Five books that
inspired me to write!
Every writer has that one book or series that influenced
and inspired them to write. I’m no different. Books hold a very special place
in my heart; they’ve taken me to new worlds, introduced me to new concepts and
ideas, and taught me so much about human relationships. Today, I’m going to
share five books (and series) that pushed me to tell my story.
5. Little House on
the Prairie
Little known fact about me…I couldn’t read until around
age eleven. Yep, you read that right, ELEVEN! I still grow faint at the idea of
reading aloud to anyone but my daughter. Another fact about me…I learned to
read by first mastering braille with the help of my blind tutor, Chris Hansen.
From the second I was able to string together words (I know this sounds like
such an easy concept to some people) I took off! I read everything I could get
my hands on. Up until that point, I enjoyed watching the television show, Little House on the Prairie starring
Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert. Imagine my surprise when I found the box
set of books at my local bookstore. I was in absolute heaven! I spent the next
year reading the series (including Laura Ingalls Wilder’s daughter’s story) and
telling my mom how they differed from the TV show.
4. Julia Quinn’s The
Duke and I
My next great inspiration was Julia Quinn (and really all
Historical Romance writers). Quinn has a way of creating stories that draw a
reader in…I become invested in her characters and I truly care about their
story. You know you’ve read an amazing romance novel when the happily ever
after isn’t enough for you. I found myself wanting to continue on with her characters
and find out what happened next in their lives. After reading, The Duke and I, I was excited to learn
that the book was part of a longer series in which her characters returned in
each book. What? I don’t have to let them go? I was thrilled! If you enjoy
Historical Romance, you’ll LOVE Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton’s series.
3. Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breed Series
As an adult my taste in books diversified and matured…and
so started my love of vampires and anything Paranormal or Urban Fantasy. Lara
Adrian’s unique idea for who and what vampires are captured my attention
immediately. I fell in love with her take on the genre and the characters she
developed. Her series, The Midnight Breed, fulfills my love for returning
characters. Maybe I have a problem letting go? With eleven books currently in
the series, and more coming each year, I plan on immersing myself in her
characters and their world every few months!
2. JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood Series
I was introduced to JR Ward around the same time as Lara
Adrian…and HOLY SMOKES can Ward write a compelling book! Her characters are
well rounded and believable (as much as anyone can believe in vampiresJ).
Do I dream of meeting a male twice the size of the average man? Hell yea! Do I
want a male willing to have my name permanently across his back in the old
language? Umm, YES! I’d even sign up for the role of a doggen to be close to
these men! LOL. Every time I finish reading one of JR Ward’s books I scurry to
open my own project and find ways to captivate readers with my characters and
plotlines.
1. The Twilight Saga
Say what you will about Stephanie Meyer’s writing ability
and skill level, but I respect the hell out of this woman! I’ve read The
Twilight Series three times and each time is like the first. I find myself falling
in love with Edward, hating Edward for leaving Bella, falling in love with
Jacob, and then back in love with Edward. How does Meyer’s capture this type of
emotion in her writing? I’m still trying to figure this out (along with thousands
of other writers). It was this series that ultimately pulled me back into
writing after several years off. The Twilight Series proves that a book does
not need to have hardcore sex scenes and gruesome violence to enthrall readers.
Shunned No More
A Lady Forsaken
Book 1
Christina McKnight
Genre: Historical Romance, Regency
Publisher: La Loma Elite Publishing
Date of Publication: May 30, 2014
ISBN: 9780988261723
Number of pages: 300 Approximate
Word Count: 75,000 Approximate
Cover Artist: LFD Designs for Authors
Book Description:
A Lady Shunned by All…
Lady Viola Oberbrook only wanted to forget the ill-fated early morning duel that took the lives of two young, wealthy, promising men of the ton and sent her fleeing for her father’s country estate. Eight years later, she has her life in order: a fulfilling business, a few trusted friends, and no plans to return to London society. What she doesn’t expect is to come face to face with her past.
