Thank you, Delilah, for hosting Ancient Ties and me here today with how…

Finally, after reading many British authors and especially Jane Austin, I made my first trip to England. I’d always been fascinated by the ancient world – Rome, Greece, Egypt. The British Museum in London was a treasure trove, and the Rosetta Stone was one of the many highlights.

But what turned out to be the best for me was the Roman Museum at Bath, touring the baths, and seeing the surviving artifacts. I was totally in love with everything there and had no idea the real impact Bath would have on my life.

I took photos of everything I could see – statues, pediments, mosaics, and a row of tombstones. Roman soldiers’ tombstones. I took a photo then moved on. The actual bath itself was much smaller than I’d thought but more impressive and beautiful than I could have ever imagined.

When I got home, I had my photos developed – yes, this was years before digital cameras. All the pictures turned out very well except for the one of the tombstone. The edges of the stone were sharp, but the center where it was carved was hazy. Darn! I told my friends that the Roman soldier’s spirit was coming out to meet me. Haha.

About a month after that trip, I met the man who became my husband.  After we’d been married a couple of years, we went back to England (he’d never been) and our tour visited some of the places I’d already seen. Bath and the Roman Museum was a repeat. I wanted to retake the tombstone photo and hoped it would come out clear this time. I wouldn’t know until we got home, because I still didn’t have a digital camera.

The photo was clear! This time I claimed the carving was clear because the soldier approved of my new husband.

After another many years, I began writing romance. One of my first inspirations was to write a story about an third-grade Iowan school teacher (I’d been a third-grade teacher in Dubuque, Iowa) who visits England and goes back in time to the Second Century Roman Britain. Oh, yeah, and she meets a Roman soldier.

After much research about Roman life in the Second Century, villas, clothing, gods and goddesses, the baths, and ancient culture, I ended up with Ancient Ties. Easy peasy.  Not. But it was a labor of great love and satisfaction.

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ANCIENT TIES — An Erotic Time Travel Romance

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.”

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Betrayed by her cheating ex, heartbroken Janney Forrester needs a vacation. She gets one — and much more — when she lands almost 2,000 years in the past. Crossing over a crumbling stone threshold, she’s greeted by the villa’s perfect historical detail and the most gorgeous, masculine man she’s ever seen, her every sexual fantasy personified. Confusion vies with attraction for control of her emotions, and Janney must reexamine everything she’s ever thought about herself.

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?

PG EXCERPT:

Setting the scene:  Janney visits the baths in ancient Aquae Sulis, the same baths she saw in her own time just a few days before…

Raising her gaze to the temple’s pediment, the Gorgon’s wildly flowing mane of hair and mustache, his wide surprised and sad eyes were familiar. “He’s the most well-known symbol of the baths. Anyone who’s ever visited them recognizes this carving. Don’t you think it’s amazing it lasted two thousand years?”

“Yes, it is.” Augusta said thoughtfully. “That’s the way I feel when I see the ancient stones near Marek’s villa.”

“Stones? What kind?”

“Tall, in a circle. Some sort of Druid religious site.”

“Stonehenge? Marek has a villa near Stonehenge?” She had to see it. Her heart thumped excitedly. A sexual-like ecstasy heated her from the inside out.

Stonehenge. Read the rest of this entry »