ITALY BOOK TOURS: A LIFE BY DESIGN - 5 QUESTIONS TO AUTHOR LUCY APPADOO

1. Where do you get inspiration for your stories?

For A Life By Design (The Italian Family Series), I was inspired by this story through the character, Elena who had a role in Dancing in the Rain (The Italian Family Series). Elena was very creative in the previous story with her sister, Valeria from Dancing in the Rain, so I wanted to have a character that showed her creative skills in fashion. I adore Italian fashion with the most modern trends, so I wanted to be a part of that excitement of creating modern and contemporary fashion. Elena is the part of me that loves to create (as I like to write), and I have a fascination with Italy as I had visited Italy a number of years ago. The plot came to me by knowing Elena’s character and how her feisty character would be able to handle all the intrigue that came her way. Generally, my inspiration for my other stories comes partly from my imagination (when I’m in a meditative space) and partly from past experiences that are similar or embellished.

THE STAGGERING REALITY OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING: AN INTERVIEW WITH RACHEL LINDEN, AUTHOR OF BECOMING THE TALBOT SISTERS

In Becoming the Talbot Sisters (Thomas Nelson), author Rachel Linden hopes to bring a greater awareness to issues important to women around the world and encourage them to live what she describes as “every day brave.”

Becoming the Talbot Sisters tells the story of estranged twin sisters who live very different lives on opposite sides of the world but are drawn to rebuild their relationship in support of one another as they face challenges ranging from miscarriages to sexual assault to career woes. The sisters’ stories draw from many aspects of Linden’s own life as she shares in the interview below.

An author normally works some of herself into her novel. How much of Becoming the Talbot Sisters reflects your own life?

So much of the book reflects my own personal experience! The main themes – women having courage to face infertility and miscarriage as well as sexual exploitation and trafficking – are all very personal for me. I lost my first child to miscarriage, so I identify deeply with that thread of the book. I also worked with a faith-based organization in Europe for seven years, focusing significantly on women who experienced trauma and exploitation, so that theme is one I am very passionate about. The locations in the book are also dear to my heart. I set the book mainly in Budapest where I lived for five years. Parts also take place in Sarajevo and several other fascinating locations around central Europe, all places I enjoy and want to share with readers.

As for the sister-relationship aspect of Becoming the Talbot Sisters, much like Waverly and Charlotte, my sister and I are very different and live geographically far apart. However, we have a harmonious relationship and have grown in friendship more and more as we’ve gotten older unlike the sisters in the book.

FAITH AND FEARLESSNESS, A NEW SEQUEL TO GASKELL'S NORTH AND SOUTH - AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Faith and Fearlessness is a new, stand-alone sequel to Elizabeth Gaskell’s masterpiece, North and South, one of my best favourite novels ever. I’ve read a few sequels and rewrites before, but when a review copy of Faith and Fearlessness was offered to me, I was immediately triggered by its premise, which made it different from the ones I had read which took the narration over where Mrs Gaskell interrupted it or proposed a variation to the original plot. Actually, at first, that same premise had me both puzzled and curious to discover more. Why puzzled? The book blurb immediately revealed that John Thornton, the Victorian mill owner protagonist of Gaskell’s novel, is left a broken man after the death of his wife Margaret and a new love interest is on his horizon. Now, that took me a while to digest, but when I started reading the book and I found myself back to Manchester (Milton in North and South), years  had  passed from Mrs Gaskell’s lovely ending and everything sounded and looked plausible thanks to M.G. Thomas‘s writing style, which was captivating and fast-paced.

 

Ready to discover more about Faith and Fearlessness? Here are my questions to the author and her answers. If you have more questions for her, please leave them in the comment section.

PLUNDER WITH INTENT BLOG TOUR: FIVE QUESTIONS FOR AUTHOR JOANNA D’ESTE CLARK

Plunder with Intent is a beautiful story of love, justice and tragedy about the family of a 19^th Century English aristocrat who steals a line of beautiful marble statues (the Parthenon or Elgin marbles) from their rightful home in Greece. The novel follows the story of the statues from their creation in 5^th Century BC to present day; friendships, love affairs and destines are shaped by people’s interaction to the statues. 

