Q & A with Lola Drake!

Hi Lola!

Thank you so much for letting me read “Wrong Time for Love”.  I’ve read a lot of time travel stories so I can safely say that it’s difficult to write about battles, fights and history interestingly!

Q) You’ve written about a particular time in history.  What drew you to Scottish fight against the Norsemen and how did your muse come up with this story?

I’ve always been a history buff. Most historical romances seem to be set in the same time periods, so I wanted to try something new. A number of years ago I read a book that featured a battle between the Scots and the Norsemen. It had one offhand line about the Vikings carrying their ships across land to invade Loch Lomond. That sentence intrigued me, prompting me to do some research on my own. When I read more about all the circumstances of that final war between Scotland and Norway, I thought it could be a fascinating setting. I did way more research than I needed to, and learned a lot more than I could use in one book without turning it into a history lesson, so I might set another book there in the future.

I came up with Tristan almost immediately upon choosing the setting. Since all the Cupid’s Conquests books are set in the present, I had the idea to do a time-travel story. I also wanted to be able to explain to readers what was happening in Scotland at the time. Having a heroine from modern times allowed me to do that in an entertaining way, since she’d have all the same questions as the readers.

Q) Have you ever visited Scotland?

            I’ve been lucky enough to visit twice. I lived in London for four years (2002-2006), so I went there once as a tourist to see Glasgow and Edinburgh. Then I went a second time with some friends for New Year’s Eve in Glasgow, which was awesome. The Scots definitely now how to celebrate!

I haven’t been to the highlands, unfortunately, although I did a lot of research and looked at a lot of pictures in order to set my book there. I also spoke to friends who have been fortunate enough to travel through the highlands. Hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to go myself one day. It’s a stunningly beautiful place.

Q) “Wrong Time for Love” is part of the series Cupid’s Conquests.  You’ve done FBI in the first one, time travel in the second…can you give us a hint of the next book?

            At the moment I’m working on a stand-alone novel instead of another Cupid’s Conquests book. It’s romantic suspense, like my first book, but this time it’s set at a ranch on the Arizona strip – one of the most isolated areas in the U.S. The guests get stuck there due to a flash flood, only to discover there’s a murderer among them.

            I do have an idea for another Cupid’s Conquests book, though. One of my favorite parts in Wrong Time for Love was including Cupid as an actual character instead of merely a device in the prologue and epilogue. I’d like to do more with that. For my next one, I plan try a more comedic tale with Cupid trying to get couples together faster than ever before through a dating service.

            Since this series is made up of novellas instead of full-length novels, it’s a wonderful opportunity to try out multiple sub-genres of romance. As an author, that’s been invaluable to help me hone my skills and find the sub-genres I most enjoy writing. You can also see the styles of other authors who have written for the series.

            When I do write another novella for Cupid’s Conquests, I’ll be sure to let you know

WHERE TO BUY: 

http://www.evernightpublishing.com/wrong-time-for-love-by-lola-drake/

http://www.amazon.com/Wrong-Time-Love-Cupids-Conquests-ebook/dp/B00IDIFTFW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401372766&sr=8-1&keywords=lola+drake

BLURB:
Cupid's Conquests

Cupid decides something drastic is needed to help the once burned career-focused Raina open herself up to love. Breaking all the rules, he takes her back in time to medieval Scotland to meet the ultimate alpha male and rekindle her confidence in relationships. He doesn’t plan for them to fall in love, but even Cupid can't control the passion that ensues.

The 13th century was a treacherous time, and any alpha male in that era accumulated dangerous enemies. Will Raina survive long enough to find the love of her life? Will she want that love to be her Scottish Laird or the mystery man Cupid promised her back home?

EXCERPT: 

Raina felt her breath catch at his touch. His eyes shone like two jades as they wandered across her face more passionately than any embrace. She felt consumed by his stare. Part of her longed for him to look away and release her, while the other desired nothing more than to remain captive and free to follow his lead without thought or consequence. His warm breath wafted across her face like a cloud enclosing them in their own little world. Her own hand lifted, to gently touch the dimple peeking out on his cheek before brushing a lock of hair falling across his forehead back away from his eyes.

The contact seemed to release something in him. He transferred his hold from her neck to her hips. She couldn’t help but notice his powerful warrior hands easily spanned her waist, making her feel more feminine than ever. The breeze flowed around them, blowing the skirt of her thin chemise against his muscled legs. He pressed his lips together, never taking his eyes from hers.

She swallowed hard. Dear God, how was she supposed to think with him looking at her like that? She knew the dangers of beautiful men with women lined up to seek their beds. A warrior like this, away for months at battles, surely would seek the company of camp followers, or tavern wenches and the like. Did men of this time even dream of staying faithful to one woman? At the same time, Chris had assured her he hadn’t brought her here to fall in love. If she only had Tristan for a short time, did she really care about his morals or loyalty? Could she simply let herself go and enjoy a night in his arms?

Having made up her mind that she could, no one was more surprised than she herself when she turned her face at the moment he moved forward to kiss her, leaving his lips with just her cheek. His eyes, blazing only a moment before, turned to ice as he released her.

“Forgive me, My Lady.” He gave a slight bow, surely meant to mock her with his emphasis on the formal title. “I must have misunderstood.”

Raina opened her mouth to protest, only she had no idea what to say. She wanted him desperately. No woman with blood in her veins could resist such a male specimen as Tristan. And for some extraordinary reason he wanted her, boring plain workaholic Raina. Yet she stayed silent as he turned on his heels and walked away.

With a sigh, Raina started to turn her gaze back to the stars when she noticed Chris standing on the wall-walk sadly shaking his head in disappointment. 

MY REVIEW:
 
If you're unsure about the Cupid premise, don't be. This was a frickin' great book! I love it when I can't put a story down and this was such an interesting story I kept turning the pages, devouring the story in one sitting. In fact, the only thing I have to criticize is that it was too short! I would've loved to have more time with Raina and Tristan. Sure, there were certain issues like I wanted to know what happened to her first love to make her so distrustful of love, and I would've liked for Tristan to learn she wasn't from his time, but the story was written so beautifully that I really didn't mind those oversites. The author was well versed in her history, and I enjoyed learning about a time I knew nothing about. Many time travels put in the same old place but I really liked reading about the Norsemen trying to invade Scotland, and she wrote it in a way that wasn't boring! This is how you learn history. Fans of Diana Gabaldon will love this book, but if you're like me and never read her stuff, you'll still love this book because who doesn't love a hot Scotsman?