Two Great Authors and Two Great Books
The Sinner (Return of the Highlanders #2)
RETURN OF THE HIGHLANDERS BOOK II
Four fearless warriors return to the Highlands to claim their lands
and legacies. But all their trials on the battlefield can't prepare them
for their greatest challenge yet: winning the hearts of four willful
Scottish beauties.
IRRESISTIBLE DESIRE
Alex
MacDonald is known for his skill as a warrior, his prowess with women,
and his vow to never take a wife. But now his chieftain has asked him to
make the ultimate sacrifice: wed Glynis MacNeil, a lass famed
throughout the Highlands for her exquisite beauty-and defiant ways.
Familiar
with heartbreak, Glynis refuses to fall for another handsome scoundrel.
Yet when Alex's past sins force an unlikely union, Glynis gives in to
temptation and becomes his wife. Will their newfound passion be strong
enough to fight the enemy that threatens their home, their clan, and
their very lives?
Highland Hero (Scottish Knights #2)
LADY IN DISGUISE
Lady
Marsi Cargill refuses to marry a man who wants her land rather than her
love. To escape her arranged betrothal, she disguises her noble lineage
and accompanies her young cousin--the future King of Scots--on a secret
journey across the Highlands. Their guide is a mysterious knight known
only as Hawk. Heat flares between the beautiful maid and the brooding
warrior, but when Marsi's true identity is revealed, Hawk's desire gives
way to fury...
KNIGHT AT THE READY
Summoned by the King to guard his son, Sir Ivor "Hawk" Mackintosh now has two
royals to protect. This daring, willful woman has invaded Hawk's every
thought, and laid siege to his heart. Soon the solitary soldier is
yearning for a life with Marsi at his side and in his bed. But as their
passion grows, so too does the danger surrounding them. Powerful enemies
watch their every move, and to survive, Hawk and Marsi must fight for
Scotland's future-as well as their own new-found love.
Besides
having a good chemistry what do you feel makes a good romance hero and
heroine and how do you try to incorporate that into your stories?
Margaret: I
think both the hero and the heroine need to be heroic so I put them
into situations in which they can show their willingness to sacrifice
themselves or what they want for a higher cause or to protect someone
else. When a child or a friend is at risk of harm, my hero and heroine
will step up, no matter what it costs them. They will face their worst
enemy or greatest fear, if need be, to save their clan and those they
love.
Lisarenee: What is the funnest and/or the most rewarding thing about being a romance author?
Margaret: Hands
down, it’s hearing from readers who love my books. This can be a tough
business in many ways, but the messages from readers make up for all
the hard parts.
Lisarenee: Inspiration can come from many places and things. What sparked the idea for Return of the Highlanders series and, more specifically, 'The Sinner'?
Margaret: History
inspires me. Because I write adventurous romances, I look for a period
with a lot of conflict. I found exactly what I wanted in the year 1513,
in the wake of the Scots’ disastrous loss to Henry VIII’s forces at the
Battle of Flodden. The chaos that followed gave me the opportunity to
have my four Highland heroes return from France to find their king and
chieftain dead, a rebellion brewing, factions fighting for control of
the crown, and their clan in grave danger. What fun!
I
still had to find a clan for my Highland heroes. When I discovered that
the first chieftain of the MacDonalds of Sleat had six sons by six
different women and that the animosity among the six sons led to two
generations of murder, I knew I had found my clan.
Alex
is the bad boy of this series. Because this charming rogue is so set
against being married, I had to pair him up with a serious-minded
heroine who is adamantly opposed to marriage, particularly to a known
philanderer like him.
Lisarenee: What
do you feel it is about historical romances that draws so many people
to them and (this may very well be the same answer) what inspires you to
write them?
Margaret: I’ve
always loved history, and historical romance gives me the opportunity
to write dramatic, adventurous tales. I think historical romance readers
enjoy the escape of getting lost in another time. And if the men wear
kilts and swing swords, all the better. ;)
Lisarenee: Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions and for sharing your wonderful stories.
Lisarenee: Besides having a good chemistry what do you feel makes a good romance hero and heroine and how do you try to incorporate that into your stories?
Amanda: To answer this question properly would take a book, because “good
chemistry” includes many factors besides sex. A shared sense of humor plus any number of complementary, shared, and wholly conflicting character traits are necessary in one way or another. As for “incorporating,” it’s always part of the initial planning. I write detailed outlines.
Lisarenee: What is the most romantic thing you've ever had done for you or that you've heard someone doing for someone else?
Amanda: My
brother-in-law “kidnapped” my sister and whisked her off to Disneyland
for her birthday. She has always loved that magical place and hadn’t
been there for years. He planned everything, even packed her clothes for
her (and didn’t forget a thing!) Then he called me and asked if my
husband and I would look after their dogs. I’d already invited the two
of them for dinner the evening before her birthday, so we readjusted the
time to accommodate their flight. Then, instead of taking her home
after dinner, and without saying a word about where they were going, he
drove to the airport. They stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, enjoyed 3
romantic days and nights there, and had a fabulous time.
Lisarenee: What is the funnest and/or the most rewarding thing about being a romance author?
