Spotlight on Regency Author Regina Jeffers

Please help me welcome the lovely Regency author Regina Jeffers. I’m so happy to have Regina back on the blog. Regina is going to be telling you about her Realm  Series, and giving away a copy of the latest release,  A Touch of Love.

After publishing Austen-based novels, this is your first series. Tell us something about the Realm, Regina.

The Realm is a covert group working for the British government. They rescue British citizens, bring about diplomatic portals, etc. Its members are titled aristocrats and minor sons–therefore, the name “the Realm.” The members in this series number seven: James Kerrington, Viscount Worthing (and future Earl of Linworth); Brantley Fowler, the Duke of Thornhill; Gabriel Crowden, Marquis of Godown; Aidan Kimbolt, Viscount Lexford; Marcus Wellston, the Earl of Berwick; Baron John Swenton, and Sir Carter Lowery, the youngest son of Baron Blakehell. These men have served together for several years in India and Persia, and they possess a stout camaraderie. Each holds reason for fleeing his home and title to serve his country, and each must reclaim his place in Society, while still occasionally executing a mission in the name of the government. Unfortunately, not only must these men fight their own demons, they must foil the plans of Shaheed Mir, a Baloch warlord, who believes one of them has stolen a fist-sized emerald; and Mir means to have it back or to know his revenge.

 Why have you chosen to include very “modern” issues in a Regency-based romance series?

Just because life appears “simpler” does not mean Regency England did not reek of scandal. Women lacked options. Even women of a wealthier class were the property of first, their fathers, and then their husbands. So, for example, Lady Eleanor Fowler (The Scandal of Lady Eleanor) becomes a victim of familial abuse. When her mother dies, her father’s debauched lifestyle invades Eleanor’s privacy, and she is sucked into a situation because she “loves” a parent who does not really understand the meaning of the word. Eleanor’s brother Brantley escaped the Duke of Thornhill’s hold on his household, but Eleanor is left behind to cope in the only way she knows how: Survive. In A Touch of Cashémere the main character escapes from a religious fanatic; in A Touch of Mercy, Aidan Kimbolt discovers the extent to which his late wife’s parents have gone to secure their daughter a title, and in A Touch of Love the main characters deal with both the Sephardic and Ashkenazi sects of the Jewish nations. I keep the Regency romance formula, but I add a twist of reality to each book.

 After eight successful Jane Austen related novels, how do you feel about leaving Miss Austen behind?

Well, first, I am certainly not deserting my Austen sequels and adaptations. I am currently writing another Austen-inspired mystery, tentatively entitled The Prosecution of Colonel Fitzwilliam. Yet, I must admit it is liberating to write a story from beginning to end, without a framework in place. When an author tackles an Austen storyline, he/she must stay somewhat true to the original characters or “suffer the ire” of Janeites. In my Austen books, I work in Austen’s original wording and use what I know of the lady. With this series, I have been able to create the characters and the conflict without my readers having a preconceived idea of how the story must go. Plus, when I returned to my current Austen book, I was happy to see “my old friends” again. Absence makes the heart grow fonder rather than out of sight, out of mind.

Here is the lovely the cover.

Now the blurb.

“The first fully original series from Austen pastiche author Jeffers is a knockout.”

– Publishers Weekly

The REALM has returned to England to claim the titles they left behind. Each man holds to the fleeting dream of finally knowing love and home, but first he must face his old enemy Shaheed Mir, a Baloch warlord, who believes one of the group has stolen a fist-sized emerald. Mir will have the emerald’s return or will exact his bloody revenge..

Aristotle Pennington has groomed SIR CARTER LOWERY as his successor as the Realm’s leader, and Carter has thought of little else for years. He has handcrafted his life, filled it with duties and responsibilities, and eventually, he will choose a marriage of convenience to bolster his career; yet, Lucinda Warren is a temptation he cannot resist. Every time he touches her, he recognizes his mistake because his desire for her is not easily quenched. To complicate matters, it was Mrs. Warren’s father, Colonel Roderick Rightnour, whom Sir Carter replaced at the Battle of Waterloo, an action which had named Carter a national hero and her father a failure as a military strategist.

