All She Loves

Release day is getting closer for All She Loves!
(Sorry - my typing is not up to par because I nearly cut the tip off one of my fingers a few days ago when cutting veggies for soup, so please forgive any typos. Anyway...)

The Archer Family Regency Romances series is  completed, although I have had requests for some other stories to there may be related ones here and there in the future. But never fear, I have not stopped writing Regencies.

Wreck and Ruin  is a Regency that is still on the drawing board and will hopefully be released by Drakon Publishers sometimes during the summer of 2017. Trust, friendship, and social acceptance are the subject of Wreck and Ruin as the heroine faces what it means to be a stranger in a strange land after being in a shipwreck off the coast of England.

Early in 2017 (hopefully, January) All She Loves will be released. It is in the hands of the first editor, now. All She Loves is about revenge, facing tragedy, and moving on with your life--themes that we all have to face at times during our own lives. Elspeth plans go awry when she investigates the death of her best friend and finds herself losing her heart to an earl.

That's all for now--hope I didn't make too many typos!

New Release and a Free Book

A New Release for the Archer Family Regency Romance Series

Love Across the Pond is now available!

I'm so pleased to announce the release of my latest book in the Archer Family Regency Romance series, Love Across the Pond. This book completes the series, which began with an American heiress Charlotte Haywood (The Unwanted Heiress) in London and now ends with Edward Archer traveling to Charleston, South Carolina to settle a property dispute for Charlotte.

But don't worry, even though this particular series is now complete, there will be other Regency romantic mysteries in the future.

Love Across the Pond is available for a limited time at a discount, so grab your copy now before the price goes up!

Love Across the Pond on Amazon.com

Blurb

Edward Archer walks right into the den of lioness Charity Stonewright when he sails across the pond to South Carolina to resolve a property dispute for his cousin, the Duchess of Peckham. Astute but bookish, the Englishman isn’t prepared for Charity, a strong-willed woman determined to prove the Charleston mansion is hers. And unbeknownst to Edward, Charity has a secret purpose. She is searching for the lost Stonewright fortune, hidden over sixty years ago, somewhere within the walls of the old, decaying mansion. Finding it will mean an end to the grinding poverty she’s endured and fulfill her dream to establish herself in Charleston society as a wealthy heiress.

Drawn to the mysterious woman, Edward is increasingly torn between duty and his growing love for her. But Charity seems determined to keep him at arm's length, stubbornly maintaining her distrust of him.

As the mysteries of the mansion threaten to tear Edward and Charity apart, they must learn to listen to their hearts and discover that the real treasure may be love.

Excerpt - Edward and Charity's first meeting

Using his cane, Edward knocked again, listening as the loud noise echoed and finally faded in the depths of the house. It sounded empty, completely deserted. While finding the house empty did mean he wouldn’t have to evict anyone, it did mean that he’d have to find the lawyer, Mr. Tarte, in order to obtain the key and enter.

With a sigh, he half-turned. A flicker of yellow light caught his attention. The wide fanlight above the door glowed with the faint, wavering illumination of a candle. After a minute, the doorknob rattled as someone struggled to unfasten the heavy lock.

The door creaked open a few inches, spilling light through the gap.

“Finally! Where have you been?” a woman’s breathless voice asked.

She peered around the edge of the door, holding a candle above her head. The golden gleam of red hair curled over the woman’s pale face. Below the tangle of hair, eyes blinked, lost in shadowed hollows beneath her arching brows. A sprinkling of freckles leapt over the bridge of her straight nose and high cheekbones.

“We would like to speak with Mr. Stonewright,” Edward said, hoping his cousin was incorrect when she said the woman lived here alone. “If he is available.”

“Mr. Stonewright? My—” She broke off before asking sharply, “Who are you?” Then, as if she suffered sudden doubts about the wisdom of opening the door to strangers, she started to slam it shut.

He shoved his booted foot into the gap and thrust the door open, forcing her to retreat into the dim hallway.

Clearly nervous, she glanced around the near-empty hallway, her mouth set in a grim line.

Edward held up his hands, although the cane gripped in his right hand marred his attempt to appear harmless. “I am Edward Archer.” He reached through the door and dragged Hildegard over the threshold. “This is my sister, Lady Hildegard Archer. I believe we are expected. Is there a Mr. Stonewright? Is he available?”

“Archer? I don’t know anyone named Archer,” the woman said, gliding back another yard, her feet invisible under the long hem of her pale gray gown. Her gaze flicked to the candle in her hand, as if she contemplated blowing it out and escaping in the resulting darkness.

“No, but I am sure if you speak to your master, he will recognize our names. Or your mistress,” he amended. “We sent him notice of our pending arrival weeks ago.”