     

     After reading this short introduction I was really curious about Plunder with Intent and sent a few questions to author J.E. D’Este Clark to discover more. Here are her answers.

      When and how did you fall in love with the Classical world and all-things-Greek?

My love affair with the Classical world began when I was a child. Always asking ‘why’ from the age of eight, lead me to read the classics and study the great Greek philosophers.  If you want to understand yourself there is no better place to start than with Plato, Aristotle, and of course my favourite, Socrates, who features throughout Plunder with Intent. Homer’s Odyssey was my next big love, and I read it three times while researching my novel.  Reading it as a young person brought the ancient wisdom even closer and has stayed with me ever since. I fell in love with classical architecture while studying history of art and design at university.  Those massive Doric columns enchanted me. There was, of course, a more romantic reason for my passion for the Classical world, but perhaps I’ll keep him a secret… 

WUTHERING HEIGHTS 2018 - INTERVIEW WITH PAUL ERYK ATLAS: BECOMING HEATHCLIFF

Shao'ri Morris and Paul Eryk Atlas in a scene from Wuthering Heights

Though he may apparently look quite the brooding Romantic hero, he shares very little with the protagonist of Wuthering Heights. He is no Heathcliff at all.  Paul Eryk Atlas loves smiling, is the least vengeful creature in the world and has such a joyful disposition that he had fun even answering my teacher-mode questions and made this interview such fun to read! 

I can't wait to see Paul on screen when the new Wuthering Heights will be out in 2018 to celebrate Emily Bronte 200th birthday anniversary!    

WUTHERING HEIGHTS 2018: THE TRAILER IS OUT! + INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR NINA ELISAVETA ABRAHALL

Last week I posted the first installment in my Wuthering Heights 2017 series: my interview with Shao'ri Morris, the actress starring as Catherine Earnshaw in the upcoming movie. Today I've got not one but two absolute exclusive features: the fist trailer and an interview with director and screenplay writer, Nina Elisaveta Abrahall. She kindly answered all my questions, even the most insidious ones, with generosity and open-mindedness. You know, I even dared ask whether we truly needed a new version of Emily Bronte's novel after so many had been already made. I think she has a point there! Discover more reading through the interview and enjoy the trailer at the end of the post! By the way, my next interview is with Heathcliff, that is Paul Eryk Atlas.  Stay tuned!

WUTHERING HEIGHTS 2018 - BECOMING CATHERINE EARNSHAW: INTERVIEW WITH SHAO'RI MORRIS

Emily Bronte wrote the greatest , most terrifying love story of all time: Wuthering Heights.  It is a wild, passionate tale of the intense and  demonic love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, allegedly a Gypsy foundling adopted by Catherine's father. After Mr Earnshaw's death, Heathcliff is degraded and humiliated by Catherine's brother Hindley and wrongly believing that his love for Catherine is not reciprocated, leaves Wuthering Heights, only to return years later as a wealthy and polished man to find he is too late and that Cathy has married Edgar Linton. He proceeds to exact a terrible revenge for his miseries.Unable to bear being parted from his love he curses her on her deathbed to never rest and always be with him and so begins 20 years of her haunting his every waking and sleeping hour. A tale of love, hate, horror, haunting, but most of all a story about human nature. 

BOOK UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT: JACK WILD, IT'S A DODGER'S LIFE. INTERVIEW WITH CLAIRE HARDING-WILD.

The book

The book under the spotlight today is an autobiography coming out 10 years after the death of its protagonist, actor Jack Wild, whom many of us still remember for his unforgettable role as Dodger in Oliver! at age 15. It is not a sad and depressing memoir, but,  on the contrary, is the lively recount of a man who deeply loved life and acting. 

Many thanks to Ms Claire Harding Wild for finding the time to answer my questions about her beloved husband and about the book she completed. 

Propelled to stardom at the age of 15, until his tragic death from cancer at the age of 53, this is the story of actor Jack Wild, in his own words - published for the first time.

