Thanks for stopping by today for the fourth week of the Character Interview Blog Hop - HEROES series where you'll be introduced to leading men from a variety of genres by different authors.
Last week we met the irresistible heartthrob from author Debra Druzy over on her
BLOG. Nick Knight is the hero from her contemporary romance
SLEEPING WITH SANTA.
In today's interview I'd like to introduce you to William Montgomery, the blacksmith hero from my paranormal romance, A FISTFUL OF FATE.
Would you die for love...twice?
William Montgomery, a blacksmith wrongly sentenced to
death in 1806 for the murder of the woman he loved, cannot rest. As a ghost,
he's been bound to Clayton Creek for over two hundred years…waiting for the
soul of his true love to find him and finally set him free.
I'm meeting up with Will at a small table in the back corner of the Whipple Inn, across the street from his Blacksmith shop. He walks in and approaches the table, his white shirt, barely able to contain his well-muscled arms, tucked neatly into his black trousers. His blue eyes light up as he smiles and accepts the mugs of ale I've taken the liberty of ordering for him.
"Will, I'm so glad you could take a few minutes to do this interview with me."
He stares into the mug, taking a deep breath before leaning back against his chair with a sigh. "I welcome a few moments of distraction."
"I promise not to take too much of your time away from the blacksmith shop .I think after being a ghost trapped in this village for over two hundred years my readers would love to know if you have one real fear?"
"That the witch lied. Two hundred years gives a man a long time to think, not much else to do really. Think and wait. And in all that time I've had to hold on to the hope that Maeve and her magic pearls would be the answer that would finally bring me peace. Without Rebecca I would have welcomed death years go."
I want to reach out and touch his strong hand, but he grabs the mug of ale and takes a long sip. His intense blue eyes take in everyone seated around us, but he remains quiet, deep in thought. "Have you told anyone else about this fear?"
"Maeve very well knows my feelings on the matter. It is a little hard to hide ones feelings over two hundred years. She's always reminding me to mind my temper, some days I am more successful at achieving that goal than others." He winks and I melt just a little at his charm.
"I can't imagine what it's like being a ghost, but now that you're back as a living breathing man, do you ever need some time alone?"
"I didn't think I would. After all that time watching the people come and go, wishing I could breath the air, smell the lavender that so reminds me of Rebecca, I didn't expect to want or need to be alone. But does anything ever goes as one plans? Fortunately for me this village is a very dark and quite place at night, perfect for reflecting on the day and the problems that need conquering. Or for walking off that temper I am constantly reminded of."
"While you're out there walking the streets at night reflecting, do you ever think about the one person that made the most positive influence on your life?"
He leans across the table, his eyes now intently focused on me. A half smile slides across his lightly whiskered cheeks, still I sink lower in my chair from the intensity of his glare. His large palms finally come to rest against the wood of the table. "Rebecca. I'd never heard the birds in the trees or smelled the lavender in the fields before her. Every good thing I was before that tragic night was simply because of her presence in my life. She was a schoolteacher you know, taught me more than I thought I needed to learn."
"So, that brings me to my last question. What are you most ashamed of?"
A flash of anger sparks across his beautiful blue eyes, turning them a stormy gray. With a finger to his temple he bites into his lower lip, and I instantly regret asking the one question I probably should have left off the table for this interview. But, heck, he's the hero and I know he can handle it even it makes him squirm a little bit.
He finishes the ale and slams the mug on the wood. "Shame is not the word to describe my torment. Frustration that I let Reginald best me, anger that she got in the way and took that bullet meant for that bastard. Those are better words to describe my emotions. I would never have taken that shot and I've lived with the memory of that night for far too long. That I was so quickly condemned and executed for her death should have brought shame, but it didn't. Disgust and a seething desire for justice took it's place in my heart a long time ago. But, the pearls...they give me hope that I can make things right, that Rebecca can forgive me. Because nothing else matters to me. Nothing."
"Will, thanks for the stopping by. I'm going to let you get back over to the blacksmith shop, I know you've got work to do and I don't want to keep you any longer."
He shakes my hand and leans over to kiss my cheek before he leaves the Whipple Inn. Rebecca is one lucky woman!
A Fistful of Fate
Would you die for love...twice?
William Montgomery, a blacksmith wrongly sentenced to
death in 1806 for the murder of the woman he loved, cannot rest. As a ghost,
he's been bound to Clayton Creek for over two hundred years…waiting for the
soul of his true love to find him and finally set him free.
Rebecca Prescott, tormented by a strange recurring nightmare
of her ancestor’s murder, is drawn to a two-week colonial reenactment at the
scene of the ancient crime. She expects to put her nightmares to rest, instead
she finds one charming blacksmith and past life memories of an undying love.
William needs to break the witch's curse by winning
Rebecca's love in the present and earning her forgiveness for the past before
his fistful of magic pearls disappear and he's condemned to Clayton Creek
forever.
Can Rebecca’s soul finally reunite with her destined
love or will she repeat the past and die once again for the man she loves?
Be sure to check back next week as the Character Interview Blog Hop continues when Stephanie Kepke interviews her hero Zach Gold from her new woman's fiction release, A NEW LIFE.
Bio: Stephanie Kepke writes women's fiction with heart, humor and a dash of spice. Her short story, A New Life,
will be out from The Wild Rose Press on February 25, 2015. Her articles
and essays have appeared in numerous publications. In her pre-child
life she was an arts reporter and music journalist. She lives on Long
Island with her husband, three sons and two slightly crazy rescue dogs in a very chaotic
house... To learn more about Stephanie's writing, please visit her website at http://stephaniekepke.com/
