SMELLING DAISIES
Elysia and Mark Stevens
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Historical Romantic Comedy
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BLURB:
Whenever
things seem to fall apart around Daisy, romance novels are her way of escaping.
When immersed in a novel, she can imagine herself in the story as the lead
female character. Still, the difference between her and the typical female
character in her novels is that she is not your average damsel in distress.
Daisy
was raised by a military father who ensured his daughter knew survival skills
and how to protect herself. Following in her beloved father's footsteps, Daisy
joined the army and met Justin. Eventually, Daisy's dreams would come true.
While on a decompression stop after a deployment overseas, she finds herself at
the Lachlan Castle in Scotland. There, she is thrown back in time to the era
she loves to read about, but things are nothing like she imagined.
When
Daisy befriends a bonnie Scottish lass, she finds herself in a haven under the
roof of the girl's brother, a laird named Alick. It becomes clear that the
laird is constantly challenged by the many nuances of Daisy's status as a
modern-day female soldier as she attempts to navigate the dangerous life in
medieval Scotland. While trying her best to fit in, Daisy stumbles upon a
psychotic baron named Thomas, who loves to torture women and is fascinated with
her.
Both
Laird Alick and Baron Thomas want to tame the lioness in Daisy but for
different reasons. But Daisy is ill-prepared for medieval love or warfare and
must train her heart and head to face what's coming next.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt
Three:
The sword felt foreign in my hands and was heavier than I
expected, but the weight distribution allowed it to move more fluidly than a
stick or a bat.
Now at Dylan and Mairi’s side, I looked at Dylan, raised my
sword, and said, “Speed and violence.”
He clanged swords with me and repeated, “Speed and
violence.”
And I knew that shit was about to get tangly.
At that point in the fight, it became like a dream.
Shielding Dylan’s flank, I suddenly sensed Alick beside me
before the steal of my sword made its first battle cry, and the haunting sound
of men’s screams filled my ears. There was
no counting down the clock; the three of us went to work on
these pigs for what were minutes but flashed by like only seconds. They kept
coming, one after another after another, as we stacked the bodies up like a
cord of wood. Finally,
using the blunt handle of his sword, Alick struck down the
last feeble Englishman with a jolt to the head, splitting his skull like a
piñata.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What was the hardest part of writing this book and how did you overcome it?
We found it challenging to navigate the
seriousness of Daisy’s internal struggles while keeping the story light enough
to find times to inject humour. We also wanted to make Daisy relatable so that
the reader could picture themselves in some of the situations that she found
herself in. Mark and I spent a lot of time writing and re-writing parts until
the story felt authentic and we also spent a lot of time reflecting on the
character’s motivations and backstories to make sure that it was both
believable but also fun to read. Once we nailed down what we thought was a good
product, we shared drafts with friends and family where they were able to provide
valuable feedback and fresh insights, which allowed us to refine the character
arcs and deepen the overall story.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Hi,
I am Elysia Stevens, and I am a big fan of rom-coms, which should not be a
surprise after reading this story. Most would describe me as eccentric in my
personality, which really stands out in my choice of attire. I love to wear fun
socks, and every Friday I celebrate “Fabio Friday” by wearing a Fabio T-shirt
for all to enjoy (luv ya, Fabio!). Thankfully, my husband, Mark Stevens, has a
lot of patience because I can’t sit still for more than five minutes at a time
and always have my head in the clouds. He has been my partner in life for over
eighteen years, and there is nothing we can’t and don’t tackle together. My
husband’s taste generally ranges from Stephen King to classic literature, but
being the great guy he is, he not only read my rom-com novel but also
co-authored it with me! Unfortunately, he still doesn’t understand the appeal
of a good naughty scene in a book, but I won’t hold that against him.
CONNECT
WITH ELYSIA AND MARK STEVENS
WEBSITE:
https://elysiamarkstevensbooks.ca/
INSTAGRAM:
https://www.instagram.com/elysiamarkstevensbooks/
PURCHASE
LINKS: SMELLING DAISES
AMAZON.COM:
https://amazon.com/dp/1779418647
AMAZON.CA:
https://amazon.ca/dp/1779418647
BARNES
& NOBLE:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/smelling-daisies-elysia-stevens/1146227969?ean=9781779418654
IBOOKS:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/smelling-daisies/id6670277003
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY
The
author will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a fantastic read. Thanks for sharing and hosting this tour.
ReplyDeleteI like the funny illustration on the cover!
ReplyDeletefun
ReplyDeleteThat cover is so cute ! And it sounds like such a fun book! Thank you for the excerpt & guest post! :)
ReplyDelete