Category Archives: Nancy Jardine

It’s Still Summer and the Romances are HOT

10 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by in Barcelona, Caribbean, contemporary, floatplane, Glasgow, intrigue, island, light-hearted, London, mystery, Nancy Jardine, New York, Oman, Paris, romance, Scottish castle, Tallinn, threat, travel

≈ 23 Comments

Speaking of hot romances and summertime, let me welcome sister TWRP romance novelist, Nancy Jardine. Are you having a hot summer, Nancy?

Summer time?  We Scots are likely to say – please explain that term; I don’t know what you mean.

It’s the 10th of August, and it’s supposed to be our summer time here in Scotland. Have you heard of that phenomenon when there’s lots of lovely sunshine? Warmer temperatures when we can remove the heavy fleeces, and don the shorts and T-shirts? The occasional squirt of sun screen needed-maybe factor 10 will do because it isn’t very hot? Oh, I know, you’ll think that has to be a joke. Wait till you visit my country, because lovely as it undoubtedly is, sun screen isn’t bought in bulk hereabouts. And we can easily experience all four seasons in one day.

We do get a lot of rain, but the opposite side of that particular coin is I’m thankful not to have a problem with water supplies. Apologies, here, because some of you might live in Tornado country, or are close to horrendous out-of-control fires, or your landscape is parched dry. During 2012, we’ve already seen weather patterns-across the globe-which have been variations to the norm. In places where extreme conditions are not expected something devastating has occurred-drought parched land becomes a flooded quagmire bringing havoc and despair to the people who inhabit the areas. Controlling worldwide weather isn’t within man’s capabilities, yet.

Talking about weather may seem too mundane, but it can furnish a good scenario for action scenes in a novel. In my recent release, TAKE ME NOW, Aela and Nairn find themselves at the mercy of the weather a few times. Why is that a problem for them, and how do they overcome it? Since the story is largely based in a castle, on an island off the west coast of Scotland, weather conditions are pretty important for them. They have to get to the mainland, and there are only two ways to do that. Number one is to sail, and number two is to fly.

Either method presents problems when the weather is rough. You might well question why they set off in rough weather? It’s a very good question, but if you hung around in Scotland for a very good day you might have a long wait…though, the weather forecasters can give much better predictions nowadays, which sometimes gives you a ‘weather window’ to work in. But then, again, you might set off when the going is favourable and find that something unexpected delays your progress. This happens to Nairn and Aela as they fly above Loch Long.

I’ve gone through a couple of pretty bad storms over the European Alps in a British Airways Boeing Airbus (something like the 321-200 type) which can seat around 180 people. The high turbulence was, at first exciting, even thrilling in a roller coaster sort of way, but when the cabin lights started to flash off and on, and the jouncing around opened overhead lockers, setting debris to fly around inside the cabin…that’s when it got a little bit scarier. Not to mention the smell of fear that seemed to permeate the plane, though the passengers were eerily quite. No-one was in any way loudly vocal about the buffeting conditions, but the indrawn breaths were not as quiet as people intended them to be. The fierce lightening storm-jagged forks of bluish white in a lowering purplish darkened sky-outside the tiny window wasn’t so welcome either, as we flew over mountain tops, the pilot having dropped altitude to prepare for landing. Yet, in that larger plane, there was a much greater element of cocooning in the cabin. I’m very glad, though, that I wasn’t sitting next to the pilot in the cockpit while the controls were being adjusted constantly, viewing what was ahead, and all around the plane in a more panoramic view.

I’m not sure I’d want to be flying around in similar really rough weather in a tiny floatplane-as Aela and Nairn do in take me now. When I wrote the scene, in my mind, I revisited my own experience of flying in cloudy weather during my seaplane trip, though it wasn’t raining then, and was only marginally, and intermittently, windy. . Even in reasonable weather it feels as though all you need to do is reach down to touch the trees tops, or the top of the hillsides you’re flying over. Every noise, inside and out, is heard more acutely. The ground dipping up to meet you in severe turbulence would make memorable moments. To my own seaplane experience I added incidents of being in a small boat in rough conditions, in the same area they were travelling over, and merged the two in my imagination.

