Early St Patrick's Day Greetings from Kate Walker

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to everyone.   

Yes, I know it’s not actually St Pat’s Day yet, but it’s getting near to the  17^th March, and at this time of year my thoughts always turn to the ‘Emerald Isle’  and my family’s connection with that beautiful country.   And then it was Mother's Day here in the UK yesterday so naturally I was thinking of my mother who was born in Clones,  Monaghan.

Both my parents were  born in Ireland -  and on my mother's side I’m descended from a man called Chevalier Charles Wogan whose story is something of a delight for any romantic novelist – here is a brief summary:

"The Chevalier" (Knight) Charles Wogan was born in Rathcoffey. Is it possible that his heroic actions on the night of April 29th 1719 have given rise to the romantic fairy-tale tradition that for every fair princess shut up in a castle tower there comes a knight in shining armour ready to set her free so that she can marry the handsome prince of her dreams?

Wogan was a staunch supporter of the Stuarts. He initiated the alliance which led to the marriage of James Edward Francis Stuart (the Old Pretender), son of Charles II, to Clementina Sobieski, daughter of John Sobieski, King of Poland. She was apprehended, however, on her way to marry the Prince in Bologna. She was held captive in Innsbruck in the Tyrol. Wogan arranged false passports with the Austrian Ambassador and along with a small group feigning to be a Count, Countess, the Countess’ brother (Wogan) and her maidservant, managed to gain access to the princess. Following a quick exchange of clothing between the princess and the maidservant, the party escaped in high winds and blinding snow through the Alpine passes into Austria.

The marriage to James took place and from it Charles Edward (the Young Pretender) was born in Rome in 1720. Wogan’s reputation for daring and enterprise spread throughout all Europe.

It’s rumored that in fact Charles Wogan and Clementina fell in love on their journey but that his loyalty to his king meant that he didn’t press his own claim for marriage. It’s also rumored that as a result of this, the Chevalier and his family are entitled to wear their hats in the presence of the king and to a pension of £10 a year. Unfortunately, like most of these things in English law, this was only passed down through the male side – which has now died out - and I come from the female line.

But this story has been in my mind a lot lately and I keep thinking that seeing as there's really nothing really new in romance plots, it could make a good romance story for Presents.

What do you think?

But for now, I have to  drag my mind away from the ideas that this story is sparking off and make myself focus on the revisions for my next book.   This is the trouble with the way that writing works. You write a book – send it to the editor.  The   editor wants revisions – but the revisions always seem to arrive just when you’ve thought of a new story and are itching to get on with it.

So I’m going to have to push this story from the Irish part of my family to the back of my mind while concentrating on the current book.  I may have mentioned that this is the second part of the duet of books that I started with  A Proposal to Secure His Vengeance.   I need to get this finished because it seems a lot of people are waiting impatiently  for the second half of the story – Imogen and Raoul have had their happy ever after  so now it’s the turn of Imogen’s sister  . . . and it seems that so many of you have guessed who her hero will be and can’t wait to read it .  So I’d better get back  to those revisions.   the meantime,  I’m itching to go back and reread the story of Charles Wogan and his Princess  and see where my imagination will take me.

A Proposal To Secure His Vengeance  was published in Harlequin Presents

in  February and is still available on Amazon etc.

I'm planning an revamp and a much needed update on my web site   - just as soon as I  finish these revisions!  And you can find any news and up to date information on my Facebook page

CJ Carmichael: Traveler or Homebody?

Do you love to travel or are you a homebody? I can never decide which I am. My husband and I just spent two weeks in Ireland and Northern Ireland. We had a lot of craic (fun) as we explored the cities and countryside on a wonderful bus tour that swept up from Dublin to Belfast, then along the west side of the country through Derry, Galway, Killarney and Waterford. We enjoyed Irish beer and whisky, tried beef Guiness stew and fish and chips. And thanks to our awesome tour guide, learned a lot of Irish history at the same time.

Yet, coming home just feels so good, and these days I feel particularly fortunate to be a citizen of a relatively peaceful and tolerant country like Canada. This July 1^st marks the 149^th anniversary of Canada becoming a self-governing dominion. After my immersion in over two thousand years of Ireland’s history, this seems so incredibly young!

Whether you’re Canadian, or not, I’d like to invite you to celebrate our anniversary too—and what better way than by introducing yourself to a sample of Canadian romance authors? A group of us—masterminded by Lauren Hawkeye—have put together a boxed set of 19 stories. You can receive Oh! Canada for free, provided you sign up to receive all of our newsletters. Of course, you are free to later unsubscribe from any of the newsletters you don’t enjoy.

And now I would be remiss if I didn’t also wish all my lovely American readers a Happy Fourth of July! One of the awesome things about being Canadian is enjoying the friendly relationship our countries have had for so many years.

Happy Reading Friends!

Cheers from C.J.

C. J. Carmichael

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The Zone Authors Crave....

As I begin to compose this post, I realized -- and really for the first time since I started posting here -- that my scheduled day IS the beginning day of all four seasons. I never noticed that before! Uh-DUH!!  Worse, I just checked my last post and it was on the Spring Equinox - in MARCH! 

