Guest Blogger Alexa Bourne

Happy Monday to one and all! Today I'd like you to welcome my guest, author Alexa Bourne. I decided to take  a trip to Scotland, and Alexa was kind enough to consent to join me there. Which is serendipitous, considering the subject of her novel! While I try to find us a nice lad in a kilt, I'll let Alexa answer a few questions.

Hello Alexa. Welcome. Can you tell us where the inspiration for Her Highland Champion comes from?

Absolutely! It started as an idea while I visited Glenfinnan, Scotland. It was such a beautiful and peaceful place, and I immediately began thinking about a contemporary romance set there. The story took quite a journey because that first trip to Glenfinnan was in 1997, back when I really didn’t know how to craft a good story. But the scenery, the characters that sprang to life while I was there, and the story stayed with me until I was able to revise it and submit it to Decadent Publishing for the Honor Guard series.

What was the hardest part of writing Her Highland Champion?

Cutting out scenes that I loved but that, I knew as a writer, wouldn’t work. The first version of it was a 400-page novel. When it came time to revise it for Decadent, I had A LOT of chopping to do! But ultimately the chopping exercise has made me a better writer and it has made the story the best it can be.

When and why did you first become interested in writing romance?

I came to reading and writing romance later than many writers. (I was an action/adventure/suspense focused writer in my early years!) I was out of college before I read my first romance. I think what drew me in was reading and writing stories with satisfying endings, where people found the one true love of their lives. When I finally embraced romance as “my genre” I was able to explore so much more and make my action-packed stories so much richer.

How do you plan your stories? What tools do you use on a frequent basis?

Plan my stories? What does that mean? LOL! I actually don’t plan. I write a rough draft first, starting with only 1 scene or a character or 1 idea. I free-write the book and in the process of writing the rough draft more of the story unfolds for me. (I usually go through 4-6 drafts per book.) As for tools, I HAVE to write a rough draft with paper and a pen or pencil. I started my writing in the days before everyone had a personal computer and that has stuck with me. As a manuscript gets closer to being finished, I spend more time on a computer.

How important do you think it is for female readers to identify with the heroines in your books?

I do think if you identify with parts of the heroine’s struggles it gives you a deeper understanding of the story and a richer reading experience. If you can’t identify with the heroine, you’re less likely to sympathize with her and even less likely to root for her.

Thank you for joining us today, Alexa. It’s been a pleasure to talk with you.

Thank you for having me join you! It was great fun!

Can you tell us a little bit about your book, please?

            Alexa Bourne                        

                         Her Highland Champion

                 Available from Decadent Publishing

          

                           

 Come join the party for HER HIGHLAND CHAMPION, a brand new contemporary Scottish romantic suspense! Learn more about Alexa Bourne as she travels on a blog tour! Leave a comment and be in the running for a free copy of HER HIGHLAND CHAMPION, a $10 Amazon gift card, and a Scottish surprise! The more you comment, the better your chances of being the winner! Hope to see you there!

Biography:

Alexa Bourne is a teacher by day and a romantic suspense writer by nights, weekends and all school holidays. She also teaches online classes for writers throughout the year. She is thrilled to be writing for Decadent Publishing and to have the chance to share her love of Scotland with readers everywhere.

When she’s not concocting sinister plots and steamy love scenes or traveling and exploring cultures, Alexa spends her time reading, watching brainless TV and thinking about exercising. She loves to hear from readers. To find her, visit www.alexabourne.com or http://alexabourne.blogspot.com, http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAlexaBourne or follow her on Twitter @AlexaBourne.

Her Highland Champion

A Decadent Honor Guard story…. Heather Winchester leads a charming life. With good friends, a beautiful flat in one of the most amazing cities in the world, and a promising future once she finishes her Ph.D, she is finally pursuing her own dreams instead of catering to everyone else’s…except she doesn’t remember any of it. Malcolm Fraser has returned to his Highland village to forget his failings as a professional bodyguard. Believing he could just lose himself in the mundane activities of running his bed & breakfast, he finds a woman’s lifeless body by the loch instead…. Captivated by Heather as she regains her memory, Malcolm is thrown into the line of duty. As danger comes knocking on their doors, will he be strong enough to love her and keep her safe? Genre: Contemporary romance, adventure, suspense/thriller Heat level: 3 Word count – 23k

Champion Excerpt: She turned to the bedside. A man stood there dressed in dark green sweats, with both hands clenched around the silver bedside bar. He was handsome, with light eyes, dark hair cropped close to his head, and a firm jaw. It was his hands, though. They drew her attention. Clean skin, defined knuckles, large fingers. Hands rough from a hard day’s physical labor, and yet, she imagined, gentle enough to caress the afternoon’s sufferings away. “It’s good to see you awake.” He smiled. “You gave us all quite a fright.” Okay, the Scottish accent drew her attention, too. At once, it both melted away some of her fears and sparked a whirlwind of questions. “Where am I?” Her throat scratched like sandpaper. “St. Catherine’s Hospital.” She swallowed hard. “Where is that?” “Fort William.” He reached for something on the table by her bed and brought back a plastic cup with a straw. “Here.” “Thank you.” The warm water coated her sore vocal cords. She handed the cup back to him. Wait a minute. Fort William? The only Fort William she knew was in Scotland. “I don’t understand. How did I get here?” Ignoring the aches in her body, she pressed both palms to the sheets on each side of her and pushed herself up. The blanket fell away from her chest and a new chill surrounded her. “What’s going on?” Her arms shook, and she collapsed back to the bed. “Relax.” The man set his palm on her shoulder, as if to keep her flat against the mattress. The heat of his fingers seeped through her hospital gown and into her skin. “I found you unconscious on the beach in Glenhalish. I called for an ambulance, and they brought you here.” “I was in Glenhalish?” “Aye, on a three day tour of the Highlands. Do you not remember being there?” “No.” She squinted and studied him. No memories surfaced. “Do I know you?” He shook his head. “Only from the beach. I’m Malcolm Fraser.” She opened her mouth and then closed it again. Her gaze drifted to her lap as tears burned in the corners of her eyes. Panic swelled in her chest and into her throat. “What is it, lass?” he asked with such tenderness. “Can you tell me my name?”

Buy Links

Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Highland-Champion-Honor-Series-ebook/dp/B007PJ1GM0%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJBDF5XQBATGDX4VQ%26tag%3Dspea06-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB007PJ1GM0

Decadent Publishing:

http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?cPath=75_197&products_id=508&osCsid=jh2l9gpp7ne49cevf4ujdcvrm1

All Romance Ebooks:

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-herhighlandchampion-769535-149.html

Bookstrand:

http://www.bookstrand.com/her-highland-champion

Sounds great, Alexa. And just in time - look what I found. Guess we'll be busy for a while!  

Want to follow Alexa on her tour? Here are the next few tour dates:

17th April  http://honeybeeauthorsbeyondmidnight.blogspot.com/
 
21st April  http://honeybeeauthors.blogspot.com
 
22nd April  http://thebookimp.blogspot.co.uk/
 
23rd April http://ellaquinnauthor.wordpress.com/
 

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie