Thanks so much, Delilah, for the chance to meet your readers.

Until a few years ago, I was one of those readers—literary snobs who look down their noses at romance for the usual stupid reasons: too corny, too predictable, too fluffy. Then I read a few online articles about how fun and lucrative writing erotica can be. I thought, what the heck? Let’s try.

I have never had so much fun with a writing project! My first steamy romance, Through the Red Door, nearly wrote itself, though it damned sure didn’t edit itself. I’ve totally immersed myself in the world of romance, gobbling books like popcorn, filling my ears with romance podcasts, and joining the Romance Writers of America. From skeptic to romance mega-fan in two short years, I’m totally addicted to passionate, heartfelt stories with happy endings.

My Book Nirvana series offers steamy contemporary romance set in a bookshop in Eugene, Oregon. Why a bookshop? Ever since I was a wee lass, I dreamed of owning one. Add to that my fascination with historical erotic art and literature, and you’ve got the perfect setting for love to bloom: an indie bookshop with an extensive erotica collection behind a locked red door. Of course, there’s a cool, quirky coffee shop next door.

I love stories in which a couple’s powerful physical attraction leads them to consider a partner outside their usual M.O.—one who just might turn out to be their perfect match. That’s how it happened for my husband and me, as well as for Clara, the bookshop’s owner, and Laurel, her assistant. I’m currently writing Book 3 in the series, featuring Margot, Clara’s spiky-haired young assistant, a senior at the University of Oregon.

I sort of pulled the setting out of a hat. I wanted to set my series in a college town. I’d heard that Eugene has a lively arts scene and a rich counterculture legacy from the hippie era. After much online research, correspondence, and hours on Google Earth, I finally made the trip. Eugene is even lovelier than I’d imagined, and I look forward to many return trips to this sparkling jewel on the Willamette River.

Wherever I travel, I make a point of visiting the local indie bookshops. Here in Tacoma, Washington, we have a very special one. King’s Books welcomes readers, writers, and local artists with a huge, well-curated collection of new and used books, as well as thirteen book clubs, plus writers’ groups, author events, art fairs, and more. I had a blast at their Romance Bookstore Day event. King’s Books’ collection has “a little bit of everything,” with a special focus on social justice, female authors, and authors of color. The children’s collection is especially popular, offering young readers books with strong female protagonists as well as characters from a wide variety of backgrounds. Rather than having a “Diversity Section,” King’s Books strives to showcase diversity in every section of the bookshop.

Meet Herbert, shop cat since 2015.
He’s a sweetheart and will gladly share his book recommendations.

Through the Red Door, Book Nirvana #1

Letting him inside could be her salvation…or her undoing.

Clara Martelli clings to Book Nirvana, the Oregon bookshop she and her late husband Jared built together. When rising rents and corporate competition threaten its survival, her best hope is their extensive erotica collection, locked behind a red door. In dreams and signs, her dead husband tells her it’s time to open that door and move on. When a dark and handsome stranger’s powerful magnetism jolts her back to life and he wants a look at the treasures of that secret room, she can’t help but want to show him more.

Professor Nick Papadopoulos is looking for historical erotica. Book Nirvana’s collection surpasses his wildest dreams, and so does its lovely owner. A widower, he understands Clara’s battle with guilt, but their searing chemistry is too strong to resist. Besides, he will only be in town for two weeks, not long enough for her to see beyond the scandal that haunts his past.

Excerpt:

Nick pressed his back against the red door and blew out a long, shaky breath. He’d heard about Book Nirvana for years, but nothing prepared him for what he found inside. The shop was aptly named, that was for damned sure.

From the first jingle of the brass bell over the doorway, he knew this place was something special. The sweet, almost edible scent of books, both new and used, wafted out to greet him. The early-summer sunlight bathed the shop in a welcoming glow and highlighted the colorful posters on the walls—Peter Max’s psychedelic sunset pointing toward the art books, the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine above the music section, and a lush still life of fruit, bread, and wine for the cooking section. Further down the long, narrow space, comic superheroes, a futuristic spacescape, an armored knight charging into battle, and, above a lacquered red door at the rear, Ingres’s La Grande Odalisque threw a languid glance over her bare shoulder—at once an invitation and a dare.

