First Look Wednesday - Kat Flannery and Hazardous Unions

Plotting a novella with treason…

It took me a long time to figure out what I was going to write for Matty’s story. I couldn’t just write about two people falling in love during the unhappiest time of American history. I needed some substance—something that would push the story along. When I plot out my novels I’m usually looking at a 75-80000-word count, not 30000.

I struggled with writing something so short. What I needed was to come up with a solid plot in order for the story to stand on it’s own. As I researched the war I came across a man who had committed treason by burning the American flag. He was later hung.

My wheels started to turn. Treason by any nation was considered a horrendous crime. Going back as far as the 13^th century in England two types of treason existed high and petty. High treason was a large act against the King and was taken rather seriously. Beheaded or hung were the most likely out come of those guilty.

Petty treason was considered much lower than high treason with crimes against every day normal people or peasants.

A person who commits treason is known in law as a traitor. Those are strong words that held an impact on those who defied the laws of their government by going against them.

Well, I could work with that. I needed a traitor, and what better way to incorporate that into Matty’s story by using the act of treason during the Civil War.

BAM! The story flowed from there.

Twin sisters separated by war, bound by love…

After the death of their father, twin sisters Maggie and Matty Becker are forced to take positions with officers’ families at a nearby fort. When the southern states secede, the twins are separated, and they find themselves on opposite sides of America’s bloodiest war.

In the south, Maggie travels with the Hamiltons to Bellevue, a plantation in west Tennessee. When Major Hamilton is captured, it is up to Maggie to hold things together and deal with the Union cavalry troop that winters at Bellevue. Racism, politics and a matchmaking stepmother test Maggie’s resourcefulness as she fights for Bellevue, a wounded Confederate officer and the affections of the Union commander.

In the north, Matty discovers an incriminating letter in General Worthington’s office, and soon she is on the run. With no one to turn to for help, she drugs the wealthy Colonel Cole Black and marries him, in hopes of getting the letter to his father, the governor of Michigan. But Cole is not happy about being married, and Matty’s life becomes all about survival.

Two unforgettable stories of courage, strength and honor

Excerpt:

Matty by Kat Flannery

Fort Wayne, Michigan

December 1862

What had she done? Matty Becker was going to hell, and there'd be no one to save her. A loud snore echoed from the other room. She peeked around the corner and caught a glimpse of Colonel Black's stocking feet. She'd burn for sure. She glanced at the paper she held and groaned. She was a horrible, devious, scheming letch. Maggie wouldn't be pleased. Maggie wasn't here. Another snore blew into the kitchen and she placed her head onto the table banging her forehead twice. There was no turning back now.

Last night she'd pushed aside her conscience and let fear guide her. For her plan to work, she'd have to throw all sense to the dogs, not that she hadn't done so already by following through with the blasted thing. She couldn't fail now. If her family found out what she'd done they'd never forgive her. Worse yet, if Colonel Black found out she'd be locked behind bars, a fate far better than the one that got her in this mess to begin with.

She placed the paper on the table and went into the bedroom. Colonel Black lay on the bed with his clothes stripped off and tossed about the floor. He'd been out for nine hours and would wake any minute. Matty stood, pushed all thoughts of reason from her mind and removed her dress, corset and pantaloons. Her face heated and the room spun. He rolled over and she jumped into the bed next to him, pretending to sleep. She knew the moment he'd woken. The bed stilled and she couldn't breathe the air was so stiff.

"What the hell?" He sat up and she knew the instant he saw her. "Son of a bitch."

She felt his nudge once, twice and now a shove almost knocking her from the bed.

"Wake the hell up," he growled.

She squeezed her eyes closed and willed strength into her soul so she could face the dark Colonel. She rolled over pretending to wipe the sleep from her eyes.

"Who are you?" He placed his head in his hands. She'd bet he had one heck of a headache.

"Your wife," she said.

"The hell you are." He shot out of bed without grabbing the sheet, and she averted her eyes.

"Please cover yourself." She held up the sheet and he ripped it from her hand. "The marriage license is in the kitchen on the table if you do not believe me."

She watched as he grabbed his head and closed his eyes. The heavy dose of laudanum she'd placed in his drink the night before had done the trick and it wasn't but a mere suggestion they marry that the Colonel jumped to the challenge. Soon they were standing in the dining room in front of a preacher. Words were spoken—words she thought to say with someone she loved, someone who'd wanted her. Her stomach lurched and her mouth watered with the urge to vomit.

"How did this happen?" he asked sitting on the end of the bed.

"Mrs. Worthington sent me to see if you needed anything."

"I was drinking." He looked at her. "I was drunk."

She shrugged.

He stood holding the sheet tight to his midsection.

She couldn't help but notice the rippled stomach and defined muscles on his chest.

"We can annul. I had too much to drink. My head wasn't clear."

She shook her head.

He frowned.

"We have consummated." A lie of course but she was desperate.

His mouth fell open. A moment she knew he'd not remember. After the preacher left, she'd taken him to the bedroom where he passed out before hitting the bed.

"Impossible. I'd remember that."

She shook her head again praying he'd buy the fib.

