A-Z Blogging Challenge - Y is for Youngsters

Several of my novels feature youngsters i.e. children under 10.

In Changing the Future, single mum Lisa has a four-year-old son Nicky, who gets quite a surprise when he eventually learns who his father is.

Veterinary surgeon Luke Sullivan, in Irish Intrigue, has two young children, Melissa aged 6 and Toby aged 4. His wife left him when Toby was a baby but now she has married a rich American, she is trying to claim custody – so Luke has a fight on his hands. Melissa also manages to ‘sneak’ into three other novels! In Irish Deceptions, she is one of the dancers in Ellie’s ‘dream team’ in the school musical show; in Irish Secrets, she finds the evidence which leads to the identity of a criminal gang leader, and in Irish Shadows, she tells Liam about the runaway horse she has seen in Clifden. Quite a busy young lady!

Dan Nicholas, in Irish Deceptions, has ten-year-old twin nieces, Grace and Leah, his brother’s daughters. Dan is trying to keep his real identity a secret, so it’s quite some time before Ellie realises the twins in her dancing class are related to him.

The ‘youngster’ in Irish Secrets is the baby, who grew up to become Kara’s mother. When Kara eventually manages to trace Margaret, the baby’s mother, she learns of her heartbreak when Margaret was forced to give up her baby for adoption.

Here is Margaret’s description of what happened:

“When Aileen was ten months old, I was summoned to Reverend Mother’s office, and she said I had to sign some papers. I knew what they were, because the other girls told me, and I refused. She said, You must sign, and I begged her to let Aileen stay with me. By this time I was down on my knees, crying, but she pulled me up by my hair, pushed the pen into my hand, and said, Sign it, girl.”

Kara winced. “She must have been completely heartless.”

“Indeed she was. She went on about me having to be punished for the sin I had committed, but, of course, that was drummed into us from the minute we set foot in the home. We were moral degenerates who could not be allowed to keep our children. Then came the ultimate emotional blackmail, about how selfish I would be to condemn my child to a life of poverty and deprivation, instead of letting her go to a family who would give her far more than I could.” Margaret shook her head. “I couldn’t argue against that, because it was true. I had no job and nowhere to live, and so I signed the papers.”

“And was that the day when Aileen was taken away?”

Margaret’s face creased. “It was. I ran up the two flights of stairs to the nursery, although I could hardly see through my tears, and as I got to the door, Sister Ursula came out carrying Aileen. While I was in the Reverend Mother’s room, they’d dressed her in a lovely pale blue coat and bonnet, with white socks and little blue shoes—things I’d never seen before, and she held out her arms to me and smiled and said Mama. Sister Ursula let me hold her for a minute, and I was crying as I hugged her and kissed her. I kept whispering, I love you, I love you, please remember I love you. Then another nun came to the door, and she held me from behind, pinned me by both my arms, while Sister Ursula took Aileen from me and set off down the stairs. I struggled, even elbowed the nun’s bosom, and managed to break free but by that time they’d reached the bottom of the stairs, and the last I saw of Aileen was a wee glimpse before they turned into the corridor. Then I fell on the floor in a heap and broke my heart.”

All my books are available from 

Amazon  or from Tirgearr Publishing 

 

 

A-Z Blogging Challenge - I is for Iceland

Write about what you know, they say – but I broke that so-called ‘rule’ twice in my novel ‘Changing the Future.’

How? Because Paul, my hero, was a volcano expert, and because a volcano in Iceland seemed to be emerging from its dormant phase.

Originally, the hero was a Geography teacher, but I decided I needed something more high profile for him. At the time I was writing the story, the Icelandic volcano with that unpronounceable name (Eyjafjallajökull) was erupting and causing huge disruption to air travel with an ash cloud that led to the closure of Northern Europe airspace for several days.

So I decided my hero should be a volcanologist. Only one problem with that – all I remembered from my schooldays was that volcanoes erupt from time to time. Hence I spent many hours researching volcanoes, how they’re formed, why they erupt, and the resulting effects. I probably only used about 5% of what I learnt, but hopefully it was enough for Paul to sound like an expert. I also gave the volcano a more pronounceable name!

Here’s an excerpt when Lisa is watching Paul on television:

Paul was being interviewed at Manchester Airport. “Yes, Mount Lakuda’s providing us with some interesting developments at the moment. There’s been quite an increase of activity this past week.”

