Today we have author Beth D. Carter visiting. Welcome!
What would you like to tell readers about yourself?
* I like writing about the very ordinary girl thrust into extraordinary circumstances, so my heroines will probably never be lawyers, doctors or corporate highrollers. I try to write characters who aren’t cookie cutters and push myself to write complicated situations that I have no idea how to resolve, forcing me to think outside the box. I love writing characters who are real, complex and full of flaws, heroes and heroines who find redemption through love. I love to hear from readers!
Find Beth D. Carter here…
Amazon Author Page | Blog/Website | Bookbub | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
A look into…
~ Q & A ~
Please tell us a little about your new release (The Scarlet Dove) without giving too much of a spoiler away.
* First of all, it’s a historical ménage romance set in 1888. It’s about a woman trying to find her place in a male-dominated world that has set parameters for how “proper” women should be.
Did you find any cool tidbits in your historical research for this book?
* So a lot of this story is about my heroine, Liza, and her desire to find her place in the wild west. She has a wild dream of becoming a doctor. I did a lot of research on if that was a possibility. I always try to use historical characters in my stories, if possible, and I was able to incorporate some of that into The Scarlet Dove.
Was it difficult getting the heroes to a point where they could let their guard down and be open to the possibilities of love?
* My two heroes, Blue and Apollo, are cousins. They’re tracking a dangerous killer and abductor of women. When they come across Liza, they’re unprepared for their attraction to her. I think it confuses the hell out of them and their jealous of each other. A ménage relationship isn’t in their radar at all, so love takes them by surprise.
How did you find that great balance between conflict and romance?
* Conflict can intensify emotions. I like using it to develop a bond between the characters.
What part of the story was the most fun to write?
* There is a very funny scene where Apollo and Blue put Liza on a train, and then realize the bad guy is on the train, so they race after it and jump onto it. It was like writing out a scene in a movie. The dialogue is hilarious.
Do you have a favorite line?
* I have so many it’s hard to narrow down to just one. Apollo and Blue have a great repertoire, flowing back and forth. Many lines can’t be taken in one context since there is a reason behind it. Here’s one (in response to Apollo asking “What can happen on a train?”): “Remember when you asked what could happen on a train?” Blue murmured back. “Now you know.”
What is your favorite subgenre of romance to write?
* I love paranormal and apocalyptic stories. They are very freeing to the imagination, and IMO, it really strips down a person’s relatability. I’ve just finished up an “end of the world” story, book one, and am plotting the second one now.
Are you in any of your books?
* Don’t all writers put themselves in their stories? There’s a little bit of me in every book, I think. Maybe it’s just a random thought or a gesture, but something of me is in all my characters.
When choosing the title for your book(s) do you have a process or do you wing it?
* Ah…titles are very important to me! Some are based off songs (A Man After Midnight came from “Gimme Gimme Gimme” by ABBA) and some come from a lot of thinking and soul searching. Sometimes I think of a unique title and try to build a story around it. The Scarlet Dove got its name because the nickname for prostitutes was “soiled dove”. I changed the name to scarlet because Liza is a red-head.
What’s on the horizon?
* Several things. I have a story coming out in an anthology. I’m finishing up edits in the last book of my World of Danger series. I submitted book 1 of 2 of an apocalypse story. I have a time travel ready to submit. And I have a couple more outlined, waiting to be written.
~ Blurb ~
* Can Liza find her place in a lawless world?
* When Liza Trent decided to become a mail order bride out west, she never imagined her fiancé would die before she arrived. His death places her in debt, and the only way to pay off the money is by auctioning off her virginity against her will. When she’s rescued by two handsome men, she mistakenly thinks they’re assassins. Despite her reservations, she accepts their protection.
* Only the two men, Apollo Beck and Blue Hawke, aren’t assassins. They’re Texas Rangers sent after a man who preys on women, and their dangerous hunt has just brought Liza into the line of fire.
* Confused with the attraction she feels for two men, Liza has a difficult decision before her: commit to loving Apollo and Blue or commit to her burning desire to become a doctor…unless she’s found and taken for revenge first.
* Content Warning: contains violence, strong language, and explicit sex scenes, including anal sex
~ Excerpt ~
* “It’s him,” Liza whispered in a hate-filled tone. “The man who tricked me.”
* “Reynolds,” Blue spat.
* “All three of you!” Reynolds screamed. “You’ll pay! You’ll pay for everything!”
* The gun wavered in an unstable hand. Blue and Apollo glanced at each other and then charged forward. A shot exploded and Apollo went down. Blue tackled Reynolds to the ground. The two men rolled around, each trying to get the upper hand.
* Apollo did his best to try to focus on the two men, but agony lanced through him as he tried to get to his feet. Black spots danced in front of his eyes, and he honestly didn’t know how bad he was shot.
* And then a pair of soft, steady hands took his away. “Let me see,” Liza softly said.
* “Uh,” he moaned. “Blue—”
* “Is holding his own,” she interrupted him. Though she carefully probed, the pain rippled through Apollo, and he halted her hand. “You need medical help,” she told him.
* “Get Reynolds first,” he panted.
* Her eyebrows arched. “You know him?”
* “I was sent to kill him.”
* Her mouth fell open, and she looked from him to where Blue still fought with Reynolds.
* “There’s a blade in my boot,” he whispered, wiggling his right foot and bringing her attention back to him. “Give it to Blue.”
* She hesitated for only a second before reaching for the marked boot. He felt her hand slide in and grab the hilt. She slid it free and rose, turning to the fight that had attracted several people’s attention.
* “I have a knife, Blue!” she called out.
* In a flash, Blue spun away from Reynolds and grabbed the knife from Liza’s shaky hand. As he turned back, he let it fly. They watched as it flipped end over end and buried itself into Reynolds’s shoulder, right where the arm and chest met. For a moment, no one moved. Then the confused crowd rushed to help Reynolds, who stumbled away, and Blue turned to grab Liza’s hand and hurry over to Apollo.
* “You need medical attention,” he said without preamble, mimicking Liza’s earlier statement.
* “Not here,” Apollo growled. “Help me up.”
* “You should rest,” Liza said.
* “You think anyone is going to help the people responsible for burning down half the town?” As he sat up with a gasp of pain, Blue let go of Liza’s hand to help him stand. “Is Reynolds dead?”
* They all looked at the small crowd that had moved in to help Reynolds when the blade had got him, only to see the crowd starting to point at them and talk. Reynolds was nowhere to be found.
Buy The Scarlet Dove here…
Amazon – US | Beachwalk Press
Thank you for joining us here today, Beth D. Carter! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.
Casey's Corner 