24 Monday Oct 2022
Posted in 2022
Tags
Thanks to everyone who participated in my Rafflecopter giveaway when I came back from the Historical Romance Retreat with extra books and swag!
Congratulations goes out to Nancy K who’s name was randomly generated as the winner. I’ve emailed Nancy to get her address so I can send her a goodie box! Thanks again to everyone for their continued support and congrats, Nancy!
24 Friday Sep 2021
Posted in 2021
Tags
For today only, join me and over 225 authors for the 2nd Annual Fall Into a Book Giveaway! You’ll need to join the Facebook group Isn’t it Romantic Book Club here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/isntitromanticbookclub. I’ll be posting later in the morning PDT where you’ll need to respond to several questions to be in the running for a signed paperback of my debut novel If My Heart Could See You. I’ll also give away an eCopy of my RONE Finalist Love Will Find You in my Knights of Berwyck, Quest Through Time series.
You don’t want to miss this opportunity for lots of fun, games, and more importantly lots of ways to win!
13 Tuesday Apr 2021
Posted in New Release, Uncategorized
Tags
#BellesInBlue, #ReadARegency, Before I Found You, Blog Hop, Bluestocking Belles, Contest, Giveaway, Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Sherry Ewing, Storm & Shelter, Teatime Tattler
Elsie carefully balanced the tea service on the tray she carried up the stairs at The Queen’s Barque Inn. She had almost reached the top when the owner’s dog came bounding up behind her barking at her heels begging for attention.
“Not now, Hector,” Elsie said while the dog pranced around her feet. “Can’t you see that I’m busy?” The dog seemed to understand and took off for another part of the inn.
Busy! Busy didn’t even begin to describe what Elsie had been reduced to! She was a lady’s maid and not meant for the duties in the scullery, for goodness sake! But once they had arrived at the inn, Elsie had been overrun with chores after Miss Miranda de Courtenay had offered Elsie’s services. Mr. and Mrs. Brewster, who were the owners of the inn, had been more than grateful to have an extra set of hands to help with their overflowing guests who had also become stranded at the inn due to a storm.
It had taken Elsie a while to get accustomed to where everything was located since the inn was a labyrinth of confusing corridors connecting the entire inn and mismatched rooms with décor from every century of past years. You would have thought the builders would have put more planning into its construction but it appeared as though they added onto it over the years as the owners saw fit. And the cleaning! Why some rooms were so worn down they surely hadn’t seen a proper cleaning in years. Only the mice, rats, and spiders seemed to enjoy these rooms and obviously were not happy their messy domain had been ruined by busy maids.
Some rooms had been converted for the injured and Elsie had been reduced to collecting soiled bandages and used bedding to be laundered. She’d mopped and swept floors until she felt that she’d never stop sneezing from the accumulated dust that reached her nose. Finally, after a hot bath, she was now properly dressed and ready to take tea to Miss Miranda. Perhaps afterwards, she might be able to just go back to her room in the servant’s quarters and nap.
She continued down the second-floor corridor until she saw Charlotte Brewster, one of the owner’s daughters, peering down into one of the more presentable parlors of the Queen’s Barque Inn. At Elsie’s approached, Charlotte silently placed one finger over her mouth and nodded down. Elsie quietly stepped forward to view the scene. One elegantly dressed gentleman sat with two ladies who leaned forward and giggled in delight while he opened a newsprint and began to read.
Gentle Readers:
This just in from The Queen’s Barque in Fenwick on Sea!
Who was the fashionable damsel who entered the inn looking like a drenched field mouse, with no one else to give her countenance but her maid? None other but Miss d.C. Dedicated readers of The Teatime Tattler will be familiar with the escapades of this particular young miss. She has been a frequent piece of tittle-tattle in previous editions, barely escaped ruination in the past several years. There’s sure to be a bit of excitement while she’s stuck here.
Which of the several eligible peers also stranded at the inn will she set her cap on? We’ll just have to wait and see. Knowing her past, anything is possible. Stay tuned for further developments.
An anonymous reporter
for The Teatime Tattler
The gentleman finished and the ladies laughter echoed throughout the parlor. The tea service rattled in Elsie’s hand and when the group below began to look around, Charlotte quickly took Elsie’s elbow so they remained unseen by the nearby wall. Charlotte took the tray from Elsie while she attempted to catch her breath.