He pulled on his pants and dress shirt. "I don't even know you. Why in hell would I marry you?"

"My name is Matty Beck—Black. I was employed with the Worthington's. You've come to dinner several times."

His brown eyes lit with recognition. "You're the house maid."

"Yes."

"I married a maid?"

The words stung and she turned from him so he wouldn't see the disappointment upon her face.

"Why would you marry me if I was into the spirits?"

"You seemed fine to me."

He took a step toward her. "Why would you marry me at all when you don't even know me?"

She gripped the blanket on the bed. "You…you said kind words, and I…I believed them.

"How desperate are you to marry a stranger?" he yelled. "You found out who my father is. You want money. You tricked me."

Well, he got the last one right, but the first two irritated her. She was not the kind of person to marry for money. Really, who did he think she was?

"Sorry to disappoint you but I refused my inheritance years ago."

"If you mean to say that I could not find myself a suitable husband because I am a maid, then you're wrong."

"That is exactly what I am saying Miss—"

"Black."

"The hell it is."

He went into the kitchen picked up the marriage license and stared at it.

Matty dressed quickly and inched into the room. Confusion pulled at his features and she began to feel sorry for him. This was her fault. She'd planned this. Now she had to continue telling the lie she'd told. She glanced outside and shivered. Boldness, be my tongue. Shakespeare's words echoed in her mind. It was worth it. She'd been living in fear for a week. Colonel Black had been her saviour, and she risked a life full of love and happiness for this—a lie in which she'd speak for the rest of her life. She swallowed back the lump in her throat and willed the tears not to fall.

"Why can't I remember?" He glanced at her. "And why in hell would I marry you?"

Buy HAZARDOUS UNIONS on Amazon

Bio:

Kat Flannery’s love of history shows in the novels she writes. She is an avid reader of historical, suspense, paranormal, and romance. When not researching for her next book, Kat can be found running her three sons to hockey and lacrosse. She’s been published in numerous periodicals. This is Kat’s third book and she is hard at work on her next.

Website: www.katflannery-author.com

Blog: www.kat-scratch.blogspot.ca
Twitter: https://twitter.com/katflannery1

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kat-Flannery/131065966999142

Author Kat Flannery and Lakota Honor

History has always fascinated me, but I am especially fond of cowboys. This could be from my parents over indulged love of John Wayne westerns. Family movie night often consisted of similar choices, Big Jake or True Grit. It wasn’t so much the gun fights and the Indian raids that intrigued me, but the characters these films were created around.

I’ve always loved to write, but as I grew older the need to scribe intensified. It wasn’t just a way to express my emotions but more of a need to expel the voices and ideas in my head. Stories would run across my mind while at work, or playing with my children. My thirst for writing wasn’t satisfied until I put pen to paper and wrote the scenes that had taken refuge in my mind.

The idea for my first book, Chasing Clovers didn’t come to me right away. Snippets of scenes and dialogue had begun to surface, but nothing that I could create a story with. This was a very emotional story and I wanted to write a novel that would touch people’s lives. I hope I was able to do that.

With my second novel, Lakota Honor I knew I wanted to write about something completely different than the first book. My publisher asked if I’d ever considered writing paranormal before. Once I was able to wrap my head around the story and how I was going to make it paranormal the story flowed. The message in this novel is to look at those around us as equal. While writing this book I discovered that it didn’t matter what year it was, people are still the same. There were those who rallied against anything that was different. They were afraid of it—afraid of change.

Writing for me is something I will always do. It is a part of me, without it I am not whole.

Kat Flannery has loved writing ever since she was a girl. She is often seen jotting her ideas down in a little black book. When not writing, or researching, Kat enjoys snuggling on her couch with a hot chocolate and a great book.

Her first novel, CHASING CLOVERS became an Amazon’s bestseller in Historical and Western romance. This is Kat’s second book, and she is currently hard at work on the third.

When not focusing on her creative passions, Kat is busy with her three boys and doting husband.

Buy LAKOTA HONOR here.

Kat’s website

Kat’s blog

PROLOGUE

Colorado Mountains, 1880

The blade slicing his throat made no sound, but the dead body hitting the ground did. With no time to stop, he hurried through the dark tunnel until he reached the ladder leading out of the shaft.

 He’d been two hundred feet below ground for ten days, with no food and little water. Weak and woozy, he stared up the ladder. He’d have to climb it and it wasn’t going to be easy. He wiped the bloody blade on his torn pants and placed it between his teeth. Scraped knuckles and unwashed hands gripped the wooden rung.

The earth swayed. He closed his eyes and forced the spinning in his head to cease. One thin bronzed leg lifted and came down wobbly. He waited until his leg stopped shaking before he climbed another rung. Each step caused pain, but was paired with determination. He made it to the top faster than he’d thought he would. The sky was black and the air was cool, but fresh. Thank goodness it was fresh.

 He took two long breaths before he emerged from the hole. The smell from below ground still lingered in his nostrils; unwashed bodies, feces and mangy rats. His stomach pitched. He tugged at the rope around his hands. There had been no time to chew the thick bands around his wrists when he’d planned his escape. It was better to run than crawl, and he chewed through the strips that bound his feet instead. There would be time to free his wrists later.

