Writer Wednesday: Meet Sandy Loyd!

sandyloydWelcome to Writer Wednesday. We’re so glad you’ve taken a little time out of your day to meet our latest featured author, Sandy Loyd.

Sandy is a romance author who writes in several different subgenres (contemporary, romantic suspense, historical and time travel), bringing us “romance with a twist.” Gotta love that!

So gather up that leftover Halloween candy and chow down on some chocolate as you get to know Sandy a bit better! And once you’ve cleaned your fingers, I hope you’ll leave Sandy a note in the comments!


Passports to world travelWhat inspires you to write?

I’m inspired by life. By what I see around me and what I’ve learned through my experiences. I love to travel, especially to other countries, which always inspires me and gets the creative juices flowing.

People everywhere are essentially the same. Most care about what’s important in their lives, such as family, job security and having a home and enough to eat. What makes a foreign city interesting are the added challenges being in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar customs. I see a story in almost any setting.

Gate to ancient medina of Fez, Morocco
Gate to ancient medina of Fez, Morocco

Sitting on a train in a French city while people watching or being led through a Moroccan medina with a tour group, I create stories in my mind. Going through the Medina in Fez was an incredible experience. It’s totally different from anything in the US. It’s a city within a city located within a few square miles. It would be like going into a mega mall that also had food and housing in the 18th century. There are narrow passages that led to everything one might need to live – clothing, jewelry, furniture, food (from slaughtered chickens and pigs to fish, from spices, fruits and vegetables to rices and pastas). The mega structure had homes above the shops. I can’t remember how many lived within the medina, but we needed a guide to keep from getting lost. It took most of the day to tour the narrow passages crowded with Moroccans. Even animals like burros were a common sighting.

I ask myself what would happen if… Someone got lost while someone was chasing them? Why the chase and what would I do? From there a story is born. You get the idea. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to write all of the books that I’ve thought of, so I just come up with an outline and put it in a ‘New Stories’ folder.

 Heart shaped book pagesWhat is your favorite type of romance and why?

My favorite romance genre is Romantic Suspense/Mystery. I love twists and turns.

One of my favorite TV shows is NCIS. They always have some great twists, plus the characters are what make the show. I love the way they have all arced since its inception. They face danger, but they have a lot of fun while they do it.

Those are the kind of books I like. Great characters who face danger, but have a great time while doing it. I’m not into gore and darkness. I see that every day on TV. When I read for pleasure, I want more than just a romance. I want something fun and entertaining to lead me on a twisting adventure.

shannaWhat is your favorite romance novel of all time and why?

My favorite romance of all time is Kathleen Woodiwiss’s Shanna.

The book was an epic adventure with the ultimate hero – Ruark Deveraux Beauchamp. The author revolutionized romance with her first novel, and Shanna took it to new heights. I was hooked from the first chapter. I loved the mystery/suspense element woven into the plot as well as the island setting. Ruark went to great lengths to prove his love and commitment. It was one of the most romantic books I’ve ever read.


lowcountryA Bit About A Lowcountry Christmas Miracle:

Considering the bad blood between father and son, it will take a miracle to get Cade Duval to return to the Lowcountry for Christmas. Lacey Barnes has loved Cade since…forever…and feels up to the task of making sure it happens. Unfortunately, Cade’s in a relationship and Lacey would never poach. Success means her heart will be broken all over again. 

Yet, miracles have a way of happening at Christmastime. Like the miracle of finding true love and the miracle of family coming together. But the most wonderful miracle of all is the miracle of forgiveness.

Find A Lowcountry Christmas Miracle here:

Amazon | Nook | iBooks | Kobo 


Vintage TypewriterA Bit About Sandy:

Sandy Loyd has worked and lived in some fabulous places in the US, including Northern California and South Florida. She now resides in Kentucky and writes full time.

