A handful of historical authors brave the wilds of unusual settings, times, and characters to create distinctive, exciting novels just outside of the mainstream. Join us as we chronicle the trials and rewards of our quest - from research and writing to publication and establishing lasting careers.
This week, we're pleased to again welcome author REGAN WALKERwith her latest release, TO TAME THE WIND, part of the Agents of the Crown trilogy. One lucky visitor will get a free copy of the prequel in the Agents of the Crown trilogy. Be sure to leave your email address in the comments of today's author interview for a chance to win. Winner(s) are contacted privately by email. Here's the blurb.
Paris 1782…AN INNOCENT IS TAKEN
All Claire Donet knew was the world inside the convent walls in Saint-Denis. She had no idea her beloved papa was a pirate. But when he seized Simon Powell's schooner, the English privateer decided to take the one thing his enemy held most dear... her.
A BATTLE IS JOINED
The waters between France and England roil with the clashes of Claire's father and her captor as the last year of the American Revolution rages on the sea, spies lurk in Paris and Claire’s passion for the English captain rises.
Praise for To Tame the Wind
“A sea adventure like no other, a riveting romance!”
–Shirlee Busbee, NY Times Bestselling Author **Q&A with Regan Walker**
What is the historical setting for To Tame
the Wind that makes this historical romance unusual?
It’s set in 1782,
the last year of the American Revolution and Ben Franklin, as well as other
real historic figures, are characters, but it does not take place in America.
It’s set in London, Paris and the waters of the English Channel. It’s a
seafaring story with privateers, a love story with a handsome English sea
captain and a convent-raised French girl, and it’s a spy adventure with a real
spy of the period.
How does this story fit into your Agents of
the Crown series?
This is the
prequel…the hero and heroine are the parents of the heroes of books 2 and 3 of
the Agents of the Crown trilogy—all Regency romances.
What are you working on now that To Tame
the Wind is released?
Well, last year I
released my first medieval, The Red
Wolf’s Prize. Readers have been urging me to write more in the series, so I
am mad at work writing book 2, Rogue
Knight, that will feature William the Conqueror’s “harrying of the North”
in 1069 in England. It will tell the story of Sir Geoffroi de Tournai, the
right arm of the Red Wolf who sets off to York never realizing what he will
find there. It will change him forever as will his love for Emma of York, a
young widow.
This week, we're pleased to again welcome author REGAN WALKERwith her latest release, TO TAME THE WIND, part of the Agents of the Crown trilogy. Join us again on Sunday for an author interview, with more details about the story behind the story. One lucky visitor will get a free copy of the prequel in the Agents of the Crown trilogy. Be sure to leave your email address in the comments of today's post or Sunday's author interview for a chance to win. Winner(s) are contacted privately by email. Here's the blurb.
Paris 1782…AN INNOCENT IS TAKEN
All Claire Donet knew was the world inside the convent walls in Saint-Denis. She had no idea her beloved papa was a pirate. But when he seized Simon Powell's schooner, the English privateer decided to take the one thing his enemy held most dear... her.
A BATTLE IS JOINED
The waters between France and England roil with the clashes of Claire's father and her captor as the last year of the American Revolution rages on the sea, spies lurk in Paris and Claire’s passion for the English captain rises.
Praise for To Tame the Wind
“A sea adventure like no other, a riveting romance!”
–Shirlee Busbee, NY Times Bestselling Author
** An Excerpt from To Tame the Wind**
Claire stirred as the rays of the sun warmed her face, but instead of the gentle sound of the songbirds that woke her each morning, she heard raucous shrieking. What was that noise?Was she late for Matins? The cacophony of sound suddenly reminded her of her childhood in Lorient before she’d gone to live at the convent.
Gulls.
Eyes still closed, she frowned. Non. It cannot be gulls. She inhaled, deeply, cautiously, smelling fish, and the unforgettable briny smell of the sea.
