I’m happy to welcome Soul Mate author, Nancy Lee Badger. Today, Nancy shares ten interesting facts about her new release, The Earl’s Treasure.
Here’s Nancy!
1 This is the official release of my long-awaited book The Earl’s Treasure. I say Long-awaited because it took me many years to write. I put the story aside several times while I published others, then came back to it and decided it had to be shared with my readers.
2 Why did it take so long, you ask? I traveled to conferences, took on presidency of my local Romance Writers of America chapter, moved Mom to NC from Florida, published several paranormal novels with Soul Mate Publishing, worked for my county’s board of elections, and…so far, I have survived a pandemic.
3 Behind the scenes: my editor, Kathy Rothenberger, got the story clean enough for me to shop it at two conferences. It still needed work, so my mother took a look and made suggestions. Dear hubby helped with the Scottish side, and author Betty Bolte was kind enough to give it a read and make suggestions. It takes a village, they say!
4 Why this hero? Stone is a second son who bravely fought against Napoleon and spent some time as a spy. Wounded, he heads home when word arrives that his brother has died. Eric, our second son, fought for America while in Iraq but we were extremely fortunate that he came home to us unscathed. (His brother is fine, too)
5 What irks Stone? His mother’s ancestry. His English father taught him to despise everything Scottish. Check out what happens when a treasure hunt sends him to Scotland and he ends up in a kilt!
6 Who is Adele? She is a childhood friend of my hero. Ten years have passed since they kissed. Why they parted, why he disappeared from her life, and how he reacts when he finds out she married and was recently widowed brings surprises.
7 Why ‘Treasure Tales’ for my series’ name? A treasure is at the heart of the story, and I throw in hints of suspense, concerning things that go missing from Adele’s home. When a man tries to abduct her from the ball, she and Stone meet up once again. Adventure ensues!
8 Horses rule! I love horses and Stone’s war horse, Satan, plays a pivoting role. He saves the day in many ways. Another animal is shot to death, which was hard to write, but necessary.
9 Why do I love to set stories in Scotland? Why not?
10 The real answer to why I set this book partially in Scotland: This is my 30th romance and locating most of the action in Scotland is due to my love of that country. I have volunteered at the New Hampshire Highlands Games for over 25 years with family, but only recently discovered I am partially of Scottish descent. Ever since I wrote a book called Dragon’s Curse many years ago, I found the urge to write other Scottish historical paranormal novels. This book is not paranormal. Instead, it is a spicy romance based upon a mysterious treasure.
A Short Blurb
After Stone is wounded and thrust into an earldom, and Adele is widowed by an abusive husband, these star-crossed childhood friends meet at an English country ball, escape a kidnapper searching for a treasure, and depart for Scotland ahead of those intent on killing anyone in their way.
Excerpt from The Earl’s Treasure
“It’s up to me now,” Stone said to the horses. Their ears flicked back, as if listening. When Adele’s beauty shimmered in his head, the thought of making babies with her rose to a fever pitch, then fell just as fast. In order to beget the next earl he needed a nubile young innocent, not a barren, beautiful widow of twenty-six.
He sighed, then spied the peaked roofs of Gretna. Squeezing his fists until his knuckles hurt, he cursed. “Dear Lord! I am back in Scotland!”
Snow glistened on the thatched roofs, the village blacksmith’s hammer clanged, and the acrid scent of smoke made him cough. He steered the horses to an inn where they would stop for their comfort, then head to an area just north of town to eat the luncheon Sadie had packed for them. After he pulled on the reins to command the horses to stop he bounded to the ground, jarring his knees. Straightening, he rolled his aching shoulders. The one wounded in battle burned, as if the bullet remained deep in his flesh. A young lad appeared and gathered up the reins of their horses.
“Water them, but leave them hitched. We are not staying long.”
“Aye, my lord. Yer not getting’ hitched?” He chuckled at his own use of the slang word for being married over the anvil.
“No, lad.” He had tied his stallion to the back of the coach. “Don’t forget this one, lad, but be wary of his teeth.”
