In Her Loving
Husband’s Curse, Sarah and James Wentworth experience past lives from
hundreds of years before. Do these previous lives come to them in dreams or
during awake states? Are their remembrances always painful or are they
sometimes pleasant?
For Sarah,
she has these dreams that keep annoying her. Every night she is awakened by
frightening scenes about people being arrested and jailed. She dreams about
people dying. But she also has dreams that are very pleasant because she dreams
about a man who loves her with all of his heart. She isn’t sure what the dreams
are or what they mean. She only knows they’re persistent and often scary. Part
of her journey is to discover what the dreams are trying to tell her. After the
meanings behind her dreams become clear, she remembers the past while she is
awake.
James, being
a vampire, remembers the past all too well. He remembers being in Salem during
the witch trials in 1692. He remembers walking hundreds of miles with the
Cherokee on the Trail of Tears in the 1830s. For James, it isn’t a past life as
much as one very long life. So James is very much awake when he recalls the
past.
What is motivating reporter Kenneth Hempel to prove
that the undead walk the Earth? What will he gain from this find?
In the
beginning, Hempel is simply an annoying little man who seems to know more about
James than James finds comfortable. As the story progresses, Hempel becomes
more and more aggressive in his manner. At times, he seems to be stalking
James. It turns out, Hempel has had a personal experience with a vampire when
he was a teenager, and not a pleasant one. Since then, he’s made it his life
mission to prove to the world that vampires exist. His main motivation is to
prove he’s not insane (as his mother thought) by showing that vampires are
real. If he succeeds, he’ll gain vindication (See, Mom, I wasn’t crazy), and
he’ll gain notoriety as a reporter for the Salem
News. As James says, Hempel could even win a Pulitzer Prize for being the
one to uncover such an amazing story.
What harm can come to Sarah and James if the
reporter is successful? Will one of the couple, Sarah or James, face more
serious consequences and why? Could there possibly be any benefits for the
couple?
If Hempel is
successful, then the truth about vampires will be exposed and people will
realize that vampires aren’t merely a figment of storytelling or mythology, but
real and most likely their next-door neighbors. Then James and Sarah might have
to deal with how society at large deals with the knowledge about vampires. Will
people be accepting? Not accepting? If people accept vampires, then there isn’t
much of a problem and James no longer has to hide his true nature from everyone
but a trusted few. But if vampires are perceived to be a threat, then James
could be in trouble. What kind of trouble? It depends on how dangerous vampires
are perceived to be.
Are others involved that may be harmed if this
investigation does prove that undead exist? If so, how are Sarah and James
related to those folks? Can association with others bring more danger to the
couple?
Everyone
involved with James could be potentially harmed if Hempel’s plan to expose
vampires comes to fruition. Sarah would be the most obvious target, being the
vampire’s wife. Because of his experiences during the Salem Witch Trials where
his wife was accused of witchcraft though she was innocent, James is
particularly concerned about what might happen to Sarah if a vampire hysteria
breaks out. Even their friends, witches Olivia and Jennifer, could have
problems due to their closeness with James. Jennifer especially has reason to
be concerned since she’s now dating a vampire, James’s longtime friend
Chandresh.
Briefly describe the magical systems of your world.
How do those who are empowered, Sarah, James, and any others, gain their
abilities?
James is a
vampire, and he was “turned” in 1692 by one enigmatic gentleman by the name of
Geoffrey. He’s your basic vampire, James, out at night, stays away from the
sun, drinks blood, and looks like he’s 30 though he’s 350. Also, there’s more
to Geoffrey than meets the eye, and James has a lot to learn about Geoffrey in
Book Three. Olivia and Jennifer are descendants of a long line of witches and
their magic is hereditary. Their ancestor Miriam was a witch who first met
James in 1693. James and Miriam’s family have been connected ever since. Howard
is a werewolf, and his abilities are also hereditary. We learn more about his
connection to his adopted vampire son, Timothy, in Book Two. James suspects
Geoffrey “turned” Timothy too, though he can’t prove it yet. Sarah is very
human, though she comes to suspect she may be a ghost as well. Eventually, she
learns the truth about her dreams, and her connection to James.
Thanks so
much, Marsha! I really enjoyed answering these questions—they’re so different
from the other questions I’ve been answering. I hope you’re doing well!
Meredith, thanks so much for visiting and sharing about your fascinating new release!
Her Loving Husband’s Curse
Meredith, thanks so much for visiting and sharing about your fascinating new release!
Her Loving Husband’s Curse
Book Two of The Loving Husband Trilogy
By Meredith Allard
How far will
you go to protect the one you love?
Finally,
after many long and lonely years, James Wentworth’s life is falling into place.
Together with his wife, Sarah, the only woman he has ever loved, he has found
the meaning behind her nightmares about the Salem Witch Trials, and now they
are rebuilding the life they began together so long ago.
But the past is never far behind for the
Wentworths. While Sarah is haunted by new visions, now about the baby she
carried over three hundred years before, James is confronted with painful
memories from his time with the Cherokee on the Trail of Tears. Through it all,
the persistent reporter Kenneth Hempel reappears, still determined to prove
that the undead walk the earth. If Hempel succeeds in his quest, James and
Sarah will suffer. Will the curse of the vampire prevent James and Sarah from
living their happily ever after?
Her Dear & Loving Husband
Book One of The Loving Husband Trilogy
By Meredith Allard
James Wentworth has a secret. He lives quietly in Salem,
Massachusetts, making few ties with anyone. One night his private world is
turned upside down when he meets Sarah Alexander, a dead ringer for his wife,
Elizabeth. Though it has been years since Elizabeth's death, James cannot move
on.
Sarah also has a secret. She is haunted by nightmares about the
Salem Witch Trials, and every night she is awakened by visions of hangings,
being arrested, and dying in jail. Despite the obstacles of their secrets,
James and Sarah fall in love. As James comes to terms with his feelings for
Sarah, he must dodge accusations from a reporter desperate to prove that James
is not who, or what, he seems to be. Soon James and Sarah piece their stories
together and discover a mystery that may bind them in ways they never imagined.
Will James make the ultimate sacrifice to protect Sarah and prevent a new hunt
from bringing hysteria to Salem again?
Part historical fiction, part romance, part paranormal
fantasy, Her
Dear & Loving Husband is a story for anyone who
believes that true love never dies.
Author Bio:
Meredith Allard is the Executive Editor of The Copperfield Review, an award-winning literary journal
for readers and writers of historical fiction. She received her B.A. and M.A. degrees in English from
California State University, Northridge. She has taught writing to students
aged 10 to 60, and she has taught creative writing and writing historical fiction
workshops at Learning Tree University, UNLV, and the Las Vegas Writers
Conference. Her writing has appeared in journals such as The Paumanok Review, Moondance, Wild Mind,Muse Apprentice Guild, The Maxwell Digest, CarbLite, Writer’s Weekly, and ViewsHound. She lives in Las Vegas,
Nevada.
Links:
1 comments:
Hi Marsha! Thanks so much for posting the interview today, and thank you for the lovely introduction.
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