My Blog has a New Home!

My blog posts have moved to their new home. I updated my website and my blog is now located there. Check out new happenings, guest blogs and other events over at https://www.janarichards.com/blog. See you there!

#MFRWhooks #ValentinesDay Recipe and Excerpt

Valentine's Day is one week away! And since it's traditionally a day for giving sweets to your sweetheart, I thought I'd share one of my favorite recipes. Not only are these brownies fudgy and delicious, they're so easy to make and have minimal cleanup because you're only using one pot. Here's the recipe!

One Pot Fudgy Brownies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

3 oz. (84 g) unsweetened chocolate

1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened  cocoa powder (the recipe calls for Dutch-processed cocoa powder, but I used regular no-name and it was just fine)

2 1/2 cups (500 g) granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. (3g) kosher or coarse salt

1 tbsp. (15 ml) pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups (192 g) all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Generously butter a 13 by 9 inch baking pan or spray it with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the butter and the chocolate in a medium to large-size saucepan over low heat and let melt together, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove the saucepan the heat and stir in the cocoa powder, sugar and salt, then blend in the vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, stirring to mix quickly so they don't have a chance to cook at all before they are blended in. Blend in the flour.

Scrape the thick batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth top with a spatula. Bake until the edges just begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, 25 or 30 minutes. They may seem slightly underbaked in the middle, but trust me, that's what gives them a moist and fudgy texture. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before cutting. 

If you like, you can serve these with ice cream or whipped cream and fruit, like blueberries or sliced strawberries. Personally, I enjoy them just as they are. No embellishments required!

And speaking of Valentine's Day, here's a blurb and excerpt from my Valentine's Day story, CHILL OUT!

Renata Cabral needs to hide for the weekend. Her cousin’s Valentine’s Day wedding means she’ll face embarrassing questions from her large, extended family. Questions like “Why aren’t you married yet?”  Since the breakup of her last relationship, she’s not ready to answer that question. She invents a work-related excuse and escapes to a friend’s lakeside cottage.

Noah Brownlee has been hiding for two years. But now he’s ready to come home and mend his broken relationship with his brother. When a friend offers the use of his lakeside cottage, Noah arrives in the middle of a blizzard with his English Mastiff, only to find the place is already occupied. With her big brown eyes and quirky sense of humor, Renata stirs feelings he thought long dead.

As the blizzard rages, the candy hearts predict love. Can Valentine’s Day work its magic between them?

Excerpt:
“Dylan wasn’t just my brother, he was my best friend, and in some ways, he was like a father. When our mother died, he petitioned the court to make him my legal guardian so I wouldn’t have to go into care. He made sure I studied, pushed me to apply to med school, helped me with expenses.”

“He sounds like a wonderful big brother.”

His lips curved in a sad smile and Renata’s heart ached for him. “He was, and I know he’s going to be an amazing father. I want this animosity between us to end. I want my brother back.” His voice cracked. “But I’m not sure he feels the same way. I said some ugly things…”

“Perhaps, with the baby coming, he wants to mend the rift between you as much as you do.” She hoped she was right.

“Maybe. I’ll find out tomorrow. I’m going to phone Dylan and try to arrange a meeting.”

“It’ll work out. You’ll see.”

He leaned toward her, the corners of his eyes wrinkling with his smile. “I appreciate the pep rally.”

“Well, I was a cheerleader in high school. Rah, Rah.”

He laughed softly, then cupped her face with his hand, his thumb idly stroking her cheek. Her breath hitched at his tender touch. “Thank you for making this easier for me, Renata.”

He leaned in and her heart pounded in anticipation of his kiss. When his lips touched hers, a firestorm of longing ignited inside her. She strained toward him, needing his kiss, needing to heal his pain. His lips parted against hers, and she opened her mouth eagerly, reveling in his taste as his tongue danced with hers. The world faded away, and nothing existed for her except this man and all the tenderness she felt for him. It felt so right to kiss him, so perfectly, completely right.

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/Chill-Out 

Check out other posts in this week's blog hop: 

A Snippet from RESCUE ME #sweetromance #MFRWhooks

 

Hello! Welcome to my blog. Today I've got a snippet from my sweet romance RESCUE ME. In this scene, Matt Malone has recently moved into the apartment across the hall from Chelsea Andrews in a century old Victorian mansion in Toronto. When he brings home food from the restaurant where he works, he invites Chelsea to share it with him, but since she doesn't know him very well, she's not ready to spend time alone with him in his apartment. So he proposes a picnic on the floor of the hallway between their two apartments:

“You mean, you want me to come over for dinner? In your apartment?”