Jack was just an ordinary young boy, whose talent was spotted by chance by a theatrical agent, and propelled onto the world stage through his performance in the 1968 film musical Oliver! It brought him an Oscar nomination and international stardom.

As his fame grew, Jack also began to battle with alcoholism, which eventually dominated most accounts of his life. After the glittery highs of the 60’s and 70’s came the “lost decade” of the 80’s; the lows of debts and sectioning under the Mental Health Act. The real story of this is here, in Jack’s own words.

But this isn’t a memoir of pity and darkness. Jack loved life, and loved his life. In the 90’s, and fully sober, Jack returned to the screen in films such as Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves. Even in the face of the tragic diagnosis of mouth cancer which eventually killed him, he remained resolutely optimistic about life.

His story contains vivid behind the scenes accounts of many great names he worked with, from British favourites such as Diana Dors and Ron Moody to international stars like Bing Crosby and Kevin Costner.

Completed by Jack's widow Claire, the book is in Jack’s unique narrative voice with honesty, roguish charm and a breath-taking lack of self-pity.

Order the book from Fantom

THE BREEDLING AND THE CITY IN THE GARDEN BLOG TOUR - INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR KIMBERLEE ANN BASTIAN & GIVEAWAY

About the Book

Absolute obedience, servitude, neutrality.

​

These were the laws that once governed Bartholomew, an immortal soulcatcher, until one ill-fated night when he was forced to make a choice: rebel against his masters or reveal an ancient, dangerous secret.

He chose defiance.

Imprisoned for centuries as punishment for his decision, Bartholomew wastes away—until he creates an opportunity to escape. By a stroke of chance, Bartholomew finds himself in the human world and soon learns that breaking his bonds does not come without a price. Cut off from the grace that once ruled him, he must discover a new magic in 1930s Chicago.

Armed with only a cryptic message to give him direction, Bartholomew desperately tries to resume the mission he had started so long ago. Relying on the unlikely guidance of the streetwise orphan Charlie Reese, Bartholomew must navigate the depressed streets of the City in the Garden. But in order to solve this riddle, he must first discover if choice and fate are one in the same.

MY INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR KIMBERLEEE ANN BASTIAN

Hello and welcome, Kimberlee! Let’s start with my first question. THE BREEDLING AND THE CITY IN THE GARDEN is the first instalment of your Element Odysseys saga. What are the main features/themes in your series?

The main features in the series are the historical setting and elements I use to surround my fictitional characters. It was important to me to create a historical fantasy that is set apart from those traditionally thought of, especially those in Europe. Setting it in America during the Depression Era gave me the leeway to use a melting-pot of beliefs, folklore, and myths to create an unique world building mythology, as well as provide a setting that would cater to the plausibility that supernatural elements intereacted with the “real” world. 

Two of the biggest themes of the series deal with the notions of free-will verses destiny, and the honor of keeping ones word.

When and How did your fascination with mythology start?

I was a Disney Kid, through and through, so I have always been facinated by make-believe and fairytales; but I think my love for mythology was fully realized in sixth grade when my class read and studied Homer’s Odyssey.

Time travelling is one of the elements in your saga, especially in this first book.  How difficult is it to write about different time periods, especially past periods. Do you work a lot on research?

ALL THEIR MINDS IN TANDEM - INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR DAVID SANGER

Hello David and welcome to FLY HIGH! I’ve got so many questions for you but, don’t worry, I know I must cut my interview short. What about 10 questions? The first one is: how do you feel at being promoting your debut novel? Have you always wanted to be a writer? 

Hello and thanks for having me! I feel a mixture of excitement and strangeness. I worked in publishing for just over six years so it’s odd to be on the other side of things right now and promoting my book instead. I gave my parents headaches with the amount of different careers I wanted – animator, journalist and actor to name a few. Then I wrote something whilst at university and in one way or another it seemed to embody the other career choices. It took a few more years before I started writing full time but when I did I realised it was something I couldn’t do without.

I’m fond of historical fiction, period movies and costume drama series. But, what about you? How does it come that you started with a novel set in the past? 

