This week, we're pleased to welcome author ELISABETH HOBBES with her newest release, FALLING FOR HER CAPTOR. One lucky visitor in the United States will get a free copy of Falling for Her Captor. 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.
"Set me free. Say I escaped, or that you never found me."
Kidnapped heiress Lady Aline of Leavingham has surrendered any hope of rescue when a mysterious figure casts her assailant aside. But it's soon clear Aline's savior has no intention of setting her free—he's sworn to deliver her to the Duke of Roxholm, her family's enemy!
Sir Hugh of Eardham has never seen anything quite like Aline's beauty and fighting spirit. There's no doubt he's tempted more to protect her than keep her bound. But could this loyal knight ever break his oath of allegiance for Aline's sake?
** Q&A with Elisabeth Hobbes**
This is your first book. What was your journey towards publication?
I began
writing when my husband was working away and I was stuck at home with young
children but I didn’t really do anything with the novel until a friend told me
about Harlequin’s annual So you Think You
Can Write contest. I entered the
first chapter in secret (I’d only told my husband and a handful of friends that
I’d even written it). Against all my
expectations I finished third overall in the contest in 2013. The editors said they loved the story but I
would need to make some changes to fit in with the series guidelines- adding
more emotional conflict for example. I
revised it and sent the manuscript back and was thrilled when I got the call to
say that not only did they want it, but they were offering me a two-book deal!
Where were you when you got The Call?
I was on a cross-channel
ferry heading back to Dover in rough seas when I got the call so I was
completely taken aback (and seasick). I
had been up for hours so wasn’t really in the position to be able to celebrate.
What drew you to the medieval period?
It’s
a time that is very different to more recent eras where a modern person would
be able to fit in to life without too many adjustments, though one that people
will have some mental picture of. The
period had very clearly defined conventions, social structure and strict codes
of behaviour but unlike the Regency period, for example, flouting these carried
real danger. When my hero is faced with the
choice of following his heart and breaking his vows as a knight he isn’t simply
facing the risk of social ostracization but death or brutal punishment. I wanted to blend the romance with elements of
real threat and create tension for the characters that went beyond simple
emotional conflict.
Of
course luckily since I started writing my novel the period has gained more of a
following because of the Game of Thrones TV series so I hope readers will
consider it who may not usually be drawn to this period.
Did any particular scene stand out as you
were writing it?
Aline
and Hugh’s encounter with the wolf and the aftermath was great fun to write and
has been the scene that has received a lot of positive comments from everyone
who has read it. Without spoiling it for
the reader, I wanted my heroine to have the chance to gain the upper hand on
her captor a little and leave the reader slightly unsure what she would do and
for him to begin to see her as more than a helpless victim.
What is the theme of the book?
It’s about balancing a sense of
duty and obligation with your own desires.
That honour is only worth something if what you are standing for is
right and blind loyalty is not real honour. Both hero and heroine have to find the courage
to choose their own destinies, even when others are determined to dictate their
paths.
What are you working on at the moment?
It’s
another medieval story- the second for Harlequin as part of my two-book
contract. The heroine is a reclusive
young widow who returns to her father’s manor house for the winter and on the
way encounters his new steward in a rather dramatic fashion. The steward wagers he will be able to win a
kiss from her before Midwinter’s night, though finds it is not as easy as he expects
to keep his feelings separate. It’s a
little more lighthearted than Falling for
Her Captor in tone, though still with plenty of emotional drama.
And after that?
I
have three more stories in various stages of ideas and planning that I’d love
to write. For the past four years I’ve
been working part time as a primary school teacher since having children. I’m in no hurry to go back full time but it
all depends how well my first two books sell whether I can continue so who
knows…
Learn more about author Elisabeth Hobbes at:
Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Elisabeth-Hobbes/e/B00LNFF9PC/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1409348098&sr=1-1
and her blog http://elisabethhobbes.co.uk