Matt felt her reluctance, as well as an undercurrent of fear. She still didn’t trust him, and he couldn’t say he blamed her, considering the way they’d met. “Unless you want to meet out in the hall. I could bring my picnic basket.”

She blinked at him. Then she grinned, her smile transforming her face. The cool, solemn-faced young woman was replaced by a vivacious, charming girl. Matt nearly dropped his bags in surprise. 

“Actually, a picnic in the hallway sounds like fun. At least we won’t have to worry about ants.”

It was Matt’s turn to blink. The Ice Princess had a sense of humor. There was a real human being under all that frost.

“Okay, a picnic it is. I’ll heat up the food and get some dishes.”

He opened the door to his apartment and went inside.

Chelsea peeked through the door, her eyebrows raised. “Maid’s year off?”

Matt followed her gaze over half emptied moving boxes, a sink piled high with dirty dishes, and a basket of dirty laundry by the door. Some days, he regretted being a slob.

“So, it’s a bit of a mess. Give me a break. I only moved in a week ago.”

“I know. I can’t believe you’ve made this much mess in only a week.”

“It’s a gift.”

Matt pushed aside dirty dishes on the counter to set down his bags of food. He rummaged through the cupboards for the few remaining clean dishes. 

“Can I help? Do you need anything peeled or washed? Or fumigated?”

Matt turned sharply to look at her. Chelsea shrugged out of her coat, folded it neatly and placed it on the floor of the hallway. Not so much as the toe of her shoe stepped over the threshold of Matt’s apartment. A smart-ass reply was ready on his lips. But then he saw the sparkle of humor in her eyes and the laughter trembling on her lip. Chelsea the cool Ice Princess might have intrigued him, but this Chelsea, with the laughing eyes and the snappy come backs, was someone he could really like. 

“Don’t just stand there, make yourself useful. Here,” he said, walking over to her and depositing mismatched plates and cups in her hands. “Set the table, or the floor as the case may be.” 

Matt warmed the leftovers in the microwave and brought everything to the hallway, Styrofoam containers and all. Chelsea had retrieved a blanket from her place and spread it on the floor of the hallway between the two open doors of their apartments. A vase of silk flowers sat in the middle of the blanket, giving their picnic an elegant air. Her satisfied smile nearly knocked him on his butt. 

Universal Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008WU7FEY

Blurb, RESCUE ME:

Chelsea Andrews can’t decide who’s more dangerous—the creep on the Toronto city bus, or the handsome stranger who rescues her. Was he acting as he claimed, or is he that weird in real life? She doesn’t stick around to find out. Fate intervenes when her rescuer, out of work actor Matt Malone, sublets the apartment next door. Chelsea soon discovers the most dangerous thing about her charming new neighbor is the damage he’s inflicting on her heart.

Or is it? Soon after Matt moves in, strange unsigned notes begin showing up at the art gallery where Chelsea works. Then she’s followed home from the bus stop late one night, and her apartment is broken into. Despite her growing feelings for Matt, all the evidence points to him as the culprit. 

Matt is at a crossroads. His acting career is stalled and his love life is non-existent. Things begin to look up when he moves in next door to Chelsea. He’s totally captivated by the beautiful blonde and wants to take their relationship to the next level. Though he’s disappointed when he discovers what Chelsea suspects about him, he’s determined to protect her from the real stalker.  

Is Matt the kind, funny, sincere man Chelsea is falling in love with, or some kind of letter-writing stalker? She must decide whether he is a dream come true or her worst nightmare.

Universal Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008WU7FEY

#Erotic #NewRelease from Lisabet Sarai: WILD ABOUT THAT THING

I'm thrilled to have Lisabet Sarai visit today with her new novella WILD ABOUT THAT THING. This erotic ménage story is pretty hot, but I'm giving you a (mostly) PG excerpt! Please welcome Lisabet as she tells us one of the inspirations for her story. Take it away, Lisabet!  

A Moment in Time

Unlike many authors, I rarely base my characters on real people. I might borrow a trait here and there from individuals I’ve known, but for the most part both my protagonists and my villains are fictional inventions.

