Interview with Author, COLLETTE CAMERON.

Character Interview for The Earl’s Enticement

Roark and Adaira, Lord and Lady Clarendon

BRR: Thank you so much for joining me in my Blue Rose Writing Room, Lord and Lady Clarendon. Would you care for tea or perhaps a shortbread biscuit? A Shrewsbury cake or Maid of honor tart?

Adaira settles onto the settee

Adaira: Please, call me Adaira or Addy. I’ll never get used to being a countess. I’d adore a cup of tea and a shortbread biscuit. And I’m sure Rory won’t mind you addressing him as such.

Roark takes a seat beside his wife forcing Ayva, my miniature dachshund to move. She promptly climbs into his lap and licks his chin.
Roark: By all means, feel free to use my given name, and I’d quite enjoy some tea. Two lumps please, with milk.

He pats Ayva’s head, and she promptly rolls onto her back for a belly rub.

Roark whispers to Adaira: She reminds me of Kiki.

BRR: Kiki, isn’t she the dachshund you rescued from drowning?

Adaira nods: Yes, the poor darling. It was rather scandalous of me to jump into the lake.

Roark: You were terribly brave.

Adaira: Your picnic guests didn’t think so. They were appalled by my sodden gown clinging to my every curve.

Roark winks: I quite liked the gown. .

Adaira blushes prettily and swats his arm.

BRR: I know it’s a bit of a touchy subject, but can you tell our readers how you met?

Roark raises an eyebrow.

Roark: My countess had her friend knock me over the head, and then she locked me her brother’s dungeon for several days.

Adaira takes a dainty sip of tea: That’s not entirely true. I didn’t know Brayan was going to clobber you. But, yes, I did lock him in the dungeon. I thought he was his brother, you see.

BRR: When did you first suspect you had feelings for Roark, Adaira?

Adaira grins: Oh, I had feelings for him from the moment I met him. I couldn’t stand him! Or so I kept telling myself. She gives Roark an appraising look. I think it was when I met his staff and pets. So many of them were disfigured or handicapped in some way that I knew despite his crusty exterior, he was soft as warm pudding inside.

Roark: Pudding? My dear, no man likes being compared to pudding.

Adaira giggles: For pity’s sake, Rory. You have a one-eyed dog, a three-legged cat, a blind mule, a deaf sheep, and you keep an owl in the library.

BRR: An owl? Truly?

Roark shrugs: Yes. Sophie’s feet are deformed.

BRR: Roark, when did you know you had feelings for Adaira?

Roark: When I stood in the stables at Craiglocky and watched her with the newborn colt.

Adaira: You spanked me that night!

Roark: I was rather annoyed at having been locked in the dungeon. And I’d dipped a bit too deeply in the whisky. He glances at me. I’d just learned my brother was likely responsible for our mother’s death.

Ayva sneaks near Adaira’s plate and snatches a cookie.

BRR: I’m so sorry, Adaira. She’s a rude little minx.

Adaira chuckles and rubs Ayva’s ears. She’s just like KiKi.

BRR: Adaira, you risked your life to save Roark from the burning carriage house. Was there ever a moment you thought you wouldn’t be able save him?

Adaira: I didn’t know if I could get him to the door. I only knew I loved him, and I’d die trying.

Roark takes her hand and gives it a squeeze.

BRR: Roark, can you tell me something about Adaira no one knows? Something fun or quirky?

Roark: My dear wife is terrified of bats. She also abhors fish. And she snores.

Adaira: I most certainly do not!

Roark: Yes you do, but only when you’re very tired. It’s adorable.

BRR: Adaira, something about Roark?

Adaira eyes Roark: Well, he’s completely tone deaf and the man has sweets stashed everywhere. Why just yesterday I came across a dish of bon bons atop the towels in our bathing chamber.

BRR: What does the future hold for you?

Adaira smooths a hand over her stomach: Well, we’ve a little one on the way. I’ll continue with my horse breeding of course, and I’ve much to learn about being a countess.

