Book 3 Marsh Saga Series now released!

Cece    NEW RELEASE!

Can she find the happiness that eludes her? Will Cece trust her heart again?

Book 3 in the Marsh Saga series!

#1920s #familyseries #bookseries #kindleunlimited #Scotland

Amazon: mybook.to/Cece

Blog Tour Dates for The Promise of Tomorrow!

The Promise of Tomorrow is going on a blog tour - when I write that I always think of a rock star tour - haha - anyway, my lovely historical novel is being featured at the blogs below from October 1st - 8th.

Everyone is welcome to stop by each blog and say hello.

New cover for To Gain What's Lost

I just wanted to show off my new cover for my Victorian historical novel, To Gain What's Lost.

The previous cover for the book wasn't suitable and I made the decision to change it and I'm so glad I did. 

JB Graphics did a wonderful job in creating me a cover that suited the book so much better.

It takes a while for all the book stores to change over to the new cover, and it is disruptive to sales, but I feel it is worth the effort and expense.

To Gain What's Lost is available in ebook and paperback.

The ebook is only 99p - a real bargain!

Amazon UK https://goo.gl/X152tU  

Amazon Aust https://goo.gl/UYxwlZ

Best seller at Kobo!

Online book store, Kobo, has listed my novel, Where Dragonflies Hover, as one of its best sellers for 2016. I'm was so excited to hear that!

Sometimes a glimpse into the past can help make sense of the future … Everyone thinks Lexi is crazy when she falls in love with Hollingsworth House a crumbling old Georgian mansion in Yorkshire and nobody more so than her husband, Dylan. But there’s something very special about the place, and Lexi can sense it.
Whilst exploring the grounds she stumbles across an old diary and, within its pages, she meets Allie an Australian nurse working in France during the First World War.
Lexi finally realises her dream of buying Hollingsworth but her obsession with the house leaves her marriage in tatters. In the lonely nights that follow, Allie’s diary becomes Lexi’s companion, comforting her in moments of darkness and pain. And as Lexi reads, the nurse’s scandalous connection to the house is revealed …

You can purchase a copy from  Where Dragonflies Hover from UK Kobo here. And also at other Kobo sites
 

Researching the First World War

For some years I have had a fascination of what is known as the First World War, or the Great War. (World War I 1914 – 1918)

This was a time of enormous change in the world. For the first time countries banded together to fight a common enemy. I’ll not go into the politics of the time or the reasons why the war happened, that is for professional historians to determine, but the effects of the war were far reaching, particularly in Europe.

In Great Britain the changes impacted on all walks of life, from the wealthy to the poor. Women were asked to step into the space left behind by the men who went to war. Not only did they have to work the men’s jobs, but they also had to keep the home running as well. Not an easy task to a female population who was expected to simply marry and have children and keep a nice house. Women of that time were sheltered from the world, innocent. All that was soon to change.

In my book, Where Dragonflies Hover, modern woman, Lexi, finds a diary written by an Australian nurse, Allie.

Allie wrote about her time as a nurse in Great War, and of falling in love with Danny, an English officer. She wrote of her struggles to help injured and dying men who came to her straight from the battlefield, covered in mud and blood.

To write Allie’s story I had to do a lot of research about World War I. I enjoy researching, and because the Edwardian Era is one of my favourite eras, it was no hardship to spend hours reading sources from that time.  
I really wanted to make Allie’s story as real as it could be. One of my research sources was reading, The Other Anzacs by Peter Rees. A truly extraordinary book detailing the true stories of Australian nurses in WWI. A lot of my inspiration came from that book. What those nurses went through was simply remarkable.

Another book I read was The Roses of No Man’s Land by Lyn MacDonald. Another interesting account of what the allied nurses and VADs from other countries went through. These women went from the comfort and security of their homes to the heart of battle zones.  They had to learn new skills swiftly, for even dedicated career nurses had never experienced before the types injuries and wounds they encountered only miles from the front line. Those women had to sustain difficulties they never thought of, for example at times they were food shortages, hygiene hardships, danger from bombings, homesickness and many more problems. Yet, these women, some just young girls, dutifully headed into an alien world without the promise of survival.