I too love historical fiction and movies. I think there’s something extraordinary to stepping into a world that could easily be science fiction – far flung politics, clothes, food, attitudes, etc. – yet it’s something we have a faint purchase on; it’s in our collective past. If someone asked me to write a contemporary novel about 30-somethings today, even though I am one, I would struggle. I find a comfort in the past and the interest the research provokes is its own motivation.

UNEVEN EXCHANGE BLOG TOUR - 7 QUESTIONS FOR AUTHOR S.K. DERBAN + GREAT GIVEAWAY

About the book

Like fire and ice, Alexandra Callet's life runs hot and cold. At the age of thirty-three, Alexandra owns a stunning home and a successful interior design company. But she is in love with her business partner, Jake Taylor, and he doesn't even seem to realize she's a woman. She should be on top of the world, but instead she feels dragged down by the void in her heart. Hoping for answers, she decides a trip to Mexico might soothe her soul.

Jake Taylor only pretends to be a confirmed bachelor. Jake has been entranced by Alexandra's determination and exotic beauty since the moment they met, but she has no idea how he feels. He considers confessing his love, but fears jeopardizing their friendship and business. He's caught in a web of pretending he doesn't care, and doesn't see a way out of it. Alexandra is recruited for a dangerous mission. Following her trip to Mexico, her resemblance to a member of an assassin's family leads Alexandra to be recruited by the DEA. Her training leaves her distracted, and her business begins to suffer. Jake notices her sudden change, and feels her slipping both personally and professionally beyond his reach.

Should he finally take the chance...before it's too late? After all, he has nothing to lose. However, when Alexandra returns to Mexico for her mission, things go terribly wrong. Will she be able to find the strength to fight and escape the peaceful haven that has now become her prison?

Or will Jake lose Alexandra forever...

HOUSE OF SHADOWS BLOG TOUR - INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR NICOLA CORNICK & BOOK GIVEAWAY

First of all Nicola welcome back! It’ s been a while since you visited last time (HERE).  It’s a great pleasure to have you as my guest again. Now, here’ s my first question for you.

Thank you so much! It’s lovely to be here.

Your novel tells the story of three women connected to Ashdown House in Oxfordshire where you volunteer as a guide and local historian. What is it like to work in such an amazing place?

Right from the start, Ashdown enchanted me. There’s something about the place that grabs you and doesn’t let you go. All my fellow volunteers say the same. Perhaps it’s the combination of the sheer beauty of the house and the fascinating story of the family who owned it – a rags to riches story of fortune and passion and scandal. It inspires me every time I step over the threshold and it feels sich a huge privilege to be allowed to work there.

How crucial was your work at Ashdown House in your decision to   write House of Shadows?

Can you briefly introduce the 3 protagonists of your book?

I’ve known for several years that I wanted to write a fictional story inspired by Ashdown and its history so it was absolutely crucial to House of Shadows. The story of Elizabeth Stuart, the Winter Queen, is a usually portrayed as a sad one because she lost her kingdom and was forced into exile, but there is so much more to Elizabeth as a person and I wanted to demonstrate her strength and the way she still campaigned for her children’s future after her husband died. Then there is Lavinia, the 19^th century courtesan whose story is inspired by that of another Craven connection, Harriette Wilson who was the mistress of the 7^th Lord Craven. In the present day, Holly is desperately trying to find her brother, and she is the one who unravels both Elizabeth and Lavinia’s story and sees the destiny that binds them together across the centuries.

WALKING HOME BLOG TOUR - INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR ARLEEN WILLIAMS: SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND THE LIVES OF EMIGRANTS IN OUR EVOLVING COMMUNITIES.

The Book

Walking Home is a compelling glimpse into the lives of emigrés in modern day America – refugees from genocide and war. The book journeys from loss and grief to survival and joy. The story hits the ground running, literally, with Kidane’s escape from Africa that reaches far into his future into Seattle, Washington. Kidane battles with survivor guilt while he struggles to settle into Seattle, a new life, relationship, school and work. He wants the American dream but is haunted by the past where he survived horrific violence in Africa, and was forced to leave everything and everyone he loved, behind.

