"The Angel's Assassin" by the beautiful, talented Samantha Holt
Samantha Holt is a beautiful, talented author.
She has penned a handful of books, including "The Angel's Assassin."
Samantha Holt resides in Warwickshire, England, with her twin girls, having followed her soldier husband around the UK for nearly 10 years. Growing up in Hampshire, she was inspired by the authors Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell, both of whom lived and wrote only miles from her home town.
Samantha loves the romance genre and has been devouring romantic literature for as long as she can remember. History is another passion of hers and she loves to combine her love for history and romance into exciting and passionate tales.
Here is an interview Samantha did about "The Angel's Assassin."
The Angel's Assassin Interview
What is your book about?
The Angel’s Assassin is a medieval romance but it explores the ideas of trust and redemption. The hero, Nicholas, is the ultimate anti-hero - a man with a bad past and a sinful deed to carry out. My heroine, Annabel, is the complete opposite of him and challenges him in many ways. She makes him want to change but whether Annabel believes him capable of change is another thing!
How did you come up with the idea for your book?
I wanted to write an anti-hero and I knew I wanted to set it in early Norman England, a time when the country was still very much in turmoil It started with a baronial revolt and the story went from there really. The revolt only really plays as the backdrop for the story as the events act as the trigger but the rest of the story really revolves purely around Nicholas and Annabel.
What makes your book different than others in your genre?
My use of language is different. I know my native English tongue differs slightly but I hope that brings a sense of realism, particularly when it comes to dialogue. I love writing dialogue and I think that comes across. I’m lucky in that I’ve been able to visit places featured in my books (castles etc) and I hope to bring a sense of realism into my stories by blending my experiences into my tales.
How long did it take you to write your book?
Generally I take about three months. I write full time so I put in anything between 4-6 hours of writing a day.
What are some writing goals for the future?
I’d like to perhaps expand into a different historical era or even write some contemporary romances. For the moment, I still have some untapped medieval stories but I imagine there’s only so many you can write. Having said that, I’m always sure the one I’m working on will be my last one and then another miraculously comes along.
If you were stranded on an island which book would you bring with you?
How to Survive on a Desert Island - I’m making the gross assumption this book exists! Failing that, North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.
What makes a good romance book?
The characterisation is essential. I love it when a book makes your stomach churn with fear, apprehension, excitement… If you don’t care for the characters then that won’t happen. In romance, you need to want them to get together and I love that little stomach flip you get when it finally happens.
GUEST POST
The pros and cons of being a Medieval Romantic writer
Pros
1. You walk around in a rosy haze making the world seem wonderful.
2. You’re creative! This means you can write wherever you want. The bath is my favourite.
3. You fall in love with a new man each time you write a new book.
4. You get to think naughty thoughts and not feel ashamed about it.
5. Watching romantic films is considered research.
6. You get to explore castles as research.
7. After hours of writing medieval dialogue, husband responds very well to being called ‘My Lord.’
8. You expand your cooking knowledge when researching medieval recipes.
9. You learn new things about chosen period and therefore sound amazingly well-educated.
10. You get to write about men in loose linen shirts
Cons
1. You walk around in a rosy haze. Family don’t like this apparently.
2. You brain prefers that you write in bed. At 2am in the morning.
3. You fall in love with a FICTIONAL man. Husband doesn’t like this much either.
4. You spend so much time thinking naughty thoughts that you forget how to actually do the real thing.
5. All your royalties get spent on tissues when watching said romantic films.
6. You have to explore castles as research - do you know how many steps those things have?
7. You forget how to talk normally after writing dialogue and the postman is never impressed. I thank thee for thy missive, good Sir.
8. You learn useless things that will never impress anyone. Cobwebs were considered to cure warts in medieval times - try using that as a conversation starter.
9. Family refuses to eat medieval culinary delights thus rendering knowledge useless. Why will they not eat a recipe delightfully named ‘Garbage’?
10. You have to write about men wearing hose. Hose are not sexy.
You can get "The Angel's Assassin" here:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Angels-Assassin-ebook/dp/B00989J3PM/
To find out more about the author and her work, click the links:
https://www.facebook.com/romanticfiction
http://www.samanthaholt.org.uk
http://www.samanthaholtauthor.blogspot.co.uk