Wild About That Thing is an exception. The character of Remy Saint-Michel grew out of an actual experience I had, a number of years ago.

I should say, by the way, that I love the blues. Listening to almost any music is an emotional experience, but blues music touches me in a way that few other genres can. I love its passion, its honesty and its recognition of our precious, broken humanity. I feel it in my body as well as my soul; when I am listening to the blues, I can’t sit still.

Anyway, one Saturday night my husband and I went to a nearby pub to hear a local blues band we’d read about. They were fantastic. I sat there, entranced, swaying to the beat. Most of the audience were doing the same. Though the place was crowed, some people were even dancing.

Then I noticed a man sitting on a tall stool, not far from our seats, an incredibly handsome black man with a shaved head, high cheekbones and full lips. He wore slim jeans and a white business shirt with rolled up sleeves. One leg was outstretched; the other rested on a rung of his seat. For some reason I noticed his shoes, expensive, highly polished leather that seemed out of place in the casual venue.

He was gorgeous, but he never glanced in my direction. Indeed, what fascinated me about this guy was his utter stillness. Unlike the rest of us, he didn’t tap his toes, nod his head or drum his fingers on this thigh. Totally focused on the stage, he didn’t move a muscle. The intensity with which he regarded the band sent a little chill down my spine. I couldn’t help wondering who this gentleman was, how he happened to be there, and what was going through his mind.

Years later, I can still summon my odd reaction to this guy. He became the model for Remy in Wild About That Thing. Indeed, I borrowed some of that real world scene for the novella. 

Of course, I’ll never know what was actually going through that stunning black man’s mind as he stared at the band. 

For that, I had to use my imagination.

Blurb:

Ruby Jones has clear priorities. Her teenage son comes first, then her struggling blues club. Her love life ranks as a distant third. Deserted by her cheating ex-husband, Ruby's determined she's going to make it on her own. She's not about to let any man into her heart. Now her hot blood seems to have landed her in an impossible situation. Two lovers…and she wants them both.

Excerpt:

“I thought maybe I could join you two for dinner,” he continued. “Then maybe after, we can all watch a video or something.”

He didn’t say anything more, but she knew what he was thinking. After Isaiah was safe in his bed, maybe Zeke could spend some time in hers.

Ruby remembered her assignation with Remy—remembered the insane lust he’d inspired. It had been intoxicating, but scary too. For a moment, all she wanted was to say yes to Zeke’s unspoken question, to trade the risky promise of a stranger for more familiar pleasures. But she’d given her word to Remy. Anyway, what gave Zeke the right to barge in to her life, assuming she’d be available?

“We’d love for you eat with us,” she began, trying to be gentle. “But afterward, I’ve got a date.”

Zeke’s forehead knitted into a frown. “A date?” His voice was dark as gathering thunderclouds. “Who with?”

Ruby laid her hand on his arm. That was a mistake. The feel of his warm, firm flesh under the fine cotton made her want to take it all back—to swear that she wanted only him, to beg him to fuck her. “I don’t think you need to know,” she said, her eyes cast downward. 

She felt like such a traitor. Of course, they’d agreed when they began that their relationship should be non-exclusive. Still, she hadn’t been with anyone else, not for two years. Why should she, when she had a strong, sexy, generous man like Ezekiel Chambers? 

But Remy…she’d never experienced anything like the magnetic pull she’d felt in his presence. She had to find out what it would be like to fuck him. To get him out of her system.

“Thanks for being honest,” Zeke said softly. “That’s something at least.” 

“I’d never lie to you, baby. That’s just plain wrong. Otis taught me that. It’s just this one time, anyway.”

“You do what you need to do, Ruby. It won’t change how I feel about you.” He blinked once or twice, then stood up. “Guess I should go.”

“No, please—stay for dinner. Just pizza and salad, but we’d love to have you. I’m sure that Isaiah will want to tell you the big news about his band.”

“You sure?” 

“Positive.” Ruby gave him a hug, fighting the urge to rub herself against the still-obvious lump in his groin. “Let’s go call Antonio’s.”

“You got someone to stay with the kid while you’re out?” Zeke asked, as Ruby retrieved the pizza menu stuck onto the refrigerator door.