A Lord Betrayed by One…
Brock Spencer, Earl of Haversham, only wants vengeance. Recently returned from his military service to the King, his plans include repairing his family estate, finding a bride, and destroying the girl responsible for the untimely death of his twin brothers. What he doesn’t anticipate is falling in love with the only woman who should never be part of his future.
An Impossible Match, Destined to Be…
PROLOGUE
Hyde
Park
April
1806
8
years ago…
Viola clutched the handle of
her pink parasol to her chest tightly in anticipation of the spectacle to come.
Her gaze fixed on the two figures shrouded in the early morning fog of Hyde
Park. The men, really only boys, began to count as they paced away from each
other. Shiny, pearl-handled pistols positioned in their right hands were at the
ready.
She clamped her lips tight to
suppress the giggle that threatened to escape.
Who would have thought that
she, Lady Viola Oberbrook, would have two men seeking her hand in
marriage...and in the first week of her very first season, no less? That they
were the twin sons of Lord Haversham was an even greater coup de grǎce
for her. She’d be the envy of every debutante. The talk of the town. As well
she should be! Her father was the Duke of Liperton, after all.
If only she’d found a way to
get all of London here to witness the duel. She’d done what she could by
leaving word with Mrs. Tenchard. The old gossipmonger was sure to spread the
word more quickly than Vi could spend her monthly allowance at the milliner’s
shop.
And Vi prided herself on her
ability to spend her father’s money.
“Miss Viola, beg’n yer
pardon, but it be wise to don ye wool kid gloves,” her lady’s maid, Sarah,
whispered beside her.
“Shhhh,” Vi hissed in return,
raising her hand for Sarah to hold her tongue. She didn’t want to miss a single
moment of what was to come. She would remember this for the rest of her
existence. The day two men of the haute ton battled in her honor.
She sighed.
The twins—Cody, with his hair
cut longer than the current fashion permitted, and sporting a determined glint
in his eye, and Winston, with his smartly trimmed blond hair falling
respectfully above his collar—reached the required twenty-pace distance and
turned.
Their pistols fired in
unison. Vi’s heart soared. Her first duel...and certainly not her last, if she
had anything to say in the matter.
The swift morning breeze
pushed the smoke from the scene as both men dropped to the ground, soggy with
morning dew. Shouts of urgency rang out in the air. Men rushed in to assist the
twins.
A cold chill inched up her
spine; her breath caught in her lungs.
Neither man moved.
A sharp inhale of breath
sounded next to her, but Vi was hesitant to remove her attention from the scene
as the pungent smell of a spent firearm reached her.
“Call Doc Durpentire. Post
haste!” bellowed Mr. Rodney Swiftenberg. As a distant relative of the
Havershams’, Swiftenberg stood as Cody’s second during the duel. Others,
vaguely familiar, knelt over both fallen men.
The gossip rags would have
much to write about this day. Vi could hardly wait to see her name in print.
Maybe her father would increase her dowry, seeing as she would be in high
demand by the day’s end.
“Miss,” Sarah called. “I think
it best we be head’n home. Ye Pa is going to be right mad when he finds you
snuck out and now these poor men be lying dead at ye very feet.”
“Surely you jest. They are
simply play acting for dramatics...in my honor, I do suppose.” Viola eyed the
two groups of men where they stood, their heads shaking in turn. One took his
coat off and laid it gently over Cody’s still body. Vi’s glare snapped to
Winston, where another man shook out a horse blanket. The thick, coarse
material drifted on the morning breeze and settled on the second body.
She studied the scene in
front of her. It had the potential to be ever so romantic. A story she would
regale her grandchildren with. It was a shame neither twin was the first born
and, therefore, unworthy of her hand. But she’d seen no reason to inform them
of this minor issue and spoil her fun. They’d find out soon enough.
Slowly, the eyes of every
person present settled on her. She took a step back at the harshness of their
stares. Her chilled hand rose to cover her mouth. She wanted to tell them to
avert their eyes; she was the daughter of a Duke. They need show the respect
due her. None of these men held a title higher than Baron. How dare they look
at her thus?
