THE MERCHANT'S YIELD - Lorri Dudley - One Free Book

Bio: Lorri Dudley has been a finalist in numerous writing contests and has a master’s degree in Psychology. She lives in Ashland, Massachusetts, with her husband and three teenage sons, where writing romance allows her an escape from her testosterone filled household.

Welcome back, Lorri. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

Growing up reading Regency romance novels, I was enamored with the rules of the le bon ton and the chivalry of the era. I think novels should be an escape from everyday life (hence my tropical settings). Also, I believe in writing romance books that allow readers to empathize with a character through their comical mishaps and dramatic misunderstandings. It should depict a fallible human heart, one that can be made whole again by a merciful creator and remind us that we have hope for the same.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

Hands down, it was the day I married my husband. God has blessed me with a soul mate, who is supportive and very loving. My favorite line of my husbands was when I asked him if it was unhealthy that we don’t argue much and he said, “When you’re in the trenches up against toddlers (or now teenagers), you don’t have time to pick lint off each other.” I love him.

How has being published changed your life?

I’m still pretty new to all this since my first book just released in January, but it’s been wonderful. I have an awesome publisher. Misty Beller and Wild Heart Books have been great to work with and have made the process of being published a rewarding experience. I never anticipated how much writing novels would bring me closer to people. I now have friends I’ve never even met face-to-face all over the United States other countries. I’ve been reconnected with friends who’ve moved away and distant family members who’ve become part of my launch team. I feel truly blessed.

What are you reading right now?

I usually have five or six books going at a time.

For research I’m reading Tales of Tortola and the British Virgin Islands by Florence Lewisohn, A History of the Virgin Islands by Isaac Dookhan, (You can probably guess where my next novel will take place), and The Definitive Book of Body Language because my heroine of book four is very observant.

For spiritual growth, I’m reading Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs because my husband and I mentor young couples. I’m also reading Frequency by Robert Morris.

For fun – I just finished Freedom in the Mountain Wind by Misty Beller a wonderful book about a woman helping to fulfill her father’s dream of walking in the steps of explorers Lewis and Clark. I also have on my nightstand The Tea Chest by Heidi Chiavaroli which is a timeslip linking back to the Boston Tea Party.

I’ve read Misty’s book, and Robert Morris is my pastor. What is your current work in progress?

The Captain’s Quest features Priscilla’s journey (who is the close friend of Lottie from The Merchant’s Yield.) Priscilla boards her brother’s ship only to discover, too late, that her brother has been relieved of command, and the ship has sailed. The new captain will not let an unexpected passenger keep him from fulfilling his critical naval mission. Tobias refuses to put the needs of one person above that of his crew until a sea squall knocks Priscilla overboard.

I can hardly wait for that one. What would be your dream vacation?

My dream vacation would be a Caribbean trip with friends. On my bucket list is to travel to all the islands mentioned in the Beach Boys’ song “Kokomo.” During the day, I’d get to relax and read on the beach and take romantic strolls with my hubby, but then get to enjoy the social comradery of dinner with friends. My husband’s company does this sort of thing as a rewards trip for his top sellers and producers, and it’s always been a great bonding experience. It was on one of these trips that I was introduced to a little island called St. Kitts, which became the setting for The Merchant’s Yield.

James and I have cruised in the western Caribbean twice, and that is the setting for my contemporary novel Never Say Never. How do you choose your settings for each book?

I initially chose the Leeward Islands because the Boston area where I live was buried under a record snowfall. We couldn’t even see over the walls of white that we’d shoveled to get down our walkway. I needed an escape, and so I traveled to the Caribbean in my stories. Now, I enjoy researching the various islands and finding one that stirs my creativity.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

My goodness, this question has wracked my brain. Other than my parents who live in the Southwest and I don’t get to see as often as I’d like (besides I couldn’t choose one over the other), I’d love to meet Debbie Murphy. Many people won’t know who she is, but Debbie is one of my devoted readers who’s been with me since I started my blog. She’s had a rough couple of years dealing with loss and family health issues, but even though she had so much going on, she’s been a great encouragement to me. I’d love to meet her in person and tell her face to face what a blessing she is.