It’s early July in Scotland. Nairn’s already injured, and in some degree of pain, before he sets off on what becomes a hazardous flight, but his competent assistant, Aela, transports him with superb skill. Here’s how she saves the day:

 With incredible skill Aela landed on the far side of the island in heaving waters so high at times the waves sloshed over the wings, breakers he wasn’t convinced he’d tackle himself. Although only late afternoon the summer sky was so slate-dark it was like night; the angry grey-caps surging up and around them, their height dangerously close to submerging them. The rain battered the glass windshield, a momentary blocking of the way ahead till the wipers did their job.

“Brace again, Nairn!” she yelled over the horrendous noise. “This isn’t going to be smooth.” Her words were no sooner uttered than the floatplane lurched, a dangerous list in the high winds. “No worries, Nairn! I’ve got it under control!”

How Aela managed to keep it steady he hadn’t a clue, but it would have been beyond his own experience. The craft vibrated, a violent and relentless buffeting, as she taxied around the headland to Mariskay harbor. The storm lamented, the rain bombarding them with even more force from that direction. Having radioed ahead the automatic roller doors of the boatyard opened for them as Aela made the harbor entrance where she bumpily-bounced the little plane up the slip and inside out of the weather.

“You still with me, Nairn?” Aela grinned. He knew her adrenaline was pumping wild around her-for his was no different.

His smile was weak, his pain-wracked body having given in to the relief they were home. Not dry by any means…but home. And Aela was safe. “Jeeze! That beat the hell out of a boring ride, Aela.”

Thank you for allowing me to bring you some Scottish summer weather today, Lilly. I hope you’ve enjoyed it, but haven’t been put off learning about my part of the world.

**My-TAKE ME NOW-Tour Contest** 
To celebrate the launch of Take Me Now I’ll be giving away 2 e copies of Take Me Now, 2 e copies of Monogamy Twist, and 4 goodie bags of Scottish Castle Gift Cards and Tags to some lucky winners. At each tour stop I’ll be asking a different question. To be entered into the draw find the answer to the question set, at each tour stop, and send the answers to me at nan_jar@btinternet.com before Saturday the 11th August 2012. The more questions you answer, the better your chance will be! (ie send in four answers your name’s in the draw four times) The draw will take place at noon (GMT/ UK time) on Sunday 12th August.

For the URL details of the other tour stops (and special giveaways) please check the calendar on Nancy Jardine’s blog: http://nancyjardine.blogspot.com

Quiz question for Friday 12th August: Which Scottish Loch is featured in the blog today?

Nancy can be found at:
Website: http://nancyjardineauthor.weebly.com
Blog: http://nancyjardine.blogspot.com
FaceBook:  http://facebook.com/nancy.jardine.56
Twitter:  http://twitter.com@nansjar
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6166205-nancy

Books by Nancy Jardine:
TAKE ME NOW
The Wild Rose Press:
Print:  http://bit.ly/MrlI8x   E book formats: http://bit.ly/MQJXvw
Amazon: Print: http://amzn.to/LEUb1g
Take Me Now YouTube Trailer link – http://youtu.be/stDC4Yhm2r0

Also available:
MONOGAMY TWIST
Coming Soon:
THE BELTANE CHOICE will be available in ebook formats from Crooked{Cat}Publishing 31st August 2012. Print will follow.

Welcome Nancy Jardine from Scotland!

02 Friday Sep 2011

Posted by in Lilly Gayle, Monogamy Twist, Nancy Jardine, Romacne, Scotland, The Wild Rose Press

≈ 17 Comments

Hi Nancy!
When do you do your best writing? Morning? Evening? Or mid-day? And  how do you organize your writing time?