“Good heavens! How in the world did that rag learn Miss Miranda was here?” Elsie asked.
“The gentry aren’t the only ones who’ve been spreading the latest bit of gossip. My mum has had to reprimand more than one servant daily to keep their mouths shut whenever that newspaper gets delivered,” Charlotte said with a grimace. “You best make your way to your mistress without delay. She needs to learn that a reporter has somehow learned she’s in Fenwick on Sea.”
“It won’t be the first time her reputation has suffered because of gossip, but it hardly seems fair when this time all she’s doing is going to visit a friend,” Elise said with a frown before she realized she was telling a complete stranger Miss Miranda’s business. Elsie’s eyes widened with worry.
Charlotte gave her a small smile. “I understand,” she whispered before handing the tray back to Elsie. “I must be about the chores my mum has given me but know I won’t say a word about what we overheard.”
“Thank you,” Elsie nodded in gratitude hoping the young girl would be true to her word.
Charlotte left and Elsie took a deep breath before heading toward Miss Miranda’s room. She hesitated but an instant before she gave a short knock. At the call to enter, Elsie opened the door to view Miss Miranda sitting quietly reading a book. Elsie’s expression must have said much for Miss Miranda put the book down in her lap.
“What’s happened now?” she asked as though prepared for the worst.
Elsie placed the tray on a table then poured Miss Miranda a cup of tea, not that tea would actually calm the young lady after she learned she was once again the topic of the latest gossip. “I have news…”
As told in Storm & Shelter in eight original novellas, refugees—the injured, the devious, and the lonely, lords, ladies, and simple folk; spies, pirates, and smugglers all sheltered at the Queen’s Barque Inn. Now concern is buzzing in Fenwick on Sea and across these United Kingdoms, as scurrilous gossip about the goings on during the recent storm spread through the reports in that scandal rag, The Teatime Tattler. Who is the snoop?
Correctly identify the reporter and be entered to win a $100 gift card and other great prizes. There are details and instructions for entering here: https://bluestockingbelles.net/…/wanted-the-snooping…/
There are clues in every story in Storm & Shelter. Find more clues by following on to each stop in our Snooping Reporter Blog Hop. The next stop is https://alinakfield.com/storm-shelter-release-day-blog-hop/
When a storm blows off the North Sea and slams into the village of Fenwick on Sea, the villagers prepare for the inevitable: shipwreck, flood, land slips, and stranded travelers. The Queen’s Barque Inn quickly fills with the injured, the devious, and the lonely—lords, ladies, and simple folk; spies, pirates, and smugglers all trapped together. Intrigue crackles through the village, and passion lights up the hotel.
One storm, eight authors, eight heartwarming novellas.
A quest for a title. An encounter with a stranger. Will she choose love?
Miss Miranda de Courtenay has only one goal in life: to find a rich husband who can change her status from Miss to My Lady.
Captain Jasper Rousseau has no plans to become infatuated during a chance encounter at a ball.
Their connection is hard to dismiss, despite Miranda’s quest for a title at all cost. What if the cost includes love?
Buy Links:
Amazon US | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Google Books | Kobo
Amazon AU |BR |CA |DE |ES |FR |IN |IT |JP |MX |NL |UK
To be in the running for an eCopy of either A Kiss For Charity or The Earl Takes A Wife (Books 1 & 2 of my De Courtenay series) comment below and tell me: What are you looking forward to the most when we return to our new normal? I’ll generate a random winner Sunday, April 18th.
13 Saturday Feb 2021
Posted in 2021
Tags
#ReadARegency, A Kiss for Charity, Before I Found You, Blog Hop, Giveaway, Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Sherry Ewing, Storm & Shelter, The Earl Takes A Wife, Valentine's Day
Welcome to our Valentine’s Day Blog Hop. I’m so happy that you stopped by. Thank you, Ruth A. Casie, for sharing your book, Knight of Runes, and for offering a giveaway. Today I’m sharing a bit of flash fiction with my character Miss Miranda de Courtenay… but more about her story later in this post. Be sure to keep reading to find out what my giveaway is and don’t forget to comment here on my blog to go into the drawing for the Grand Prize of a gift card (US$75 value). So let’s get to that bit of flash fiction I promised you!
