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Monday, October 26, 2015

A NOBLE MASQUERADE - Kristi Ann Hunter - One Free Book

Dear Readers, when I first saw the cover of this book, I knew I wanted to feature the author on the blog. So here she is.

Welcome, Kristi. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
There’s an element of myself in Miranda. As a more creative type growing up in a family of engineers there were times when I definitely felt a bit out of sync with the rest of my family. Beyond a basic idea, though, Miranda was her own character, and I loved getting to learn about her.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
My husband claims the quirkiest thing I’ve ever done is dance the lambada in a fish tank on Jupiter in the fall. As I have a very strong dislike of fish, I don’t think I’ve ever actually done that. Also given that answer, it’s entirely possible that the quirkiest thing I’ve ever done is marry my loving, supportive, and slightly dorky husband.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?
The first time I considered the idea of writing books was when an author came to my third grade class and told us the book we’d read had started as a writing project for his fifth grade English class. It was a dream I toyed with for years after that. It wasn’t until about five years ago that I realized I could actually do it.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I’m definitely a romance junkie, and I float around the various romance genres most of the time. I do enjoy the occasional fantasy, though, and on even rarer occasions an adventure novel.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?
I don’t. Sanity is highly over-rated.

I say that as a joke but there’s a certain amount of truth to it. As much as I would love to have a smoothly running, organized life, I don’t think I’ll ever be there even on my best day. It means boiling it down to what really matters and what has to get done. Prioritize and know that your life doesn’t have to match anyone else’s.

So true. How do you choose your characters’ names?
There are lists of typical names for the time period. I start there and play around with combinations until one fits with the character in my head. Sometimes none of the names fit and I start picking pieces of different names and smashing them together until it works. For titles, I have an old book of English location names that I like to play around with.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?
Signing my contract with Bethany House was a pretty exciting moment, I must say. Seeing my name on a book cover was astounding.

I think the thing I’m most proud of, though, is that I actually wrote the thing in the first place. Writing a book is something I first attempted in elementary school. I started several books over the years, but never finished. To actually complete a book and then write another and another, well, that’s a pretty big accomplishment.

As a side note, my husband wanted me to list marrying him as the answer for this question, too.

And I’m sure it would be a very good answer, too. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
I think I’d be a horse. When you look at horses at lot of the beauty comes from the fact that they look impossible. Svelte legs holding up powerful bodies and majestic heads. While physically I don’t have the power, grace, or appearance of a horse, I love the essence of them. They are so perfectly constructed that it’s obvious God designed them. I want to own those qualities as well.

What is your favorite food?
My first instinct is to say chocolate because that is my go-to treat, but I’m also a really big fan of pizza. Fortunately my husband is not so that keeps us from eating it too often.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
Realizing that the delete button was my friend. It took me a very long time to admit that the first four chapters of my first book were back story and needed to be scrapped. I think learning to edit and being willing to edit is one of the most essential skills of a successful writer.

Rewrites and edits aren’t a favorite of mine, but they are so essential to help us become the authors God created us to be. Tell us about the featured book.
Lady Miranda Hawthorne acts every inch the lady, but inside longs to be bold and carefree. To help her cope with her emotions, she pours her innermost feelings out in letters to her brother’s old school friend, the Duke of Marshington. Of course, she has no intention of ever sending these letters as that would be highly improper, but when her brother’s new valet, Marlow, mistakenly mails one of the letters, her world spins into upheaval.

Shockingly, this leads to a lively correspondence with the duke even as Miranda becomes close to Marlow. Insecurity from her impending spinsterhood soon shifts into confusion as Miranda finds her feelings growing for two men—one she’s never met but whose words touch her heart, and one she has come to depend on but would never fit in her world. When Marlow’s behavior becomes more and more suspicious, Miranda realizes that she’s landed in the middle of state secrets and intrigue, and more than her heart is at risk.

Please give us the first page of the book.
(I didn’t know if you wanted the Prologue or Chapter One. I’ve included both first pages.)
Prologue
Hertfordshire, England, 1800
It is never a happy day when an eight-year-old girl’s cheesecake lands in the dirt, and she certainly doesn’t take kindly to the laughing little boy who put it there.

