Sheikhs are hot at the RONE Awards! THE SHEIK RETOLD by Victoria Vane

Thank you everyone who voted for A BRIDE FOR THE SHEIKH last week at the RONE Awards! I really appreciate your help and support. This week voting is open for Historical Romance and it's great to see another sheikh romance among the nominations: THE SHEIK RETOLD by the amazing Victoria Vane. It looks like sheikhs are hot this year at the RONE Awards!

Here's what THE SHEIK RETOLD is about:

The Desert Was Never Hotter!

A haughty young heiress for whom the world is a playground…

A savage son of the Sahara who knows no law but his own…

When pride and passion vie for supremacy,

Blistering desert days are nothing compared to sizzling Sahara nights…

Pride and passion vie for supremacy between a haughty young heiress and a savage son of the Sahara in this steamy retelling of E.M. Hull's romance classic.

Love and Cowboys! Meet Romance Author, Lorraine Nelson

Today it’s great to welcome award-winning, bestselling romance writer, Lorraine Nelson!

Thank you for having me today, Katheryn.

First, could you tell us a bit about your great books?

Sure! I love to talk about books.

I write mostly contemporary romantic suspense. Those are the kind of books I enjoy reading, so it’s natural for me to gravitate toward that genre. Most of my books are westerns. I love my cowboys, such rough and rugged men. I’ve written two historical shorts, Hawk’s Woman (Virgins Behaving Badly anthology) and Riverboat Queen (HerStory antho). Those were a challenge for me, as I hate history, LOL, but I was truly surprised at the end result. I love Christmas and have four Christmas titles available. I’ve an ongoing series with Evernight Publishing, Thunder Creek Ranch, (6 books available and #7 coming) and a new series that I’m self-publishing, Hudson Ranch. (3 books available and the 4^th releasing soon.) In addition, I have several single titles, the latest being Suited to be a Cowboy from Sweet Cravings Publishing.

Meet Bestselling Romance Author, Sharon Gillenwater

It’s great to welcome romance author, Sharon Gillenwater. First Sharon, could you tell us about your bestselling series, The Callahans of Texas?

Thanks for having me here, Katheryn.

The Callahans of Texas is a contemporary Christian romance series published by Baker/Revell. The Callahans are a wealthy, but down-to-earth ranching family in West Texas with strong ties to the small town of Callahan Crossing.  The three books—Jenna’s Cowboy, Emily’s Chance, and Megan’s Hero—are about the Callahan siblings Jenna, Chance, and Will finding their true loves.  Since they’re a close and loving family, everyone gets involved with the matchmaking.

Triple Romance Christmas Giveaway!

#XmasGIVEAWAY

 

Gifting Books Christmas hop was organized by Reading Romances!

 

Christmas is a time for sharing and this year, thanks to two wonderful romance authors, K. E. Saxon and Jan Romes, I am giving away three romance novels to one lucky winner!

 

The first novel is the bestselling Scottish romance, Highland Vengeance, by K. E. Saxon.

 

Set in the turn of the thirteenth century Scottish Highlands, this is the story of Daniel MacLaurin, a handsome, rugged warrior-laird haunted by his past, and Maryn Donald, the beautiful, high-spirited lass destined to help him find his heart's ease.

After his mother and grandfather, the only family he has ever known, are viciously murdered in a surprise invasion when he is a lad of 13, Daniel spends years focusing on training as a warrior and rebuilding his fortress, determined to control the world around him so that nothing like it will ever happen again.

Tragic Romance. Meet Van Heerling

Today it’s great to welcome the highly talented author, Van Heerling. First, I believe you’ve just published a new book, Dreams of Eli. Congratulations! Could you tell us a bit about it?
 

Yes, in fact it was released on November 14. This is the story of a young man named Eli West. It is a coming of age story. Present day is 1863 but the story reaches back to 1840, when he was a little boy. This is not a war story. Although, there are elements of violence, make no mistake this is a love story through and through. I like to call it my “tragic” historical romance.

 

Synopsis:“Southern soldier Eli West wakes in a cave and discovers he is held captive by a soldier of the Union. Shot, drugged, and tortured, he descends into the darkness and the beauty of his unconscious, uncovering a time when he was still in love, a time before war, a time before everything fell away.” (Excerpt here).

Passion and Romance! Meet historical romance author, Sonia Galloway

I always love hearing from other romance authors and today it’s great to welcome historical romance author, Sonia Galloway. First, what is your debut novel about?

My debut novel, Wishful Secrets, is about a peasant girl who is madly in love with a wealthy Earl, a renowned parliamentarian.  It’s a story about passion, where the hero and heroine are faced with insurmountable challenges. It’s about the inner battle between longing and pride, and the dogmatic thinking in a society built on class and wealth. Above all, Wishful Secrets is about discovering love.

 

Romance in The Wild West: Meet Cynthia Woolf

Today, it’s great to have Cynthia Woolf here to tell us about her wonderful western romances and give us a sneak peak at her best selling book, Tame A Wild Bride.

Thank you Katheryn for having me today.  I’m going to talk about where the ideas for some of my books came from.

I have a western series of books, set in Creede, Colorado.  This is a real town and has been around since the late 1800’s.  I set my books here on a ranch that is still in existence today, though it is a dude ranch now not a working ranch.  My parents met on this ranch in the early 1940’s.  It was still a real working ranch then as well as a ‘dude’ ranch. 