“Um—no… He’ll be okay. It’s just a couple hours.” Ruby’s doubts resurfaced. Maybe she really should call Remy and cancel. Things were just too complicated…

“I’ll hang out here until you get back, then.”

“What?” Ruby stared at him, astonished and grateful. “You’re gonna babysit, while I go meet another man? What are you, some kind of saint?”

“Nah, I’m just a guy who loves you and wants you to be happy. I know you won’t be able to relax if Isaiah’s home alone.”

Ruby rewarded him with a kiss. What had she done to deserve him? “You know me too well, baby.”

“I do, darlin’. You’re like Skynard’s free bird. Ain’t nobody can put you in a cage.”

Buy Links:

Kinky Literature – https://www.kinkyliterature.com/book/1342-wild-about-that-thing-/

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPDD3JR9

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CPDD3JR9

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1485627

Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wild-about-that-thing-lisabet-sarai/1110738210?ean=2940167659858

Kobo  - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wild-about-that-thing-4

Apple Books – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6474285642

Add on Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203152943-wild-about-that-thing

Add on BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/books/wild-about-that-thing-by-lisabet-sarai-2023-12-10

About Lisabet:

Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – over one hundred titles, and counting, in nearly every sub-genre—paranormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM, LGBTQ, and more. Regardless of the genre, every one of her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

You’ll find information and excerpts from all Lisabet’s books on her website (http://www.lisabetsarai.com/books.html), along with more than fifty free stories and lots more. At her blog Beyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com), she shares her philosophy and her news and hosts lots of other great authors. She’s also on Goodreads, BookBub and Twitter. Join her VIP email list here: https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh

#NewRelease from Mike Torreano: FIREFLIES AT DUSK

 I am happy to welcome fellow Wild Rose Press writer Mike Torreano to Journeys with Jana. Mike is an award winning author who writes books about American history and the old west. His newest book, FIREFLIES AT DUSK, released November 2023. It's a story of a young man coming of age on the brink of the civil war. Thanks for being here today, Mike!

Hi Jana. For this guest post, I decided to write about some of the research I did for Fireflies at Dusk, particularly around pacifism and slavery.  The story is set prior to and during the Civil War, but is really a coming-of-age story of a young man, Jonathan. Major story elements include pacifism as represented by Quakers, slavery and the Underground Railroad, the fury of war, period medicine, and Andersonville prison camp. But I want to focus on the Underground Railroad here—how it worked and what it did.

For a start, I visited the National Underground Railroad Museum in downtown Cincinnati. It captures the shameful history of slavery in America, but also honors the brave people who risked their lives to help runaway slaves. The Underground Railroad was a way northern abolitionists helped runaway families to safety in the North. Quakers would hide slaves in their meeting houses and if they couldn’t do that, women wove quilts that hung outside with hidden messages telling runaways whether it was safe to go north, and what direction to take. The Fugitive Slave Law worked directly against this though, declaring that runaways still belonged to their owners who were then allowed to seize them and return them south. 

In Fireflies, Jonathan is distraught when the slave family they are hiding is taken from his meeting house and no one moves to stop the bounty hunters. He directs most of his anger at his father, who stood passively while the slavers seized the family. This anger causes Jonathan to reject his family’s pacifism and join the Union Army when the war breaks out, completing his break with his family, his sweetheart, and his faith. Now, amid the fiery combat of war he leads men who would just as soon see him dead. Can he ever reclaim his self-respect and reconcile with all those he’s pushed away, or has he drifted so far away that he’ll never find his way back?

Blurb:

As the Civil War looms, a young Ohio farm boy comes face to face with the injustice of slavery—an evil that tears at his very soul. In his callow youth, he rejects his family’s pacifism when runaways are cruelly seized from his Quaker meeting house. His anger causes him to turn his back on everyone who ever loved him. When the War breaks out, Jonathan joins the Union Army, making this rift complete. Will he ever turn back to his family, his sweetheart and his faith? Or has Jonathan fallen so far away that he can’t find his way back?

Excerpt:

Southwestern Ohio, Winter 1848

Jonathan ducked when the front doors of the little country meeting house burst inward. Windows rattled as the crash of splintering wood echoed throughout the church. Four rough-looking men cradling long rifles stepped over the debris. Jonathan stared wide-eyed at men the likes of which he’d never seen before. Wild eyebrows, dirt in the creases of their weathered faces. Dusty, dirty brown overcoats. 