She opened her eyes, and the memory of the night returned. Mon Dieu! Had all that really happened? She looked around the carriage, realizing she’d been left alone. Her captor had removed the blindfold and the cloth that had been stuffed in her mouth. Dieu merci! She swallowed and licked her dry lips, her dazed brain trying to make sense of her predicament. Where am I?
Realizing she was still wearing only her nightgown and wrapped in the blanket her captor had thrown over her the night before, a wave of shame rippled through her at the thought he and his men had seen her in such a state.
Not that she had been given any choice in the matter! Anger surged through her veins at the memory of her abduction. English pirates!
She drew the blanket more tightly around her and pushed herself into a sitting position. Through the open carriage window, she glimpsed the sun glinting off the ocean, so bright she winced. White, puffy clouds floated idly in the blue sky. A ship with sails furled was anchored just off shore. On the beach, men loaded crates into a small boat. It wasn’t Lorient but it might still be France. The nearby cliffs looking out on la Manche, what these men would call the English Channel, told her it was.
Had she been left without a guard? Might she escape? A shout for help would only gain the attention of her kidnappers, but perhaps she could work loose the bindings on her hands and ankles and sneak away before they were aware. She reached toward the cloth around her ankles.
The door of the carriage swung open, a gown was tossed into her lap and a broad shouldered man filled the opening.
Claire’s jaw went slack while her heart kicked into a gallop as if responding of its own accord to the first man to stir it from slumber.
“Bonjour, Mademoiselle Donet,” he said in French. “Captain Simon Powell.” He bowed in grand gesture. “Your humble servant with something for you to wear.”
The golden one. It had been nearly two years since she had seen him, but she had never forgotten the night of the masquerade. She had never forgotten him. Though the linen shirt stretched tight across his broad chest and the leather breeches and boots he wore now were a far cry from the shimmering costume he’d worn then, his amber eyes were the same. Impossibly, he was even more handsome that in her faded memory. In the last two years, he had never been far from her thoughts, for the night she’d first seen him—and imagined a man’s pleasure—was the night Claire’s girlish dreams had ended forever.
And now he’d returned to France and abducted her.
He leaned into the carriage and untied her feet, then her wrists. The touch of his rough man’s hands on her skin sent odd chills rippling through her. She bit her lip, shamed by her body’s reaction to this stranger. Her living temptation turned away for a moment, then faced her, a cup in his outstretched hand. “’Tis only water,” he said when she was reluctant to take it.
Too grateful to complain, she hastily brought the fresh water to her dry lips and drank her fill.
“I’ll give you some time to dress,” he said not unkindly. His eyes shifted to her blanket-covered nightclothes. “I wouldn’t want my men to see you as you are.”
Claire felt her cheeks burn at the thought.
“The gown is modest enough to please even your nuns,” he said. “Call me if you need… ah, assistance. I will be just outside.”
She fumed at his insolence, at his actions that had placed her at his mercy. Though she knew he was English and a privateer, she had no idea why he had taken her, and she would wait no longer to learn the truth of it. “Why did you bring me here? Why did you take me from the convent?”
Leaning one arm against the frame of the carriage, he regarded her intently, his eyes like chips of amber.
“You have your father to thank for that, mademoiselle. As soon as he returns what is mine you will have your freedom.”
Claire blinked. “My father?” Her voice sounded to her like the pleading of a feeble schoolgirl. She would not be cowed! She lifted her chin, confident in his error. “What has he to do with this… this perfidy? Papa is a man of business and letters, a man of some wealth. He has no need to steal!”
His mouth twitched up in a grin, drawing Claire’s gaze to his sensual lips, reminding her of a night when she had seen him use those lips to good effect. She scowled, angry with the rogue and with herself for finding him so attractive.
He shut the door of the carriage and peered in through the open window. “Your father, mademoiselle, is a pirate.”
This week, we're pleased to welcome author REGAN WALKER with her latest release, THE RED WOLF’S PRIZE. Join us again on Sunday for an author interview, with more details about the story behind the story. One lucky visitor will get a free copy of The Red Wolf’s Prize. Be sure to leave your email address in the comments of today's author interview for a chance to win. Winner(s) are contacted privately by email. Here's the blurb.
