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Tag: Hiistorical Romance

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Knife between his teeth, The Destroyer jumps off the wall and onto the pile of sticks while flames lick the sweet skin of his heart’s desire…

Hugh Le Despencer
In 1270, a knight returns home expecting to collect on the king’s debt. Instead, his caravan is attacked by Scots. Then in the woods, a beautiful young healer shares her skills and he offers her protection back to the priory. By God’s blood, how was he to know she’d drive him mad with her wild antics and innocent seduction?

Mary Rose
About to be burned at the stake for murder, a lay-sister hides in a caravan led by a captivatingly handsome foreigner. It seems like a gift from God until she learns that he plans to kill her kin and take their keep. What can she possibly do to stop him?

Beware of heated love scenes but no cheating, no cliff-hangers, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after.

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Choosing a Pen Name

To Be (someone else) or Not to Be

Thanks for that, Will.

So.
Do I make a new pen name for my more erotic books  or not?
In my case, the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune have to do with basic math.  If I make a new personna, I have less time to write.
So I wonder, will this piss off my fans?
Erotic novels and pen names
But making a new author name takes time. It’ll need a Facebook Page, a Twitter account, a webpage, an Amazon author page, a Goodreads page… Do I need go on?
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I have a four wonderful Historic Romance novels, full of passion, history and sex, just a bit more sedate.
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There’s three paranormals, co-written with the now famous C.M. Seabrook that are fun-filled with wicked-witchy sex.
paranormal
And now, I have written a modern thriller… and a soon to be released sports-hero novella.
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I see what some very successful authors have done. For each genre, they have a different pen name so as not to confuse the reader or God forbid, cross promote to the wrong genre.
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Wow.
I’m just going to have to trust that I have intelligent readers who can pick and chose the genre that feels right for them.
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Then I can spend more time doing what I love.
Writing.
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What’s Inside a Writer’s Brain.

It’s 2017 and I am determined to share more of who I am and what it’s like to be me.

I’m a writer stuck in the body of a software architect. I read somewhere I should always introduce myself as a writer.

Let’s see how that pans out.
“Hi, I’m Stella Marie Alden, Best Selling Romance Author”

Or

“Hi, I’m Susan Hammond, I work for Nuance. The company that makes Siri? Those phone programs that talk to you? Press one for one. Two for three? Or you can press operator, but no one competent will help you so best to stay with the automated system.”
I shouldn’t joke, that’s what pays my bills.

But sometimes, when I am in my day job, it doesn’t feel real. What feels real are the stories in my head. And there’s always stories. Even though I choose just one to focus on, there’re many clamoring in my brain.

People always ask me, where do your stories come from?

I say, how the hell do you guys shut them down?

I mean, how can you just watch people ahead of you in the grocery store, and NOT make up their life’s story? The handsome young man with potato chips, frozen meals, and razor blades. No ring on his finger, a cute dimple, nice leather jacket. Was he married? Did he leave a relationship?

What about the woman who’s dressed in high heels, designer jeans, diamonds? And buys Suave shampoo, hamburgers, and pita bread. Who’s she trying to impress?
It goes on and on. Because once I have the character, there’s no turning back. They live in my head, fermenting, waiting for me to say, “What should I write next?”

Me! Me! Me! They clamor.

SHUSH!

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Stella’s Sexy, Savvy, Strong Heroines

…and the alphas strong enough to love them.

I can’t wait to see what adventures Stella writes next! …Lauren, Romance Novel Giveaways

Ms. Alden is now on my ‘go to’ author list. I can’t wait for the next story.  …Emma, Night Owl Romance

you-become

 

 

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Some people have asked me recently, why do you write?

Others ask, are you making a lot of money?

LOL!

Not yet.

So why DO I write?

One of my goals is to give back, but I am a little geeky, a little shy, and don’t have buckets of money to give away.

How can I throw good karma into the world?

I do it with my stories.

When I started writing, I vowed I would write about strong heroines facing adversity and overcoming. Why? Because I truly believe that we become what we think about all day long.

If we dream about having someone dominate us, that is no doubt what we will attract. I’m not saying don’t ever read those fun books, I’m suggesting to balance your reading.

Read and imagine yourself as more.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

I do hope you will become a fan and sign up for my bi-monthly newsletter. I hate spam, too.

You can also read samples here or go right to Amazon and pick one up for this weekend.

Or… just log in and leave a comment below! I love to respond!

 

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A New Twist on an Timeless Story

feuding

When I visited Soriano last Christmas, I fell in love with the medieval city and its people and knew I’d have to write a novel based there.

Each fall, the residents hold a Renaissance fair to celebrate a fifteenth century battle. It was won in part, by the early warning of an old woman.

As I walked the cobblestone streets and stared up at the castle, I paused to wonder at it all.

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What if it wasn’t an old woman that sounded the alarm? What if it was a young woman in disguise? What if she was in love with someone in the castle? Would she risk everything to save him?
Researching the battle and the times, I was thrust into a world where couples like Romeo and Juliet lived and breathed. It was a time when marriage joined powerful families and love had no say. It’s easy to imagine a tragic couple like Romeo and Juliet.

In such a place and time, how could I help Bernardo and Aurelia, a young couple from opposing families, find their happily ever after?

 

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Stella’s Strong, Savvy & Sexy Heroines – ‘The Angel of Soriano’

 
 

TheAngelOfSoriano

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Another of Stella’s strong, smart, and sassy heroines with attitude.

Tonight, Aurelia’s uncle plans to steal Soriano away from Rodrigo Borgia. Although she doesn’t give a fig who owns the town that nearly stoned her to death, her handsome captain is behind bars. She should never have agreed to marry him, especially not upside down and over his shoulder.

