Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Review - The Captive Knight - Interview with Lisa Ann Verge aka Lisa Verge Higgins

Today I'm so happy to be featuring fabulous author and friend, Lisa Ann Verge aka Lisa Verge Higgins. She has been a part of my reading life for a long time and responsible in part for my love of reading. She's participated in group reads way back on the B&N forum, and the Goodreads forum too and meeting her is on my bucket list. 
She'll be chatting about what she's been up to for the last little while, about her new historical romance, The Captive Knight and what's up next too. So put your feet up, stay awhile and enjoy!

ISBN-13:  978-1940963150
Publisher: Bay Street Press LLC
Release Date: 11-14-2017
Length: 305pp
Buy It: Amazon/B&N/Kobo
Overview:Another passionate romance from the RITA-nominated author of eighteen novels, Lisa Ann Verge

"Electrifying reading." -Rendezvous

"A spirited heroine, a chivalric hero--exciting and passionate." -Roberta Gellis, bestselling author of Masques of Gold

After her dowry castle is seized as a prize of war, Aliénor's hopes for her future are shattered. No dowry means no marriage, no escape from lifelong servitude, and no protection for her beloved, crippled brother. But everything changes when her father captures a prisoner: The very same rogue knight who stole her lands.

Jehan is the sole survivor of a family whose English sympathies have taken a grim toll, leaving him nothing but his sword and good name. Now, beaten and bloody in his enemy's dungeon, he refuses to give up the stolen lands that have finally brought him a measure of security. Not even for the lovely, headstrong heiress forbidden to him by two warring kings--a recklessly brave woman his heart cannot ignore.

"Verge is a tale-teller whose writing is stunningly real." -Affaire de Coeur

Lisa hi welcome back to The Reading Frenzy.
Tell my readers about your latest release, The Captive Knight.

Hi Deb I’m thrilled to be here chatting with you about books & reading! I’m sending a virtual wave to you and all your readers.
And, yes, I’ve just released another passionate romance full of adventure, THE CAPTIVE KNIGHT!  Set during the Hundred Years’ War, it’s the story of Aliénor de Tournan, a dispossessed heiress, and Jehan de St. Simon, the rogue knight who dispossessed her.
Here’s the blurb:
After her dowry castle is seized as a prize of war, Aliénor’s future is shattered. No dowry means no marriage, no escape from lifelong servitude, and no protection for her beloved, crippled younger brother. But everything changes when her father captures a prisoner: The very same rogue knight who stole her lands. 

Jehan is the sole survivor of a family whose English sympathies have taken a grim toll, leaving him nothing but his sword and good name. Now, beaten and bloody in his enemy’s dungeon, he refuses to give up the stolen lands that have finally brought him a measure of security. Not even for the lovely, headstrong heiress forbidden to him by two warring kings—a recklessly brave woman his heart cannot ignore.

It’s been a while since you’ve visited here, a few years in fact.
What have you been up to?

There came a time, about two years back, when it became important to nurture the creative flame within. So I decided to do two different things:
First, I’ve been bringing my backlist romances back to life by re-releasing them as eBooks. This has taken some time & work, but it has been a wonderful experience. I definitely plan to release more original romances in the future. 
Secondly, I’ve been experimenting with writing in new genres. This has given me a fabulous creative kick, even if my efforts haven’t always panned out.  The process alone has brought back the joy of writing again. (check out my upcoming plans, below!)

Lisa I loved your staring couple in The Captive Knight, Aliénor and Jehan.
Of the two of them who gave you the most trouble and why?

Jehan, definitely! 
Aliénor is a uniquely competent, forthright, and strong woman. Having lost her mother at the age of 14, she has had no choice but to step up and take the estate in hand.  She faces reality without flinching.  
Jehan, on the other hand, is crippled by his own ambition and is easily led astray by princely promises and distant, lofty goals. He wants the best for himself and the people he loves, but his ambition often blinds him to the bounty right before his eyes.

My favorite kind of historical novel whether romance or not is the kind where the author includes a history lesson in with the fiction and yours does this.
How important is it to you to be historically accurate?

I love, love, love to do research.  You should see my resource bookshelf!  I strive to include small but significant details that give a reader a sense that they’re living in the setting and time period. That may be why it takes me so long to finish writing a historical.   
THE CAPTIVE KNIGHT is set in Gascony, in the south of current-day France, an unusual setting for any historical romance, but I picked it for a specific reason. Back during the Hundred Years’ War, it was the last area of France controlled by the English king. But the Gascon lords who lived on the land were divided. Some had French loyalties, others English. So putting Aliénor and Jehan on opposite sides gave me lots of opportunities not just for conflict—but also for common ground.   
The situation is similar to the Scottish border wars, except in sunnier climes.      

