THE DUKE'S REFUGE - Lorri Dudley - One Free Book

Welcome, Lorri. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

I want my characters to be their unique selves, but I definitely share different aspects of my characters. In my latest book, The Duke’s Refuge, I also had a portion of Georgia’s early tomboy traits. As a child, I was always climbing trees and playing in creeks.

Something I learned from taking one of Allen Arnold’s classes was a concept all my books share. He told us to name our three favorite movies, and it would show us our theme of writing. My movies were all over the place—Cinderella, Star Wars, and Indian Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark. It turns out, all three of these have an element of the main character coming into their own and overcoming their fears, and all of my books contain a similar thread.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

A while back on an awards trip to Los Cabos, my husband had a golfing outing, so my sister-in-law (whose husband also works for the company) and I decided to do a camel riding excursion. It seemed like fun until we drove through two military checkpoints where men carried large weapons, and we had to change buses. I began to think things like, if anything goes wrong, we keep the ocean on our right, and eventually, we’ll make it back to the hotel.

As we stopped in front of the camels and men in full Arabian garb, we found ourselves the only English-speaking participants other than the tour guide, and we were expected to don turbans. Now I’m thinking, what did we just join? The camel, King Louis, we rode was great, and praise God, we survived to tell the tale, but I definitely wouldn’t take that risk again.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

It was while I was pushing my boys on the swings. When they were little, I spent countless hours with them going back and forth on the swings. I needed something to do to occupy my brain while I kept tempo with the monotonous motion. Storylines popped into my brain and I had time to work out the motivation, conflict, plot lines while my kids were happily playing.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

I read everything from Biblical historical romance to speculative fiction. One of my favorite futuristic books is The Arena by Karen Hancock. One odd thing is that I prefer to read fiction but listen to audiobooks for non-fiction. Some of my favorite non-fiction authors are Bob Goff (Love Does), Mark Batterson (Chasing Lions), and Kyle Idleman (Don’t Give Up).

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

I haven’t mastered this at all, but I’ve learned God always gets it done. No matter if I’m up to my eyeballs in work and waking up at four a.m. to get edits done for a deadline, God has miraculously multiplied my time. However, there are a lot of S.O.S. prayers going up.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Since I write historical, I have to choose names that are appropriate for the time period, but I love names that can be shortened. It works great in those personal moments when the hero slips and calls her a beloved nickname.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

In writing, it was pumping out a three-book series and balancing deadlines with life activities.

In life, it’s that my three boys are going up to be mature young men with hearts for God. I couldn’t be prouder of them, although, God gets the credit. There were a lot of days where I prayed, Lord, please don’t let me mess them up.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

I’d choose to be a beaver. I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out. Water rolls off a beaver’s back because of an oil their skin produces. They can plug their ears to keep liquids out. They have strong social bonds, and their big tail acts as a rudder. I’d love to let problems roll off my back and close my ears to block out negative thoughts. I believe in strong friendships to keep you going, and I need a good rudder to keep me aiming in the right direction.

What is your favorite food?

I can’t resist a Dairy Queen chocolate Reese’s peanut butter cup blizzard. Yum!

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

The biggest roadblock was learning to deal with negative critiques. I majored in psychology not creative writing, so I learned how to write by trial and error. I submitted my writing to anyone who’d be willing to read it, contests, beta readers, freelance editors, and I received back great suggestions and sometimes brutal tough to swallow criticism. I’ve learned it’s okay to mourn for a day so my brain can process, but that’s all I get. After that I shake it off and see what I can glean from others’ wisdom. On the down days, God was always faithful to give me something to see me through, whether it was an encouraging text for a friend, an email from one of my blog readers, or even encouraging lyrics from a song. He always knows just what I need to keep sitting down at my keyboard.

Tell us about the featured book.

The Duke’s Refuge is meant to be a fish-out-of-water, case-of-mistaken-identity, love triangle romance with a happily-ever-after. It demonstrates how God’s love fervently pursues us, no matter how far we run, and that sometimes, something we would never have chosen can bless us in a way we would never have expected.

Georgia Lennox has traded in her boyish ways for pink gowns and a coy smile to capture the eye of the Earl of Claremont. However, on the day she's convinced the earl will propose, Georgia is shipped off to the Leeward Islands to care for her ailing father. But when she arrives on Nevis, the last thing she expects is to learn that her abrupt departure was not at her father's bidding but that of the infuriating, yet captivating, island schoolmaster. And now her plans may well be shipwrecked.

Harrison Wells is haunted by the memories of his deceased wife and hunted by the subsequent women who aspire to be the next Duchess of Linton. Desiring anonymity, he finds sanctuary in the Leeward island of Nevis. He's willing to sacrifice his ducal title for a schoolmaster's life and the solace the island provides. That is until unrest finds its way to Nevis in a storm of pink chiffon—Miss Georgia Lennox.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Nevis, British Leeward Islands

1814

“Moor the line!” the captain called out. Feet shuffled above deck, and the echo of male grunts filled the air.

Georgia Evelyn Lennox straightened the skirt of her finest muslin traveling dress. She’d saved this particular pale pink gown especially for the day they would reach Nevis. Now, she adjusted the sleeves with the same care a knight would prepare his armor for battle.

She didn’t wear it to impress a specific person, certainly not her father. Pink gowns had become her own kind of chain mail. Her bonnet, embellished with pink silk flowers, transformed into her helmet. And her fan or her frilly pink parasol—her shield.

She slid on her matching pink gloves, hooked her parasol over her arm, and as best she could, inspected herself in her tiny handheld mirror, looking for chinks in the pink armor. Satisfied, she opened the door, but paused on the threshold.

“Aunt Tessa, it sounds as if we might be nearing Nevis. I’m going to climb aloft to speak with the captain. Would you care for anything?”

“Dry land.” Aunt Tessa mumbled under the covers.

Georgia chuckled. “I shall do my best.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Webpage: lorridudley.com

Blog: lorridudley.com/blog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lorri-Dudley-106417244214488/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lorridudley14/

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48346026-the-duke-s-refuge?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=rgubWOKXhC&rank=2

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-duke-s-refuge-by-lorri-dudley

Thank you for sharing this new book on my blog. Sounds like my favorite kind of novels.

Readers, here are links to the book.

The Duke's Refuge (The Leeward Island Series) - Paperback
The Duke's Refuge (The Leeward Island Series Book 1) - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (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, 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