For today's interview, I have Elizabeth Keysian on my blog! Check out her book while you're here – the cover is so pretty! – and enter a GIVEAWAY!
Lord of the Manor
(Trysts and Treachery Book 5)
Elizabeth Keysian
To her, he represents authority and power. To him, she spells sedition and danger.
Orphaned at birth, Cecily Neville owes more than her name to the former Hospitallers of Temple Roding. She was still a child when the Reformation wrenched her home and adopted family from her and now, like the few surviving monks, she lives in fear that her past could take a deadly toll. Her closest friend is her precious peregrine falcon, Charlemagne. Her greatest enemy is Allan Smythe, the new owner of Temple Roding.
Grieving over the loss of both wife and child, Smythe throws his heart and soul into reviving the old Hospitaller commandery that he’s bought in partnership with his brother-in-law, Kennett Clark. He can’t risk being distracted by the mysterious but tempting Cecily and her murdering bird. However, when Smythe is forced to save her from his brother-in-law’s lecherous clutches, the unscrupulous Kennett vows to destroy them both.
On a knife-edge, Smythe can’t afford to relax the rents owed by Cecily and her fellow villagers. If he doesn’t demolish her former home for profit, he risks losing everything to Kennett. But when necessity forces him to employ Cecily, there’s more at stake than his future and his battered heart. Something lies hidden in the depths of the Hospitaller commandery that could solve all of Smythe’s problems… or threaten his life.
It all depends on whether he, or the very determined Cecily, finds it first.
Grab a copy HERE!
INTERVIEW
Writing interview questions
The story I will be talking about is LORD OF THE MANOR, the final book in my Tudor era TRYSTS AND TREACHERY series.
Why did you choose to write your book in this era?
My teachers really made this era come alive for me when I was at secondary school. In East Anglia, where I lived at the time, hundreds of stunning buildings have survived from the Tudor era, and I was able to visit many of them. I particularly remember loving Hatfield House, where Elizabeth I spent some of her childhood, and the village I grew up in, Roxwell, in Essex, was full of old timber-framed buildings dating back to the Sixteenth Century. So, it felt as if the Tudor era was part of my cultural heritage!
Did you find researching this era particularly difficult?
Not really—I have a massive collection of reference books! I also studied the Tudors and Stuarts at “A” level, and at university. I then became a Tudor era re-enactor at Kentwell Hall in Suffolk. That involved inventing an alter ego for myself, and recreating daily life as it would have been lived on a Tudor manor. But at Kentwell, we didn’t just demonstrate, or say, “The Tudors did this.” We BECAME credible Tudor people. I played the part of a stillroom wench, initially, working with herbal medicine, but later moved on to work in the kitchens, providing the wealthy gentry with their midday meal. Everything was as authentic as we could make it, so I had to do a lot of research at the time to make sure my character was true-to-life.
Can you share something about the book that isn’t covered in the blurb?
Indeed! I based the manor featured in the story on a place where I once lived. My partner and I were employed as live-in archaeologists at Cressing Temple in Essex, where we acted as on-site security. I lived there for seven years, although five of them were spent teaching rather than excavating. It is a place with an incredible history—Roman and Bronze Age remains have been found there, and our principal task was to excavate the Seventeenth Century walled garden to see if it could be restored to its original form. It has now become a “Paradise Garden” and is open to the public.
As related in the story, the Temple was founded by the Knights Templar, on land granted to them by Queen Matilda. When their crusading order was disbanded, the Knights Hospitaller took over. The next major change was during Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries, when a huge amount of land passed into the hands of the monarchy and from there into the possession of laymen, such as the hero of LORD OF THE MANOR. I based my romance around the conflict that arose between Catholics and Protestants at this time of great change—and great uncertainty—for England.
What are you currently working on?
