NK Chats To…Susanne Dunlap
Hi Susanne, thank you so much for joining me today and for inviting Novel Kicks onto the blog tour for The Falconer’s Lost Baron. Can you tell us a little about it?
This book is #4 in my Double-Dilemma romance series, and features a few characters from the previous book—although not as protagonists. Unlike the others, The Falconer’s Lost Baron takes place in Cornwall rather than London, and not during the height of the season. The story begins on December 1, 1814 and goes through Christmas, although it’s not really a holiday romance.
In it “twin” sisters, Antonella and Belinda, discover right at the beginning that they are not, in fact, twins—or even sisters. This propels the story as Belinda tries to right a wrong and discover the mystery behind Antonella’s birth, and Antonella has to grapple with losing the identity she’s had for 18 years. Also damaged in a profound way is Lord Atherleigh, who has returned to his estate following the loss of his left hand in the battle of Nivelle and undergoing months of painful surgeries. His friend, Hector Gainesworth, tries to get him to rejoin the world—especially after he meets Belinda at a dress party during the Little Season and discovers she is a neighbor of Atherleigh in Cornwall.
Antonella’s love of birds and fascination with falconry is threaded throughout.
The Falconer’s Lost Baron is book four in the Double-Dilemma series. What are the challenges when writing a series, even when each book stands alone?
I think for me the biggest challenge has been deciding on the timing. If they’re consecutive, how do the characters in one age out of the picture? And what exactly is it that ties the books together as a series? I’ve chosen to have characters reappear, which means I have to write the possibility of those reappearances in the books that precede them. Which means, too, creating enough of a secondary character in the earlier book to make them a believable protagonist in the next book.
What’s your writing day like? Do you have any writing rituals?
I have no set writing day pattern. I work full time for myself as an editor and book coach, so I generally try to do all that work first so it’s not weighing on me before I sit down at my laptop and write. Because I’m trying to get these books out in a certain time frame, I’ve lately sacrificed what used to be my leisure reading time—the hour before bed—to writing. That means the books I read have to be consumed as audiobooks for when I’m walking, cooking, ironing, etc.
If your book featured a playlist with modern day songs, which songs would you include?
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Book Extract: A Husband is Hushed Up by Helen Golden
I am so pleased to be welcoming Helen Golden back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, A Husband is Hushed Up.
A fatal fall. A duchess determined to uncover the truth. And barely any time for tea.
Fenshire, 1891. It was meant to be a birthday celebration weekend in the country—cucumber sandwiches, polite conversation, and maybe a waltz or two. But when the Duke of Stortford is found dead in a crumpled heap at the foot of the stairs everything goes dreadfully sideways. The police declare it a tragic accident. His wife, Alice, has her doubts. After all, only hours before, the Duke had promised to give up his mistress and make a go of their marriage. Now he’s inconveniently deceased.
Driven by a need for answers, and helped by her fiercely loyal maid Maud, her observant footman George, and her childhood friend Lord Rushton, Alice sets about uncovering the truth. But as she navigates a house full of secrets, simmering tensions, and more than one guest with murderously bad manners, her suspect pool grows to include those closest to her. Can she piece together the truth? Or will her husband’s murderer get away with it after all?
The guests are leaving. The killer may be among them. Time is running out…
Helen has kindly shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy it.
*****beginning of extract*****
It’s May 1891. Alice, Duchess of Stortford, is travelling from London to her family’s estate, Francis Court, in Fenshire, to celebrate her father’s 60th birthday. It’s meant to be a festive reunion, but Alice’s marriage to the Duke, Vance, has been under considerable strain. The couple have agreed to attend the gathering together in the hope of mending their fractured relationship.
As the rain falls and the carriage draws closer to the house, Alice confides her apprehensions to her dearest friend, Fiona ‘Fee’, Countess of Tilling and Alice’s older brother, Duncan, who is Fee’s husband. But Fee, ever the meddler with the best of intentions, has arranged a surprise guest—one whose arrival promises to make Alice’s reunion with her husband considerably more complicated…
“Come now, Alice,” Fee said, adjusting the pearl clasp on her gloves. “Tell the truth—how do you feel about seeing Vance again?”
She didn’t answer immediately as she gazed out at the hedgerows; they blurred past the carriage windows, along the long, winding driveway to the stately home.
by A Moment With…Tucker May
I’m excited to be welcoming Tucker May to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for Death of a Billionaire.
Ever dream of killing your boss? Alan Benning knows how you feel.
The problem: his billionaire boss actually winds up murdered. And the whole world thinks he did it.
When globetrotting tech billionaire Barron Fisk is found dead on the floor of his swanky Silicon Valley office, all evidence points to Alan.
