Heather Boyd ~ Erotic Romance with an Historical Bent

 

Welcome, Heather. I love our interview of your newest release, Engaging Your Enemy…chatting about your story-stars Leopold and Mercy ~ so let’s share it with your fans and your new readers. But, first, here’s a bit about Heather for those of you who want to know her better:

Heather Boyd is the author of erotic romance with an historical bent. A fan of regency England settings, she writes m/f and m/m stories that push the boundaries of propriety and even break the laws of that time. Brimming with new ideas, she frequently wishes she could type as fast as she can conjure up new storylines. Heather lives with her testosterone-fuelled family north of Sydney.

Her published work include: The Distinguished Rogues (Chills, Broken & Charity), The Hunt Club Chronicles (Almost an Equal, Barely a Master & Hardly a Stranger) and short erotic romance One Wicked Night, In the Widow's Bed, Love Me Tender, Wicked Mourning and The Almack’s Alternative.

Okay, Heather…let’s get started…so looking forward to this one…

KDR ~ Please tell us how the idea came to you for Engaging the Enemy. Please include all the fun details.

HB ~ Quite often I cannot remember how exactly I came up with the beginning of my stories.  Most often I dream the beginning and it nags at me for quite a while. The planning of Engaging the Enemy began long ago, a side character in my novel Charity that just would not leave my mind. Most of my character's are like that. They get under my skin and drive me a little crazy with their need to have their day.

Leopold Randall was one of the quieter ones. He interrupted and a new story, and a new series, was born around the machinations of a great English family and the repercussions of past decisions. The story setting, Romsey in Hampshire, I stumbled over during a series of blog posts I wrote titled The Wishful Thinking Tour of Britain. I’d love to pack up and invade England in the name of research.

KDR ~ What drives Leopold Randall, motivates, and/or inspires him?

HB ~ When Leopold first arrives at Romsey Abbey after years of exile, he wants nothing more than to get information about his missing family and get away again. Yet when he meets the duchess, and discovers her ignorant about him or his siblings, he has to stay, hoping to find what he needs within Romsey Abbey walls. Family is everything to him, and when he discovers that she and the young duke are in danger, his protective instincts take over.

KDR ~ Give us some insight into Mercy Randall, The Duchess of Romsey. What’s a bit of her back story?

HB ~ Mercy married young, as women in the early 1800’s tended to do. She married a titled gentleman, a marquess, but wasn’t told of his failing health. He died six months after acceding to the title of duke, leaving Mercy a duchess, mother, and responsible for a great estate. She wasn’t very well prepared, unfortunately, and must manage the estate until he comes of age.

KDR ~ Tell us what Leopold first means to Mercy?

HB ~ Leopold is the family Mercy never knew existed. She comes from a close knit family herself and despite warnings that he could be after her son’s title, he is her son’s heir, she wants to get to know him. As she says in the story, “No one with dimples could be truly evil.” Leopold has a matched set.

KDR ~ Who is Mercy to Leopold? Can you give us a bit about the first time they met each other?

HB ~ The first meeting takes place at Romsey Abbey. From the first page, Leopold believes Mercy to be his enemy, as was the past dukes of Romsey. He is wary about meeting her - he travels armed with a pistol in case of trouble. What he finds is not what he expects at all. Mercy was younger than he imagined and just as nervous about being introduced to him. Their meeting is short because Leopold needs to rethink his plan to get information out of her.

KDR ~ Is Engaging the Enemy included in a series? If so, what series and can you give us titles and a tagline for other books in this series?

HB ~ Every great family has a few secrets best left unspoken. The Wild Randalls of Hampshire excel at them. The first story is Engaging the Enemy, next comes Forsaking the Prize later in the year. The Wild Randalls is the story of three brothers, and one hot-headed sister, torn apart by the machinations of their own family and the lengths they will go to find each other and their place in society again.

KDR ~ Which scene was your favorite to write? Can you share a little of it?

