Yeah, yeah. I write dark modern paranormal romance for HQN Nocturne. But my alter-ego writes historical fiction and I’m a fan of all things Roman. I like the idea of a Vestal Virgin with a forbidden love. To that end, it’s my pleasure to welcome my Maryland Romance Writer chapter mate, Kate Poole as a guest today. Kate’s latest book has just released and she’s here to tell us about it:

Sara is the daughter of the emperor’s legate in Caledonia, the Roman name for Scotland. Annachie is a Pictish warrior captured by her father’s soldiers and made a slave. Their friendship grows into a love neither of them can even acknowledge, much less consummate. When her father finds them in what he thinks is a compromising position, he gives Annachie to a notorious slave trader and takes Sara back to Rome. Thinking that she will never see Annachie again, Sara agrees to become a Vestal Virgin. But six years later, her world is turned upside down when the games in the Coliseum feature the renowned gladiator, the “Beast of Caledonia”. Annachie! Only for him would Sara forsake her vow of chastity and risk her life. And when she faces the ultimate price for loving him, only Annachie may be able to save her.

Many thanks to Stephanie for allowing me to post on her blog.

The Beast of Caledonia is my second book, and a bit different from my usual Scottish settings. But not as much as you might think. The book starts in Rome, with flashbacks to when Annachie and Sara first meet–in Scotland, or “Pictland” as it was known at the time.

Most everyone has heard of Hadrian’s Wall, in northern England, but a lot of people don’t know that there was a second wall–the Antonine Wall–that bisects southern Scotland. Built by the emperor Antoninus in 148 A.D., it was meant to keep the “savages” out of Briton. But, as Annachie points out in Beast, it also kept the Romans out of Scotland!

I don’t remember when or why I got the idea for this story. I have been writing on it for 3 years, so it preceded HBO’s Rome series, and definitely Starz’s Spartacus. But I won’t deny that both those excellent shows helped me in my research. As did Colleen McCullough’s truly superb Rome series. I hope that I have given my readers a taste of the religion, customs, and violence of that time period which will peek their interest to explore these other media.

If you decide to give the Beast a try, I hope you enjoy it. If you do (or don’t!), please let me know: katepoole06@comcast.net

Thanks again, Stephanie, for letting steal your blog for a while!

Kate Poole, Anchor and Storm, Beast of Caledonia Coming August 24, 2010 – “Exhibition”

www.jasminejade.com www.katepoole.net

Inez Kelley is one of my favorite fellow authors, and I’m very excited about her fantasy romance series because I see too few historical fantasies for my taste. This is the second installment of a series, and I’m pleased to announce:

SALOME AT SUNRISE by releases today from Carina Press!

It’s not nice to piss off Mother Nature…

Bryton Haruk sets out on a suicide mission to stop the bloodthirsty Skullmen from terrorizing the war-weary Land of Eldwyn. Consumed by guilt over the death of his wife, Bryton seeks revenge and reunion in the afterlife with his lost love. His purpose is determined, his bravery unmatched, until the queen casts a spell to save Bryton from himself.

Salome is that spell. A bird-shifter, she can harness the earth’s breeze and take the form of a beautiful, innocent woman. Her challenge is to harness Bryton’s pain and guide him to peace. She entrances and irritates him, tempting Bryton from his mission. Even as he gives in to the passion between them, Bryton insists on mounting a solo attack on the brigands’ compound, and Salome fears her love won’t be enough to save him…

Celebrate Summer Solstice.

Salome at Sunrise from Inez Kelley and Carina Press.

Seize the day.

Buy it now.

Available now at Amazon!.
Emily Fenwick, former NYPD, is now reluctant defender of 1890 New York. Unfortunately for Emily, who hates “the creepy stuff,” she ignored her inner voice, went to a carnival in Central Park, and entered a Victorian tent in hopes a psychic would have some encouraging news about her woefully boring love life. The guarantee she receives of meeting a tall, dark, and handsome stranger comes with a huge catch–he lives in an alternate dimension of the past.

Jack Pettigrew leads a quirky band of lost souls in a battle to save New York circa 1890. Nightmares have come alive and threaten to terrorize a fragile era. Jack leads the “punks,” who have been sucked back in time through a vortex. Each has a fleeting memory of their own death–or near death–and must determine for themselves why they have been chosen for this mission. Is Steamside their Purgatory? Could an Egyptian obelisk in Central Park be the cause of the time rift, or is Emily herself to blame for the goblins, zombies, and other nightmarish scenes plaguing them?

If the Punks want to return to 2010, they must ensure there’s going to be an 1891. If they conclude they’re really ghosts, then it might be time to party like it’s 1999.

Dear Reader, Please note that while this book has some adult content, it is not ultra steamy romance. If you prefer hardcore gadget laden steampunk–look away. While this book has some steampunk elements, it is primarily a fantasy romance. Best wishes!

Eden Bradley’s story in the Smutketeers’ Wasteland anthology, Book Three: THE BREEDER, is out now! Buy it now at MBAM or on Amazon!

In 2012, the world came to a grinding halt as radiation hit from a massive solar storm. Crops died, animals perished, cities fell and humans became little more than beasts themselves. Under the threat of starvation, civility was reduced to mere memory. Only the strongest men survived, and physically weaker women and children wasted to nothingness.

More than a century later, humanity struggles in the desert Wasteland that was left. The solar radiation rendered most women infertile, and the population dwindles more with each year that passes. Scattered up and down coasts, isolated cities eke out an existence from fishing, foraging and hunting for what little game remains. Outside the city walls, men face the threat of pirates and raiders.

There is only one rule in the Wasteland—survive.

Book One: THE WANDERER — Crystal Jordan, May 4, 2010
Book Two: THE WHORE — Lilli Feisty, May 11, 2010
Book Three: THE BREEDER — Eden Bradley, May 18, 2010
Book Four: THE PRIESTESS — R.G. Alexander, May 25, 2010

THE BREEDER, Book Three in the Wasteland Series

Destined to serve the desires of an entire city, all she wants is one man. Or maybe two…

Wasteland, Book 3

Born to the Temple, Nitara knows the Great Goddess’s plan for her: to bring life into what is left of an arid and wasted Earth. Since puberty she has been trained to arouse and titillate, to ensure the continuation of the human race.
As is the custom, the man captured for her is strong of blood, though considered little more than a wild animal. Yet when she looks into his eyes, she sees no primitive creature, but the man whose face and hands haunt her sensual dreams.
For Akaash, a hunter and warrior, it’s his shame that he will be sacrificed to a goddess he doesn’t believe in, for a people who are not his own, leaving behind his Wanderer clan—and his bonded lover, Dhatri. Locked in the bowels of the Temple, he has a month to ponder his fate, all while falling helplessly under the spell of the virgin temptress who will soon take his life.
With each tortuously erotic encounter, however, Akaash realizes that Nitara is as much a prisoner as he. If he can just get a message out to Dhatri, there may be a slim chance both of them can escape…

* * *
You can find the entire Wasteland series at Samhain, and you can buy THE BREEDER there, or on Amazon! And visit the Smutketeers blog for excerpts, contests and more!