Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Jane Ashford to HJ!
Hi Jane and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, A Lord Apart!
Please summarize the book for the readers here:
Family secrets, an unlikely alliance―and a love neither expected…
After his parents’ sudden death, Daniel Frith, Viscount Whitfield, is struggling to unravel a web of chaotic family records. He is astonished to learn his father’s will contains a mysterious legacy: a house left to a complete stranger. He knows nothing about the beautiful Penelope Pendleton and he’s not sure he wants to…until she turns out to be a whiz at all those nasty tasks involved in estate administration…
Penelope has no idea why Rose Cottage was left to her. But it’s a godsend after her brother’s reckless actions disgraced her family. She had planned to stay out of Viscount Whitfield’s way, not grow ever closer to him. But when they discover how entwined their families really are, Daniel and Penelope must collaborate to avoid a scandal that reaches much higher than they could have guessed…
If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?
If A Lord Apart was optioned for a movie, the scene I’d use to audition the main characters is the one below. I picked it because I think good comedic skills would be as important as emotional drama for the movie. By the way, I envision Dakota Fanning and Matt Damon (somehow having become congruent ages) in the roles.
“Your dogs got no call to give me the evil eye,” said the goatherder. “When I got back to the farm yesterday and found I was a goat short, I knew they’d took it.”
“More likely you lost it,” said Kitty the maid.
“I looked everywhere!”
“Couldn’t have.”
“I did! All the places we went. And why are they so keen to keep me out of the barn?”
“Because they’re good watchdogs,” said Kitty. “They don’t let anybody skulk about.”
“I wasn’t skulking!”
Penelope looked at Jip and Jum. Had her dogs eaten a goat? That would not do. It would, in fact, be a serious problem. “Wait here,” she said.
Whitfield followed. The light was dim inside the barn, but when Penelope peered into the stall where Jip and Jum slept, she glimpsed a patch of white. Heart sinking, she went closer. A small spotted goat, perhaps four months old, gazed placidly up at her. When she stepped nearer, it stood and came to meet her, sniffing at her outstretched fingers. Whitfield’s horse looked on from the next stall, benignly curious.
Penelope ran her hands over the little animal and found no hurt.
“What is it doing in here?” asked Whitfield.
“I have no idea.” She picked up the goat and carried it out into the yard.
“I told you,” cried Sam as soon as she appeared.
Jip and Jum jumped up and came to push at her legs, as if to herd her back into the barn. As an experiment, Penelope set the goat down. Immediately, the hounds’ attention turned to the little creature, pushing at it to go inside. The goat butted playfully at them in return as it complied.
With Whitfield once again at her heels, Penelope followed the three into the barn and watched Jip and Jum chivy the goat into the stall and re-settle it. They then lay down on either side, tongues lolling, looking quite pleased with themselves. She turned to find that Kitty and Sam had joined them. “What’re they about?” asked Sam.
“They seem to have adopted a goat,” replied Whitfield.
The boy gaped up at him. “Adopted?”
“Like a stray pup you find in the street?” asked Kitty.
Sam shook his head. “I never heerd of such a thing in all my born days.”
“Neither have I,” answered Whitfield. “But I believe the evidence is before us.”
They all gazed at the three animals.
“They can’t keep it,” said Sam. “I got to get it away from them.” He stepped closer, eliciting a deep growl from Jup.
Penelope put out a hand to stop the boy. “Wait.”
“They stole it,” he protested.
“I wonder if there’s some strain of collie or sheepdog in their bloodlines,” said the viscount.
Penelope met his gaze. His eyes were dancing. She was also suppressing a laugh.
“Them are foxhounds,” said Sam. “They ain’t supposed to do no herding. And I’ll be in trouble over that goat. I got to have it back.” He moved toward the stall. Both dogs rose and growled.
“Perhaps your master would sell it to me instead,” said Penelope. She ignored a choking sound from Whitfield. “He does sell goats sometimes, doesn’t he?”
“Now and then.” Sam couldn’t seem to tear his eyes from the stall. “But you’re saying you’ll buy a goat for your dogs? That’s daft.” He ducked his head. “Begging your pardon, miss.”
“When you put it that way, it does sound odd,” Whitfield said.
“So let’s not put it that way,” replied Penelope. “Just ask your master what price he wants, will you, Sam?”
After a bit more staring, Sam went off to inquire. “What are they going to do with a goat?” asked Kitty.
