ANCIENT TIES
An Erotic Time Travel Romance
by Jane Leopold Quinn
http://amzn.com/B00WFTJYPG
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Thank you, Delilah, for hosting Ancient Ties and me here today!
REAL LIFE VS. WRITING LIFE
I’ve been writing erotic/sensual romance for over a dozen years now and love it. Except when I can’t stand it. That’s only when writer’s block starts, and I worry I’ll never write another book again. Apparently, that’s common amongst writers. Whew!
Generally, when I write, I have to turn off the TV and have either silence or listen to my tenor CDs. Josh Groban, Il Divo, Mario Frangoulis, etc. Sometimes I can’t turn off the TV because of some important news event, which seems to happen more and more, unfortunately. I’m not getting political. I’m just talking about how hard it is to write and revise hot love scenes with real life going on in the background on TV.
I’ll have to re-read sentences and paragraphs over and over to make sure I’ve gotten them right—afraid I’ll miss something important on TV, and afraid I’ll miss or misuse a word on the computer screen. Yikes! But, I always make it through and am able to submit or self publish a book. And real life continues on.
We all have to divide our time as writers. I don’t have kids or pets, but I have a husband. I have a hard time imagining how an author with kids manages to concentrate. They say if you want it, you’ll do it. That’s right. But it can still be hard to immerse yourself in your story when real life intrudes.
Now, I’m also here to talk about my latest release, Ancient Ties. I’m so proud of this book. In 2005, my debut novel came out to so many 5 star reviews that I was petrified I couldn’t write a follow up. I have, but your first, especially to great reviews, is the biggest thrill.
Ancient Ties is a time travel to 2nd Century Roman Britain in Aquae Sulis. The first time, as a single gal, I visited Bath and the Roman Museum and Pump Room, I took a photo of a Roman soldier’s tombstone. When the pictures were developed, there was a haze over the center carvings, the edges were clear. I told everyone the soldier had come out to meet me. When I went back a few years later with my new hubby, I took the same photo. It came out completely clear — evidence that my soldier approved of my husband. Many years later, when I started writing, my first thought was that Roman soldier and what would happen if a small town school teacher from the US (me) visited a crumbling villa, stepped back to 161 AD, and met a Roman soldier (oops, not my husband). Below are the two photos. I look at them today and shiver a little. Believe me, that hazy photo was the only hazy photo I took on that first trip.
I’m particularly proud of the cover too. I created it! The top photo is from http://romancenovelcovers.com. The two lower photos are ones I took on my trips to England and show scenes from the book.
Below is my very first review, before the book was even released, from Just Erotic Romance Reviews (JERR), and it holds a special place in my heart. Below that is the fabulous RT review, also special.
Just Erotic Romance Reviews – 5 Stars
“This absorbing tale of time travel left me breathless with anticipation and enticingly affected by the deep emotional connection between Janney and Marek. Although a little slow to start, the storyline becomes explosive, drawing me in with the fascinating historical significance of the Romans in ancient Britannia. The characters are captivating with their complexities, especially the deeply intense Marek, who battles the loss of his wife and the stress of war while being greatly afraid of loving again. One of the most domineering male characters I have read in months, Marek fills the pages with his alpha male tendency to want to conquer Janney while feeling the overwhelming reluctance to admit his emotional need for her. Not only is it necessary to fulfill his lust for her but also overcome her reluctance to love after living through her ex-husband’s betrayal. Janney is confused by her surroundings and unenthusiastic about falling in love. Nonetheless, her every sexual fantasy becomes a reality in the face of her surrender. These sex scenes are explosively intense, often depicting the powerful and luscious connection that they have. Their romance is profoundly inspiring, leaving me feeling warm and sorrowful throughout the novel. Ancient Ties is an absolutely gripping and satisfying read, leaving me looking forward to more novels by this tremendously talented author.”
RT – 4-1/2 Stars and Top Pick, Reviewers’ Choice Nominee for Best Erotic Romance 2006
“Marek and Janney have a sizzling attraction, and that is where Quinn turns up the heat and intensity. This story has a wonderful balance between sensitivity and sensuality, with humor from the gods on the side. A terrific book.”