Lisa do you think because of such easy access to history readers are more demanding about this?
Honestly, I think readers of historical romance are demanding about historical accuracy because we read so voraciously and absorb so much information that any deviation is quickly noticed! 

Staying on the historical theme my favorite era is WWII for recent past but for distant past medieval is definitely my favorite
What drew you to this time period?

Men in chain mail. ;)
But seriously...the medieval period is one of great social upheaval and tumult, which gives rise to plenty of dramatic situations. In terms of THE CAPTIVE KNIGHT, my hope was to throw some light on the idea of chivalry. In history books, men of the period didn’t always act chivalric but the rules of chivalry formed an ideal worth striving for.  Honor was important, as was protecting and respecting women, which is always sexy.
Can I hear an amen, ladies...? (Amen!)

Lisa you also have daughter who’s an award winning science fiction author.
Was it sort of the apple-tree scenario or are you both surprised by her career choice.

When she first told me she’d written a novel, I was knocked off my feet! She was studying astrophysics at Cornell at the time, so I’d imagined a different future for her.  But, in retrospect, I remembered that every one of her stuffed animals had a “backstory.”  Frankly, she’d been a storyteller all along. 
Be sure to check out LIGHTLESS — the first book in her fabulous space-opera Sci-Fi trilogy—written by C. A. Higgins.  

What’s up next for you, will you be traveling back in time or staying in the present?
I’ve been working on a very exciting project based on the life of Lola Montez, a 19th century Spanish dancer who tore a swath through Europe, taking as lovers Alexandre Dumas and Franz Liszt as well as seducing King Ludwig of Bavaria until his own people forced him to abdicate his throne. The thing is: She wasn’t Spanish, nor a dancer, and her name wasn’t even Lola Montez!  I can’t wait to write about this woman who shattered every convention of early Victorian society to experience, in her own words, “all that the world has to give.”  
(Ooh sounds fascinating! I can’t wait!)

Lisa thanks so much for the visit, good luck with the new book I loved it.
Are you doing any meet and greets and if so where in the world can we find Lisa Verge Higgins?

Thanks for having me, Deb!  For anyone who’s interested in learning more, check out “The Latest News” tab at my website,
http://www.lisavergehiggins.com for upcoming releases, events, and news.  
I’d love to connect on social media, too!


My Review
The Captive Knight
Lisa Ann Verge

Chivalry rules in this engaging historical romance where the sword and the heart rule every page. Verge takes readers back to mid 14th century France where the Hundred Year War has just begun and the Black Death is a recent painful reminder. The characters are animated, passionate and convincingly real, the love story is heartwarming and heartbreaking with a strong willed heroine and a hero who leads with his heart and his sword. The dialogue is fast paced and colorful and while the author gives her audience drama, strife and hardship she also gives a feeling of hope and the mantra that love conquers all.
SUMMARY:
Aliénor de Tournan knows all things in war are complicated as proven by the fact that the knight who stole her dowry castle then found himself a captive in her father’s dungeon now holds her father’s castle as a spoil of this current war between France and England. What will come of her dream of having a husband a managing a castle of her own now that she’s at the mercy of this marauding knight?
When the opportunity to claim his own castle falls in his lap, Jehan de St. Simon jumps at the chance, after all chivalry won’t get a Knight much in 1355 Gascony. When he’s captured and imprisoned by that castle’s owner he finds an unlikely savior in the ruthless man’s beautiful daughter. When the tables are turned and he’s the captor he knows he must return the favor and save this courageous woman, but first he must save her from himself.

About Lisa:
Lisa Verge Higgins and her rum-swilling alter ego, Lisa Ann Verge, are the bestselling, critically acclaimed authors of eighteen novels that have been published worldwide and translated into as many languages—quite a switch for this former Ph.D candidate in chemistry. Currently writing women’s fiction for Hachette and romance for pure, unabashed pleasure, Lisa’s books have finalled for a RITA, won the Golden Leaf and Bean Pot Awards, and twice she has cracked Barnes & Noble’s General Fiction Forum’s top twenty books of the year. She currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and their three daughters, who never fail to make life interesting.

17 comments:

  1. Sounds really interesting. I do love when novels include history where I learn something.

    Melanie @ Hot Listens & Rabid Reads

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  2. I do love historical romances that present great history background as well as a riveting story. Sounds like Lisa's books do. This particular one definitely grabs my interest.

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    1. Oh this is right up your alley Sophia Rose, yes a little earlier than Austen but still fantastic!

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  3. New genres can always be a fun experience. Great interview Debbie!

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  4. I don't read much in this genre but this doe sounds really good.

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  5. The perfect book for someone I know

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  6. Oh this sounds fantastic, I enjoy medieval although haven't been there in a while. Perhaps its time.

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  7. Always awesome to see an author spreading their wings and trying new things :)

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