Hi everyone,
Today I have the lovely Samantha Holt dropping by. Samantha is a multi published historical author, who deals mainly with the delicious medieval period. Samantha lives in Warwickshire, England with her twin girls, and occasionally her husband who works abroad. She admits that the lack of constant husband encourages her romantic side. Samantha loves to combine her passion for romance and history into exciting and passionate tales.
Welcome Samantha! :)
How did you come up with the idea for your story?
My ideas generally stem from one thing. For example,
my One Knight series came from the idea of couples getting together in the
space of one night. I didn’t have a set idea as to how or why but I knew that,
however these people had met, I wanted to explore the one night that changed
everything for them.
How do you develop your plot and
characters?
I’m not a planner but generally before I
sit down to write I have a beginning, middle and an end. But that’s only worked
out in my head. Character wise, I tend to choose an idea - something that means
something to them, like trust or honour - and work around that. Other than that
I tend to let the characters lead me.
What comes first, the plot or
characters?
It’s a real mix. With the start of the
plot come the characters but I suppose the characters don’t really develop until
the plot gets going. Sometimes though, the characters demand something of the
plot or I find something that just wouldn’t work for them so it varies.
Are you working on anything at the
present?
It’s in the very early stages at the
moment but I’m working on my next full length story. It explores the idea of a
relationship developing while there are communication issues and involves two
very sexy brothers!
What books or authors have most
influenced your own writing?
I love classics but I wouldn’t dream of
comparing my writing to them. My biggest influences were probably all the
Harlequin authors I read growing up and the many, many indie romance authors
that I’ve read over the years since. Every romance I’ve ever enjoyed has
certainly shaped my understanding of the romance genre.
How do you come up with the titles to
your books?
With difficulty! Sometimes they just
come to me…but rarely. I tend to have a brain storming session and usually
something comes up. Often it’s something really obvious and you wonder why you
didn’t think of it in the first place!
What
is your favourite book?
I
have many that I adore and it does tend to change frequently but my one
constant love is North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.
If you could go anywhere in the
world where would it be?
I’d like to go to Malaysia. I went
there as a child and adored it. I understand it’s changed a lot since (this was
not far off twenty years ago) but the people were wonderful and I love their
culture.
What is a talent you wish you had, but don't?
I wish I could play an instrument. I’ve got a good
sense of rhythm and I tried numerous instruments as a child but never stuck
with them. I wish I had now.
Are you messy or tidy?
My house is generally very tidy but it never used to
be in my nature. My room at college used to have a carpet of clothes but once I
had children I found it difficult to cope with a messy house. Now I can’t
function if there is any mess. My husband will say I’m a little obsessive about
it now.
What is your favourite food?
I dread this question because I genuinely don’t
know. It really depends what mood I’m in. I like a good curry, proper English
chip-shop chips, minted lamb shank and scallops.
What inspires your writing?
It’s hard to say. Certainly not my daily life! I am
a huge romantic and I like to get lost in a little bubble of romance so it’s
really just escapism for me. Romantic books and films certainly encourage my
romantic muse and certain settings will often inspire something, a waterfall or
some beautiful scenery will spark my imagination.
Are you a sweet tooth?
I love chocolate éclairs! I enjoy savoury food
equally but there’s nothing quite like a nice pastry as a treat.
What made you want to be a writer?
It was an accident really. I wrote a story for
myself, as a bit of a hobby really, and enjoyed doing it so much that I
realised I wanted to do it all the time.
Dreams and aspirations... what’s the one thing you
want to do, see or experience above all else?
One thing! That’s hard to choose. I guess really I
want to watch my daughters grow and become confident, hopefully happy, young
women.
Samantha, thank you so much for stopping by for a chat!
Nicole xx
The
One Knight Collection
If you had one night to prove your love...could you?
One
Knight
Katerina's arranged marriage promises to be one of
indifference as she is convinced of her new husband's dislike of her. Will her
wedding night prove her wrong?
Highland
Knight
The Mackenzie and Sinclair clans have been warring
for years so Anna is not impressed when she is told she'll have to marry the
arrogant, if handsome, Niall Sinclair. She vows never to let go of her hatred
of the Sinclair's but she quickly finds herself questioning her dislike of
Niall. Can one night together erase centuries of hatred between two clans?
Black
Knight
Lady Katherine yearns for excitement and danger,
something far removed from her life as a lady. So when she discovers a dark
intruder in her chambers will she take the opportunity to discover where her
lust for danger could lead or will she reject her one chance for excitement and
maybe more...?
White
Knight
On the eve of her wedding, Lady Sara makes a bid for
escape, having little intention of marrying a man she's never met. But Sara's
plans go awry when she ends up in the hands of a mysterious knight.
As she finds herself consumed by the fiery passion
that lies between her and this mysterious man, she has little idea that it is
not just his name that he is hiding from her. Her knight holds a much bigger
secret, but will it tear them apart or will she forgive his deception?
Snippet: From Highland Knight
“I think we’ve got a lot to learn about each other.
Will ye let me learn about ye, sweet lassie?” He drew her fingers to his lips,
carefully brushing each one across his mouth.
Anna gasped at the contact and her eyes seemed
bigger than ever.
“Aye,” she breathed. “I’ll let ye, Laird Sinclair.”
“Niall,” he murmured against her fingers.
“Niall,” she whispered.
His name upon her lips was the undoing of him and he
practically leapt forwards, dropping her hand and pressing an urgent kiss to
her lips. She cried out slightly but she didn’t push him away. Instead, Anna’s
hands came around his neck, clutching to him as he pushed her back.
Her mouth came open and she returned his kiss with
fire. Hell’s teeth, he’d been wrong about Mackenzie women. Anna was as warm as
they come.
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