One of my favorite things about being a writer is being exposed to new talented writers. Louise Lyndon is one of those talented new authors I’ve recently met through my publisher THE WILD ROSE PRESS. A native Aussie, she lives in Melbourne ( and how jealous am I of that??!) and writes historical romances. You can learn all about her below, and then stick around for a juicy read from her recently released book Of Love And Betrayal – and what a hothothot cover she has, too!
Part 1: The Writer Questions
- What drives you to write? I write because I find that I can’t not write! I know a lot of authors say that and hand on my heart, it’s true. It’s very hard to explain. My head is constantly full with snippets of dialogue or scenes and the longer I try to ignore them, the louder the voices get, the more vivid the scene becomes. And if I don’t write them down then I become extremely frustrated. It’s like I’m denying myself something. I get antsy if I don’t write. So really, I write so the voices in my head don’t get too loud! There are a lot of voices in there.
- What genre(s) of Romance do your write, and why? I write historical romance set during the medieval period – because that’s where my characters told me they were from. I’m a slave to my characters!
- What genre(s) of Romance do you read, and why? I don’t have one particular subgenre I read. I really do enjoy reading a cross range.
- What’s your writing schedule? Do you write everyday? Yes. I’m particularly driven at the moment and I have a weekday writing goal of a thousand words, and on the weekend it’s 5000 for Saturday and Sunday.
- Give us a glimpse of the surroundings where you write. Separate room? In the kitchen? At the dining room table? I don’t have a dedicated writing space, and I know that I really should. I have a spare room that I keep meaning to turn into my writing room but I have yet to set it up. So, at the moment I’ve been writing crossed legged on my couch – which is a good thing because it’s been winter here and cold and the lounge room is where the heater is!
- Are you the kind of writer who needs total quiet to compose, or are you able to filter out the typical sounds of the day and use your tunnelvision? I used to be someone that could only write in silence. But that has changed now. I actually write with the TV on – but with it volume turned down low. I just need a bit of background noise, but I find music too distracting.
- Do you listen to music while you write, and if so, what kind? If not, why not? No. I find music too distracting to write to. I often will hear a song I like, turn up the volume, and start singing. Which means I stop writing!
- How did you come up with the plotline/idea for your current WIP? I was procrastinating doing the housework! Of Love and Vengeance (my first release) was only ever going to be a stand alone book. But, to avoid doing the housework, I started to put together the hero and heroine’s family tree. I listed their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and while I was looking at the list one name kept popping up – Troy. One of the grandsons. I kept thinking about him. Who was he? What influence did the hero and heroine of the first book have on him? What’s his journey? I kept asking myself loads of questions and always raising the stakes until I had an outline of a story.
- Which comes first for you – character or plot? And why? For my new release, Of Love and Betrayal, it was definitely the character who came first. As I mentioned earlier, Troy came about because I was doing his grandparent’s family tree. But, that aside, the characters always seem to come to me first. They just pop into my head and I build from there.
- What 3 words describes you, the writer? Organized. Motivated. Determined.
The Person Questions:
- Tell us one unusual thing about yourself – not related to writing! I like to run Spartan Races! (Peggy here – I would LOVE to know what these are!!)
- Who was your first love and what age were you? I won’t mention names – but it was when I was still at primary school. I think I was in grade five or six. I went to a country school and we used to have ‘group days’ with other schools in the area to meet other kids. He was a boy there. I don’t think he knew I existed!
- If you could relive one day, which one would it be? Think GROUNDHOG DAY, the movie for this one – you’ll have to live it over and over and… Ooooh, good question! I think I would have to pick one of the Christmas’ I spent with my sister and her twins. We always have such a great day. Why not keep reliving it?
- Do you like a guy in boxers, briefs, or commando? Boxers. No competition! Sometimes it’s best to leave things to the imagination.
- If you had to give up one necessary-can’t-live-without-it beauty item, what would it be? Noooo, I can’t decide. Moisteriser. I know – we should really use it, and I do. But I keep forgetting to, on most days, so giving it up may not be too bad.
- What three words describes you, the person? Reliable. Honest. Loyal.