But the jewel of the collection was Clara herself. His friend at the University of Oregon told him about the pretty shop owner, but “pretty” hardly did her justice. Her unruly dark hair glimmered with just a hint of red fire. Those eyes—dark, like the Pacific on a stormy day, somewhere between green and gray—eyes a man could get lost in. Something about this woman set his pulse to revving like a race car at the starting line. Caught off guard by her startling beauty, he’d behaved like a horny teenager, ogling as her delicate fingers fiddled with the locket between her breasts. She noticed, too. Damn.

Buy links: Amazon Barnes & Noble Google Play Kobo iTunes

Runaway Love Story, Book Nirvana #2

Fierce passion or long-cherished dreams…she can’t hang onto both.
She hates average…he’s as average as they come.

High school history teacher Doug Garvey is trying to enjoy his last few weeks of summer vacation, but receiving his final divorce decree hits him harder than expected. After a brief fling fizzles, he fears love just isn’t in the cards for him. If only he could find someone who’s real, someone interested in something beyond herself…maybe a new running partner who can keep up with his more carnal appetite. When sexy, straight-talking Laurel runs across his path, he dares to hope again.

He’s done with social-climbing posers…she’s ambitious and has big dreams.

Fired from an art gallery, Laurel Jepsen shelves her pursuit of an art career in San Francisco to help her beloved great aunt Maxie move into assisted living. While out on a morning run, she’s harassed by a group of teens until a tall, broad-shouldered hottie steps in, pretending to be her boyfriend with a kiss that makes her wish it were true. But she’s only passing through, not looking for a relationship.

Their fierce chemistry burns up the sheets—and the couch, the shower, the forest—but falling in love would ruin everything. Laurel can’t stay in Eugene, and he can’t leave. Doug’s only hope is to convince her the glittery life she’s after could blind her to the opportunities already in her path.

Get your copy here!

I’m writing a series about a cat café. But I don’t have cats. Huh?

I love cats. I have known cats and enjoyed them in small doses. But tragically, I am very allergic to cats, so I cannot let one keep me as a servant. (I’m getting allergy shots, so maybe that will change in the future.)

Instead, my husband and I keep ferrets. They are similar to cats in some ways. When they play, they are as rambunctious as kittens. Like adult cats, they sleep most of the time.

So I will write about a cat cafe, which gives me a chance to look at lots of pictures and videos of adorable cats and kittens, such as this slide show of 29 Cats Taking Naps In Odd Positions from Pawsome.

As far as the café side of things go, the novel mentions several delicious baked treats. The recipe for Cookie Dough Brownies (link is to my blog) is included at the back of Coffee and Crushes at the Cat Café. I add a from-scratch brownie recipe there, but here’s the quicker version, just in time for holiday parties and cookie exchanges!

What’s your favorite pet? What’s your favorite sweet treat? Please share!

Coffee and Crushes at the Cat Café: A Furrever Friends Sweet Romance

What do you do when you meet the guy of your dreams? Set him up with your sister, of course.

Kari doesn’t have time for love when she’s opening her new cat café. Renovating an old restaurant, hiring employees, fighting with the health inspector – oh, and welcoming 16 shelter cats – keeps her plenty busy. She’s doing this for the cats, the community, and most of all her family. The café will give her sister, Marley, a job worthy of her baking skills.

Then a tattooed military vet wanders in claiming to be a master baker himself. The café doesn’t need another baker, but maybe Marley needs a man. Surely she’ll fall for a guy this sweet, this sexy, this tasty.

Colin has other ideas. It’s Kari who makes him want to pour on the sugar and turn up the heat. But he’s spent the last two years recovering from physical and psychological wounds. Is he really ready for a relationship? He’s not even sure he should commit to Samson, the fluffy marshmallow of a cat who steals his heart.

Get this sweet romance on Amazon, or free with Kindle Unlimited.

Here’s a short excerpt when Kari meets Colin:

He leaned back in his chair and studied the large, framed poster of kittens on the side wall. “Who wouldn’t like cats? As for coffee, I’m not a connoisseur, but I like a good cup, and I can learn all the fancy stuff.” His gaze returned to her. “I started cooking mainly to feed myself. I was getting flabby from too much fast food.”

He didn’t look flabby now.

A smile softened his lips. “Turns out cooking is fun. Focusing on the colors, the smells, the tastes. That helps keep me in the moment better than meditation. Eventually I got into baking.”

