Despite 5 title changes, A Warlord's Lady is officially due for release 1st November 2013 through Harlequin's Escape Publishing.
Today I'm answering some questions about the book, and offering another sneaky peek!
Why did I choose to base this novel in Laos?
There were several reasons this story is based around Laos.
1. I love exploring different countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, which is so close to Australia. Laos was one of those nations so infrequently mentioned in the news, in books or anywhere. That alone spiked my interest.
2. I wanted my hero to be the complete opposite of my heroine. I wanted him to be from a place and culture she completely did not know or understand.
Where is Laos?
Laos is a landlocked nation sandwiched in between Thailand and Vietnam in South East Asia.
Laos is most commonly pronounced 'Lao' similar to the digraph "ou" in loud.
What language is spoken?
The spoken language in Laos is 'Lao' a tonal language. However there are many other ethnic groups within Laos with their own languages. In commerce, French is still often spoken as Laos was French colony until it's official independence in 1949.
What is the official religion?
The official religion of the country is Theravada Buddhism, although there are other animist and spiritualist native religions among the remote hill tribes, and there are small percentage of Christians practicing within Laos as well.
Why a warlord?
The end of WWII left Laos in a state of chaos, and so began their own Civil War (1953-1975). During this time, a number of domains were ruled by warlords. So warlord culture is a known part of Lao history and therefore making my hero one seemed like a natural thing to do.
Cain Dath, the hero in A Warlord's Lady, is a magician Warlord - so he fights against the world governments, for the rights of magical beings...He's cool.
What about this heroine, what is she like?
I adore Sabra! She was a lot of fun to write. On the outside, there is nothing at all remarkable about her, except she's a Chameleon (and you'll find out more about that in the book!)She looks pretty ordinary, the kind of girl you'd smile at as you both pondered which chocolate cookies to buy at the supermarket. She's a little chubby which makes her a little self conscious, but she's got guts when she needs it! Her day job was a payroll clerk at metal fabrication company.
So why on earth would a gorgeous, powerful warlord, ever look at her twice?
You're going to have to wait until November to find out!
I can't wait to see the cover!
Why did I choose to base this novel in Laos?
There were several reasons this story is based around Laos.
1. I love exploring different countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, which is so close to Australia. Laos was one of those nations so infrequently mentioned in the news, in books or anywhere. That alone spiked my interest.
2. I wanted my hero to be the complete opposite of my heroine. I wanted him to be from a place and culture she completely did not know or understand.
Where is Laos?
Laos is a landlocked nation sandwiched in between Thailand and Vietnam in South East Asia.Laos is most commonly pronounced 'Lao' similar to the digraph "ou" in loud.
What language is spoken?
The spoken language in Laos is 'Lao' a tonal language. However there are many other ethnic groups within Laos with their own languages. In commerce, French is still often spoken as Laos was French colony until it's official independence in 1949.
What is the official religion?
The official religion of the country is Theravada Buddhism, although there are other animist and spiritualist native religions among the remote hill tribes, and there are small percentage of Christians practicing within Laos as well.
Why a warlord?
The end of WWII left Laos in a state of chaos, and so began their own Civil War (1953-1975). During this time, a number of domains were ruled by warlords. So warlord culture is a known part of Lao history and therefore making my hero one seemed like a natural thing to do.
Cain Dath, the hero in A Warlord's Lady, is a magician Warlord - so he fights against the world governments, for the rights of magical beings...He's cool.
What about this heroine, what is she like?
I adore Sabra! She was a lot of fun to write. On the outside, there is nothing at all remarkable about her, except she's a Chameleon (and you'll find out more about that in the book!)She looks pretty ordinary, the kind of girl you'd smile at as you both pondered which chocolate cookies to buy at the supermarket. She's a little chubby which makes her a little self conscious, but she's got guts when she needs it! Her day job was a payroll clerk at metal fabrication company.
So why on earth would a gorgeous, powerful warlord, ever look at her twice?
You're going to have to wait until November to find out!
Lastly, here is another little sneeky peek! (warning this snippet is totally unedited and may or may not be in the final published version)
I was sitting in a small bar with fellow tourist Maggie, drinking
a pineapple cocktail of some description. I’d drunk far too many, and was
likely to drink many more. The rest of the tour group had headed back to the
hostel for an early night. We were returning to Perth in two days time, but I
was determined to make a night of it and thankfully so was Mags. The bar was
one of those dodgy-looking local places, but our tour-guide had recommended it
as being ‘safe’ and who were we to disagree? The walls were made of bamboo
strung tightly together, and the floor was raw looking cement, swept
religiously every fifteen minutes. Photos of drunk tourists and locals alike
were pinned higgledy piggledy on the walls. Mine was destined to be up there
too, they’d taken my photo only moments before. I’d looked flushed, sweaty and
not at my best. The Barman, a gorgeous bronzed Laotian had taken it and despite
my awkwardness, I’d laughed, strangely flattered and titillated to have some
memory of my presence be reflected on the soggy, bamboo walls.
Thus far, holiday had been a wonderful ego boost - the Laotian men were charming, and a balm to
my battered ego. The attention they gave me was nice, something I certainly
wouldn’t get in the bars and clubs of my hometown, Rockingham.In the steamy gloom of the bar, I noticed particularly handsome Laotian man smile at me from a nearby table where he sat with two friends. He had cheekbones that could only be described as chiselled, and dark brown skin, shadowed in all the right places by sexy stubble. His hair curled slightly just above his collar. I felt myself blush. Not a good thing for a Chameleon to do, as I tended to turn a rather unflattering crimson red which seemed to put most guys off. I took a gulp of my cocktail to ward my embarrassment away. Was it just me, or was this drink stronger than the others? I found myself staring googly eyed at the handsome guy again, but thankfully my blush stayed down. He offered me a long lazy wink and raised his glass of beer in a cocky salute. I suddenly became aware of the artistic sculpture of muscles beneath his snug shirt. I really wanted to have a holiday fling. No, actually if I want to be uncouth - I was gagging for a shag.
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