LUCINDA WARREN’s late husband has left her to tend to a child belonging to another woman and has drowned her in multiple scandals. Her only hope to discover the boy’s true parentage and to remove her name from the lips of the ton’s censors is Sir Carter Lowery, a man who causes her body to course with awareness, as if he had etched his name upon her soul. Fate cruel twists have thrown them together three times, and Lucinda prays to hold off her cry for completion long enough to deny her heart and to release Sir Carter to his future: A future to which she will never belong.

An Excerpt:

He had followed Jamot’s trail for three days, and with each frustrating dead end, his temper had grown tighter. An informant had claimed Jamot frequented an inn on Surrey’s southern border, and so Carter and Monroe had donned their working clothes to assume a familiar role as ex-soldiers searching for gainful employment. Carter had tethered their horses in the woods behind the inn, and they had approached on foot. He feigned a limp as they entered the open room. The movement was not so foreign a feeling. After Waterloo, it had taken him several months to walk normally after a surgeon had dug a French bullet from his thigh.

He and Monroe pushed past the hovering innkeeper and sought a table in a dark corner. When the busty barmaid arrived with two beers for which neither he nor Monroe had placed an order, Carter slid a coin across the table. “What if we wished yer best brandy?” he asked caustically.

“You, Gents, kant ‘ford no brandy,” she said saucily. “Besides, the brandy be watered down.” She smiled a toothy grin at Monroe. “Ye be requirin’ anything else, ye ask fer Nell.”

When she strolled away, purposely twitching her hips, Monroe leaned Carter’s way. “I would be afeared of what I might take with me from the fair Nell’s bed.”

Carter chuckled. “Aye, a man must be careful with whom he shares his time.” Immediately, he thought of the “fair Lucinda Warren” and knew he would gladly share whatever she offered.

Monroe jabbed Carter in the side with his elbow. “Is that Jamot at the bar’s end? Beside the man with the gray hair.”

Carter’s heart rate jumped: Monroe’s keen eyes had cut through the shadows and the tobacco smoke to discover their man across a crowded room. It was the closest Carter had been to Jamot in over the year. Unfortunately, there were some two-dozen people between him and the Baloch. His eyes searched the room for possible escape routes, as well as for accomplices. For a year, he had investigated Jamot’s associates in the opium ring, but this was a new group of compatriots. The majority of England’s smugglers were villagers and farmers. Few were harden criminals: Most wished only to supplement their meager incomes. Some thought they had a right to the goods denied them by embargos and treaties and political maneuverings. Despite their lack of training and motivation, Carter held no doubt Jamot’s latest companions would fight to protect the Baloch.

“I will attempt to move closer,” he said under his breath. “There are too many innocents between Jamot and us, and the Baloch has never been ashamed of placing others between him and a bullet. Stay alert and watch for my signal.” Monroe nodded. Carter rose slowly, giving any watchful eyes the impression he had had too much to drink. Keeping his back to the room, he staggered between the tables, pausing occasionally to slap one of the locals on the back in a friendly manner and to motion to Nell to bring a round of drink for a table he had jostled.

Throughout his antics, he kept one eye on the Baloch. Jamot had yet to look up at him. The Realm’s enemy appeared deep in conversation with a man who was dressed a bit too finely for those who regularly patronized the Rising Son. Within fifteen feet of a man he had sought for more than two years, Carter leaned heavily on the lip of the bar. With his head down, he reached into an inside pocket to ease a specially crafted pistol into his palm. Now, it was a matter of waiting. He would wait until the three men arguing over the price of grain shifted from the line of fire, and then he would make his move.

However, the farmers tarried, and Jamot had become irritated with his companion, and before Carter could react Jamot sat his mug heavily upon the bar’s marred surface and turned toward the exit.

Carter snapped into action a second behind the Baloch. “Jamot!” he called over the din of voices as he lifted the gun for a safe shot. Shouts of dismay filled the air while people scrambled from the way, but Carter’s focus remained on the Realm’s long-time enemy.

