Author Interview on Nancy Wood's Blog!

Marie Lavender

05/16/2014

 

Hi there. I’m happy to interview Marie Lavender this week, a very prolific and generous author. I’m helping her celebrate her latest release, Upon Your Honor, a work of historical romantic suspense.

Marie is the bestselling author of Upon Your Return and 18 other books. She’s a finalist and runner-up in the MARSocial's Author of the Year Competition and received an honorable mention in the January 2014 Reader's Choice Award. She’s received a Liebster Blogger Award for 2013 and 2014 and is in the top 50 authors list on AuthorsDB.com. She’s also the winner of the Great One Liners Contest on the Directory of Published Authors. 

Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats. She has been writing for over twenty years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands.  Marie has published nineteen books.  She has published in the genres of historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, mystery/thriller, literary fiction and poetry.  Along with this name, she has also released books under Erica Sutherhome, Kathryn Layne and Heather Crouse.

 

Upon Your Honor book jacket:

Deception is a dangerous path…

New York City, August, 1891 – Orphaned after the death of her father, Chloe Waverly stows away on La Voyageur to escape the clutches of her cruel fiancé, Lamonte Beckett. Gabriel Hill, a strange and compelling gentleman, comes upon Chloe and promises to protect her without knowing the true circumstances of why she is running away. During their journey, Gabriel doesn’t bargain on being distracted by her fair beauty or succumbing to her many charms. As their attraction to each other grows, so does the danger and Gabriel suspects things are not as they should be.

Both are determined to get to New Orleans, where she can start a new life. But, once they reach their destination, events spin out of their control and Chloe is captured by the fiancé she escaped. Gabriel is left wondering if he can overlook her betrayal. Soon he finds himself in a race against time, to reach her before Beckett can exact revenge.

Why did you decide to write a mystery/thriller?

It sort of picked me.  I was aiming for another genre, but someone woke me up and said, “Hey, your book has a TON of suspense.”  And when the editor-in-chief gave me a possible blurb, I started rethink how I looked at the book.

What genre does your book fall into - cozy, mystery/thriller, suspense, police procedural, etc?

It is a historical romance with quite a bit of suspense.

What prompted you to write this book or series?

I began the series in 2002, but didn’t publish the first book until 2013.  I didn’t think about writing a sequel until about 2011.  The opening scene of the first chapter, where Chloe walks on board this ship full of intimidating males, came to me then and after that, I started planning to make a trilogy.

Do you consider your book character-driven or plot-driven?

Both.  A lot of it is driven by Chloe’s goals to get to New Orleans, but there is so much suspense, so much she has no control over that a lot of the time, the suspense drives the book forward.

What makes your book unique?

I think it is rare to have a romantic suspense that also fits as a historical romance.

Do you plot ahead of time, or let the plot emerge as you write?

Most of the time, I let it come out as I’m writing.  I have a lot of different ideas for different projects at once.  When I fully focus on a book, then I can start planning it out better.  So, in answer to the question, it is a little of both.

How did you develop the names for your characters?

Gabriel’s name was already created in the first book.  He is mentioned at the end.  As for Chloe, that is a name I’ve always loved and I jumped at the chance to use it.  For some of the minor characters, I alternated between using a baby name book and looking up common names for the time period.

Do your characters swear? Why or why not?

Sure.  You could probably call it some of it minor swearing.  For anything more detailed, I just alluded to it.   It’s hard not to come across swearing on board a ship.

How did you decide on the setting?

The story is about Chloe’s journey so it takes her to a lot of different places.  The trip starts out on board the ship, but it goes all the way to New Orleans.  From that first scene I wrote, that pretty much painted the picture.  During the writing of the manuscript, I did get stumped a few times until I asked someone who knew more about sailing and what possible routes that might be taken.  I threw those ports in and did my research.  I also found out how long a clipper ship journey to those ports would take.  I

Do you have a writing mentor?

I had a lot of Creative Writing teachers and professors in the past.  I admired them all.  I would say that they all helped to shape what I’ve become.  As for mentors, I credit them, but also my favorite authors and my fellow writer friends I have met on my journey.  They have all inspired me to keep going, and I don’t know where I’d be without them.

What's your writing schedule? Do you have a favorite place to write?

I don’t have a specific writing schedule.  I write whenever the mood takes me.  But, when I’m working heavily on a project, I do tend to push myself to write more so I’ll write in blocks of time during the day.  As for places, I write everywhere, but I tend to write a lot in my bedroom, sprawled across my bed with a gel pen and a journal.  A lot of my aha moments come at night just before I go to sleep.