Beautifully written, this poignant and intimate portrait of survivors is a must read for anyone seeking to understand the lives of emigrants in our evolving communities.

I'm glad Arleen Williams accepted to answer a few questions and even to give me some precious teaching tips! Here's our exchange. I hope you'll enjoy it .

My interview

The new overwhelming flood of immigration to  Europe  is present–day breaking news. Thousands and thousands of desperate human beings are fleeing from their countries at war and coming to our countries in search of safety and freedom. Your book is a perfect chance to focus and reflect on this urgent matter. So many thanks, for accepting to answer my questions, Arleen!

It is my pleasure, Maria Grazia. Thank you for reading my work.

My first question  is : what led you to write “Walking Home”?

I've been working with refugees and immigrants at a large urban community college for thirty years. As an ESL instructor, I find myself in frequent conversations with students dealing with the extreme hardships of leaving homelands they  may never see again while also trying to adjust to the challenges of a new culture and language.

IT WON'T BE EASY TO CHOOSE BETWEEN MY SAM AND MY LEO! INTERVIEW WITH VICTORIA CONNELLY ON THE BOOK LOVERS - WIN PAPERBACK OR AUDIOBOOK

Hello Victoria and thanks for accepting to answer my questions. Welcome to my FLY HIGH Blog!

 The Book Lovers is your new release and it is the first in a new series after The Rose Girls and Austen Addicts. What will be the trait d’union among the books in this upcoming series?

The Book Lovers series revolves around the Nightingale family and their family-run bookshops in the small Suffolk market town of Castle Clare. Each book will focus on a member of the Nightingale family and how they find their true love, but there will also be a cast of regular characters made up of friends, cousins and neighbours.. It's proving a lot of fun to write!

The Book Lovers features a classic love triangle.  Your heroine, Callie, has two very different men vying for her attention in a complicated moment of her life. Have you got any idea why this pattern is so popular in fiction?

I think readers love to put themselves in the place of the heroine and think, 'Who would I choose?' I know I do! Thomas Hardy is very good at love triangles. In Far From the Madding Crowd, there are no less than THREE heroes for the heroine to choose from and, of course, she gets it wrong over and over again. I think we're all fascinated by that sort of romantic journey.

What inspires your romantic characters? Is it more fiction or real life?

I am very lucky to have a wonderful husband and he's inspired many moments in my fiction, but there's a lot of imagination in the books too! I think we all like to dream even when we've found our own happy ever after. The process of falling in love is a magical one, and it's one I never tire of writing about.

AN INTERVIEW WITH SARAH SUNDIN, AUTHOR OF THROUGH WATERS DEEP - WIN A COPY OF THE BOOK!

  

About the book

With the first book in her new Waves of Freedom series, Through Waters Deep,  Sarah Sundin transports readers back to the 1940s — a fascinating time when ordinary men learned they could do extraordinary things, and women explored new roles while still remaining ladies. It’s an era Sundin enjoys living in while she weaves her stories. “When we read of how people in the 1940s prevailed in times of uncertainty, fear and danger, it gives us hope we can prevail today, no matter what we face,” Sundin explains.

Described by Booklist as “an optimal hybrid of 1940s crime and romance,” Through Waters Deep takes readers through the tense months right before the U.S. entered World War II. There they’ll encounter German U-boats and torpedoes, along with the explosive power of true love.

The interview

Through Waters Deep is the first book in your new Waves of Freedom series. What’s it like for you to start a new series?

Both exciting and scary. I love getting to know a whole new cast of characters, but it takes time to get to know them. I love the challenge of a new setting, but the research can be daunting. I loved stretching myself by writing a mystery plotline for the first time, but sometimes I felt I’d gotten in over my head. And I never know what my readers will think of the new series . . . kind of like trying a completely new haircut and waiting for your friends’ reactions!

You are known for finding inspiration for elements of your story plots in Scripture. Which verse did you choose for Through Waters Deep?