His mother’s trembling hand wrapped around his small one. She held the baby close and corralled her other son behind her skirts. When the intruders raised their guns, Jonathan cringed. His bundle of biscuits spilled onto the earthen floor. The bearded hunters looked around warily. Muddy boots thumped on loose planks as three of them strode up the middle of the circled benches. The stench of hard riding swept along behind them. 

The man with the big black hat said, “Go on up behind that raised platform like I tol’ you and start lookin’. That’s where some of these churches hide runaways, they dig cellars for ’em.” Big Hat turned to the leader. “I know you’re hidin’ slaves here and we mean to find ’em. They’re ours, right and proper, so stay out of our way.”

“This is a place of worship! You can’t just break in here and—” 

Big Hat leveled his shotgun at the man. He said through a scarred mouth, “I just did. You Quakers ain’t about to do nothin’ to stop us, anyway. Now back up or get shot.” 

He retreated, clasping his Bible to his chest, lips moving soundlessly. Pieces of broken door lay scattered at Big Hat’s feet as he filled the doorway. A younger tough stood next to a small wooden table, waving his rifle at the congregation and laughing. 

“Father, stop them!” Jonathan implored, as they stood together in front of a worn oak bench. His shrill voice echoed in the still, small building. His father drew his arm tighter around his eight-year-old son’s shaking shoulders. Jonathan’s stomach jumped. He spun toward his mother, tears winding down his face, sandy brown hair all askew. She stared at Big Hat as if frozen solid, Sunday bonnet framing a pale face. Jonathan flashed back to what his father said slave catchers do with runaways. They drag them away. Sometimes they find who they’re looking for, and sometimes they don’t, but they always bring Negroes back south. A murmur ran through the congregation. Jonathan thought of the little boy hiding in the cellar. He’d given him one of his best cats eyes after they’d shot marbles in the frozen dirt outside this morning. He couldn’t make sense of men coming to take his friend away. Stop!

Jonathan trembled in the simple meeting house. He reached down to retrieve his precious bundle. Pressed it tight against his chest. Biscuits his mother made just that morning for the runaway family. They were no longer warm against his overalls, but still smelled of fresh honey. The only sound was the congregation’s low whispers, as wives and husbands spoke in hushed tones. When his father moved to shield him, Jonathan peered around to watch two intruders hard at work behind the platform.

Big Hat raised his shotgun and pointed it at Tom Gray. “Better stay right there, mister. And the rest of you, don’t you move neither. Didn’t come here to shoot no white folk, but I will if I have to. Just come to get them runaways. Once we find ’em, we’ll be on our way. Then you can keep on praying to a God who ain’t gonna save nobody here today.”

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fireflies-at-Dusk-Mike-Torreano/dp/1509251464

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Mike%20torreaono

Author Bio:

Mike Torreano is an award-winning author with a military background and a particular interest in American history and the Old West.

His debut western mystery, The Reckoning, set in South Park, Colorado in 1868, was released in 2016 by The Wild Rose Press. The sequel, The Renewal, also in South Park, 1872, was released in 2018, with a third western mystery, A Score To Settle, set in New Mexico Territory in 1870 released October 2020. White Sands Gold is his latest western mystery, also set in New Mexico Territory, 1890 and released by Wild Rose in September 2022. He has a coming-of-age novel releasing November 2023, Fireflies At Dusk, set during the Civil War era. His short story, The Trade, a tale of the Yukon Gold Rush, was his first published work in 2014. 

Mike’s written for magazines and newspapers for many years. An experienced editor, he’s taught English and Journalism at both the United States Air Force Academy and the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. 

He’s a member of the Historical Novel Society, Pikes Peak Writers, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Western Writers of America and several other national writing groups. Recently, he appeared on LA Talk Radio’s Rendezvous With A Writer, and the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ podcast. 

His novels have received the Firebird Book Award for western fiction, American Writing Award finalist for mystery/suspense, a gold award for fiction from Literary Titan and a finalist award from the New Mexico Book Co-Op.