“Master?” A harsh laugh broke from her mouth. “He—he is not here.” She lifted her round chin, daring him to argue otherwise.

Switching the cane to his left hand, he held up his right in a gesture of surrender. “Please—we mean you no harm. We simply wish to speak with Mr. or Mrs. Stonewright. He is expecting us. We are cousins to the Duchess of Peckham—”

“We don’t know any duchesses,” she threw back, her chin set at a stubborn angle.

He studied her. Her straight back and air of defiance suggested she was not a servant. “You—and your husband? Father?—may have known her as Miss Charlotte Haywood.”

“I didn’t know her at all, and I would appreciate it if you would leave immediately. This is my house—you have no business here.”

“Mr. Stonewright—”

“I own this property, and I am the head of this household. If you wish to speak to someone, then you must make do with me.”

Behind him came the soggy squelching of their servants’ footsteps as Atwood and Nettle sought the relative dryness of the stoop. Another volley of damp sneezes echoed through the door. Nettle blew her nose noisily and heaved a heavy sigh.

Mr. Stonewright or no Mr. Stonewright, they were not going back out into the foul weather to look for an inn if Edward had anything to say about it.

“As we informed Mr. or Mrs. Stonewright, the ownership of this property has yet to be determined,” Edward replied calmly.

The red-haired woman leaned forward, body rigid with tension as she held the candle out slightly above shoulder-level. “It has been determined—it is mine.”

----

Don't forget, Love Across the Pond is available for a limited time at a discount, so grab your copy now before the price goes up! And speaking of limited time offers...

Free Book

To celebrate the release of Love Across the Pond, the Archer Family Regency, A Stolen Rose, is available for FREE! But it's only free for today and tomorrow, so be sure to grab your copy before the price goes back up.

A Stolen Rose

When the Earl of Wraysbury rescues a young woman from a carriage accident, he can't resist her laughing eyes and wry sense of humor, even though their families have been locked in a feud for generations.

Anemone may be achingly lonely but she's loyal to her family. When she wakes up after an accident in the strong arms of a handsome stranger, she's immediately drawn to him, and appalled  when  she discovers he's her family's sworn enemy, the Earl of Wraysbury.

Neither Anemone nor the earl is prepared for the flaring attraction they feel, or for the escalation of the war between their families when a 40-year-old mystery triggers accusations of murder. Loyalty and the threat of a dangerous duel are destined to tear the lonely lovers apart unless they are willing to defy their families and take a chance on love. 

-----

If you are interested, grab your copy on Amazon.com today. The sale ends on August 24, 2016.

A Stolen Rose on Amazon.com

Hope you enjoy some light summer reading!

Amy

Love Across the Pond is Coming Soon!

Love Across the Pond

Archer Family Series

The next, and last, book in the Archer family series of Regency romances is in the hands of my editor and will be released in July! This book closes the circle on the Archer family, although there may be spin-offs since I've had readers request John Archer and Lady Victoria's story.

The series started with The Unwanted Heiress about Charlotte Haywood, an outspoken American Heiress who is orphaned and sent to live with relative in England with disastrous results. Her difficulties only increase when she catches the attention of a duke and together, the two of them must outwit a murderer.

The circle has now come around to Edward Archer, the brother of an earl. In Love Across the Pond, Charlotte sends Edward back to her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, to resolve a legal problem with one of her properties. It seems someone has taken up residence in Charlotte's old home and claims the house is hers! Edward steps right into the den of a lioness when he arrives and is soon at odds with Charity Stonewright.

Not only does Edward have a legal tangle to unravel, but he is soon enmeshed in several mysteries including a decades-old murder and a hunt for a lost treasure. It doesn't help when he finds himself falling in love with the woman he's supposed to evict!

So the original heroine came from Charleston and went to England to find her duke, and the cousin of that duke now travels back to Charleston to discover the love of his life, Charity Stonewright--assuming she doesn't just bar the door against him.

And cat lovers note, I couldn't resist a tribute to one of our cats who recently passed away: Psycho. He was a marmalade cat who insisted everyone love him, including our Jack Russell, Daisy. He was an absolutely crazy animal who just showed up one day and insisted on being adopted. Our dogs initially went nuts, but he just completely ignored them except when he wanted a nap on something warm (much to their horror). He was toothless, cross-eyed, and frankly not very handsome, but if you sat down, he was in your lap whether you liked it or not.

I can't tell you how many times he'd drape himself over the edge of the stairs, head and front paws dangling, until he overbalanced and fell to the floor, usually landing on his head. Never seemed to bother him. His sense of balance was definitely missing, but the vet said he was okay and he lived with us for fifteen years before he passed away. We miss him dreadfully--he was such a playful and loving animal.