Miss Miranda de Courtenay entered the Assembly Rooms in Bath for a charity Valentine’s Day Ball. Her eyes surveyed the already crowded room while her brother-in-law took her pelisse.
“It’s quite the crush,” her sister Grace mentioned as she took Miranda’s elbow steering her towards the ballroom.
Miranda squeezed her sister’s arm, offering her a bright smile. “I’m just glad our brother at last forgave me for the part I played in his current state of wedded bliss and allowed me to attend.”
Grace laughed. “Adrian was just being stubborn, although I must admit you do tend to go a bit overboard in your quest for a title, Miranda.”
“Why should I be the only one in this family without a title?” she fumed before masking her face to not show how upset this particular conversation always made her. She had gone too far on one or two occasions, not that Gracie ever faulted her for her mishaps. “Besides, everyone could see how much Adrian and Celia were in love with one another. And before you say anything, Celia didn’t want the Marques. I thought to take advantage of the situation but it’s certainly not my fault he turned out to be a cad.”
Grace leaned forward to kiss Miranda’s cheek before whispering in her ear. “You were lucky to not have your heart involved with Wyndham, dearest sister. He was only a man with a title and obviously not husband material. Love will find you when the time is right. Perhaps try to not be so impatient and let Cupid find your mystery man when he’s ready to show you the way.”
“I could only be so lucky to stumble into someone like you did, Gracie,” Miranda said fondly knowing how happy her sister was with her second husband Nicholas.
Grace’s laughter burst forth. “I was lucky, wasn’t I?”
Before Miranda could respond, Nicholas came as if they conjured him up with a magic wand and swept Grace away to join the dancing. Miranda surveyed the room again trying to figure out her best options to pursue a possible relationship with one of the titled gentlemen who were present. There were plenty of men here that she had already been introduced to so that formality wouldn’t be a problem. She only needed to find someone who would be willing to forget her past mistakes since the two major ones she had made were public knowledge much to her regret.
She was thankful when she was asked to dance by a man she had met during the previous season. An Earl … but she couldn’t remember his name and she reminded herself she needed to be better at remembering people’s names. But he at least asked her to dance and it was better to be seen dancing than to be a wallflower sitting alone on a chair against the wall. She swore if she didn’t get a proposal soon, she’d be on the shelf for sure.
The dance continued and she briefly caught a glimpse of her brother talking with a man she had never seen the likes of. Good heavens, where had he come from and why on earth had she never been introduced to such a divinely handsome man? She continued to stare at him when the opportunity presented itself and she wondered what color his eyes were. It was hard to tell from this distance and from the hundreds of candles casting a soft glow upon the room.
She missed a step in the dance and mumbled an apology to her partner when she stepped on his shoe. She was hard pressed not to crane her neck to further inspect the man who had caught her attention. She generally didn’t care for men with blond hair but in his case she just might make an exception!
The dance ended and the Earl began talking about the weather of all things, and Miranda tried not to appear bored at such a mundane conversation. She looked up only to see Adrian was no longer standing next to her handsome stranger who was looking directly at her. He raised his champagne flute in a silent toast causing Miranda’s eyes to widen. Goodness but he was a bold one and clearly she should stay as far away from him as possible.
Unsure of herself for the first time in her life, she fled the dance floor, leaving the Earl without even a polite thank you for the dance. She headed to the buffet room hoping she could partake of something to calm her nerves. No man had ever had her this flustered and Grace’s words rambled inside her head making Miranda wonder if perhaps Cupid had shot his arrow in Miranda’s direction.
***
Captain Jasper Rousseau observed the beautiful woman as she left the dance floor. She intrigued him, not that he was used to dealing with a young lady who was probably only interested in finding a husband. But there was something about her that had him following her. It must be this damn ball meant for happy couples. If his mother had not requested he accompany her to this event, he would be at his manor getting ready for tomorrow’s business appointment.
He had a new ship to run and didn’t have time to dally with a woman, especially one so obviously young as he guessed her age to be around twenty-three give or take a couple of years. Yet he still found himself following her to see for himself what caused him to become so infatuated with a lady he hadn’t even spoke to as yet. Afterall… what could it hurt to have a short conversation with a beautiful woman?
