Texas Wedding for Their Baby’s Sake SECOND winner…

(I really need to crawl under a rock and make sure I have more coffee before drawing and posting winners, don’t I? 😦 A thousand humble apologies)

Through the magic of random.org, the second lucky winner of a signed copy of Ms Albright’s latest release is…

Willa

Congratulations! Please contact me at azteclady1 at yahoo dot com within 48 hours so we can get the book out to you.

Post a comment here if I don’t acknowledge your email, otherwise you forfeit your prize.

Read Full Post »

Lucky in Love SECOND winner is…

(More abject apologies to everyone)

The second lucky winner, drawn with the invaluable help of random.org, is…

Treva Smith

Please contact me at azteclady1 at yahoo dot com within 48 hours with your physical address so we can get your book out to you.

Remember to post a comment here if I don’t acknowledge receiving your email–otherwise you forfeit your prize.

Read Full Post »

Pleasure and Purpose SECOND winner is…

Apologies to everyone–had a little brain blink there. The winner of the unsigned copy of Megan Hart’s latest release, courtesy of Fatin, is…

Amy Kathryn

Please contact Mad within 48 hrs at mad at romancereaderatheart dot com with your physical address so she can get your book out to you.

Remember to post a comment here if you don’t receive confirmation from her.

Read Full Post »

Sharon Lathan ponders, “Why horses?”

Darcy and Lizzy venture away from Pemberley to journey through England, finding friends, relatives, fun, love, and an even deeper and more sacred bond along the way.

Having embarked on the greatest adventure of all, marriage and the start of a new life together, now the Darcys take the reader on a journey through a time of prosperity, enjoyment, and security. They experience all the adventures of travel, with friends
and relatives providing both companionship and complications, and with fun as their focus.

The sights and sounds, tastes and flavors of Regency England come alive. Through it all, Darcy and Lizzy continue to build a marriage filled with romance, sensuality, and the beauty of a deep, abiding love.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

There is a terrifically funny scene in the Disney flick George of the Jungle where a buff, long-haired George (Brendan Fraser) is running alongside a frisky horse with his shirt open and sculpted chest gleaming. Jane and several other women are watching him, utterly spellbound and drooling, when a couple guys observing the scene pipe up and say, “What is it about chicks and horses?” Of course it is hysterical because the women are so NOT looking at the horse. But yet, would even George be as appealing and virile and sexy if he were chasing a poodle? I think not!

There IS something about chicks and horses – at least where they are involved with handsome men. I have been atop a horse maybe five times in my entire life, counting pony rides at the fair, so I am miles away from any kind of an equestrian expert. Obviously women, even small ones, can handle a horse. They do it all the time. And a mature horse is certainly gorgeous and awe-inspiring all on its own. But, come on, be honest, don’t we somehow envision a powerful stallion in full gallop mode with a rugged, whiskered, and sweaty man controlling? Maybe wielding a sword at the same time? Or roping wild steers? Sure we do!

I can assure you that I was not thinking of George of the Jungle when I decided that my Mr. Darcy would be a superb horseman. But I was inspired by the general idea of men and horses. And, I confess, by the scenes in Pride & Prejudice (2005) when a masculine Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) is sitting on that black stallion glaring at Mr. Wickham and later crazily racing through the wood after being rejected by Elizabeth. Yum. I loved it and just had to include that facet as a part of his life.

Then I decided to take it a bit further. Research came into play as it always does in my story. Why stop at just creating a Mr. Darcy who was a skillful rider? That wasn’t all that unusual in an age where horses were the standard of transportation. Having a manly hero who can manage a huge beast can be creatively used in a clichéd chase scene or something, but it does not make him unique. So it occurred to me that all these horses had to come from somewhere, didn’t they? Someone had to breed them, right? Ends up that not only is the answer obviously yes, but horse breeding was a very lucrative business. And one that was undertaken by wealthy gentlemen, especially those with vast estate lands at their disposal. Fabulous!

My crash course in horses and everything associated with them is not, by any stretch, very complete. I learned enough to get by in my story. I wanted Darcy to be a man passionate about horses. I wanted horses to be an integral part of Pemberley’s economy. I wanted Darcy to be a hands-on type of Master, in various ways, but especially when it came to horses. Plausible? Sure!

I chose Thoroughbreds out of the various horse breeds common in English history because I also discovered via my studies that horse racing was a national sport that became a phenomenon during the reign of Queen Anne (1702-14). Racecourses like Newmarket and Epsom Downs sprang up all over the country. The rage escalated rapidly, leading to a group of elite gentlemen forming the Jockey Club in 1750, a group that still to this day sets all rules and standards for horse racing in England. Among the Jockey Club’s accomplishments was the regulation of all Thoroughbred breeding in the country. Only the purest bloodlines were allowed to race and breeders were required to follow stringent guidelines and keep meticulous records to prove that their horses could be traced back to the original three Arabians imported from the Middle East.

I think it goes without saying that under the climate of the day – and even still in the 21^st century – horse racing was hugely important and prestigious in England. I loved being able to write that into the history of Pemberley. Additionally, as financial sound and esteemed as breeding Thoroughbreds would have been, the Regency Era was a time of war. Actually, there had been several wars if you count that minor uprising across the pond in 1776! So breeding swift, intelligent, enduring horses for the military was also a money making proposition. It was almost a no-brainer to write the Darcy family in such a way. I only took it to the fun extreme of assigning a deep passion for horses as a major aspect of my Fitzwilliam Darcy. To the point that he personally commands the stable staff and even gets dirty in the training corrals. Now doesn’t that just sound yummy?

I hope you agree and will read my newly released novel, Loving Mr. Darcy: Journeys Beyond Pemberley where more of the history is explored, Darcy embarks on a new business venture to improve his stock, and also suffers a serious injury from a horse. Pretty exciting stuff! And of course the foundation is laid for all of this and more in my first novel in the Darcy Saga series, Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One.

Thank you, Fatin, for the opportunity to chat about my books! More can be gleaned by visiting my website, The Darcy Saga.  For now, share with me a favorite horse and macho man movie scene that sets your blood to racing. Come on, you know you have one!

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

Thank you for visiting, Ms Lathan!

Remember to leave a comment to enter a generous giveaway, sponsored by the fine folks at Casablanca, for two sets of the first two titles in the Darcy Saga—Mr & Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy and the just released Loving Mr Darcy.

(This giveaway is limited to residents of the US and Canada.)

Read Full Post »