Kari sat up straighter. “You bake?” They already had a baker: her sister. But Marley couldn’t work seven days a week. Plus, this would give Marley and Colin something to talk about. Something to do together. Marley’s son was nine. He was old enough to handle his mother dating, and Marley needed more fun in her life.

Colin liked cats. He did yoga, baked, and knitted. He was open about his need for counseling. Lots of checks on the nice guy list.

Colin leaned forward and said in a seductive voice, “You should try my salted caramel blondies.”

About the Author

Kris Bock writes novels of romance, mystery, and suspense. Her Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats.

Kris also writes romantic suspense set in the Southwestern U.S. If you love Mary Stewart or Barbara Michaels, try Kris Bock’s stories of treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue in the Southwest. Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page. Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter for announcements of new books, sales, and more.

UPDATE: The winner is…Debra Guyette!
*~*~*

Thank you, Delilah, for sharing your lovely blog with me today.

Recently, I have joined several multi-author projects. In case you’re unfamiliar with the term, that’s when several authors each write her or his book within the guidelines of the series organizer. Each book is a stand-alone but reading the entire series enhances the pleasure. I’ve enjoyed these MAPs and want to share two with you today.

Melody
Angel Creek Christmas Brides

MELODY, Angel Creek Christmas Brides book 7, released today! The series is set just after the Civil War when most of Charleston, South Carolina was in ruins and no marriageable young men were to be found. The year before—the fall after the war—five women answered an advertisement for mail-order brides to a small Montana town. That turned out well and many of the remaining bachelors prevailed upon the brides to recruit more Southern Belles to come to Angel Creek. Six more agree to travel there by train to St. Louis, then by riverboat up the Missouri River, then by stage to Angel Creek.

These young women knew each other from school before the war and have remained friends. Melody Fraser is twenty-two and fears remaining a spinster. In addition, she has threats against her fueled by vicious rumors. She is happy to escape Charleston’s destruction and peril for a chance at life in a place untouched by the war. The problem is, she might have stretched the truth a tiny bit.

Nicholas Walker is the new doctor in Angel Creek. He has big, big plans for his clinic and practice as the town grows. He is very efficient and expects to combine a skilled nurse with a wife. When he learns Melody has only nursed an elderly grandmother, he feels cheated.

They’re in for adventure and excitement. But, will the two grow fond of one another before Christmas or will they apply for an annulment?
The universal Amazon link is https://mybook.to/Melody.

Christmas Wishes: Wishes Do Come True

On Wednesday, November 13, a 15-author box set of all new stories releases for the amazing price of 99 cents! This limited-time box set titled Christmas Wishes: Wishes Do Come True is a mixture of historical and contemporary stories set in the small town of Hopeful, Colorado. There are three heat levels: from 1 chili pepper for sweet to 3 chili peppers for sensual. The table of contents gives the heat level of each story. So, there are several to please every reader! Preorder yours now at https://getbook.at/Hopeful.

Legend says the wishing well in the center of Hopeful makes wishes come true if the wish is made under a full moon. What could making a wish hurt?

Be careful what you wish for!

My story is the first one, Winter Wish. Serena Winters longs for a man who makes her feel loved. She yearns for her own home and children. Until a couple of months ago she had nursed her mother, who had consumption. She lives with her aunt and uncle above their mercantile store. In spite of what her aunt says about wishes being foolish, Serena wishes for a special man.

Brent Adams slips into town hoping no one saw him deliver the load he’d packed in on his mule. He has to wait in Hopeful until he receives funds from the bank. When he meets Serena, he longs to take her with him when he leaves town. But, what will she think when she learns his secrets?

Contest

I’ll give away an e-book of MELODY to one person who comments today and one e-book of CHRISTMAS WISHES to one person who comments.

I have been writing for a few years now, and until recently, I’ve never written a series. I’ve read plenty of them, so I thought, How hard can it be?

Come to think of it, that’s the exact same thought I had that got me involved in writing to begin with! Maybe I should have given it more consideration since writing turned out to be harder in many respects than I’d imagined.

This series—the Good Man series—didn’t start as a series at all. It started as a duo book, shared between the fabulous Vanessa Hart and me. She took a character and I took one and we handed off the story line, chapter by chapter. Eventually, we had to give up the project—Nessie had other commitments and so did I. Last year, she gave me permission to use the characters in this new series about the Goodman brothers, a set of identical triplets.

