Louise grew
up in country Victoria, Australia, before moving to England, where for sixteen
years she soaked up the vibrancy of London and the medieval history of England.
She has since returned to Australia and now lives in Melbourne.
She has been
writing the moment she picked up a copy of Diana Gabaldon's first Outlander
novel twenty something years ago. She thought to herself, 'this is what I want
to do' - not travel back in time, but become a novelist! She has always had
snippets of dialogue and scenes floating around in her head with characters
screaming at her to bring them to life.
In 2013,
Louise won first prize in the Crested Butte Sandy Writing contest – Historical
category for her story, The Promise, which is now called, Of Love and
Vengeance.
When not
writing, she can be found covered in mud, crawling under barbed wire and
hoisting herself over twelve foot walls - under the guise of competing in
Spartan races all over Australia.
AUTHOR LINKS:
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What is
your story's heat level? How do you approach the sex scenes?
Of Love and Vengeance has a ‘sensual’ heat level. I’m OK writing
sex scenes, I mean, I don’t get embarrassed by them or anything. I get more
embarrassed if someone I know reads them! I do a very rough draft of sex scenes
and then go back and layer the scene. I have to be careful because I have a
tendency to add an extra limb here and there!
How do you maintain activity as a writer
when sitting at a desk all day?
I make sure I go to the gym prior to writing – otherwise if I
didn’t do that I wouldn’t move for hours, possibly days on end. If I’m deep
into a scene often I don’t notice the time fly so I am often surprised when I
look at the clock and realize six hours have whizzed by. I’ll get up and walk
through the house or go outside and walk to the end of the street.
What is it that you loved about the main
characters in your story?
One of the main things I love about Laila is even though she is
from ‘medieval’ times, I think a lot of women will be able to relate to her.
She has a birthmark down the side of her face and has self-image issues, which
I am sure we’ve all suffered (or are still suffering) with. So she learns how
to love herself before she can love others. And she is strong! She can look
after herself, thank you very much, but she isn’t too strong that she won’t
allow others to look after her every now and then.
Aymon, I love his strong moral compass. While he’s very loyal to
his king, he also knows the difference between ‘right and wrong’ and he uses
his morals to guide him to make his own decisions, regardless of whether or not
it could cost him his life.
What do you feel is your strongest type
of writing? Humor? Angst? Confrontation scenes? Action? Sex? Sensuality? Sweet
Romance? And why?
I love writing confrontation scenes. You can really let rip and
get so much out – especially if the scene involves the ‘baddy’. You can push
things a lot more, I feel, than if you are writing a non-confrontational scene.
Are you
social media savvy? If so what do you suggest for others? If not, why not?
I would class myself as a social media addict. I spend way too much time on
Facebook and Twitter. I always like to try anything new that comes out. I think
it’s important for writers to have a presence on the internet. And I think it’s
important to build that presence in advance of having any work available. Social
media is now a fact of life and I believe you should utilize it to its fullest.
What are
some things from your life or things you have observed that you've infused into
your stories?
I mentioned earlier the self-image issues that Laila experiences in my book, Of
Love and Vengeance. Well, I drew from personal experience and infused that in
the story. I tapped into the ‘issues’ I’ve experienced and gave them to Laila.
If you
had an unlimited budget, where would you like to visit for story-related
research?
Up until two years ago, I lived in the UK for sixteen years. I
would LOVE to be able to go back there for research purposes.
Any fun
facts about the research for your book?
I had LOADS of fun staring at pictures of Chris Hemsworth (I’ve
based my character, Aymon, on him). So yes, it was extremely tough looking at
pictures of him, especially the shirtless ones, but hey, someone has to do it!
Finally, tell us a little about your
newest release!
My newest release, Of Love and Vengeance, is about a few
things really. Firstly, it’s about prejudices, mainly about how we can tar an
entire group by either misconceptions or by the behavior of a few. Both the
hero and heroine are guilty of doing this, so we get to see how they deal with
this. It’s also about acceptance, not just of each other, but of yourself as
well. Laila, the heroine has a birthmark that covers one side of her face, and
she really struggles with loving herself because of it. So we also see how she
learns to love herself.
BLURB:
Forced to marry Lord Aymon to ensure her young nephews
survival, English Lady Laila vows undying hatred for the Norman she holds responsible
for the deaths of so many innocents. Discovering Aymon has committed an act of
treason gives her the chance to seek vengeance he deserves. But can Laila let Aymon die at the hands of
the king once she learns the truth?
A hardened Norman warrior, Lord Aymon has lived through
atrocities no man ever should. With the invasion of England over, all he wants
is a quiet life and a wife who will give him heirs and obey his every command.
Instead, he finds himself wed to feisty and outspoken Laila. But when she
learns the truth of his treasonous act, can Aymon count on her to keep his
secret?
BUY LINKS:
Excerpt:
Laila heard them long before she saw them. Their angry,
frenzied shouts and thunderous roars filled her ears. With her hands tied
securely behind her, she was dragged up the lane toward Tyburn Gallows, where
she was to be hanged for a crime she did not commit. The mob sounded blood
thirsty. Large. Frightening.
There was no sign of Aymon. Or Hugh. Had they left her alone
to die?
Her chin trembled and her nails dug into her palms.
She suddenly fell to her knees and screamed until she tasted
blood at the back of her throat. She kicked out and tried to crawl free as her
hair was almost torn from the roots as she was pulled up and shoved along the
lane.
Her eyes burned with her tears.
“I am innocent!” Laila screamed.
They came around a corner, and that’s when she saw them.
There must have been a least two thousand men, women, and children, hungry for
her blood. And when they saw her, they erupted into a wild fever of roars and
cries for a slow and painful death. Their thirst had been piqued, and now it
must be sated.
Laila was shoved into the center of the clearing.
She glanced wildly around in a desperate search for Aymon’s
towering, bulky frame. She could not see him.
But what she could see was the Tyburn Tree. The gallows she
was to be hanged from. The executioner, hooded, stood beside the tree as he
waited patiently for her. Laila’s mouth suddenly went dry.
Louise will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn host during the tour.
Ann W. Jarvie has a B.A. in journalism and more than twenty-five years’ experience as an award-winning writer in advertising and public relations agencies, both in South Carolina and Chicago. She now lives near Phoenix, Arizona, where she spends part of her time as a freelance copywriter and the rest writing fiction. 
way to be whole again.