The Baloch froze and lifted his hands in the air in casual surrender. Too casual for Carter’s liking. “Monroe?” he called without turning his head.

“Aye, Sir.”

“Search Jamot, but be wary. Our friend is known for his caginess.” Monroe cautiously knelt behind the Baloch and bent to run his hands over Jamot’s person. To the room, Carter announced, “I am an agent of the King, and I mean no one harm. I have searched for this man for more than two years. He is charged with murder and kidnapping.” Carter would not mention Jamot’s dealing in illegal goods. Those who crouched in anticipation of what would occur next could construe his words to mean the unlawful brandy easily found in eastern English homes.

Jamot flinched when Monroe fished a pistol from his jacket pocket, but, otherwise, the Baloch did not move, and neither did anyone else in the room. The tension clung to Carter’s shoulders, and he was glad when Jamot spoke. It brought life to a terrible tableau.

“Your disguise was most effective, Sir Carter,” the Baloch said with an ironic sneer. “I must remember your ability to assimilate for when next we meet.”

Carter said defiantly, “There will be no next time, Jamot. Your mission for Shaheed Mir has reached its end.”

Jamot snorted his contempt. “It is only over when I discover Mir’s prize.”

“Each of your previous attempts have proved futile,” Carter countered, choking back his anger.

The Baloch smiled wryly. “But there are two remaining who could prove guilty.”

Carter would not argue with his enemy. “Step away, Monroe.” He gestured with the gun he still held upon the Baloch. “Everyone remain where you are, and we will trouble you no further.” He stepped around the men hunkered down before the bar to approach Jamot. “No impulsive moves,” he warned. “I would prefer to escort you to London alive, but I would hold no qualms in seeing your body slung over a saddle.”

Jamot smirked, “And here I had come to think you held a fondness for the likes of me.”

“Monroe, you are to provide cover,” Carter ordered as he gestured Jamot toward the door.

* * *

Lucinda had finally convinced the boy to sleep. “He be a good lad, Mrs. Warren,” Mr. Watkins assured. “All at the estate say so. Ye shud be proud of him, Ma’am.”

She would not abuse the coachman for his error. “If Sir Carter does not arrive this evening, I suppose we should return to Kent tomorrow. I cannot imagine the reason for the baronet’s delay, but we cannot remain in these quarters. If it were not so late, I would press you to return tonight.”

“It is not like Sir Carter to mislead a person, but I agree, Ma’am. This not be fit quarters for a lady.” He reached for the door’s handle. “I’ll check the room below for the baronet, and then I be retrieving my roll from the coach. I make me bed outside yer door.”

Lucinda caught the man’s rough hand. “I do not know how to thank you for your kindness. Simon and I are in your debt.”

“It be likely the baronet come lookin’ fer ye when he arrives,” Watkins declared in all earnestness. “Sir Carter would have me hide if’n I not see to yer safety.”

Lucinda thought the baronet sorely lacking in his concern for her, but she kept her thoughts to herself. “I hope you correct, Mr. Watkins. If not, Simon and I shall be prepared to depart early.” She swung the door wide.

* * *

He had prodded Jamot with a nudge of the Baloch’s shoulder, but just as Carter fell into step behind the man, a shot rang out, and from his eye’s corner, he saw Monroe spin away from the room before clawing at the wall behind him. Carter’s natural reflexes reached for the young recruit, permitting Jamot his opportunity. The Baloch bolted for the stairs.

Carter caught Monroe and braced the young man’s slide to a seated position before following Jamot. He fished a handkerchief from an inside pocket and shoved it into Monroe’s hand. “Hold tight,” he ordered before he cautiously climbed the steps, his gun hand leading the way and at the ready. As he passed each closed door, he caught the handle to swing it wide. Yet, the Baloch had disappeared. Carter was near to abandoning his search when he turned a corner to discover his worst nightmare.

* * *

She certainly had not expected a stranger upon her portal when she had opened the door for Mr. Watkins, and she had not reacted quickly enough to prevent the intruder from capturing her about the neck and dragging her toward an open draft window.

