Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Wednesday Word Wizard: Jane Beckenham

Current Read: Mistress of Pleasure by Delilah Marvelle

Welcome to another historic day here at Armchair Heroines! Today's Word Wizard is none other than Jane Beckenham. Jane is our first featured author from New Zealand!


LOVE IN WAITING
Jane Beckenham
Publisher: Cerridwen Press
ISBN 978 14199 17653
Release date: 31 July 2008

Adventure and love has always come from books for Jayne Seatoun until she wins a competition to visit England. But breaking and entering a crypt wasn’t on the agenda, nor was traveling back nearly five hundred years and being caught up in the politics of King Henry the 8th’s Court as she searches for a way home and ends up running for her life.

Tired of battle and bloodshed Lord Callum Broderick’s loyalty is divided. Does he save his sister, his lover or his neck from the executioner’s block? Love, honor and loyalty are codes Callum lives by...until he has to choose.

"Love in Waiting - a tale of eternal love, nearly lost in time. A wonderful new read from historical romance author, Jane Beckenham." (Melody Knight, author of GlassWorks, In Trysts, Of Dragons)

LOVE ACROSS THE AGES....
LOVE IN WAITING
Jane Beckenham






Here's an excerpt from Jane's book:


Excerpt One

Jayne Seatoun vacillated. It felt sacrilegious to be treading over this ancient spot, and yet she had to be here, the pull to enter so great she could not have retreated from the threshold. Hands trembling she reached out and trailed icy fingers across the engraved tombstone. Though her voice a hushed whisper, she read the inscription.


The past and the present so long entwined
Where hearts shall meet, time shall wait
And to love, is to mimic life
Take hold. I wait for thee.

Amidst the silvery blue lights of a shadowed moon filtering through the crumbling crypt walls, the words, cast in stone, were almost ethereal.
Her eyelids lowered and she repeated the words, each one more alive than the next. The tips of her fingers caressed the engraved stone. Pitted by the passing years, it felt warm to the touch.
Her eyes flicked open.
“Don’t be fanciful, Jayne,” she chided aloud. How could stone be warm? The recently excavated crypt, hidden for hundreds of years from the warmth of the sun emitted a chill that sank deep into her bones.
No life stirred here.
Only the forgotten tombs of death, lives loved and lived, remained.
But it was ancient, and that alone filled Jayne with an excitement nothing could vanquish. York and its stone walls were filled with so much history compared to her home in the States.
There, old meant barely two hundred and fifty years had past. But the York Minster with its Gothic window, housed behind the city’s stone walls had been built before the United States even existed.
Here, history surrounded her. The past hadn't died and that was exactly as she wanted it. She wanted to see the history, feel it.
“You waited for me, Jayne."
An instant guilty heat stained her cheeks and she pirouetted.
Caught out again, Seatoun! Sneaking where you shouldn’t.
Goosebumps skittered up and down her spine as she peered into the eerily lit crypt. “Who's there?"
But only silence replied. The small tomb containing one of England's long-forgotten titled families was, except for her, empty.
Cradling her bag to her chest she hugged it tight as if it would offer a semblance of security and circled the room once more.
Still nothing.
She frowned. She had heard a voice. A man's voice. Strong. Expectant. You waited, he had whispered.
A fractured laugh slipped past her lips. “He?" He...didn't exist. And she was alone. Yet Jayne didn't feel alone. And that scared her. Fear coiled in her belly, tangling with a heightened anticipation; sensations capturing her the moment she spied the crypt...and entered.


"Love in Waiting - a tale of eternal love, nearly lost in time. A wonderful new read from historical romance author, Jane Beckenham." (Melody Knight, author of GlassWorks, In Trysts, Of Dragons)

LOVE ACROSS THE AGES....
LOVE IN WAITING
Jane Beckenham

And here is my interview with Jane:


Tell us about your latest release, Love In Waiting.
As a teen I loved reading about the court of Henry 8th and so when I decided to write another time travel (my firsts were Woman of Valor, and Be My Valentine) setting my heroine in this time period was natural. However, I must say it was a hard period to research. Callum Broderick the hero has a choice to make. Family versus his King. Loyalty and honor are ingrained in him, and yet to choose one above the other can bring dire consequences. Add in the heroine from 2007 who says things he can never understand and Callum is torn. Does he listen to his heart, or his head?

