The second book in The Demimonde Trilogy is shaping up nicely.
The novel will take us back to Butte, Montana again, and it's still 1910. The focus is on Justine, a high price woman from the red light district. Her past is painful; her future is uncertain. And presently, she finds herself living comfortably in a life of luxury that permits her enjoyment of the company of a man with whom she is secretly in love.
But times are treacherous on Mercury Street. And the comfortable life that Justine has built around her begins to fall apart. The pain from her past is revisiting her even as the competition in the red light district escalates. And the conflict between the miners' union and the corporations are also coming to a head, a conflict that threatens Justine's life and livelihood, as well.
And the man she has spent six years loving is finally ready to settle down...with a perfectly suitable daughter from a respectable family.
I expect this will end up being my favorite book in this trilogy. And I'm hoping for a release date some time in June.
In the meantime, check out the first book in the series, Daughter of the Demimonde, which introduces Cat Ainsley, the naive daughter of a red light district madam. She is inadvertently involved in a human trafficking investigation that leads her into the seedy underbelly of her mother's world and pushes her into the arms of the federal agent leading the hunt.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
DAUGHTER OF THE DEMIMONDE...Free for One Day Only!
Daughter of the Demimonde is the first book in my new historical romance series, The Demimonde Trilogy. I am offering it for free for one day only, Wednesday, March 26.
It is 1910, and the city
of Butte, Montana is on its way to becoming one of the wealthiest cities of
America. The success of the silver and copper mines has drawn a
number of young men in search of fortune and glory. Not surprising, a
number of women followed these men in search of their own fortune, and thus the
Demimonde was formed.
Cathleen Ainsley grew up admiring the strength and
independence of her mother, a powerful madam in the red light district of
Butte. And when the newly formed Bureau of Investigation sends the
irresistible Kane Malone to Mercury Street to investigate allegations of human
trafficking in the parlor houses, Cat is eager to prove her mother's honest
heroism. His charm and conviction capture her heart, and she agrees
to assist with the investigation. It is her close and personal look at
the underbelly of the red light district that causes her to question everything
she thought she knew about herself and her mother. And in an effort to
protect her mother's innocence, she may end up sacrificing her own.
Get DAUGHTER OF THE DEMIMONDE on Wednesday only!
Friday, March 14, 2014
NEW RELEASE...Now Available on Amazon
It's official. My first book of my new historical romance trilogy is now available.
The Demimonde Trilogy will follow three women with very different relationships to the red light district of Butte, Montana in 1910. At this time, a number of monumental historical events were taking place in this very town. The Bureau of Investigations (later the FBI) was founded just a few years earlier and they were put in charge of investigating allegations of human trafficking in the brothels. With the huge success of the copper mines also came some early formations of unions fighting for the rights of miners in Butte and Anaconda. And as the influence of both the groups of Copper Kings and madams grew, corruption in the town inspired the Progressive Movement, led by the Women's Christian Temperance Union, among others. War ensued between the BOI and the parlor houses, the unions and the copper companies, and the righteous and the "fallen women" of the town.
All of these events shaped the future of not only Montana, but also the entire nation. It is a time and place that captured my attention over a year ago, and I've been ecstatic about writing this series ever since.
DAUGHTER OF THE DEMIMONDE features Cathleen Ainsley, the daughter of the (fictionally) infamous Nora Ainsley, parlor house madam extraordinaire. Cat is perfectly aware of the sacrifices her widowed mother made to raise her, and she would do anything for her...even if it means going against the Bureau of Investigations. Agent Kane Malone has come to town to investigate allegations of human trafficking, and he won't leave without his madam. To prove her mother's innocence, Cat agrees to help the agent identify the woman responsible for entrapping young girls and forcing them into a life of prostitution. But she may end up sacrificing her own innocence to prove her mother's.
The Demimonde Trilogy will follow three women with very different relationships to the red light district of Butte, Montana in 1910. At this time, a number of monumental historical events were taking place in this very town. The Bureau of Investigations (later the FBI) was founded just a few years earlier and they were put in charge of investigating allegations of human trafficking in the brothels. With the huge success of the copper mines also came some early formations of unions fighting for the rights of miners in Butte and Anaconda. And as the influence of both the groups of Copper Kings and madams grew, corruption in the town inspired the Progressive Movement, led by the Women's Christian Temperance Union, among others. War ensued between the BOI and the parlor houses, the unions and the copper companies, and the righteous and the "fallen women" of the town.
All of these events shaped the future of not only Montana, but also the entire nation. It is a time and place that captured my attention over a year ago, and I've been ecstatic about writing this series ever since.
DAUGHTER OF THE DEMIMONDE features Cathleen Ainsley, the daughter of the (fictionally) infamous Nora Ainsley, parlor house madam extraordinaire. Cat is perfectly aware of the sacrifices her widowed mother made to raise her, and she would do anything for her...even if it means going against the Bureau of Investigations. Agent Kane Malone has come to town to investigate allegations of human trafficking, and he won't leave without his madam. To prove her mother's innocence, Cat agrees to help the agent identify the woman responsible for entrapping young girls and forcing them into a life of prostitution. But she may end up sacrificing her own innocence to prove her mother's.
Monday, March 3, 2014
FIRSTBORN is FREE on Amazon!
You can now download FIRSTBORN on Amazon for free! This promotion will only run until Wednesday. Enjoy!
Jac MaCall is the eldest daughter of a wealthy and brilliant security consultant. She, however, has chosen a different life for herself, running a new age store that specializes in selling crystals, candles, and aromatherapy that enable people to tap into their subconscious awareness. But when Dr. Will Archer’s office is vandalized by a dangerous organization threatening his life, fate sends Jac in as a consultant for her father’s business to update his security and provide additional protection.
