Friday, February 9, 2018

The Rebel Series by Linda Weaver Clarke AND GIVEAWAY

Linda Weaver Clarke was raised among the Rocky Mountains of southern Idaho and now lives among the red mountains of southern Utah. Linda is the mother of six daughters and the author of 23 books. She has written in several different genres, which include: historical romances, romantic cozy mysteries, a mystery suspense series, children’s book, and non-fiction. All her books are family friendly. She has also taught people how to write their family’s stories throughout the U.S., giving more than 500 workshops. To learn more, visit www.lindaweaverclarke.com.

About the books:

Centuries after the legendary Robin Hood, a group of men and women find themselves fighting for the same cause. In the small country of Cordovia, small groups of rebels begin springing up, but its Robin’s Rebels who get the attention of the king.

The Rebels of Cordovia: Set in the late 1700s, Robin’s Rebels realize they must fight against the tyranny of a wicked king and help the people survive this oppression. In this battle for freedom, a tender love story begins to blossom. Daniel, a rogue and a leader of the Freemen, doesn’t realize that the sweet feminine woman he has met and is falling for happens to be the leader of Robin’s Rebels. Realizing the importance of uniting all the rebel groups, Daniel tries to recruit Robin’s Rebels but they refuse. Now he has to find a way to convince them. When he finds out the leader is actually a woman, what will his reaction be.

The Highwayman of Cordovia: The people enjoy their new-found liberty, but all is not well. A group of powerful men plan to take over the small country and replace the leader with a king. With the help of a bold highwayman and a pastor’s daughter, they try to save their country from being taken over by a power-hungry leader. As they strive to stop the Kingmen and thwart their plans, Christine finds herself falling in love with Austin Knight. The only problem with their relationship is that she thinks he is her knight in shining armor instead of a highwayman. If she finds out his trade, what will her reaction be? As a pastor’s daughter, will love override her values?

The Fox of Cordovia: In this swashbuckling romance, a sinister plot has just been uncovered and its up to a former patriot and a young nurse to discover who is behind it. Caroline is engaged to the future mayor of Laketown, a man of influence and greatly respected. But all that changes when she overhears a conspiracy behind closed doors. After being discovered, she runs for her life. Caroline needs to report her findings, but whom can she trust? When she asks Jesse Conover for help, the adventure begins.

Here's my interview with Linda:

M.B.: When did you first know you wanted to be an author?

Linda: After writing the biographies of my ancestors and parents, I couldn’t stop writing. So I turned to historical romance. Since my ancestors’ stories were so vivid in my mind, I actually gave some of their exciting experiences to the main characters. So my ancestors were the inspiration for getting me started. My first historical romance I wrote, Melinda and the Wild West, actually won an award. I have written in several different genres since then. The Rebel Series is something completely different, which I haven’t done before. Even though it’s historical, I decided to tell a story about a small country that I created.

M.B.: What makes you passionate about writing?

Linda: I get to live in a new world for a while, having experiences that a person can only see in the movies. But it’s a movie in my head that I’m sharing with others.

M.B.: What was the pathway like for you to get your first book published?

Linda: It took me one year to find a publisher who was interested in my first book. After publishing 8 books with my publisher, my husband encouraged me to become independent, saying that we had two daughters who had gotten their education in writing and were super editors, plus my husband and one of my daughters were graph designers and could create my covers. So I took the plunge and I’m so glad that I did. After securing the rights to my 8 books, my daughter created new covers for them. Now my husband and I help authors who want to be independent. We have even helped those who have written their biography and autobiography. For those interested, my husband put up a website at https://redmountainshadowspublishing.wordpress.com.

M.B.: When did the idea for this book first come to you?

Linda: This new series was inspired by the stories of the many patriots who fought to be free from the dictatorship and tyranny of a king. Liberty is something that I cherish and am passionate about, so I decided to write about a small country that struggles to be free. The idea of a country that has to fight for its liberty stayed in my mind for a long time until I created The Rebel Series, giving the story a sort of Robin Hood theme but set in the 1700s.

M.B.: What do you hope readers will get from this book?

Linda: I hope they realize the importance of freedom and to never take it for granted.

M.B.: What’s your secret to making the characters in your books come to life?

Linda: As I develop my characters such as their thoughts and emotions and what they look like, they gradually come to life. When they correspond with others and express their joys and fears, that’s when I realize how real they really are.