Fat tears welled up in Lady Miranda Hawthorne’s eyes as she stared at the cake now resting forlornly on the ground. Her little hands curled into angry fists at her sides.
           
“You’re a cad, Henry Lampton!” Miranda scooped the cake from the ground and hurled it at the laughing boy, her cheeks wet with tears. There was something satisfying about seeing the creamy dessert smear across his shirt and the smile fall from his face.
           
Miranda didn’t have long to relish her revenge because her mother appeared to lead her away from the party. Mother didn’t say a word until the door closed behind them, shutting them into her study.

“Miranda, a lady never expresses her disappointment in public.” Mother’s admonition was gentle but firm, as it always was.

Even though she knew her mother meant well, Miranda shuddered every time she heard the words, “Miranda, a lady never…” Occasionally it was “Miranda, a lady always…” but even then it was something like “Miranda, a lady always pays attention to her guests, even when she finds them boring.”

Miranda knew better than to speak as he mother lectured. Every time she tried to defend herself, it only made the torture last longer. So she waited until her mother dismissed her.

Instead of returning to the party, however, she ran to her room and threw herself on the bed, punching the pillow at the unfairness of it all.

Chapter One
Hertfordshire, England
Autumn 1812
Lady Miranda Hawthorne would support her sister tonight, even if it killed her. Judging by the pain already numbing her face, that was a distinct possibility. She massaged her cheeks, hoping to make the forced smile look and feel a little less wooden than the bedroom door in front of her.
           
With a sharp twist of the brass knob, she wrenched the door open and strode into the corridor. Her stride was firm. Her posture perfect. Nothing would make her abandon the endless lessons in ladylike etiquette from her mother.

Then she walked into a wall.

Oh, very well, it wasn’t a wall precisely. Walls didn’t appear in the middle of passageways, covered in wool.

“I do apologize, my lady.”

Nor did they speak.

Miranda looked up at the obstruction that was in actuality a solidly built man. She retreated a step, putting as much distance between her and the man without retreating into her bedchamber. Up and up her gaze traveled.

The last dredges of sunlight filtered through a large window at the end of the corridor, sending dim squares of gold marching across the floor and up to the man’s broad chest.

He wasn’t family. All of her relations had blond hair, including those so far distant they wouldn’t even claim the connection if her brother wasn’t a duke. The dimly lit passageway prevented her from making out an exact color, but the “barricade” before her had very dark hair pulled back into a short queue at his neck.

With a deep breath, she reminded herself where she stood in life. She was a lady of quality. The daughter, and sister, of a duke. Somewhere in her must lie the aristocratic arrogance she’d seen so many of her friends embody. If this intruder had nefarious purposes, talking was her only defense. Those long arms could haul her to a stop before she went more than two steps.

I’m intrigued, and I’m sure my readers are, too. How can readers find you on the Internet?
There’s lots of information , including bonus material for A NOBLE MASQUERADE on my website: KristiAnnHunter.com (http://www.kristiannhunter.com/)

I can also be found on:
Twitter - @KristiAnnHunter (https://twitter.com/KristiAnnHunter
Instagram - @KristiAnnHunter

Pinterest - AuthorKristiAnn (https://www.pinterest.com/authorkristiann/

Thank you, Kristi, for sharing this new book with us.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
A Noble Masquerade - Christianbook.com
A Noble Masquerade (Hawthorne House) - Amazon
A Noble Masquerade (Hawthorne House Book #1) - Kindle.

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

31 comments:

  1. Thank you for the chance to enter and win this book. I love to read the interviews and get to know the authors a little better. Kristi is a new author to me.

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  2. Anonymous11:17 AM

    This sounds so interesting! I'd love to read this book for myself!
    J.C. -Indiana-

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  3. I really enjoyed Krisit's novella A lady of Esteem, and would love to read A Noble Masquerade!

    Patty in SC

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  4. "A Noble Masquerade" has been on my want-to-read-lost since it's first come out. I've read many different author interviews & I think Kristi sounds like a wonderful writer. This is one book I AM going to read...one way or another :-) Thanks for the chance to win and the interview! Blessings!

