Friday, November 22, 2013

Interview with Author Raven McAllan!

HK Sterling: Undercover is pleased to present Raven McAllan to you today! She is the author of countless books and will be talking about her take on writing and giving you a taste of her new book Miss Simpkins' School: Flora. Miss Simpkins' School: Flora is a Regency Novel which in and of itself makes it special. 
 
Take it away, Raven!
 
 
Writing blogs is a skill I'm still trying to get. It's all very well thinking oh all I need to do is 'er hello, here I am, pimping my latest book. Here's the blurb, here's the buy link, thanks for having me bye'. But that is so not it.

Of course if you have a book out (yes okay like me now) you want to promote it, shout it out from the rooftops/supermarket car park/pub table/publishers site/Facebook/twitter/anyone's blog who's nice enough to host you, but it's not enough. Heavens if someone has given me the chance to hijack their blog for the day, the least I can do, is make it interesting. (How am I doing so far?) It sounds easy doesn't it? Believe me it isn't. Well not for me anyway. I still have a hard time believing I'm published, (yes really, even 50-odd stories on) let alone that people are interested in what I say. However just in case they are, I try to vary what I write.

So here we are today, and I have coffee, two jumpers, thick tights Uggs and a scarf on. Oh and if I got any closer to the Aga I'll melt the laptop… However, as I research Regency times, I reckon I have it a lot easier. At least I accompany my husband a lot, am treated as an equal, and don't get treated as a chattel… This is what Miss Simpkins' School is for. Where seduction's the game, and success is the aim. Let your classes commence. Ex mistress to an Earl, who better than Molly Simpkins to show Flora how to ensure she gets what she needs from her marriage? Flora's intended has an idea she doesn't agree with. Fraser thinks she should be happy to live at their Scottish estate whilst he spends his time in London. It may be the way of the ton, but it isn't going to be Flora's way. This is her chance to show Fraser what he'd miss if he leaves her alone. There's only one thing, she doesn't know how. Luckily Miss Simpkins does.

It's actually quite hard to write Regency when it's a story about an intense relationship. Words we don't use in polite company were of the norm. Words we consider rude, were used in everyday chat, and considered to be perfectly acceptable to everyone. I guess it goes in circles, because I know things I said as a teen are now frowned upon, and I guess it'll be the same for today's teens when they get to my age. (They've got years to go.) However it's a fine line on what words to use and what not. I admit I tend to use a fair few, to keep my story as authentic as possible, but sometimes, I think, oh no, enough, and have to find an alternative. The one thing I won't do is use a word that wasn't in use in the time I'm writing about. Thank goodness for my well-thumbed dictionary of slang. It's invaluable, and introduced me to a whole new world. Words I thought were reasonably new aren't and vice versa. It's no wonder I can spend hours on research!

Now if you're all over excited, here's the buy links… http://www.breathlesspress.com/index.php?main_page=product_free_shipping_info&cPath=17&products_id=508

http://www.amazon.com/Miss-Simpkins-School-Flora-Seduction-ebook/dp/B00GUAUJ1Y/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1385111640&sr=1-3&keywords=raven+mcallan

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Miss-Simpkins-School-Flora-Seduction-ebook/dp/B00GUAUJ1Y/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1385111640&sr=1-3&keywords=raven+mcallan

http://www.bookstrand.com/miss-simpkins-school-flora

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-misssimpkinsschoolflora-1352197-340.html

Author Bio
I live in Scotland, on the edge of a forest, with my lovely and long suffering hubby, and our two elderly cats. Hubby is getting used to coming in, and rescuing the dinner from the Aga, and handing me over a glass of wine, while I do "just this last little bit". Our kids have grown up and left the roost, and we know our house is too big, but when your daily visitors are Red squirrels, deer, and the odd lost tourist, who'd want to move?

And the way to learn more about me is to have a nosy over on www.ravenmcallan.com

Happy reading, Love R x


 

Miss Simpkins' School: Flora
www.breathlesspress.com
Ex mistress to an Earl, who better than Molly Simpkins to show Flora how to ensure she gets what she needs from her marriage? It may be the way of the ton, but it isn't going to be Flora's way.
 

Monday, November 18, 2013

Upcoming Releases from H. K. Sterling

  • Look for two short stories in February for the Breathless Press Valentines Anthology.

  • A Mystery/Suspense Book will be released by Breathless Press sometime early summer 2014.

Current work: H.K. is currently working on a Science Fiction genre out of this world book. To give anymore away would be spoilers!

Further updates here as they come in!