The character I had, Daniel Goodman, I developed into Book 1 of the Good Man series, Only a Good Man Will Do. I loved Daniel and his priggish, schoolteacher ways. I had taught in a boys’ residential school so I had Daniel do the same. I loved teaching boys, so I tried to make the kids Daniel taught, as well as those in his dormitory, a realistic (and endearing) part of his story. I hope I succeeded in that!

The second book is Jonah’s story, and this was Nessie’s character. One Woman Only is based loosely on Nessie’s Jonah, but I changed both him and his circumstances quite a bit, though he is still a mechanic and works with NASCAR teams. I really like Jonah. He has a good sense of humor and takes things in stride. Despite his success, he’s still the guy who really just wants to be a good mechanic—he has no airs. And he loves the woman he’s been dreaming about since high school. As a woman who married her own high school sweetheart, he’s a man after my own heart.

But between Daniel and Jonah, I ran into trouble writing the series. Jonah figures prominently in the first chapter of Daniel’s story. He said things and did things that I had to keep going back to look up when I wrote One Woman Only, since the books were written a good year apart. I didn’t anticipate this, so I didn’t keep notes as I should have. Also, in Daniel’s final chapter, Jonah came back into play. I forgot this when I started writing Jonah’s story. When you’re used to writing standalone books, what happened in a previous book has no bearing on what happens in the current book. Not so with a series!

But my biggest problem in the two books is that I added the first chapter from Jonah’s book at the end of Daniel’s. It fit nicely at the end of Daniel’s book because whoever read it there had just read the opening book in the series—events and characters made sense. But, when read at the beginning of Jonah’s book…not so much. I had to make lots of changes in order for One Woman Only to be a true standalone book, able to be read and appreciated without reading the first book.

I learned my lesson! Book 3, which I’m starting now, should avoid those issues. It’s the story of the third Goodman triplet, Mark. His book With Only the Heart, takes place in one of my favorite cities, Richmond, Virginia. I hope to have it out by the end of the year. And then, I have another series in mind (oh, no!). LOL!

One Woman Only is newly released! It saw the light of Amazon day on November 4. It’s available on Kindle Unlimited.

One Woman Only

As one of a set of triplets, Jonah always felt the need to make his individuality known. So where his brother Daniel was serious and completely focused, Jonah shunned commitment. Where his genius brother Mark was hailed in the scientific world, Jonah hid beneath a car tinkering. Thing is, being different wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. It took a woman to make him see that focused and recognized in his field could turn a “good man” into a better man.

Excerpt:

“May I have this dance?”

Kelly turned at the sound of Jonah’s voice behind her. Dinner had ended. All three of the boys had given best man speeches and Eve had even given a very creditable matron of honor speech, considering she had only known Marilyn and Caleb a short time. Lots of toasts had been raised and finally the live band had struck up the music. Caleb led his bride onto the floor for a foxtrot—a dance more than half of the guests had no idea how to do, including her.

Facing Jonah she sighed inwardly at how scrumptious he looked. Sure, his face was pretty much displayed on his brothers’ heads, too, but there was something different about Jonah. His nose was just a little crooked from when Bobby Hendricks had broken it in ninth grade and his eyes held an especially bright sparkle in his eyes when he smiled. Maybe… Well, she didn’t know what caused the difference between Jonah and his brothers. Whatever it was, she had never been fooled by the so-called identical nature of the identical triplets. She’d wanted to be his girl since elementary school. Thought she would be in high school. And then forced every last thought of him from her mind from senior year on.

Until now.

“I don’t know how to foxtrot.”

He shrugged. “Who does except those over fifty?” He glanced at his folks, still alone on the dancefloor, although a few couples were wandering out to join them now. “We can pretend.”

She mentally compared standing on the sidelines alone now that Mama Rio left the party, or being held in Jonah’s arms. Smiling, Kelly held out her hands. “Just don’t step on my toes, Jonah Goodman, or there’ll be hell to pay.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Together they walked onto the dancefloor. He took her right hand in his left and placed his right hand on her waist. Fortunately for them, the music changed to a slow tempo. Kelly laid her head on Jonah’s shoulder, and he tugged her closer as they swayed to the music.

“This is nice,” he murmured.

