Please welcome my fellow Wild Rose Press author Diana Rubino as she gives us insight into her latest time travel romance, NOW AND ALWAYS. If you've ever wanted to be swept away, this is the book for you.
In my time travel romance NOW AND ALWAYS, historic preservation architect Leah Halliday falls asleep in the bed once owned by King Richard III. She wakes up in the same bed, but in King Richard’s time, 1485.
There in 1485, Hugh Radcliffe, trusted knight of King
Richard, believes Leah is his bride Matilda. The king arranged the marriage,
and Hugh never set eyes on her before now. According to Leah’s history books, Hugh
was executed for treason and drowning his first wife. When she meets Andrew
Gilbert, another time traveler from the 21st century, she learns that
Hugh’s>treason and
drowning of his wife was a setup by a Welsh clan, the Griffins, who’s hated Hugh’s
family for centuries. As she falls in love with Hugh, she puts her life on the
line to clear his name and attempts to return home with him. But is their love
destined to transcend the time spectrum? Only fate will tell.
Some tidbits about how I came up with this idea and
created Leah:
I wanted to
write a time travel set in Richard III’s time, so I placed Leah there with Richard
III’s bed as a portal, which sits on a Ley Line. (very strange things happen on
Ley Lines; no one knows the reason for this phenomenon—it could be the earth’s
magnetic field.) I’m really big on justice and fairness, and wanted to use that
as one of the story’s themes. So I have Leah use her knowledge of what she
knows about Hugh Radcliffe from history books to clear his name, save him from
being falsely accused of treason and a horrible death on the battlefield.
I like Leah
because she’s adventurous and even though she tries hard to survive in this
difficult and dangerous time, she puts her life on the line to save Hugh, who
she’s grown to love.
I identify
with her because I’m rather adventurous; I went to live in London by myself
after college graduation (even though it wasn’t the 15th century!)
at times it was scary, but I knew my courage would pay off.
What I like
about Hugh is that he’s honorable; he doesn’t want to leave his call to battle
to join Leah in the 21st century until he’s fought in the battle.
He’s also a gentleman, and was very devoted to his wife and son before they
died. He’s perfect for her because he’s the ‘pre-incarnation’ of her late
husband Matt, the love of her life. This is the secondary theme, how true love
and our souls can transcend the time continuum.
I’d already
written two books set in this time with Richard III as a minor character; for
these books, I read some great books about Richard including The King’s Bed by
Margaret Barnes and Crown of Roses by Valerie Anand. I took several trips to
England and went to Richard’s favorite haunts, his residence at Middleham,
where he died on Bosworth Field, and the Richard III Society helped me a great
deal, especially the former President, Peter Hammond and his wife Carolyn, the
former Librarian.
An excerpt:
"Come with me, Hugh.
We may never get another chance," she pleaded, and he sat on the bed next
to her.
"I must go to battle,
Leah," he declared, “but I cannot leave your side until I convince you.
And since you are even more stubborn than I, this shan’t be easy. You know I
cannot live without you. Surely you can wait a few more days."
"Hugh, you'll die, I
know you will.” Tears choked her voice. “Don't go to battle just to die,
please, I lost one husband, don't let me lose another!"
"But I am not truly
your husband...yet."
"You never will be
if you go to battle!” She grasped his arm. “Please, Hugh, Richard will have
understood. Come with me."
"Nay.” He gave a resolute shake of his
head. “I cannot and will not.”
As they spoke she pulled
him down with her into the center of the bed. She reached his lips with hers
and their mouths locked in desperation, neither wanting to let go. His arms
enveloped her. She wrapped herself around him, bringing him farther into the feathery
deepness. Together they floated and drifted. She felt that strange pull, that
spinning sensation she'd felt that long-ago night. As her eyes closed, her body
floated in spacetime, a portal not of her world or any other world; a void they
both entered. She found her voice and said, "Hugh, are you with me?"
"Aye." He
hadn't actually spoken it, but she knew he was there. "I am with you. But
please let me go back. I must join the king, I must."
She grasped him, her
fingers clamped around his arms. He was still with her. "No, Hugh, come
with me, you no longer belong here."
Then, ever so slowly, he
began slipping away.
"Hugh! Stay with
me!" she shouted.
"I cannot, I am falling."
"No! Oh, God,
no!" She clutched at his arms, his hair, his doublet, yet he kept slipping
away; that same force bringing her forward was pulling him back. He grabbed her
arms, but his fingers lost their grip. She felt him tugging at the watch. It slid
off her wrist, scraping her knuckles as he grasped at it. Her last connection
with him was now broken as the force tore them apart. "Hugh!" she
screamed one last time, flung her arms out to him, but clutched only emptiness.
He was gone.
Purchase NOW AND ALWAYS at your favorite digital store:
https://books2read.com/u/3LVVwe
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