- If you could sing a song with Jimmy Fallon, what would it be? Take me to Church by Hozier (Peggy here – one of my favs, too!)
- If you could hang out with any literary character from any book penned at any time line, who would it by, why, and what would you do together? James Fraser! No competition. As for why? Have you seen Outlander (the TV series)? As for what we would do together? Again, have you seen Outlander?
Bonus round
I love the Actor’s Studio show on Bravo, so this is my version of it:
- Favorite sound Laughter.
- Least favorite sound Someone screaming in fear.
- Best song every written Take Me To Church by Hozier.
- Worst song ever written Anything by Nicki Manaj.
- Favorite actor and actress Bradley Cooper. Aside from the fact he’s good looking, I really do think he’s a great actor. I don’t really have a favorite actress.
- Who would you want to be for 1 day and why? ( It can be anyone living or dead) A billionaire – so I could donate all my money to help homeless people.
- What turns you on? A sense of humor.
- What turns you off? Those who think they are better than others and who have no problem belittling others to betwice themselves.
- Give me the worst 5 words ever heard on a first date (here’s mine: “Is that your real hair?”) I thought you’d look different.
- What’s your version of a perfect day? Being able to write from morning to night with no interruptions!
Of Love and Betrayal by Louise Lyndon
BLURB:
Aveline de Bondeville is on the run. Determined to keep out of the hands of the cruel Raimbaut de Blois she will do whatever it takes to stay alive. And so when she finds herself in the company of Troy de Gysborne she must quickly decide if she can trust him. But can she confess to murder knowing it would mean her certain death?
Troy de Gysborne did the unthinkable; he tore the bonds of brotherhood and left a path of destruction in his wake. And now Troy must face those he betrayed, including the father who long ago renounced him. But to confess to the crime he committed will cost him everything. Including Aveline. But can he remain silent if it means losing the woman he loves?
Excerpt:
Aveline’s scream burned her throat; she tasted blood. Eudes staggered forward, his eyes wide. He looked at her as he fell to his knees and then slumped forward. Bright red blood rushed from his wound and pooled on the ground. She looked at Raimbaut.
“This time you shall not escape.”
She picked up her skirts and ran headlong into the forest and did not slow her speed as branches slapped her in the face and tore at her arms. The ground beneath her feet was icy and uneven. She risked a glance over her shoulder and did not stop even though Raimbaut was nowhere to be seen. He may not have been behind her, but it did not mean he was not stalking her.
Sweat trickled down her face and burned her eyes. Her heart pumped, her lungs gasped for air. She came to a skidding stop and looked wildly around. Should she keep running straight, go left or right, or make her way back to Gysborne? She turned in a circle and shoved her hair from her eyes.
A twig snapped behind her. She stilled and held her breath. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a blur rush by. Was it an animal? Was it Raimbaut?
She ignored the pain in her chest and her sudden need to loosen her bladder. But she could not ignore her trembling. She clutched her arms to her chest. A sour taste flooded her mouth as she did not see how she would be lucky enough a second time to escape from Raimbaut.
Also available from Louise Lyndon: Of Love & Vengence
AUTHOR BIO:
Louise grew up in country Victoria, Australia, before moving to England, where for sixteen years she soaked up the vibrancy of London and the medieval history of England. She has since returned to Australia and now lives in Melbourne.
In 2013, Louise won first prize in the historical romance category of the Crested Butte Sandy Writing Contest for her story, The Promise, which has since been retitled and is now known as, Of Love & Vengeance.
When not writing, Louise can be found covered in mud, crawling under barbed wire and hoisting herself over twelve foot walls!
AUTHOR LINKS:
EMAIL: louise_lyndon@yahoo.com
WEB: www.LouiseLyndon.com
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/pages/Louise-Lyndon/1472910852955051
TWITTER:https://twitter.com/LouiseLyndon1
PINTEREST: llyndon3513
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/LouiseLyndon
BUY LINKS:
Amazon US: http://tinyurl.com/ocqp4th
Amazon UK: http://tinyurl.com/qzekwqy
Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/o65utet
Nook: http://tinyurl.com/odqg2ox
iBooks: http://tinyurl.com/odvzs9e
Peggy Jaeger, Author 