“Yes it is,” she replied. So very nice. He smelled good. Beneath the light citrus fragrance of his aftershave was a slight whiff of pure man with maybe a twinge of motor oil or something so Jonah it brought tears to her eyes.

He rubbed a path up to her shoulder blades and gave a squeeze. “You fit me perfectly, Kelly.”

“I do?”

“You sure do. I think our hearts can feel each other beat.”

Kelly chuckled. “Smooth talker. Face to face like this our hearts are on opposite sides.”

“Hey! I’m trying to be romantic here.”

She sighed. “Keep on. It’s appreciated.”

“You smell…good.”

She felt his smile. Raising her head she gave him a mock glare. “Watch it with those pregnant pauses, buster.”

He used his hand to press her head back to his shoulder. “You do smell good, though. This isn’t the same perfume you wore in high school. That was—”

“Lilac,” they said at the same time. Once more she raised her head to look at him. “How did you remember that?”

“I remember much more than you might think.” He turned her and moved her closer to the door onto the patio. “Each spring when lilacs are in bloom memories come flooding back. Does that surprise you?”

“More like shocks me,” she said, grinning. And then she laid her head on his shoulder once more, finding she liked it more and more there in his arms. She stepped slightly closer and his arm tightened about her.

“Well, after a while I thought lilac seemed too girlish. I like the vintage scents, so in college I wore Wind Song. Then Shalimar was the scent Brad liked me to wear.” She felt Jonah stiffen when she mentioned her ex, and really she didn’t blame him. “But when I grew up enough finally to take charge of my own life, I started wearing Chanel No 5. A complex fragrance for what I hope is a complex woman.”

“It suits you. Complex and beautiful.” He kissed her temple. “Want to step outside for a minute?”

“Sure. It is a little warm in here.”

On the patio, they could hear the sounds of the people from the television networks packing up equipment, chatting and laughing. Stars shone brightly in the clear night sky. Wood smoke from someone’s fireplace wafted through the air and static electricity fairly crackled in the crispness of the autumn air.

“This is my favorite time of year,” Kelly said. “The heat of summer is gone and winter nights curled up with a hot drink and blazing fire are ahead.”

“Not me. I’m a summer boy all the way.”

“A hothead you mean?” she teased.

“Oh, I’m hot all right.” He waggled his brows at her. Kelly laughed.

“I do seem to remember that about you.”

“You used to be pretty hot yourself. Still are.” He leaned in. His eyes flicked down to her lips.

Kelly sucked in a breath. She should stop him, she really should.

Buy links:
One Woman Only: https://amzn.to/33tDt4i
Only a Good Man Will Do: KU https://amzn.to/2q7ovi4

About the Author

A few years ago, Dee S. Knight began writing, making getting up in the morning fun. During the day, her characters killed people, fell in love, became drunk with power, or sober with responsibility. And they had sex, lots of sex. Writing was so much fun Dee decided to keep at it. That’s how she spends her days. Her nights? Well, she’s lucky that her dream man, childhood sweetheart, and long-time hubby are all the same guy, and nights are their secret. For romance ranging from sweet to historical, contemporary to paranormal and more join Dee on Nomad Authors. Contact Dee at dsknight@deesknight.com.

Author links:
Website: https://nomadauthors.com
Blog: https://nomadauthors.com/blog
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeeSKnight
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeeSKnight2018
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/265222.Dee_S_Knight
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B079BGZNDN
Newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/h8t2y6
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dee-s-knight-0500749

Hi! I live in the deep dark woods of NW Wisconsin with one big happy mutt, three spoiled felines and my spousal unit. I love it up here. It’s quiet, peaceful and cold enough to freeze your gotchies off.

I began writing my make believe stories after being medically retired from the traditional workforce. I suppose my great need for escapism necessitated the birth of the Star Brides trilogy. It was either create a different world and alternate reality or run screaming into the woods! And as noted above, it gets pretty cold up here.

Throughout, I believe I’ve been true to the three women whose adventures I’ve chronicled. Each one, although very different in nature, has managed to be true to their principles while carving out a place for themselves in challenging cultural environments.

I guess you could say I believe in a woman’s strength and ability to stand up for herself, to yell, and kick, and fight for what she needs.

Janine Longo (Dept. of Corrections) continues that tradition. She’s a strong woman in a tough place making decisions about her future that some wouldn’t agree with. If you choose to share her journey, know that I write erotica. While the sex is explicit, there is no sex between the men in the book. My stories are all about her!

