Her Heart’s Liege
by Olivia
Fields
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Tomboy Alex Bonham has
fought her male peers tooth and nail to prove herself worthy to become captain
of the king’s guard. When her country is invaded by Danes, she is ordered to
take the king’s younger son, a charming but irresponsible rake, away from the
front lines for safekeeping.
Alex walks a difficult
line, trying to balance her growing attraction to Prince Holden with her
dedication to duty and her responsibility to keep him safe from robbers,
Danes...and even himself. But when they are drawn into the struggle to defend
East Anglia from occupation, both the prince and his captain must grow. Can
spoiled Prince Holden evolve into a good man who could lead the kingdom--one
Alex can trust with her heart?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
"I make
you nervous." The corner of Prince Holden’s mouth quirked up,
self-deprecating.
Alexandra
didn't try to deny the truth. "You do. Any time someone treats me like
prey, I get uneasy."
He didn't
attempt denial. "I don't usually pursue women."
"No, they
jump into your bed all by themselves." She gave him a wry stare.
He shrugged,
equally off-hand. "Near enough."
"Then all
you have to do is find a bed and wait. I want no part of it."
"I'm tired
of prey that doesn't put up a struggle." She could see something almost
weary in the set of his shoulders.
She raised a
brow at him. She'd believe him on a cold day in Hell.
He shrugged and
shifted uncomfortably. "Serving girls and barmaids are all very well and
good for a night's pleasure, but they have nothing to offer afterward. All the
ladies at court are shallow and dull." He pulled a wry face. "I'd
rather court a girl with something to her. Like you."
Alex resisted
the desire to squirm uncomfortably under his warm regard. "The problem
with me," his brow furrowed, "is that everything has always been too
easy." He leaned toward her, intent. She could sense how important this
was to him.
He reached out
and touched her cheek lightly with his fingertips. "But you aren't easy at
all, and I find I quite like it."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talking with Olivia Fields!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talking with Olivia Fields!
What is your writing environment?
I have a big
L-shaped wooden writing desk in the corner of my living room, tucked in a
corner next to my television and under my memories shelf. I like to sit at that desk in my mom’s old
rocking chair, an original from Woody’s Chair Shop, the most comfortable chair
known to mankind. I need a full bottle
of ice water and a few salty nibbles at my elbow. I have to have my word processor to write
with, because I can only keep up with the flow of ideas when I’m typing at 120
wpm.
Once I’m
settled there in front of the computer I can relax, surrounded by comfortable
clutter including dozens of different mementos I’ve collected on various trips
and various crafts I’ve made, with my dogs sleeping on the floor around my feet. That’s the place and time I can be most
perfectly myself and let the world fade away into imagination.
Who is your perfect hero/heroine and
why?
J. R. R.
Tolkien’s Samwise Gamgee is my perfect hero, and he has been since I was
11. Watching him carry Frodo up the side
of Mount Doom in Mordor moved me so deeply it was the first time I ever cried
while reading a novel.
Sam is rustic
and simple, without a lot of education or polish, but he has the born-in core
virtues that make for an ideal hero.
He’s sensible, strong, courageous, honest, dutiful, and never abandons
hope. He may be only somewhat wise, but even
when his flaws surface, he is still trying to do the best he knows how.
Sam is able to
make mistakes and learn from them, expanding and growing from follower to
leader throughout the course of The Lord of the Rings, gaining honor and also
growing in compassion as his arrogance, ignorance, and provincialism decrease. That ability to learn and adapt is a key
feature of a really great character, and of a true hero.
Another
wonderful aspect of Sam’s heroism is his unwavering loyalty to his
friends. It’s a quality I admire and
aspire to imitate in my own relationships.
What authors have caught your interest
lately and why?
Diana Gabaldon.
I’ve been watching Outlander
and have plans to read the entire series.
Her work is a little too violent for my taste, at least in its televised
form, but she certainly knows how to muster what Stephen King calls “the
gotta.” As in, “I gotta see what happens
to Jamie and Claire.” I like to study
how she makes her work interesting and pick out techniques I could adapt for my
own use.
Molly Ringle.
Her Chrysomelia Stories series
is a fascinating adaptation of mythology that seamlessly mingles ancient legend
with modern times. The story is rich and
carefully structured, balancing lots of characters and weaving an intricate but
sturdy plot. I particularly admire the
way she handles villains. Her characterization
is complex and layered, and her antagonistic characters are believable and
sympathetic, working within a moral framework that incorporates all shades of
gray, not just black and white. I can’t
wait for the third installment!
Z. A. Maxfield.
I enjoy reading in the M/M genre, and the St. Nacho’s series is a
must-read there, full of smoking-hot scenes well-balanced with sensitive,
fully-developed characters in realistic relationships. When I drove the Pacific Coast Highway, I
spent the whole time wishing I could actually find the fictional town of St.
Nacho’s and settle down there to find my happily ever after….
What type of book have you always wanted
to write?
Someday I want
to write a book series set in a world all my own, where I create the cultures,
landscape, customs, and beings—like Tolkien, George R. R. Martin, Robert
Jordan, or Terry Pratchett. I’d like to
have that freedom to create without need to research or acknowledge sources,
brands and trademarks, etc., but it’s also a heavy responsibility, one I’d need
to work up to as I build skill with authorship and learn to handle more and
more challenging stories, characters, and relationships.