I’ve just self-published a Georgian era novella called NEVER TEMPT A WIDOW, and am still doing promotion for that. I am hoping the publisher of my Tudor books, Dragonblade, will be interested in serialising a medieval romance of mine, MY LADY’S FAVOUR, on the new Amazon Vella platform. Can’t wait to see what happens with that one! The story was written some time ago, but I keep fiddling with it. If it goes onto Vella, then it needs to be edited into bite-sized chunks. The story is written in the first person at the moment, as I thought this made the action more immediate, and really gave me (and the reader) a chance to get into the minds of my medieval protagonists—how they thought, felt, behaved, and what they believed in.
Personal Interview questions
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I love nature, so if I have the energy to get out for a walk, I love doing that, and birdwatching while I’m at it. But I have a couple of chronic health issues which make it difficult for me to plan outings, so a lot of the time you’ll find me chatting on Facebook, or playing my favourite online game.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Not sure I have grown up properly, yet! But I wrote a “long story” when I was aged eight, and wrote another one every summer holiday after that, so I was evidently keen to become an author from an early age. I dabbled in drama a bit when I was at secondary school, so becoming an actress was on the cards for a while. But when I finished my “A” levels, I quite fancied being a documentary maker like David Attenborough, only I’d make documentaries about archaeology, which had become a great interest by then. I studied archaeology for a while, then switched to history, and after I graduated, I was either going to go into the police force (whaaaat?) or do a Ph.D on Breton Saints’ Lives. Yes, really! Neither happened. I became an archaeologist. I never got to do a documentary, although I sneaked onto the telly a few times. I started thinking up plots for stories when I was teaching, and was too stressed to fall asleep at night.
What would be a perfect day?
Allowing myself to take some time off, to really indulge myself. I drive myself continually, trying to get things done, or catching up with things I couldn’t do because illness prevented me. So doing nothing and just relaxing for any length of time is really hard for me. But if someone were to offer me a lovely walk around a National Trust property, with a second-hand book shop, and a gluten-free, dairy-free cake thrown in, I’d thoroughly enjoy myself!
What is the best part of your day?
Sitting down to eat my evening meal. My partner and I are both capable cooks, and take it in turns to do the main meals. Cooking dinner is like the last bit of “work” anyone has to do that day. It’s great to be able to relax, enjoy our food, and watch a bit of telly, knowing the world won’t expect anything more from us until the following morning.
Either or!
Tea or coffee: tea
Hot or cold: Neither. I’m not good with extremes!
Movie or book: book
Morning person or Night owl: morning person
City or country: I’ve lived and worked in cities—they’re pretty hectic, tiring places, and I think they are for younger, fitter people than myself. So, it has to be the countryside!
Social Media or book: social media is somewhat addictive…
Paperback or ebook: paperback if possible.
GIVEAWAY (UK only)
I'm going to hand you over to Elizabeth now, so she can let you know how to enter the giveaway!
I love my UK readers, and I’m sure they’re going to enjoy my Tudor era stories, so I’m doing a giveaway especially for them! If you live in the UK and fancy a shot at winning a set of signed Elizabeth Keysian paperbacks, now’s your chance!
All you have to do is share my pinned Facebook post, celebrating the release of my latest book, pre-Regency novella, NEVER TEMPT A WIDOW.
Or, if you prefer Twitter, share the pinned tweet.
I’ll leave both pinned posts up until the end of June, and then put the names of all those who have shared them into a PRIZE DRAW for a complete set of my Tudor era TRYSTS AND TREACHERY series. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, it’ll be easier for me to let you know if you’ve won. The only things I’ll need from the winner will be an address to send the prize to and a name, so I can sign the books for them!
Doesn't that sound amazing?! Go and enter now!!
Elizabeth Keysian is an international bestselling author of heart-pounding Regency romances, set mostly in the West of England. She is working on a fresh series for Dragonblade Publishing called Trysts and Treachery, which is set in the Tudor era. Though primarily a writer of romance, she loves to put a bit of mystery, adventure, and suspense into her stories, and refuses to let her characters take themselves too seriously.
Elizabeth likes to write from experience, not easy when her works range from the medieval to the Victorian eras. However, her passion for re-enactment has helped, as have the many years she spent working in museums and British archaeology. If you find some detail in her work you've never come across before, you can bet she either dug it up, quite literally, or found it on a museum shelf.
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