It is, of course, impossible for me, or anyone, to know exactly how these women felt during this challenging time, we can only read about their experiences. However, simply reading about them is enough for me to give them my heartfelt gratitude and admiration for what they endured.

I hope I did justice to their stories, to what they gave up and for the sacrifices they made to help us win the war.

Where Dragonflies Hover blurb:

Sometimes a glimpse into the past can help make sense of the future …

Everyone thinks Lexi is crazy when she falls in love with Hollingsworth House – a crumbling old Georgian mansion in Yorkshire – and nobody more so than her husband, Dylan. But there’s something very special about the place, and Lexi can sense it. 

Whilst exploring the grounds she stumbles across an old diary and, within its pages, she meets Allie – an Australian nurse working in France during the First World War.

Lexi finally realises her dream of buying Hollingsworth but her obsession with the ho

use leaves her marriage in tatters. In the lonely nights that follow, Allie’s diary becomes Lexi’s companion, comforting her in moments of darkness and pain. And as Lexi reads, the nurse’s scandalous connection to the house is revealed …

Excerpt:

The late sunshine enveloped the house in a golden glow. Again, it seemed to call to her, begging for attention. A path on the left of the drive looked inviting as it meandered through a small strand of poplars. Lexi grabbed her keys, locked the car and took off to explore again. She had nothing to rush home to now, and if she got caught for trespassing, then so be it.

The overgrown pathway brought her out on the far side of the grounds near the end of a small lake. She gazed over the water towards the back of the house and noticed a paved terrace area. From there the lawn then sloped down to the water. She’d not been around the back before and fell even more in love with the property. She could imagine the serenity of sipping a cool drink on a hot summer’s day and looking out over the lake.

Lexi stepped out along the bank. A lone duck swam by, its movement serene on the glassy, dark surface. This side of the lake was in shadow from large pine trees, and she stumbled on fallen pinecones hidden in the long grass. On the opposite side of the water were some small buildings, a garage, fruit trees in early blossom, and an overgrown vegetable patch, complete with a broken, rejected-looking scarecrow.

She wandered over to a narrow shed on her left and peered through its sole, dirty window. Unable to make out much in the dimness, she walked around to the front and was surprised when she was able to pull the bolt back on the door. Why didn’t people lock things? A covered rowboat took up most of the space inside. She smiled, seeing herself rowing it on the lake. Growing more excited, Lexi edged around it to peer at the workbenches and the odd assortment of tools and useless things one found in abandoned sheds. It was like treasure hunting in an antique shop. She used to love doing that with her grandfather.

She glanced about and spied a dusty painting leaning against the wall. The scene was of a child and a brown dog. Behind the canvas were more paintings, some framed, some not. Lexi flicked through them. The ones that caught her attention she took out and set aside.

She looked for somewhere to sit and study the paintings. A small tin trunk wedged under a workbench seemed the only offering. Thinking it empty, she went to tug it out, but it remained fast.

Using both hands, she heaved it out and was showered in a puff of dust. Squatting down, she inspected the latch that was held tight with a small lock. ‘Why are you locked?’ she murmured. The shed was open to anyone passing by, yet this ugly little chest had a lock on it. The trunk was nothing special, plain and in parts rusted. No ornament or writing hinted at its use.

Intrigued, she grabbed a hammer from the workbench, but then hesitated. She had no right to open someone else’s property. Lexi closed her eyes momentarily. What was she thinking of breaking into the trunk? What am I doing? Never had she broken the law and here she was guilty of trespassing and breaking and entering! She looked around the rowboat as though expecting someone to jump out and arrest her.

Something inside urged her on. She knew she couldn’t stop now. Sucking in a deep breath, she bent and hit the lock hard. The ringing sound was loud in the quiet serenity of the garden. The metal dented and with another few solid whacks the lock gave.

Shivers of excitement tingled along her skin. Gently, she eased up the lid.

Buy links:

Amazon USA

Amazon UK

Also available in Apple ibooks, etc.

https://www.facebook.com/annemariebrear 
   Twitter @annemariebrear.

