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Book Spotlight -- Katie's Resolve

Angela Lain • Apr 05, 2022

Today I welcome author Angela Lain all the way from England as she shares about her latest release, the story behind it, and her story as well.



Hello everyone, I am Angela Lain and I live in the countryside in Norfolk, UK, with husband and horse. I write historical and contemporary romance, most are sweet, and some slightly naughtier. The tales include adventure, excitement, romance and danger, in the UK, the US and even the Crimea. The heroes are tough and noble and the heroines are independent, and they all get their happy endings.

 

The book I want to talk about today is - KATIE’S RESOLVE.


The Wild Man, He lived alone and he expected he would die alone.


Katie’s Resolve is part of the Reclusive Man series, set in the Old West. This is part of a multi-author series where we were all tasked with the same premise.


The first challenge of writing this tale was to give the hero a past. Why was he alone? Loss, guilt, betrayal, desertion, even shame; all were possible. My hero, Declan Connelly, was the second of three brothers who had travelled from Ireland. I wrote initially of their sister, Constance, who stayed in Ireland, then I wrote of the younger brother, and at this point, Declan, the middle brother, had died. But what if he hadn’t died? What if he was believed dead, and therefore was deserted by his brothers? And there was my recluse; scarred and abandoned by those he loved, he chose to withdraw from the world.


My heroine, Katie, lost her sweet heart in the war, and she chose to help her father in his blacksmiths’ forge. She moved west with her father, she worked in men’s clothes and people thought her an oddity. At twenty-six she was an old maid, until the day the wild man rode into town, and everything changed.


Katie saw, not a wild man, but a lonely soul, and she wanted to heal him. He saw a beautiful, defiant woman, and couldn’t believe she would ever want him. Throw in a concerned father, several assorted dogs and horses, an opinionated mule and a chance encounter, and you have a tale to tell.


Naming my characters is always a fun task. If I do not like the name, I cannot like the character. I once wrote almost an entire story, and something just wasn’t right. No matter how I tried I could not feel sympathy for my heroine. So I changed her name, and suddenly I could see her. Now I liked her, it changed so much, the nuance of the tale altered, and I had no trouble coming to a satisfactory conclusion. As to the names, I have used many family members. One housekeeper was called Ada Lambert, my maternal grandmother. Two of my heroines have been Elizabeth and Frances, for my paternal grandmother. I have also had heroine Eleanor Elsa May, which is the name of my pony! If a name does not spring to mind, I look at Victorian children’s names online, or a peruse Facebook until I see a name I like. I do try very hard not to use names which do not fit the period.


Katie’s Resolve can be found here. https://www.amazon.com/Katies-Resolve-Reclusive-Man-Book-ebook/dp/B09PSGYTZY.

 

 

Here is the first page, just for a taste.

CHAPTER ONE

Spring 1869


Declan Connelly reached his cup into the flour bin and felt it touch the bottom. He had realized days ago that a trip into town was due, both the corn bin and this flour bin were almost empty. The two sturdy wooden trunks he had made should raise enough money to cover his needs on this occasion, if not he would need to find a few days’ work to cover the costs.

He mixed the ingredients for today’s biscuits and pondered his trip to town. He preferred to stay here, alone, just him and the horses and the dogs, but sometimes he needed to venture amongst the masses.

This was not the life he had envisioned when he had left his homeland with his brothers, some twenty-one years ago. Ronan had gone ahead, he and Finnbar had followed along with several cousins, excited at the prospect of a new future. He had been just seventeen years old, a man full grown and ready to make a life and a future in a new land. There had been little left for a poor man in Ireland. Many had fled to the cities to avoid the famine, many more had followed the same route as he and his brothers and cousins; none of it had been easy.

 

 

I began writing after reading a wagon trail story and thinking ‘I could do better than that’. My first efforts were probably not great, but I love to tell a story.  


I do my actual writing sitting at the dining room table, but I do my thinking in many places. I have an idea, but by the time I have jotted, and thought, it may have changed direction many times. I often find I think best while riding my horse. I am usually alone, so I talk aloud to Ellie, and I tell her the story. It is amazing how many times this gives me a new idea, or a change of direction. I’m not sure if it’s the countryside, or the pony which change my thinking, but it works.


My relaxation is riding, and sometimes walking, in the countryside. I also love to read. I read all sorts, but if I am feeling uninspired, I will return to my old favorites. I have books I have read many times, and authors I know will inspire me.

 

Finbarr’s story can be found in Rescuing the Irishman, and I will be making this free for you on 5th/6th April.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FHXSV95

 

You can find me here-

https://www.facebook.com/angela.lain.books

https://www.amazon.com/Angela-Lain/e/B01HUC6XOW

 

It has been great to talk with you. I do hope some of you will enjoy Katie’s Resolve, which is on pre-order, and will be published on 13th April.

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