What’s the first mystery you read?

I can’t remember what the first one was, but I do read books by Heather Graham and Kay Hooper.  When you say “first mystery”, it reminds me of the first mystery I wrote, a pretty corny book I wrote for an assignment in the third grade.  It was called The Mystery of the Golden Chair.  It was never published, but I still have it sitting on shelf so I can see how far I’ve come.  I like the fact that I set it in Italy.  I was a Midwestern girl so Italy was a very exotic locale to me. 

What’s next?

There are a few things I have in the works.  I have an anthology called Miss Lavender’s Anthology of Ramblings that I plan to publish in the future.  I also have a romantic suspense collaboration with another writer called Certain Death, which I think will be quite thrilling for readers.  I am currently working on the final book of my trilogy, the sequel to Upon Your Honor.  It is called Upon Your Love and judging from what I know of the plot, I think it will have a lot of suspense as well.  I am also working on a paranormal romance novella, but I haven’t decided on an official title yet.

Anything else you'd like to add?

You can find me on Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.  I also run three blogs, Marie Lavender’s Books!, Writing in the Modern Age and I Love Romance Blog.  You can find a listing of all 19 of my books on my website at http://www.marielavender.webs.com/

Connect with Marie here:
Website: http://www.marielavender.webs.com/

Blogs:
http://marielavenderbooks.blogspot.com/

http://iloveromanceblog.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarieAnnLavender

Twitter: https://twitter.com/marielavender1

---

Promo for UPON YOUR HONOR and my article "Why in the World Do I Write This Crazy Thing Called Romance?" on Mark Iles' Blog

May 15, 2014

Upon Your Honour, by Marie Lavender

posted by Mark Iles

One of the great things about being a writer, is the friends you make along the way. Today I have the honour of hosting Marie Lavender’s blog tour, for the release of her new novel Upon Your Honour. I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you, Marie, all the success with this wonderful novel.


Why in the World Do I Write This Crazy Thing Called Romance?

I had someone ask what really caused me to write romance, other than the obvious things like writing about hunks that make women sigh. Well, from the time I was a child, I always loved stories about romance or watching romantic movies. I can’t explain the reason why I was so enamored of the genre then, only that it made me happy. When other kids were immersed in their worlds of dolls or action figures, I had these love stories playing in my head. I always believed in the concept of true love. Okay, maybe I was a bit whisked away by the idea of a knight swearing fealty to his lady.

What further cemented this belief, I think, was seeing a true love story play out in my own house. My parents weren’t perfect; no one is. They fought occasionally, but you could always see the love between them. They probably wouldn’t believe that I based my expectations of romance on them, but in reality I did. To me, that’s what real love was like – not always easy, but totally worth it. Relationships are work, but the good ones make it look easy on the outside. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized there are different kinds of love, at least with regards to romance.

Did I ever experience it myself? Of course. I started dating in college, when most girls had already had a few boyfriends. So, needless to say, I was a little naive at first. My first relationship was a mistake. I learned from it, of course, but I wish I hadn’t made the decisions that led to what happened. The man I dated was very abusive in ways I won’t even describe here, and I regret wasting my time on him. I waited about a year after the breakup before I tried to find someone again. I met someone new, and after having knowing him for a year, I can say that was also a mistake. Though I was loyal to him, he ended up cheating on me when were supposed to be excusive. Cheating is a huge no-no in my book. I was understandably deflated and heartbroken after that.

So, you may ask, “Why do you write romances? Shouldn’t you be jaded by your experiences?”

Well, I was certainly affected by what happened, but in spite of it all, I held firm to my belief in true love. I knew that somewhere out there, there had to be a decent man, that there was someone for me. I knew that not having that belief, not having something to hope for, was just going to make me bitter. Of course, I was afraid of being hurt again, but there is never courage without fear.

So, I just kept moving forward. I always wrote stories and having those experiences helped to shape my fiction. I could write villains better because I knew firsthand what forms that could take. Quite often heroines ended up with similar past experiences, and I guess you could say writing was my therapy. I think without that outlet, things might have been different. I was majoring in Creative Writing in college so I had plenty of opportunity to put pen to paper.

In 2004, my life changed drastically. I met someone online and despite how well we connected, I was really wary of meeting him in person. You never know what can result in something like that. We did eventually meet in a very neutral, very public location, and we instantly hit it off. We started talking and really never stopped. After meeting and knowing this man, I began to understand the difference between loving someone and being in love. I can fully admit that I have no doubts that he is my soul mate. We have been together for ten years and even after going through so many major life events together, we are still strong. We still remain in love and faithful to one another.