What is it about Bernardo’s new wife? The beautiful angel refuses to trust him, not even after he weds her without a dowry. She wields a firearm like a pirate, disguises herself as a male doctor, and nearly drives him mad. And yet he can’t go on without her.

How can a mere mortal convince a woman like that to come home?

 

*******************************************************

Some people have asked me, recently, why do you write?

Others ask me, are you making a lot of money?

LOL!

Not yet.

So why DO I write?

One of my goals is to give back, but I am a little geeky, a little shy, and don’t have buckets of money to give away.

How does a person like me throw back good karma into the world?

I do it with my stories.

When I started writing, I vowed I would write about strong heroines facing adversity, and overcoming. Why? Because I truly believe that

we become what we think about.

If we dream about having someone dominate us, that is no doubt what we will attract. I’m not saying don’t ever read those fun books, I’m suggesting to balance your reading.

Dream about being strong.

 

 

 

 

 

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Romances Beyond Regency

…Tired of the same ol’ romance? …

Stella's Books

Medieval or Magic_

…a perfect weave of history and romance …

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…Stella is a recent discovery for me, and I’m just loving her books. The pace is fast, the sex is steamy without being crass, and she manages to mix wonderful descriptions in with a story that twists and turns…

…Alden’s gift for bringing to life the atmosphere and setting of medieval England’s wild countryside and challenges are equaled only by her ability to draw a feisty, strong female protagonists.

…has a way of writing that makes me lose hours in my day in her stories.
I can’t wait to read more from Stella!

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August 6th-12th 99¢ SALE

Hot August 99¢ Sale

 

…Stella is a recent discovery for me, and I’m just loving her books. The pace is fast, the sex is steamy without being crass, and she manages to mix wonderful descriptions in with a story that twists and turns…

…Alden’s gift for bringing to life the atmosphere and setting of medieval England’s wild countryside and challenges are equaled only by her ability to draw a feisty, strong female protagonists.

…has a way of writing that makes me lose hours in my day in her stories.
I can’t wait to read more from Stella!

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Strong Renaissance Heroine!

 

1489 AD – just north of Rome

Aurelia Nardini dresses as an ancient hag, sneaks under the portcullis, and sounds the alarm. Tonight, her uncle plots to murder the whole Carvajal family and take the city. Worse yet, because of love for her, the eldest son is locked in the dungeon. She must take action.

What is it about this infuriating woman? Bernardo Carvajal rescues her from Borgia’s bed, from a well-armed neighbor, and her uncle’s fist. Despite admitting her love for him, the stunning beauty refuses to marry. She speaks too rationally, acts too boldly, and drives him mad. And he can’t go on without her.

Enjoy the fictionalized version of events that’s celebrated every year in Soriano’s ancient hazelnut festival.

My latest thoughts…

The year 1489 perhaps is on the cusp of the Renaissance in Italy. Some would insist the year is still Medieval. The world was still changing slowly. Fear of plague kept strangers at bay. Forks were only recently in use and only among the nobility. Benches were still more common than chairs.
My story takes place in the town I visited last Christmas, where my daughter’s fiance has a family residence, built into the tufa of the volcano. When I heard of their hazelnut festival, my imagination took off….

But did I want to start researching a whole new era, a new society, two hundred years later than my last trilogy?

The story screamed in my head. YES! YES! YES!

Why does the festival in Soriano celebrate an old woman who saved the town? Why, did the heroine haunt me, claiming to be a young woman in disguise?
Who do I see a dark Spanish hero, who fights off the evil plots of a greedy neighbor?

 

TheAngelOfSoriano

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Midwest Book Review of ‘How To Seduce a Queen’

Review
D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

Given the fact that Stella Marie Alden’s prior medieval romance books in the series are winners, it’s a given that those who know her name will realize they’re in for a treat with How to Seduce a Queen, a new addition to the series – but it should also be emphasized that newcomers will have no difficulty entering Alden’s world if they start with this title, either.

Set in 1283, the prologue opens with a mad dash to his brother-in-law’s castle by one Nicholas, who has been shot with an arrow by the Lady Fay. In the mad rush to save his life, a twin sister and a host of characters are introduced in a vivid opener that compels readers to learn why a romantic interest with a long history could possibly lead to murder.

After setting the scene with an intriguing question, the first chapter goes back in time three months’ prior to introduce the politics and purposes of Nicholas, who is charged with the idea of kidnapping the royal Lady Fay.

There’s more than the seduction of a queen going on, here: readers will quickly be seduced not just by political cross-purposes and evolving romance, but the stormy relationships between families, political intentions, and arrogant suitors and fathers alike.

Alden’s gift for bringing to life the atmosphere and setting of medieval England’s wild countryside and challenges are equaled only by her ability to draw a feisty, strong female protagonist into the picture, who is more likely to get her way via arrow than wooing.

It’s refreshing to feel the tongue-in-cheek humor and delightful clashes and contrasts of personalities throughout a novel that takes as much time to create winning and different characters as it does to present a sense of the wildness and wilderness that was medieval England.

The fiery temperaments and encounters between the main characters, the blossoming and often-reluctant romance (“There would be no wedding banquet. Not while she lived and breathed.”), and the determination of a woman who will not “marry a monster” and who would rather kill than cuddle all lend to a rollicking, fun, action-packed story.

Romance readers with an affinity for historical settings, feisty characters, and medieval times will find How to Seduce a Queen engrossing and refreshingly different from the usual romance read.

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