Roman soldier Marek Benin Verus considers the woman suddenly appearing before him as a gift from the gods. Zeus knows he needs one! Battle fatigued and emotionally scarred after fifteen years in the army, he’s on a leave of absence, and he has all the time in the world to devote to seducing this beautiful woman into his bed. He doesn’t plan on the powerful and dangerous emotions she inspires in him.
Marek’s hard, muscular body is too luscious to resist. Janney decides to risk the comfort of her safe life and carpe diem – seize the day. Marek seizes her body and takes her to the edge — and over — to an ecstasy she never knew existed. Can a new world for her, timeless desire, and a loving exploration of each other’s bodies forge a passion that survives centuries of separation?
EXCERPT:
I don’t know about you, but I love Stonehenge. Standing on ground as hallowed as the grand cathedrals is so romantic as represented by one of the dictionary definitions: “marked by the imaginative or emotional appeal of what is heroic, adventurous, remote, mysterious…” In Ancient Ties, my erotic time travel, Roman soldier Marek takes Janney, his 21st Century visitor, to Stonehenge as it would have looked in his time, the 2nd Century.
Stonehenge
“You’re happy, Janney Forrester? Stonehenge pleases you?” He stalked toward her. His voice was uncertain, but his body language definitely wasn’t. She hugged the warmth of the stone, pressing back as if it could become her spine. Tendrils of heat skittered through her belly and lower, all her nerve endings tingling. Shouting, more like it. This man was a magnificent male specimen. And all that attention was focused on her. She was tired of fighting it. Of analyzing why he wanted ordinary, uninteresting her. She wasn’t in Iowa any longer.
Janney’s fascination with the massive man-made wonder turns to a stronger fascination in the massive, handsome, hunk of a Roman soldier.
She tried to meet his eyes, but her gaze insisted on sweeping over his tantalizing body. He was strong, the muscles in his long legs stretching and tightening as he moved, his powerful arms swinging easily. How could a man in a skirt be so masculine? In slow motion, he prowled toward her, the white of his tunic contrasting with his darkly tanned skin.
Oh, yeah. Dazedly, she leaned back against the sun-baked stone and waited for him to join her. He smiled, but it was anxious and uncertain. Like a parent trying to please a child. Except she wasn’t a child, and he wasn’t her parent.
He stood before her, tall for his time but only a few inches taller than she. She needed another deep breath, desperately needed it. “Marek, it’s beautiful. Thank you.”
“The sacred stones?” His chest rose and fell with ragged breathing.
“Yes.”
“I don’t know much about them. It’s thought that they’re the sacred stones of the Druid priests, but I’ve never been here when rites were performed.” He moved in closer. “I’m not thinking of religious rites now,” he said.
“No?” She laughed nervously. He’d said exactly what she’d been thinking. His body had taken over her field of vision. He’d taken over her life.
He brushed his thumbs along her jaw, eased his fingers up into her hair. “You’re so beautiful.”
Caught between the hard sarsen and his hard body, she locked her knees. He tipped her chin up with a thumb. She caught her breath, gazing up into his beautiful eyes. It was hard to resist when all his sensuality was focused directly on her.
“Your hair is the color of the sun.” His fingertips burrowed through her curls. He leaned in and kissed a rounded strand over her brow. “So soft.”
She barely breathed, eyes closing to his lulling voice. He was perfection.
“Your eyes are like the morning sky.” His mouth trailed lower, kissing her closed eyelids, the side of her nose. His breath came in short gasps.
She couldn’t stop her little whimper from escaping. She wanted to let go, ached to kiss him back. Wanted to smooth her mouth across the line of his jaw, his tender throat, feel that liquid, beating pulse against the sensitive skin of her lips.
His hand trailed down her chest to the edge of her tunic. The backs of his fingers brushed her bare skin. “So incredibly beautiful.” He slipped long fingers inside the tunic and cupped her breast in his palm.