As a former sales rep for a major manufacturer, she’s traveled extensively throughout the US, and has a million stored memories to draw from for her stories. She spent her single years in San Francisco and considers that city one of America’s treasures, comparable to no other city in the world. The books in her California Series, starting with Winter Interlude, are all set in the Bay Area.

 Sandy is now an empty nester who has written almost two dozen novels. She strives to come up with fun characters—people you would love to call friends. We all know friends have their baggage and when we discover what makes them tick, we come to love them even more.

Whether she’s writing historical, time travel, romantic suspense, or contemporary romance, Sandy always tries to weave a warm love story into her work, while providing enough twists and turns to entertain any reader.

Want to connect further with Sandy? Find her here:

Facebook | Twitter | Website  


Thanks so much for joining us, Sandy! 

#Giveaway Contest: Put Some Sparks In Your July 4th With ROMANCE!

amatteroftimesmallTo celebrate July 4th, I’ve teamed up with more than 50 fantastic authors to give away a huge selection of historical romance novels, PLUS a Kindle Fire to one lucky winner!

I’m giving away my Regency time-travel romance, A Matter of Time, in which a modern-day Austenite’s dream comes true when she lands in the arms of a Regency duke, only to discover some fantasies aren’t all they’re cracked up to be when he proves less than a Prince Charming.

Enter the contest by clicking here: http://bit.ly/july-4th-historical

And check out some of the big names I get to participate with!

General-Historical-Romance-Giveaway-Final

 

Writer Wednesday: Meet Kelly Bowen

Kelly BowenHey there, and welcome back to Writer Wednesday!

Stopping by today, we have the fabulous historical romance author, Kelly Bowen! She chats just a bit about herself and her love for romance, then dishes on her latest release, A Good Rogue Is Hard To Find (the titles of her books crack me up, people. Could there BE a better name for a book?).

What type of romance do you love most and why?

My very favorite type of romance is when the plot uses a friends-turned-lovers trope.  It doesn’t matter what genre of romance it is, I love the depth of the relationship that two characters have when they’ve already seen the best and worst of each other.  And the sexual tension between friends discovering something more is deliciously intense.  

Two things people don’t know about me:

1. I coach volleyball.

2. I am a certified open water diver.  Which is ironic, considering I live about as geographically far away from an ocean that you can get (and I’m not counting Hudson’s Bay as an ocean!)

Favorite romance novel of all time:

One of my favorite romances of all time is Kris Kennedy’s Defiant.  I love strong heroines who aren’t waiting for rescue, and strong heroes who are a match for such a heroine.  The love story that develops and winds through this awesome adventure was mesmerizing.


Kelly’s latest book is A Good Rogue Is Hard to Find, Book 2 in the Lords of Worth series. 

A Good Rogue coverHE THOUGHT HE’D SEEN IT ALL . . .
The rogue’s life has been good to William Somerhall: He has his fortune, his racehorses, and his freedom. Then he moves in with his mother. It seems the eccentric Dowager Duchess of Worth has been barely skirting social disaster-assisted by one Miss Jenna Hughes, who is far too bright and beautiful to be wasting her youth as a paid companion. Now home to keep his mother from ruin, William intends to learn what’s afoot by keeping his friends close-and the tempting Miss Hughes closer still.

. . . UNTIL HE MEETS HER
He’s tall, dark, and damnably intelligent-unfortunately for Jenna. She and the duchess are in the “redistribution business,” taking from the rich and giving to the poor, and it’s going great – until he shows up. But even as William plots to make an honest woman out of her, Jenna will use all her wiles to reveal just how bad a rogue he can be . . .

Publisher’s Weekly says, “Bowen’s impish sense of humor is expressed by lively, entertaining characters in this wickedly witty Regency.  Pure romantic fun in the con-game comedy vein.”

Find it on Amazon, Amazon.ca, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, Indigo, Target, and iTunes.


Thanks so much for joining us, Kelly! It’s been a delight having you.