Amanda: Getting to meet new readers and longtime fans regularly at Scottish games and other book signings. Nothing can beat that, although I’ve also been
privileged, as a writer, to meet some astonishing and fascinating
people that I might not otherwise have met at all. The first such
meeting that comes to mind was years ago, when I visited the Brighton
Theater (south coast of England) with my husband. I wanted to get a look
inside a theater that had existed during England’s Regency period. It
wasn’t open, but a woman was doing something in the ticket booth, so I
told her that I was an author writing about the Regency, and she
introduced us to an elderly man who had worked at the theater since he
was a teenager. He took us to the royal box’s “sitting room,” which has
the theater’s royal charter framed on the wall. I don’t recall the King
who signed it, although it was long before the Regency. I think it was
Charles I. On another trip, a guard at the Brighton Pavilion answered a
couple of questions (one of which led him to open a game table to show
me how it worked) and then said he was going off duty and would be glad
to walk the rest of the way with me. Since I met him in the long gallery
just beyond the entryway, he essentially guided my “tour” of the place.
He was very knowledgeable, so it was a wonderful and educational
experience for me!
Lisarenee: Inspiration can come from many places and things. What sparked the idea for Scottish Knights Trilogy and, more specifically, 'Highland Hero'?
Amanda: Most inspiration comes from the historical research or from intriguing characteristics of people I know or meet. For Scottish Knights,
I was looking for an unusual way to connect the heroes of the three
books. I did not want brothers or cousins and had introduced Bishop
Traill of St. Andrews as a character in previous books. He was an
educator and taught Jamie Stewart (later James I of Scotland), among
others. After Traill’s death, his successor Bishop Henry Wardlaw
extended the tutoring that Traill had begun to the founding of St.
Andrews University. I also wanted to continue using the ambitious and
ruthless first Duke of Albany as my primary villain. Since Traill and
Albany had numerous run-ins, most of which the bishop won handily, I
decided to have Bishop Traill cultivate some of his most promising
students into a brotherhood from which he could summon aid when a task
required it. So my heroes for Scottish Knights became
three close friends, all knights who had studied together under Bishop
Traill but who had never, as students, known each other’s real names.
Each also has a particular skill at which they are one of the best in
Scotland. Their goal in the trilogy is to do all that they can to help
the rightful heirs of Robert III, King of Scots, counter the murderous
efforts of their wicked uncle to seize Scotland’s throne. In Highland Hero,
Sir Ivor Mackintosh, known at St. Andrews only as “Hawk,” is summoned
by the King and asked to transport his grace’s younger son, seven year
old Jamie Stewart, in secrecy, across Scotland to the safety of Bishop
Traill’s guardianship at St. Andrews Castle. The inspiration for the
plot came from a Scottish bard’s tale that I’d read, which also resulted
in Ivor’s being named Ivor (meaning archer) and his having become the
finest archer in Scotland. Chapter 1 of Highland Hero is posted on my website: www.amandascottauthor.com If readers have questions or comments, there is also a link there to my email, which is amandascott@att.net .
Lisarenee: In your biography on your website, it says you started writing romances on
a dare from your husband. So we have your husband to thank (besides
you) for all your wonderful books? Can you tell us a little more about
that?
Amanda: My
husband was in the Air Force, a targets officer for the Strategic Air
Command on America’s airborne command post, known as the “Looking Glass”
or “Doomsday Plane.” One of them was in the air 24/7 at that time, so
his job meant that he was ‘on alert’ for 2 or 3 days at a time. To
entertain themselves during their off-time, the guys played poker, and
he is very good at poker. Meantime, I’d be home alone in our
one-streetlight town near Omaha, reading my way through the town’s tiny
library and throwing books across the room because the authors had done
so little research. He saw me do that one day and asked me why. I said,
“I could do better than that myself.” He asked me if I’d like to write,
and I realized then that I would, very much. I had already researched
and written the text for the photo-essay book Omaha City Architecture,
and I’d played with an idea for a historical novel since college and
even written a few scenes. That weekend, he asked me if I REALLY wanted
to write. When I said yes, he took me to the famous Nebraska Furniture
Mart, chose a spectacularly beautiful leather-topped desk despite my
insistence that it was far too expensive, had me ‘try on’ chairs and try
out lamps until I found ones I liked, and then bought me the whole
setup with his poker winnings and told me to get to it. NOT to have at
least tried to write a book after that would have been a betrayal of the highest order. So I wrote The Fugitive Heiress and sent it to an agent, who sent it to an editor at Signet, who bought it. That was 58 books ago.
Lisarenee: Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions and for sharing your wonderful stories.
GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED
Winners are:
Diana
June M.
mbreakfield
Congratulations!
Thank you everyone who entered.
The wonderful folks at Forever Romance are allowing me to give away 3 sets of 2 books. The books included in each set are:
1. The Sinner (Return of the Highlanders #2) by Margaret Mallory
2. Highland Hero (Scottish Knights #2) by Amanda Scott
Rules to be eligible for giveaway:
1. Only residents of the US or Canada are eligible.
2.
Please leave either your email address or a link to your Goodreads
profile so I may get in contact with you to get your mailing address. No P.O. Boxes, please. If
uncomfortable about giving out such information on my blog, please feel
free to email me your information at seducedbyabook@gmail.com.
3. Become a follower of my blog, if you aren't already.
4. Must be 18 years old or older.
5. Leave a comment or question or comment for Margaret Mallory and/or Amanda Scott.
Winners will be randomly chosen. Books will be sent directly from publisher. Giveaway ends November 21st, midnight eastern time. Winners
will be posted on my blog and notified by email or message posted to
them via Goodreads. Winners will have 48 hours to respond before another
winner will be selected.