HE WOULD NOT BE DENIED HIS PRIZE
Sir Renaud de Pierrepont, the Norman knight known as the Red Wolf for the beast he slayed with his bare hands, hoped to gain lands with his sword. A year after the Conquest, King William rewards his favored knight with Talisand, the lands of an English thegn slain at Hastings, and orders him to wed Lady Serena, the heiress that goes with them.
SHE WOULD LOVE HIM AGAINST HER WILL
Serena wants nothing to do with the fierce warrior to whom she has been unwillingly given, the knight who may have killed her father. When she learns the Red Wolf is coming to claim her, she dyes her flaxen hair brown and flees, disguised as a servant, determined to one day regain her lands. But her escape goes awry and she is brought back to live among her people, though not unnoticed by the new Norman lord.
Deprived of his promised bride, the Red Wolf turns his attention to the comely servant girl hoping to woo her to his bed. But the wench resists, claiming she hates all Normans.
As the passion between them rises, Serena wonders, can she deny the Norman her body? Or her heart?
Praise for The Red Wolf’s Prize
“Ms. Walker has the rare ability to make you forget you are reading a book…the characters become real, the modern world fades away and all that is left is the intrigue, drama and romance.” Straight from the Library
“An engrossing love story grounded in meticulous research. Regan Walker makes the transition from Regency London to Anglo Norman England with consummate ease.” Glynn Holloway, author of1066 What Fates Impose
“Regan Walker has once again written a story that grabs hold and doesn’t let go. There is intrigue, action and a beautifully developed romance." Vickie Moore, The Reading Cafe
The Red Wolf's Prize, ranked #1 in Amazon's Top 100 Medieval Romances
** Q&A with Regan Walker**
“The Red Wolf’s Prize” is set just after the Norman Conquest. What appealed to you about this era and/or plotline?
I was drawn to the medieval period and specifically to England after the Conquest. I kept wondering what a feisty English maiden would do when her country was conquered, her beloved father was killed at Hastings and she and her lands were given to a Norman knight. I knew this happened many times after the Conquest, so I was writing a story that could have occurred. It was an adventure to dive into the 11th century and take a look at England after the Normans descended. It wasn't all a pretty picture, to be sure. William the Conqueror was a brutal king who treated his enemies despicably. But the knights in my story, The Red Wolf's Prize, are of a noble bent, inclined to pay homage to womanhood, even if the hero does lust after the heroine. And of course, my heroine is brave and noble of heart, though her independence leads her into trouble. I wanted to sweep readers away to that time and let them fall in love. I think I achieved my purpose.
Was research terribly difficult given that nearly a thousand years has passed?
Well, it was much more difficult than that for my other stories. I had to learn all about the Saxon/English culture (housing, food, dress, horses, armor, fighting techniques and weapons) and I had to learn about the Normans and the changes they brought to England, which were considerable. I spent hundreds of hours pouring over books, maps, old paintings and drawings as well as all the online material that was available. In the end, I found more than I thought I would—even some reported quotes by William the Conqueror himself.
What are your influences? Perhaps a favorite author?
I like the deep historicals where history is a real character. The authors whose names come to mind whose books I love are Jan Cox Speas and Kathleen Givens (Scottish historicals), Penelope Williamson, Kathleen Woodiwiss, Virginia Henley (my mentor of sorts), Elizabeth Stuart, Candice Proctor (Australian historicals), and many others. I have featured their novels on my “best lists” and shared my reviews of their books on my blog.
Is there a playlist you’d recommend for reading your latest release?
I write all my books to music. I have a 3-hour playlist I use, comprised mostly of movie scores by the French composer Alexandre Desplat. But for some scenes, I use special music. I used Skyfall for some of the battle scenes in The Red Wolf’s Prize, as I did for the pirate attacks in Wind Raven, my last novel.
