Roses and readers, please join me in welcoming our guest, Mariah Lynne.
A great story, a vivid
imagination, and strong characters will transport your readers to distant times
and beautiful places without ever leaving the comfort of home. Time Travel is
better than air miles and there are no screeners, no rummaging through your
luggage, and no uncomfortable seats. Just open to the first page and off you
go!
I became hooked when I
saw the Way Way Back machine on Mr. Peabody and Sherman. How wonderful to be
able to visit ancient Rome or medieval England meeting warriors and kings. I
love history and writing a story with part of it in the past gives me the
opportunity to research and learn about local customs, way of life, and even
the rules of romance.
In THE DUCHESS’
NECKLACE (Taliesin Publishing), my duchess, Amelia Augusta Ethrington, Her
Grace the Duchess of Abbington, is fourth in line for the British throne. In
the 18th century, royal marriages were not as much about love as
about standing and property. She refuses to marry not wanting to lose an ounce
of her powers to a husband. Because of that, she has one night stands with
traveling nights and younger men seeking her favor. She’s a very modern woman
in an 18th century culture. She needs a modern man who will accept
her for her intelligence, independence and feistiness. She needs a man from the
present. The only way she will find one is through Time Travel.
Her Time Travel,
however, is not for finding love but for seeking revenge and settling a score.
A deceptive Traveler from the present spends time with her under the guise of a
romantic tryst, only to steal her necklace which lays claim to her title and kill
her guard before returning to the present. She Travels to get her necklace back:
finding love is a side benefit.
The character of the
Duchess evolved from a trip to Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. As I walked
through the long hallways and visited the regal rooms, I wondered what life as
a royal was like in the heyday of royalty. I then imagined what kind of woman
my fictional 18th century duchess would be like. I prefer my
heroines to be independent and feisty like Brianna Breeze in my first novella
THE LOVE GYPSY (The Wild Rose Press). I then imagined how she would react to
the main dilemmas in the plot. In a story I am writing now, the character of an
evil wizard was inspired by a visit to Chenenceau castle in France. The castle
boasts an apothecary also used as a poison room; a most delightful place for a
villain to frequent.
I hope that you will decide
to Travel with the duchess for a memorable romance.ng
the Old
BLURB
Amelia Augusta
Ethrington, 18th century Duchess of Abbington, fourth in line to the
English throne, is considered by society an old maid at thirty two. She refuses
to marry and relinquish her royal authority to a husband. Instead, she finds
romance in trysts with total strangers.
Amelia’s sole entitlement to her duchy lies in an intricate and valuable
necklace, The Abbington Jewels. An
unscrupulous Traveler wishing to steal the jewels and sell them at future
prices seduces her, catches her off guard, and snatches the necklace.
Amelia must now risk
everything to Travel to the present with the aid of a kind gypsy seer to find
the thieving scoundrel, kill him and retrieve her title before her jealous male
cousins lay claim to her duchy. Complications arise after she meets a handsome
shy man, a museum appraiser named Ryan Redstone who was sent to acquire the
jewels for The Smithsonian. Amelia falls in love with him but realizes she must
focus on her quest to regain both her necklace and title. The Duchess is now
faced with the most difficult decision of her life.
EXCERPT – THE DUCHESS’
NECKLACE
It
didn’t take long for his carriage to reach the riverfront. We stopped. Ryan
leaned over and kissed my cheek whispering in my ear.
“Let’s
go back to my room. It’s just upstairs. You can tell me what your secret is in
private. I trust you and hope you trust me.”
Ryan
helped me out of his carriage. We climbed the one flight of steps up to his
room. Once inside, I sat down on the bed and stared out the window before
giving him a serious look.
“This
is not how I planned to tell you. I hoped to wait until we saw if the necklace
was genuine. You must listen to me before passing judgment. I hope that you
will still want to keep me in your heart afterward. ”
Ryan
closed the drapes before sitting down next to me.
“Amy,
how could I help but keep you in my heart no matter what your secret is?”
He
squeezed my hand as I touched his lips with the gentlest kiss. Ryan filled me
with a deep passion. I was ready to reveal my desire for him. I hoped he felt
the same way.
I
knew what I wanted and decided to show him how I felt in a special manner.
Standing up, I slowly removed Starr’s silk floral sash and placed it around his
neck. I stepped back to dance the seductive dance of the gypsy women who camped
outside my childhood manor house grounds. They had always looked graceful,
bracelets jingling, ribbon colored skirts twirling as they turned and twisted
by their campfire in the moonlight. They seduced traveling knights and lesser
royals hoping for romantic trysts out of their coin. I had heard the gypsies’
haunting songs and desired to get a better look. I became quite good at
sneaking out night after night, hoping not to get caught. I watched them dance,
hiding in some nearby bushes. One night, a beautiful gypsy spotted my hiding
place and grabbed me. To my surprise, she had me stand and taught me their
dance.
I
wanted my necklace but strange as it sounds, I wanted Ryan more.
Ever dream of traveling
through time? Mariah Lynne does. She writes stories that take her readers along
on exciting journeys. Travel to distant times and beautiful places with
strong-willed independent heroines whose memorable tales will entertain with
twisted plots that dabble in the paranormal. Both of her novellas, THE LOVE
GYPSY and THE DUCHESS’ NECKLACE, fit that description to a T.
A Graduate of Syracuse
University, Mariah lives on a beautiful Florida Gulf Coast Island where she
wrote weekly entertainment columns for two island newspapers. She loves where
she lives and has Southwest Florida take center stage in her stories. She is a member of Romance Writers of America
and the Southwest Florida Romance Writers who recently published an anthology:
“From Florida With Love Sunsets and Happy
Endings.” Mariah’s short story “Love At First Flight” is included.
When she is not writing, she enjoys swimming,
traveling and spending time with her husband and dolphin hunting dog, Max. To
learn more about Mariah and her Time Travel adventures visit her at:
http
Website: www.MariahLynne.com
Twitter:@mariahlynne1
BUY LINK TO PUBLISHER:
http://www.taliesinpublishing.com/the-duchess-necklace-p18.php
BUY LINK TO AMAZON:
BUY LINK TO BARNES AND NOBLE:
6 comments:
Amelia sounds like a strong, take-charge heroine! Best of luck with sales.
What a fascinating character. Wishing you much success.
I love a strong heroine. Good luck
I love that she's a woman ahead of her time, then becomes one, literally. :) Fantastic cover...best of luck!
I love time-travel stories! Like you, I love when I'm transported to another place and time and don't have to get out of my PJs!
Fascinating post and a terrific excerpt! Thanks so much.
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