 In the week of Remembrance Day we tend to think of the terrible killing fields of World War One. For many, World War Two is still a living memory and my guest this week, Aubrey Wynne, was able to go to a first hand resource for help with her WW2 romance, DANTE'S GIFT. Award-winning author Aubrey Wynne is an elementary teacher by trade, champion of children and animals by conscience, and author by night. Obsessions include history, travel, trail riding, and all things Christmas. Aubrey’s latest holiday romance Dante’s Gift, includes both a present day and WWII love story intertwined. It is included in the box set Christmas Pets and Kisses and sold as a single. Her true love is historical romance and Rolf’s Quest, the first in a medieval fantasy series, will release in 2016. Sammi’s Serenade will debut in the box set Valentine’s Pets and Kisses. Visit Aubrey at her WEBSITE and Facebook pages. Looking to a veteran for inspiration...So, I wanted to write a WWII romance for the holidays but had already committed to a Christmas story for a contemporary box set. Trying to kill two birds with one stone, (go ahead and groan, I love clichés,) I decided to combine the two love stories. Dante’s Gift was created with the help of my stepfather, a British veteran from WWII, stationed in North Africa and Italy. After doing my research, and finding a battle in Italy that would add some grit to my story, I went to Eric. Lucky for me he had been at that particular battle. He took one look at the name Cassino and shot down my idea like a true fighter pilot. As I crashed and burned, he quickly grabbed a map to find a better setting. His finger pointed to Foggia where he had been stationed at a large air base. I watched him trace a line towards Naples and the coast. Pointing to a place called Benevento, he said, “That’s it. That’s your setting.” “Why?” I asked, hoping to hear another great adventure from his soldiering days. “As a messenger traveling back and forth between the air base and Naples, I went through this little town often.” He smiled, as if remembering something or someone pleasant, then coughed and gave a quick glance over his shoulder at my mother. “The Yanks bought sticky buns here. They cost a fortune because food and supplies were so scarce. But a soldier will pay a high price for a reminder of home.” He helped with many small details that most people would never notice. What did they use to tape up a glass counter or cover broken out windows? Accurate descriptions of the local geography and available food were all great bits of information that I needed to weave into the prose to make it believable. The correct slang for an American versus a British soldier. My story, of course, contains a scene or two with Eric. Look for the British pilot! I also included a famous liqueur, Strega, that is still made there today. The small church of Santa Sofia, where my characters attend a funeral, is the only church that survived the bombing during the retreat of the Germans and the entry of the Americans. And of course, there are the sticky buns.
For more information: Information on Santa Sofia, Benevento https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Sofia,_Benevento Here is a link to a newsreel showing Benevento during WWII. The Germans had just left and the Americans were moving in. The destruction was terrible and the main cathedral had been bombed to pieces. But Santa Sofia, the smaller church, remains standing today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2RXMn7kJ00 Information on Strega and the legend of the Witches: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strega_(liqueur) About DANTE'S GIFT Kathleen James is far too practical for her own good. But on the most important night of her life, she gives way to romance and prepares for an intimate dinner with the man of her dreams—and an engagement ring. Unfortunately, the evening doesn’t end the way she envisioned. Dominic Lawrence has planned this marriage proposal for six months. Nothing can go wrong—until his Nonna calls from Italy. Now he must interrupt the tenderest night of Katie’s life with the news that another woman will be under their roof. Nonna, a wartime bride from the ‘40s, knows how precious love can be. Can her own love story of an American soldier and a very special collie once again bring two hearts together at Christmas? Read an excerpt...The pilot with wheat-colored hair put his elbows on the counter and leaned toward her. “I could buy thirty loaves of bread at home for that much lettuce.” “But you are not home, soldier. You are here, in Benevento, and a sticky bun is 100 lire.” She meant to be rude but his soft brown gaze made her