Virtual Book Tour + #Giveaway: A Struggle for Independence by p.m. Terrell @pmterrell @GoddessFish

A Struggle for Independence

by p.m.terrell

GENRE: Historical novel

BLURB:

Sometimes a woman comes to the realization that she has built the perfect life but with the wrong man.

It is 1916 Ireland, and Independence Mather has settled into a tedious routine in an arranged marriage when she meets an architect hired to add a wing onto her husband’s vast estate. She soon falls in love with the charming, attentive Nicky Bowers, but he has secrets to hide. When she discovers he is an Irish rebel, events propel her into the middle of the Easter Rising. Now she must decide whether to remain the wife of a British loyalist or risk everything to join the rebellion and be with the man she loves.

Excerpt:

The flames danced and pirouetted like so many ballet members assembled on a stage, their movements mesmerizing, even hypnotic. The warmth, however, was wanting, with a single peat brick trying its hardest to do its job but failing like a tiny child not meant to go it alone. I felt sorry for it falling short of the success it strove so hard to achieve, and then I grew discouraged as the cold pervaded.

I lay on a bed of straw faintly scented with what must have been last year’s lavender blooms, as it was too early in the current season for them to make their appearance. The straw packed under my weight until I felt the pricks from shoulder to knee, and as I turned from one position to another, I eventually felt the hard dirt floor upon which the bed was laid. The blankets meant to cushion and warm me were worn so thin, I could see the outline of my clothes underneath them, and despite wearing several layers, I could not get warm.

Nicky’s breathing had been measured, but now I could no longer hear him, and I struggled to see him through the gloom. He lay facing me—that I was sure of—but the shadows prevented me from seeing the details my heart desired. We’d talked until he’d fallen asleep, seemingly unaffected by the cold, and now I longed to hear his voice again. Despite his height and his brawn, his voice was gentle and reassuring, so very different from Stratford’s brusque and impatient tenor.

Shivering, I stood and gathered the blankets about me as best I could and made my way to Nicky’s side. I dropped to my knees upon his straw, which was a great deal thinner than the bed I’d been given. I was surprised to find his eyes open and watching me.

“It will be warmer for both of us if…” my voice trailed off as I felt the heat rising in my cheeks.

He opened his blanket as if inviting me in. I crawled in beside him, my back to his front. Unlike myself, who was wearing every stitch of clothing I’d brought in an attempt to stave off the chill, he was wearing only a gray shirt and trousers. My cold stockinged feet found him, and he covered us with both our blankets and then wrapped his arm around me. I placed my hand upon his and snuggled more deeply against him.

“Are you warmer?” His breath tickled my hair as he whispered, his lips close to my ear.

“Yes,” I said. “Much warmer.” I knew he could feel the beating of my heart; it was thumping wildly in both my chest and my neck, and I felt as though I could not catch my breath.

He settled in behind me, and I tried to listen to the rhythmic breathing I’d heard when he first slipped into slumber, but it did not come. His arm grew heavy across me like a weighty coat determined to protect me from the chill. Then he shifted, his head moving down to my neck where his lips brushed against my skin.

I turned in his arms, and he came upon one elbow to peer into my face. The darkness enveloped us, and I found myself searching out his eyes with a longing to see into his soul. I placed a hand upon his face, running my fingers along his jawline, feeling the stubble that had formed there since his last shave. And then my fingers found his hair and intertwined around the thick locks.

“You don’t have to do this,” he said hoarsely. “I gave you my word.”

“I know. But I did not give you mine.” I pressed upward to find his lips, my own whispering across his, savoring the fullness and the sweetness before his lips parted, and he returned my kiss with a passionate one of his own. I became lost in his kisses, my body burning for his, the longing mounting within me. “You don’t have to do this,” I whispered when we pulled back for a brief moment. “Or do you want to?”

“Desperately,” he answered as his hands followed the lines of my body as if memorizing the bend in my back, the flare of my hips.

“I love your curves,” he whispered.

“I am a bit hefty,” I answered, suddenly self-conscious.

“Oh, I beg to differ,” he said, his voice becoming serious. “I love every curve. Your body might not be perfect, but it is certainly perfect for me.”

I felt as though a thousand pounds had been lifted from my shoulders, and suddenly I felt like the most beautiful woman in the entire world. As if to drive home his point, he set about exploring each curve, and in the process, he set my body on fire. Mountains of clothing and blankets peeled away, and somehow, the peat grew warmer until the room was awash in our moans and our heat, our limbs intertwined, our skin glistening, and I knew with all the assuredness in my soul that I was precisely where I was meant to be.

Interview with p.m.terrell

What was the hardest scene from your book to write?