Star Brides 3: Dept. of Corrections

Inmate 1640, Janine Longo, would do anything to escape serving her long and well-deserved prison sentence. Anything. Including, leaving Earth with Zuntx warrior Kadir, to serve as mate to him and the three other men of his unit. Scarred and disfigured Kadir, is growing desperate. His third time as a Bridal Fair participant is about to end in failure, and the money has run out. Kadir can’t afford a fourth attempt. So, when the woman in the orange jumpsuit agrees to accompany him, he accepts her offer. The thriving bustling planet, Zuntx, that Kadir left behind is not the same place anymore. Riot torn, the planet’s homeless men now wander aimlessly seeking food, shelter and women. This is not at all what Janine had in mind. Can Janine find redemption on Zuntx? Is this her second chance? Can she learn to love all her men?

Buy links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Star-Brides-Corrections-Publishing-PolyAmour-ebook/dp/B07Y2CJ52X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=star+brides%3A+dept.+of+corrections&qid

Siren Publishing: https://www.bookstrand.com/book/star-brides-dept-of-corrections-mfmmm

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/star-brides-pia-manning/1133652760?ean=9781642439571

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?query=Star+Brides%3A+Dept.+of+Corrections

And as always, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to leave a comment, or contact me at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/piamanning3
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pia.manning.71
WordPress: https://wordpress.com/view/piamanning.wordpress.com
Email: pia.manning@yahoo.com

Thank you, again, for having me as a guest on your blog!

Take care,
Pia Manning

©Diana Cosby 2019

It’s the holidays again, an emotion-filled time where it seems there are not enough hours in each day to fit everything in. In this busy time, I ask each of you to please consider one more stop on your crazy to do list, that of making a donation to a local food bank. Your donation can be a dollar, a can of food, whatever you can give is a gift to those working to rebuild their lives.

I volunteer for Habitat For Humanity, and something amazing happens when you allow a person a flicker of hope, that somehow, incredibly, even a stranger understands that at times life shoves us on an unplanned road.

Several years ago, in addition to my personal donation to my local food bank, I decided to start a Food Bank Challenge. Except, it wonderfully got out of hand. Amazingly, once I posted The Food Bank Challenge on my Facebook page and my Facebook reader page, people from across the U.S. began donating to their local food banks and sharing on my Food Bank Challenge post. Then, I read posts of donations from Canada. Holy cow, the Food Bank Challenge had gone international! And you know what, this is truly a blessing. In this venture, we all win. Gifts from the heart do that, they fill you, remind you there is good in the world, and that you can make a positive as profound difference in others’ lives.

Contest

How it works: Starting November 1st, when you donate to a local food bank or food drive, write beneath my International Food Bank Challenge post on my Facebook page, or, Facebook Author page, that you donated. ( https://www.facebook.com/Diana-Cosby-Romance-Author-150109024636/?ref=ts )

On December 3rd, 2019, ONE name will be drawn from all who posted that they donated to a food bank from both my Facebook page and Facebook Author pages that I received. The winner will receive a tote bag and a signed copy of His Woman.

I wish each of you a wonderful holiday season filled with friendship and laughter and blessings!

Diana Cosby, International Best-Selling Author
https://www.dianacosby.com/
The Oath Trilogy
MacGruder Brother Series
Forbidden Series: Forbidden Legacy/Forbidden Knight/Forbidden Vow/Forbidden Alliance/ Forbidden Realm‒14th April 2020

Thank you for inviting me to write a guest blog.

In 1915, my grandfather and his brother enlisted with the Australian Imperial Forces and set sail for what so many believed would be the adventure of a lifetime. Teach the Germans a lesson and be home by Christmas. For the next three years they were involved in horrific battles on the Western Front – Amiens, Fromelles and Villiers Bretonneux to name a few. Both came home but were never the same men again.

In 2015, I joined an Anzacs on the Western Front tour, visiting those battlefields. Looking at the lovely towns and villages it was hard to imagine the horrors of that war until our guide held up enlarged photos of blackened, treeless wastelands torn apart by shelling and littered with bodies of men and horses. Visiting the immaculately kept Commonwealth War Graves and memorials was humbling. Thousands of graves of young men who never came home. Particularly sad was the inscription on so many headstones – “Known Only to God”. I could only assume their bodies were unrecognizable and their identity discs destroyed or buried in the mud or blown elsewhere. When our guide told us the huge numbers of deaths in each battle, it brought home the utter waste of that war and how awful the task would have been identifying and recording deaths and injuries on their service records.