I hope you get to meet her sometime. I have a number of fans I’d like to meet face-to-face. Occasionally, it happens. What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

Besides writing, I also dabble in painting. For a while, I was an art teacher at Metrowest Christian Academy for grades 1st through 5th and enjoyed seeing the kids proudly display their art projects. Now I help with my church’s set design for Vacation Bible School and putter around with a paintbrush. I particularly like painting portraits, and my favorite artist is American artist, Mary Cassatt, who often painted mothers and children as her subjects.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

Time. I have had to squeeze in writing time wherever and whenever I can. I work for my husband’s business and I have three boys who I still have to cart to sports practices every night (at least up until the pandemic). I’ve been known to sit in the bleachers or on the floor of a wrestling room with my laptop typing away.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Stay the course! The writing industry is tough and competitive, but if you stick with it, honing your writing, learning from critiques, and building a readership, whether it be through a blog or other means, God will use you and your gift.   

Tell us about the featured book.

It was a marriage of inconvenience, but life has a wicked sense of humor.

Leeward Islands for a dance. But her one courageous act lands her in a compromising position. Forced to wed a stranger, Lottie leaves the only home she’s ever known to reside on the isle of St. Kitts.
​
Nathaniel Winthrop’s troubles are mounting, and the rumors of him being cursed are spreading. Due to the dwindling sugar crop, he risks everything to start his own shipping company. The last thing he needs is a wife, especially one with a weak constitution. Yellow fever has already claimed the lives of his mother and siblings. He must guard his heart against falling in love with this gentle beauty, knowing island life will be a death sentence.
​
No longer under her mother’s scrutiny, the newfound freedom of the island rejuvenates Lottie’s spirit. If her days on this earth are limited, then it’s time she lives life to the full. Now it’s up to her to prove that even though Nathan was coerced into marrying her, she’s the one he can’t live without.

Charlotte Amelia Etheridge has cowered to her mother’s sharp tongue and endless demands for the last time. In a fleeting moment of rebellion, she recklessly asks a foreigner from the

Sounds wonderful. Please give us the first page of the book.

London, England, May 1814

“Of course, the islander would come.”

Charlotte Amelia Etheridge stiffened at Mama’s acidic tone. She followed her mother’s gaze to the entrance of the Middleton’s modest ballroom where guests arrived in hordes of navy and formal black jackets bobbing amid a sea of colorful gowns. They filled the ballroom with boisterous chatter and a bouquet of expensive perfumes and colognes.

Mama flicked her fan in sharp increments. “Even dressed in English finery, he appears barbaric and uncivilized.”

           

Lottie focused on the landing where Nathanial Robert Winthrop bowed to Lord Gibbons and his wife. His large frame and broad shoulders dwarfed Lord Gibbons’s, making the average-height man appear slight in stature. Winthrop’s hand tossed back the coattail of his fitted charcoal jacket and tucked into his right pant pocket. He exuded a relaxed, casual self-assurance that uniquely contrasted with the pretentious lords and ladies of the Quality surrounding him. Their grandiose displays sought approval, a favor they would be hard-pressed to receive from her mother, for Lady Etheredge’s acerbic tongue could elevate or cut down a person with a single remark.

Winthrop nodded at something Gibbons said, and his teeth gleamed the same bright white as his cravat and shirt front.

Mama nodded in the direction of the gentlemen. “I will make certain Lord Gibbons reserves a dance for you. His mother owes me a favor.”

A favor. The jab struck its soft target, but Lottie had numbed to most of her mother’s verbal attacks.

“There she is now.” Mama stepped away to speak with Lady Gibbons.

Lottie plucked at the sides of her skirt and searched for Priscilla, her closest friend. The large mirrors reflected shimmering light from the overhead multi-tiered chandeliers and exposed her abandoned position. A retreat to the retiring rooms to freshen up might be in order.

Captain Anthony Middleton eyed her.

Lottie paused mid-step.

He weaved through the cluster of people to her side.

This was it. Her pulse leapt. How long had she fancied Pricilla’s handsome elder brother and dreamed of this moment?

“If it isn’t Little Lottie Ethridge.” The deep rich tone of Anthony’s voice sent a wave of tingles up her arm.

Lottie fought to subdue a grin she knew would cross the lines of decorum.

The boyishness in his face had disappeared, and he exuded virile sophistication in his navy captain’s jacket and highly polished boots. “It has been an age.”

She longed to say something witty like how she practiced in front of the mirror while he’d been at sea, but all that came to mind was, “Indeed.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Website: www.lorridudley.com

my weekly blog: https://lorridudley.com/blog/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lorri-dudley

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

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

Readers, here are links to the book.

The Merchant's Yield (The Leeward Island Series) - Paperback
The Merchant's Yield (The Leeward Island Series Book 2) - Kindle

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