Contact Information:

Website: www.miketorreano.com

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mike-Torreano/author/B00QQC5CCW 

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/westernwriter/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/miketorreano/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Mike+Torreano&qid=Ns9e3mFKDC

The Wild Rose Press: https://catalog.wildrosepress.com/searchresults.php?searchtext=Mike+Torreano&Submit2=Search+Titles%2C+Authors%2C+ISBNs

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-torreano-0a407929/

X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/miketorreano

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miketorreano/

#NewRelease from Iris Blobel: Alinta Bay Series

 Australian romance author Iris Blobel has a new release in her Alinta Bay series. Check out BUT THE HEART DOES. This contemporary romance is currently available for pre-order and releases on December 6, 2023.

BUT THE HEART DOES
by Iris Blobel
Book 5 in the ALINTA BAY

BLURB

In an unexpected encounter, the lives of Jonah, a rescue diver from New Zealand, and Maddie, a spirited local, collide, forever altering their future.

Trapped together in a hotel lift, sparks fly between them, but Jonah's past looms, casting a shadow over their fragile connection. Maddie, captivated by Jonah's charisma, is determined to find him when he mysteriously misses their planned dinner. With a friend's assistance, her search unveils a chilling discovery – Jonah unconscious on a cliff.

Navigating a sea of emotions, in order to find a future together, will Maddie and Jonah manage the challenges posed by their past secrets and present obstacles?

 

* Amazon * Goodreads * Iris' Websites ♥

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Interview with #TimeTravel and #HistoricalRomance Author Fil Reid

I sat down with time travel and historical romance author Fil Reid for an interview. Book 6 in her Guinevere series, THE ROAD TO AVALON, which is inspired by the Arthurian legend, released November 23, 2023. Fil tells us about her life, her writing and her series in our interview. We hope you enjoy it! 

What do you want readers to come away with after they read THE ROAD TO AVALON?

Two main things. Because my books are set in a real historical time period, I’ve used real historical places as much as possible, such as Tintagel (books 2 and 6), Avebury Stone Circle (book 5), Vindolanda (book 3), York (book 4), all of which I’ve visited. I’d love it if readers became interested enough in the legends and my books that they decide to visit these places themselves and stand in the footprints of my characters. 

I’d also like them to come away with a better understanding of Arthurian legend, as I stick to it as much as possible in my books. While I was writing the books, I discovered that the one thing most people know about is Lancelot! And he’s a much later French addition so is never in my books. At the start of books 1 to 3 I put in a precis of the legend itself, just to get people on the right track. A lot of the more obscure side stories you won’t have heard before are from little known legends – eg Amhar’s storyline.

When were you first published and how did that happen? Was it a long or short journey?

I entered the Dragonblade competition when I spotted it online quite by chance. I never thought I’d win, but I did, and the prize was some cash (always nice) and a three book deal. Those three books came out in 2022, and then books 4 to 6 have been coming out this year. Book six is the one that’s just come out on the 23rd. Next year I have a four book series coming out – The Cornish Ladies series. Kathryn le Veque suggested I try my hand at Regency romance and it’s been fun. The only duke in my books is old and grouchy though.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

An out and out pantser for sure. When I began book one in the Guinevere series the only thing I knew was how the series would end, but not how I’d get there, or how many books it would entail. Someone said to call it ‘being a discovery writer’ and I like that better. I discover my story as I go along.

What I did do, though, was write myself a fairly comprehensive history of the end of Roman rule in Britain (up to AD410) and what happened afterwards prior to Gwen’s arrival in the Dark Ages in about AD490. That was great fun. So I had my world already in my head when I began writing and it felt very real to me. A lot of that was history, but some of it I had to create for myself, which was just as much fun.

What book for you has been the easiest to write? The hardest? The most fun?

None of them were hard to write but the one I’ve most enjoyed writing was book six, (THE ROAD TO AVALON) although it was also the saddest for me as it was the last one in the series. I felt quite down after I’d finished it. I absolutely love writing and it’s never a chore. I love every aspect of it – the research beforehand or along the way, the writing, revising, checking the edits. But book six was such fun as it contained all the tying up of storylines, the closure for the characters and for me, and the ending I’d known I was heading towards during the other books. It might surprise readers a bit.

What’s one thing that your readers would be surprised to learn about you? 

I have both Asperger’s Syndrome and Menière’s Disease. I was late diagnosed with the Asperger’s after two of my sons were and it answered a lot of questions for me, not least why I’m so obsessive. The MD I’ve had since about 2007, and it’s incurable. I get severe vertigo with it that totally incapacitates me, so I have to write in between bouts. But I manage. You just have to when you’ve got something like that. 