Roark: I intend to establish a home for men injured in the war who have nowhere else to go. He grins. And I imagine I’ll continue to drag needy animals home. By-the-by Adaira, I forgot to mention the fawn one of our gardeners found yesterday. Poor thing has a broken front leg.

BRR: Lord and Lady Clarendon, it has been my absolute honor to have had you as my guest today. Please say you’ll come back again. I know your readers would love to hear more from you.

Adaira: Thank you, Collette.

Roark: We’d be delighted to visit with you again. Do drop by Cadbury Park if you are ever in England.



Information for book-

The Earl’s Enticement Cover Blurb:

She won’t be tamed.
A fiery, unconventional Scot, Adaira Ferguson wears breeches, swears, and has no more desire to marry than she does to follow society’s dictates of appropriate behavior. She trusts no man with the secret she desperately protects.

He can’t forget.

Haunted by his past, Roark, the Earl of Clarendon, rigidly adheres to propriety, holding himself and those around him to the highest standards, no matter the cost. Betrayed once, he’s guarded and leery of all women.

Mistaking Roark for a known spy, Adaira imprisons him. Infuriated, he vows vengeance. Realizing her error, she’s appalled and releases him, but he’s not satisfied with his freedom. Roark is determined to transform Adaira from an ill-mannered hoyden to a lady of refinement.

He succeeds only to discover, he preferred the free-spirited Scottish lass who first captured his heart.



Collette Cameron Bio: 

Award winning, Amazon best-selling, and multi-published historical romance author, Collette Cameron, has a BS in Liberal Studies and a Master's in Teaching. A Pacific Northwest Native, Collette’s been married for thirty years, has three amazing adult children, and five dachshunds. Collette loves a good joke, inspirational quotes, flowers, the beach, trivia, birds, shabby chic, and Cadbury Chocolate. You'll always find dogs, birds, quirky—sometimes naughty—humor, and a dash of inspiration in her novels. Her motto for life? You can’t have too much chocolate, too many hugs, or too many flowers. She’s thinking about adding shoes to that list.


Connect with Collette:

Website Blue Rose Romance Blog Twitter Facebook

You can connect with Collette on Goodreads, LinkedIn, and Google+ too. Go to her website for the links, her email address, and mailing address.



BUY LINK

http://amzn.com/B00KLO64S2/



Excerpt 1:

Adaira stepped around the mare and ever-so-gently touched the foal. Was the new addition a laddie or lassie? Skimming her hands over the newborn, she bent to take a peek. A colt. The sheen of his coat glistened in the muted light. Other than a white face and leg markings, he was the color of rich Turkish coffee.

“Ooh, you’re magnificent!” she breathed in awe.

“He is, indeed,” rumbled a harmonious baritone.

She whirled around. The Earl of Clarendon leaned across the stall door. His forearms rested on the top edge. He clasped a silver flask loosely in one hand. His shirtsleeves were rolled to his elbows, and he wore no waistcoat or jacket. The top of his shirt was unfastened too.

Just perfect. She wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near the earl, and here he was, in her sanctuary. She ought to be afraid, after his parting words, but she sensed something altogether different.

No, she wouldn’t stare at the crisp dark hair on his forearms or peeking from the collar of his open shirt. Bugger it. She curled her hands into fists against the oddest urge to run her fingers through the curly hair on his chest.

A bolt of unease speared her, though whether from his disquieting presence or her awareness of him as an attractive man, she couldn’t be certain.

Clearing her throat, she asked, “What are you doing here, my lord?”

Interview with Author, COLLETTE CAMERON

Today I’m interviewing Collette Cameron. Her book, Highlander’s Hope is a Regency Historical and was released on May 15, 2013.



Please tell us something about you that we wouldn’t find out on the internet.
Thank you so much for hosting me today, Sarah.

I almost didn’t submit Highlander’s Hope for publishing, thinking it wasn’t good enough. My beta readers and family convinced me to give it a try. So glad I did! 

I love peppermint candy ice-cream, dill pickles, and smoked salmon. Too boring? Let’s see. . .