Since leaving full-time teaching a couple of years ago I have more daytime available for writing. I write around the occasional teaching day and other household commitments like gardening, which in the north-east of Scotland is very weather dependent.  I write best in the mornings, the late afternoon and evening. The post lunch session tends to be the garden one since I find it a dead time for writing anyway.
 I usually feel bogged down after lunch too.Are you a reader as well as a writer? What have you read lately?

Absolutely a reader. I can’t go to bed without reading something every day or I feel deprived…or disappointed that I’ve not organized my day well enough. I’ve been a romance junkie for years and years, but I do occasionally read other work. I just finished a (oops it’s a Harlequin) historical called ‘A Dark and Brooding Gentleman’ by Margaret McPhee. I’m currently reading two novels ‘Jezebels Wish’ by AJ Nuest and back to rereading Jayne Eyre before going to the cinema soon to see the newest film version. 

I loved AJ’s book! How do you spend your free time when not reading or writing? Do you even have free time?

I don’t really have much that I consider free time. A cup of coffee and a book is my idea of free time or when I watch a film on TV or video, which is fairly rare. I’m into Ancestry though which does eat into my day, but I love getting buried-no pun intended- in the mire of historical facts and intrigues.  

 I love historical research as well and my mom’s into genealogy. 

Since I love to travel and seldom do, I like to hear about other places. It’s one reason I love to read and write. I get to travel in my head. Much cheaper that way. Lol!  So, where do you live? What’s the climate and topography like?

Kintore Townhouse built 1747
Hallforest Castle-Kintore

I live in a village called Kintore in the north-east of Scotland, 15 miles from the city of Aberdeen, in what is usually termed ‘castle country’.  That means loads of castles on my doorstep within short car rides! It’s very picturesque, I love living here, but the weather just isn’t to be relied on. We can have all seasons in one day. This summer hasn’t made an appearance yet…we’ve had pretty constant grey skies and it’s been very cool. 53 deg Fahrenheit is not unusual for our daytime temp. If it’s a few degrees warmer we celebrate and warm up the barbeque!! Last week when hurricane ‘Irene’ hit the east coast of the US we had 65mph winds. In sympathy you might say but they’re not uncommon here, though thankfully we didn’t have much rain. We’d call it ‘just a wee summer breeze’.  That’s why my 190 year old house is made of very thick grey granite slabs!

Crathes Castle in Aberdeenshire

Wow! I love old homes. And I adore castles. We visited several while in Germany and Austria in 2008 and again in April of this year. And Scotland and Ireland are on my bucket list of places to visit one day. And these castles are definitely on the list.

Germany, Holland, Austria and the Bahamas are the most exotic places I’ve ever visited. And the Bahamas don’t have castles. lol! So, what about you? Where are some of the places you’ve been?

I’ve done a lot of European and Mediterranean travel over the years. I lived in Holland for three years and gave birth to two daughters there, so I know the Netherlands pretty well.  It was also easy enough to spend long weekends in neighboring Denmark, Germany, Belgium, France, and Luxembourg. Most of those cities have been memorable in one way and another, but not exotic for me. I’ve also been to Norway, Canada and North America but again, though fabulous, not exotic.  My daughter’s wedding and combined holiday for 14 guests was on Cuba. That was great fun and very different. Cairo for me was getting closer to being almost exotic, but I guess the most exotic place was Muscat in Oman. The stunning backdrop of dark purple rugged hills against the blue sea and white sand beaches was incredible.  

That sounds awesome. Was it vacation, business, or research? And, have you ever combined travel and research?