What’s your favorite thing about being a writer?

This is a hard one to answer because I love everything about being a writer. I guess the bit I’m least happy with is the publicity. Being ASD I’m not keen on big crowds or people I don’t know, but I do it anyway. Plus I’m always a bit scared I might have a sudden MD attack which makes you look as though you’re drunk – and I don’t even drink! You’ve got to force yourself to put yourself out there so people get to know you and your books. I guess, though, if I had to pick one thing I love above everything else it’s got to be creating a new book out of my imaginings.

Tell us a bit about you. Where do you live, and how long have you been writing?

I live on a canal boat in the South of England and have a neat little computer corner where I slip on my noise cancelling headphones and slide into my world of imagination. I’ve been writing since I was five years old and my parents bought me a Petite Children’s Typewriter. Firstly pony stories and then moving on to adventure/romance tales as I grew older.

A genie grants you one wish. What is it?

I’d like to be able to sing. I’m just dreadful at it, but I quite like doing it – in private. When I was a child my sister would suggest we sang, then she’d suddenly stop so I kept going on my own and she could laugh at me. I’d like to be able to sing well enough that people would go ‘she’s got a lovely voice’. My youngest son has perfect pitch – goodness knows where he got that from! His father I should think.

What genre is your favorite to read?

My favourite genre is not romance, as you’d imagine, but thrillers. I love a taut, on the edge-of-your-seat thriller more than anything. I tend to buy my ebooks from Bookbub though, so never get to read a series in the right order. Living on a boat, my kindle is a godsend and I only have solid copies of my Arthurian research books.

What are your hobbies away from the computer?

I sew. My late mother was a needlework teacher so she’d be impressed how much I sew nowadays. She always used to laugh when I said it was ‘just commonsense’ as her girls at school did not find it so. However, if you can read and follow instructions, it is. I make clothes for my granddaughters, toys, dolls, shirts for my sons and I embroider, and design my own patterns. I’ve been so busy lately, though, I haven’t done any sewing for a while.

Share a photo of your writing space.

What do you like best about your hero in THE ROAD TO AVALON?

I have to admit to being more than a little bit in love with Arthur, the hero of my six book series, although in this book, the final one, he doesn’t exactly cover himself in glory. He’s handsome, of course, and quite ‘unreconstructed’ which basically means he’s a bit of a chauvinist. He’s rugged and can do anything he tries, he has what people nowadays would call ‘the common touch’ in that he knows the names and problems of all his subjects, he’s hot between the sheets (of course), and an excellent rider and warrior. And he’s deeply in love with my heroine.

What do you like best about your heroine in THE ROAD TO AVALON?

What made Gwen such fun to write was that she sees the whole world I’ve created through the eye of the reader. She turns her nose up about things the reader would find abhorrent, knows the modern names of places she visits, knows a lot about the legends. It made her easy for me to use to get over information I wanted the reader to know, without having to lay it on with a trowel. She’s feisty and doesn’t take being bossed around lying down – as you’ll find out if you read this book. And although she begins as a somewhat passive character in book one, she matures throughout the series into fulfilling what she arrived in the Dark Ages to do. She has a big hand in the creation of the legends.

How do you choose the names and physical characteristics of your characters? Do you base them on real people?

Well, a large number of the characters in all six books are ‘real’ in that they occur in the legends of King Arthur, or in king lists and genealogies from the time. So I stuck with their real names. For minor characters I had a list of Celtic names I could draw on for people like Cottia, Maia, Breanna etc. It does make working out pronunciation a bit hard for the reader, but if you use modern Welsh as a basis, that’s much as they should be pronounced. Eg Llawfrodedd (found him in a tiny legend) should be pronounced ‘Llawvrodeth’ – although that double L should be kind of doubly pronounced. And Llacheu is Llachy as in sky. 

As for their physical characteristics – they just leap into my head fully formed and all I have to do is describe them.

How can readers reach you or find you online?

My social media:

www.filreid.com

https://www.facebook.com/filreidauthor 

https://www.instagram.com/fjrflicka/

https://twitter.com/Filreidauthor

filreid@outlook.com

Tell us a little about your current work in progress.

I’ve just finished writing book four in The Cornish Ladies so I’m kind of in between books at the moment. I have some ideas for my next series but so far nothing written down apart from some research.

