We're joined today by multi-award winning author Danelle Harmon as we talk this well-loved series, what she has in store for it, and her love of animals. Welcome Danelle!
Please tell us a little
about yourself.
My name is Danelle
Harmon, and I've written ten historical romances. As most of my books are long out of print and
hard to find, I've decided to re-release them as e-books (with light editing) so
they can (hopefully!) be enjoyed by a whole new generation of readers. My work has been published both domestically
and internationally, having been translated into several languages, have made
numerous bestseller lists, and won many awards.
I took a decade-long sabbatical after our daughter was born, but it's
time to get back to work. It is so good
to be back!
What is your
favorite non-writing pastime?
I am an animal
lover, and our household consists of four German Shorthaired Pointer dogs (a
breed I don't recommend for the faint of heart!), an Egyptian Arabian horse, a
flock of chickens, two frogs and a tank of fish. (No, the horse doesn't live in the house, but
he does occupy the attached barn!) I
enjoy showing my dogs in AKC
shows, and one of them, Marcus, recently completed his championship. I also feel passionate about rescue and
volunteer a lot in this area, occasionally fostering a dog in need while a
"forever home" is found, and doing what I can to make life happier
for our animal friends. Please spay and
neuter -- it saves lives. J
If you had to sum up the first book in 30 or less words, what would
you say?
When charming ne'er do well Lord Gareth de Montforte thwarts a stagecoach
robbery, he ends up inheriting his dead brother's fiancee and infant baby in this
first book in the de Montforte Brothers series.
Do you have a
favorite character in this series? Who and why?
I just adore Lord
Gareth de Montforte in THE WILD ONE. Young, irresponsible, charming, big-hearted,
and doing his best to live down to his reputation, he leads a group of ne'er do
well aristocrats who get up to all sorts of mischief and call themselves the
Den of Debauchery. Lord Gareth, much to
the dismay of his brother the Duke of Blackheath, is the heir presumptive to
the dukedom, but he has no idea what the word "responsibility"
means. He's forced to find out when he
nobly steps in and marries his dead brother's fiancee and infant baby, and his
struggle to earn self-respect, dignity, and the love of his beautiful Juliet,
totally won me over. Besides, who can
resist a handsome guy who loves children and animals?
What is your
favorite scene in the book?
There's a scene at
the climax of the book, when Lord Gareth is, literally, in the fight of his
life. His courage, his self-sacrifice,
and his willingness to do whatever it takes -- even if it means possibly losing
his life -- for his new family that he loves so much, just gets me every time.
Is anything in your book based on real life
experiences or purely all imagination?
My
husband and I were living in Abingdon-on-Thames, just south of Oxford, when I
wrote The Wild One. Though Swanthorpe
Manor is fictional, it's locale, its views, and the surrounding landmarks of
Abingdon are not … I used to walk those fields, and the streets, and visit many
of the places mentioned in THE WILD ONE,
almost daily, in my walks with my dog or into town.
What kind of
research was involved for The Wild One?
As my husband and I
were married and lived in Abingdon-on-Thames, England, where part of THE WILD ONE is set, there wasn't much research to be done
when it came to setting -- it was our home.
But I have a sizeable library, and some of the books that I found of
most benefit were an old one of 18th century London maps, a book on pugilism in the 18th
century, and one on the rules and protocol of dueling.
Do you have to be
alone or have quiet to write?
I definitely need
to be alone, and cannot, absolutely cannot, work with interruptions of any kind
… I do best when just left to my own devices for hours at a time.
I would read these
books simply because of the covers – all in the series are beautiful! Did you
have a part in their design?
In their previous
(print) form, I had little say in the covers, but I've had 100% input in the
new covers for their e-book incarnations!
The covers are now exactly what I always hoped they'd be, with Blackheath Castle figuring prominently on each
one. For the second book in the series,
THE BELOVED ONE, I couldn't decide
between the two covers that were presented to me -- both showed the hero, Lord
Charles, in full uniform on his horse, but one showed him in England, and the
other, at Concord (MA's) Old North Bridge.
I loved them both, but ended up going with the former as it had the
ancestral home (though at some point, I may re-release it with the alternative
cover). The third book in the series,
THE DEFIANT ONE, has a strong
"animal" theme, and the German Shorthaired Pointer on the cover is
actually my beloved Roscoe (1987-2002), who appears in the book as the
heroine's dog, "Freckles."
Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a
series?
Yes -- I am currently writing a fifth book in the de Montforte series; I
got many letters over the years from readers asking me to write Lady Nerissa's
story, so I figure it's time I got working on that!
What has been your
greatest pleasure or personal success as an author?
Without question,
it's been hearing from readers. As a
writer, just knowing that someone has trusted me enough to invest time and
energy with my characters and stories is the greatest complement that I can
ever be given. Thank you to each and
every one of you that takes the time to write, even to just say hello!
Is there any place
and time in the world and in history that you would like to visit?
There are two: Boston on the eve of the Revolutionary War (I
would love to meet the handsome, charismatic, and sadly-forgotten Dr. Joseph
Warren, whose portrait hangs in our dining room), and England during the days
of Lord Nelson … another historical personage I much admire, and would love to
meet.
Are there certain characters you would like to go
back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?
I must confess to having a special soft spot for
each of the brothers in my de Montforte Brothers series. Each one is so different (and the tone of
each of their respective stories reflects that), but they have become friends,
of sort, over the years and it's hard for me to leave them. But I do get to revisit them as I write this
new book I'm working on, and after that … who knows?
When did you write your first book and how old were you?
Even as a young, shy child, I was a reader, and my favorite
haunt was the school library. Though it
was never published, and never will be, my first book -- actually, part of a
series, itself -- was a horse story much in the same vein as Walter Farley's
Black Stallion series. I must have been
ten or twelve years old at the time, and the books were written on notebook
paper, bound with yarn, and illustrated with crayon. I wish I could find them now, if only for the
smiles and giggles!
What is your favorite movie based on a book, where you
preferred the movie?
Ahh, this is an easy one, and probably an answer you won't
get from any other romance author! It's
actually not even a romance, but a horror flick from the early 1980s based on a
Peter Straub novel, called "Ghost Story." It was the first big role for the young Alice
Krige, who plays a beautiful femme-fatale ghost who comes back after fifty
years to get her revenge on the four men who had accidentally killed her back
in the 1920s. With its hauntingly
romantic soundtrack and theme, it's a movie I never forgot and still enjoy to
this day … in fact, the heroine of THE WICKED ONE,
Eva, is loosely based on this character, right down to the same first name,
though the similarities between them stop there.
Do you believe in writer’s block? Has it ever happened to
you?
Yes, indeed it has.
I've found, though, that if I get blocked, it's usually because I'm
trying to force a scene that can't be forced, or trying to get a character to
do something that that character would not do.
Sometimes I can get things moving again just by changing the point of
view … other times, I have to put the manuscript aside for a time and just let
it sit.
The Book
"The
bluest of blood, the boldest of hearts; the de Montforte brothers will take
your breath away."
England, 1776: Lord Gareth de
Montforte is known as an irresponsible rake with a heart of gold. When he takes
a bullet for boldly thwarting a stagecoach robbery, he is stunned to discover
that the beautiful young woman he has heroically rescued, Juliet Paige, is his
deceased brother’s American fiancée, accompanied by her infant daughter.
Despite his brother the duke's refusal to acknowledge Juliet, Gareth is
determined to do right by the courageous woman who crossed an ocean to give her
baby her rightful name. But Juliet is wary of marrying this black sheep
aristocrat, even while she is hopelessly charmed by the dashing devil. Never
has she met anyone who embraces life so thoroughly, who makes her laugh, who
loves her so well. And, even when it seems the odds are against them, Juliet
has absolute faith that Gareth will go beyond the call of duty, risking his
life itself to give her and her daughter a home — and a love that will last a
lifetime.
Book Content: This book would be considered sensuous and does contain descriptive scenes.
The Giveaway
Danelle
will be awarding a digital copy of book two, "The Beloved One"
to one randomly drawn commenter at every stop and a $25 Amazon GC to one
randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
Where can
your readers find you?
Website: http://www.danelleharmon.com
I
blog on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanelleHarmon
Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/187102.Danelle_Harmon
An Excerpt
Prologue
Newman
House, 18 April, 1775
My
dear brother, Lucien,
It
has just gone dark and as I pen these words to you, an air of rising tension
hangs above this troubled town. Tonight, several regiments — including mine,
the King's Own — have been ordered by General Gage, commander in chief of our
forces here in Boston, out to Concord to seize and destroy a significant store
of arms and munitions that the rebels have secreted there. Due to the
clandestine nature of this assignment, I have ordered my batman, Billingshurst,
to withhold the posting of this letter until the morrow, when the mission will
have been completed and secrecy will no longer be of concern.