When a storm blows off the North Sea and slams into the village of Fenwick on Sea, the villagers prepare for the inevitable: shipwreck, flood, land slips, and stranded travelers. The Queen’s Barque Inn quickly fills with the injured, the devious, and the lonely—lords, ladies, and simple folk; spies, pirates, and smugglers all trapped together. Intrigue crackles through the village, and passion lights up the hotel.
A collection of eight all-new novellas. One storm, eight authors, eight heartwarming stories. Special preorder price of only $0.99! Learn more on the Bluestocking Belles’ website at https://bluestockingbelles.net/belles-joint-projects/storm-shelter/
My contribution to the Storm & Shelter box set is Before I Found You: A de Courtenay Novella (Book three).
A quest for a title. An encounter with a stranger. Will she choose love?
Miss Miranda de Courtenay has only one goal in life: to find a rich husband who can change her status from Missto My Lady. But when a handsome stranger crosses her path at a Valentine’s Day ball, her obsession with titles dims. Might love be enough?
Captain Jasper Rousseau has no plans to become infatuated during a chance encounter at a ball. He has a new ship to run, passengers to book, and cargo to deliver. But one look into a young lady’s beautiful hazel eyes, and he becomes lost. Does love at first sight really exist?
Their paths continue to cross until they are both stranded in Fenwick on Sea. Their growing connection is hard to dismiss, despite Miranda’s childish quest for a title at all cost. But what if the cost includes love?
I’ll be giving away an eCopy of A Kiss For Charity & The Earl Takes A Wife. They’re books 1 & 2 of my De Courtenay series. I’ll randomly choose a winner from all the comments right here on my blog! You’ll have plenty of time to read them before Miranda’s story releases in the Bluestocking Belles’ box set Storm & Shelter on April 13, 2021.
The contest is open for Valentine’s day—from sunrise on 14th February in New Zealand (noon on February 13 U.S. EST) until midnight on 14th February in Hawaii (or 5 AM February 15 U.S. EST). When the contest ends, we’ll collect all comments on all 15 blogs in the hop. We’ll draw one at random, and then announce the winner on our blogs and contact him or her with a gift card to the value of US$75. Good luck!
If you happened to miss Ruth’s blog and the giveaway she’s offering, you can find her blog at https://ruthacasie.blogspot.com/
Thank you again for joining me today. Your next stop is with the wonderful Alina K. Field. Although Alina is one of our guest authors who contributed a novella in the Storm & Shelter box set today she’s sharing some flash fiction from Fated Hearts. You can find Alina’s blog post at https://wp.me/p2YGUG-1Zj.
Happy reading and I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day, my lovelies. Good luck in all the giveaways!
05 Friday Feb 2021
Posted in 2021, First Kiss Friday
Tags
#FirstKiss Friday, #ReadARegency, Be My Guest, Giveaway, Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Victorian Romance
Hello, my lovelies, and welcome to my First Kiss Friday blog. Today’s guest is my friend Jessica Cale who has a new story out in The Nightingale and the Lark, featured in the Regency in Color anthology. Isn’t this cover just heavenly? Read on for Jessica’s excerpt and be sure to read all the way to the end for her giveaway. Happy reading and good luck on her giveaway!
Excerpt:
“You look so panic-stricken.” Frank smiled at her in the moonlight. “I knew you were a lady the moment you walked in the door.”
Oddly, that didn’t calm her a single bit. “You did?”
He stopped hiding his laughter. “Obviously. How many fishwives do you think look like you?”
Andie folded her arms. “What do you mean by that?”
Frank snorted. “Beautiful. Elegant. Queenly.” He rolled a hand as if making a bow to a monarch. “Your borrowed clothes aren’t fooling anyone. I’ve known opera singers my whole life, and not one of them brought the light with her when she walked into a room like you do.”
Her breath caught. “You think I’m pretty?”
This was usually the part when tonnish lords fell all over themselves to quote sonnets and praise her with flowery, impersonal cliches.
“Pretty?” Frank emitted an ungentlemanly snort. “No, darling. I’m saying you’re the goddamned sun.”
Andie didn’t know what to say. No man had ever said anything like that to her and meant it. She’d gotten her fair share of awful poetry over the years—as it happened, nothing rhymed with Archambault—but none of it meant half as much as knowing that Frank Creighton saw her like that.