This experience has not only strengthened my faith in true love, it has also helped me write better. Being in love and being with a romantic person is very inspiring to me. And I really wouldn’t have had it any other way. I know now that events played out the way they should have, and I am a true believer in fate. We are all destined to find who we are supposed to be with. It just takes time and maybe a few mistakes along the way. So, where was I? Oh, yes.

I sincerely believe that all of these experiences helped to shape my conviction for writing romance. I am also an avid reader of romance. You couldn’t have guessed, right? Two of my favorite authors are Nora Roberts and Catherine Coulter. In recent years, I turned to a fascination with paranormal romance so I picked up J.R. Ward, Kerrelyn Sparks, P.C. Cast and Chloe Neill as favorites as well.

I think that my writing tends to have a lot of conflict. Life isn’t easy and I try to reflect that. With fiction, a character will always have to overcome something to get what he or she wants. I also don’t sugar coat the truth about a character. If they went through something, there is no use hiding it. I firmly believe our experiences only make us stronger. So, even though I write about romance and I truly love it, I know when to be more serious with a scene. But, love can also be a lot of fun. Romance books can be a great escape, and it’s no different when I’m in the midst of writing a scene. There is so much you can do with it as there are many different subgenres for romance now. I have published contemporary romance, historical romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and in my spare time, I write romantic poetry. I even have works in progress that could be labeled as time travel romance.

Being a writer is my calling, but romance writing…that’s my passion.

Blurb for Upon Your Honor
 
Deception is a dangerous path…

New York City, August, 1891 – Orphaned after the death of her father, Chloe Waverly stows away on La Voyageur to escape the clutches of her cruel fiancé, Lamonte Beckett. Gabriel Hill, a strange and compelling gentleman, comes upon Chloe and promises to protect her without knowing the true circumstances of why she is running away. During their journey, Gabriel doesn’t bargain on being distracted by her fair beauty or succumbing to her many charms. As their attraction to each other grows, so does the danger and Gabriel suspects things are not as they should be.

Both are determined to get to New Orleans, where she can start a new life. But, once they reach their destination, events spin out of their control and Chloe is captured by the fiancé she escaped. Gabriel is left wondering if he can overlook her betrayal. Soon he finds himself in a race against time, to reach her before Beckett can exact revenge.

Buy links:

http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00JTKTODG
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/upon-your-honor-marie-lavender/1119268362
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/430789
https://www.createspace.com/4762748
http://solsticepublishing.com/upon-your-honor/

Excerpt from Upon Your Honor:

“Is everything all right, chère?”
She gasped, turning, and saw him standing behind her. “Yes. Yes, of course.”
“I thought you and my sister were arguing.”
Gabriel must have spotted them from afar. “No,” she assured him. “She was concerned about her dance card.”
He frowned. “Her gentleman?”
“Yes.”
Gabe scowled. “I hope he’s strong enough. She’s a handful.”
“Gabriel, if you had your whole future ahead of you and yet it seemed as if it was planned out for you, wouldn’t you be a little scared too?”
He nodded and joined her there at the railing. “I suppose you’re right. I’ll take it easy on her.”
She took a deep breath. “Maybe you can do a favor for her as well.”
He swung his head towards her. “What’s that?”
“Help fill up her dance card. Dance with her. Give her a break from her gentleman.”
He frowned. “Mon Dieu, if she truly does not like him, I can inform my father.”
“No, Gabriel. I believe she does like him after all, probably quite a lot. She is simply fighting her destiny.”
He gave her a long look, which was, of course, unsettling. It made her skin feel hot beneath her clothing and her breaths come short. “It seems a lot of people fight their destiny.”
“What do you mean?”
He only shrugged.
“A destiny is not an arranged marriage, Gabriel. But, sometimes we can find our places without even realizing we have.”
He smiled gently. “Have I ever told you how much I value your opinion, how intelligent you are, chère? How wise?”
She shook her head, could not form words for a moment. “Thank you,” she whispered. His faith in her meant a lot. But, she did not feel wise at all. She was, in fact, a fool for what she had done to him.
She wasn’t expecting it. It came without warning as she looked at him. A surge of love so strong it took her breath away. And she knew she’d never feel the same about any other man as she did with Gabriel. He would always be her destiny. She realized it was not chance that she had chosen La Voyageur. But, despite the fact that fate had drawn them together, she knew he would not forgive her for her deception. She deserved that. So, even if she could not be with him, it was some comfort to know that there really was nothing random about life. It seemed random with its twist and turns. But, it was simply ironic how she kept ending up right where she started, at his side. Perhaps fate had a sense of humor as well.
Gabriel moved close, cupped her cheek. His touch made her tremble. “You’re shaking,” he commented softly.
“I’m not afraid,” she denied easily. And she wasn’t. Even if she could not be with him, she would not fear love, at least not anymore.