He opened the coach door and handed Adele down, with her eyes red-rimmed, and her steps unsteady. They entered the inn and she headed to the lady’s retiring room. The innkeeper recognized Stone which surprise him since he hadn’t been around since before he left for Eton.
“Sure as the day is half-past I recognize our Cora’s little lad,” the man said.
Stone pursed his lips, holding back the urge to tell the man what he could do with his statement. He never thought he looked anything like his Scottish mother, which seemed a blessing. Now, he wanted to have a drink, empty his bladder, and get back on the road.
“Yes, you have the right of it. Been ages since I visited Castle Bradan.”
“I’m sure ye had yer reasons, but the laird will love seeing ye.” The innkeeper poured whisky into a glass and set it in front of Stone.
Gingerly moving his foot, assured the gem rested between the leather and his wool stockings, he gulped the wee dram of aged Scottish whisky and awaited Adele. When she returned, he ordered her a tankard of spiced cider.
“Dear Lord!” the innkeeper said, “Is this little Adele Hartwell from the Glen House?”
“Aye, ’twas my name when a girl at da’s home. He passed away years ago, after I moved to Longtown.”
“Over yon border? Aye, I believe I heard telling of a baron winning yer hand.”
Stone marched away and took care of his personal needs while Adele stayed safe inside the inn with people she knew.
Let them reminisce about a life I no longer cherish.
Buy Links
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AUS
SPECIAL EBOOK PRICING NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 7TH!
What’s Next?
I hope to write several other books that feature secondary characters from this book. I recently released a tie-in story titled Love, Hamish. Find out how to get this novella FREE HERE.
More About the Author
Nancy Lee Badger grew up in Huntington on New York’s Long Island. After attending Plymouth State, in New Hampshire, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree and met and married her college sweetheart. They raised two handsome sons in Rumney, New Hampshire while dreaming of being a writer. When the children had left the nest, and shoveling snow became a chore, she retired from her satisfying job as a 911 Emergency Medical Dispatcher and moved to North Carolina, where she writes full-time.
Nancy is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, and the Triangle Association of Freelancers. She finds story ideas in the most unusual places. Connect with her here:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads
Earlier this month, I participated in a WFWA (Women’s Fiction Writers Association) webinar with writer Brigitte Russell. An educator, Brigitte has a PhD in history and has taught at both K-12 and post-secondary levels. In her work for the New Mexico Public Education Department, she has also delivered numerous in-person and webinar trainings for teachers and school administrators.
During the holiday season, if a holiday movie is on TV, I’ll watch. I can’t say the number of times I’ve seen some of them. They are a part of me and my holiday season as much as buying a Christmas tree, baking goodies, and partying with friends and family.
Born a prince in Nepal, Siddhartha lived a comfortable and sheltered life. While he could easily have enjoyed those circumstances, he traveled about the country witnessing the misery of old age, sickness, and suffering. Profoundly affected, he chose to leave his palatial home and seek the meaning of life.
Jordan James is the main character of my Jordan James, PI series and its protagonist. Please enjoy reading 10 interesting facts about her and her series.
When Jordan James decided to embark on a career as a private investigator, she never could have imagined that a chance encounter would lead to her staring down the barrel of a gun on the roof’s edge of a high-rise building. As she begins to investigate her first case, the puzzling murder of a prominent businessman that has left Boston’s finest mystified for more than two decades, she finds herself suddenly immersed in a treacherous underworld brimming with betrayal, raw greed, and political subterfuge of international proportions. In the midst of this, she discovers she is falling for her mysterious client despite the hints of his dark past. Can this feisty Southern girl with a penchant for trouble solve this baffling case, or is she doomed to become another tragic chapter in an international conspiracy?
“It all started with a favor . . .”
“What started out as a star-studded vacation has turned into a sensational avalanche . . .” When private investigator Jordan James decided to join her best friend on the set of her hit television series in the Rocky Mountains, she had no idea she would become a key player in a murder mystery more suited for the big screen than the slopes. With one actor dead and a killer on the loose, can Jordan uncover the culprit before another victim makes headlines on Hollywood Minute?
A Trip to the Big Easy Turns into a Big Nightmare…”
Joanne Guidoccio 