So I’ll tell you about the book I just finished. It’s called The Cornish Widow and is about a penniless young widow who returns, with her two children, to the county of her birth thanks to the charity of her late husband’s manipulative great aunt. And of course, she meets her rather attractive neighbour who turns out to be a gentleman smuggler. I shan’t say more or I’d risk giving away the plot.

If I was a first time reader of your books, which one would you recommend I start with and why?

You’d need to start with book one – The Dragon Ring. The whole six book series tells the story of Arthur and Guinevere and covers twenty years. Far too much happens to have squeezed it into one book. It is possible to read the later books alone, but you’d miss too much I think. The whole story runs coherently together as one long tale – about 650,000 words in total.

Tell us about your current release.

The book that has just come out – The Road to Avalon – is the final book in the series, and my favourite of all of them. The one I most enjoyed writing and also the longest and the one with the most action. It’s pretty much nonstop. Like book one, it only covers a short time span, but a lot happens.

Twenty years have passed since Gwen fell back in time. She’s got two children and a stepson, but they’re all grown up now, as is Medraut, who gets nastier and sneakier now he’s an adult. If you know the legend, as she does, you know what’s coming – Camlann. The battle in which Arthur faced his rebellious nephew and ended up carted off to Avalon by three queens to sleep until Britain’s hour of need. That’s the legend – prepare to discover the truth behind it.

BLURB for The Road to Avalon:

Twenty years have passed since Gwen fell back in time to become King Arthur’s Queen Guinevere. Eight years of comparative peace since the triumph at Badon. All seems quiet and, with Medraut long gone and possibly dead, the prospect of Camlann seems far away and perhaps just a part of the legend that’s not true.

Until Arthur and Gwen go to Viroconium for the Council of Kings and take Amhar, now eighteen, with them. And he meets up with the very much alive-and-kicking Medraut again. Unable to prevent Amhar inviting Medraut back to Din Cadan with them, Gwen can only watch in fear as events begin to unroll that will lead to the one thing she’s been fearing throughout her time in the Dark Ages – the fateful battle of Camlann.

But before Camlann can rear its ugly head, news comes of the death of King March of Caer Dore in Cornwall. Arthur and Gwen travel west for his funeral rites, taking with them his son, Drustans. His one aim is to reclaim the love of his life, Essylt, who was forced to marry his father instead of him nineteen years ago. But Gwen has seen his tombstone in the far off twenty-first century, and she’s afraid this will not end well.

Gwen and Arthur’s love is about to be tested to its absolute limit as Medraut takes on the mantle of chief villain in the story, and all seems lost. But when the odds are stacked against her, Gwen is at her strongest, and she’s armed with a foreknowledge no one else possesses.

Can she prevent the tragedies that threaten to unfold in this the final book in the Guinevere series, or is the history of this time written in stone and unchangeable?

Excerpt:

I unfastened my hair tie and loosened my hair, sending it cascading down my back in a heavy veil of chestnut. Where was my comb?

Arthur pushed himself upright. “Come and sit here, and I’ll do your hair for you.” He had my comb in his hand.

I sat on the bed beside him and for a few minutes let him comb my hair, enjoying a sensation I’d loved since childhood and that still reminded me of my long dead mother. However, Arthur’s version of hair combing involved a fair bit of him running his fingers through it as well, and those fingers were wont to stray elsewhere. “Is that a gray hair I see before me?” he asked at last, with a chuckle.

“What?” I pulled as much of my hair as I could round to get a look, and he burst out laughing.

“Fooled you. Not a gray hair on your head. Yet…”

I gave him a playful slap. “Let me look at your hair then. Hmmm. I swear I see a hint of gray appearing in your beard.”

He dropped my comb and rubbed his stubbly chin. “Damn it. I’ll have to shave more often.”

I pulled his hands down and leaned in for a kiss. “Don’t worry. I’ll still love you when you’re old and gray, and as a matter of fact, I think a few gray hairs on a man make him look distinguished.” I resolutely pushed away the nagging thought that he might never get to be old and gray.

For a moment we were preoccupied as the kiss deepened and I felt that familiar stirring of desire. Did we have time before dinner? As we parted, we both glanced toward the hourglass and then chuckled in unison.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” he asked, a wicked glint in his eye.

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Road-Avalon-Guinevere-Book-ebook/dp/B0CL8DP6YD

Series Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09MR86WGQ