Author bio:

Bestselling author of UPON YOUR RETURN and 18 other books. Finalist and Runner-up in the MARSocial’s Author of the Year Competition. Honorable mention in the January 2014 Reader’s Choice Award. Liebster Blogger Award for 2013 and 2014. Top 50 Authors on AuthorsDB.com. Winner of the Great One Liners Contest on the Directory of Published Authors.

Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats. She has been writing for over twenty years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands.
At the tender age of nine, she began writing stories. Her imagination fueled a lot of her early child’s play. Even growing up, she entered writing contests and received a certificate for achieving the second round in one. She majored in Creative Writing in college because that was all she ever wanted – to be a writer. While there, she published two works in a university publication, and was a copy editor on the staff of an online student journal. After graduating from college, she sought out her dream to publish a book.
Since then, Marie has published nineteen books. Marie Lavender’s real love is writing romances, but she has also written mysteries, literary fiction and dabbled a little in paranormal stories. Most of her works have a romantic element involved in them. She just released Magick & Moonlight, a paranormal romance, in March. Upon Your Honor, released in late April, is her second historical romance. Feel free to visit her website at http://marielavender.webs.com/ for further information about her books and her life. Marie is also on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

A list of her books and pen names are as follows:

Marie Lavender: Upon Your Return; Magick & Moonlight; Upon Your Honor
Erica Sutherhome: Hard to Get; Memories; A Hint of Scandal; Without You; Strange Heat; Terror in the Night; Haunted; Pursuit; Perfect Game; A Touch of Dawn; Ransom; Leather and Lace
Kathryn Layne: A Misplaced Life
Heather Crouse: Express Café and Other Ramblings; Ramblings, Musings and Other Things; Soulful Ramblings and Other Worldly Things

Author links:

http://www.marielavender.webs.com/
http://marielavenderbooks.blogspot.com/
http://marielavender.blogspot.com/
http://iloveromanceblog.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/marie.lavender.58
https://www.facebook.com/MarieAnnLavender
https://twitter.com/marielavender1
https://plus.google.com/u/0/104926404745289477307/posts
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/marie-lavender/27/187/10a
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6938764.Marie_Lavender
http://authorsdb.com/authors-directory/1578-marie-lavender
http://youtu.be/dLOteuscV04
http://youtu.be/G5p9UijAgsQ

Promo and Feature for UPON YOUR HONOR on Devika Fernando's Blog

Featured: 'Upon Your Honor' by Marie Lavender

05/14/2014

 

It's wonderful to get the chance of featuring so many incredibly talented writers all the time. Here's a drum roll for Marie Lavender's promising latest release, Upon Your Honor. Do check out 'Upon your Return' too.

Upon Your Honor - Marie Lavender

Blurb

Deception is a dangerous path…

New York City, August, 1891 – Orphaned after the death of her father, Chloe Waverly stows away on La Voyageur to escape the clutches of her cruel fiancé, Lamonte Beckett. Gabriel Hill, a strange and compelling gentleman, comes upon Chloe and promises to protect her without knowing the true circumstances of why she is running away. During their journey, Gabriel doesn’t bargain on being distracted by her fair beauty or succumbing to her many charms. As their attraction to each other grows, so does the danger, and Gabriel suspects things are not as they should be.
Both are determined to get to New Orleans, where she can start a new life. But, once they reach their destination, events spin out of their control and Chloe is captured by the fiancé she escaped. Gabriel is left wondering if he can overlook her betrayal. Soon he finds himself in a race against time, to reach her before Beckett can exact revenge.