The old adage about opposites attracting proves true the moment he opens his door and finds the exotic beauty standing in her yoga pants while lecturing him on his security system and asking questions better left to the police. In time, Will and Jac learn that a prophecy involving the firstborn child of Will Archer has an extremist militant group fearful enough that they will not stop until Will and his unborn child are destroyed. And when Jac gets a vision of her own future with the uptight and irresistible Dr. Archer, it becomes evident to everyone involved that she will play a bigger role in this prophecy than anyone had imagined.
Jac MaCall is the eldest daughter of a wealthy and brilliant security consultant. She, however, has chosen a different life for herself, running a new age store that specializes in selling crystals, candles, and aromatherapy that enable people to tap into their subconscious awareness. But when Dr. Will Archer’s office is vandalized by a dangerous organization threatening his life, fate sends Jac in as a consultant for her father’s business to update his security and provide additional protection.
The old adage about opposites attracting proves true the moment he opens his door and finds the exotic beauty standing in her yoga pants while lecturing him on his security system and asking questions better left to the police. In time, Will and Jac learn that a prophecy involving the firstborn child of Will Archer has an extremist militant group fearful enough that they will not stop until Will and his unborn child are destroyed. And when Jac gets a vision of her own future with the uptight and irresistible Dr. Archer, it becomes evident to everyone involved that she will play a bigger role in this prophecy than anyone had imagined.
Monday, February 24, 2014
My Ah-ha Moment...
Shortly after releasing the first book in The MaCall Prophecy Trilogy, my sales climbed dramatically. Recently, when doing a check for piracy, I stumbled across this article on the USA Today website. Given their audience, I suspect that I owe Ms. Brynna Curry a big "thank you!"
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Introducing the New Historical Romance Trilogy
Next month, I will be releasing the first book of my new historical romance trilogy. DAUGHTER OF THE DEMIMONDE will begin a three-book series of three different women who struggle to define themselves in the corrupt red light district of Butte, Montana.
It is 1910, and the city of Butte, Montana is on its way to becoming one of the wealthiest cities of America. The success of the silver and copper mines has drawn a number of young men in search of fortune and glory. Not surprising, a number of women followed these men in search of their own fortune, and thus the Demimonde was formed.
Cathleen Ainsley grew up admiring the strength and independence of her mother, a powerful madam in the red light district of Butte. And when the newly formed Bureau of Investigation sends the irresistible Kane Malone to Mercury Street to investigate allegations of human trafficking in the parlor houses, Cat is eager to prove her mother's honest heroism. His charm and conviction capture her heart, and she agrees to assist with the investigation. It is her close and personal look at the underbelly of the red light district that causes her to question everything she thought she knew about herself and her mother. And in an effort to protect her mother's innocence, she may end up sacrificing her own.
The richness of this period in Butte has comfortably assisted me in building three different stories around the red light district, the Women's Christian Temperance Union, the union struggles in the mines, the corruption of law and politics in the city, and the origin of the FBI as it related to the charges of human trafficking in parlor houses across the nation. It was truly a fascinating time, and I hope you enjoy the stories as much as I enjoyed researching and writing them.
(NOTE: The second and third books in the series will be available later this year.)
Monday, February 3, 2014
History as a Soap Opera
My history teacher in 8th grade tried to convince us that history was like a soap opera. At the time, I saw his claim as a thinly veiled effort to garner a little more support and cooperation from his teen audience.
Funny how smart I used to think I was. Funnier still that these flashbacks keep coming back to haunt me.
I couldn't stand most of my history classes in school. And yet, he had a bit of a point. Now I find a great deal of interest in some of our more obscure histories. I'm alarmingly wrapped up in the story of 1910 in Butte, Montana right now, but I keep stumbling over little nuggets that inspire ideas for me. One future idea is going to be set in a town where a train crash was staged as a promotional event that took a fatal turn, for example. My current project began when I saw an advertisement for The Dumas, the longest surviving brothel in the U.S. A couple of years ago, I stumbled upon a passenger ship called The Mauritania, and its grandeur inspired Bonds of Matrimony.
The trouble I have with so many historical romances is the swooning women. Our world could not possibly be what it is today without the strength of its women. And so while I aim to create a fictional soap opera around some little-known history, I also strive to demonstrate the strength and passion of the "fairer" sex.
And after I dabble a bit in the past, I am sure that I will surface again for a contemporary snack and maybe even a paranormal nibble here and there. (I had far too much fun with The MaCall Prophecy Trilogy to not try another paranormal in the near future.)
Funny how smart I used to think I was. Funnier still that these flashbacks keep coming back to haunt me.
I couldn't stand most of my history classes in school. And yet, he had a bit of a point. Now I find a great deal of interest in some of our more obscure histories. I'm alarmingly wrapped up in the story of 1910 in Butte, Montana right now, but I keep stumbling over little nuggets that inspire ideas for me. One future idea is going to be set in a town where a train crash was staged as a promotional event that took a fatal turn, for example. My current project began when I saw an advertisement for The Dumas, the longest surviving brothel in the U.S. A couple of years ago, I stumbled upon a passenger ship called The Mauritania, and its grandeur inspired Bonds of Matrimony.
The trouble I have with so many historical romances is the swooning women. Our world could not possibly be what it is today without the strength of its women. And so while I aim to create a fictional soap opera around some little-known history, I also strive to demonstrate the strength and passion of the "fairer" sex.
And after I dabble a bit in the past, I am sure that I will surface again for a contemporary snack and maybe even a paranormal nibble here and there. (I had far too much fun with The MaCall Prophecy Trilogy to not try another paranormal in the near future.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)