“My question exactly,” said Whitfield, his voice brimming with humor.
“I wonder, rather, why they added the creature to the things that they guard,” replied Penelope.
“They recognized it as their own,” said her guest.
Shaken by the intensity of his tone, Penelope made the mistake of meeting his gaze. And then she couldn’t look away. Breathing suddenly seemed far more difficult.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Thanks for blogging at HJ!
Giveaway: Print copy of A Lord Apart (The Way to a Lord’s Heart) by Jane Ashford
To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Has a pet of yours done something odd?
Meet the Author:
Jane Ashford discovered Georgette Heyer in junior high school and was captivated by the glittering world and witty language of Regency England. That delight was part of what led her to study English literature and travel widely. She’s written historical and contemporary romances, and her books have been published all over Europe as well as in the United States. Jane has been nominated for a Career Achievement Award by RT Book Reviews. Find her on the web at www.janeashford.com and on Facebook. If you’d like to receive her monthly newsletter, you can sign up at either of those sites.
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo |
Mary Preston
No not really, but odd is kind of subjective.
Debra Guyette
I had a cat once who used to knock at the door to come in.
Karina Angeles
We have a dog we rescued from a shelter. My hubby got her to protect the house and bark to warn us when someone is at the door. We’ve had her for almost a year-and she has never barked. Chicken Nugget could care less if people were at the house, but she plays well with the kids.
Lori Meehan
I have a cat that chooses to live in our back bathroom. The only reason she comes across the house is if it storming. Then she hides in the other bathroom.
laurieg72
When I was growing up we had a Shetland Sheepdog. He and I were best buddies. Unfortunately he suffered from seizures that scared me. He always slept with one of my shoes.
Amy R
Has a pet of yours done something odd? We had a cat that like to get into the trash and came when called.
Katrina Dehart
I had a cat who would only drink water from a running faucet
Rita Wray
I don’t have any pets.
Michele Hayes
I don’t have any pets.
Sonia
I don’t think so 🙂
dholcomb1
we had a pet beagle and the beagle’s tail fell off. Vet thought it might have been an ulcer.
Nicole (Nicky) Ortiz
When my brother’s dog was a puppy she would walk on the railing of the deck, we caught her swinging from a branch in the yard and she would also sit on the table that was on the deck like she was watching all the backyards in the neighborhood.
Thanks for the chance!
Cyndi Bennett
Well, nothing to note at this time as pur new addition is only 7 months old…time will tell I suspect…
[email protected]
No
Mary C
No
Barbara Bates
No, nothing weird
Jana Leah
My cat often has a tantrum like a toddler (rolls on the floor crying) when her food bowl is empty.
erinf1
my beagle mix is addicted to cherry tomatoes. We have to give him a daily antacid b/c he eats so many. He even prefers them over dog treats. Thanks for sharing!
Janie McGaugh
We had a cat that would get into the trash bag (waiting for pickup) after sniffing all around it and then surgically opening it just a little bit at the closest spot to get what he was after
Lynne Brigman
No, my dog is to lazy to do anything odd.
Shannon Capelle
Yes we have had alot of pets that would do weird things, it seems to get the weird ones lol
BookLady
My dog Sandy caught a mouse while playing outside. She thought it was one of her squeaky toys.
Glenda M
I’ve got a 9 year old cat who we bottle fed who still nurses on pillows. He prefers to do so when we are sleeping on them – or trying to sleep.
Patricia B.
When we were children, the neighbor’s dog “adopted” us. Their children were grown and I think the dog was lonely. He spent the days with us and the nights with his owners. My youngest sister was at the crawling stage. We were in the back yard one afternoon and she was crawling towards the fireplace we had built with flat rocks. The dog put himself between her and the fireplace, moving to keep her from it.
Irma
Yes, we used to have a cat who ate raw potatoes.
Tammy Y
My cat would play fetch
bn100
no
jcp
no
Daniel M
cats are always doing something odd
Colleen C.
yes, I was given a parrot years ago named Oscar… thought he was a boy because of his name till he laid an egg 10 years after I got him. So he was a she!
Karen M
No pets at the moment.
rachael
nothing come to mind x
K Moore
I have a cat that fetches like a dog and I had a dog growing up that once ate a sock. We had to pour hydrogen peroxide down him and roll him over on his side a couple of times before the peroxide bubbled up enough to help him hack the sock back up.