Part of a Fearless Women in History series
Historical fiction, Historical Romance, Gothic Romance
Published Date: April 3, 2019
The year is 1464 and young King Matthias controls Hungary, his family, and the fate of the world’s most notorious political prisoner, Prince Vlad Dracula.
Ilona Szilágy, the king’s cousin, is young and ambitious. Dracula is determined to marry into the Hunyadi family. It is love at first sight…but the king has other plans. The Impaler Prince, however, never takes no for an answer.
This begins Ilona’s journey into the treacherous world of court intrigues, family betrayals, and her husband’s dark desires. Eager to become Vlad’s trusted confidant, Ilona soon discovers that marriage to man tortured by his past comes with a price.
Woven throughout is a peek into the life and times of one of the world’s most enigmatic and maligned rulers…the man before the legend.
With Bardot’s decadent period detail and a cast of gritty evocative characters, The Impaler’s Wife offers a fierce yet sensuous glimpse into the violent 15th century.
Interview with Author Autumn Bardot
Hi Nancy!!
Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog today!! As a new author
(this is my 2nd book with lots more scheduled), I am happy and
grateful when a book blogger asks for an interview!
As a writer, what
would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
I’m an
octopus, all the way. I even have a huge Octopus painting in my bathroom and
several octopus mugs.
I’m always
multi-tasking and, of course, I spray ink!
An octopus squeezes through impossibly small spaces, just like I
sometimes need to squeeze through a difficult scene. Octopi also have those
great suction cups on their tentacles. Once I set my mind on writing, I don’t
let go. Nothing distracts me. I’m stuck on writing and reading!
How many hours a day
do you put into your writing?
A LOT!!
I write
after work until my eyesight get fuzzy, maybe 4-5 hours. During the weekends, I write all day. I write
every single day, even holidays.
Do you read your book
reviews? If yes, do they affect what you write in the future?
Reading
reviews makes me nervous. One exception: when a book blogger emails or messages
me the review. I love and appreciate reviewers and book bloggers. Authors
cannot do without their love of books and enthusiasm for sharing what they read
with the world. But as the author, it’s always a bit nerve-wracking. One book
blogger told me it makes her nervous when author’s read her reviews—so I guess
it goes both ways! Great reviews ALWAYS
make my day and once I broke down in the middle of class after reading an
amazing review. There’s nothing better. One of my daughters will look on Amazon
for me and tell me “all good,” and then I might read them. I write for me, what
I like to read, so reviews do not influence me.
Do you leave hidden
messages in your books that only a few people will find?
Absolutely! I teach literary analysis. It comes naturally
for me to embed symbolism, themes, motifs, and all those other authorial tricks
of the trade. It’s fun, and I love it when readers ask me about them. And it
doesn’t matter at all if readers don’t find them. It’s about the story and the
characters after all. The author tricks are just my way of pushing myself to
explore subtext and nuance.
Actually,
in each novel (even novels with my other pen name) there’s a minor character
with my husband’s name.
Can you tell us a
little bit about the characters in THE IMPALER’S WIFE?
I would love to. Thanks for asking!
Ilona is a courageous, strong-minded woman (like all the
women I write about) who discovers the pleasures, difficulties, and
complications that come with loving a powerful and ambitious man.
Vlad is a complicated man whose early life was rife with betrayal and
violence. Like many heirs during that brutal time, he learned early that
daring, determination, battles, and leadership was required to earn your
rightful throne.
Margit is Ilona’s younger sister. She’s as equally
ambitious as Ilona and very conniving.
Aunt Orsulya is Ilona’s very religious aunt, who took
over Ilona’s care when Ilona’s mother died.
Aunt Erzsébet is the king’s mother (and another aunt),
who is also the most influential woman in the Hungarian court. One sour look is
enough to send her ladies-in-waiting into a panic.
Bernádett is Ilona’s long-time servant and confidant.
Mehmed, aka Sultan Mehmed, aka Mehmed the Conqueror, is
Dracula’s most hated rival. He wants nothing less than to conquer the world and
destroy all of Christendom.
Radu is Dracula’s youngest full-blood brother. He and
Mehmed have a relationship that is more than just friendship.
Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have
planned for the future?
I have a
lot coming this year and next.
Historical
fiction available summer 2019 ~ DRAGON LADY
Against all odds, a prostitute becomes the
most powerful pirate chieftain in the South China Seas. Sold into slavery by
her parents, Xianggu works on a floating brothel for ten years before a
midnight pirate raid changes her life.
Determined to rise above her lowly status,
the fearless young woman embarks on a journey requiring beauty, brains, and
brawn. Red Flag boss, Zheng Yi, is captivated by the spirited Xianggu and soon
makes her his wife. This begins her adventure into the violent world of sea
banditry. But Xianggu must do more than learn to wield a sword, sail a
ship, and swim across a bay. She must become indispensable to Zheng Yi or risk
losing everything, even her life.
After her husband’s death, Xianggu wrestles
control of the Red Flag fleet. Despite betrayals, Mandarin treachery, and
foreign foes she builds a pirate empire with more than 400 ships and 40,000
people under her command. She also establishes rules safeguarding the women on
her ships.
