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Showing posts with label Highlanders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Highlanders. Show all posts

Monday, September 7, 2015

Guest Blog: It Ain’t Easy Writing Hot Highlanders @Sabrina_York #RB4U

It Ain’t Easy Writing Hot Highlanders

I’ve spent the last year living in a Highland romance, writing the Untamed Highlander series for St. Martin’s Press, creating my wounded Waterloo warrior in Tarnished Honor and entertaining myself with the Dundragon Time Travel Trilogy. I fell in love with the characters, the settings and the mood of the work.

But I’ll be honest. It ain’t easy writing scorching Highland romances with big, brawny, savage heroes. Here are some of the challenges I faced in the past year.

But no worries, my darling reader. I am more than happy to take the bullet and suffer these trials. Just remember, I do it all for you!


The Top Ten Challenges of Writing Hot Highlanders

#10  Incessantly flipping through pictures of thousands of gorgeous, hunky men in kilts looking for exactly the right inspiration


#9 Taste tasting Scottish shortbread. You know. You make sure I "get it."


#8 Watching an endless loop of The Highlander to make sure I get the accent (and the swordplay) right


#7 Picking a time period in the Scottish history where my beloved characters have a chance of living happily ever after post-story


#6 Deciding how much dialog to "Scotify" so people get the flavor but don’t have trouble understanding what the characters are saying.


#5 Trying to find a location that is more than desolate sea coast and moors


#4  Keep getting stalled on the sex scenes. (Needs more editing, or at least to be read again!)


#3 My heroes declare their undying love for me, causing an awkward situation with my heroines…


#2 Plotline inexplicably veers off into a Gothic Novel with Ghosts and dour Lairds


#1 I keep getting distracted by my hero’s hotness


I’ve loved writing these books so much, I am even planning a visit to Scotland this fall. I’d love to hear your suggestions on things I should see and do (but be gentle. It’s my first time!)


LOVE HIGHLAND ROMANCE?

Get your copy of Hannah and the Highlander  
First in a brand-new series from New York Times bestselling author Sabrina York about the bold, brawny men of the Highlands-and the lovely lasses who bring them to their knees...
Scotland 1813:

Highlanders are her weakness.
Hannah Dounreay has no time for suitors who only seem interested in her family's land, which she manages as well as any man. If she marries, she wants to be loved for the educated, independent woman she is. But when a strong, silent-and spectacularly handsome-Highlander saves her from a violent attack, her heart is stirred. Who is this man? And if he asks for Hannah's hand, will she be able to resist him?

Love is the most powerful weapon of all.
Alexander Lochlannach, Laird of Dunnet, has no time to lose. The Highlands are in an uproar as clans battle for land-without mercy-and Alexander can't afford to fall for the wildly attractive, strong-willed Hannah. What's more, he has a desperate secret, one that could destroy them both. But as their attraction turns into an all-consuming passion, Alexander has no choice but to prove to Hannah that he's the only man for her-body and soul...in Hannah and the Highlander.



Susana and the Scot is coming in December!



A SCANDALOUS TEMPTATION
Andrew Lochlannach is famous for his conquests, on and off the battlefield. When a fellow warrior challenges him to a kissing contest, he wastes no time in planting his lips on ninety-nine lovely lasses-an impressive feat of seduction that gets him banished to the hinterlands. Still, Andrew has no regrets about his exploits-especially his embrace with the most beguiling woman he's ever met...

AN UNDENIABLE PASSION
With flaming red hair and a temper to match, Susana is not some innocent farm girl who gives herself over easily to a man, even one as ruggedly handsome as Andrew. The wicked Scot may have won a kiss from the headstrong beauty in a moment of mutual desire, but Susana refuses to be just another one of his conquests. Andrew must convince the fiery lass that even though he is not playing a game, losing her is not an option...

Check out the Dundragon Time Travel Trilogy!
LAIRD OF HER HEART
Book 1 in the Dundragon Time Travel Trilogy
By Sabrina York

When Maggie Spencer is mysteriously transported to the Scotland of her ancestors, she is stunned to come face to face with him. Dominic Dundragon, the man she’s been half in love with her whole life. A man who’s been dead for 700 years.

They both have enemies aplenty. Will she have a chance to win his love, or will this adventure end in disaster? 

 Happy reading my darling!


About Sabrina York
Her Royal Hotness, Sabrina York, is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of hot, humorous stories for smart and sexy readers. Her titles range from sweet & snarky to scorching romance.  Connect with her on twitter @sabrina_york, on Facebook or on Pintrest. Check out Sabrina’s books and read an excerpt on Amazon or wherever e-books are sold. Visit her webpage at www.sabrinayork.com to check out her books, excerpts and contests. Free Teaser Book: http://sabrinayork.com/free-teaser-books/ Get updates and alerts from Sabrina here: HotSheet Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/bj8tKb.

