Part of Series
Victoria Covington is mysteriously propelled two hundred years into the future. She must not only learn to live in the 21st century, but also keep her beloved Belton Park from being sold to a handsome, but ungentlemanly American, who simply wants the estate to further his own business plans. Victoria had given up hope of finding a husband among the heiress-hunting ton and contented herself living on her beloved family estate, Belton Park. When reality shifts around her, she doesn’t realize that she’s traveled to the year 2019. She is sure she’s going mad, but fortunately her distant cousin, the Viscount William Covington, recognizes her from her portrait, and guesses she is the famous family member who mysteriously vanished in 1818. Sam Dalton, a successful real estate developer from America, wants to refashion Belton Park into a conference center with a Regency theme. He is betting the future of his company on the acquisition. Victoria is shocked to learn the viscount is going to sell Belton Park to Dalton. She is determined to save her family lands while navigating modern society. Sam is just as determined to own Belton. Victoria must discover a way to keep Belton in the family while keeping her heart safe and reputation intact.
Author
I started writing historical romances on a dare. One day I couldn't find anything new to read and Joy, the love of my life, suggested a romance, Jude Deveraux's The Princess. I enjoyed it and started reading more. I realized that most of the SF, comedy, Historicals, and mystery books I liked had a romance in them: the Dorsai series, the four volume Man of his Word fantasy series, The Sebasitan St. Cyr series, The Dog Tails, even P.G.Woodhouse's Leave it to Psmith and Richard Powell's comedy Don Quixote, U.S.A. I have been a Napoleonic enthusiast since I was young, so the Regency period appealed to me. I read a few excruciatingly bad romances, amazed that they'd been published. So one day, I said, "I can write better than this" as I flung one such book in the trash. Joy gave me that look of hers. "So, why don't you?" The rest is history...romances. I found the Romance genre quite a challenge. I discovered there is a lot more to them than flowery words and kissing. Who knew? I chose the time travel romances because it allows me to show the contrasts between time periods in a way a straight-forward historical can't. So much of a period's culture is common knowledge and often unconscious. No one would think to describe or discuss universally shared beliefs and conventions. It's rather unnatural to have characters discuss such things.It is hard to avoid information dumps. But put some one in that culture from another time and contrasts and culture shock ensue. I find it a lot of fun, though I enjoy writing ‘straight’ historical and contemporary romances too. I also chose time travel stories because of a personal frustration of mine. In too many novels, the time traveler realizes they have traveled in time one page after it happens and accepts the fact in the next paragraph. I try for a more realistic approach to such an cataclysmic event. I write because it is fun, hard work to be sure, but enjoyable. My wife provides a lot of inspiration. My goal is a simple one: Provide an entertaining reading experience.
