THE HEIR'S PREDICAMENT - Lorri Dudley - One Free Book

Welcome back, Lorri. How did you come up with the idea for this story? The Heir’s Predicament is the last installment of the Leeward Island Series, and I had so many readers who loved the feral little girl character from The Captain’s Quest that I decided to write Maggie’s story. It was fun to ponder how a child who survived alone on an island would act after being molded into proper English society and the added change of returning to the Leeward Islands as an adult to trace her roots.

If you were planning a party with Christian authors of contemporary fiction, what six people would you invite and why?

Robin Patchen – Robin is an expert in contemporary romantic suspense, and her stories make me want to drive up to New Hampshire to find the town of Nutfield because I feel I know all the characters so well. Robin has edited my books for years, and I don’t know what I would have done without her.

Andrew Huff – I worked with Andy at an ACFW conference. He’s hysterical and made volunteering a lot of fun. His Shepherd Cross Series holds you from page one and is action-packed suspense.

Heidi Chiavaroli – Heidi writes time slip, so this may be cheating a bit because half of her books are contemporary weaved with a historical plot. I’m fascinated by how she mingles the two stories and characters and keeps it all straight as she writes.

Susan May Warren – Susan writes compelling fiction stories with great heroes, and I’ve also read her non-fiction books on writing. I’d hang on her every word and try to absorb everything.

Jessica Kate – I’ve hung out with Jessica at an ACFW conference, and she is so much fun and has such a great Aussie accent that I’d be remiss not to have her on the invite list. Her stories are as vivacious and witty as she is.

Rachel Hauck – I love the redemptive qualities of her stories.

Now let’s do that for a party for Christian authors of historical fiction, what six people would you invite and why? 

Erica Vetsch – Erica is the queen of everything Regency era, and we could probably talk tea for hours. (And I mean real tea not spilling the tea as my Gen Z children call gossiping).

Misty Beller – Misty is a sweetheart and a pillar in the historical genre not to mention a book marketing guru. I’d love to pick her brain and hear her Southern accent.

Heidi Chiavaroli – (I’m cheating again) Heidi is also a sweetheart and so welcoming that you feel like good friends within seconds of meeting. She is gifted at pulling emotion into her stories and recently won a Carol Award for her book Hope Beyond the Waves.

Lisa Bergren – Lisa also wrote a series set in the Leeward Islands but at an earlier time in the 1700’s. I think she and I would have a grand time comparing notes and reminiscing about our tropical writing adventures.

Abigail Wilson – Abigail writes in first person, which I find amazing, and adds a suspenseful, gothic element to her Regency writing style that is unique.

Lena Nelson Dooley – You’re a must-have on the list because of your industry experience and graciousness toward other authors, and our interactions have been a blast.

Thank you for including me in your list. I would totally enjoy attending. Many times, people (and other authors) think you have it made with so many books published. What is your most difficult problem with writing at this time in your career? The more I write, the more I feel in competition against myself. There’s a pressure that readers now hold higher expectations, and I have to outdo my previous books. I also must be careful not to form plots too similar to ones I’ve already written. I rewrote the ending of The Heir’s Predicament four different times. In one of the versions I’d written, the end, and then realized I had created the cliché of “The butler did it.” So, I changed it to have Samuel wrongfully arrested and thrown in jail, but that ending seemed too similar to book four. I can’t mention the others because I don’t want to give the book away, but I wrote the current ending while at a marriage retreat with my husband. Inspiration struck in the middle of the night, and to not wake my sleepy hubby, I grabbed my laptop, crawled into a (dry) bathtub, and finished in the wee morning hours.

Tell us about the featured book. In The Heir’s Predicament, Samuel Granville controls the answers to Maggie’s past and future, but she threatens his inheritance and his heart.
Maggie Prescott may not know her real name, the circumstances of her birth, or her father’s identity, but based on a song her shipwrecked birthmother taught her before she died, Maggie’s certain the answers lie on the island of Antigua. Unbeknownst to her beloved adopted family, she sends her maid to finishing school in her stead and convinces her uncle, Captain Anthony Middleton, to sail her to the Leeward Islands. Time is of the essence to discover her heritage before the next family gathering exposes her duplicity.
Lord Samuel Fredrick Harcourt Granville was groomed to inherit the Cardon title and lands, but the possession of his father’s temper has put Samuel’s future in jeopardy. After discovering his fiancée cavorting with his so-called friend, the ensuing altercation lands Samuel in court before of the House of Lords. As an example, for all aristocratic sons to quell their hedonistic living, the House of Lords banishes Samuel to the island of Antigua until he can prove he’s worthy of his privileged birth.
On the island, Samuel works to rein in his temper and revive a dying sugar plantation. Still, his return to England and all his efforts are threatened when a mysterious woman breaks into his island home, claiming to be the true heiress of the sugar plantation. Guilt, resentment, and fresh yearnings sizzle under the island sun as Maggie’s search uncovers a much greater treasure than either of them expected. 

            Please give us the first page of the book.

            “Shhh. Keep your voice down,” Maggie Prescott held her index finger to her lips. “Or this could become one big disaster.” The image of the prominent Lord Granville standing on his balcony earlier that morning with a wide-legged stance and his arms crossed, surveying his grounds with a sharp eye, popped into her mind. A prickling shiver walked up her spine. She’d avoided his notice during her first escapades to Greenview Manor, but the master of the house didn’t appear to be someone she wanted to cross.

“I’ve done some foolhardy things in my past, but dash it, this beats them all.” Her uncle’s white linen sleeves flapped in the breeze, and his blue eyes shone brightly despite his dark scowl. She still hadn’t grown accustomed to seeing him with facial hair, his tanned skin blending in with the light brown scruff.

Maggie hid her slippers underneath the wild tamarind bush and tilted her head back to examine the feat ahead. The large breadfruit tree looked sturdy enough, and it had held her weight on prior attempts. Surely it could accommodate her uncle, Captain Anthony Middleton’s, larger masculine frame.

She swallowed and planned her winding route among the limbs. There was no need to be concerned. Lord Granville was in the fields, directing his men until sundown as he did every day, even Sunday. She and her uncle would slip in, locate the diary, and be sailing back to London before nightfall.

“My gut’s rolling like waves before a storm.” Uncle Anthony shook his head. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

How can readers find you on the Internet? I can be found at:

www.lorridudley.com  

https://www.wildheartbooks.org/the-heirs-predicament.html 

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

Thank you, Lorri, for sharing this book with us. I’ve loved every one of your books.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Heirs-Predicament-Leeward-Islands/dp/194226559X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1676486670&sr=1-1

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