Please welcome Andrea Matthews author of Thunder on the Moor
Andrea Matthews will be awarding an Ebook copy of books 2 and 3 in the series to one randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thunder on the Moor
byAndrea Matthews
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GENRE: historical time travel romance
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INTERVIEW:
1. What or who inspired you to start writing?
I’d have to say the pure love of writing and storytelling inspired me. I’m a romantic, with a love of history that I inherited from my father, so the genre was easy enough to decide upon. I was inspired to begin this particular story when I discovered my husband was descended from the border reivers. Of course, their tales have been romanticized a bit, but nevertheless, I found the idea intriguing.
2. What elements are necessary components for this genre?
First, there has to be a historical element that’s accurate and based on a distinct period in history. In this case, it was the tales of the border reivers that rode across the hills and valleys of Scotland and England from about the thirteenth or fourteenth centuries to the seventeenth. Next, as this is a historical romance, there needs to be a strong romantic relationship at the center of the story. In this case, that involves Will Foster and Maggie Armstrong. But there is a third element here as well, though it isn’t in the forefront, and that’s the insertion of time travel. This adds an extra layer of drama as the story develops and another cause of tension between the lovers.
3. How did you come up with your idea for your novel?
Believe it or not, I actually had a dream about it. I’d discovered my husband’s ancestors were most likely border reivers. As a historian and genealogist, I decided to do some research into his family tree. I suppose it was on my mind, for when I woke up, I had this great idea for a story involving the time traveling daughter of a border reiver who’d been stranded in the twentieth century. And so, Robert and Maggie Armstrong were born. Immediately recognizing the possibilities, I made a note to myself so I’d remember the idea, and went back to sleep. I tend to forget the dreams if I don’t write them down as soon as I wake up. As it turned out, I didn’t need to in this instance. Maggie’s adventure was well ensconced in my head, along with the visage of her soon to be lover.
4. What expertise did you bring to your writing?
I’m not sure I’d call it an expertise, but I have a Bachelors degree in History and a Masters in Library Science, so this was right up my ally. Though my specialization was in Early American history, I also studied the early history of the British Isles. It seemed logical since the two were connected. While I hadn’t heard of the border reivers before I started researching my husband’s ancestry, I did have a knowledge of the political and social atmosphere in England at the time, which proved to be invaluable when dealing with the outside tensions that existed on the border during the scope of my story. My research skills as both a historian and librarian taught me to search for accurate sources, though I won’t deny employing a bit of poetic license on occasion.
5. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?
Since I have always loved history, I thought it would be fun to join the fencing team while in college. Of course, I didn’t know how that skill would come into use so many years later. Though Will might not be using a foil, knowing how to fence has certainly come in handy during the battle scenes in Thunder on the Moor.
6. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
I hope to continue writing, as long as the ideas keep coming, and my readers are enjoying the stories I write. For the immediate future, book four in the series, With Fire and Sword, is slated to come out in November of this year, and I plan to continue my Cross of Ciarán series as well. Book three in that series, The Cave of Rúin Ársa, is due to be published at the end of May. In the meantime, I intend to try my hand at a historical mystery under the name of I. M. Foster, with the hope of publishing Murder on Oak Street at the end of August.
7. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?
I think maybe Betty Hetherington, Graham Foster’s wife. I love how she basically runs the family, in spite of what Graham and everyone else thinks. Her children are all around her, and no matter how old her sons get, one look from her puts them in their place, and yet they love her unconditionally. She’s one tough lady, who cares deeply about her family. That’s just nice.
8. Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?
Before the book is finished, there will be murder, betrayal, an a happy for now ending, but bring your tissues.
9. Do you belong to a critique group? If so, how does this help or hinder your writing?
Yes, I belong to an online group called Scribophile, which has turned out to be a very supportive group. I’ve developed some great critiquing partners and received some helpful reviews of my chapters, which in turn have improved my writing skills. Though I don’t get much time to spend there these days, I’m still a member and stop by whenever I can.
10. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?
I finally made the decision at the beginning of 2019. It was just time. I had been working with my crit group, and with my kids grown, I just decided to get off the bench and do it. I’d developed some connections through the group and asked them how to go about it, then held my breath and published.
11. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)
The worse advice I ever got was probably a huge list of what not to do. Instead of explaining how to use adverbs and descriptive speech tags etc. sparingly, the general consensus was don’t use them at all. That never made any sense to me. Each part of speech has its purpose, so why would we cut them out completely. Another bad piece of advice was that I shouldn’t bother trying to publish at all. There were so many books out there, mine would never be noticed.
Fortunately, I paid more attention to the best advice I ever got. You know you can do this. Don’t be afraid of what people will think. You’ll never please everyone, so just follow your heart.
12. Do you outline your books or just start writing?
I start with a very loose outline, basically a beginning, some kind of direction for the middle, and the ending. From there, I let the characters, stories, and plot bunnies take over. It’s amazing the directions Thunder on the Moor took as I began writing. I knew what my end point was, a happy for now ending involving Will and Maggie, but getting there took a few detours along the way. I like it that way, because sometimes I even surprise myself with a plot twist.