Buy links:

http://www.amazon.com/Upon-Your-Honor-Marie-Lavender-ebook/dp/B00JTKTODG/
http://www.amazon.com/Upon-Your-Honor-Marie-Lavender/dp/1625260423/​
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/upon-your-honor-marie-lavender/1119268362
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/430789
https://www.createspace.com/4762748
http://solsticepublishing.com/upon-your-honor/

Excerpt

On deck, he saw her standing at the railing. His heart tripped. God, she was lovely in a pale blue gown with her corn silk hair falling down her back. He wanted to go to her, draw her into his arms and kiss her until they both could no longer breathe. He shook his head. It was impossible.
Then he caught the change in the air. It was subtle at first, then heavy. He started towards her, but didn’t expect to be thrown back full force by the wind. Debris was thrown around. He squinted through the onslaught, and then saw her turn to him.
“What’s going on?” she called.
The wind blew across the ship, and Chloe’s hair was picked up, blowing into her face. “A storm’s coming on!” he yelled to her. “Grab onto something!”
She must not have heard him. The wind was blowing so hard it worked against him as he made his way towards her. Lightning and thunder struck nearby, and rain suddenly plowed down onto the hard wooden surface of the deck. Soon, Gabe was soaked and he could barely see Chloe through the onslaught.
With a curse, he kept moving until he saw her shape by the guardrail. Fear sliced through him. Afraid she would pitch over the side, he pushed forward. He was a few feet behind her when a wave came up over the edge of the ship. He shouted in warning, but it hit her anyway. The breath was briefly knocked out of him as she flew back against him. He caught her, but went down.
He lowered her to the deck and leaned over her. She was too pale. Her lashes lay like feathers on her cheeks. The rainwater spattered over them, catching on her face with the appearance of tears. “Chloe!”
There was no way of knowing if she was all right. Not in this weather. He had to get her out of it. He managed to pick her up despite the pressure of the storm, made his way across the deck, and down the steps. He kicked his cabin door open and moved her inside. He set her on the bed and leaned over her again. “Chloe, wake up!” He shook her, but she was motionless. He leaned down to listen to her breathing. Nothing.
He sucked in a breath. He forced himself to focus. Gabriel swept her hair out of her face, breathed into her mouth and started compressions on her chest. It was a technique he’d seen someone use in London after they’d pulled a man from the drink. It had worked then, but it was not helping now. Gabe kept at it for a while, but it did no good. She didn’t respond at all. In a final attempt, he ripped open her dress as well as her corset, then started again. When he was about to do it once more, she sputtered, coughed out some water onto the bed. She fought to breathe. He joined her on the bed, embracing her gently, muttering words of comfort.
When her breathing finally eased, she looked at him, then looked at her state of dishabille. Her eyes widened. She was afraid. Of course she was.
He shook his head, his breathing still labored, and he spoke in short, choppy sentences. “I had to. You weren’t breathing. Forgive me. The storm was horrendous.”
She nodded. “No, I…I understand.”
He sighed into her hair, then pulled away. “Mon Dieu,” he whispered. He had to force himself to forget the fact that he had almost lost her. “You must be freezing.”
Her teeth were chattering. “A little.”
Gabe left the room and returned with fresh clothing and blankets. He set the clothes to the side for even though he wanted to help her out of her wet clothes, it wasn’t possible. He spread the blankets over her, then touched her forehead briefly. “Please stay in here for a while. The storm will go on for some time. We wouldn’t want you to catch a fever.”
Chloe nodded. “Thank you.”
He nodded, but couldn’t manage a better reply. With clenched fists, he left the cabin, unable to control the shudder of leftover nerves that went over him. He could have lost her, he thought. She could have pitched over the side. The water she’d taken in could have drowned her. He shuddered again, closed his eyes.
He cursed. The woman was trouble, just trouble. He would have to keep a closer eye on her, that was all, despite the detriment to his sanity.

Bestselling author Marie Lavender

About the Author

Bestselling author of UPON YOUR RETURN and 18 other books.  Finalist and Runner-up in the MARSocial's Author of the Year Competition. Honorable mention in the January 2014 Reader's Choice Award. Liebster Blogger Award for 2013. Top 50 Authors on AuthorsDB.com. Winner of the Great One Liners Contest on the Directory of Published Authors.  Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats. She has been writing for over twenty years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands. In college, she published two works in a university publication, and was a copy editor on the staff of an online student journal. Marie has published nineteen books in the genres of historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, mystery/thriller, literary fiction and poetry.

http://www.marielavender.webs.com/
http://marielavenderbooks.blogspot.com/
http://marielavender.blogspot.com/
http://iloveromanceblog.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/marie.lavender.58
https://www.facebook.com/MarieAnnLavender
​https://twitter.com/marielavender1
https://plus.google.com/u/0/104926404745289477307/posts
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/marie-lavender/27/187/10a
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6938764.Marie_Lavender
http://authorsdb.com/authors-directory/1578-marie-lavender
http://www.amazon.com/Marie-Lavender/e/B00C10Q94I/

I made the Poets & Writers Directory!

I am in the Poets & Writers directory now!  Here is the link.

