#Interview with @LouiseLyndon1 for Of Love and Vengeance

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.

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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?

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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.

  

a Rafflecopter giveaway