Hello again everyone. It is great to be here on a fine summer evening as I put off the ‘challenge’ of packing for a five day family vacation to Maryland and Pennysylvania.  While I’m looking forward to the trip for a variety of reasons, packing for a four year old, my husband, and myself can be daunting. 

Fortunately, this trip is going to be especially rewarding.  My niece is getting married on Saturday and I’ll be able to share in her special day with my husband’s family, and my very good friend back in Maryland, Kim, has gotten in touch with friends I haven’t seen since, well, since my wedding in 2001 and we’re getting together for dinner while I’m in town. 

Long before I met my husband, I volunteered at a local community theater in Harford County.  I spent quite a few years building sets, running sound, acting as a stage manager, props mistress, curtain puller, and spotlight technician, as well as playing very minor parts in plays when they needed a stand in or as an extra in two musicals, Finian’s Rainbow and Li’l Abner. It was hard but fun and being a techy could be a lot of work when we had to get a set ready for opening night, wait on full-dress rehearsals, and start again. And, admittedly, it was a little sad when a show closed and we had to strike the set in a few hours that had taken weeks to prepare.

During that same time I became friends with theater technicians, managers, light designers, dancers, actors/actresses, and set designers, and I had a blast. I wouldn’t change a day or a moment of that time.  I still miss my friends and have tried to keep in touch, but being a wife, mother, author, and the president of an RWA chapter has kept me pretty busy.  Well, let’s face it, life keeps everyone busy, and I am so glad that I’ll have the chance to catch up with good friends, dine on good food, and laugh about days gone by.  

While I realize that this post has little to do with Seductive Persuasion, I do plan on posting more on the book soon. I can’t wait to tell you all about Aisley Stevenson, a village healer who must overcome her fears of being accused of witchcraft and find her happily ever after with a man whose thoughts she can hear and who bears an uncanny resemblance to a black leopard patrolling the forest near her home. The question is, can she trust her heart to a man who is far more than human?

Additionally, my husband’s mother and step father are also graciously taking our whole family to Key West in just a few weeks to celebrate a college graduation and that will be another great summer vacation.  You can bet I’ll enjoy the trip and I’ll post on that, too!

That said, since summer is here, I thought I’d end by asking about your summer.  What books have you’ve been reading that have swept you away while sitting by the pool, or on the beach, or at the Cape? Share some summer memories, summer stories, whatever you wish, and I’ll be sure to respond when I’m able.

Respectfully,

Frances Stockton     

Hello again and welcome!  If this is your first visit, please feel free to read prior posts leading to this one. If you’re returning, welcome back and thank you for being patient since my last entry.   I’ve just finished my first round of edits/revisions and I have been working on my next submission to my editor at Cerridwen Press, but I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about one of my favorite eras in history.

Perhaps it’s the romanticism placed upon brave knights and lords and their castles, but there’s something about a man on a horse that intrigues me. The same can be said about Westerns, and I do love cowboys, the rougher and rowdier the better in my estimation, but I think what attracts me to Medieval heroes is the notion that they’re job is to protect the people living and working on their lands. From page, to squire, to knight, these men are honor bound to become heroes. Now I do realize that life during this time frame wasn’t easy. Peasants worked hard for little pay and their were laws that prevented them from trying to elevate themselves above their place in Society. And there were unscrupulous knights and lords throughout the Middle Ages, but I still like reading a book where the good guy overcomes the villain and wins the heart of a fair maiden just to receive a favor for his lance.

Still, I love reading Medievals, especially noteworthy are books by Hannah Howell, Kinley MacGregor, and some of the older historicals by Jude Deveraux. These authors do an awesome job depicting the time period, and they’re certainly not alone. I’d love to know what you all think. Whether you are a reader or a writer, drop an email or a comment or two about your favorite Medieval authors and tell me why you enjoy them.  I received a nice comment a few days ago regarding some of the paranormal authors mentioned in my previous post, and I really enjoyed reading it.

And, of course, because I love Medievals, I chose 1453, late-Medieval England, as the setting for Seductive Persuasion.  I wanted my hero, Garrick Forrester, a 450 year old were-leopard, to be a warrior, to be strong and fierce, yet a patient strategist and cunning hunter. Of the big cats that comprise the Abcynians, leopards are the best hunters. They are patient, they are highly adaptable and able to wait in a tree for hours at a time without moving while they decide when and how they will find their prey. They are also regal, with a rough sawing roar, so I wanted Garrick to have these qualities.  I also decided that I would up the anti where he was concerned, as he is the second eldest Abcynian after the monarch of Abcynian kind, Lucien Hunter. You’ll have to stay tuned to learn more about Lucien. Let’s just say that his were-panther form reveals that he truly is the king of beasts. As to Garrick, I thought his age and his abilities were perfect for an earl. In Medieval times, an earl was the highest rank for the nobility. Anything higher would have been royalty. Titles such as marquess and viscounts did not come about in England until many years later so I decided that Garrick Forrester would become the Earl of Danford, creating his own fictional land and manor.  Because of his age, Garrick has been compelled to take on two arranged marriages, a hundred years of war, and plagues. For a 450 year old Elder of the Abcynian race, this hasn’t been an easy task, but nothing prepares him for the discovery of his mate living in the nearby village or for her resistance. To protect her from an unimaginable enemy, Garrick must persuade Aisley to  trust a man who is far more than human.