Alan must venture into the glitzy, treacherous world of tech billionaires to clear his name by sorting through a long list of suspects with motive aplenty. If he can’t find the real culprit, Alan’s going down. The clock is ticking.
Who killed Barron Fisk? The truth will shock— and change— the entire world.
Fans of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club series, Carl Hiaasen’s tales of high-stakes hijinx, or Ruth Ware’s page-turning mysteries will love Death of a Billionaire.
It’s over to Tucker as he talks to us about Silly Mysteries from World History.
Hi there! My name is Tucker May and I’m the author of the comedic murder mystery novel Death of a Billionaire. It’s a lighthearted, fun read with a truly puzzling mystery at the center. I take a lot of inspiration for stories from real-world events, so I thought it would be enjoyable to take a look at some mysterious events from history that remain unsolved, but are a bit goofy or off-the-wall. Let’s dive in!
A Whole Lot of Holes
Off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada lies the diminutive Oak Island, which has been rumored since the late 1700s to be the home of buried treasure.
by Book Review: A Lot to Unpack by Portia MacIntosh
I am so excited to be welcoming Portia MacIntosh back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, A Lot to Unpack.
It’s going to be a bumpy ride… 👀
Liberty’s just landed her dream job. The catch? It’s at Matcher, the dating app that ruined her life. After catching her boyfriend sending intimate pictures to everyone in a twenty mile radius, Liberty is struggling to get back into the dating game. Every man gives her the ick sooner or later.
Still, she’s having a great time travelling the world for work, until she’s assigned a secret mission: Travel to New York with her handsome and charming boss Jordan and swap out a contract from under his nose. It should be easy, but the more time Liberty spends with Jordan, the more she realises he might not be the bad boy she thought he was. But it turns out they’ve both got a lot to unpack, and Liberty still needs to complete her mission if she wants to keep her job – which means not breaking the one golden rule: do not fall for the boss!
*****
Liberty wasn’t ever expecting to get that kind of picture. When this triggers a series of events that sees her out of a job and a boyfriend, she has to get her life back on track and fast.
I always know that when there’s the chance to read a novel from author, Portia Mackintosh, it’s going to be a riot of a novel and this one did not disappoint.
Liberty is a character that’s impossible not to like. She’s relatable, fun and deserves better than Ben.
The other characters also bring a lot to the story. Paige was the one I couldn’t make my mind up about. Jordon… well, I’ll let you discover him for yourself. The author is good at presenting well rounded, layered characters that all have their good points and flaws. At least I thought so anyway.
by Book Extract: Ripples Through Time by Christina Courtenay
I’m so pleased to be welcoming Christina Courtenay back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Ripples Through Time.
A love that will change them forever
A treasure that will bring them home
West Mercia, AD 873 – Merewen’s settlement is on guard against the outside threat of the ‘Heathen’ Norsemen. But for Merewen, the real threats come from within, as her future is cruelly snatched away from her.
Eirik, a Norseman, finds himself abandoned and injured after his uncle’s plunder of Mercian land goes wrong. He thinks his fate is sealed – until Merewen saves his life.
Hereford, Present Day – Left reeling after a huge betrayal, Alix moves to her grandfather’s farm in Hereford to heal her broken heart. There, after being given a family heirloom, she soon finds herself haunted by memories of a life she never lived, a relationship she never had, and a time in which she never existed.
Local farmer Noah is being hounded by the police to find the Viking hoard that his sister and her criminal boyfriend stole from his farm. Noah must prove his own innocence while struggling to decipher the curious connection he has to newcomer Alix – a bond that seems to transcend their own reality.
As they search for the lost treasure, Alix and Noah start to feel the whispers of a love they never expected, one powerful enough to echo through history.
Christina has shared an extract from Ripples Through Time with us today. We hope you enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
Chapter One (abridged) – heroine is given bad news – Mercia AD 873
As she entered the hall, Merewen halted momentarily, taken aback by the sight of her betrothed, Oslac, sitting next to her father Beorthric. She hadn’t realised he was due to visit today or she would have made more of an effort with her appearance. She frowned as she registered that her sister Burghild was sitting next to him looking smug. Never a good sign. In contrast, Oslac kept his gaze fixed on the floor. That was strange. Normally he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Merewen. What on earth was going on?
‘Father? Is there something amiss?’
‘Not as such.’ Beorthric cleared his throat before launching into speech. ‘I merely wished to inform you that I have decided your sister will make a better match for Oslac than you. As you know, her betrothed was recently killed by the heathens. She is my eldest child, and whomsoever she marries will inherit this settlement since I have not been blessed with any sons. Oslac will take over his own father’s domains in due course, and as Burghild’s husband he can eventually merge the two properties into a larger one. That will create a very rich holding and increase our families’ standing in the area. So from this moment on, I declare your betrothal to Oslac at an end.’
by Book Club