heart race as if she’d just chased Dante across the field. His smile went to his eyes, adding crinkles to the corners, and made her own lips turn up. “The cost of supplies is very expensive these days, as you know.” “So I’ve heard. Give me five,” he said with a wink. “Maybe I can sweet talk the captain into putting me back into a plane.” “Save your money, Ken. Your ears obviously ain’t got any better in the last ten minutes,” he answered, rubber-necking over the counter. “Get a load of that landing gear.” Dante growled again but this time showed sharp, white teeth. “I don’t think he likes you much, Bob.” “Well I don’t care for him, neither. Give me two of those, and we’ll get out of your hair.” The men paid for the rolls and walked outside. She headed into the kitchen when that quiet, deep voice stopped her. “I’d like to apologize for my friend. He’s not a bad Joe once you get to know him.” “I don’t think I care to,” she said without turning around. “It looks like I may be making regular trips through your town. Do you work here often?” His tone dripped like honey from a ladle and poured over her; she felt her body turn toward him even as her brain told her “no.” “My family owns it. I am here every day.” “So your father is Guido?” He had resumed his place at the counter, balanced on his elbows again, inviting her back without a word. She found herself leaning on the counter from the other side. “How do you know my father?” “The sign says Guido’s Café.” She laughed. “Yes, it does. So you are no private eye, eh?” He whistled then. “You’d make Betty Grable green with envy when you smile. It makes those blue eyes sparkle like a fresh-cut diamond. You should do that more often.” Her eyes lowered, embarrassed at the compliment and the image of the American pinup girl in a bathing suit. “You should go catch up with your friends.” “My name is Ken Lawrence,” he said and held out his hand. “Antonia Capriotti,” she replied and took his hand. A tingle shot down her center and curled her toes. “It is nice to meet you.” “You’re blushing. Mmm, beautiful and modest. That’s a rare find, you know.” He held firmly onto her hand. “And who is this?” She looked down at the silent collie. He hadn’t made a noise when this man reached across the counter and touched her. Odd. “Dante, our protector.” “You need one, with mugs like Bob.” He made a kissing noise in the dog’s direction and slapped the counter. Dante jumped up, feet on the edge and barked. Ken reached over and scratched the dog behind his ears. “Good boy, you look like my old Schotzie.” “You have a dog?” “I did. Old man hit fourteen just before I left. Mom sent me his collar when he passed.” “I’m sorry, they are just like one of the family, si?” “Yes they are,” he agreed, giving Dante one more pat before he tipped his hat. “I hope to see you again soon, Antonia.” She hugged the collie as the Yank left, a swagger to his walk. “What do you know that I don’t, hmm? I trust your instincts better than mine. Perhaps we’ll consider more conversation with this Americano if he returns.” Buy DANTE'S GIFTAmazon:http://amzn.to/1OTMBmL
B&N:http://bit.ly/1MFcvpM Kobo:http://bit.ly/1LGmdse iBooks http://apple.co/1N0XSSd  I have written before about the importance of my writing tribes and one of my most important tribes is my fabulous 'Writers'Group'. We don't meet all that often but we communicate daily... sharing the trials and tribulations of our writing lives and the intersection with our non writing lives. So I will declare that Louise Reynolds is one of my tribe members and we have loved, lived and agonised with her over her latest release IF I KISSED YOU. It is such a thrill to see it come to life! Louise Reynolds is an author of contemporary romantic fiction published by Penguin Random House Australia. By day, she works in the commercial lighting industry, lighting anything from bridges to five star hotels. By night, she's working her way through a United Nations of fictional heroes. She loves live jazz, cooking complicated meals that totally destroy the kitchen, and dining out. She has embraced Melbourne by wearing far too much black (DON'T WE ALL!) Connect with Louise on her website and if you're a foodie I recommend having a look at her PINTEREST boards! The world of Irish 'Travellers'Thanks for inviting me to your blog, Alison. With Irish heritage and a father who possessed 52 first cousins and innumerable more extended family it was always on the cards that I would write a book with an Irish hero. But in my latest release, ‘If I Kissed You’, my hero, Declan, wasn’t pulled from the gentle farming community from which our family sprang. He came into my mind from the world of the Irish