Ironically, the verse I originally chose didn’t really play into the book after all. However, verses emerged when I wrote the story. For Mary Stirling, who struggles with a fear of attention, her theme verse is Matthew 5:15-16: “Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Mary learns that using your gifts isn’t prideful when you do it to call attention to God, not to yourself.

DISCOVER YOUR TALENT, DO WHAT YOU LIKE - YES, I'M LUCKY ENOUGH TO DO WHAT I LOVE (PODCAST)

When my American friend, Don Hutcheson, asked me to join him on skype for an audio interview I was puzzled: what could I possibly tell him which could sound interesting? And, especially, how could an English - speaking audience appreciate anything uttered in my awkward English? I know my accent is definitely foreign to mother-tongue speakers' ears, so I was worried and a bit scared and couldn't make my decision easily. Once he sent me his questions and the description of the aim of his new podcast site, I was even more worried and more scared. 

Discover Your Talent ~ Do What You Love is a daily podcast series hosted by Don Hutcheson. Every day of the week Don interviews someone from around the world who has discovered her true talents and abilities and figured out how to use them doing work she loves.

 The podcast series is designed for people of every age and background who are looking to build a life and career that uses the best of who they are to enjoy a life of success, satisfaction and freedom.

Don has been a pioneer in the field of education, career and life planning for 35 years as an inventor, entrepreneur, author and coach:

"Every one of us is born with unique talents and gifts. They are hardwired into us. We don’t learn them and we can’t ignore them. They are just a part of who we are—our DNA.

“Some of us discover our talents at an early age, some much later in life. Whenever we discover them and use them in our lives and careers, we do not merely survive, we thrive in every way possible.”  

COMING TO TERMS WITH YOUR FAMILY'S SECRETS: AN INTERVIEW WITH MELANIE DOBSON, AUTHOR OF SHADOWS OF LADENBROOKE MANOR

Every family has secrets they’d prefer to stay hidden, but where is the line between protecting the ones you love and simple self-preservation? The theme of Melanie Dobson’s sweeping new novel, Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor (Howard Books) is how the choices of a few can impact generations.

Hello and welcome, Melanie! In your latest book, Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor, we meet 19-year-old Maggie — innocent in many ways — but she finds herself in an unwed pregnancy during a time period when that was socially unacceptable. What does that situation mean for her and her family?

Maggie lost her biological parents during World War II, and her beloved younger brother died in an orphanage after the war. Heartbroken and scared, Maggie was raised by foster parents near Bristol, England. In the 1950s, British mothers often told their children that a midwife or a stork brought each new baby, so many young women were naïve about the facts of life. Maggie and her foster mother never discussed where babies came from.

Maggie craves love at the beginning of this story, but the father of her baby has sailed away from their coastal village, and she knows this unexpected pregnancy will humiliate her foster family. Since she has no place else to turn, Maggie begins to contemplate suicide, thinking it will be better for her child to be cradled in heaven rather than dying slowly in an orphanage like Maggie’s brother.

Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor spans four generations of women, slipping back and forth between a past and contemporary story. Why do the three older women keep secrets from their daughters? How far are some people willing to go to cover the shame of their past?

Mother-daughter relationships can be complicated. This relationship can be one of the closest a woman might experience, but it can also be one of the most hurtful. In both the past and present parts of the story, the mothers kept secrets from their daughters in order to protect them, but as these secrets are passed down through generations, they almost destroy their family.

ELIZABETH FREMANTLE, WATCH THE LADY: TUDOR ENGLAND, POETRY AND LOVE

Tudor England is a great setting  for an historical novel. I've asked Elizabeth Fremantle, bestselling author of three intriguing novels set in that era,  a few questions to discover more of its allure.

WATCH THE LADY is set in the Elizabethan Age. What is the allure of Tudor England on modern readers?

It’s hard to say why the Tudor period has captivated modern readers so much more than other periods. I am personally fascinated by the state of political and cultural flux that came with the Reformation and the exploration of the New World, which coincided with an unprecedented half-century of female rule. England was late to the renaissance but in the late sixteenth century with writers such as Spenser, Sidney and Shakespeare there was a great literary flourishing that continues to have relevance today.