As a tribute, he appears in Love Across the Pond, as Nodcock, the orange cat.

I hope you will enjoy the newest, and last, book in the Archer series!

Gardening in August

It’s hot—really hot—and the hardest thing this time of year seems to be keeping ahead of the weeding. The weeds seem to grow even without water or care, while the other flowers suffer as the weather reaches the highest temperatures. Last year, we had a drought, but this year, it's been raining every afternoon. That's terrific for my roses, but not so great on the weeding front as we're literally taken over by weeds. We are particularly plagued by pink purslane (Portulaca pilosa L.). It’s related to that wonderful and very colorful annual Portulaca (moss rose) and some folks have decided to stop trying to weed out purslane as it does have a lovely, bright hot pink flower about ½” across that opens during the day.

You can see from this picture that it has reddish stems and less clearly, rather “succulent” leaves. This specimen is getting ready to bloom, but isn’t quite there yet.

Some have been known to use purslane in salads as it contains more Omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy vegetable. In antiquity, it was one of several pot herbs that “should be sown in April” according to Theophrastus (4^th century BC). Pliny advised wearing it as an amulet to expel all evil due to its healing properties. It is known as Ma Chi Xian in China and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for dysentery and topically to relieve skin abrasions or insect bites.  However, it also contains oxalate, a compound implicated in the formation of kidney stones, so I personally do not include purslane in our diet, particularly since our variety of purslane is not the yellow-flowered variety one commonly uses in Europe in salads.

So you see, what is one man’s weed is another man’s sought-after herb.

And it’s hot enough now that I’ve decided not to make any real attempt to eradicate purslane from our garden. I’m very fond of it growing over the edges of our brick walkway, so I think I won’t worry too much about pulling it out.

This is, of course, the time of year when marigolds really come into their own. I’ve always loved marigolds and adore all the new varieties available. There is even an off-white one that is absolutely terrific as a “bridging” plant between the hot colors of late summer marigolds and the mums of fall, which often include rich rose and burgundy. And don’t forget the plants with colorful foliage like coleus that come in everything from lime green and white to deep burgundy. They can also be used effectively in planters and gardens. They are beautiful all summer, even when other plants have stopped blooming, since they are grown for their foliage. They do need to be pinched back, though, to keep them busy.

Late July and August is also prime time for verbenas, as shown in this photo. The plans are blooming powerhouses and will attract hundreds of butterflies and hummingbirds. They come in a variety of colors, including delicate pinks as well as hot orange and pink combinations. If planted in good soil with the occasional watering, they will grow as high as your waist in one season. Folks in USDA gardening zones 7-10 will find verbenas will grow as perennials as long as you remember not to cut them back too far in the winter. The hollow stems will fill with water and freeze, thereby killing the plant, if you forget.  Nonetheless, this is an extremely easy to grow plant that requires virtually no care and will survive if you forget to water for a few weeks.

If you grow roses, don’t forget to water them and feed them to prepare for another glorious season of bloom in late August-September. Remove any hips (dead flowers) to encourage bloom production. Old wisdom said to clip off spent flower sprays down to the first 5-leafed leaflet. I simply pinch off the hip, leaving all leaves on the stem. Leaves are good—they are the energy factory for the plant—so the more leaves you can leave a plant, the better.

Hope you are enjoying your summer garden!

Stay cool in the dog days of summer and don’t worry if you let a few weeds intrude. Just tell anyone who comments that they are an herb you meant to grow there.

Finally, although the nearby cotton field has another month to go before the cotton "balls" form, this time of year always reminds me of my second Archer family Regency romance, I Bid One American. The heroine is a "fish out of water" as an American heiress living in London. If you want a light, funny read with a touch of mystery, you might check it out. And yes, those white things on the cover are cotton...

It's Summer and Time for Roses

 Hybrid Tea Roses

I can't resist writing about roses, as you probably figured out in my last blog. :) Gardening is the best way I know to relax and yet accomplish something while your mind broods over your latest novel and what twists you can possibly feed into your story.

This time, I thought I would talk about the Queen of the rose shows: Hybrid Teas.

So...Hybrid Tea roses. These are the classic rose most people today think of when they hear the word ‘rose’.  They are also sometimes called Large-flowered Roses.  It’s the rose you get for your sweetheart from the florist, and it’s the rose that wins the awards of Queen, King and Princess in rose shows.  There is a wide variety of color in this rose class, every color except true blue and black, and they all have large, stiffly petaled flowers and very long stems.  They have been the most popular class of rose for over a hundred years because of their ability to rebloom through the spring, summer and fall season.