My mother came up from Texas with a young boy she was caring for.  She was called a nursemaid.  Now we would call her a nanny.  He had asthma and could breathe better at the higher altitudes.  Probably because the air was drier and cleaner.  Less dust.  Anyway, she and the boy stayed for the summer.

Great Book, Great Food! Author Shelli Johnson's Very Berry Coffee Cake Recipe

Shelli Johnson

I always love to combine books and food (for some examples on this blog see my interview with K. E. Saxon and Alle Wells' guest post) and today it is great to welcome author, Shelli Johnson.  She is not only sharing a fantastic coffee cake recipe with me, but is also explaining how the recipe connects to her brilliant, novel, Small as a Mustard Seed, which was the grand prize winner of the Writers Digest International Self-Published Book Awards!

Award-Winning Romance and Suspense: An interview with Ellen Gable

I recently did a posting about the award-winning historical romance, In Name Only and I said at the end of it that I was hoping to interview the author, Ellen Gable. Ellen has not only agreed to do an interview with me, but she has also very kindly offered to give away a FREE copy of her novel (more about that later)! First of all Ellen, thank you very much for doing this interview with me.  Can I start by asking you how you became an author?

I actually began writing in a journal 20 years ago to ease my grief during miscarriages.  That journal became my first published article in 1995 called “Five Little Souls In Heaven.”  Six years later, I began writing my first book because I wanted to share the parallel stories of myself and my great-grandmother.

Modern Fairytales, Highland Romances and Fish Tacos: An interview with author, K. E. Saxon

The two things I love are books and food!  I am therefore thrilled to be able to combine the two in an interview with fellow romance author and cook, K. E. Saxon.  First of all, I can I ask what K. E. stands for?

Karen Elaine! (a.k.a. “pure light”--are you barfing now?  LOL!)

In Name Only - 5 Star Romance by Ellen Gable

I recently interviewed author, Philip Catshill, who talked about what inspired him to write the Mike Newman mystery stories.  In his interview he also mentioned the amazing power of prayer in his life.  Although Philip's murder mysteries don't have a Christian message, his comments did make me think that I should read more faith-based novels.  As a huge romance fan, I naturally went searching for some Christian romance and while I was doing so, I came across In Name Only, by Ellen Gable.  What attracted me to the book?  Not only is it an historical Christian romance, but it also won a Gold Medal for religious fiction in the 2010 Independent Publisher book awards.  Not surprisingly, on Amazon it has received an amazing twenty-one, 5 star reviews!  So, what are people raving about?

An interview with author, Christy English

I am thrilled to be interviewing historical romance writer, Christy English, author of ‘The Queen’s Pawn’ and ‘To Be Queen’.

First of all Christy, can I ask how you become an author?

I have been a writer all my life, but about ten years ago it occurred to me that some people actually sell what they write. So I began working on becoming a better writer so that I could be one of them.
I went to writing classes and writers' conferences, and I learned a lot from each of them, but ultimately it comes down to me, my computer and sitting down to work. The only way to become a better writer is to keep writing. And keep reading...other writers are our best teachers.

Eleanor of Aquitaine - Great historical romance

'The Queen's Pawn' and 'To Be Queen: A Novel of the Early Life of Eleanor of Aquitaine' by Christy English both deal with Eleanor of Aquitaine.  Eleanor was a woman who lived at the time of Robin Hood and was the wife and mother of many kings, including King John ('bad King' according to '1066 and All That') and Richard the Lionheart.

This is what the Amazon product review says about 'The Queen's Pawn':

A historical novel of the legendary Eleanor of Aquitaine and the one person she loved more than power-her rival for the throne. At only nine, Princess Alais of France is sent to live in England until she is of age to wed Prince Richard, son of King Henry II and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Alais is an innocent pawn on the chessboard of dynastic marriage, her betrothal intended to broker an uneasy truce between the nations.

Estranged from her husband, Eleanor sees a kindred spirit in this determined young girl. She embraces Alais as a daughter, teaching the princess what it takes to be a woman of power in a world of men. But as Alais grows to maturity and develops ambitions of her own, Eleanor begins to see her as a threat-and their love for each other becomes overshadowed by their bitter rivalry, dark betrayals, conflicting passions, and a battle for revenge over the throne of England itself.

This is the Amazon product review for 'To Be Queen':

With captivating and lyrical prose, the author of The Queen's Pawn delves into the early life of the legendary Eleanor of Aquitaine...Duchess at fifteen, Eleanor of Aquitaine marries the King of France. But will she find that she must pay too high a price to be queen?

Although Louis VII is enamored of his bride, the newly crowned king is easily manipulated by forces in the Church. Trapped in a loveless marriage, Eleanor fights for her freedom and for the love of her life. In the arms of Henry of Normandy, Eleanor may finally find the passion she longs for, and the means to fulfill her legacy as Queen.

What the reviewers say:

"An astonishing debut! Christy English spins an unforgettable tale of dangerous splendor..." --C. W. Gortner, author of THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI

"...Treachery, betrayal, lust-and an unusual and compelling love story, beautifully told." --Karen Harper, author of THE QUEEN'S GOVERNESS

"... one of the best written and captivating historical fiction novels of the year... "To Be Queen" is a historical fiction novel you will not want to miss!" --Pittsburgh Historical Fiction Examiner

What I say:

Eleanor of Aquitaine was an amazing woman.  If you love the Tudors and Robin Hood, have a look at some medieval romance and intrigue.  Get both of these books and read them!