Historical saga: The Day Embroidered.

The Day Embroidered

The Day Embroidered
blurb:
1899. A life altering event led Catrina Davies to hide from her family and society. Alone in The Highlands she exists in a lonely world cared for only by her saviour, a kind old gentleman. When she receives a surprise visitor, Travis Millard, the man she used to love, her head and heart are thrown into turmoil. 
Travis is determined to save her from this poor life and return her to her family where she belongs. No one is more surprised than he when she agrees to marry him. 
When Catrina arrives back at her family estate, Davmoor Court in Yorkshire, she is stunned to see the changes. While her father clings to life, Davmoor is nearly ruined by her brother's gambling obsession, and there is something strange about his new wife. 
As Catrina adjusts to her regained position in society and being with Travis, her marriage comes under attack from Travis's grandmother, who has her own secrets and reason for loathing the Davies family. 
When one of her brother's adversaries comes to stake his claim on the estate, the resulting chaos threatens not only Catrina's home, but the very lives of those she loves the most. 
Can she find the strength to fight once more for the right to be happy?

The Day Embroidered is available in paperback or ebook from all places such as Amazon USA and UK, etc.

A New Dawn - a Titanic short story.

A New Dawn is my short story about characters Briony and James and the start to their life together, which as you guessed it doesn't go smoothly as they are on board the Titanic. I have an idea to continue their story into a full length novel one day, I just need to find the time to write it along with all the other stories I want to write! LOL

Available on Kindle
Also on other formats at Smashwords

A New Dawn, a short story.

Escaping a brutal father, Briony runs to James, the man she loves. 
With his family’s blessing, they marry and prepare for a new life in a new country – America. 
A wedding gift of two tickets to travel on an ocean liner is a wonderful surprise. 
Full of anticipation and hope, they set sail. 
Only, fate has sent them a challenge that tests, not just their strength and love, but their very survival.

In For a Penny by Rose Lerner

In For a Penny by Rose Lerner is a book I won at Vonnie Hughes blog competition. When the book arrived, a historical romance set in 1819 England, I was a little dubious because I don't read historical romances filled with lord and ladies usually. I much prefer grittier historical women's fiction. So I started reading wondering how I'd go. I shouldn't have worried. Rose Lerner has written a very different historical romance. This book managed to show the true side of those times by highlighting the poor who worked on the country estate and the riots of that era. Therefore the story was deeper, more real life and thoroughly likeable and more to my taste. Very enjoyable  


Good characters, wonderful period details and the author has done her research. I reccommend this book for those wanting something a little different.

Mirella Patzer is visiting!

Bloodstone Castle by Mirella Patzer - Virtual Book Tour June 2008

Bloodstone Castle stands sentinel on the shores of the Ligurian Sea. Secreted somewhere in its dungeons is an ancient Roman treasure of immense value. Contessa Morena of Bloodstone Castle possesses a mysterious bloodstone pendant, the only proof the treasure exists. Since childhood, she has been promised in marriage to Duke Ernesto of Savona. Ernesto is a desperate man, a gambler who has lost his family's fortune, a man who resorts to murder, not once, not twice, but three times to keep from paying his debts and to hide his dirty secret. Marriage to the lovely Morena will make the treasure his and restore his power and desperate circumstances.
After the brutal murder of his father, Duke Amoro of Genoa swears two oaths. The first is to avenge his father's death. The second is to honour his father's dying wish and wed Morena of Bloodstone Castle and end the violent feud with between their two families. He severs his affair with his mistress, Laria, and departs for Bloodstone Castle to propose to Morena.
But Morena refuses to marry him. Her life thrown into chaos, Morena must choose between obligation and honour, truth and lies, good and evil. She must honour the betrothal her father arranged with Ernesto. Amoro continues to try to convince Morena otherwise.Ernesto arrives at Bloodstone Castle to claim his bride, but finds Amoro there. The two men confront each other with much animosity.Then, when the murdered body of Morena's father is brought home, Amoro helps her with his burial, then her and takes her to his home in Genoa. He is fiercely protective over her. This angers Morena at times because she insists upon her independence. While she is conducting an act of charity, she notices Amoro's men following her. As she tries to escape, she falls from her horse and is taken back to Amoro.
When Amoro agrees to allow Morena full independence, they set a wedding date.Laria and Ernesto meet and together they plan to separate Amoro and Morena.On the day of the wedding, Morena falls into the clutches of Ernesto. Amoro arrives to rescue her and the two men agree to battle each other - winner gets the girl. Ernesto cheats and Amoro is held prisoner.
Morena realizes her love for Amoro and to save his life, agrees to marry Ernesto. Laria is free to pursue Amoro again. But Amoro continues to refuse Laria. When Laria learns that Ernesto plans to kill Amoro, she aids Morena in a daring rescue to Amoro and his men.
In medieval Italy, two men face each other with ruthlessness and intensity.