He pressed his body against the mountain and inched toward the shack. He frowned. A guard stood at the entrance to where they were. The blade from the knife pinched his lip, cutting the thin skin and he tasted blood. He needed to get in there. He needed to say goodbye. He needed to make a promise.

 The tower bell rang mercilessly. There was no time left. He pushed away from the rocky wall, dropped the knife from his mouth into his bound hands, aimed and threw it. The dagger dug into the man’s chest. He ran over, pulled the blade from the guard and quickly slid it across his throat. The guard bled out in seconds.

He tapped the barred window on the north side of the dilapidated shack. The time seemed to stretch. He glanced at the large house not fifty yards from where he stood. He would come back, and he would kill the bastard inside.

He tapped again, harder this time, and heard the weak steps of those like him shuffling from inside. The window slid open, and a small hand slipped out.

“Toksha ake—I shall see you again,” he whispered in Lakota.

The hand squeezed his once, twice and on the third time held tight before it let go and disappeared inside the room.

A tear slipped from his dark eyes, and his hand, still on the window sill, balled into a fist. He swallowed past the sob and felt the burn in his throat. His chest ached for what he was leaving behind. He would survive, and he would return.

Men shouted to his right, and he crouched down low. He took one last look around and fled into the cover of the forest.

Guest Author - Kat Flannery

Today I’m very happy to have author Kat Flannery visit the blog. A fellow western romance author, she’s here to share a little bit about herself and her writing. Welcome, Kat. Please introduce yourself. Tell us a little about the person behind the pen.

I am a wife and mother to three boys. I co-own Prairie Dog Publishing where I devote my spare time in producing anthologies with deep, heartwarming stories and donating a part of the proceeds to charities. I’ve also freelanced for seven years.

Why did you decide to write Historical Western Romance?  

I love history, especially the American and Canadian cowboy and pioneer days. What is the appeal? The happily ever after.

Yes, the HEA is a must have! How much research goes into your books, and how do you tackle that?

I do a lot of research, more so because I love to learn new things. I only use ten percent of what I actually research and store the rest away for another book, or article.

What is the best comment you ever received from a reader? The worst or weirdest?

Best comment would be that they cannot wait for my next book. The worst was when my novel was called a wall banger.

Tell us a little about your writing style? Do you plan and plot your stories, or do you just plow through them?

Well, I do plot and plan, but not in great detail. I write pivotal points of the story I need to get to and go from there. However, half way through the novel the characters take it in a different direction.

Sounds like me and my characters.

Can you tell us a little about your current work?

I’ve recently finished a Historical Paranormal Romance.

Oh! You’ve got my attention. I love historical paranormal.

Have you ever had writer’s block? How do you deal with it?

Oh, I have and it is so frustrating. When I get writers block, I move onto another project, an article, or short story until I can go back and finish the book. If that doesn’t work a shot of whiskey is always an option. J

Sounds like a great strategy!

Can you give us a little background on your hero, John Taylor that’s only in your author notes, and not found in your story?

He had brothers and a sister. I never used any of this information in CHASING CLOVERS. I didn’t feel that it was relevant. 

What inspired you to create this character?

I love John Taylor, he is a strong, stubborn, loving man and I had so much fun writing him. I wanted to create a three dimensional character that the reader would have a love-hate relationship with.

What else do you have in store for your readers?

I plan to write many more books that will touch my reader’s lives in some way.

Thank you, Peggy for having me visit your blog.

Thanks for stopping by, Kat! Where can we find you and your books?

Website: www.katflannery-author.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kat-Flannery/131065966999142

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Clovers-ebook/dp/B005UFQMWA

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Chasing-Clovers?keyword=Chasing+Clovers&store=allproducts

Author Bio:

Kat Flannery has had her writing published in numerous periodicals. She's received her diploma for Creative, Freelance, and Business Writing. She is co-owner of Prairie Dog Publishing, where she devotes her spare time as head of Marketing and Communications. CHASING CLOVERS is Kat's first published novel, and she is currently hard at work on her next. When not writing, or spending time with her family, Kat's on the couch with a hot chocolate and a good book.

Book Blurb for CHASING CLOVERS.

Mail order bride, Livy Green, is desperate to escape the memories of her past. John Taylor will never love another woman again, but his children need a mother. Will they learn to trust each other, or will their pasts interfere?

Longing to escape the awful memories and the saloon she once sang in, Livy Green lies about her past so she can be a wife to John Taylor and mother to his two young children. Overwhelmed by the task, she struggles to put her resentment aside and love them as her own.

John loved his first wife and is still heartbroken over the loss, but he needs a mother for his children. When his distant and unfriendly mail order bride arrives, he begins to doubt his decision, though one glance into Livy's terrified green eyes tells him he can’t turn his back on her.

As Livy's past catches up with her and suspicious accidents begin to happen on the ranch, she is tempted to come clean and tell John the truth. But will he send her back if she does? Or will they forever be CHASING CLOVERS?