It has been a busy week for Ms. Stuart with the Romance Writers Conference and definitely time to put the feet up in front of a roaring log fire and enjoy a cup of tea with an old friend, fellow historical romance writer, Erin Grace.Ms Grace, like Ms. S, is rather partial to dressing the part and has graced previous Romance Writers Conference in full Victorian Costume, including a crinoline and a bustle (not at the same time!). She was missed this year.
Erin, you are a lady of discernment and taste and, I suspect a lover of fine tea. Will you join me in a pot of afternoon tea?
EG: My afternoon ritual isn't simply to have a huge mug of steaming hot tea (AS...Oh, so sorry...I will put it away!) - no,
that's my morning ritual! - afternoon tea is a special time for me. I like to
take a few moments to brew a proper cup, warming the pot first then dressing a
small tray with my favourite cup and saucer (tea always tastes best from
porcelain), milk, sugar and some biscuits to nibble on. (AS...don't mind if I do. My cook is on holiday!)
And whilst I admit I don't always have time for such an indulgence, I found that on my recent travels to the United Kingdom that they take afternoon tea much more seriously. Cake must be had, and biscuits too. Weather permitting, a small table outside would be laid with a pretty porcelain tea set and all the trimmings. Failing that, a delicious 'Cream Tea' of tea, scones, jam and clotted cream, could usually be found nearby to satisfy hungry appetites - dinner wouldn't be til eight.
My first real Cream Tea was had aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia, on a lovely sunny day in Scotland. Yes, it really was a lovely sunny day. Hardly the kind of weather to inspire those misty Highland stories I love to write and read.
But for now, I'll just have to pop the kettle on, warm the pot and settle in for some more words about Katie and Callum, the heroine and hero of my coming book 'From the Ashes'.
'From the Ashes' is the sequel to my time travel romance 'Love in Ruins' and should be available before Christmas.
Excerpt..
And whilst I admit I don't always have time for such an indulgence, I found that on my recent travels to the United Kingdom that they take afternoon tea much more seriously. Cake must be had, and biscuits too. Weather permitting, a small table outside would be laid with a pretty porcelain tea set and all the trimmings. Failing that, a delicious 'Cream Tea' of tea, scones, jam and clotted cream, could usually be found nearby to satisfy hungry appetites - dinner wouldn't be til eight.
My first real Cream Tea was had aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia, on a lovely sunny day in Scotland. Yes, it really was a lovely sunny day. Hardly the kind of weather to inspire those misty Highland stories I love to write and read.
But for now, I'll just have to pop the kettle on, warm the pot and settle in for some more words about Katie and Callum, the heroine and hero of my coming book 'From the Ashes'.
'From the Ashes' is the sequel to my time travel romance 'Love in Ruins' and should be available before Christmas.
Excerpt..
Suppressing a sudden swell of nausea, he forced a smile. “Sure I can ride.” Shit. Ride? Seriously? He hoped there was a shovel somewhere nearby, cause he was getting in deeper by the minute. “But, before we go anywhere, don’t you think it’s about time you told me your name? I mean, if we are to trust each other.”
She glanced away, then brushed a short spiral lock of hair from her face.
“Heather...Heather Macdonald.”
“Okay then, Heather Macdonald. Why do I get the feeling we’re not going to Mackinnon keep?”
She met his eye with a determined stare.
“We will be, ye have ma word. But first I must find out what happened ta Robbie. And, if ye have nothing ta hide, then ye willna protest going with me.” She gathered up the reins and nodded toward the horse. “Now, do ye want to be in front or back?”
Man. At any other moment that question would have had him grinning ear to ear, but this time he wasn’t amused.
On unsteady legs, he approached the animal and determined the best way to mount it without looking like a complete idiot. There didn’t appear to be any stirrups or a saddle to cling onto, and the closest he’d ever come to riding was sitting on a lead pony at a carnival when he was six.
But hey, he’d watched plenty of westerns on television, how hard could it be?
Erin Grace’s love of collecting and reproducing antique lace led to a deep connection with the past. She felt every snippet of the precious fabric held a unique story – one Erin longed to tell.
But, as no two pieces of lace are the same, neither are Erin’s stories. Escaping from her ‘real world’ of sales and marketing, she immerses herself in unfolding tales of dire circumstance, brave heroines, unscrupulous villains and, of course, passionate hot-blooded men.
When not writing, Erin indulges in her love of home-style food by teaching her children to cook. Erin lives with her husband and three sons in the beautiful Blue Mountains of Australia.
To find out more about Erin Grace, visit her website: http://www.eringrace.info/
To find out more about Erin Grace, visit her website: http://www.eringrace.info/
Thank you for being my guest this week and sharing some of you work in progress with us. Next time we share a cup of tea I must ask you about your lace. My grandmother, the late Gabrielle Pond was a world expert on antique lace and tried desparately to interest me. I was a total fail...
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