Enter their world of splendour and depravity, of passion and wickedness. It is Italy's most dazzling and dangerous age, and as Duke Amoro of Genoa and Duke Ernesto of Savona match wits and cunning, it is a dance the death to decide which one of them will win the hand of the beautiful Countess Morena and the hidden treasure of Bloodstone Castle.

Meet Mirella Patzer - Your Guide on This Adventure

Books are one of Mirella Patzer's obsessions, especially those that pertain to medieval eras and with Italy as a backdrop. To fulfill a life long dream, she began writing several years ago and has never looked back. Since then she has published several short stories and completed two novels with several more novels in various stages of completion. Her fascination for women of history and Italy is often reflected in her work, blogs, and website. When she's not immersed in research or writing or blogging, Mirella works as an editor for Enspiren Press. She writes from her home in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada, surrounded by her husband, two college-bound daughters, and a rambunctious little grandson who frequently interrupts her work with a variety of unanticipated, yet humorous calamities and interruptions. For her, life couldn't get any better.

1) Mirella, you books are set with a strong European flavour, would you consider writing a historical novel in other countries?

I would love to write about the wild west. I live right in the heart of the west and just outside Calgary, the home of the Calgary Stampede which has the biggest rodeo and is dubbed the Greatest Show on Earth. The area is rich in history. I'm also a 20 minute drive away from a wonderful historical western park - Heritage Park in Calgary. It is a large park of historical buildings - barns, doctor's offices, homes, bakeries, blacksmithing shops, and the list goes on to even include antique amusement park rides and trains and river boats. So with all that history at my fingertips, I'm itching to get started. But first, I would like to complete some of my current works in progress.

2) Who are your favourite authors and why?

I love Michael Ennis who wrote The Duchess of Milan. His style is strong - he likes to shock. Charles Dickens is also one of my favourites for his ability to create enduring characters and his vivid descriptions and intricate plots.
Elizabeth Chadwick, Lisa Jackson, Philippa Gregory, Barbara Quick, are also some of my favourite authors. And now that I've had the pleasure of reading several of your books - I'm hooked Anne Whitfield!

3) if you could meet someone from history who would it be and why?

I would love to meet Princess Diana. From the very first time the media began to report on her relationship with Prince Charles I was hooked. I've been fascinated with her ever since. I'd also like to meet the heroines of the Ottonian trilogy of books I'm writing - Queen Matilde and Queen Adelaide of the 10th century. My dream is to travel to Italy and Germany and place a rose on their graves. After researching their lives for so many years, I really feel as if I know them.

4) Had you always wanted to write novels?

No, I never aspired to be an author. Only when I stumbled upon my family's history with World War II did I even begin to think about writing a novel. So I started writing in 2003 and it has been a long learning process. I'm still learning and trying to improve. That's the exciting part about being an author - you continually learn and your work improves with time.

5) How many different genres do you write?

I'm going to partner with a friend and write a contemporary thriller. Once I complete my medieval works in progress, I'd like to branch out and write a novel about my family's World War II history and a historical western.