For my heroine, not only coming to grips with the fact that she’s been tossed back in time, knowing she has no idea how to get back, her life will never be the same. But then love gets in the way, and we all know that changes everything.

You have nine books published. Congratulations! Do you have one favorite? And if so, why?
Thanks Tiffany. Nine does sound a lovely number doesn’t it! Well number nine DESPERATELY SEEKING SANTA is only just contracted, so not quite out yet. I think of all my books I love HE’S THE ONE, the most. I just love Cade Harper. He’s so sexy, so funny at times and what gal wouldn’t love a guy with a Mustang! Also when I was having coffee one day with authors Melody Knight and Eve Summers this guy drove in a red Mustang, parked right beside us, got out…oh be still heart. He was very drool worthy. I turned to the others and said …”This guy is Cade.” Unfortunately, he drove off!

What are you reading right now?

I’m reading a bunch of Silouhette Desires, plus I’m re-reading Ashblane’s Lady by Sophia James. It’s so beautiful and I thoroughly recommend it.

I'll add that one to my "to be read" pile! Any all-time favorite books?
I love Sandra Hill’s books – so all of those, but probably Desperado the most. Love too all of Sophia James books. But I couldn’t just choose one.

Tell us a little about life in New Zealand and being an author in New Zealand.
Well NZ is a small country in size and population. We’ve only 4 million. I live in Auckland, our largest city with one million population. And because we’re made up of 2 islands (and lots of little ones) we’re surrounded by ocean and in many ways that plays a big part of our lives/sport etc. Being a NZ author has some pros/cons. Our voice is quite fresh and different from our Northern Hemisphere cousins and quite a few of us are being picked up because we’re just that bit different. However, on the marketing/promo side it is difficult because we’re so far away. However, we’re on the most part very supportive of each other and I know I’ve made some lifelong friends.

I have met some wonderful friends through writing as well! You have a husband and two daughters. How do you balance writing with family life?


With great difficulty at times. I tend to get up very early – well 5 a.m., then get the kids off to school/work and because I do a night job from home, I write during the day, then again sometimes at night.


Remind me to learn how to relax… I am trying.


But in saying that, I just went to Melbourne Australia for the Romance Writers Conference there. It was a fabulous time, 3 days and then 2 days to play/shop!

I love writer's conferences! The energy is amazing. OK, here is a "random" question for you: On your website you said The Island of the Blue Dolphins was the first "real" book you can remember reading. So, in the spirit of that book, if you were stranded on a desert island what three things would you most wish to have with you?

Hubby, because he knows how to light a fire, chocolate and matches for the fire so we can be rescued….oh and soap - yes I know that’s four, but I can’t stand being dirty. All that sand and stuff. Very ikky.


That's wonderful, Jane! Thank you so much for being here today.


We have a PDF e-book from Jane up for grabs today, so let us know what's on your mind, ask Jane some questions...you know the drill! :0) Also be sure to visit Jane's website at http://www.janebeckenham.com/.


Happy Wednesday, everyone!

54 comments:

J.K. Coi said...

Hi Jane, wonderful interview. I can't wait for Love In Waiting!

Anonymous said...

jane where do you get your names for the hero's from

angie

Shiela Stewart said...

Excellent interview,Jane!

I too am interested in King Henry the 8th and that time period. I love watching the Tudors. :)
I am definitely going to have check this book out. :)

Anita Davison said...

Hi Jane, thought I would look up from my laptop and see what's going on in the rest of the world - Love in Waiting is a light-hearted romp where Jane sends her heroine into a romantic past where they've yet to hear about loo paper. - Fun to read and a lovely story.
Congratuations Jane

Jane Beckenham said...

Thanks JK, it's out now with Cerridwen Press. I'm so happy they loved it because it was a book very dear to me.
Regards
Jane

Jane Beckenham said...

Not sure where I get the names from, they just pop into my head. Was talking to author Melody Knight yesterday seeing what she thought of a possible name for a coming hero - Tanner Holt.
I do notice that i have lots of names starting with C, T, L - weird.
Callum in Love in Waiting came from a writer friend whose son was called Callum.
Regards
Jane

Jane Beckenham said...

Thanks Shiela. I've missed most of the Tudors but hopefully i'll get it in DVD, just got to take the time to find it!
I remember as a little girl falling in love with the Tudor period.

Jane Beckenham said...