Top 3 things on your bucket list?
1.
Travel
to Scotland, New Zealand, and anywhere else I can manage to go. I love seeing new places and learning what
the people are like there. Stretching
your horizons also stretches your brain; it helps you understand people and
better appreciate your own role in the global community. Travel gives me plenty of new material for
writing. Once I’ve been to a place, I’m
far more confident describing it and using it as the setting for a story.
2.
Go parasailing. I nearly took a course in this in college,
and have always regretted taking the money and using it to go to New Orleans
instead. One day I want to be one of
those kick-butt old ladies who goes out and does crazy adrenaline sports on her
80th birthday.
3.
Hike
the Tanawha Trail up to Rough Ridge next to Grandfather Mountain. Whenever I visit the area, I’ve been taking
the trail in small, manageable segments, but that’s the hardest climb. I want to do it in the autumn and take my
camera so I can get some incredible landscape shots. With my bad knees it’s going to be quite a
challenge, but I think it’ll be worth it!
How did you get the idea for this
particular novel?
I like to take
established conventions and turn them on their ear to see what changes. For Her Heart’s Liege, I decided to take the
common idea of a stoic, masculine warrior in love with the king’s spoiled daughter
and do a gender flip to see what I could make of it. That’s not the only unexpected twist in the
novel, either, but you’ll need to read to see more! ;-)
I like to write
combat, especially since I’ve had some minor martial arts training in jeet kune do. That martial art encouraged me to give
Alexandra her job as a captain of the guard.
The form focuses on allowing a small, weak fighter to defeat a large,
strong one, so I was able to give her a realistic edge over many of the burly
male soldiers she would confront as part of her duties.
What is your favorite scene in your new
release?
I love the
scene where Prince Holden tells the story of how he nearly died rescuing his
beloved Captain Alexandra from a fire that consumed the building where she was
sleeping. I have fairly extreme
pyrophobia, so I’m very proud that I was able to face that fear, work through
it, and use it to generate intense sensory imagery. I’m quite fond of the scene where she rewards
him after the fire with their first real kiss, too…. ;-)
What are you working on now and when can
we expect it to be available?
I’m working on
a paranormal romance featuring an adorkable, geeky, reluctant incubus. He’s a nerdy computer tech with a traumatic
past that’s left him very shy with the ladies, but nevertheless, he has to
harvest a woman’s sexual energy to survive.
The story begins at a huge science fiction/fantasy convention and
travels through London, Ireland, and India as the incubus learns to overcome
his tragic history and tries to find love with the woman of his dreams.
I’m very excited
about the novel; I think it’s one of the best things I’ve ever written. I sent the book in near the end of April, but
my publisher has a year worth of backlog, so… look for my next novel a year
from now, give or take!
What do you like to do when you are not
writing?
I would say “my
day job,” but the question asks what I like
to do. ;-) I have lots of hobbies, and am always finding
new ones. On any given day you might
find me hiking, knitting, doing cross-stitch, weaving chain mail jewelry,
taking photographs, or tending my pets.
I also enjoy cooking, gardening, and watching Cartoon Network. Of course, I have to cram some sleep in
around the edges every now and then!
What is one interesting fact about you
that readers don’t know?
An early and
voracious reader, I was once trapped on a month-long vacation with only a
single book: a lighthearted but comprehensive catalogue of American desert
flora. I was pretty bored and desperate,
so I must have read it about twenty-five times.
To this day, I can identify and recite interesting trivia about nearly
every species of cactus in the Sonora Desert, from the neomammillaria
microcarpa to the boojum tree. As a
child, I used this talent to annoy professional tour guides at Southwestern
botanical gardens.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
For years, college professor Olivia Fields has been writing
romantic tales to pacify her muse and entertain her friends. She believes in
making her characters work for their happy endings.
When not at her keyboard, Olivia enjoys nature hikes, photography,
and the constant companionship of several rather irregularly trimmed Shih Tzu
dogs. Olivia’s first published novel, Her Heart’s Liege, will be released in
March 2015 by Rogue Phoenix Press.
AUTHOR LINKS:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_OliviaFields
BUY LINKS:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY:
Olivia will be awarding $25 Amazon or
B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Follow the tour HERE
Thank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteHi, and thanks for letting me visit your blog! I'm on the road today, but I'll pop in this evening and answer any questions your readers may have. :-)
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed learning about the book. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Patrick! I hope you'll enjoy reading the entire thing someday. Good luck in the drawing!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading the interview, thanks for sharing! And also thanks for the excerpt :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked it! I hope you'll be inspired to give the rest of the book a try. Good luck in the drawing!
DeleteI am definitely checking it out!! Thanks :)
DeleteI love medieval and this looks like an excellent twist. Great interview.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Medieval is sort of a specialty of mine, but I've always been frustrated by the limited roles for women in medieval history. I hope you'll like the book, and good luck in the giveaway!
DeleteI enjoyed the interview.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I appreciate the feedback. Good luck in the drawing!
DeleteEnjoyed the excerpt! Sound like a great read, entering under the name of Virginia
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you think so! I hope you'll decide to give it a try. :D Have a great day and best of luck in the giveaway!
DeleteI really enjoyed the reading the interview! Thank you for the post and the giveaway!
ReplyDeletei enjoyed reading the blurb/excerpt.thanks for having the giveaway
ReplyDelete