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Saturday, February 24, 2018

Welcome, Author Jillian Chantal and New Release "Captain Vane's Daughter"!


What a joy to wlcome the delightful Jillian Chantal to 'Gina's World of Good' this week! Ms. Chantal grew up in various places with the most time in Stafford, Virginia and Pensacola, Florida. A wonderful author and friend, and she joins us here to discuss her newest release, "Captain Vane's Daughter". This sweeping Regency novel captures the essence of pirate lore and carries the reader on an adventurous journey filled with the timeless treasures of family, history and love. Welcome, Jillian Chantal!!

Welcome to my blog, Jillian. What is your newest book about?
It’s called Captain Vane’s Daughter and it’s about a girl’s quest to find out the truth about her birth and heritage. Her mother died in childbirth after falling in love with the pirate, Captain Charles Vane. Her grandmother raised her without love and treated her worse than a servant. The old woman could never forgive her daughter for falling in love with a pirate and having his child.
Where did you get your inspiration for this novel?
I was inspired first of all by pirate lore. I’ve long been a reader of the history of the Golden Age of Piracy (Not that I would ever want to run into a real pirate, mind you).

When the show Black Sails was on Starz, I watched it because even though it was fiction, it drew on real pirates of the era to help tell the story- like Anne Bonny, Jack Rackham, Charles Vane, and Blackbeard (a/k/a Edward Teach).

In the final season of the show, one of the female characters who had a relationship with Charles Vane married the British governor (Woodes Rogers- also a real person). She found out she was pregnant and my first thought was, “Wouldn’t it be cool if the baby was Vane’s and not her husband’s?” I didn’t like this female character as she betrayed everyone who ever cared for her so I thought that would be poetic justice. LOL - I was wrong but it planted a seed in my mind. What if one of these pirates did have a child who wanted to learn the truth about them and then I was off and writing.
What kind of research did you do for this book?
I had to make sure where Charles Vane was at various times in the real world so I could make the story as realistic as I could; such as when he was in South Carolina where the heroine was conceived and when he was executed. I wanted her to be under age twenty so I had to use these dates in order to set the time frame of my story.

I also made sure the words I used were time period appropriate. The etymology dictionary is my friend for sure. - I also researched the Jolly Roger and when it was created and flown. Sailing times between ports was also something I looked into as well as rum and sugar plantations in Jamaica.
Did you put real experiences from your research in this story?
Yes. The details about Charles Vane, the fight for Nassau and when Vane went to South Carolina to see if he could get Blackbeard to help the cause in saving Nassau from the British as well as the plantation and terrain information about Jamaica. As to the Nassau part of the story, I’ve been there a few times and have been lucky enough to see some of the colonial areas so I did draw upon that as well.


What intrigues you most about writing these stories?
I am such a history nerd. It’s hard to narrow down the things I love as I so love it all. The manners, the clothes, the adventure. Now, what I don’t like is the no indoor plumbing, no contact lenses and no air conditioners ( )

Tell us a bit about your other books.
I have a number of books so that’s hard to narrow down. It seems I’ve begun to focus more on Regencies lately but I have stories from the modern era as well as the 1920s, 30s, 40s and up.

Which of all your characters is your favorite?
Usually the one I’m working on now. I seem to have this need to fall a bit in love with the hero myself so I don’t ever want to “cheat” on him and always have to get him out of my system before moving to the next one. At the moment, Leo in this story still holds my heart.

How did you get started in this genre?
Interestingly, when I was writing for a publisher that has now gone out of business, they had a call for Regency Christmas stories and I thought, “Why not give it a whirl? I know the history of the era. How hard could it be?” It was actually a bit harder than I thought as I had to learn about the Christmas traditions that were very different in that era than now. I also had a friend who said I couldn’t write a fox hunt at Christmas so I had to prove her wrong. Never tell a lawyer she needs to do some research, because she will. Anyway, I’d read of these hunts at Christmas and when I did look deeper, I was right so that story has a fox hunt.

When you have time to read, who are some of your favorite authors?
Martha Grimes, Sharon Penman, Christopher Fowler, Suzanne Johnson

Let’s get personal for a moment: Please share with us the most daring thing you’ve ever done.
Favorite meal? City you would love to visit and why?
Most daring: Sky diving
Fav meal: A champagne chicken with mushrooms dinner I had in Verona, Italy many years ago. It was that memorable and good. Divine, even. My dad and I still talk about it.
City love to visit: I’m a big traveler so I’ll choose one I haven’t been to: Reykjavik, Iceland

To learn more about Jillian Chantal, visit her website at www.jillianchantal.com. You’ll find all her books at this site or her Amazon page. https://tinyurl.com/ybuz2z7y


And here are all her additional links! Check them out:




Jillian, thank you so much for visiting “Gina’s World of Good”! I wish you many sales!!

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Welcome, Author Linda Weaver Clarke!



I am so delighted and honored to welcome author Linda Weaver Clarke to "Gina's World of Good"! Ms. Clarke is an accomplished, prolific author and motivational speaker. 