13. How do you maintain your creativity?
I switch things up once in a while. It might be taking time out to design a trailer, or work on programming, or maybe start another book. I may even go off track completely and put some time in on my genealogy. My mother always said variety was the spice of life.
14. Who is your favorite character in the book? Can you tell us why?
I think it’s probably Robert Armstrong or Walt Foster, though I love so many of them. Both Robert and Walt are strong, handsome men, but far from perfect. Not only do they know how to lead, but they’re also smart enough to listen to the advice of others when it makes sense. They both have big hearts, and in spite of their gruff appearances, they can be gentle and caring and aren’t afraid to show their feelings, even shedding a tear now and then.
15. Are your plotting bunnies, angels or demons?
I’d have to say my plot bunnies are rather well behaved and tend to help more than hinder. As long as I give them a nod, i.e. write down the idea, they seem perfectly happy to sit patiently and wait until I can get to them. They know if they interrupt my current train of thought, I’m likely to block them out completely, and that won’t help either of us. I guess you could say, we have an understanding. Of course, I do let them out to play quite regularly.
BLURB:
Maggie Armstrong grew up enchanted by her father’s tales of blood feuds and border raids. In fact, she could have easily fallen for the man portrayed in one particular image in his portrait collection. Yet when her father reveals he was himself an infamous Border reiver, she finds it a bit far-fetched—to say the least—especially when he announces his plans to return to his sixteenth century Scottish home with her in tow.
Suspecting it’s just his way of getting her to accompany him on yet another archaeological dig, Maggie agrees to the expedition, only to find herself transported four hundred and fifty years into the past. Though a bit disoriented at first, she discovers her father’s world to be every bit as exciting as his stories, particularly when she’s introduced to Ian Rutherford, the charming son of a neighboring laird. However, when her uncle announces her betrothal to Ian, Maggie’s twentieth-century sensibilities are outraged. She hardly even knows the man. But a refusal of his affections could ignite a blood feud.
Maggie’s worlds are colliding. Though she’s found the family she always wanted, the sixteenth century is a dangerous place. Betrayal, treachery, and a tragic murder have her questioning whether she should remain or try to make her way back to her own time.
To make matters worse, tensions escalate when she stumbles across Bonnie Will Foster, the dashing young man in her father’s portrait collection, only to learn he is a dreaded Englishman. But could he be the hero she’s always dreamed him to be? Or will his need for revenge against Ian shatter more than her heart?
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EXCERPT:
Will Foster crouched behind the crumbling stone wall, watching the Armstrongs approach over the opposite hilltop. They pulled up before what he could only assume was a small foraging party, for the strangers traveled on foot. But where had they come from? Moments before, nothing but harebells and thistle had filled that field. He scratched his head. Perhaps they’d walked from a nearby village. Not too clever with the Armstrongs on the prowl. Then again, maybe they were of the same clan, though he certainly didn’t recognize any of them. The Armstrongs, however, he knew all too well, and he thought it best to stay out of their way.
As he peered around the broken wall, one of the strangers turned. An angel amongst a pack of wolves, no doubt. But one of the men tugged her back to his side before Will could determine if she was their hostage. Though he was certain she’d seen him, she didn’t cry out, so perhaps she
hoped he’d rescue her.
He inched a bit closer, staying low to avoid detection. Though he still couldn’t make out much of their conversation, the breeze did manage to catch a few words that caused his ears to perk up. “So, he’s a cousin to Archie, is he.”
Will scurried amongst the trees, coming to rest behind an ancient pine. He caught sight of the bonnie wee lass once more, standing off to the side this time. Instinct caused him to grasp the hilt of his sword. If he moved quickly, he could run out and rescue her before the Armstrongs realized he was there. Then one of the men spoke again, his words taking Will by surprise.
“’Tis me daughter, Maggie,” the stranger said.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Andrea Matthews is the pseudonym for Inez Foster, a historian and librarian who loves to read and write and search around for her roots, genealogical speaking. She has a BA in History and an MLS in Library Science and enjoys the research almost as much as she does writing the story. In fact, many of her ideas come to her while doing casual research or digging into her family history. She is the author of the Thunder on the Moor series set on the 16th century Anglo-Scottish Border, and the Cross of Ciaran series, where a fifteen-hundred-year-old Celt finds himself in the twentieth century. Andrea is a member of the Romance Writers of America, Long Island Romance Writers, and the Historical Novel Society.
Buy Link: Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Moor-Andrea-Matthews-ebook/dp/B07ZS7V3TB
Andrea Matthews Historical and Paranormal Romance - Website - https://andrea-matthews.com
Facebook - www.facebook.com/andreamatthewshistoricalromance
Twitter – www.twitter.com/AMatthewsAuthor
Instagram – www.instagram.com/andreamatthewshistoricromance
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19718311.Andrea_Matthews
Bookbub - https://www.bookbub.com/profile/andrea-matthews
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:
Andrea Matthews will be awarding an Ebook copy of books 2 and 3 in the series to one randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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