Amid the famines, feuds, and fighting,
Xianggu must battle ancient prejudices and jealous men. In
19th century China, when men made and enforced the rules, the Dragon Lady
lived by her own.
Historical fiction available Fall 2019 ~ The EMPEROR’S
ASSASSIN
A young herbalist finds herself forced into
a world of decadence and corruption when Nero commands her to become his
personal poisoner. The Emperor’s Assassin chronicles
the life of Locusta of Gaul, a shadowy historical figure whose poisonous deeds
remain only conjectures.
Locusta is not only a survivor, she is a
complex and strong woman who embraces her cunning, sexuality, and herbal
knowledge to thrive during Nero’s treacherous reign. Ordered to leave her
pastoral life, Locusta is swept into a world of Roman intrigue, scandal, and
murder. At a time when defying an Emperor meant death and treason lurked behind
every corner, Locusta must embrace her profession or die.
As she journeys from the vineyards of Gaul
to the Imperial palaces of Rome, Locusta discovers the importance of
friendship, the consequences of dangerous knowledge, and the cost of freedom.
Historical erotica available January 2020 ~ Confessions
of a Sheba Queen.
During a sandstorm in the ancient lands of Saba, a
powerful jinni in hiding gives birth to a daughter. An intelligent, curious
child, Bilqīs does not inherit the super-human physical gifts of her mother, a
being born of smokeless fire, and yet deep within burns the courageous spirit
of her fearsome parentage. Her rite into womanhood, however, reveals a sexual
hunger that may be her undoing.
Tragedy forces Bilqīs to leave her home and travel to the
city of Ma’rib where she seeks revenge upon the king. Danger lurks around every
bend and corner for a young woman with only her wit, courage, and body as her
weapons. Bilqīs soon masters the art of seduction and finds it the most pleasurable
method to achieve her goals.
But fate intervenes, and what begins as a quest for
vengeance becomes a mission to make the land of Saba the wealthiest kingdom in
ancient history. Bilqīs, the enigmatic Queen of Sheba, battles prejudices,
jealousy, corruption, and her own unquenchable hunger for carnal pleasures.
It is only after meeting King Solomon that Bilqīs
discovers her greatest battle is not with others but within herself.
Historical Fiction coming 2020 ~ Diros
Do you allow yourself
a certain number of hours to write or do you write as long as the words come?
Since my day job is pretty demanding, I value all writing
time. I never limit myself to time frames. The only time I stop is late in the
evening when the brain is mush. I’m best in the morning. Everything—word,
sentences, pacing, plot—flows like a waterfall then.
What inspires you to
write?
That’s a
twofold question. One is the inspiration for the story. The second is the
inspiration to actually put fingers to keyboard.
Story
inspiration is everywhere. An idea for a story comes to me—just pops into my
head. I’ll mull it over for a few days, see if grows, see if the characters
become real to me. When that happens it’s time to write an outline.
The
inspiration to actually write everyday—outlining, researching, writing, lots of
revisioning—is my Zen. It makes me happy and fills me with a sense of
accomplishment.
Would you rather
Read fiction or
non-fiction?
Fiction.
But I read a lot of both.
Read series or
stand-alone?
Some series
I’ve read get dull and predictable. There’s no character growth and the plots
are rehashed. But I loved every one of Susan Howatch’s Starbridge series. Each
could have been a stand-alone. I have another pen name for urban fantasy
romance series but the series will stop at the fourth book (which I need to
write).
Read Science fiction
or horror?
Horror. But
sci-fi is great too!
Read the book or
watch the movie?
Read the
book!
Read an ebook or
paperback?
I love the
convenience of e-books. I have a kindle app on my phone. But a paperback is
bliss, no matter how many pages. And it’s much easier on the eyes.
Be trapped alone for
one month in a library with no computer or a room with a computer and Wi-Fi
only?
At this
point in my life, I would relish the month in a room with a computer and Wi-Fi
because I would write another book.
Do a cross-country
book store tour or blog tour online?
Connecting
with readers is wonderful and I would do a cross-country book store tour in a
heartbeat, but…they’re expensive, publishers don’t pay for them, and they take
a lot of time. But that sounds like so much fun! Online blog tours are a better
for connecting with new readers, easier to schedule, and don’t cost anything.
Thank you
so much for having me! I enjoyed the interview!
Thank you for
stopping by and talking with us today!
About the Author
Autumn Bardot writes smart erotica and historical fiction about sassy women, spicy sex, and daring passions!
Her erotica includes Legends of Lust, ( Cleis Press )and Confessions Of A Sheba Queen ( Cleis Jan 2020). Autumn has a BA in English literature and a MaEd in curriculum and instruction. She’s been teaching writing and literary analysis for fourteen years. Autumn lives in Southern California with her hubby, rescue pooch, and ever-increasing family. Her favorite things include salty French fries, coffee, swimming, and a great book.
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1 comments:
thanks for hosting
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