Lack of the Death of the Historical

Downton Abbey, Les Misérables, Anna Karenina, Copper, Mad Men, Spartacus, Boardwalk Empire, I could go on!

It is also my understanding that ABC is developing a new historical set during the Gilded Age. My point in mentioning all of this is that the historical's death has been greatly exaggerated! The historical story transports us to a place and time we could never dream of imagining in real life. A contemporary fiction story can take us to all corners of the world and some of the most exotic locales but a historical can truly take us somewhere we can't go now.

In my latest story, Seduction of My Proper Wife, a Victorian Ménage at the Parisian Exposition, aside from it being a mouthful, it takes place in Paris 1889 during the famous World's fair that brought to being the Eiffel Tower.

I was recently in Disney world and walked through the Epcot Pavilions and I just know Disney would have given his left eyetooth to get the magnificent Pavilions they had at the 1889 Fair. That fair was visited by millions and is arguably one of the most successful fairs in history. So many countries brought so much to Paris for those six months, it was exotic and erotic all at once. A true feast for the senses. And I could not help but to set a story amongst such wonder.  

There was both an innocence and a savvy in the Victorian era that is so much fun to play with as a writer. The face of the prim and proper that is accepted history of the Victorians but there was also the seedy underbelly that exists throughout time. The mystique and allure of the unknown and the curious.

Kristabel Reed lives on the East Coast and loves to explore the steamier side of historical romance. "There are so many sexy situations that didn't just pop up in the 21st century and my goal is to burst the myth of the prim and proper debutante." She loves romances but historical ménages particularly which add an element of danger and discovery not seen in contemporaries. Historically speaking, unusual romantic connections put lives on the line-people were ostracized and some even put to the death. 

How to contact me: Email, Twitter, or my Blog. 

New Historical Romance Novel Kira, Daughter of the Moon and Giveaway--Beth Trissel

‘A beautiful Scots-Irish healer in the rugged Alleghenies finds herself accused of witchcraft. With the terror of the French and Indian War fresh in her mind, can Kira love a white warrior?’

Kira, Daughter of the Moon, the third in my colonial frontier series, follows Through the Fire and Red Bird’s Song. Though written to stand alone, Kira, Daughter of the Moon is the long-awaited sequel to Through the Fire and features strong secondary characters introduced in that novel, with the addition of the very unique heroine, Kira, and other new characters. The story also builds on the conflict between Scots-Irish settlers and frontiersmen, the Shawnee and their allies, and British mandates regarding the return of white captives depicted in Red Bird’s Song.

Set in the rugged Alleghenies in the colonial Virginia frontier, the story opens in the spring of 1765, about six months after the close of Red Bird’s Song in the fall of 1764. Through the Fire takes place the summer of 1758 at the height of the French and Indian War. For those of you interested in this obscure but vital era of American history, a second war lead by Chief Pontiac (who united a number of the tribes) followed on the heels of the French and Indian, a sort of part two. That’s the war wrapping up in Red Bird’s Song, but to anxious settlers the Indian Wars just flowed together with times when attacks were more prevalent than others. 

These harried folk trying to survive didn’t keep track of the names of the wars. They didn’t always even know which tribe was attacking them, and some war parties were a mix of allied warriors. But the Shawnee gained the distinction of being the most feared tribe in the Shenandoah Valley and the Virginia frontier—the ultimate badass. The French officers who lead some of these attacks were particularly hated, to this day in some mountainous regions of Virginia and now West Virginia. Memories run deep. Bear in mind that Virginia used to be vast and encompassed states.

Dread of Indian attacks, of being killed or captured, of what happened to captive loved ones, and mistrust of white men who turned renegade and ran with war parties was on the minds of these mistrustful and superstitious Scots-Irish. Not that all settlers were Scots. Some were German/Swiss and English, but the clannish Scots tended to band together. And this is the volatile background for Kira, Daughter of the Moon.

(***Old family musket and pouch and powder horn)

Blurb:

Logan McCutcheon returns to colonial Virginia after seven years in the hands of Shawnee Indians. But was he really a captive, as everybody thinks? He looks and fights like a warrior, and seems eager to return to those he calls friends and family.

Kira McClure has waited for Logan all those years, passing herself off as odd to keep suitors at bay––and anyone else from getting too close.  Now that he's back, he seems to be the only person capable of protecting her from the advances of Josiah Campbell and accusations of witchcraft.  And to defend the settlers against a well-organized band of murderous thieves.

Excerpt:

“My secret in exchange for yours.”

     

Tantalizing.  He was drawing her into his snare, but she couldn’t resist asking, “How do you know I’ve a secret?”

    

“To begin with, you’re hiding in a tree.  What from, a wild beast?”

    

“Near enough.  You.”

     

He smiled.  “Was I to think you a large red bird, or overlook you entirely?”

     

Drawing her remaining shreds of dignity around her like a mantle, she said, “This isn’t one of my best hiding places.”

     

“Indeed?  Where are the others?” 

    

“That would be telling.” 

     

The strengthening breeze tossed the branches around them as he considered.  “You never could keep secrets from me, Cricket.  I’ll discover them and you.”

     

An assertion she found both disturbing and oddly heartening.

     

His lips curved as if the deed were already done.  “Why were you hiding?  Am I so very frightening?”

     

“Oh––I feared you were some sort of warrior.”

    

The humor faded from his eyes.  “I am.”~

About Beth Trissel: Married to my high school sweetheart, I live on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia surrounded by my children, grandbabies, and assorted animals. An avid gardener, my love of herbs and heirloom plants figures into my work. The rich history of Virginia, the Native Americans and the people who journeyed here from far beyond her borders are at the heart of my inspiration. In addition to American settings, I also write historical and time travel romances set in the British Isles. For more on me, my blog is the happening place: One Writer’s Way

***If you would like the chance to win a copy of Kira, Daughter of the Moon in pdf or mobi format (winner's choice) please leave me a comment.

***Kira, Daughter of the Moon is available in print and various ebook formats from The Wild Rose Press, from Amazon, Barnes & Noble’s Nookbook, All Romance eBooks, and other online booksellers.