Marie Lavender

• Indianapolis, IN 46250
• E-mail: marieannlavender@gmail.com
• Website: http://www.marielavender.webs.com

Author's Bio

Bestselling author of UPON YOUR RETURN and 18 other books. Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats. She has been writing for over twenty years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands. In college, she published two works in a university publication, and was a copy editor on the staff of an online student journal. Marie has published nineteen books in the genres of historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, mystery/thriller, literary fiction genre and poetry. Feel free to visit her website at http://marielavender.webs.com/ for further information about her books and her life. She is also on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.

Publications and Prizes

Books:

 

Magick & Moonlight (Solstice Publishing, 2014), Upon Your Honor (Solstice Publishing, 2014), Upon Your Return (Solstice Publishing, 2013)

 

Prizes:

 

Finalist and Runner-up in the MARSocial's Author of the Year Competition. Honorable mention in the January 2014 Reader's Choice Award. Liebster Blogger Award for 2013. Top 50 Authors on AuthorsDB.com. Winner of the Great One Liners Contest on the Directory of Published Authors.

Marie Lavender Resume

Personal Favorites

Favorite Books:

 

Devil's Embrace by Catherine Coulter, The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward, the Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill, The Discreet Gentleman series by Kris Tualla

 

Favorite Authors:

 

Nora Roberts, Catherine Coulter, J.R. Ward, Kris Tualla, Kerrelyn Sparks, P.C. Cast, Chloe Neill, Tessa Dare, Emma Wildes

Join me May 27th for an Heiresses in Love spotlight and a Q&A with Readers!

Join me at this Facebook event on May 27th from 3:30-4:30 PM EST! I'll be talking about the books in the Heiresses in Love series, giving out prizes, and you can ask me anything you want! Yay!

https://www.facebook.com/events/828359423859087/?notif_t=plan_user_joined

Promo Article on Chris the Story Reading Ape's Blog

Meet Guest Author Marie Lavender

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Chris Graham

 

I am a romance author.  About four or five years ago, despite my having published a couple of stories in a university publication, I would have only called myself a writer.  But, fate (and a lot of hard work!) blessed me with being published so I must call myself an author now.  To date, I have published nineteen books under various pen names.  You may ask, “Why so many in such a short amount of time?” It certainly wasn’t planned.  In 2010, I decided to venture into self-publishing.  I had a collection of stories and poems I wanted to publish, and I figured I’d try it.  It was catching on as quite the craze then, but I mainly just wanted to see my name in print.  Well, after a long process of figuring out how it worked, I did it using both Lulu Publishing and the Amazon Kindle Direct Program.  After I published the first book, I waited a year before the next and so on.  In 2012, the self-publishing thing got ahold of me.  I realized I had so many other stories to tell the world. 

That same year, a manuscript was accepted by a traditional publisher.  I had gone through many rejections by agents and publishers alike so it was wonderful news to see that someone had seen its merit.  In 2013, Upon Your Return, my first historical romance, was published through Summer Solstice.  Since then, I have published three more books, Leather and Lace through Lulu, Magick & Moonlight through Solstice Shadows and Upon Your Honor, the sequel to Upon Your Return, through Summer Solstice.

Upon Your Return is about a young woman, Fara Bellamont, who finds herself in a lot of trouble one night.  She is attacked and a man rescues her.  She finds him to be very compelling, however, which gets her into other kinds of trouble. The book sprouted from a piece of dialogue between the characters that was playing in my head on the way to a doctor’s appointment.  Sometimes my ideas come to me that way. 

Leather and Lace came from the title.  I automatically started thinking of how fascinating it would be to write about the life of a stripper or exotic dancer. It is a romantic suspense.  

Angie is sort of in the wrong place at the wrong time, and she witnesses a crime.  She flees the scene only to be noticed by a detective.  The detective discovers who she is, but even after they settle things, he suspects there is a lot more she is not telling him.  Not to mention he’s very attracted to her.  As you can imagine, quite a lot of interesting things happen. 

Magick & Moonlight also originated from the title first, but then the scene of Ethan walking along the shore kicking rocks in Yachats, Oregon came into my head, resulting in a paranormal romance about a man who stumbles across a woman practicing witchcraft in the forest.  He is pretty sure she’s lost her mind, but she claims to be a witch.  Our heroine, Jessie, can’t believe she’s told him the truth so she casts a spell on the man.  But, you have to read it to find out what happens next.

 

After publishing Upon Your Return, the first book in the Heiresses in Love series, I was a bit reluctant to let go of the characters completely.  It felt right to see how they were down the road and maybe find out what their children were like. 