Although
it is my most ardent hope that no blood will be shed on either side during this
endeavour, I find that my heart, in these final moments before I must leave, is
restless and uneasy. It is not for myself that I am afraid, but another. As you
know from my previous letters home, I have met a young woman here with whom I
have become attached in a warm friendship. I suspect you do not approve of my
becoming so enamoured of a storekeeper's daughter, but things are different in
this place, and when a fellow is three thousand miles away from home, love
makes a far more desirable companion than loneliness. My dear Miss Paige has
made me happy, Lucien, and earlier tonight, she accepted my plea for her hand
in marriage; I beg you to understand, and forgive, for I know that someday when
you meet her, you will love her as I do.
My
brother, I have but one thing to ask of you, and knowing that you will see to
my wishes is the only thing that calms my troubled soul during these last few
moments before we depart. If anything should happen to me — tonight, tomorrow,
or at any time whilst I am here in Boston — I beg of you to find it in your
heart to show charity and kindness to my angel, my Juliet, for she means the
world to me. I know you will take care of her if ever I cannot. Do this for me
and I shall be happy, Lucien.
I
must close now, as the others are gathered downstairs in the parlour, and we
are all ready to move. May God bless and keep you, my dear brother, and Gareth,
Andrew, and sweet Nerissa, too.
Charles
Sometime during the last hour, it had
begun to grow dark.
Lucien de Montforte turned the letter
over in his hands, his gaze shuttered, his mind far away as he stared out the
window over the downs that stood like sentinels against the fading twilight. A
breath of pink still glowed in the western sky, but it would soon be gone. He
hated this time of night, this still and lonely hour just after sunset when old
ghosts were near, and distant memories welled up in the heart with the poignant
nearness of yesterday, close enough to see yet always too elusive to touch.
But the letter was real. Too real.
He ran a thumb over the heavy vellum,
the bold, elegant script that had been so distinctive of Charles's style — both
on paper, in thought, and on the field — still looking as fresh as if it had
been written yesterday, not last April. His own name was there on the front: To His
Grace the Duke of Blackheath, Blackheath Castle, nr. Ravenscombe, Berkshire,
England.
They were probably the last words
Charles had ever written.
Carefully, he folded the letter along
creases that had become fragile and well-worn. The blob of red wax with which
his brother had sealed the letter came together at the edges like a wound that
had never healed, and try as he might to avoid seeing them, his gaze caught the
words that someone, probably Billingshurst, had written on the back....
Found
on the desk of Captain Lord Charles Adair de Montforte on the 19th of April
1775, the day on which his lordship was killed in the fighting at Concord.
Please deliver to addressee.
A pang went through him. Dead, gone,
and all but forgotten, just like that.
The duke of Blackheath carefully laid
the letter inside the drawer, which he shut and locked. He gazed once more out
the window, lord of all he surveyed but unable to master his own bitter
emptiness. A mile away, at the foot of the downs, he could just see the
twinkling lights of Ravenscombe village, could envision its ancient church with
its Norman tower and tombs of de Montforte dead. And there, inside, high on the
stone wall of the chancel, was the simple bronze plaque that was all they had
to tell posterity that his brother had ever even lived.
Charles, the second son.
God help them all if anything happened
to him, Lucien, and the dukedom passed to the third.
No. God would not be so cruel.
Is your book in Print, ebook or both?
The
books are out of print now, but are newly released as ebooks on Amazon/Kindle,
Barnes & Noble/Nook, Smashwords.com, and other e-venues.
The first book in
the series, “The Wild One” is priced at $0.99 at all outlets.
For
Kindle Users (Amazon.com)
The Wild One: http://tinyurl.com/bltxjvf
For Nook users (B&N):
The Wild One http://tinyurl.com/bsol2oj
Smashwords:
THE WILD ONE:
Danelle Harmon books for Kobo readers: http://tinyurl.com/86gqpuf
The Wild One: http://tinyurl.com/bltxjvf
For Nook users (B&N):
The Wild One http://tinyurl.com/bsol2oj
Smashwords:
THE WILD ONE:
Danelle Harmon books for Kobo readers: http://tinyurl.com/86gqpuf
