Promotion and Guest Post: His Wicked Lady by Sharon Drane

His Wicked Lady
By Sharon Drane
Genre: Historical Romance/Regency
Series: Touch The Sky (Book #3)

Book Summary

“I say, where did you find such a dress? Or should I say ‘mess’?” Baron William Hargreaves, arbiter of all things fashionable, loves nothing more than firing his derisive salvos at his favorite target—Caroline Burgess, newly come to London society and the fading glory of the Ton.
Caroline will never admit she enjoys their skirmishes. Nor will she admit to the dreams he inspires, or the sensations he stirs deep inside her.
William tries to hide his growing attraction to Caroline, but as their relationship warms, Caroline outrageously accepts a role in a play—an unforgiveable profession for a lady of the Ton. Nonetheless, William cannot ignore her.
When Caroline is forced to shoot a man to death on a London street, she initiates a scandal far worse than her calling as an actress. Brokenhearted, she returns home to Philadelphia determined to leave England and her pain behind.
A blow to his own reputation overshadows William’s judgment when he becomes trapped in a mockery of a marriage because of a product of a youthful indiscretion.
But where there is love, there is hope. His Wicked Lady, Book #3 in the Touch the Sky series.

Buy Now: Amazon

Author Bio

Sharon Drane first set foot on a stage at the age of six. For the next fifty-four years she acted in productions. In her early 20s she began directing, a second career which lasted over forty years. Employed by various agencies with the State of Texas, she worked for over thirty-five years as a social worker in the field, and then as a manager of contracts. She worked first at the regional level and then was promoted to Austin and management of statewide contracts.

She began writing short stories and poetry in high school, later moving on to science fiction fanfic. During her tenure in the field of social work Sharon began writing love stories, completing two novels in spite of her hectic schedule. She retired in 2009 and moved to Florida on family business. It was here she rediscovered her love of writing. During her time in the Sunshine State, she has completed a novella and two published novels, with the third in the series due to release on December 1. Her fourth novel is currently in progress and slated to be published in 2017.

Connect with the author: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Guest Post:

Why do I write historical romance?

My first response would be due to family preference. When I was a small child, one of my earliest memories was of my maternal grandmother reading the tiny Harlequin books, sold in grocery stores in those days. We would visit my grandparents in Miami. While we were staying with them, Nanny as we children called her would go to the store to buy more food for the big dinners she planned for us. She’d put the food away, often making a dish to bake in the oven for the night’s meal. Then she would disappear into her bedroom where I would find her reading her latest book. She couldn’t wait to start reading.

The way she became engrossed in her book, gave me the idea reading must be a delightful pastime. I couldn’t wait until I learned how to do it. (I think I was about four years old at the time.)

The years passed and I went to school, becoming literate at last. My mother belonged to the Book-of-the-Month-Club, very popular among housewives in the 1950s. When she wasn’t cooking or cleaning, she had a book in her hands. She read often as my father traveled extensively for his job, coming home only on the weekends.

Her favorite novels in those days were by a man named Frank Yerby. He wrote vivid historical novels which Mom let me read when I was about twelve. There was only vague, implied sex in them but the adventure was fabulous. They were about swashbucklers or wealthy plantation owners or a Scottish immigrant to the US, a gambler who gamed his way into wealth and the love of a gorgeous woman. Jarrett’s Jade was my favorite. I enjoyed getting his latest whenever Mom finished it. They taught me what a good historical novel was. He wrote his from the male POV. A couple of his were made into movies which I saw when I could.

I was in high school and later in college when my mother discovered the thick, paperback historical romance novels. She loved Kathleen Woodiwiss, and Rosemary Rogers. She gave them to me to read when she finished them. When she gave me Sweet Savage Love by Ms. Rogers, I was titillated by the sexual content but shocked at my shy little mother reading such a thing!
A drama major in college (how about that for a marketable skill) I worked on many productions, so my reading for pleasure time was limited. Still I grabbed the odd historical novel when I could which I would share with my roommate. When some of my fellow students were going to frat parties at which the weed came out and everyone got mellow, I was back in my apartment reading. The parties bored me; marijuana gave me sinus headaches even if I didn’t smoke it; the reading transformed and transported me without the aid of cannabis.
Of course in my student days, we were required to study the classic playwrights, learn historical costuming, and all we could about the era in question. I loved researching all aspects of whatever time period. Comes in handy these days, believe me.

I still love researching and love Wikipedia!! For my latest book (written, but still in editing) I had to research the means of travel in 1898 to go from Vermont to Honolulu. I found it was possible in those days to go by rail from Vermont to San Francisco in just five days. A steamship trip from San Francisco took only four days to dock in Honolulu. I actually found a manifest from a steamship company confirming such a voyage in 1898.

One of the things I loved about Kathleen Woodiwiss and Rosemary Rogers, they both wrote two or more books in a series at times in their careers. I thought it was wonderful to find out the author’s vision for the lives of the characters she created. So I began thinking that way.

Now I have two series in process. There are three novels in the Touch the Sky series and one long novella published currently. I hope to write two more novels with Drake’s story and Lisette’s story when she finally meets her true love.
As to the Inquisitor series, I’ve envisioned at least three novels. We’ll see how it all goes. Based on the real Jack-the-Ripper, he’s got more to do. First he’ll pay a visit to dear old Ma.
Both my grandmother and my mother are gone now. Writing historical romance keeps me close to Mom. My grandmother would be tickled I am writing at all.

Honestly, I began to write again when I retired and moved to Florida to take care of my 90 something father. As his dementia progressed, I wrote at night to exorcise the pain, anger, his awful fear, and negativity I faced on a day to day basis. I survived 6 years as his caregiver. Undoubtedly my writing kept me sane through it, or as close as possible.
We lost Dad last year. After a mourning period in which I didn’t write at all, now I write because I love it.

Promise me, something. If you want to write and publish, attend workshops, take classes and use what you learn. You will be a much better author if you do. They all helped me. I went from an unpublished author with 1 ½ novels living in a drawer, to a published author of one long novella, Trust Your Heart, and three published romance novels about the St. John family. Swept Away, the second novel in the series just won first place in Historical Romance in the 2016 Heart of Excellence Readers Choice Awards. His Wicked Lady will be out December 1st.

Forbidden (Kapu) will be out in 2017.

If I can get published, you can, too.

These days you can be published, just keep at it. Use your heart and write what you love.

Happy reading and happy writing!!

Sharon Drane
Author & Pop Culture Diva