Hello! My
name is Grace Elliot and it seems appropriate visiting a blog titled
"British Romance Fiction" to post about how British scenery provided
the inspiration for my latest historical romance, "Hope's Betrayal."
I love the Isle of Wight and it's a favourite bolt hole for me and
my family. The irony is that I worked in Portsmouth
for seven years, within sight of the island, and never once visited. It took
moving to London and a dinosaur-mad son wanting
to visit the newly opened Dinosaur
World Museum
We stay on
the coast near an area of notoriously treachorous shallows, where the beaches
shelve for miles out to sea making navigation difficult at anything other than
full high tide. It is only as the tide runs off that the hidden twisting
channels are revealed, like silver-ribbons at twilight, and it is these hidden
waterways that offered a passage for seasoned sailors over three hundred years
ago. In the Britain
of the late 1700's, the local fishermen knew these passages and it meant that
if they turned to smuggling, they could run rings around the Revenue men who
grounded their boats in pursuit.
Even to
this day, walking across the Duver out towards St Helens
beach, you can still get a strong sense of the history of the place. It doesn’t
take much imagination to walk along the causeway at nighttime with a torch and
wonder at the skill and nerve of those fishermen who navigated the waterways in
total darkness. And then there is the village green, with it's cluster of stone
cottages where the fishermen of old used to live. If you are anything like me
you can stare at them for hours, waiting for the stones to surrender their
secrets.
This
wonderful setting comes with its own history and local folk lore - and that's
where the inspiration for "Hope's Betrayal" came from. One local
story is that a local girl, a fisherman's daughter, helped her father with his
illicit smuggling. The Revenue men suspected him, but couldn’t prove anything
so they stationed an undercover officer on the Island .
But the story goes that the smuggler's daughter was so beautiful that the
officer fell in love and when she was caught on a raid, he couldn’t bear to
arrest her and let her go.
The
storyline to "Hope's Betrayal" was triggered by the idea of two
people on opposite sides of the law falling for each other. The clash of morals
would challenge and test their attraction, not to mention having a profound
impact on their families and colleagues. The result is story about smuggling,
human nature and…betrayal.
*****
Book Blurb and buy
links.
Hope's Betrayal (#2 The Huntley Trilogy.)
One wild, winter's night two worlds collide.
Known for his ruthless efficiency, Captain George Huntley is
sent to stamp out smuggling on the south coast of England . On a night raid, the
Captain captures a smuggler, but finds his troubles are just beginning when the
lad turns out to be a lass, Hope Tyler.
With Hope as bait, the Captain sets a trap to catch the rest
of the gang. But in a battle of wills, with his reputation at stake, George
Huntley starts to respect feisty, independent Hope. Challenged by her sea-green
eyes and stubborn loyalty Huntley now faces a new threat - his growing
attraction to a sworn enemy. But a love where either Hope betrays her own kind,
or Captain Huntley is court-marshaled, is not an easy destiny to follow.
Available from:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Smashwords.
Kobo
*****
Author Bio.
Grace
Elliot leads a double life as a veterinarian by day and author of historical
romance by night. Grace believes intelligent people need to read romance as an
antidote to the modern world. As an avid reader of historicals she turned to writing
as a release from the emotionally draining side of veterinary work.
Grace lives
near London and
is addicted to cats. The Elliot household consists of five cats, two teenage
sons, one husband, a guinea pig - and the latest addition - a bearded dragon!
Social Links.
Grace Elliot (blog) "Fall in Love With History." http://graceelliot-author.blogspot.com
Grace Elliot website
Grace Elliot Facebook
Twitter
@Grace_Elliot
2 comments:
Thank you for hosting me,
Grace x
It's ages since I went to the Isle of Wight. I do think little islands are fascinating places. Your story sounds great!
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