M.B.: Which of your books is your favorite, and why?

Linda: I believe The Rebel Series is my absolute favorite out of all 23 books. I have always loved the Robin Hood theme, ever since I was a kid. I think it’s because he and his men are fighting against the tyranny of a wicked king and helps those in need.

M.B.: Do you have a favorite character in this series?

Linda: To choose a favorite character is difficult. All my heroes in this series are rogues with a sense of justice. They are chivalrous and will defend a woman’s honor. As for the ladies, they are strong independent women who don’t sit back and watch. They have an opinion and aren’t afraid to express it. The attraction between the hero and heroine is real and they realize it, but they also know they must save their country before they can do anything about their relationship.

M.B.: How would you describe your writing?

Linda: I love writing stories about romance, mystery, and adventure. I love a romance where the man and woman know they are meant for one another, even though there are trials along the way. Since I don’t care for drama between a couple who is in love, I need to have enough drama in the main plot of the story.

My favorite time period is during the 18th and 19th centuries. It’s during a time when men defended a lady’s honor and treated women with respect. The women, on the other hand, were not pansies. I love the fact that many of the women fought for what they believed.

M.B.: Any final words you would like to share?

Linda: Author Charissa Stastny reviewed my first book in this series and wrote: “This creative take on a Robin Hood-like story is charming and touching, and teaches some great morals about agency and choice. It reminded me of childhood fairytales of good versus evil, with a nice romance weaved into it.”

M.B.: Where can our readers go to find your books and order them?

Linda: To read a sample chapter from each of my books in The Rebel Series, go to http://www.lindaweaverclarke.com/historicalromance.html and click on the title. To purchase a book, click on the book cover and it will take you directly to Amazon. My books are also available at Barnes and Noble.

I really like book trailers because they can help readers feel the mood of a book and whether they’re interested in reading it. Here is a trailer for each of my books.

The Rebels of Cordovia
https://youtu.be/-Nd2vqNYqSA



The Highwayman of Cordovia
https://youtu.be/UtHY-DPjfFE



The Fox of Cordovia
https://youtu.be/mCgwRF5nzQ8




BOOK GIVEAWAY: Linda will give away the first book of The Rebel Series to anyone who makes a comment by telling us why you love Robin Hood or Robin Hood themes, then email Linda at lwc@lindaweaverclarke.com and tell her that you made a comment. She will then respond by sending a Kindle ebook to you, unless you prefer a pdf or ebook for a Nook.

10 comments:

Laurisa White Reyes said...

I love Robin Hood, mostly the Disney version. :) I like to think he is giving people back the money they paid in too high of taxes. (I live in California, can you tell?)

Linda Weaver Clarke said...

Thank you so much for this interview, Michele. You are a dear friend.

Linda Weaver Clarke said...

Hi Laurisa! Thanks for your comment. For your free ebook, you can drop a note to me in an email at lwc@lindaweaverclarke.com so I can email your free ebook to you, or you can leave your email with Michele on her blog. That way I can get in touch with you.

Ruth Ann Lingwall * Book of Ruth Ann said...

I’ve always loved books with Robin Hood characters. Ivanhoe and Robin McKinley’s book were particular favorites besides the original tales. I think it’s the adventure and daring to do great things while helping others in a noble cause that I find so inspiring. It is exciting to find a new book with these same themes to read and enjoy. Thank you!

Linda Weaver Clarke said...

Thank you for your comment, Ruth Ann. I totally agree with you. I recently watched Ivanhoe and the Scarlet Pimpernel, which has those same themes. I love the adventure, as well, and especially when there's a "noble cause," as you put it.

Megan said...

I love Robin Hood themes. There's just so much fun with a good guy who has to be bad to make things right.

MoonValleyRose said...

For me it's the old english history/myths involvement (same reason I love King Arthur retellings!), the romance, the good guy trying to help the common people against an evil ruler. Thank you so much, I'm very excited about getting the free book! :)) xx Will e-mail you. :)

Linda Weaver Clarke said...

Thank you so much for your comments, Megan and Mary. I totally agree with you. I just sent you both an ebook.

jean602 said...

I love Robin Hood because he always gave to the poor. He was like a hero to the poor.

Linda Weaver Clarke said...

Thank you for your comment, Jean. I just sent you an ebook. Happy reading!