“You just swore,” she said dumbly, kicking herself as soon as it was out.
“I blame the rum.” He stubbed out his cigar. “I blame the rum for this too.” Frank stood abruptly and crossed to the other doorway. He opened it a crack, and music from the theater spilled out into the night. He grabbed the bucket beside the door and brought it back to where Andie was sitting. “How do you feel about birds?”
Andie sat back, bewildered. She’d thought he might kiss her, and now he was talking about birds. “I beg your pardon?”
Frank finished his rum in a single gulp. “Sunflower seeds.” He tipped the bucket in her direction so she could see the contents. It was indeed filled to the brim. “Take a handful. I want to show you something.”
She looked at him with suspicion. What was wrong with this man? “All right…” She reached into the bucket and filled her hand with seeds.
Satisfied, Frank took two great fistfuls for himself. “Hold your hand a little loose and shake them so they rattle. Are you ready?”
Andie wasn’t at all sure about this, but at the joyful urgency in his eyes, she acquiesced. “Ready.”
She followed his lead as he shook the seeds for about five seconds, then they both tossed them toward the edge of the roof.
Within seconds, they were surrounded by a whirlwind of black feathers. It was so sudden and overwhelming that Andie screamed. Dozens and dozens of crows swooped around them in circles until they settled on the seeds, seizing them from the floor and picking them out of the thatch.
Andie doubled over in fits of laughter, tears streaming down her cheeks as she struggled to catch her breath. “I thought you were joking!”
Frank chuckled at her response, looking a little too natural surrounded by a hundred crows under the full moon. “I never joke about crows.”
Andie playfully swatted his shoulder, and Frank caught her hand and held it to his chest. When she didn’t pull away but stepped closer, he wound an arm around the small of her back and led her around the roof in a sort of improvised waltz to the music coming from inside. Her cheeks ached from smiling as he spun her under the moon, crows fluttering away to avoid her feet. As he caught her in his arms, she met his gaze and she knew.
She curled her fingers into his crisp white shirt and whispered, “You are quite mad, Frank Creighton.”
His eyebrows drew together, and she was treated to a slow, crooked smile. “You have no idea.”
Grasping his collar in her hands, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.
It was a bad idea, the worst idea—she couldn’t have explained why she did it other than that she had to. He was the most exhilarating, infuriating, impossible man, and every nerve in her body was screaming at her to kiss his ridiculous face.
Frank didn’t seem to mind. Gathering her up in his arms, he returned the favor with interest. His kiss was like his music—instinctive, passionate, and casually skilled. Though Andie had very little experience with men—and certainly no one like Frank—kissing him felt as easy and essential as breathing.
The chill of the night seemed to disappear as she pressed herself against the heat of his chest, burying her fingers into the unruly waves of his hair. He tasted of salt and rum, the heady scent of good tobacco still hanging in the air.
In the back of her mind, she was acutely aware that this was expressly forbidden; ladies of her class had been compelled to marry for less. If anyone caught them up here, her reputation would be ruined along with her sister’s marriage prospects. Worse, if things went wrong, her career could be over before it truly started.
She knew. She knew, but for now, just for this moment, none of it mattered.
After a lifetime of sacrificing her own wants for the comfort and convenience of others, kissing Frank Creighton felt like a radical act, the first and only time she had not only expressed what she wanted but had outright taken it.
The heavens opened, moonlight spilling over them. She heard the sound of angels’ wings—or perhaps that was still the crows—followed by the sudden end to the music and a deafening roar of applause.
It was the applause that finally pulled Frank away. He held her gaze, the dreaminess in his eyes giving way to mortified horror. “Oh, shit.”
With one last lightning-fast kiss, Frank took off running. Andie had never seen someone move so fast. He flew down the staircase, jumping over the last several steps, and thundered to the central staircase. Andie followed at a rather more sedate pace, reaching the top balcony just in time to see him skid to a stop on the stage below.
Frank straightened his shirt, pulled a brace back up on his shoulder, and ran a hand through the mess of his hair. “The Spider Dance, everyone!”