I had a pet pig as a child. I’ve been to Europe twice and would love to go back. How about, I have horrible handwriting, which is a huge challenge as teacher!



Now, please tell my readers a little bit about your book.
Highlander’s Hope is a Regency historical, though it dares to go beyond the typical trappings of the era. English propriety and Scot’s boldness class in this romantic suspense flavored with liberal doses of humor and a dash of inspiration.

Yvette Stapleton is an independent heiress, disdainful of marriage, fleeing for her life. Ewan McTavish is a titled Scotsman tangled in international intrigue and determined to make her his own. Tempers flare and sparks fly when he exploits Scot’s law to claim her as his lawful wife—without the benefit of a ceremony. 

Describe the genre of this particular title, and is the only genre you write in?
Regency is a specific time period in England (1811-1820) when the Prince Regent ruled by proxy because he father, King George III, was deemed unfit to rule. It was a time of tremendous transition and extravagance. Social propriety was everything, yet immorality ran amok behind closed doors. The Highlander genre is focused on Scotland and highlights a dashing and daring highlander. I decided to combine the two.

My first three books are mixed Regency/Highlander genres. I have ideas for several more books and some are pure Highlander or Regency, and there’s even a colonial in there. I also have ideas for a historical paranormal and a contemporary. We’ll see if those pan out.



How did this story come to be?
A single scene, The Banbury Inn scene, popped into my mind one day. It played out much like a video. I built the entire story around Ewan finding Yvette in his chamber at the inn.



What is your writing routine like?
Weekdays, I’m out of bed by 5:00. After doing a few chores and working out, I either head out the door to teach, or start writing for the day. Right now, I’m doing a job share with another teacher, so I write Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings and Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. I check my emails before I start writing and also pop into a few social media sites. I almost always spend some time in the evenings writing too.

On the weekend, I try to get in a few long runs of writing because my writing actually flows better after I’m been writing for a couple of hours.



Are you a member of any writing organizations and, if so, have they helped?
I belong to RWA, The Beau Monde, Rose City Romance Writers, Faith, Hope & Love, Inc. and several writing groups through Facebook and LinkedIn.

I’ve received tremendous support and advice from RCRW and TBM. I can ask them anything and there are always several people ready to give advice and help. The authors at Soul Mate Publishing have been amazing. I never expected to have so many published authors be so supportive and encouraging.



What character is most like you or least like you?
It’s funny you ask that. A lot of my family and friends thought I modeled Yvette after myself. I didn’t. In fact, she’s much different than me, except she loves dogs. All my heroines do though I do know how to use a gun, like Yvette, and I too hate spiders. I think that’s where our similarities end.

In my current work in progress, my heroine is totally different than me. So far she’s my favorite heroine. She’s unconventional, feisty, swears, wears breeches, and is obsessed with horses. She’s also pretty darn sharp with a blade. . . . No pun intended.



What most inspires you in life?
I have much to be thankful for, and I have been so blessed. Every time I’m tempted to complain or feel sorry for myself, I remind myself, that comparatively, I have it pretty darn good! Everyday when I wake up, I ask God to help me be a light to others by being kind and encouraging. Some days I do better than others.

And because I’m a teacher, I have the privilege of molding amazing little minds. I learn far more everyday from my students than they ever learn from me.



What’s next for you?
I just contracted my second novel, The Viscount’s Vow, and am plugging away at the third book in the trilogy, The Earl’s Enticement. I do think this is my favorite book so far.

When I finish it, I have a stand-alone that’s nagging me to be written. After that, I have a six-book Highland saga I want to write.



BOOK BLURB
She was the heiress determined to never marry.

Shipping heiress Yvette Stapleton is wary of fortune hunting men and their false declarations of love. She’d rather become a spinster than imprisoned in the bonds of marriage. At first, she doesn’t recognize the dangerously handsome man who rescues her from assailants on London’s docks, but her reaction to Lord Sethwick’s kisses soon have her reconsidering her cynical views on matrimony.


He was the nobleman who vowed to make her his own.

