood. I have a hard time typing and eating at the same time, especially because I do all my writing on a laptop. But I do get snacky here and there, so usually it’s something easy to grab, and okay to have sit for a while if I strike a good vein on my WIP. Fruit, cheese, crackers, nuts—stuff like that. And occasionally gummy candies, because-obviously!

3.  If you could have dinner with any of your characters, which ones would you choose? Why? What food would you serve?

Elise from Sea So Blue. I think I’d serve her snow crab (obvs) because it’s her favorite, and mine too. And I’d tell her that grief is temporary, and encourage her to be happy while she can. (Is that vague enough without being spoilery?)

4.  Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

Oh man. This one actually required a LOT of research. I learned to scuba dive (and did it in the ocean a few times), studied whales and went whale watching, learned about the most dangerous creatures in the sea, and the most poisonous. I had to check facts about criminal procedures with a missing persons’ (thought to be a murder investigation) and what would happen if police suspect foul play but don’t have a body, and also I had to use my knowledge of driving a boat, and learn about a different type than mine. There’s probably more, but that’s a long enough list, I think.

5.  How do you relax, or what do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?

If it’s summer, I’m usually out on the lake on our boat. Or near a beach somewhere. Wherever there is water, that’s where I want to be. In the winter, we have snow where I live, so that’s a lot harder. Usually I’m either home reading and enjoying my family, or shopping, because that’s where I go to get out of the house when it’s cold (and I can’t take cold very well).

6. What advice would you give someone who wants to write a book some day?

No matter how you choose to pursue publishing, study the craft of writing well over and over again. Practice, and never stop practicing, studying, and learning. And never give up just because you get rejected or have a bad review. OH, also, don’t read the reviews! 

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Great Summer Reads Day Twelve: The Guise of a Gentleman by Donna Hatch

Multi-award-winning author of 25 best-selling Regency Historical Romances, Donna Hatch is a hopeful romantic and an adventurer at heart. Each book she writes is filled with wit and heart and plenty of swoon-worthy romance. Donna sings, plays the harp, and loves to ballroom dance. Her family, including six children and two cats, recently left their native Arizona for the Pacific coast of the US. No matter where they live, she and her husband of over twenty years are proof that there truly is a happily ever after.

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The widowed Elise is a perfect English lady living within the confines of society for the sake of her impressionable young son. Her quiet world is shattered when she meets the impulsive and scandalous Jared Amesbury. His roguish charm awakens her yearning for adventure. But his irrepressible grin and sea-green eyes hide a secret.

A gentleman by day, a pirate by night, Jared must complete one last assignment from the Secret Service before he can be truly free. Elise gives him hope that he, too, can find love and belonging. His hopes are crushed when his best laid plans go awry and Elise is dragged into his world of violence and deceit. She may not survive the revelation of Jared's past...or still love him when the truth is revealed.

The Guise of a Gentleman is a wholesome Regency Romance, a.k.a. "clean" that explores finding one's true self, loyalty, honor, and trusting loved ones. With plenty of swashbuckling action, it provides a several good twists that play off of familiar situations and proudly proclaims the redemptive power of love. 

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Q&A With the Author:

1.   What do you like to do when you're not writing? 

I love to sing, mostly in choirs or small groups--singing solos are scary! Really, my favorite time to sing is when I'm alone and I have the music really loud. I also adore dancing--especially ballroom and I'm in a performance group that does a production every year set to Strauss music. Hiking and walking are other favorites. And I love to play in the water such as swim, water ski, and wake surf, or even just walk along the shore with the waves lapping at my feet.

2.  What was the hardest part of writing your book, and how did you overcome it? 

The hardest part of this particular book was developing the heroine. Because I already knew the hero as a secondary character from a previous book, he was easy, plus he was just such a fun character. The heroine was new to me so I spent a lot of time developing her character and nailing down her personality as well as what her goals and motivations were.

3. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? 

I'd love to go to England again. I've been there twice but there is so much more that I haven't seen yet. I also really want to visit Italy and see all the historic places. A book that I want to write will be set in Italy so I hope to go soon and do first-hand research for it.

4.  Where do you get information and ideas for your books? 

Ideas come from a variety of sources--lines from books that I or someone else wrote, quotes, movies, or even dreams. Information comes from meticulous research. I do tons of ongoing research about the Regency Era, and each book requires more specialized research. For this book, I spent over a year researching pirates and the British Navy. Much of my research came from books but I also took an online class from Pirates and Privateers. It was fun. I have another pirate book idea which would be great because it would help use that knowledge to work in another book. It was an awful lot of research for just one book.

5. Tell us a bit about a future project you are working on? Do you have any little sneak peeks you can share? 

I have a new book coming out at the end of the month. Though it is book 5 of my familial series, it also reads well as a stand-alone work. It's about a lady accused of murdering her husband, and the Bow Street Runner assigned to hunt her down and bring her back to face justice. But she just may bring him to his knees. Literally. It's called Not a Fine Gentleman so I hope you watch for it.

6. Now that we've gotten to know each other, tell us a story of a favorite childhood activity you used to do during the summer. It can be long or short. Funny, sad, or somewhere in between. Just make sure it's yours. Tell us a story? 

As a child, one of my favorite pastimes was to play in the pool. I'd get up, eat breakfast, take off my nightgown, and put on a swimsuit. Then I spent most of the day in the pool, either alone or with friends, sometimes go swimming again after dinner, then I'd take a bath, put on my nightgown and go to bed. What else do you do when it's 110 degrees F (or more) outside? One of my favorite pool games was to pretend we were mermaids. We crossed our feet at the ankles and swim like mermaids with tails. If only we had that fabric mermaid costumes available today! My best friend had beautiful hair that went down to her hips. She was the perfect mermaid. I was a bit envious. It was great fun and I have many happy memories of that time. 

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