Perhaps the most challenging scene to write was the one in which Lady Independence Mather (Penny) reads a newspaper article with a list of the Easter Rising leaders that were executed within days of the rebellion. The list was historically accurate, and I felt great sadness as I considered each one’s contribution to a free and independent Ireland, as well as their personal circumstances and the families they left behind. In the book, Penny has escaped Dublin and is hiding in the Wicklow Mountains. She had first-hand knowledge of several of the participants, and her future is uncertain.

Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre?

Reviewers and publishing executives have convinced me that my most exceptional work lies in my historical books, and I love writing about Irish history. I began writing more books set in Ireland after discovering my ancestral home there. Their history is rich, extensive, and forms a labyrinth of political intrigue, shifting alliances, courage, and determination.

If you write in more than one genre, how do you balance them?

I currently write in two genres: historical literary and historical suspense. I am accustomed to using suspense to propel a story forward, so I look for the natural conflicts that can form the backdrop in my literary works. I often discover inspiration for plots or subplots during my research, and I enjoy switching back and forth between the genres, depending on the information I uncover.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I enjoyed watching the main character morph from an introverted, lonely woman in a loveless marriage to blossoming into a confident, accomplished businesswoman. It was highly unusual for a woman to be on her own and running a business in 1916, Ireland. Still, I did find historic examples of women that bucked the odds and became significant forces politically and economically.

What book that you have read has most influenced your life?

I find inspiration in every book I write, and I like to think my life is in a continuous cycle of improvement. For example, once upon a time, I was greatly influenced by Scarlett O’Hara in Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind. Today, I find her character to be far more shallow, and I look for more contemporary women that can stand on their own without assuming a Southern belle persona. I enjoy true stories of courage and discovering what motivates people to do what they do, such as the men and women that climbed Mount Everest in Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air.

Tell us a little about yourself? Perhaps something not many people know?

I enjoy lifting weights, breeding freshwater angelfish, creating my own gel nails, and learning how to cut my own hair. Some of these have come in handy during self-isolation restrictions during the coronavirus outbreak.

Can you tell us something about your book that is not in the summary?

The title is written in two fonts. “A Struggle” is masculine, but “for Independence” is feminine, because the book is about Lady Independence Mather’s struggle between a financially comfortable life as a British loyalist’s wife, versus leaving everything for an Irish rebel. During the timeframe in which the book takes place, supporting the rebellion could mean imprisonment or execution. The Easter Rising forms the backdrop because it symbolizes the country’s dilemma as Penny confronts her own. She knows her world is changing. It brought home the knowledge that all generations have faced uncertainty. We can use hindsight in studying the two world wars, for example, but when the world was in the midst of the fighting, there were no assurances that one side would win over the other.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

p.m.terrell is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 24 books in multiple genres, including contemporary suspense, historical suspense, computer instructional, non-fiction and children’s books.

Prior to writing full-time, she founded two computer companies in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area: McClelland Enterprises, Inc. and Continental Software Development Corporation. Among her clients were the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Secret Service, U.S. Information Agency, and Department of Defense. Her specialties were in the detection of white collar computer crimes and computer intelligence.

A full-time author since 2002, Black Swamp Mysteries was her first series, inspired by the success of Exit 22, released in 2008. Vicki’s Key was a top five finalist in the 2012 International Book Awards and 2012 USA Book Awards nominee, and The Pendulum Files was a national finalist for the Best Cover of the Year in 2014. Her second series, Ryan O’Clery Suspense, is also award-winning. The Tempest Murders (Book 1) was one of four finalists in the 2013 International Book Awards, cross-genre category. Her historical suspense, River Passage, was a 2010 Best Fiction and Drama Winner. It was determined to be so historically accurate that a copy of the book resides at the Nashville Government Metropolitan Archives in Nashville, Tennessee. Songbirds are Free is her bestselling book to date; it is inspired by the true story of Mary Neely, who was captured in 1780 by Shawnee warriors near Fort Nashborough (now Nashville, TN).

She was the co-founder of The Book ‘Em Foundation, an organization committed to raising public awareness of the correlation between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. She was the founder of Book ‘Em North Carolina, an annual event held in the town of Lumberton, North Carolina, to raise funds to increase literacy and reduce crime and served as its chairperson and organizer for its first four years. She also served on the boards of the Friends of the Robeson County (NC) Public Library, the Robeson County (NC) Arts Council, Virginia Crime Stoppers and became the first female president of the Chesterfield County-Colonial Heights Crime Solvers in Virginia.

For more information, book trailers, excerpts and more, visit the author’s website at www.pmterrell.com.

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