Not a day has gone by that Ewan McTavish, Lord Sethwick and Laird of Craiglocky, hasn’t dreamed of the sensual beauty he danced with two years ago; he’s determined to win her heart. On a mission to stop a War Office traitor, he unwittingly draws Yvette into deadly international intrigue. To protect her, he exploits Scot’s Canon law to declare her his lawful wife—without benefit of a ceremony. Yvette is furious upon discovering the irregular marriage is legally binding, though she never said, “I do.”

Amidst murder and betrayal, Ewan attempts to win Yvette’s forgiveness. But is it too late? Has his manipulation cost him her love? 

A little bit about the author:
In February 2011, on a whim, Collette decided to sit down and write a Regency suspense romance. She wrote Highlander’s Hope, the first book in her Blue Rose Trilogy. She has a BS in Liberal Studies and a Master's in Teaching. She's been married for 30 years, has 3 amazing adult children, and 5 dachshunds. She teaches third grade and loves it. Her puppy, Ayva, sits on her lap while she writes. Ayva also nibbles at and lies on the keyboard. Collette loves a good joke, the beach, trivia, birds, shabby chic, and Cadbury Chocolate. You'll always find dogs, birds, quirky—sometimes naughty—humor, and a dash of inspiration in her novels.



Excerpt
A sharp rap echoed at the door. Yvette breathed a sigh. Thank Goodness. Lord Sethwick wouldn’t have to answer the question after all. She raised her head and forced her gaze from the document in his hand.

He stared at her intently, then called, “Enter.”

“Lord Sethwick, please excuse the interruption,” a deep voice greeted. “‘Tis urgent I speak with you.”

Half-turning to look at the newcomer, Yvette could not contain her frightened gasp. She shot halfway out of her chair before Lord Sethwick’s hand snaked across the table and grasped hers, restraining her.

“Ewan!” In her panic, she addressed him by his given name.

“Miss Stapleton, Mrs. Pettigrove, may I introduce my associate, Trenton Carmichael?” said Ewan. “You know him as Nigel Collingsworth.”

Yvette sat down so hard her bottom smacked the chair with a stinging thud. Despite the day’s promise to be quite warm, she shivered, chilled to the bone. Searching the viscount’s face she repeated, stunned, “Your associate? I don’t understand. He was chasing me yesterday.”

Mrs. Pettigrove’s gooseberry eyes were round as the moon watching the exchange. “Mr. Collings, er, Carmichael was chasing you, Miss Stapleton?”

No one responded to her probing.

Holding Yvette’s hand, Lord Sethwick explained, “He wasn’t chasing you. Trent was trying to protect you by catching the man who was chasing you.”

“A different man was also chasing you? Whatever for?” Mrs. Pettigrove sounded envious.

Everyone ignored her.

Mr. Carmichael addressed Yvette. “I regret frightening you yesterday. It wasn’t my intent.”

Another knock sounded.

“Come in.” Lord Sethwick was less gracious this time.

Yvette managed not to gawk at the two men who entered the chamber. At least she thought she did. Faith, what handsome men. They must be friends of Lord Sethwick’s. Nobility no doubt.

“Sethwick, you rogue, keeping the arrival of your lovely bride-to-be a secret,” teased a tall gentleman dressed in black from toe to top.



How can my readers buy your book?
Readers can go to the publisher’s home page at http://soulmatepublishing.com

You can find more information about Collette Cameron and her book, Highlander’s Hope by

visiting her website, http:collettecameron.com or

her blog at http://blueroseromance.com.



Just a few fun questions to answer if you don’t mind.

1) Tent or hotel room? Hotel

2) What is your favorite season? Summer

3) What is your favorite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon? Write or walk on the beach

4) Who is your favorite author to read? I don’t have one, sorry.

5) What’s your favorite snack food? Smoked salmon and crackers with ketchup. Yum!

6) Movies- At home or in a theatre? At home

7) If you were going to be stranded on a deserted island but could take two things with you, what would they be? My Bible and my glasses.





Thank you for allowing me to interview you here at Heart of Romance. Good luck to you in your future!!!