HB ~ Naming a favorite scene is like choosing a favorite story you wrote. Really hard. LOL. Probably the first kiss between my hero and heroine, Leopold and Mercy, is the most important to me. It starts as one of those awkward, embarrassing moments - a missed kiss - instigated by Mercy. Here’s part of the scene:

Ignoring the need for decorum in Edwin’s presence, Mercy rose to the balls of her feet, stretching as far as she was able, to press her lips against Randall’s. The light, teasing brush brought a burst of desire to her blood in a shocking rush. But when she angled her head to deepen the kiss for more, he stepped back, far out of reach.

“Your Grace?” Randall didn’t smile, and the formality of his question suggested to her that what she’d just done was not welcomed. She wasn’t so grand that she could throw herself at any man she found attractive and expect him to feel the same.

KDR ~ What are you working on now?

HB ~ Right now I am working on book two of the Wild Randalls series. Forsaking the Prize starts on the same night Engaging the Enemy ended. I can’t say much more than that, otherwise major spoilers would ensue for those who haven’t read Engaging the Enemy yet.

KDR ~ Where can we find you? List all of your links.

Links

Website: www.heather-boyd.com

Email: heather@heather-boyd.com

Blog: www.heatherboyd.wordpress.com

Facebook Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/HeatherBoydRomanceAuthor?sk=app_159280820764230

Twitter:  http://api.twitter.com/#!/Heather_Boyd

Amazon Author Page: https://amazon.com/author/heatherboyd

Smashwords Author Page: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/heatherboyd

Book trailer link: http://youtu.be/5Qn7hZQ8nGE

Quickie Quiz

        Getting to know Heather Boyd…

2 Things you do to relax: play in photoshop, watch Star Trek and Castle movies

Favorite sport to watch: my sons playing soccer

Cat or Dog: Cat

Favorite places to write: anywhere, everywhere, I’m slutty that way

Place you’ve always wanted to go, but haven’t: England. I’d like to live there for six months to a year.

Breakfast drink: Coffee

Favorite season ~ why: Winter ~ you can always put more clothes on. It’s the Australian summer right now and I am over the heat and humidity completely.

What are your hobbies /past times (besides writing): reading, Smurf farming on my ipad

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***celebration*giveaway***

*** To celebrate the release of Engaging the Enemy, we are giving away a PDF copy to one lucky, randomly drawn, commenter. Simply answer three questions from the Quickie Quiz above so Heather can get to know you, too, and post them in the comments section ~ drawing will be tomorrow 3-1-12 sometime after noon EST***

Click Cover for Buy Link 

Engaging the Enemy

Book 1 - The Wild Randalls

Release Date: February 14, 2012

Every great family has a few secrets best left unspoken. The wild Randall’s of Hampshire excel at them.

A duchess should be regal, aloof and the image of calm elegance. But those words have never applied to Mercy Randall, Duchess of Romsey. A widow and mother of a young duke, Mercy is lonely and floundering to keep the estate afloat. When she discovers the existence of Leopold Randall, her husband’s estranged cousin, Mercy commits to help him locate his missing siblings if he’ll return the estate to order. Although cautioned against trusting a man who would inherit everything should her son die, she impetuously hands over the estate to Leopold’s care in the hope of keeping him near.

Leopold Randall, heir to the young duke, has returned to Hampshire to demand information regarding the fate of his missing siblings. Unfortunately, the Duchess of Romsey is clueless about them, yet her struggle to maintain the estate tugs at Leopold’s sense of duty. At her insistence, he steps in to bring order to chaos while searching for hints to his family’s whereabouts amongst the old duke’s papers. Yet the duchess tempts him in ways best unspoken. He fights to hide his weakness for her and a shameful past that could see him banished again. But when Leopold discovers a threat against the duchess and young duke’s life, he must join forces with the temptress to protect his last known relative.

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Heather, it’s been an awesome fun interview! Thank you for making my place one of your BewitchingBook Tour stops. Congratulations on the release of Engaging the Enemy.

Thank you everyone for stopping in to visit with Heather – don’t forget to answer the questions as Heather instructed for your chance to win…please leave your email address so the winner may be contacted.

 

Until Next Time…Warm Hearts & Hugs,

Kay Dee

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