She couldn’t hold back her cry when he squeezed her nipple. Her hips arched against the curved shape of his erection. Her own body liquefied and pulsed, her desire quick and rampant.
“By the Gods, I want you. I’ve never wanted anyone more,” he growled, compressing her nipple again and pushing her bottom back against the stone.
She gasped and bit his shoulder in answer. His words were wonderful, but, of course, he didn’t mean them. This was just sex. She licked where she’d bitten.
Oh, but it’ll be great sex.
His eyes were inches from hers, perfect understanding in their matching gazes. His lips weren’t hard or straight now; they were soft and moist. They took hers. He buried his tongue in her mouth. Growled.
~~~
Marek will always be my favorite character. I worked so hard to make him a real person, powerful but tender and vulnerable. And what can I say, Janney is me. Since then I’ve written books with a deputy sheriff, a Chicago cop, two gay Chicago cops, a few military men, a painter, a West Texas gunfighter turned preacher, vampires, and a couple of cowboys. And my heroines have been a woman escaping the big city for rural Iowa, a recent widow renting a cottage on the coast of Maine, a young jewelry designer who’s been kidnapped by bad guys while visiting the Pyramids, a reluctant mail order bride. Lots of disparate couples, but somehow they managed to find their mates.
~~~
I have several more blog posts scheduled to celebrate the re-release of Ancient Ties and to continue the conversation. Please feel free to go to any posts. There are several different topics:
May 28, Sabrina York – http://thedecadentdivas.blogspot.com/2015/04/ancient-ties-erotic-time-travel-romance.html
May 28, my blog –
http://janeleopoldquinn.blogspot.com/p/ancient-ties-erotic-time-travel-romance.html ~~~
http://janeleopoldquinn.blogspot.com/p/the-tower-of-london-1999-jane-leopold.html
June 3, Anna Markland – http://www.annamarkland.com/
June 4, Kryssie Fortune – http://kryssiefortune.wordpress.com
June 5, Tina Donahue – http://www.tinadonahue.com/
June 8, Alicia Dean – http://aliciadean.com/alicias-blog/
June 10, Romance Lives Forever – http://romancelivesforever.blogspot.com
June 12, Delilah Devlin – https://www.delilahdevlin.com/blog/
June 19, Jessie Clever – http://jessieclever.com/blog/
AUTHOR BIO
Sensual fantasies were locked in my mind for years until a friend said, “Why don’t you write them down?” Why not, indeed? One spiral notebook, a pen and the unleashing of my imagination later, and here I am with more than a dozen books published. The craft of writing erotic romance has become my passion and my niche in life. I love every part of the creative process—developing characters, designing the plot, even drawing the layout of physical spaces from my stories. My careers have been varied—third grade school teacher, bookkeeper, secretary—none of which gave me a bit of inspiration. But now I’m lucky enough to write romance full time—the best job in the universe! And I’m fortunate enough to have found my own happily ever after husband.
Jane Leopold Quinn
My Romance: Love With a Scorching Sensuality
http://janeleopoldquinn.BlogSpot.com
https://twitter.com/jelquinnauthor
Amazon Author Page http://amzn.to/1DfiXkP
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My Books
Indie
Loving Valentine
His, Hers & His
The Keeper
Soldier, Come Home
Winning Violetta
A Promise at Dawn
Jake and Ivy
Wooing the Librarian
Home to Stay
The Long Road to You
Her Hero
Passion/Retribution/Love
Love Awakens—Erotic Vampire Romance
Ancient Ties
Scorching Mini Tales—Educating Eris and My Parisian Sabbatical (coming soon)
Siren
I’ll Be Your Last
Ellora’s Cave
Lost and Found
The Real Deal
Comment
Thanks, Delilah, for hosting Ancient Ties today! The hazy tombstone story is absolutely true. This book is the most intertwined with my real life of all my books.
Comment
I find that part about the photos fascinating. I’d have seen a story in that too! Best luck on the re-release. 🙂
Comment
Freaky photos, huh? Thanks for commenting, Rose.