For the song that Rhodri, the Welsh bard, sings with Serena, I used Muladach Mi Is Mi Air M'aineol by Capercaillie on their Celtic Celebration album. It was just as I pictured them, sitting in the great hall, the firelight dancing on her face as she smiles at the Welsh bard and the Red Wolf observes in the shadows, mesmerized.
This week, we're pleased to welcome author REGAN WALKER with her latest release, THE RED WOLF’S PRIZE. Join us again on Sunday for an author interview, with more details about the story behind the story. One lucky visitor will get a free copy of The Red Wolf’s Prize. Be sure to leave your email address in the comments of today's post or Sunday's author interview for a chance to win. Winner(s) are contacted privately by email. Here's the blurb.
HE WOULD NOT BE DENIED HIS PRIZE
Sir Renaud de Pierrepont, the Norman knight known as the Red Wolf for the beast he slayed with his bare hands, hoped to gain lands with his sword. A year after the Conquest, King William rewards his favored knight with Talisand, the lands of an English thegn slain at Hastings, and orders him to wed Lady Serena, the heiress that goes with them.
SHE WOULD LOVE HIM AGAINST HER WILL
Serena wants nothing to do with the fierce warrior to whom she has been unwillingly given, the knight who may have killed her father. When she learns the Red Wolf is coming to claim her, she dyes her flaxen hair brown and flees, disguised as a servant, determined to one day regain her lands. But her escape goes awry and she is brought back to live among her people, though not unnoticed by the new Norman lord.
Deprived of his promised bride, the Red Wolf turns his attention to the comely servant girl hoping to woo her to his bed. But the wench resists, claiming she hates all Normans.
As the passion between them rises, Serena wonders, can she deny the Norman her body? Or her heart?
Praise for The Red Wolf’s Prize
“Ms. Walker has the rare ability to make you forget you are reading a book…the characters become real, the modern world fades away and all that is left is the intrigue, drama and romance.” Straight from the Library
“An engrossing love story grounded in meticulous research. Regan Walker makes the transition from Regency London to Anglo Norman England with consummate ease.” Glynn Holloway, author of1066 What Fates Impose
“Regan Walker has once again written a story that grabs hold and doesn’t let go. There is intrigue, action and a beautifully developed romance." Vickie Moore, The Reading Cafe
The Red Wolf's Prize, ranked #1 in Amazon's Top 100 Medieval Romances
** An Excerpt from THE RED WOLF’S PRIZE**
The door opened with no warning knock.
Serena gasped and pulled the cloth over her breasts and belly, keenly aware her legs were bare for anyone to see.
The Red Wolf stepped into the chamber, his piercing gray gaze sliding over her body and coming to rest where her breasts strained against the thin cloth. She could feel the heat of her blush as she looked to see the drying cloth clinging to her wet skin.
Without saying a word, he turned to the side and took off his belt. Then, with a grunt, he pulled his mail over his head and struggled out of his tunic. She would have offered to help had she not been so scantily clad. Had she not been so shy of his disrobing before her.
When his tunic slid to the floor, she nervously asked, “What do you intend, my lord?”
“I should think that was obvious, my lady. I am claiming my bride.”
“Now?” She gripped the drying cloth more tightly to her still damp body. The long strands of her pale hair, wet from the bath, clung to her skin. No man had ever seen her in such a state.
“Yes, now.” His eyes considered her carefully, and he shook his head. “God knows I’ve left it overlong.”
Still staring at her, he shed his spurs and boots and doffed his linen shirt, leaving his chest bare and his lower body clad in only hosen and braies. He was a beautiful man with his bronze skin and muscled chest. Her eyes were drawn to the white cloth circling his upper arm.
“Your wound,” she said, focusing on the white bandage around his upper arm. The wound from the arrow he took for Jamie. How could she not love such a man?
“Aye.” He glanced down at the bandage. “My token from the siege at Exeter.”
“Does it pain you?”
His gray eyes narrowed intently. “If you are asking if it will impair my performance in our bed, nay.”
Paris 1782…AN INNOCENT IS TAKEN