So Upon Your Honor just seemed like a natural progression to continue the series.

It is my newest release and just came out on April 21^st.  The book starts with a young woman stowing away on a ship to escape the danger at home.  When a strange man finds her, she feels she must protect herself so she lies to him, giving him a different story for her presence aboard the ship.  He swears he will protect her, but he knows nothing of the peril that is coming for the both of them.  The novel is not only full of history and passion, but also quite a bit of suspense.

I have far too many books to go into too much detail, but I have given an overview of a few.

Besides writing, I am a voracious reader.  I love reading historical romances, contemporary romances and paranormal romance/urban fantasy.  I also love shopping, both online and at stores.  Keep me away from a credit card or I’ll get into trouble.

Thank you for reading about me and my books.  It was fun dropping by!

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Book trailers

Promo and Excerpt for UPON YOUR HONOR on V.L. Locey's blog!

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Marie Lavender Joins Us Today

Please welcome the talented Marie Lavender to our corner of the interwebz! She`s here to share some information about her new historical romance, Upon Your Honor.

Deception is a dangerous path…

New York City, August, 1891 – Orphaned after the death of her father, Chloe Waverly stows away on La Voyageur to escape the clutches of her cruel fiancé, Lamonte Beckett. Gabriel Hill, a strange and compelling gentleman, comes upon Chloe and promises to protect her without knowing the true circumstances of why she is running away. During their journey, Gabriel doesn’t bargain on being distracted by her fair beauty or succumbing to her many charms. As their attraction to each other grows, so does the danger and Gabriel suspects things are not as they should be.

Both are determined to get to New Orleans, where she can start a new life. But, once they reach their destination, events spin out of their control and Chloe is captured by the fiancé she escaped. Gabriel is left wondering if he can overlook her betrayal. Soon he finds himself in a race against time, to reach her before Beckett can exact revenge.

 

Excerpt:

Chloe’s eyes grew very heavy in the dim lighting of the room. And images began to swarm in her mind.

She was dressed in a red gown, and her blonde hair was pulled into a half updo, where part of it spilled down her back in ringlets. She was at a ball of some kind. Gabriel had her in his arms. They were waltzing. Soon, the dance made her dizzy and as the room spun, people began to disappear. The room went black, except for where she could see the man who held her. A lock of his dark red hair fell over one eye as he leaned down. His face blotted out the light as his lips took hers in a kiss so tempting that her fingernails clenched on his overcoat. His mouth was gentle like a whisper over her lips, teasing her until she trembled beneath his onslaught. She parted her lips, and their tongues danced.

The band of his arm around her back tightened, and he drew her closer against him until her senses only absorbed him. The world seemed to fall away. Suddenly, they were on a bed made of feathers and she was naked before him. His mouth traced her skin with a reverence she found heartbreaking. The contrast of his dark red hair against her pale skin was somehow appealing. And as her back arched and she moaned with pleasure, her eyes closed. When she opened them again, he was leaning over her. No, something else was happening. She couldn’t tell what it was, but she liked it. And then, her body nearly screamed with ecstasy. She cried out, unable to keep quiet.

There was a strange knocking sound that interrupted the intimacy of the moment.

Chloe jerked awake, her breaths labored. She put a hand over her racing heart. She gasped, trying to get her breath under control. Her skin felt incredibly warm, and she could hardly believe how fanciful her mind had become.

The knocking came again. She blinked and looked at the door dully for a moment. Then she realized someone was there. Chloe smoothed her hair and dress, and went to answer the door on legs that were leaden.

The man who stood on the other side took her breath away. She blinked a bit, taken back for a second to the dream. She shook it off though, and tried to compose herself. “Yes?” she asked hoarsely.

Gabriel frowned. “I came to fetch you for dinner. We’ll dine with my father, if you would like, this evening.”

“Oh. Yes, that is fine.”

He lifted a brow. “I thought I heard something just now. Did you fall?”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You were yelling.”

A hand covered her mouth. Had she been vocal with her dream? How embarrassing. “Oh, I did not realize so much time had passed. Truly, I did not. I was resting.”

“Oui, but I heard—”

“It was nothing. A dream.”

He frowned. “A nightmare? Do you want to talk about it?”

She shook her head. “I barely remember it.” That wasn’t likely to happen. She could hardly get those images out of her head as he stood before her. His presence made it impossible.

“Well, I only want...I hope you are well.”

