Lynette Willows lives in rural Alberta, Canada. Her debut novel, No Gentleman Is He, is the first in the Sons of Liberty.
Lynette lived on an Indian reserve in a teepee with her young son for three months in the winter; she's chased storms, and worked as a social services aide on one of the most troubled and dangerous reserves in Canada, where she met great friends as well as made a few enemies.
She enjoys camping, movies, especially historical bio dramas, strange dogs, stranger cats, exclamation points, coffee mugs with stupid sayings, friends, the crazier the better, family, as long as they are crazier than she is, and she has a huge collection of shiny, outrageous earrings. Yes, she's a magpie. She'll only play chess with her husband because he’ll let her win.
If you’re curious about her favorite reading material, it’s very eclectic and varied. She's extremely picky about what she reads, so check out her “to read” list on Goodreads. You can also follow her and Carley, her talented, patient, and illustrious co-author at their fan page on Facebook at “Lynette Willows & Carley Bauer”. She's also on Twitter under @LynetteWillows, as well as Pinterest, though she's still figuring that out. You are welcome to also visit her and chat at “Lynette Willows, Author” at http://lynettewillows.blogspot.ca/.
“I have enormous respect for the reader. They are able to take symbols from a page that an author has invented, and turn them into images in their minds that create an enduring story. If that’s not artistry, I don’t know what is.”-Lynette Willows
Carley Bauer enjoys life on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. with her husband and their blue eyed feline, Noelle. After 30 years as a state contractor in a self employed capacity, she decided to try her hand at her first love, writing.
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHORS
Lynette, thanks for joining us here today! What time period does the book take place? Why did you select that particular era; what about it appealed to you?
Carley and I have been interactively writing for about ten years now. When we started this particular story line, set in 1775, the start of the conflict between the colonialists and the Crown, we realized this story was good enough to try to publish. In fact, within six months, we had enough material for a three book series. I admit, it was Carley who had a fascination for this era of American history, and she drew me into it. Being Canadian, I didn’t know much about the Revolutionary War until we did the research. Then I was fascinated.
The book takes place against the backdrop of breeding horses. Was that taken from your own love of horses or did you have to do a lot of research?
Both Carley and I love horses, and I have been around them for many years. I had to do quite a bit of research, since I was mostly just a rider like Carley, and I was an owner. While I knew the care and maintenance of them, I had to research quite a bit of the foaling procedure as it was done in that time, since I never bred horses, though I have witnessed a foaling or two. I talked to some friends who were veterinarians and horse breeders for technical advice on foaling and gelding, and whether the feed information was accurate.
Were Cassandra's and Colton's characters based on anyone in particular? How do you research personality traits?
Colton’s earthy, straight forward attitude is predominate in my area of farming and ranching here in Alberta. His personality concerning horses and life are typical. His bitterness towards people is not, though it has a reason. Carley’s portrayal of Cassandra is based on her admiration for strong women who could cope in any situation and still retain their femininity. Those qualities in women are timeless.
What is your favorite scene in the book and why?
I think the preparation and the actual battle at Concord. Writing those scenes were exciting! I just hope the excitement carries to the reader. I wish I could have done more with it, but it’s not conducive to romance.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Young, adventurous and widowed in a new land, Cassandra Courtney Brooks finds her dream of raising a superior breed of saddle horse slipping away with the death of her husband. Left with four horses, living in a tavern attic, and her scant savings depleting, she resolves to see her vision through to fruition by accepting the scandalous position of steward at Varina Farms.
Born in the image of his native ancestry, Colton Rolfe’s savage blood runs through his veins. Scorned by his father, Colt grew into a man of ill temperament whose only interest is the wild equine beasts on his plantation. His desire to breed his horses with the superior Thoroughbreds of the newly widowed Cassandra Brooks leads him to abandon societal rules. Colt’s growing resentment toward the Crown and his assistance to Sons of Liberty missions is complicated by the discovery that Cassandra’s father is a titled English nobleman.
Cassandra is soon forced to question the wisdom of her decision when she finds herself enamored with her employer. As fiery passion grows between them, Cassandra realizes her own spirit of independence, love of the land, and the savage man who is so much a part of it.
As the threat of war comes ever closer, wills are tested through gunfire, treachery, danger, and kidnapping. Does Colt dare trust Cassandra with Sons of Liberty secrets? More importantly, can he trust her with his heart? And will Colt ever trust Cassandra enough to love her as she longs to be loved?
AN EXCERPT
The gathering dispersed in their arranged directions. Colt looked back at Cassandra, seeing longing in her eyes. If the British caught up with them, it was likely he would not see her again.
Against his better judgment, he pivoted toward her. She rose from the chair and walked slowly toward him.
"Be careful," she said. He could hear the quiver in her voice. "I...the British are so well trained and the militia is no comparison to them."
He touched her cheek and leaned in. "Are you saying you do not trust me to beat those pasty-skinned pansies?'
"You could take on the world," she managed a smile.
He looked into her eyes, his mouth moving to hers. Damnit it all to hell, if he was being sent onto a battlefield to die, he was taking her kiss with him. He tasted the sweetness of her mouth, the velvety softness of her lips and for a minute was lost in time. It was not until he heard a loud clearing of Jackson's voice that he let go of her. Without a word, he turned and walked through the door. He heard the faint sound of her voice but did not turn. If he looked at her once more, he may never leave.
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There will be two winners drawn at the end of the tour. Winner 1 will receive a lovely pair of colonial era earrings (U.S. only please due to shipping constraints); Winner 2 will receive a $100 Amazon GC.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/04/virtual-book-tour-no-gentleman-is-he-by.html
LINKS:
Email: carleybauer210 [at] gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carley.bauer.3
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lynette-Willows-Carley-Bauer/278323855613717?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarleyBauer210
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/cscrawley/
Tirgearr Publishing: http://tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Bauer_Carley/index.htm
No Gentleman Is He available for purchase at:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/No-Gentleman-Sons-Liberty-ebook/dp/B00BPY7UJO/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_1_62DX
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no-gentleman-is-he-by-carley-bauer-and-lynette-willows-carley-bauer/1114915852?ean=2940044389540
Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/No-Gentleman-Is-He-Carley/book-K5zSZmr2cESUwBs4vrrYBQ/page1.html
Tirgearr to Author Carley Bauerwww.tirpub.com/cbauer
Tirgearr Publishing: http://www.tirpub.com/NGIH
