The Ransom Pre-Release Party and Giveaway!

Ahoy! Welcome to the pre-release party for The Ransom, Book 4 in my Legacy of the King's Pirates Series!!
(cover design by Dineen Miller http://dineenmiller.com/)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Every Friday for the next 4 weeks, I'll be posting something about the book and characters and giving away a free copy of The Ransom (either e-book or print) to one lucky winner. All you have to do is read through the post and answer the question I pose at the end. Simple, eh?

For those of you who haven't read my Legacy of the King's Pirates series (What are you waiting for? Just kidding)  you won't be lost. Though some characters from the series are mentioned in this story, it is really a stand-alone.

Can I share something with you? The only time I've been more excited about one of my books releasing was with my very first one. It's so great to be back in the Caribbean and I just know you're going to love the story! So, without further adieu.

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Port Royal, Jamaica 1692

Living in a city deemed the wickedest in the world is no easy task for Miss Juliana Dutton. To make matters worse, with an ailing father and a drunken fool for a brother, she is forced to take over the running of the family business in order to survive. When a meddlesome suitor threatens to discover her secret and cast them all onto the streets, she agrees to a spurious engagement with the town buffoon, Lord Munthrope. She only hopes the man is trustworthy.

The Pirate Earl, Alexander Hyde, son of the infamous Captain Edmund Merrick Hyde, is the most feared pirate in Port Royal. Disillusioned with the religion of his parents and the pleasures of the world, Alex staves off his emptiness by leading a dual life to hide his deepest secrets.

A long-time enemy is out to destroy Alex and take Juliana for his own. Struggling to maintain her faith in the Divine, Juliana faces her problems bravely, but the harder she tries, the more it seems everything is working against her. Unwittingly, she and her weak fiancé become entangled in the hostility between  the Pirate Earl and his enemy, while even more dangerous forces are rising up to destroy them all.

Allow me to present to you the heroine,


Miss Juliana Dutton. 

At only twenty years of age, Juliana Dutton carries the entire burden of her family’s support on her shoulders. With an ailing father and a wastrel brother, she has been forced to run the family shipping business in secret in order to keep them from poverty. With honey-blonde hair and sea-blue eyes, she is the object of much desire in the thriving British port town of Port Royal, Jamaica. In particular, the handsome naval officer, Captain Nichols is determined to make her his own. Yet something about the man puts her off. Besides, if Juliana has learned one thing in life, it is to not trust anyone. Everyone--in particular every man—in her life has abandoned her and let her down.  She is very charitable and her kindness extends to both orphans and to trollops down by the docks. Which is where she meets the infamous Pirate Earl, a man who continually appears at the exact moment in which she needs protection.  But can she trust a pirate?

Strengths: Confident, Hard-working, Smart, Courageous, Charitable, Kind, Nurturing

Weaknesses: Stubborn, Rash, Proud, Judgmental, Independent, distrusting

Quirks: To help sooth her fears and anxieties, Juliana plays the violin, an activity that was frowned upon for a woman in that time.

Inspiration:  I modeled Juliana after the women I’ve met throughout the years who, for some reason or another, have found themselves taking on the role of single parents and the sole providers of their homes. At one point in my life, I was such a person and I understand the strength it takes and the enormous weight of responsibility. I also understand the dichotomy of having a great distrust of men while longing for someone to trust and depend on, someone to share the burden. This is Juliana. Kind, good, desperate for help and love and to be able to trust anyone. She is a woman outside her time, trying to make it in a man’s world when the discovery of her secret would send her and her family onto the streets. I love her courage, her faithfulness to her family, her hard work and wit. And I cry with her in her exhaustion and fears.    

Question:  Do you know any women like Juliana who are the sole providers for their family? If so, what inspires you about them? Have you ever been in that position? Now transport yourself back in time over 300 years  and try to imagine the added stress of worrying that if anyone found out you were running a business, everything would be taken away from you. Any thoughts on how far women have come over the centuries??

Leave your answer, along with your email address.  Print copies only available in the US. E-book copies everywhere.

P.S. This book is not yet available in stores. Release date is early March!

Thanks for joining the party!!  Tune in next week to meet the hero, Alexander Hyde!