Friday, March 29, 2013

Guest Blogger: Mary Hart Perry, Author of Seducing the Princess


BLURB:

Mary Hart Perry’s acclaimed series of romantic Victorian thrillers continues with Seducing the Princess, inspired by the life of Queen Victoria’s youngest daughter Beatrice. Painfully shy and lonely, convinced she is unattractive and unloved, the dutiful Princess Beatrice finally accepts that she will never marry and vows to devote herself to the queen in Victoria's waning years. In fact, her mother has secretly discouraged suitors for Beatrice’s hand. Just when Beatrice has all but given up on love and happiness, she meets Henry Battenberg, a dashing nobleman from the Continent who matches wits with the aging Victoria and risks his life and liberty to woo Bea.


But Henry isn't the only man interested in being welcomed into Beatrice's bed. The timid princess has become the target of a cruel plot hatched by her nephew, the madman destined to become the last Emperor of Germany. Wilhelm II sends a ruthless agent, a charming Scot, to seduce the naive princess and spy on the queen. How can the sheltered princess hope to fend off a man capable of murder, and perhaps worse, to get what he wants? But Beatrice is not without her own allies--her older sister Louise and Louise's American soldier-of-fortune and lover, Stephen Byrne. Will Beatrice discover which of the two men pursuing her she can trust, before it's too late? Drama, romance and peril chase the royal family from Buckingham Palace to a storm besieged castle on the Isle of Wight.

Connections by Mary Hart Perry

I was thrilled to learn I'd been invited to post a guest blog on The Book Connection. What a great service you perform for readers. And you know what? It is "the cutest blog on the block"! ;-)

I've been thinking about connections lately. Yes, we all connect through the books we read, recommend to others, and discuss. But people connect in other ways that writers have long recognized, and use to draw an audience for their stories. I'm talking about our shared emotions and needs.

Because you, I, and everyone who reads this has strong feelings about certain subjects, we sympathize with each other when one of our children is hurt, when someone loses a job, nature ravages our homes...or anything else bad happens to one of us. We also feel happy when we hear good news about someone else and we see them smiling, laughing, celebrating. We care about each other, partly because we imagine what it would be like if that same "thing" happened to us.

That's why writers who are particularly good at showing their characters in a state of emotional turmoil tend to attract a lot of readers. When the hero or heroine suffers, we hurt too. When a character we've bonded with seizes victory, we cheer for their success.

These are some of the elements that I work at hardest in my own fiction. When I write about a son or daughter of Queen Victoria, in the 19th century, struggling to protect the queen, win the heart of their beloved, or foil a villainous scheme--I want the reader to feel such a close affinity to that character that he/she understands what it was like to actually be that character.

And isn't that part of the joy of reading? We escape into another person's life for a short while. We experience many things we couldn't from our own home, or in our own time or country. So I invite you to read books that truly transport you. There are a lot of great stories out there, and lot of wonderful writers to fill your mind and heart with their paper people. I'll be honored if you drop by to say "hi", or let me know that one of my stories has transported you in a special way. Happy reading! Mary Hart Perry




Kathryn Johnson lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband and two feline writing partners, Tempest and Miranda. The author of over 40 novels, she's written under her own name and a variety of pen names, including Mary Hart Perry, Kathryn Jensen, KM Kimball and Nicole Davidson. She also teaches fiction-writing workshops for the renowned Writer's Center in Bethesda, Maryland. And, in 2008, she founded Write by You (www.WriteByYou.com), to coach other writers interested in reaching publication. She has been nominated for the prestigious Agatha Christie Award, and won the Heart of Excellence and Bookseller's Best Awards (sponsored by the Romance Writers of America) in 2011.

Her works in progress include a series of Victorian thrillers inspired by the lives of Queen Victoria's five daughters. The first novel, The Wild Princess, focuses on Princess Louise, who desperately wanted an education as a professional artist, at a time when women were not admitted into art schools. Her personal life becomes complicated when she uncovers a secret about her husband and must help protect her mother from an assassination attempt. The second book of the series,Seducing the Princess, launches April 2, 2013, and features Victoria’s youngest daughter Beatrice. Painfully shy and lonely, the dutiful Princess has promised never to marry and to devote herself to the queen in Victoria's waning years. Just when she has all but given up on love and happiness, she meets Henry Battenberg, a dashing nobleman from the Continent who risks his life and liberty to woo Bea and save both his beloved and the queen from a cruel plot. A third novel, to be published later in 2013, will star Crown Princess Vicky.

ONLINE LINKS:

Facebook:

Please "like" Mary Hart Perry (Here's the bit.ly short link): on.fb.me/Kj7hzU

Also find me on FB: http://facebook.com/Kathryn.K.Johnson.3

Twitter: @Mary_Hart_Perry and @KathrynKJohnson

Goodreads: Come find me as Mary Hart Perry

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kathryn-johnson/21/8b3/350

Website: www.WriteByYou.com

Contact me: Kathryn@writebyyou.com or Mary@MaryHartPerry.com

BUY NOW LINK:

Suggest to readers to go to Goodreads and mark it as “Want to Read”

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17339683-seducing-the-princess


This is a link through Ganxy, which updates as places to buy the book become available.

See Ganxy instructions for link to sell copies on various sites. This is the sale link:

https://ganxy.com/i/76010


This html contains the book cover, blurb and any available buy links.

https://ganxy.com/i/76010"; data-width="600" data-style="bare">"Seducing the Princess" by Diversion Books on Ganxy


FACE BOOK EVENT Running March 31st to April 4th With an all day hoopla on April 2nd to celebrate the release of “Seducing the Princess”

https://www.facebook.com/events/428655777213967/

Join Mary Hart Perry and Vickie Ann in celebrating the launch of Seducing the Princess. Mary Hart Perry will be doing random giveaways at this event, so keep an eye out for prizes and help spread the word!!!

Don't miss the fun! Invite your friends to join in! And ask Vickie how to get Seducing the Princess for free in exchange for an honest review on Amazon. Vickie@iobooktours.com

Need to catch up? The Wild Princess: A Novel of Queen Victoria's Defiant Daughter Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/aeq6vdn


1 comment:

Unknown said...

Cheryl, thanks so much for featuring my guest blog on YOUR blog. I had fun and hope your readers will enjoy our time together. Best wishes, Mary Hart Perry, aka Kathryn Johnson