Being a teacher of 11-12yr olds for a long time meant being tied to school vacations.  It was pretty ironic though; I’d visit places at all the wrong times.  My husband was a Computer Consultant, working mainly for oil companies or involved in ‘energy’ projects all around the globe- always working away somewhere. I only got to visit a fraction of the places he’s been to. I was delighted to visit Calgary, but since he was working there around Christmas time it was in temps ofminus 30/32 Fahrenheit. It was so cold our Ski package was cancelled since the tows etc were closed down and my kids  were tickled with the fact that the polar bears in Calgary Zoo had a partially inside enclosure! That particular Christmas was followed by a summer vacation for me in the Middle East-dotting between Bahrain, Dubai and Abu Dhabi in temperatures of…wait for it…yes…humid  110 deg Fahrenheit. You get the drift, I think. Where my husband was working I’d tow my two daughters for a holiday, cold or boiling hot, but we did see quite a lot of the world that way.    

I have a cousin who lives in Bahrain. This summer, when NC had temps in the upper 90s to lower 100s for several weeks running in July, she didn’t even break a sweat. lol!

  Where is your most recent release, Monogamy Twist set?
I’ve only had one novel published so far. It’s a sort of contemporary history mystery set in the north of England.
8.       Tell us something about it.

     Monogamy Twist is a ‘twist’ on a Dickensian bequest theme. My handsome hero, Luke, has a surprise bequest dropped on his lap- a slightly dilapidated English estate of a woman he’s never heard of before, or ever met. Hence the mystery. To eventually inherit he has to fulfill certain quirky terms set down by the will, and to do that he needs a woman. Not just any woman though, as he also wants to unearth the secret of him being the benefactor. Enter my lovely heroine, Rhia, who just happens to be a neighbor and a family history researcher!! How convenient is that? Well, maybe not so as Rhia has some terms of her own that Luke must meet before she agrees to help him.                    

              

       Blurb- Monogamy Twist- Nancy Jardine
     Luke Salieri thought he’d seen everything. But when he inherits a dilapidated English estate from a woman he’s never heard of—and with quirky conditions besides—it’s a mystery he wants resolved immediately. There must be a woman out there who can meet his needs. But how far will he have to go to persuade her? Lucrative employment for a whole year? The job of researching the old house and its fantastic contents is enticing – but Rhia Ashton can’t see herself living with gorgeous Luke Salieri and not wanting his body as well. Can she live and sleep with him for a whole year and then walk away? Rhia has her own ideas about what will make it worth her while.
     Here’s the link: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191&products_id=4613
      It’s also available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Monogamy-Twist-Nancy-Jardine/dp/1601549652/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313524579&sr=1-1 

                       Love the cover! So, what are you working on now?

I’m nail biting at present since I sent in a second contemporary novel to TWRP. No news on that yet though. (Worldwide locations and again a bit of a mystery to solve, though no ‘history’) I’m currently revising –oh dear! yet again- an historical novel that I’m determined to ‘master’ (having been rejected a couple of times already). I’m also working on another contemporary set in European locations – Heidelberg, Vienna, The Hague, Edinburgh- not sure where else yet. (All places I’ve visited). This, too, has a bit of a history mystery to it.  I’ve also started a historical ‘saga’. My ancestry research has uncovered some very interesting family skeletons that I’m using in a piece of fiction. (Oh how naughty they were!) I’m also actively trying (and not succeeding yet) to find an agent to take on my fiction novel for 9-12yrs to help me get it published. Children’s fiction in the UK is really difficult to get into as there are no publishers who will accept un-agented work as submissions. It’s the first of a potential series and straddles the contemporary/ time travel/ and history genres. It’s set in north east Scotland in the time of the Roman Occupation of Emperor Severus around 210 AD. If anyone out there knows of an agent who’ll take me on I’d be soooo pleased with you. *hugs and kisses in anticipation*
Great questions, Lilly. I just hope my answers haven’t bored the pants off you!  Thank you very much for inviting me today, it’s been a pleasure.

Thanks for joining me. I love hearing about other places. And your WIP’s sound as good as your new release.

To learn more about Nancy, please visit: http://nancyjardineauthor.weebly.com/