Good morning, Hazel - so lovely to be able to welcome a fellow UK romance writer to my blog. I write for the US market and have many US writers so it's nice to promote another author in the same circumstances! I noticed from your interview that you also have a beloved Lab, me too :)
Okay, on with the questions!
Did you
set any goals for 2012?
Unfortunately, I was very ill at the beginning of the year
and couldn’t see my way forward.
Nonetheless, now my health has improved somewhat, my enthusiasm for my
writing career has returned and I am extremely lucky in the fact that so much
has happened with my work in the past two months.
What is
the best part of the writing process for you?
Listening to my characters as their story unfolds. I love it
when the hero strides onto the scene and just takes over. This has happened on several occasions
and makes the writing process so much easier.
I am my own worst critic so I think it must be the
uncertainty when you send your work out for the first time. I’m never sure of my story’s worth
until it has been read by someone else.
I don’t have a critique partner so the first time the manuscript is read
by another is when it’s sent out to a publisher and then it’s the agony of
waiting for their opinion.
Jane Eyre! To be an author who can craft a novel
that, after more than 150 years, endures and still appeals to readers all over
the world, is just pure genius. Edward Fairfax Rochester
still tops the list of millions of readers’ favourite heroes, including mine.
Well, I suppose you can guess from my previous comment which
book and author stands at the pinnacle of my list but can I also add Georgette
Heyer’s books, especially These Old Shades , Laura Kinsale’s Flowers From The Storm and several of Ann Gracie’s books. There
are many authors I admire but they are too numerous to list.
Two days after the release of For love of Sarah, Montlake are re-releasing my former Avalon book The Portrait as e-book and paperback. My current work in progress is
tentatively titled The Honourable Heart but,
for the moment, is nowhere near completion.
Unfortunately, I don’t have an office so have to content
myself with sitting in an easy chair in the lounge. I would love somewhere where I could lock myself away and
concentrate on my writing as I can only write when everywhere is quiet, but
it’s not to be. Now that he’s
retired, my husband only works two days a week and I take full advantage of
those two days to devote my time to writing.
I would like to think that readers are still enjoying my
work and that historical romance is still as popular as it is today.
Where can we find you?
You can view details and read excerpts of all my books plus
find my contact details on my website www.hazel-statham.co.uk
I love to hear from my readers and promise to answer all
mail.
by Hazel Statham
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How many times can a heart be broken? How many times can love be denied? Sarah and Alexander were destined for
each other but after just four short weeks of marriage, their lives were torn
asunder.
Alexander, Earl of Thorne thought he had
found his ideal mate but, when Sarah absconded shortly after their marriage,
his world came crashing down. Now,
five years later, he discovers her in a remote Yorkshire village.
Sarah had thought she was safe, but when,
severely injured in a freak accident, her husband is thrust once more into her
life, she fears her dark secrets and the fact she has a son, will become
known.
Despite her own desperate longings, she
continually repudiates Alexander’s efforts of reconciliation. However, fate
conspires against her, and when her home is made uninhabitable by floods, she
and her young son are forced to accept his aid and return to her former home.
Discovery threatens and, despite her
breaking heart, she plans to leave Alexander’s life. What is this secret that makes it so imperative that she
should abscond from him yet again?
Can two broken hearts cleave and emerge victorious or will life's cruel
forces tear them apart forever?
EXCERPT:
His body felt numb as
consciousness slowly returned. He could hear the rumble of the cart wheels and
was aware that they moved, but he felt no sensation in his body. His eyes
opened and she was there. For a brief moment, his senses refused to comprehend
the fact and confusion reigned.
Sarah’s breathing caught as she
felt the shock of his eyes upon her. She knew not what to say or how to
respond.
“Why?” was all he said, his voice, full of confusion,
scarcely above a whisper.
She understood his question but
had no words of explanation to offer. Now was not the time for the
confrontation that must surely come. Instead, she deflected his question and
concentrated on the immediate situation. Leaning close to him she asked, “Do
you have pain?”
He moved his head from side to side in silent negation. “I
feel nothing.”
“I’m taking you to my home, and
the doctor has been called,” she said.
He drifted into unconsciousness
once more and she wondered what damage had been wreaked on his frame by the
heavy cask.
The cart halted before a
riverside cottage with thatched roof, situated on the northbound road. A
well-tended garden with a low stone wall separated it from the roadway, but the
gate remained open. Hastily dismounting from the cart, she hurried to her front
door.
“Rose! Rose!” Sarah called as she
entered the small hallway. A round motherly figure instantly appeared from the
parlor.
“It’s my husband and he’s injured,” Sarah offered in hasty
explanation.
Rose’s eyes widened. “Your
husband? Here? What shall we do?”
Sarah remained calm. “We shall
tend to his injuries,” she said, holding the door.
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
Hazel Statham began writing at the age of fifteen, finally committing to
paper the stories she spun as a child. Writing has been her passion ever since,
although marriage, motherhood, and career left time for little else. Once she
retired, however, she was able to devote herself to writing full-time,
publishing her first novel in 2007. A long time student of history, she writes
mainly in the Regency and Georgian eras, though she has been known to dabble in
the medieval as well. She lives in Staffordshire, England, with her husband,
Terry, and their beloved yellow Labrador, Mollie.
Hazel loves to hear from her readers and promises to answer all mail.
Purchase links (available from all Amazon domains)
Amazon.co.uk
Paperback:
Kindle
Amazon.com
Paperback:
Kindle:
Hazel will be awarding winner's choice of either a
Cream Coin Freshwater Pearl necklace or a digital copy of DOMINIC or HIS
SHADOWED HEART (international giveaway) to a randomly drawn commenter during
the tour, and a Choice of either Rhinestone Crystal Butterfly and Pearl
earrings or a digital copy of DOMINIC or HIS SHADOWED HEART (international
giveaway) to a randomly drawn host.
Follow the tour and
comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour
dates can be found here:
Comments??
Thank you for hosting today.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for hosting me today. It is very much appreciated and I look forward to hearing from your visitors. Great to meet another UK author writing for the Us market who's also a great lover of Labs - we have a lot in common!
ReplyDelete