LOL Anita. Imagine, no loo/bog paper. Scary thought. So what would you take to the past?

Jane

Carine said...

Hi Jane,
I love the cover of Love in Waiting. Was it your idea or the publishers'?
If you had to do another historical romance would you set it in an "easier" period of history or what period / country would you still like to write about?

Anita Birt said...

Your opening lines were hook perfect. You described place and time so well I was there and could feel it. I love time travel and this one is a beauty. My time travel, Ring Around The Moon, reverses the usual direction. My hero comes from the past to the present! And that creates a host of problems.

Carine said...

You've done time travel - having your heroines going into the past. What about going the other way - into the future? Would you ever consider doing a futuristic time travel romance? Talk about weird, eh.

Jane Beckenham said...

Hi Carine Thank you for your comments about the cover of LIW. Most of my covers have characters on them, so i was a bit worried about this one, but i've had great feedback. And wud i choose this time period again? Not sure. It was a difficult period to write mostly because so much was happening at the time. I am hoping to write another one set in Jamaica, like Be My Valentine was. But I am also writing my second regency at the momemt, plus I have an historical set in the late 1600s to do with the Huguenots in editing stage at the moment.
Regards
Jane

Jane Beckenham said...

Thanks Anita
Isn't that fun when you write one of the characters coming forward, so much to play with!
Regards
Jane

Jane Beckenham said...

I do deal with this in LIW Carine, but won't give too much away LOL
I don't think I would ever do a future as in say the year 3050 time travel, for me that is more sci fi, and I don't write or read that genre...I'll leave that up to you!
Jane

Tiffany James said...

J.K. Coi,

Thanks for visiting Armchair Heroines! Love In Waiting is available right now - unless you want to wait and see if you are the lucky winner! Here is a link to purchase: http://www.cerridwenpress.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419917653

Tiffany :0)

Nicole B said...

Hi Jane
congratulations on Love in Waiting being published. I can't wait to read it. And the cover is absolutely beautiful.
Cheers
Nicole B

Tiffany James said...

Angietheresa,

Great to see you again at AH! I, too, love Jane's heroes name. Great question!

Tiffany

Tiffany James said...

Sheila,

Thanks for visiting Armchair Heroines! I can't wait to sit down and watch the Tudors - I'll have to wait for the DVDs, though.

Tiffany

Tiffany James said...

Anita,

Yikes! No loo paper...Jane you didn't tell me about that! Call me a prima donna, but it would have to be one hot man to keep in a world without loo paper (TP here in the states). :0)

Tiffany

Tiffany James said...

Jane,

I find many of my heroes have names that start with "J"!

Tiffany

Tiffany James said...

Carine,

Welcome to Armchair Heroines! Great question, and I think Jane's cover is gorgeous, too. But I'm a sucker for anything with sparkling stars and castles!

Tiffany :0)

Tiffany James said...

Anita,

Thanks for stopping by AH! Your time travel sounds interesting, too. I was thinking the other day that it would be fun to write a time travel where a modern man travels to the historic heroine. Maybe write it from her point of view! Have you ever read one like that?

Tiffany

Tiffany James said...

Nicole B,

Thanks for joining us at Armchair Heroines. Glad you enjoyed Jane's interview!

Tiffany

Jane Beckenham said...

Many thanks Nicole. Hopefully the cover hints at time and the comet spectacular that is part of the time travel phenomenon.

Regards
Jane

Jane Beckenham said...

Hey we're women Tiffany, we can figure out loo paper, but it's chocolate, or the lack of it, i'm not sure i could cope without.
Jane

Carine said...

You seem to have a lot of things going on at the same time - writing-wise; writing this, editing that, working on another ...How do you juggle them all? How do you keep track of each story and their characters? How do you not confuse the different historical periods / places?

hotcha12 said...

awesome interview and i just finish another one of your books.

wtg viola, you'll love reading jane.

linda B. had to sign up my dh as i forgot my name. lol

Carine said...

Where do you write? Do you have an office or a special area designated just for your writing?

Carine said...

Jane, I agree about not being able to cope without chocolate - but hey, we'd just have to go and invent it!LOL

Helen Hardt said...

The book sounds wonderful, Jane! And I love that you live in New Zealand. That's a place I've always wanted to visit.

Helen

Yvonne Eve Walus said...