A tall, slender man carrying
a large cloth bag rushed to Winston. She assumed this was Doc Durpentire. He
would have both men patched up in no time. But with both Cody and Winston
taking a bullet, their feud would not be resolved. Viola imagined what the pair
would think up next to prove one deserved her hand over the other. Perhaps a
curricle race through Mayfair District. She knew she would be able to convince
Cody to let her ride along on the adventure. She could practically feel the
wind against her face as the carriage took the corners at a high speed,
shifting across the seat so that her soft body might come to rest against
Cody’s hard one.
Imagine what the silly,
empty-brained young females would think. They’d envy her further. An unbidden
smile played across her lips.
The doctor drew the heavy
blanket aside and his hands moved over Winston’s body. Then, they stilled. His
head dropped forward. He spoke to the men around him, but Vi was too far to hear
their conversation.
Rodney, hands shoved deep in
his pockets, moved in her direction.
“Whatever is the matter with
them?” she asked when he was close enough to hear.
“I think you should go, Lady
Viola. This is not a scene any innocent maiden should witness,” Rodney replied.
His blond hair was so much like Cody and Winston’s, but his attitude had always
struck her as arrogant for a man with no title or wealth to speak of.
“Who are you to order me
about?” Viola closed her parasol with a swift click and handed it to Sarah, her
hands coming to rest on her rounded hips.
“It is not the time for this.
My cousins...they are both dead.” Rodney paused. “I must alert my uncle to his
misfortune.”
“You are mistaken.”
“I assure you, no mistakes
have been made this day.” He abruptly turned, stalking back to the crowd
gathering between the fallen men.
He must be jesting, Viola
thought. She looked between the fallen pair again, their motionless bodies so
at odds with the twins she’d come to know in recent days. The heat of
exhilaration drained from her as a hand
settled at her elbow. Viola felt the calloused fingertips through her thin
morning cloak.
“We should be going, Miss.”
Vi shook Sarah’s imploring
touch from her arm and tried to focus her gaze on something—anything—other than
the lifeless men on the ground.
“Well,” Viola stated. “This
was…” Dread clawed at her insides, and her spirit shattered as she stared at
the two men lying prone and unmoving before her. “…unexpected.” Her entire life
had been leading up to this moment—a life of societal demands and the rigors
one had to follow to be accepted. A life that had just stopped, as quickly as
those of the two men who now lay dead. Dead.
She had murdered these men—the realization came at her all at once, even as her
mind rebelled. Cody and Winston, the silly twins who had entertained her so,
were no more. Yet, she continued to breathe. With each breath, standing in the
chill of early morning in Hyde Park, she felt the obligations of her station,
its standards and protocols too powerful for a seventeen-year-old girl to
overcome.
She glanced around her for
help, for someone to tell her what to do, but all focus was on the boys on the
ground. Years of being taught how to behave hadn’t prepared her for anything
like this.
“Miss, what should we do?”
“I suppose we should…” She
cleared her throat. “I suppose it is time to start over.” She sensed, somehow,
that starting over might be impossible.
“Start over, Miss?” Her
maid’s dark brow pulled low over her eyes.
Viola straightened her already
impeccably postured back and forced her prized smile before continuing. “To
find another suitor, you silly girl! This time, I intend to set my sights a bit
higher.” She spun on her heels, determined not to stumble, to not falter before
so many. She started back towards her carriage, moving through the men without
meeting anyone’s eye, feeling the weight
of their stares as she passed. It didn’t matter. She had the evening’s
entertainments to prepare for and an image to uphold—no matter the cost to her
soul.
About the Author:
Christina McKnight is a book lover turned writer. From a young age, her mother encouraged her to tell her own stories. She’s been writing ever since. Currently, she focuses on Historical Romance, Urban Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance.
Christina enjoys a quiet life in Northern California with her family, her wine, and lots of coffee. Oh, and her books…don’t forget her books! Most days she can be found writing, reading, or traveling the great state of California.
Christina enjoys a quiet life in Northern California with her family, her wine, and lots of coffee. Oh, and her books…don’t forget her books! Most days she can be found writing, reading, or traveling the great state of California.
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1 comment:
Interesting inspiration
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