Her range as an author is extensive--from sweet and cozy romances to swashbuckling mystery/adventures from historical times to inspiring non-fiction self-enrichment works...Linda Weaver Clarke does it all! 

During her visit with us, she will be talking about her historical romances in "The Rebel Series" and offering a giveaway to everyone who comments on why you enjoy Robin Hood or Robin Hood themes (see below) and then emails her about it. 

Thank you so much, Linda, for your generosity and for visiting with us now! 
     
                                                       *******************


BOOK GIVEAWAY: Linda will give away the first book of The Rebel Series to anyone who makes a comment by telling us why you love Robin Hood or Robin Hood themes, then email Linda at lwc@lindaweaverclarke.com and tell her that you made a comment. She will then respond by sending a Kindle ebook to you, or a pdf or ebook for a Nook.

Historical Romance: Stories of Rebels,
Adventure, and Mystery

My favorite time period is historical because it’s during a time when men defended a lady’s honor and treated women with respect. The women, on the other hand, were not pansies by any means. I love strong women characters who fight for what they believe.

The Rebel Series is a Historical Mystery/Adventure Romance set in the 1700s. I love historical romance and I love mysteries. Many people have asked me why I wrote a story about rebels. Simple! I love a rogue who fights for justice and for the people.

It was a bunch of rebels who fought for our freedom here in America. They wanted to be free from the dictatorship and tyranny of a king. Liberty is something that I cherish. So I decided to write about a small country that struggles to be free.

My favorite genre to write is a mixture of romance, mystery, and adventure. I also love a romance where the man and woman know they are meant for one another, even though there are trials along the way. Instead of drama between a couple who is in love, I prefer having suspense in the plot, instead.

In The Rebels of Cordovia, Robin’s Rebels realize they must fight against the tyranny of a wicked king and help the people survive this oppression. In this battle for freedom, a tender love story begins to blossom. Daniel, a rogue and a leader of the Freemen, doesn’t realize that the sweet feminine woman he has met and is falling for happens to be the leader of Robin’s Rebels. Realizing the importance of uniting all the rebel groups, Daniel tries to recruit Robin’s Rebels but they refuse. Now he has to find a way to convince them. When he finds out the leader is actually a woman, what will his reaction be?

Click on the link below to watch the video.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/-Nd2vqNYqSA

In book 2, The Highwayman of Cordovia, the people enjoy their new-found liberty, but all is not well. A group of powerful men plan to take over the small country and replace the leader with a king. With the help of a bold highwayman and a pastor’s daughter, they try to save their country from being taken over by a power-hungry leader. As they strive to stop the Kingmen and thwart their plans, Christine finds herself falling in love with Austin Knight. The only problem with their relationship is that she thinks he is her knight in shining armor instead of a highwayman. If she finds out his trade, what will her reaction be? As a pastor’s daughter, will love override her values?


Click on the link below to watch the video. https://www.youtube.com/embed/UtHY-DPjfFE

In book 3, The Fox of Cordovia, a sinister plot has just been uncovered and its up to a former patriot and a young nurse to discover who is behind it. Caroline is engaged to the future mayor of Laketown, a man of influence and greatly respected. But all that changes when she overhears a conspiracy behind closed doors. After being discovered, she runs for her life. Caroline needs to report her findings, but whom can she trust? When she asks Jesse Conover for help, the adventure begins.

Click on the link below to watch the video. https://www.youtube.com/embed/mCgwRF5nzQ8


I love research. When I did some research about the “waltz for The Highwayman of Cordovia, I was surprised at what I found. The peasants were the first to dance the waltz. It was such fun that bored noblemen would sneak out and go to the country-dances. The Oxford English Dictionary back then called the waltz “riotous and indecent.” 



In a 1771 German novel, someone complains about the “newly-introduced waltz” among the aristocrats. He wrote: “When he put his arm around her, pressed her to his breast, cavorted with her in the shameless, indecent whirling-dance of the Germans and engaged in a familiarity that broke all the bounds of good breeding—then my silent misery turned into burning rage.” I was so intrigued by this description. The waltz finally became fashionable when the wife of a Russian ambassador endorsed it.

To read a sample chapter from each of my books in The Rebel Series, go to http://www.lindaweaverclarke.com/historicalromance.html and click on the TITLE.
To purchase a book on the same page, click on the COVER and it will take you directly to Amazon. These books can also be purchased from Barnes and Noble.

About Author: Linda Weaver Clarke was raised among the Rocky Mountains of southern Idaho and now lives among the red mountains of southern Utah. Linda is the mother of six daughters and the author of 23 books. She has written in several different genres, which include: historical romances, romantic cozy mysteries, a mystery suspense series, children’s book, and non-fiction. All her books are family friendly. She has also taught people how to write their family’s stories throughout the U.S., giving more than 500 workshops. To learn more, visit www.lindaweaverclarke.com.

Be sure to visit Linda's website, http://www.lindaweaverclarke.com where you will find sample chapters, a page where you can purchase any of her books from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and there is an "About Linda" page, too--don't miss it!

Thank you for visiting, Linda. Best wishes to you and please visit again soon!