April 27, 2020
Let’s welcome Mercedes Rochelle to West of Mars! Yay!
I love the cover of her book, don’t you? It’s so perfectly period and yes, it makes me want to pick this up and read it. (I know. I want to read almost everything!)
This is the first in a new series, friends! The series is called The Plantagenet Legacy, and that says a lot right there too, doesn’t it? The cover makes even more sense.
So… Mercedes Rochelle, what song makes you think of your book?
I AM THE COMMON MAN by the Battlefield Band.
What better song for the Peasants’ Revolt in my novel, A KING UNDER SIEGE? In 1381, fed up with their mistreatment and the Poll Tax used to support the government’s reckless spending, the common man rose and terrorized England. Only the quick thinking of 14 year-old King Richard II saved London from destruction, though he was nearly a victim, himself. Here are the lyrics:
I am the Common Man.
I am the brute and the slave.
I am the fool, the despised,
From the cradle to the grave.
I am the hewer of coal.
I am the tiller of soil.
I am serf of the seas,
Born to bear and to toil.
I am the builder of halls.
I am the dweller of slums.
I am the filth and the scourge
When winter’s depression comes.
I am the fighter of wars.
I am the killer of men,
Not for a day or an age,
But again and again and again.
I am the Common Man,
But, Masters of mine, take heed,
For you have put into my head
Oh! Many a wicked deed.
If you’d like to listen, it begins at the 36:48, so use that fast forward button first and then go back and listen to the whole thing.
I’m intrigued. Are you? I hope so!
How about the cover copy, so you know exactly what the plot is?
Richard II found himself under siege not once, but twice in his minority. Crowned king at age ten, he was only fourteen when the Peasants’ Revolt terrorized London. But he proved himself every bit the Plantagenet successor, facing Wat Tyler and the rebels when all seemed lost. Alas, his triumph was short-lived, and for the next ten years he struggled to assert himself against his uncles and increasingly hostile nobles. Just like in the days of his great-grandfather Edward II, vengeful magnates strove to separate him from his friends and advisors, and even threatened to depose him if he refused to do their bidding. The Lords Appellant, as they came to be known, purged the royal household with the help of the Merciless Parliament. They murdered his closest allies, leaving the King alone and defenseless. He would never forget his humiliation at the hands of his subjects. Richard’s inability to protect his adherents would haunt him for the rest of his life, and he vowed that next time, retribution would be his.
I have so much respect for historical authors, I can’t tell you. The depths of their knowledge, the hours spent researching, the details they have to get right… My hat’s off to you, Mercedes and all of you who put in the time and work to make historical writing such an amazing thing.
Yeah… I totally am adding this to my wish list. Are you? Or are you just ready to grab a copy? Amazon only, I’m afraid.
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Connect with Mercedes Rochelle, too! She’d love to get to know you.
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Remember, the best way to say thanks to an author is to share his/her/their book with your friends and reading circle. The second best way is to write an online review. If you’re struggling with the latter, I’m glad to help. Just drop me a note and we’ll work it out.
May 21, 2018
Woot! Let’s welcome Kimberly Fish to West of Mars!
Kimberly’s got a new book coming out, so let’s take a minute and talk to her about what song makes her think of it.
I’ll Be Seeing You–the scratchy record version sung by Bing Crosby. I’ll Be Seeing You is an iconic song made famous by a rule-breaking woman–Billie Holliday. Rule-breaking women are my favorite characters to read about and write about. These particular lyrics reflect the main character–Lane Mercer– and her feelings of lost love and longing for the men who defined her career. Plus–and this may be my favorite aspect–the song is a little ironic for a spy novel. My two female characters have carried out difficult missions for the U.S. government through the espionage agency, the OSS. As spies, their primary goal is to remain undetected. So, a love song about “seeing” someone in familiar places means the spies are not doing their job. To be clear, Lane Mercer and Emmie Tesco are very good at their jobs–too good.
Ooh, this is good stuff. I definitely want to read this one! It comes out in mid-June, so mark your calendars, add Kimberly’s blog to your reader, and stay informed.