After the tour ended, I got to wondering if it was possible for a soldier to swap identity discs with another who had been killed in battle. In those days, war service records were hand-written with basic personal descriptions – name, date of birth, place of birth, marital status, nationality, religion, height, weight and colouring. Curiosity grew to a real need to know because I was sure it would have happened — a soldier suffering shock and wanting to escape or desperate to make a new life somewhere else. As a historical fiction author, I believe we must research the era of our story to provide an authentic as possible background. We can’t throw our characters headfirst into history and hope for the best. So, I contacted London’s Imperial War Museum and the Australian War Memorial in Canberra asking that question — were discs stolen or swapped. Both replied that it was possible, but the chance of discovery was very real and the penalties very harsh. Neither would confirm it did happen but that was good enough for me to begin my third book, The Proposition.

The Proposition

They met on the eve of battle. One enlisted to avoid prison, the other enlisted to avoid the money lenders. On the bloodied fields of France, Harry Connelly collapses beside the corpse of Andrew Conroy. It’s a risk, a hanging offence, but it’s his only hope for a future. Harry swaps identity discs. Now Andrew, he’s just another face in post war London until a letter arrives with a proposition, plunging him into a nightmare of murder, family jealousy and greed. To survive he must live this lie without a mistake, until Lacey, the truth and the consequences.

Excerpt

“Excuse me, call of nature.”

The niggling coil of unease had been growing and now, as Andrew watched the dining room door close behind Elliot, his instincts were jabbing at him. His host had been charming and hospitable. Last night, after a delicious dinner at Browns Hotel, they’d touched on their family connection, unsure of what to say without offending the other. Elliot had twirled his glass between his fingers. “My grandparents made a lot of money from the textile industry, my father sold seventy percent of those businesses and invested in other profitable enterprises. To put it simply, he was a very astute, successful businessman, but I’m afraid he was not a good husband and father. He cared little for us and it distresses me that he cared even less for you and your mother.”

Today, Elliot had proudly introduced him to his pride and joy, a dark grey Austin-20hp and they’d motored smoothly out of London and onto the soft Essex countryside. When they’d stopped at Thaxted’s Swan Inn for lunch, Elliot had commented, “Every spare acre in Essex has been growing vegetables, doing their bit for the war effort and rationing.” When they continued on to Saffron Walden, he’d pointed to his left, “Railway station, a branch line from Audley End. Made a big difference to this town.” They’d stopped briefly in High Street, then through the marketplace, bumping over cobblestones to a wider road and finally stopping at the entrance of a large Victorian house. He’d been shown to his room overlooking the rear of the house with its garden rows of vegetables.

Elliot had apologised again, business to attend to and please make himself at home. Not used to the substantial meals, he’d slept until five pm. At seven pm, he’d joined Elliot in the dining room where silver serving dishes containing roast beef, baked potatoes and green vegetables sat on spirit warmers. “Very informal this evening,” Elliot had said breezily. “I asked my daily help to prepare something easy for us, so please, help yourself.” The only time his host’s friendliness disappeared was when the daily help tapped on the door to tell him she’d answered the phone and left the message on the phone pad. Something was very wrong, or perhaps he was too jumpy from living on this tight rope of lies.

The door opened again. “Much more comfortable,” Elliot grinned. “More wine?”

“No thank you, I might not be able to climb the stairs, but I must thank you for another very pleasant evening.”

Elliot’s grin disappeared. “It’s time to discuss the business proposition which will give us both what we want.”

“I confess I was intrigued when I received your letter,” Andrew replied guardedly.

“You will perform a service and if that service is completed satisfactorily, I will pay you three hundred pounds and pay your outstanding debts.”

Andrew went perfectly still. “Perform a service?”

“You will impregnate the woman I married.”

About the Author

Jan Selbourne grew up in Melbourne, Australia. Her love of literature and history began as soon as she could hold a pen. Her career started in the dusty world of ledgers and accounting then a working holiday in the UK brought the history to life. Now retired, Jan can indulge her love of writing and travel. She has two children and lives near Maitland, New South Wales.

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