So -- apologies for once again falling off the face of the earth! Since March, I've written another book -- my next Harlequin Historical - Scotland, Highlanders, brave and brawny men and the women who bring them to their knees! All good!  Since March, I suffered the first and second-worst asthma attack of my life -- spring allergies killed me. And since March, I spent 17 days in. . . this place. . . 

Standing Stones at Drombeg

Cliffs of Moher

Poulnabrone Passage tomb

Waterford Castle

Kilmalkedar Church

View from Slea Head

 I spent 17 wonderful days in Ireland -- mostly to see places I need to use in an upcoming book, but also to see Ireland. I spent the first 5 days on my own - driving my little Irish car on LITTLE Irish roads, visiting standing stones, burial cairns and any megalithic site I could find in the north-west coast. Poulnabroune, Knocknarea, Carrowmore and more -- all magical! 

Then I joined up with writer friends to see the south-eastern and central areas - and then we headed for a writers' week on the Dingle peninsula. It was simply incredible - the views were unmatched and I watched some of the most beautiful sunsets ever. We visited neolithic and medieval sites and ruins AND, in a serendipitous twist, spent several hours interviewing the leading archeologist of the area! My thanks to Eileen Dreyer, author and tourguide extraordinaire!, for arranging the "50 Shades of Green" trip....it was everything I could have wanted on my first trip to Ireland. 

But the zone authors crave is not really visiting the location of the next book - though that IS wonderful. It is finding that place in our creative brain where and when the story magic happens. It's the place where the voices stop screaming and begin to tell the story and reveal their secrets. It's the place, for me, where the book writes itself. 

And whether brought on by the magical trip to Ireland and/or the deadline pressure, I came back from my trip and wrote half the book in 2 weeks! The characters spoke to me. The scenes unfolded before my eyes. And best, I reached a place in the story when I had to stuff tissues in the neckline of my pjs because I was crying so much while writing the scenes! I love that place! Writing friends have asked me to take a selfie of it, but that won't happen...! LOL! 

So, my question to you as Summer 2015 begins is - do you have a 'zone'? It could be while doing something you enjoy - reading, a craft, your work? It could be a place you go to 'zone-out' - the beach, the mountains, vacation. It could be any place or space when you lose yourself and just live in that zone.  Post a comment and tell me about it and I'll pick a couple of people who will receive a book and a souvenir from Ireland....! 

 Terri is home now and writing her next book - Blazing Earth - the third in her Stone Circle series for NAL. BTW - the 4th and final book will end at Drombeg Stone Circle in a cataclysmic battle between good and evil for the future of humanity! Visit her website or her FB page or profile for lots more info! 

Happy Summer Solstice to you all! 

Isabel Sharpe: Romancing the Scone

My husband and I just returned from an idyllic trip to Ireland.  I expected the green fields and sheep, but was totally unprepared for the remarkable drama of the western coast and the welcoming charm of the people.  We fell utterly in love with the place—and with having a pint in a pub before dinner every night.

So many favorite moments, but one of the best was on a mid-morning drive (on the left!) on a twisty narrow road around the tip of the Dingle Peninsula, roaring ocean on one side, mountains on the other.  We passed an ancient stone house with a sign, "Home Baking."  The day was damp and cold and we were hungry, so we stopped.  Inside, a low-ceilinged room with two tables and a couple of easy chairs in front of a lovely fire.  The owners, an elderly couple, served us excellent tea and just-baked scones.  We sat there, warm and cozy, feeling part of something foreign and very, very old.  And then, blaring from the kitchen, Neil Young's Southern Man.  A small world after all.

The sad truth is, after such an enchanting time . . . we had to come home.  Thirty-three degrees here in Wisconsin the day we landed, April 15.  We wanted nothing more than to climb back on the plane and return to the bed and breakfast that served scones, brown bread with butter and jam, fresh orange juice, assorted fruits, yoghurt, muesli, amazing cheeses and then an enormous hot breakfast.

Back home, in a somewhat crazed effort to keep the magic going, I scoured the Internet for brown bread recipes and made a worthy version.  I baked scones.  I made muesli, beef and Guinness stew and a dessert called Eton Mess (here I’d like to point out that as of this writing, we have been back for only four days.  I was obsessed).

However, by last night, inevitably, the trip’s magic had faded into all we had to do and catch up on and be responsible for here in our real lives.  Ewww!  So this morning I put down placemats, China and silver, and arranged the leftover scones, muesli, yoghurt and fruit onto and into elegant serving pieces.  I offered our orange juice from a small crystal pitcher and milk from a china one.  My tea and my husband’s coffee I poured out into proper tea cups.  With saucers.

And you know what?  In spite of seven thousand extra dishes to wash afterward (where was that B&B staff?), it was a really lovely escape back into fantasy.  We made a pact to remind ourselves that it only takes a little extra effort to transform the ordinary routine into something more special.  A good lesson learned.  Think how many more there must be!  Clearly we need to visit several more countries to search them out.

If anyone would like the recipe for scones and/or brown bread, please let me know!  And I would love to hear how you keep your lives from sinking too far into the ordinary.  My favorite response gets a copy of my April Harlequin Blaze, Nothing to Hide.

Cheers and happy travels, armchair or otherwise,

Isabel
www.IsabelSharpe.com

*** Isabel's winner is Renee! Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing info.***