travellers. Stories abound about travellers, most of them unflattering, but in my research I uncovered a people who have strong family ties, are deeply religious and yet seem to have a moral compass with a few more points than the rest of us. Let’s just call it viewing life through a different lens. Travellers, or as they call themselves, Pavee, are distinctly Celtic people separated by race, culture and language from the Rom, the people we know as Gypsies, a word now considered a racial slur. Many of the Irish travellers took to the roads during the Irish famine and never returned to a settled life. Others have a much more ancient lineage. Travellers do exist in Australia, often doing odd jobs and fruit-pickingIn researching ‘If I Kissed You’ I referred to novels and media that gave an insight into the way of speech, terminologies and lifestyle. “Traveller” by John F McDonald was a fascinating read purely for the language and expression. Here I was pulled into a world with a rich, arcane language designed to obscure meaning and confuse the law and settled people. Youtube offered pearls of travellers singing, particularly useful for one scene in the book. I watched a few episodes of ‘My Great Big Gypsy wedding”, a TV series showcasing the lives of the travellers. I’ve never enjoyed seeing people presented for ridicule, but I was interested in the language, customs and rhythm of their speech. This isn’t the Ireland of my Irish forebears but a place of bare-knuckle fighting and horse fairs. But there’s no reason to think there is any less love in Traveller families than our own-- although they go about things differently. IF I KISSED YOU Raised by a pair of hopeless hippies, Nell Connor had to grow up quickly. But now her father, awash in whisky, has handed her the reins of his Irish pub. After obliterating every trace of Ireland, Nell has transformed it into a smart, and trendy bar. Business is booming but, outside of work, things aren't going so smoothly. When gorgeous musician Declan Gaffney arrives, it's clear he's definitely not Nell's type. He's Irish (therefore must be feckless and unreliable), he sings romantic Irish ballads (which Nell hates) and his nomadic lifestyle reminds her of some of the most painful parts of her childhood. After Declan helps Nell out of a tricky situation, her father takes a shine to him and starts matchmaking. And when her aura-reading mother turns up, Nell's carefully ordered life is thrown into chaos. She's losing control but the biggest shock of all is yet to come ... In a story that shines a light on the unusual forms family can take, Nell must accept that sometimes love takes you in unexpected directions. Read an excerpt from IF I KISSED YOU...This scene sheds light on the courting habits of the travellers and how it compares with our own. Nell is the heroine, an Australian from the “settled world”, Declan is the hero and former traveller and Aisleen is his sister who still lives as a traveller. “‘Aisleen’s nice,’ Nell murmured as she lay in the crook of Declan’s arm later that night. He leaned down and buffed the top of her head with a soft kiss. It was kind of her since Aisleen had been quite standoffish. ‘Yes, she’s a good girl. I hope Tommy will make her happy.’ He felt himself tighten as he remembered how it could have been for him. ‘You have your doubts?’ He was silent for a moment then turned his head towards her. Her eyes were deep caramel in the dark, serious. ‘It’s different for us. We marry very young and there’s hardly any courtship.’ ‘You’re joking. You mean, like an arranged marriage?’ ‘No. The way it’s done is, you hang around with a group of lads and watch the girls. When one takes your fancy you grab her and drag her somewhere private to give her a decent kiss.’ He lowered his head and kissed Nell deeply. ‘A bit like that, actually.’ ‘Don’t try to side-track me. A decent kiss?’ Nell demanded. ‘What the hell does that mean?’ ‘Decent in the sense you put a bit of effort in, make it as long as you can to try and see if she’ll do.’ ‘If she’ll do,’ she echoed. She swatted his arm in a playful gesture. ‘That’s terrible.’ ‘It does sound bad but it’s just the way it is.’ Jaysus, but it did sound bad. Nell was right. Choosing a life partner on the basis of long-distance observation and a stolen kiss was daft. He knew that now. ‘So when you’ve decided “if she’ll do”, what happens next?’ ‘Well, after that you’d better be calling on her mam and da and asking to marry her if she’ll have you.’ In fact you couldn’t get so much as a kiss but the girl would be measuring new curtains for her da’s second-best van. Before you knew it you had a ring on your finger and a pile of children at your ankles. Nell punched his arm playfully. ‘Ah, so the poor woman has some say after all.’ ‘Of course. What do you think? That we’re savages?’ He leaned down and kissed the top of her head again. Nell was quiet for some time, then she raised her head to look at him. ‘Have you ever been married?’ ‘You say that like an Australian. You might as well ask if I’ve ever been to the moon. It makes it sound easy to get out of if you don’t like it. It’s different in Ireland; it takes years to get a divorce, and that’s if you can stomach the idea of eternal damnation.’ Especially in my culture. Pavs don’t divorce, they bury. Nell bit her lip. ‘I hadn’t thought of it that way. So, no then?’ Declan focussed his eyes on the ceiling. When was he going to get honest with Nell? He needed to tell her the whole truth now and ease the monkey off his back. He turned his head to look at her. ‘Actually, I was engaged once.’ She rolled over on to her side and rested her head in a cupped hand, her eyes bright with interest. ‘Once?’ He nodded. ‘What happened?’ He dragged his gaze away from her exposed breasts and fixed it on the ceiling again. ‘She died.’ Nell’s sharp intake of breath made him glance back at her. Her mouth formed an O, the sweet bottom lip dropped in dismay. ‘I’m sorry.’ ‘Don’t be. It was a long time ago.’ ‘But, still . . . ’ ‘Shhh.’ He placed a finger against her lips. ‘Rose is gone, and you’re here.’” Buy... IF I KISSED YOU When my children were young, one of our favourite bed time stories was THE BUNYIP OF BERKELEY CREEK. The bunyip is one of the most endearing creatures of Australian Mythology and I am thrilled that my guest this week, VIRGINIA TAYLOR has managed to include this mythical beast in her latest book... ELLA. Virginia Taylor, former midwife, former theatre set designer, and now full time author sold her first two romantic comedies to Random House and a series of three historical romances to Kensington Books during the past two years. She is working on the next three in the series and a new series of romantic comedies. Apparently, she never sleeps. Is It A Fish or a Beast? . . .  Every country has its own legends and, in Australia, we tell tales of a mythical water-dwelling, flesh-eating beast called a bunyip which apparently lurks in order to lure unsuspecting travellers to their doom. Ask anyone what a bunyip looks like and you will be given a different answer, ranging from an octopus with wings to the description I found during my research and used in the passage below for Ella, #2 in my South Landers series of historical romances published by Kensington Books: . . . she set her quivering jaw. “Your stupid dog almost drowned me. That wretched animal shouldn’t be roaming free, as I...” Suddenly aware of her skirts hitched over her crinoline, she shook the drenched black fabric to her ankles, shamed by the display of the cage and most of her wet underwear. Mortified that more than her fear showed, she hauled in a shuddering breath. “I’m sure I can have you arrested for trespass and willful destruction,” she muttered, wanting to weep. He stepped back, his expression amused. “Destruction? I don’t suppose you noticed I saved your life.” “After your dog attacked me.” Pushing back the curtain of hair dripping over her nose, she began to shiver, a reaction she couldn’t control. “I thought she was a bunyip.” “A bunyip?” He raised his eyebrows at Girl, who shook off a halo of water droplets, stretched full length, and grinned at him. “A mythical monster?” She glanced at the hills, backlit by the endless blue sky. “If a jet-black, hairy creature attacked you in a billabong, you might believe in mythical monsters, too.” She swiped her wet sleeve under her nose. . . ABOUT ELLA... Ella Beaufort knew better than to rely on a sexy stranger. But with two sisters to support on the modest earnings of the family sheep station, she accepts shearer Cal Lynton’s help—along with his intoxicating kiss. The most Ella can hope for is an affair. Something a woman in her situation wouldn’t dare—or would she?
Heir to his family fortune, Charlton Alfred Landon Lynton abandoned his privileged life to prove his independence. He doesn’t have time for a woman, but once he woos the lovely Ella into his bed, he is ready to make her his wife…until she shocks him with her refusal, claiming she can only marry a rich man! Angry and brokenhearted, the heir in disguise leaves the beautiful golddigger behind… But amid the breathtaking landscape of South Australian, Ella and Cal are destined to meet again. Will their heated reunion lead to cruel confrontation—or the kind of passion that lasts a lifetime? |
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