Lucinda fought for her life. She dug her nails into the man’s meaty hands, but her efforts were of little note. The man was too tall and too strong for her to prevent him from executing whatever mischief he chose. He tugged her along, half carrying her, and Lucinda fully expected to be tossed out the open window. She heard Mr. Watkins scramble to recover from the blow her captor had placed across the coachman’s chest, but Lucinda knew the elderly driver no match for the man who held her pressed tight to his chest.

“Release her!” a familiar voice growled lethally. His cold tone sucked the air from the passageway. If she could have uttered a sound, Lucinda would have cheered Sir Carter’s arrival. She squirmed to throw her attacker off balance, but a steady gaze from the baronet stilled her efforts. He said with hesitation, “I repeat, Jamot: Release the lady.”

“And why would I do as you ask?” the Baloch taunted.

Lucinda’s heart clenched with dread as she looked upon Sir Carter’s countenance. It physically pained the baronet to speak his offer. “Permit the lady her freedom, and I will not give chase. You will live to fight the next battle. What say you, Jamot?”

Buy Links:

Buy Links

Amazon ~ Create Space  ~ Kindle (available in US, UK, Canada, etc.)

Books in the Realm Series

The Scandal of Lady Eleanor (aka A Touch of Love) – Book 1 (James Kerrington and Eleanor Fowler)

A Touch of Velvet – Book 2 (Brantley Fowler and Velvet Aldridge)

A Touch of Cashémere – Book 3 (Marcus Wellston and Cashémere Aldridge)

A Touch of Grace – Book 4 (Gabriel Crowden and Grace Nelson)

A Touch of Mercy – Book 5 (Aidan Kimbolt and Mercy Nelson)

A Touch of Love – Book 6 (Carter Lowery and Lucinda Warren)

A Touch of Honor – Book 7 (John Swenton and Isolde Neville) – released early 2014

A Touch of Emeralds – Book 8 (the series conclusion) – released early fall 2014

About Regina:

 Regina Jeffers is the author of several Austen-inspired novels, including Darcy’s Passions, Darcy’s Temptation, Vampire Darcy’s Desire, Captain Wentworth’s Persuasion, The Phantom of Pemberley, Christmas at Pemberley, The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy, Honor and Hope and The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy. She also writes Regency romances: The Scandal of Lady Eleanor, A Touch of Velvet, A Touch of Cashémere, A Touch of Grace, A Touch of Mercy, A Touch of Love and The First Wives’ Club. A Time Warner Star Teacher and Martha Holden Jennings Scholar, Jeffers often serves as a consultant in language arts and media literacy. Currently living outside Charlotte, North Carolina, she spends her time with her writing, gardening, and her adorable grandson and her new granddaughter.

www.rjeffers.com

http://reginajeffers.wordpress.com

http://austenauthors.net

Twitter – @reginajeffers

Facebook – Regina Jeffers

(Books available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Joseph Beth, and Ulysses Press.)

 

 

Awards:

The Phantom of Pemberley – SOLA’s Fifth Annual Dixie Kane Memorial Awards – 3^rd Place – Romantic Suspense

Darcy’s Temptation – 2009 Booksellers’ Best Award Finalist – Long Historical

The Scandal of Lady Eleanor – Write Touch Readers’ Award – 2^nd Place – Historical Romance

A Touch of Grace – SOLA’s Seventh Annual Dixie Kane Memorial Awards – 3^rd Place – Historical Romance

The First Wives’ Club – SOLA’s Seventh Annual Dixie Kane Memorial Awards – Honorable Mention – Historical Romance

Christmas at Pemberley – 2011 Booksellers’ Best Award Finalist – Inspirational Romance; Second Place, General Fiction, New England Book Festival

The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy – SOLA’s Eighth Annual Dixie Kane Awards – Honorable Mention – Romantic Suspense

Angel and the Devil Duke – SOLA’s Eighth Annual Dixie Kane Awards – 3^rd Place- Historical Romance