Follow my Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/sabrinayork
Like my Facebook Author Page https://www.facebook.com/SabrinaYorkBooks
Follow me on Twitter @sabrina_york https://twitter.com/sabrina_york
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Saturday, September 7, 2013

Guest Blog: Nancy Lee Badger: Dig Into Haggis: An Acquired Taste



While researching facts to add to my romance novels set in Scotland, I learned about a staple food called Haggis. In truth, I have heard and even tasted the American version of this treat. Yes, I use the word treat, because the taste must be acquired. My taste buds have not fallen under its spell, but when it is offered…I dig in.

Haggis is usually made by stuffing a sheep’s stomach with sheep’s pluck, what we know as the animal’s cooked heart, liver, and lungs. Onions, oatmeal, suet, and spices are added, and the mixture is put through a meat grinder. The stuffed sausage-like food is then cooked in an oven. The coarse texture has a distinct taste similar to goose liver pate, such as foie gras, a well-known French delicacy. The Scots eat it like candy.

In my first book in my Highland Games Through Time series, I mention haggis in a less-than positive light. My heroine, Haven MacKay, is upset with a friend and thinks:

     Where had Jake run off to? Was he stuck in the long food lines? Or, had he escaped inside the beer tent?
     I hope he chokes on a mouthful of haggis.

In my second book in the series, My Banished Highlander, my hero from ancient Scotland finds himself at a present-day Highland Games, and he is hungry:

     The aroma of haggis made his stomach rumble and reminded him that his mistress had sent him to procure their noon meal.

I cannot say that my personal experience tasting haggis is the same as one might experience when visiting Scotland. America does not allow the use of lungs, and sometimes casings other than a sheep’s intestine are used. I have spread what Scots call tasty pudding on crackers at Burns Suppers back in New Hampshire. ‘Burns suppers’ are traditionally held in late January to commemorate the birthday of the Scottish poet, Robert Burns. As his poem Address to a Haggis, is recited, giggles echo among the diners, and glasses of whisky clink. Check out the poem in its original text as well as it’s idiomatic translation HERE  http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Address_to_a_Haggis

Why would someone create such a food? Well, when all you have to eat is leftover sheep parts and you are near starvation because you are down to your last sheep, someone came up with the idea to use…ah… other parts. (I refuse to talk about fried testicles) The first mention of haggis is from way back in the 14th century, and some think it might have originated in Scandinavia, but the modern haggis is considered a traditional Scottish dish. Today, many are served in artificial casings, and sometimes served deep-fried in batter, or as a pizza topping. Unfortunately, it is illegal to import haggis into the US from the UK due to a ban on food containing sheep lungs. The situation was further complicated in 1989 when all UK beef and lamb was banned from importation to the US due to BSE, also known as Mad Cow Disease. Read more about this ban HERE   http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2013/04/haggis-banned-in-the-u-s-a/

So, imagine my surprise when I saw bags of haggis chips for sale at a Highland games festival in North Carolina. I bought some, and the flavor was very reminiscent of the haggis I have tasted.  The ingredients listed are: Potatoes, Sunflower Oil, Haggis, and various seasonings. Looks like someone snuck this by the US food patrol!

BLURB: My Reluctant Highlander
Skye has spent the last five years trying to forget the blacksmith who followed her back to 16th century Scotland, to help fight evil. Sending Jake Jamison home against his will was a disastrous mistake. Stealing his heart was not part of the plan.

Jake must share his secret, Skye must give her heart fully, and both must dare to love in the time they have.

BIO:
She loves chocolate-chip shortbread, wool plaids wrapped around the trim waist of a Scottish Highlander, the clang of broadswords, and the sound of bagpipes in the air. After growing up in Huntington, New York, and raising two handsome sons in New Hampshire, she moved to North Carolina where she writes full-time. Nancy is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, Triangle Area Freelancers, and the Celtic Heart Romance Writers.  

Connect with Nancy:
Blog                   
Website              
Twitter               
Facebook           
Goodreads         


MY RELUCTANT HIGHLANDER buy links
Amazon                          http://amzn.to/11H0Hg1 
AmazonPRINT             http://amzn.to/12pX5Qc
NOOK                            http://bit.ly/16a7lim  
Barnes&Noble PRINT http://bit.ly/10UQa3Z
KOBO                            http://bit.ly/12lX2V5
AllRomance                   http://bit.ly/19aBsI6
Smashwords                  http://bit.ly/11DtTDE
iTunes                            http://bit.ly/12Ic1bl



Don't forget to leave a comment...and put your email address in the comment box! One lucky person will win a tote filled with autographed paperback books by the following authors. Nancy met up with them at the recent Romance Writers of America Conference. A winner will be chosen on Thursday, September 12th. The tote includes:

LORD OF DARKNESS by Elizabeth Hoyt
CRAVE THE MOON by Lori Handeland
WHO WANTS TO MARRY A COWBOY by Abigail Sharpe
A FAIRY TALE SAMPLER from Eloisa James
MY HONORABLE HIGHLANDER by Nancy Lee Badger
And a bag of Haggis Chips, all in a Tote (courtesy of  AVON)

*an international winner will receive a selection of ebooks instead.
**please leave contact information

 

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