Virtual Book Tour: Against the Wind

Please welcome author Regan Walker and her virtual book tour for her newest release, Against the Wind. Regan has answered my infamous Rick Reed questions! Regan will be awarding either Against the Wind or Lunchbox Romances that tie into the trilogy, The Holly and the Thistle and The Shamrock and the Rose (winner's choice) to a random commenter during the tour. The more often you comment, the better your chances of winning! Go here to see where the other stops are.

Regan Walker’s Interview for Full Moon Dreaming – June 10

1)      You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?

The Apostle Paul and the Bible. My faith is very important to me and, other than Jesus (who I assume was not on the list of possible candidates), I can think of no greater teacher of the Bible than the one who wrote most of the New Testament. It’s one book that you never grow tired of, that always has a new thing to show you. We’d have a lot to talk about. Dinner conversations would be interesting.

 2)    Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that musical are you?

Mame. And I would be Auntie Mame. I love adventure, travel, and interesting “characters.” My life has been

full of them. Whenever I give a party, those invited form an eclectic group, including artists, laborers, and professionals, people who would never know each other save for their connection to me. I have traveled to over forty countries and love going to new places, eating different foods and meeting new people. And along the way I’ve had adventures. Oh, yes, we must have adventures.

 3)      Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less scenario using them:  prison, carousel, bench

Summer in Paris was lovely, but from where Monique sat on the bench in the Place Saint-Sulpice watching the carousel turning around, all she could think of was her lover in prison not far away, condemned to die. Could Philippe save him in time? She had come to ask for his help and he had given it. As the painted wooden chargers with their flaring eyes circled before her, Monique remembered the Prussian siege of the City the year before that had left good citizens dining on rats. Claude was not the only one who rebelled, willing to pay the price, but he was the man she loved.

[Just so you know, the historical record indicates that in the Place Saint-Sulpice, Philippe Campion, head of an amusement park dynasty, set up a carousel in 1871, following the siege of Paris where the Prussians crushed the French resistance. During the siege, the residents of Paris did, indeed, dine on rats.]

 4)      You’ve just been let loose in the world of fiction, with permission to do anyone you want. Who do you fuck first and why?

Since you asked, I'd favor a liaison with a handsome Scottish laird who stands tall and proud and wants to claim me as his bride. It’s the ultimate fantasy of those romance readers who love bodice rippers.

 5)      What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?

A romantic candlelit dinner with good conversation, followed by a good movie and some cuddling time on the sofa, leading to more intimate gestures, of course.

   6)     When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?

Generally, a character. In Racing With The Wind, it was Lady Mary Campbell; in Against the Wind, it was Sir Martin Powell; and in Wind Raven, it’s Martin’s brother, Captain Nicholas Powell. But that doesn’t mean I don’t also have a story in mind. But I’m not a plotter, sad to say. I’d like to be.

 7)      If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?

One of my secretaries once told me I reminded her of Dagny Taggart, the heroine in Ayn Rand’s Atlas

Shrugged. She worked with me every day, so of course, I had to read the book after that. And yes, I did see some of me in that character. She was independent and strong-willed, taking on a role that that would have been a man’s as the vice president in charge of operations, working to repair Taggart Transcontinental’s crumbling Rio Norte Line to service Colorado. It sounds like something I would do. I am quite the adventurer and I like a challenge. In some things, I can be fearless. While the movie is not my life story, it could have been. I think I’d like Meryl Streep (a bit younger version, perhaps) to play the role. She is elegant and feminine but with a steel backbone. Yes, I’d quite like her to play me.

 8)      Who’s your favorite horror villain and why?

I have no favorite horror villain as I don’t like horror. Gives me nightmares. Comes from having too vivid an imagination. The closest I’d come is the phantom in The Phantom of the Opera…the version where he is an alluring, if mad, figure who is in love with the heroine.

9)    Do you have an historical crush and if so, who is it?

Yes, Arthur Wellesley, the 1^st Duke of Wellington. Irish born and a brilliant strategist, he became a British

soldier of renown, essentially earning his dukedom. He was one of the leading military and political figures of the 19^th century and a fine looking man, too. He also makes a cameo appearance in Paris in Racing With The Wind.

10)  Is there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to receive it?

Yes, my own. That’s one I don’t plan to write.

AGAINST THE WIND

By

Regan Walker

BLURB:  

A night in London’s most exclusive bordello. Agent of the Crown Sir Martin Powell would not normally indulge, but the end of his time spying against Napoleon deserves a victory celebration. Yet, such pleasure will not come cheap. The auburn-haired courtesan he calls “Kitten” is in truth Katherine, Lady Egerton, a dowager baroness and the daughter of an earl as elusive as she is alluring. She flees a fate worse than death. But Martin has known darkness, too, and he alone can touch her heart—as she has touched his. To the English Midlands they will steal, into the rising winds of revolution.

EXCERPT:  

 They stepped into the ballroom just as the orchestra stuck up a waltz—and Martin froze. Standing not twenty feet before him was the object of his long search, shimmering in a silver gown that reflected the lights above, her only other adornments her auburn tresses and a string of pearls. Even here, amidst the ton’s finery, she stood out, once again an ethereal creature.

“Kitten,” he muttered under his breath. She stood with two debutantes and an older man and woman, her back to the dancing couples. She appeared unaware of the attention she was drawing from the men around her, but Martin saw the looks they were giving her and felt a wave of jealousy sweep over him.

“What is it, Martin? Why did you stop? What are you staring at?”

“She is here. Just there.”

Out of the corner of his eye Martin saw Ormond’s head turn toward Kit. At the same time, Kit turned her face to the side and it became a mask of horror. Whatever she saw had shaken her badly.

A man. She was looking at a man.

“Who is that?” Martin said, gesturing for Ormond.

“That,” Ormond informed him, “is the man you have been asking about. The Earl of Rutledge.”

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

As a child, Regan Walker loved to write stories, particularly about adventure-loving girls, but by the time she got to college more serious pursuits took priority. One of her professors thought her suited to the profession of law, and Regan realized it would be better to be a hammer than a nail. Years of serving clients in private practice and several stints in high levels of government gave her a love of international travel and a feel for the demands of the “Crown” on its subjects. Hence her romance novels often involve a demanding Prince Regent who thinks of his subjects as his private talent pool.

Regan lives in San Diego with her golden retriever, Link, whom she says inspires her every day to relax and smell the roses.

LINKS:

·  website: www.reganwalkerauthor.com/

·  blog: reganromancereview.blogspot.com/

·  twitter: @RegansReview