“And when you get to Iceland, what are the main things you’ll be doing?” the interviewer asked.

“I’ll be working with the scientists at the Iceland Volcano Research Centre. I was out there a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been in close contact with Dr. Kristjan Dagsson, the head of the Centre.”

“There are reports of a bulge on the side of the volcano. How significant is this?”

“On its own, a swelling wouldn’t be considered serious. Plenty of volcanoes develop these bulges, which indicate the movement of magma, often several miles below the surface. We’re more concerned about the heightened level of seismic activity and sulfur dioxide levels.”

“I understand there have been several earthquakes in the last few weeks.”

“What we call an earthquake swarm, yes, a lot of small tremors, but none with a magnitude higher than three. Scientists at the Centre have been working around the clock analysing and interpreting the data from all the sensory equipment on Mount Lakuda, and I’ll be joining them.”

“Is this the build-up to a full-scale eruption?”

“Not necessarily.” Paul smiled. “It’s being monitored carefully but it’s very difficult to predict whether this activity will lead to any major eruption.”

The interviewer persisted. “If it does erupt, is there likely to be an ash cloud like the one which caused such major disruption to air traffic?”

“The ash cloud was due to a combination of factors, mainly linked to the jet stream, none of which are present in the case of Mount Lakuda.”

“Thank you, Dr. Hamilton.” The interviewer turned to face the camera again. “Dr Paul Hamilton, a leading authority on volcanoes, was talking about Mount Lakuda in Iceland.

 I also had to research Iceland, because I’ve never been there. From basic information such as the name of Iceland’s main airport (Keflavik) and the distance from there to Reykjavik, to more detailed facts about the roads and off-road terrain in Iceland, the scenery, and the geographical location of Iceland’s volcanoes. I studied maps and hundreds of photos and videos. Google Earth proved very useful, and also Streetview, which enabled me to ‘drive’ along some of the roads in Iceland.

In the end, I think (hope!) I gave a fairly accurate portrayal of Iceland in my novel. At least no one has told me (yet!) I’ve made any howling errors, but I did keep my descriptions fairly brief, just in case!

All my books are available from 

Amazon  or from Tirgearr Publishing

A Hero's Blog Hop

What’s my ideal romance hero?

I usually define  him as an alpha-minus, beta-plus man, who retains the best and loses the less attractive qualities of each type.

So my hero has strength of character without being domineering, self-assurance but in a non-aggressive way, and of course that indefinable charisma which makes him stand out in a crowd. He’s successful too, not because of any inherited wealth or position, but through his own efforts in whatever sphere of work he has made his own. On the beta-plus side, he’s sensitive and caring, and maybe struggling with some inner insecurity which he keeps hidden.

In His Leading Lady; Kyle Drummond is a successful theatre producer/director, with a string of successes in both London and New York. To begin with, he comes over as overbearing and arrogant, but there are reasons for this. Jess, after disliking him intensely when they first meet, soon discovers a deeply caring man behind his public persona. He’s also pretty good in bed too (but then so are all my heroes!)

One reviewer said, “And OH MY do I wish Kyle Drummond were real!!! His character was so incredibly perfect and smoldering.”

In Fragrance of Violets, Jack Tremayne is a journalist and best-selling writer. After making a name for himself, he’s in a position where he can concentrate on the serious issues he wants to research such as global warming and alternative energy sources. At the same time, he reveals his compassionate nature as he tries to rebuild his relationship with Abbey, understanding all the reasons why she is so full of distrust.

In the words of a reviewer: I fell in love with Jack. What a heroic character. Considerate and patient with Abbey's presumption all men are like her absentee father, Jack works in the background to ensure Abbey can achieve her heart's desire. 

In Changing the Future, Paul Hamilton is a world-famous volcano expert, no longer the unknown university researcher he was when he first met and fell in love with Lisa. After an acrimonious break-up, both their lives have changed when they meet again. In contrast to his careful and guarded professional research, Paul has to deal with his tendency to jump to the wrong conclusions over the things that happen in his personal life.

Here’s the moment when he realises the truth:

His son. He let the words roll round in his mind. They sounded so good. His son.

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt. So did that mean—?

He heard the echo of Lisa’s words: No, you’ve got it all wrong!

The truth hit him like a thunderbolt. He had got it all wrong. Utterly, appallingly, catastrophically wrong.

For a few seconds he struggled to breathe. Lisa had been telling the truth, but he’d refused to believe her denials. Unfounded suspicion, and, yes, jealousy and resentment, too, had led him to make the most disastrous decision of his whole life.

In Her Only Option (my next release, due out in November), Ross McAllister is a well-known archaeologist, working on his dream project in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. He’s articulate, determined, and dedicated. His ex-fiancee told him he was married to his work, and she couldn’t compete with that. Realising the truth of her words, he’s decided there’s no room for a woman in his life. Until he meets Neve Dalton, a cruise ship tour guide, who shares his passion for Ancient Egypt. He knows he has met his soul-mate and, when their relationship is threatened by an unknown enemy, he won’t rest until he has discovered who is behind the threats.

My critique partner describes Ross as “one of those guys so interesting and smart, he doesn't see how gorgeous he is.”

You can find all my books at my author’s page on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Paula-Martin/e/B005BRF9AI/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

And now I’d be interested to know which of my heroes sounds the most attractive to you!

Or, if you’ve already read one or more of my books, which one did you like the best (and, of course, why)?

I’m offering a PDF copy of either His Leading Lady, Fragrance of Violets or Changing the Future (your choice) to one person who leaves a comment here (please remember to leave your email address so I can contact you if you’re a winner!)

And now read on for even more exciting news!

Over 100 Authors and Bloggers are sharing their favorite things about romance heroes, a character post from them, and what we love about romance and men in general.

And while we do that, we are EACH doing a giveaway. Yes, there will be over 100 giveaways on each blog hosted by that Author or Blogger.

But that's not all....

We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. So you can enter over 100 times!

What are those prizes?

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $50 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: The following Swag Pack! (USA only – apologies to my fellow Brits!)

Go here to visit the other participants in the bloghop, and increase your winning chances!

http://carrieannbloghops.blogspot.co.uk/p/a-heros-hop.html

Righteous Anger?

Paul yanked the handbrake as he pulled up outside the house. He knew he probably shouldn’t have been driving when his anger was about to blow like a pressure cooker. Or like a bloody volcano, he thought grimly.

His mind flashed back to the moment when his world had shattered. To start with, shock had numbed his brain. The jolt when he’d realised the boy was Lisa’s had been followed immediately by the heart-slamming moment when he knew Nicky couldn’t be Ralph Glover’s. He didn’t even look like Glover. He looked like… He’d virtually stopped breathing when he realised the boy’s fair hair and blue eyes reminded him of the photos of himself at the same age. This little boy—this Nicky—had to be his. His mind had exploded into a million fragments.

Only when he’d heard Lisa say to Nicky “His name’s Paul” had the anger rushed in. Paul, not ‘your daddy’, not even ‘your father.’ Hot fury swept through him. Had she even told Nicky about him?

More to the point, why the hell hadn’t she told him about her son? His son. Okay, maybe not while he’d been in South America, since they’d parted so acrimoniously. But what about the past few weeks? She’d let him find out by complete chance. If Fiona hadn’t said anything, if he hadn’t agreed to help at the summer fair, he might never have known.

He’d kept his seething anger suppressed all afternoon and pretended everything was normal. He laughed with the kids who were shooting balls into the nets on the basketball court, even helped some of them by showing them the best way to stand and balance the ball.

Now he was parked outside Lisa’s home, and his blood was boiling. He couldn’t remember ever being as angry as he was at this moment.

He strode up the path, jabbed the doorbell and waited.

When Lisa opened the door, he saw her eyes widen, but there was no time to waste on the usual formalities.

“Why?” he demanded. “Why in God’s name didn’t you tell me?”

This excerpt from my latest release, Changing the Future, is offered as my response to the GBE2 (Group Blogging Experience) challenge for this week, which is to write about one or more of the 7 Deadly Sins. In this case, it seems that Paul’s anger is totally justified, and I’m sure there have been times when we’ve all felt a sense of ‘righteous anger’.

Changing the Future:

Lisa Marshall is stunned when celebrated volcanologist Paul Hamilton comes back into her life at the college where she now teaches. Despite their acrimonious break-up several years earlier, they soon realise the magnetic attraction between them is stronger than ever. However, the past is still part of the present, not least when Paul discovers Lisa has a young son. They can’t change that past, but will it take a volcanic eruption to help them change the future?

Available from Amazon