Mirella's complete tour schedule is posted here - http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/05/mirella-patzer-virtual-book-tour.html

Find Out More About Mirella Patzer and Bloodstone Castle at Mirella Patzer's Website -http://www.mirellapatzer.com/

Watch a Video for Bloodstone Castle
http://www.mirellapatzer.com/2008/01/book-reviews-bloodstone-castle.html

Reviews for Bloodstone Castle by Mirella Patzer
http://mirellapatzer.com/?page_id=150

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Bloodstone-Castle-Mirella-Patzer/dp/0978486528

Thanks for stopping by Mirella!

Another review for Broken Hero!

Audrey believes she is in control of her life and her emotions, until Captain Jake Harding’s arrival affects her in a way she never expects. She rails against his inability to respond to her due to the demons which haunt him from his past. Does she salve her pride and stop trying? Will he come to realise he needs the devotion she can offer, or is this broken hero beyond her reach?

Broken Hero is an uplifting story about the unseen wounds war inflicts on the strongest and the way ordinary people learned to adjust to cope with extraordinary situations.

Readers will sympathise at every level with Anne Whitfield’s characters, the strong minded Audrey and the compassionate, damaged Jake who needs her but cannot or will not acknowledge it.

Anita Davison, Historical Fiction Author
www.anitadavison.webeden.co.uk

Thanks so much, Anita!!

New Review for Broken Hero!!

A great review for Broken Hero!
Broken Hero was a wonderfully sweet story. It pulled on my heartstrings and brought tears to my eyes. I couldn’t have asked for more heart warming characters which you couldn’t help but suffer with and cheer for. If you are looking for a story that will make you feel deeply and leave with you with the truth that love conquers all, then you shouldn’t miss Broken Hero!
~Reviewed by Lynda from Simply Romance reviews.
Full Review
Thanks so much, Lynda!

Buy Broken Hero in ebook here

Her Shadowed Heart coming soon!

Her Shadowed Heart coming soon!

blurb

Set in Yorkshire England 1864, Her Shadowed Heart is a historical saga of family secrets, betrayals, love, and of new beginnings.

Anna Thornton leads a privileged life, but she’s not content. When the dashing Matt Cowan sweeps her off her feet, she thinks her boring existence has changed for the better, only all is not as it seems. Although Matt loves her, he lies and leaves her. Once he has gone she finds she is pregnant.
Heartbroken Anna flees her home with her trusted maid.
She buys a run-down farm in Yorkshire and is determined to make a new life and be independent. She begins again, but events occur that will test her strength and self belief.
An Irishman, O'Mara comes along looking for work. Anna reluctantly hires him, but she's wary of men, of love, and hates to find herself attracted to him, a penniless labourer, so she fights her feelings.
Then, just when Anna believes she is getting on with her new life, the past returns to confront her.

Broken Hero cover

How much do I adore this cover??

Isn't it wonderful? The artist, Tamra Westberry truly gave me what I asked for. She did a splendid job of creating the right mood for a WWII novel.

I had sent covers of other WWII novels I liked to show the look I was after, and Tamra did an excellent job of interpreting it.

Broken Hero blurb
Audrey Pearson’s life changed dramatically when WWII broke out and her large home, Twelve Pines on the East Yorkshire coast, became a convalescence home for wounded soldiers. Her life is no longer lavish with entertainment, beautiful clothes and surrounded by a loving family. Soldiers, physically and mentally wounded now fill her home. The smell of disinfectant replaces her mother’s perfume and gone are the friends and acquaintances - instead nurses roam the hallways.
Captain Jake Harding, a doctor training in psychiatry arrives at Twelve Pines. Audrey immediately finds herself attracted to the Captain, but he is remote towards her. Puzzled by his cold behaviour, Audrey tries to learn more about the handsome Captain. He reveals that he’s lost a wife and baby in childbirth and refuses to ever remarry. However, despite this, Audrey believes she can change his mind and make him aware he doesn’t have to spend his life alone.
The ice around Jake’s heart begins to melt. For years he has rejected the possibility of finding love again because of the pain it caused him before, but the beautiful Audrey shows him her love and she needs someone to love her in return. Could he honestly walk away from her, from the love that could be his?

Historical Romance Club Contest

There's some great book prizes being offered in the above contest at HRC.
http://historicalromanceclub.com/index.html