Ready for the official description? Here you go:
In 1943, Lane Mercer and Emmie Tesco had nothing in common. Well, nothing stronger than a town neither of them chose and careers they couldn’t advertise as agents within the Office of Strategic Services. During the days of Longview, Texas’ Friendly Trek Homecoming Parade, Lane was gearing up for the grand opening of a bookshop that also disguised an espionage safe house, and Emmie was chasing a criminal with evil intent through the US Army’s new medical facility treating diseased and amputated soldiers, Harmon General Hospital. Emmie ropes Lane into international threats at Harmon General, making it increasingly hard for the two spies to navigate the Junior Service League, church life, or anything else that might be considered normal for a town sizzling with oil boom wealth. A friend from Lane’s past arrives and pushes against the fiction she’s created to distance her spy history from the wedding bells ringing her future. Emmie flirts with the idea of finding a life outside of the OSS, but justifies the danger as a way to make amends for those she’s betrayed. Connecting the two women, to their surprise, is a rogue agent who targets them for crimes he believes they created. For better, or worse, they have to put aside their differences to share responsibility for stopping “The Grasshopper” before he blows apart the Big Inch Pipeline project, and Harmon General Hospital. The hope of malaria treatments for US soldiers depends on it, and justice of the heart demands it.
Buy links aren’t up yet, but since this is a sequel to Kimberly’s novel, The Big Inch. So be sure to get that one now so you’re all caught up and ready for Harmon General’s release. Y’all see the link in that previous sentence, right?
Of course you do. You guys aren’t dummies.
Which means you’re going to connect with Kimberly, too, right? Of course! She just might have written the best “connect with me” link posts ever. At least of those I’ve seen submitted here at West of Mars, which for me counts as ever. Pooh on you if you don’t agree.
I like to blog about the writing process
I have one social media app on my iPhone and it’s Instagram–so follow here to see my spontaneous photos
I’m also on GoodReads learning about new books in the market and talking to readers
I do keep a Kimberly Fish, author page on Facebook and love to announce bookish news, events, awards, and connect with readers.
March 24, 2017
If you saw Monday’s Featured New Book Spotlight, you learned a bit about Christy Perry Tuohey’s Panther Mountain: Caroline’s Story.
Here’s a taste to whet your appetite:
This book promises to be one good read!
Pick up your own copy:
Paperback or as an-ebook at Amazon.com
It’s also available online at:
And once you’ve read it, remember that a few words of review help a book find new readers. If you’re unsure about your review, drop me a line and I’m glad to help for super cheap. Like, $5 cheap. And if you would like me to post your review here at West of Mars, I’m super glad to do that, too.
March 20, 2017
Welcome to the start of the week and a book that is hopefully new to you and that you’ll want to read after you reach the end of this post. That’s how this thing works, you see. I write about a book. We all pick it up, read it, and hopefully leave reviews. (If you need help writing a review, holler. My editorial self would be glad to help, and if you need a place to post your review, let me know. I’d be glad to host you.)
Today’s book comes from a new friend, who I just discovered via Twitter. You find fun people on Twitter. Christy is one of them.
Her book is called Panther Mountain: Caroline’s Story and before I tell you what it’s about, let’s hear from Christy about what song makes her think of her book:
The lyrics of Paul Weller’s “You Do Something To Me” perfectly sum up the passion of the love letter written to Caroline, the heroine of my book Panther Mountain: Caroline’s Story. The letter was written in 1854 in pre-Civil War western Virginia by a man named Nathan Hanna who desired to get to know Caroline better. His elegant handwriting showed him to be an educated man, his words thoughtful and polite as he requested a meeting with her. When she read his invitation, she was reminded of a long-ago passion she felt for him as well. But would they meet, and if so, where would the relationship lead?
Ooh, I don’t know about you, but I’m tempted. And this Paul Weller dude? This isn’t something I’d listen to all the time, but he’s kinda cute and I do like this song. Nice pick, Christy!
(You guys have exposed me to some really cool music, and I’m appreciative. Best of all, I’m expanding my own horizons, which is a bonus I never expected when I started this feature many years ago.)
Ready for more about Panther Mountain: Caroline’s Story? Here’s the description:
Panther Mountain: Caroline’s Story is a historical fiction novel based on true events in my great-great-grandmother Caroline’s life in antebellum and Civil War Virginia. Its centerpiece is a romantic mystery; a love letter, written to her by a suitor who was not my great-great-grandfather.
Caroline Grose was raised on a mountain deep in the heart of 19th Century western Virginia. Despite her geographical isolation, she was educated and well-read. At 19, she fell in love with a handsome young man whom she met at a church camp meeting. Her hopes for a romantic relationship were dashed, though, when she saw him kissing another girl.
The world around her grew increasingly chaotic. Caroline’s family members were Methodist Episcopalian abolitionists, and those beliefs pitted them against friends, neighbors and fellow church members. When she discovered that a runaway slave was hiding in a mountain cave near her home, she was faced with a hard choice: turn him over to the authorities or help him escape to freedom.
