Highlander Ever After
Society Novel Spotlight
Jennifer Ashley

Donna GrantUSA Today Bestselling author Jennifer Ashley has lived and traveled all over the world, and now lives in the Southwest. She writes historical, paranormal, contemporary, and erotic romance, historical mystery, and historical mainstream fiction under several pseudonyms.

While Jennifer enjoys writing and reading above all else, her hobbies include cooking, hiking, playing flute and guitar, painting, and building miniature rooms and dollhouses.

I recently asked Jennifer a few questions about her latest release Highlander Ever After, read below and enter the contest afterwards.

1-Hi Jennifer! Welcome! To start off this month’s spotlight can you please tell us about your latest release HIGHLANDER EVER AFTER?

Thank you! HIGHLANDER EVER AFTER is the story of Egan MacDonald, laird of Castle MacDonald, and Zarabeth, a high-born young woman of Nvengaria. Zarabeth once rescued Egan from certain death, and now Zarabeth has to take refuge from assassins in Egan’s remote Scottish castle.

Zarabeth has been in love with Egan for years, but he let it be known he saw her only as the young girl who rescued him. She’s married herself now, but she still carries a love for Egan in her heart. Zarabeth has the ability to read thoughts—except Egan’s, which have always been closed to her for some reason.

At Castle MacDonald, Zarabeth meets Egan’s large, boisterous family, including his nephew, who is determined to get Egan married. She also learns of an ancient curse on the family, which Egan steadfastly refuses to believe in.

She finds Egan as handsome and irritating as ever, but she also finds the other side of him, the loyal, generous man who has dark secrets of his own. Both of them fight their forbidden passion as the curse and danger close in on them.

The story has many tones to it—funny, sweet, sexy, dark, sad, and uplifting. I really enjoyed writing it.

2-What are some of the challenges your characters face in this novel together or separately?

Challenges: There’s the fact that they’re both madly in love with each other and can’t do anything about it. Egan has to face being laird of a castle he once did anything to get away from. There’s physical danger to Zarabeth in the form of assassins sent by her traitor husband. There’s the curse that’s driving everyone mad. There are the silly debutants that Egan’s sister has brought to visit in hopes that Egan will choose one of them as his bride. Both Egan and Zarabeth have their own demons to face. There’s never a dull moment at Castle MacDonald.

3-What is your favourite scene in HIGHLANDER EVER AFTER?

Hmm. The first that springs to mind is when Zarabeth spies Egan taking a bath. He’s a beautiful man rising wet and naked before her eyes. Does he see her peeking in the doorway?

Another is between two secondary characters, Baron Valentin (who’s a shape-shifter) and Egan’s sister Mary. I don’t want to give away the circumstances, but Valentin, who is raw and animal-like, passionately kisses Mary, a prim, proper widow.

The third that springs to mind is Egan playing the Mad Highlander (an over-the-top, spoof of a Scotsman) at his neighbour’s house.

4-Tell us a little bit about your hero and heroine and why we will fall in love with them?

Egan is a wonderful man. He served in a Highland regiment in the Napoleonic Wars, where he gained a reputation for courage and boldness. Sadly his younger brother Charlie was killed in the war, leaving his son for Egan to raise. Egan is concerned about his land and people and tolerates his large, annoying family filling up the castle. He’s a good and loyal friend and a fierce enemy. He has a reputation for being a fine lover, and looks fantastic in a kilt! He has his flaws, of course, but when he smiles, people forget them.

Zarabeth has had a hard time of it. She was the only daughter of doting parents and married off at eighteen to a duke with a promising political career. This was supposed to have been a great success for her. Instead she found herself saddled with an abusive husband who eventually committed treason against the prince of her land (who happens to be her cousin Damien). Zarabeth fled home and reported the treason to Prince Damien, hence Zarabeth seeking refuge with Egan (you learn all this in the prologue—it’s not a spoiler).

Zarabeth’s ordeal has nearly broken her, but she digs deep down to find the courage to go on. When she reaches Egan’s castle, she begins to feel like she can live again. She also decides that if she can’t have Egan, she’ll help his nephew Jamie pick out a good bride for him, much to Egan’s dismay.

5-HIGHLANDER EVER AFTER is the third novel in the series. Who are some of the characters from the previous novels that appear in this one and do readers have to read the novels from the beginning?

Because this book is out so long after the second book in the series (THE MAD, BAD DUKE, Dec. 2006), I wrote it so that readers don’t have to go digging up the other books to understand it. Everything is explained as it comes up. The prologue is a letter from Prince Damien, the hero of PENELOPE & PRINCE CHARMING, and sets up the story, giving a little bit of what happened in the other two books.

The hero and heroine of THE MAD, BAD DUKE (Alexander and Meagan) also appear in HIGHLANDER.

Mostly HIGHLANDER focuses on Egan and Zarabeth and what has happened in their lives. You can read the first two books to learn more about the fairytale land of Nvengaria and its people, but this story takes place in Scotland.

Also I have an “interview” with Egan on Dorchester Publishing’s website to give even more background (http://www.dorchesterpub.com).

If readers do want to read the other books in the series, Book 1 is PENELOPE & PRINCE CHARMING, and Book 2 is THE MAD, BAD DUKE. I suggest reading those in order because book 1 sets up book 2.

PENELOPE & PRINCE CHARMING, by the way, won a Romantic Times Reader’s Choice award for 2006. I had to give a speech and everything.

6-What do you have coming out next and can you share some of the details with us?

I have so many things coming up!

Next up for Jennifer Ashley is the next book in the paranormal Immortals series. IMMORTALS: THE REDEEMING will be out in September 2008. This is Tain’s story.

While the first four books detail what happened to Tain, I again tried to write so you could follow everything if you can’t find books in the first series. Tain’s book is basically a standalone.

In August 2008, I have a historical novella, “The Decidedly Devilish Duke,” coming out under my Allyson James name. This will be in the PRIVATE PLACES anthology, which features author Robin Schone. My story is about a young woman who is forced to play cards for her fate with the duke she refused to marry ten years before. Much has happened to both of them since they’ve seen each other, and Amelia is about to see what happens when she tries to thwart the exotic Duke of Bretherton.

I am also working on a brand new historical series as Jennifer Ashley, the first book of which is tentatively scheduled for April 2009. This one will be straightforward historical, no fantasy/paranormal, no pirates, no fairy tales. It’s set in Victorian London, Paris, and Scotland, and will be on the hot side. I’m excited to introduce the family of four brothers that I have been wanting to write for a very long time. This is truly a series from my heart.

And then—more paranormals: another Dragon book (THE DRAGON MASTER) from Allyson James in November 2008, a new two-book erotic romance series from Allyson James in March 2009 (featuring a winged demigod and a leopard shape-shifter). Plus a new paranormal series from Jennifer Ashley in fall 2009 (featuring the vampires from my story in the Just One Sip anthology). Plus various releases by Allyson James at Ellora’s Cave.

I’m one busy writer.


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