To find out more about Garrick’s heroine, Aisley Stevenson, a proud and brave village healer, I invite you back in a day or two. In the meantime, I hope this post has given you a glimpse in to Garrick’s world.  Before I go, I would like to leave you with a few Medieval terms that might come in handy someday. 

Perhaps Garrick and Aisley heard the priest’s patter, the Lord’s Prayer spoken very quickly, when they attended Mass.  At one point, Aisley is at a village inn eating hodge-podge. Hodge-podge is an English stew.  And she also nibbles on dark bread, a common staple in a peasant’s diet.  In Seductive Persuasion you will find jesters, lords, ladies, villagers and Abcynian Guards, human men and women trusted to guard the secrets of Abcynian kind, and it is my hope that Aisley and Garrick’s story captures the essence of the time period while allowing you to believe that a brave earl can persuade his mate to spend an Abcynian lifetime together as man and wife, no matter the obstacles they will face as they persue their happily ever after.  

Until next time, read much and write well.

Frances Stockton 

Okay, I admit it, I love big cats!  Because I love big cats, lush sensual historicals, and paranormals, I thought I’d blog today about the imaginary world of paranormals.  Both historicals and paranormals can take a reader to other times and dimensions. They can be highly erotic or deeply sensual, and yet, they capture my attention because I want to believe that the good guy, whether a shifter, a vamp, a ghost, or a big, gorgeous alien can sweep a fair maiden off her feet.

Now, of course, I do love contemporary paranormals, don’t get me wrong. I can honestly say that I adore three contemporary paranormal series at the moment. The authors of these series have pulled me into their world, made me believe in Dark-Hunters, Carpathians and the Brotherhood.  If anyone isn’t sure which authors and series I’m writing about, they are Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan and JR Ward. If you have the chance, pick up any of their books, but I recommend starting at the beginning of any series and getting to know their world and characters.  You will be as swept away by the heroes as their heroines!

In my writing, I wanted to come up with a paranormal concept that was a little different. I like reading vampires, and am working on a contemporary paranormal series concept while I wait for Seductive Persuasion to come out with Cerridwen Press, but I also like shapeshifters.  I’ve read werewolves and wanted to try my hand at were-panthers, and thus my Abcynians were born.  I’ve written four manuscripts featuring my mythical race of leopards, lions, and tigers, and cannot wait to share the first, Seductive Persuasion with readers.  Be assured, the others will be submitted and I sure hope they are contracted with CP.  Ellora’s Cave Publishing has been tremendously supportive of me and my work, and I’m delighted that my book will come out with Cerridwen Press.

If you have the time, please visit my Abcynians, watch them morph, read the blurbs for their stories and perhaps you will become as enchanted with big cats as I have.  Now, I admit to having a genuine love for all animals.  As a Veterinary Technician for twelve years, I learned alot about the care and feeding of all living things. Of course, we didn’t treat panthers, but my love for them began in those years as a vet tech. And research, books, the internet, and zoos became a regular staple of knowledge regarding the big cats and I love just looking at their majestic regal faces and imagine what a were-panther hero would look like. 

It is my hope that with Seductive Persusasion, readers learn a little about black leopards, about the Abcynians, and come to respect Garrick Forrester as an Elder of an ancient race. He is a warrior, a lover, a fierce protector of his mate Aisley and his adopted daughter Angelica.  Soon, I will tell you more about Garrick and Aisley, about their journey as mates, and pray you will enjoy watching them fall in love.  Their journey isn’t always easy, but together they form an unbreakable bond that will foil the a charming, but evil foe. 

Until next time, write well and read often.

Frances Stockton

Hello again everyone, and welcome back.  My apologies if I’ve been a bit silent lately, but life sidelined me with a bad cold/flu that just wouldn’t let up (and wouldn’t let me sleep at night) but I’m finally back up to par.

While I’m busy working on revisions (which are close to being done) I am actively deciding on when and how I’ll post my first contest.  I will announce more when I’ve chosen a suitable, enticing prise, but I am looking forward to sharing more and more about my upcoming Cerridwen Press release, Seductive Persuasion.

At the time of this article, I am gearing up for my local RWA chapter meeting on Sunday June 10th, which should be great and will feature discussion on the always interesting agent hunt.  Anyway, I also wanted to announce that Cerridwen Press authors will be participating in a live chat over at Night Owl Romances, an online site dedicated to discussing and promoting paranormal romance.  The chat will be held at 9pm EST/6pm PST, and should prove interesting and informative. Please come and visit with CP authors, and learn more about our craft, our books, and us.  I’m hoping that I’ll have decided upon a contest to run and will announce it soon after the chat.

Until the next time, may summer reading make your imagination soar and may you return soon anxious to learn more about Seductive Persuasion.  I know I’m looking forward to telling you more. Be on the look out for Garrick Forrester, Earl of Danford, who will be journaling sometime soon, and his heroine, Aisley Forrester, who might share a few healing secrets from her ancient family recipes. 

Respectfully submitted,

Frances Stockton