Hi Jane

With the Tudors on TV and Philippa Gregory's bestsellers being made into movies, this book looks destined for the New York Times Top 10.

Yvonne

Tiffany James said...

Jane,

I stand corrected...the absence of chocolate is, by far, a much more pressing (and depressing) issue! Loo paper be damned! I'll take my chocolate, thank you.
:0)

Tiffany

Tiffany James said...

Linda B,

Thanks for joining us at Armchair Heroines! Viola actually won Renee Knowles's books...Jane's is still up for grabs. Whoo-hoo!

Tiffany

Tiffany James said...

Hi, Helen!

Great to see you. We should go to New Zealand...we could be like Thelma and Louise - only without the driving the car over the cliff thing! :0)

Tiffany

Tiffany James said...

Carine,

Awesome questions! Wish I could hire you as an interviewer! :0)

Tiffany

Tiffany James said...

Yvonne,

Thanks for joining us! I think you're right - look out list climbers! Here comes Jane! :0)

Tiffany

Jane Beckenham said...

Carine: juggling is my second name
But i do keep an spread sheet where i log all my ms and what is out with which publisher, at what stage, when i queried, followed up etc, or what was rejected LOL
As far as my characters are concerned, i will do the same if there are lots of details, i absolutely love doing character interviews and lots of info comes from that which i often highlight for easy referencing.

Jane

Jane Beckenham said...

Thank you hotcha. glad you like them. That gives me warm fuzzies!
jane

Jane Beckenham said...

Carine: I write in an office at home, so i can just fall out of bed and work in my jammies if i want... but i don't, well at least not all day! But this office does become a catchall area and at times i have to stop and give it a good clean up.

Helen: Thank you. Yes NZ is a nice place, and it's coming into summer which is great, coz we had a horribly wet winter.
Jane

Jane Beckenham said...

OH Yvonne, you can be my friend for life! A NY top ten, wudn't that be nice!
jane

Elaine Cantrell said...

Hi, Jane,

I've never been to New Zealand, but all the pictures I've seen are beautiful. Congratulations on your books. I don't blame you for picking the Tudor period for your new book. It's fascinating.

Elaine Cantrell
www.elainecantrell.com

Tiffany James said...

Hi, Elaine!

Great to see you! I'd love to learn more about the Tudor period - I'm afraid that bit of my historical education is lacking.

Tiffany

Jane Beckenham said...

Thanks Elaine.
Yes NZ is lovely, 4 million people and about 60, million sheep!

jane

Eva S said...

Hi Jane and Tiffany,
thanks for the interview! I've always liked timetravel and will look for your books... I love finding new authors with many published books, there will be many new books on my to-be-bought list!

Asylumgirl said...

Oooh, I like time traveling books. They take me back to one of my first romance loves....A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux.
How is the weather in New Zealand? I would love to visit, it looks lovely.

Deidre
deidre_durance@hotmail.com

Heather Redmond said...

Hi Jane!

How do you keep so many projects going at once, in addition to doing promotion?

Heather/Anh

Tiffany James said...

Eva,

Hello! Great to see you.

I, too, love time travel books! And now with the advent of internet booksellers, I can find just about any title my little heart desires! :0) I feel a bit like a time traveler myself.

Tiffany

Tiffany James said...

Hi, Deidre!

Great to see you! I'll have to add Knight in Shining Armor to my to-be-read list...along with all of Jane's books. I guess I better get reading! :0)

Tiffany

Tiffany James said...

Heather,

I asked Jane the same question. I'm not even published yet and I can't keep up!

Thanks for joining us!

Tiffany

Carine said...

m anTiffany; You can hire me anytime you want! - How well do you pay?:)LOL

Jane: - Spreadsheets! Of course! How clever! I would've never thought of that.

Hi Yvonne, remember me? We met at Jane's once. I think you're right - she's heading for great things...

Carine said...

Jane; how does your family feel about your writing? Do they support you? Or do they think what you do is a waste of time? Do they read your books?

Dena said...

Wonderful interview, I always like learning new things about Writers. Your book Love in Waiting sounds really good. I also read Island of the Blue Dolphins. It was my daughters but I found it more interesting.

Tiffany James said...

Carine,

The pay stinks! :0) It's nonexistant...

Tiffany

Tiffany James said...

Dena,

I also liked Island of the Blue Dolphins better than my daughter!

Tiffany