The first Hybrid Tea Rose is considered to be ‘La France’ which was introduced in 1867 by Guillot, a Lyons-based firm in France.  The parentage is not documented, but it is thought to be a cross between a Hybrid Perpetual and a Tea Rose.  Interestingly, this rose was classed as a Hybrid Perpetual for many years until the newer Hybrid Tea nomenclature caught on.

Initial Hybrid Teas were created by crossing Hybrid Perpetuals with Tea Roses until the twentieth century when more and more Hybrid Teas were simply crossed with other Hybrid Teas to form new roses.

Because this is such a large class of roses with more being bred every day, it is nearly impossible to provide an adequate description of the class since growth, foliage, bloom form, color and fragrance all differ from rose to rose.  With the exception of the 5-petaled single form of the Hybrid Tea, most are high-pointed “florist” roses and generally considered their most beautiful in the half-opened stage of the blossom.  This is in direct contrast to older roses which are most beautiful when fully opened.

However, it is still fairly safe to provide the following list of characteristics.

{  Blooms are carried on long stems, often with a single bloom at the end of the stem.

{  Roses have high-pointed centers with large, thick petals.

{  New growth is often reddish tinged.

{  Roses rebloom fairly well (thanks to their China forbearers).

{  Colors include the full spectrum of whites, pinks, red, purple, mauve, yellow, orange, with a variety of blends.  The only colors not available are true blue and black.

{  Disease resistance varies from highly susceptible to black spot and mildew to very disease resistant.

{  Size varies from small bushes up to large climbing forms.

{  Fragrance varies from none to a rich rose perfume.

There are a great many Hybrid Tea Roses to chose from and some are even quite healthy when grown organically without sprays.

A small selection of Hybrid Tea Roses that are healthy and can be grown with organic gardening methods include the following.

{  ‘Dainty Bess’ is a silvery pink, single rose (5 petals) with beautiful deep red stamens.  It grows between 3-4’ tall and has a slight fragrance.

{  ‘Peace’ is a famous rose brought to market after WWII.  It’s a beautiful blend of yellow with pink edges and is fragrant.

{  ‘La France’ is the rose that started it all, and it is still an excellent garden plant.  The blooms are soft, silvery pink and it is fragrant.

{  ‘Mister Lincoln’ is a reliable, dark red rose with a good fragrance and excellent health.  It is also widely available. 

Newer varieties include:

{  ‘Gemini’ which is a pink blend and rated 8.2/very good by the American Rose Society.

{  ‘Moonstone’, a white rose also rated 8.2.

{   ‘Touch of Class’, an orange pink rose with a great rating of 9.0.

 

‘Mrs. Oakley Fisher’

When you have bought a few more roses and planted them all, what should you do? Why, read a book! And if you're a fan of light Regency romances with a bit of humor and mystery, you can settle down with Escaping Notice, the latest in the Archer family series.

Escaping Notice

Discarded by his betrothed with a parting sally that “being an earl does not excuse being a bore,” Hugh Castle, the Earl of Monnow, joins his brother on a relaxing cruise, hoping to forget. But a storm capsizes their boat, and despite Hugh’s desperate efforts, he can’t save his brother’s life. Then, when the wreckage reveals evidence of sabotage, he realizes he was never meant to return to dock. Someone intending to murder the earl killed his younger brother, instead. Angered and grieving, Hugh travels to London to enlist the aid of the Second Sons Inquiry Agency in finding his brother’s murderer.

Helen Archer attended the Earl of Monnow’s ball in expectation of joining the celebration for his betrothal, but the event seems destined for disaster. She arrives late, the earl makes no announcement, and Helen manages to lose the fabled (but cursed) Peckham necklace her sister reluctantly loaned to her. Unwilling to admit her carelessness to her sister, Helen rashly decides to return to the earl’s estate and retrieve it in secret.

When his aunt threatens to send him to the Earl of Monnow, his purportedly cruel uncle, Edward Leigh-Brown decides he’s had enough of female interference. He’s going to join the navy and follow in Lord Nelson’s footsteps to become a military hero. But finding his way to London is a lot harder for a young boy than it seems, and he’s soon lost. When he bumps into Miss Helen Archer at an inn, he’s more than happy to accept a ride in her carriage, even if she seems determined to escort him to an inquiry agency to hire someone to locate the family he doesn’t want located.

When the three meet in London at Second Sons, Helen impulsively decides to accompany Hugh to the earl’s home. They will be disguised as servants and free to pursue their secret goals. Hugh hopes to uncover a killer, Helen hopes to find her necklace, and Edward just hopes he can find the opportunity to escape again.

But they are soon engulfed in an adventure none of them anticipated, and Hugh must hurry to identify who wants him dead before their deception ends in the death of another innocent.