By 1854, Caroline was a spinster living at home with her parents. One day a letter arrived. It was from the love of her younger years. He wanted her back. Little did she realize, as she read the words on paper, that another man loved her, too. A romantic rivalry was in the making.
Caroline is challenged to go beyond her comfort zone and Victorian gender role to help and protect others. She showed courage in the face of violence and anarchy during the Civil War.
There is SO MUCH going on here that makes me want to read this… the setting, the era, the story itself.
If you’re as inspired as I am, here are the handy-dandy buy links:
Paperback or as an-ebook at Amazon.com
It’s also available online at:
And get to know Christy, too. I can vouch for how cool she is!
Panther Mountain Caroline’s Story website
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April 21, 2014
Ask and my readers come through! Of course, as always, there are openings… the calendar isn’t full quite yet, so if you’ve got a new release, stop on in for your chance in the spotlight.
Today, we’ve got Haley Whitehall, who’s written a historical romance set in one of my favorite time periods (yes, I’m serious and no, I don’t know why): the Civil War.
You’d think that’d make a song hard to pick, right? Well… wrong! Check it:
I’d like to thank Susan for letting me step into the spotlight. I’ve never done a one-question interview before and I feared it would be a difficult question. Thankfully it wasn’t! I think of my new historical romance release Soldier in Her Lap as the Civil War era version of Cinderella. The first song I thought of was one connected to Cinderella: A Twist in Time – I Still Believe – by Hayden Panettiere from Cinderella 3.
The steamy romance in Soldier in Her Lap is far from Disney rated, but Sophia Carpenter’s hard life, strong-will, and rose-colored glasses make the book Disney worthy. After her mother dies Sophia is left running the Georgia dirt farm by herself while her papa drowns himself in a whiskey bottle. Her papa chased off all the men who tried to call on her sentencing her to a lonely life of chores. Most of the men in town enlisted in the army once the War Between the States broke out making it nearly impossible for Sophia find a husband. Then one night Lucas comes to her rescue.
Sophia’s papa tries to keep her and the handsome Confederate soldier apart. However, Lucas has promised to take Sophia away from her life of drudgery and she believes in their destiny together. Through many trials Sophia does not give up on love.
While Lucas may not be the Prince Charming she expected, he is determined on earning her heart and the courageous suit of armor she imagined he wore.
Sounds super, huh? I totally want to read this!
Here’s the back cover copy:
 Trapped by her alcoholic, abusive father, Sophia Carpenter longs to escape her life of drudgery on her father’s dirt farm in Clark Springs, Georgia. Making matters worse, her father’s scared off every man who tried to call on her. She longs for freedom, but with the Civil War raging, even fewer men are available to fulfill her dreams—unless a soldier landed in her lap.
Conscripted into a war he never wanted to fight, Lucas Grady is tired of battle and refuses to lay his life down for a lost cause. After a musket ball tears through his leg, he deserts from the ambulance wagon rather than risk a field surgeon’s saw. He barely makes it to Sophia’s farm before collapsing.
The wounded soldier’s arrival seems like a dream come true, but first she must save him from his injuries—and her father. As forbidden attraction blooms between them, they will have to struggle to survive. Can their love overcome so many obstacles or will they become another casualty of the War Between the States?
Buy Soldier in Her Lap
Haley loves to connect with readers. You can find her here:
November 5, 2013
Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. I’m going to take a break from Goddess Girls, and doing some other great books. So here’s Princess of the Midnight Ball.
Rose and her sisters are cursed. All 12 of Westfalin’s princesses’ dancing shoes mysteriously wear out every three nights; even when the girls are all sick. All princes from surrounding kingdoms have come to try to solve the mystery, with a prize of marrying one of the princesses. After princes from all the surrounding kingdoms have failed, King Gregor turns to Galen Werner, a soldier who returned from war and became a gardener at the castle. At this time, the royal governess was accused of teaching the princesses witchcraft, and the state was placed in an Interdict.Under a lot of pressure during the riot for the king to abdicate, Galen spends his nights following the princesses. Join Galen as he tries to solve the mystery of the Midnight Ball.
I liked this book because it took you back in time to when the monarchs would have parties and dinners filled with beautiful clothes, swirling ball gowns, and dainty little dancing slippers. I enjoyed how all the princes failed, yet a commoner from nearby managed to save all 12 princesses.
If you liked my review, read Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George!!