What is the most intriguing aspect of that age to you,  instead,  both as a historical researcher/writer and a reader?  

My particular interest lies with women writers and this was the time when they began to take up their pens. My first book QUEEN’S GAMBIT is about Katherine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII, who few know was one of the first women to publish an original work in the English language. The period is filled with intriguing and powerful women whose stories continue to captivate modern readers, some of which, like Penelope Devereux’s in WATCH THE LADY, have been forgotten by history and merit re-expooration. 

Writing historical fiction must be challenging. How much do you work on research and how important is historical accuracy to you?

In my novels I like to remain faithful to the historical record but I am not under the illusion that it is possible to achieve absolute accuracy when dealing with the distant past.  Often history contradicts itself, in differing points of view, and the truth remains elusive but there is usually a framework of known fact that I will work to.

MEET RACHEL ROSSANO AND DISCOVER HER SWEET MEDIEVAL ROMANCE - WIN HONOR: SECOND NOVEL OF RHYNAN

First of all welcome Rachel and thanks for being my guest at FLY HIGH!

Thank you so much for having me come and chat.

Just out of curiosity, you know I’m Italian  and your surname is Rossano. Are you of Italian origins?

Unfortunately I don’t come by the Italian name by blood. I married into it, but I love Italians and their culture.

Honor: Second Novel of Rhynan is part of a series set in the Middle Ages and featuring intriguing love stories and gripping adventures. What is your fascination with medieval history? When did it start?

It started when I was young. I loved fairy tales, queens, kings, princes, and princesses. The romance of the Arthurian legends and the fascination with England started almost as soon as I was reading books on my own. I spent hours researching the Tudor dynasty of English history when I was a teen, but when I started writing I settled more in the Middle Ages because of the simpler and wilder setting.

You planned the Novels of Rhynan as a 5-book series + an anthology. Are the books stand-alone volumes or a connected saga following the same characters?

Each book stands alone. Each book is about a different couple, but they are linked by friendship and family. The heroes of the first and second books are best friends. The third book is about the man that the heroine in the second book rejects. The fourth and fifth books are going to be about the second generation of these couples. Reading the books in order will enrich the experience, but each can be enjoyed completely alone.

WHAT IF SACRIFICING YOUR DREAM WAS THE ONLY WAY TO GET WHAT YOU REALLY WANTED? TAMERA ALEXANDER, TO WIN HER FAVOR - INTERVIEW + GIVEAWAY

In Tamera Alexander's riveting new novel, a young woman caught in a marriage of convenience must sacrifice everything to save her home, her land, and the people she truly loves. 

Seattle: Against the backdrop of one of the most turbulent times in American history, the post-Civil War era, one woman struggles against prejudice, injustice and suffocating conventions of the 19th century to pursue her dream. Tamera Alexander's To Win Her Favor , the second stand-alone novel in the Belle Meade Plantation series, is already receiving high praise. According to Library Journal, "Strong characters, a sense of the times and the themes of love, friendship and the importance of loyalty and determination make To Win Her Favor a triumph."

Maggie Linden lost nearly everything in the Civil War - including most of her family. She's about to lose her stables and land at Linden Downs and her thoroughbred racing hopes as well. A gifted rider in a world where ladies never race, Maggie is determined that her mare, Bourbon Belle, will become a champion. Indeed, her only hope of saving Linden Downs is if the horse takes the top purse in the inaugural Peyton Stakes, the richest race ever run in America. To give his daughter a chance, Maggie's wily father makes a barter. But his agreement includes one troublesome detail: Maggie must marry a man she's never met - a man she never would have chosen for herself.

An Irishman far from home, Cullen McGrath left a once-prosperous life in England because of a horse-racing scandal that nearly ruined him. He's come to Nashville for a fresh start, hoping to buy land and begin farming, all while determined to stay as far away from thoroughbred racing as possible. With "No Irish Need Apply" signs greeting him at every turn, Cullen finds starting over proves much more difficult than he wagered. When Maggie Linden's father makes him an offer he shouldn't accept, he finds it impossible to refuse.