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.)