    Trixi in OR

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  5. Thanks, everyone for stopping by! I hope all of you get a chance to enjoy A Noble Masquerade. I had a fun time doing this interview. So glad Lena was able to let me stop by!

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  6. Thank you for a great interview and giveaway.

    Melanie Backus, TX

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  7. A NOBLE MASQUERADE is on my wish list; I've read rave reviews! Thank you for the chance to be a winner!

    Britney Adams, TX

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  8. This is a book that I'm really excited to read. So many great reviews.

    Terrill - WA

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  9. I love the cover. Sounds like a book I would enjoy.

    Blessings,
    Cindy W. from Indiana

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  10. I love love love the premise of this book! My parents met through letters so I have a special place in my heart for stories about them. I am really looking forward to reading it. Thanks for the interview and giveaway!

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  11. This sounds like a delightful romp back in history. This character sounds like a lot of fun. And though not a "lady" highborn, my mother and grandmother always tried to instill lots of lady qualities in me. Mother and Dad also fell in love via a letter writing acquaintance.

    Vera in the middle of beautiful North Carolina

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  12. Thank you, Lena, for another great interview! I especially appreciate that you introduce us to the author and let us read the first page. I am anxious to read more!
    Blessings,
    Connie from KY
    cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com

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  13. Oh I would love to read this book so much! It's just beautiful! Fun interview too :)
    Thanks for the chance to win!
    Raechel in MN

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  14. Lena, thank you so much for featuring Kristi! I enjoyed this wonderful interview. I always wondered how authors chose their character names. I am so excited for the release of A NOBLE MASQUERADE!

    Caryl K in TEXAS

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  15. Great interview! This is going on my wish list! Sounds like a great read.

    Beth in Montana

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  16. Nice interview. Looks like a good read. kamundsen44ATyahooDOTcom. NOrth Platte Nebraska.

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  17. I love your husband's imagination, but I agree with you! Would love to read this.

    Melody from Donna, TX

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  18. I always thought Pizza was just a quick and convenient meal to feed the children but now that we are empty nesters...um...we like to eat pizza because we can actually have more than two pieces! :-)

    I would love to read A Noble Masquerade. My friend, Rebecca Maney, told me it is fantastic!

    Anne~ Chesapeake Bay VA

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  19. Looks awesome!!! Would love to win a copy.
    Blanch, NC

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  20. Great interview. I agree sanity is overrated.
    The cover is just beautiful!

    Karen - Oklahoma

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  21. this sounds like a book I'd love to win thanks for the chance

    live in ND

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  22. Sharon Richmond Bryant5:44 PM

    Enter me in your amazing contest!!
    Conway, SC.

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  23. Brenda Arrington6:06 PM

    This sounds like a great read. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
    Brenda in VA

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  24. Love hearing about all of you that met your loved ones through letters! I'd love to know if you knew each other before you started writing or actually met through the letters.

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  25. Kristi Ann, My husband and I went on only a few dates before he left to do missions work in a foreign country. We wrote letters to each other for the six months he was gone, then about six weeks after he returned home he asked me to marry him! I think we knew pretty quick that we were meant to be together. :-)

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  26. Anonymous11:15 PM


    Thanks for the interview with Kristi. Sounds good and would love to win her book. Pretty cover Kristi. I do not have a book from this author. Maxie (TX) . mac262(at)me(dot)com <

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  27. The cover itself makes me want to read this book! Thanks for the opportunity! I am from MS

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  28. Lena is right - the cover is very striking. I have not read any of Kristi's books yet but look forward to them.
    Beth from Iowa

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  29. This book looks amazing! Love that there appears to be some humor mixed in with some suspense surrounding a romance. Would love to win!

    Pam in Ohio

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  30. A Noble Masquerade sounds wonderful, I love the Regency period!
    Merry in MN

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  31. Hi Kristi & Lena! I read A Lady of Esteem this summer and it's definitely got me itchin' to read the rest of The Hawthorne House series!
    Kristen in OK
    kam110476 at gmail dot com

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