Clearly knowing exactly what he’d been up to, the cheer that closed the show was at least half whistles and raucous laughter. Frank made a face and laughed at himself, spreading his arms wide and taking a bow. He looked up and met her gaze, and Andie could see his face was red.
She didn’t think it was possible, but she’d managed to fluster Frank Creighton.
The Nightingale and the Lark, by Jessica Cale
featured in the Regency in Color anthology
Andromeda Archambault has it all. An heiress and daughter of a French marquis, London is her oyster, but to pursue her dream to sing professionally—and free of her family’s influence—she’ll have to leave the West End for the bright lights of…Shoreditch?
The Crow’s Nest is a crumbling Elizabethan behemoth owned and operated by the eccentric Frank Creighton, a director with more than one skeleton in his closet. He knows Andie’s talent when he sees it, but if his Phantasmagoria doesn’t scare her away, his reputation and his relatives surely will.
Will Andie make a name for herself before her mother figures out where she is? Has Frank finally met a woman more interesting than his piano? And crucially, will they be able to get their act together before the re-enactment of the Battle of Waterloo at Vauxhall Gardens? Find out in The Nightingale and the Lark
Link:
Regency in Color is available on Amazon and via Kindle Unlimited: https://www.amazon.com/Regency-Color-Collection-Gabrielle-Carr-ebook/dp/B08NSYMBY8
About the author:
Jessica Cale is a romance author, editor, and historian based in North Carolina. Originally from Minnesota, she lived in Wales for several years where she earned a BA in History and an MFA in Creative Writing while climbing castles and photographing mines for history magazines. She is the editor of Dirty, Sexy History, and you can visit her at http://www.dirtysexyhistory.com.
Social Media
Website: www.dirtysexyhistory.com
Facebook: facebook.com/authorjessicacale
Instagram: @caleisafourletterword and @dirtysexyhistory
Giveaway! Comment for a chance to win an e-book copy of Sleeping Evie, a Victorian reimagining of Sleeping Beauty set in the Pre-Raphaelite art scene of 1870s London. You can also find it on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited here: https://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Evie-Lady-Gooseburys-Tales-ebook/dp/B085DD9J4V
09 Monday Sep 2019
Posted in 2019, Medieval Monday
Thank you to everyone who participated in our bad boy theme for the last several weeks on Medieval Monday. We hope you’ve enjoyed all the snippets.
The random comment chosen as the winner of an eBook of One Last Kiss from all the blogs for this theme is Linda Campbell. Congratulations, Linda! Please email me at sherry@sherryewing.com so I can get your eBook to you!
Medieval Monday will resume soon so be sure to check back often!
19 Tuesday Jun 2018
Posted in 2018
Tags
Last month I went to my first RT Booklovers convention in Reno, Nevada. Let me just say that I had so much fun I didn’t want to return back to the day job.
I love to collect swag and then turn around and have giveaway contents for those who are in my Facebook street team or my newsletter subscribers. Congratulations go out to those in my team who were randomly chosen as the winners of my giveaways: Sandra N., Sheila M., Jonni C., and Faye Ann C.! I also offer my congratulations to Sandra M. who was also randomly chosen as the winner of a Vera Bradley purse, a signed copy of my novel Nothing But Time: A Family of Worth, Book One, and other swag from conference. Special thanks to my marvelous critique partner, Tricia Linden, for donating the purse! I hope everyone enjoys their goodies!
Not part of my Facebook street team? Join Sherry Ewing’s Timeless Knights & Maidens here!
Not a newsletter subscriber? You can keep up to date with what I’ve got on my plate by subscribing here.
10 Monday Oct 2016
Posted in 2016
Tags
12th Century, A Kiss for Charity, A Knight To Call My Own, Giveaway, Hearts Across Time, Historical, Historical Romance, Medieval, Medieval Romance, Sherry Ewing, Time Travel, To Follow My Heart, Under the Mistletoe
My wonderful personal assistant, Tiffany Landers, has put together this wonderful giveaway. Signed paperbacks of Hearts Across Time (full length novels of For All of Ever and Only For You) and To Follow My Heart. You’re also getting one of my business cards, a couple signed rack cards, a pen, and a pad of sticky notes. Not bad right?
So what are you waiting for? Get your entries in for your chances to win this prize! Enter here: a Rafflecopter giveaway
Sherry Ewing 