“I am. I promise.” As he stood there with the lights from the passageway playing like highlights over his red hair, she wanted to step forward into his arms, to continue all of those wonderful things that had happened in that dream. It was not to be. Reality was a cruel reminder.

Author Bio:  

Bestselling author of UPON YOUR RETURN and 18 other books. Finalist and Runner-up in the MARSocial's Author of the Year Competition. Honorable mention in the January 2014 Reader's Choice Award. Liebster Blogger Award for 2013. Top 50 Authors on AuthorsDB.com. Winner of the Great One Liners Contest on the Directory of Published Authors.

Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats. She has been writing for over twenty years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands.

At the tender age of nine, she began writing stories. Her imagination fueled a lot of her early child's play. Even growing up, she entered writing contests and received a certificate for achieving the second round in one. She majored in Creative Writing in college because that was all she ever wanted - to be a writer. While there, she published two works in a university publication, and was a copy editor on the staff of an online student journal. After graduating from college, she sought out her dream to publish a book.

Since then, Marie has published nineteen books. Marie Lavender's real love is writing romances, but she has also written mysteries, literary fiction and dabbled a little in paranormal stories. Most of her works have a romantic element involved in them. She just released Magick & Moonlight, a paranormal romance, in March. Upon Your Honor is her second historical romance. Feel free to visit her website at http://marielavender.webs.com/ for further information about her books and her life. Marie is also on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

A list of her books and pen names are as follows:

Marie Lavender: Upon Your Return; Magick & Moonlight; Upon Your Honor

Erica Sutherhome: Hard to Get; Memories; A Hint of Scandal; Without You; Strange Heat; Terror in the Night; Haunted; Pursuit; Perfect Game; A Touch of Dawn;Ransom; Leather and Lace

Kathryn Layne: A Misplaced Life

Heather Crouse: Express Café and Other Ramblings; Ramblings, Musings and Other Things; Soulful Ramblings and Other Worldly Things

Author Links:

http://www.marielavender.webs.com/
http://marielavenderbooks.blogspot.com/
http://marielavender.blogspot.com/
http://iloveromanceblog.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/marie.lavender.58
https://www.facebook.com/MarieAnnLavender
https://twitter.com/marielavender1
https://plus.google.com/u/0/104926404745289477307/posts
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/marie-lavender/27/187/10a
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6938764.Marie_Lavender

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http://authorsdb.com/authors-directory/1578-marie-lavenderhttp://www.amazon.com/Marie-Lavender/e/B00C10Q94I/

​http://youtu.be/dLOteuscV04​

New 5 Star Review for UPON YOUR HONOR!

I just found this on Amazon!  Yay!

How can they be so clueless????, May 3, 2014

By 

The Kindle Book Review

This review is from: Upon Your Honor (Kindle Edition)

The year is 1891. Gabriel has completed his studies ad is sailing on board his father’s ship, La Voyageur. Several days after leaving New York, he discovers a stowaway hiding in one of the store rooms. Chloe’s father has died. She is fleeing the prospect of an unhappy arranged marriage, and has boarded the ship, hoping to eventually reach her grandmother in New Orleans. Gabriel’s father agrees to provide passage at and Gabriel signs on to be her protector. The two fall in love.

Well, the reader, at least, knows that the two fall in love─ long before Chloe admits it to herself or Gabriel admits it to himself, very long before either admits it to the other. This seems to be the logic of a Victorian romance─ the reader sees what is happening even though the customs of the times, the crisis of the moment, and the insecurities of the people involved blind the characters to their feelings. It makes the story entertaining, and I found myself wanting to shake them both to wake them up!

I fell in love with Chloe, of course. She was beautiful, brave, assertive, willing to accept almost any challenge that life presented to her in order to be happy. I found Gabriel to be puzzling. He, too, was brave and strong-willed, and he so obviously cared for Chloe, but social convention seemed to prevent him from making his feelings known.

The story is entertaining. The ship sails from New York by way of Baltimore, Charleston, and Nassau. We witness Chloe’s and Gabriel’s adventures both on and off of the ship. We see their arrival in New Orleans and their confession of love for each other.
Upon Your Honor continues the story that began in an earlier book, Upon Your Return, but it is not at all necessary for one to have read the first book in order to enjoy this one. Upon Your Honor picks up the story that began when Fara Bellamont and Grant Hill fell in love, and it pushes ahead almost twenty years to tell the story of their son, Gabriel. This is the kind of sequel that I really like.

Upon Your Return was a very enjoyable book. I found Upon Your Honor to be even better. If you read Victorian romances, you will love this book.

David Burnett for The Kindle Book Review
I received a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review.