Blog Tour Stop: Highland Homecoming by B.J. Scott

Please welcome B.J. to my blog today. I'm thrilled to have her here because not only is she awesome, she writes bestselling Highland romances. Oh yes! So check out her book and be sure to comment as B.J. will be awarding a $50 Amazon gift card, Scottish shortbread cookies, can cooler and mouse pad (US/CANADA ONLY) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a beaded book thong with silver charms, book marks, pen, and canvas tote to a randomly drawn host (US/CANADA ONLY).

Interview

What is your name and where do you live now?

B.J. Scott and I live in Port Burwell, Ontario Canada. A small town on the shore of Lake Erie.

So first off, how has your week been?

Hectic as usual. Trying to work full time, operate a small business on the side, keep up with household chores and real life, then fitting writing and editing into the mix has me wishing for more hours in a day ;)

I know that one! Did you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?

A true Gemini, I was born with the gift of gab and the need to tell a story, but started writing in earnest after a career in Nursing and Child and Youth work. But given my love for animals, had originally planned to become a Veterinarian.  

Please tell us about your current release.

HIGHLAND HOMECOMING is the third book in my Fraser Brother Trilogy. The series follows the lives of three brothers fighting with Robert the Bruce during the first war for Scottish independence and the feisty women who impact upon their lives and change them forever.  We meet the hero, Alasdair Fraser, the eldest and least likely to fall in love in book one of the series, Highland Legacy. A larger than average, outspoken warrior, with a knack for saying the wrong thing with no interest in settling down with a wife and children,  evolves through book 2, Highland Quest, where he is the over-protective older brother, and into book 3 where he takes on the role as our hero.  During a break in the fighting, Alasdair decides to take some much-needed time to relax. On his way to the castle of a friend, he comes across a beautiful, unconscious lass who has washed up on the shore of a secluded beach in northern Scotland.  Uncertain as to the extent of her injury, how she came to be on the beach and unable to turn his back on someone in need, he reluctantly delays his journey to care for her, a Good Samaritan act that finds him facing the toughest battle of his life. The one between duty and desire. Will he drop the shield that guards his heart? Or will the secrets Edina fails to disclose drive a wedge between them? While it is a series, I try to write each book to stand on its own.

Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

While my books are all works of fiction, I have utilized actual historical fact to enhance the story and hopefully share a bit of interesting information about the time period with my readers.

Yay, I love a good bit of history thrown in. It's always fascinating to learn something new. So tell us what was your favourite chapter to write and why?

It would be a toss between chapter one and the final chapter. It is always exciting to start a new book. I enjoy the challenge of writing a chapter that will hook the reader and the fact that the entire story is about to unfold. I have to say the final chapter is always nice too. After spending countless hours working on the manuscript and immersed in the time period, it is nice to be able to pull it all together, write   ‘The end’ and move on to a new project.

Yes, I understand that. Are your books available as eBooks? Were you involved in that process at all? Do you read eBooks or is it paper all the way?

My books come out in e-book first. After 4-6 months the book goes to print. Since my books are under contract to a publishing house, I have little say as to when the book come out in print

Did you have any say in the title / cover of your book?

I chose the titles for all three of my books. However if the editor does not think it appropriate, they can request a change. While I am shown the cover before the decision is finalized and can ask for minor changes, but the cover art is picked by the editor. I have been very fortunate and am pleased with all my covers.

That's a relief. Is there a part of the story you really liked but had to remove, and if so, could you tell us why?

As with the first two in the series, I had to take out parts of the book that were in the POV of secondary characters. If you are under contract for you book, you must follow the guidelines of the publishing house. This can mean reducing word count or in the case of historical romance, limiting the POV to the hero and heroin only. I like to write three dimensional characters. Neither my main characters nor my secondary characters are perfect.  They are human with flaws that make them more believable.  Limiting my secondary characters is difficult because they play an important role in the plot. There were places where a conversation between secondary characters would have enhanced the story, but in keeping with the guidelines, I had to work around them.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your book? 

There is always room for improvement in a book. As writers we become very close to our work so sometimes the obvious (to a reader) slips by us.  Unfortunately we don’t always notice where we should have made changes until after it is published.  

I think as writers, if we were allowed to, we would edit and edit and edit. We're never satisfied! When you started your book, did you plan on writing it as a series, or did it just grow into one?

A series was in the back of my mind when I wrote the first book in this series, but honestly did not plan to write the sequels when I did. But the editor asked for the second and third stories and the readers were very supportive of the first book. Book 2 was hard to write because the story was not speaking to me at the time. But this book came much easier. During the struggle to write Highland Quest, the ideas, characters and plot for Highland Homecoming fell into place. It still took me six months to write, but that was good compared to the fact that the other two took me about a year.

Do you have plans for a new book?

I am currently working on another Scottish historical that is not related to the series. A civil war time travel and an anthology of Scottish short stories. Lots of ideas but never enough time to write.

Sounds fantastic, Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions! Read on to find out about B.J.'s latest release.

The last thing Alasdair Fraser expects to find on an isolated beach in Northern Scotland is a beautiful, unconscious lass. Unable to turn his back on someone in need, he delays his journey and tends to her injuries–an act that has him questioning his destiny and his plans to rejoin the fight for Scotland’s independence.

Will he drop the shield that guards his heart or will the secrets she fails to reveal and his own stubbornness keep them apart forever?

Purchase from Amazon.

Perched on a stool by the fire, he watched her sleep, wondering how he was going to ever let her go. She was by far the loveliest woman he had ever seen, and she did not seem to be put off by his size, awkwardness, or lack of manners. But duty dictated that they part ways.

After tossing a log on the fire, he spread a pelt on the floor in front of the hearth, then lowered himself to the ground. He pulled the tunic over his head and tossed it on the stool, then did the same with his trews and boots, before settling beneath a length of plaid.

The last thing he wanted to do was lie on the floor and go to sleep. If truth be known, he wanted to slip beneath the covers, take Lauren in his arms, and make her his own. But that would not be right or proper. They were not betrothed and despite what people might think of him, he was a man of honor.

The women he’d bedded in the past had all been of questionable repute and none had been untried maidens. If Lauren was not already married or spoken for, he held enough respect for her that he would wait until their wedding night. But then again, if she did not get her memory back, he might never know for certain.

He slammed his fist on the floor. What the hell was he thinking? He was never going to take a bride. Especially one with no past. He was a warrior. There was no future for them, something he best not forget. He tucked the plaid around his shoulders and dozed off.

An ear-piercing scream disturbed his slumber and Alasdair jolted up with a start. Wasting no time, he climbed to his feet and raced to the pallet.

With a passion for historical romance, history in general, and anything Celtic, B.J. always has an exciting work in progress. Each story offers a blend of romance, adventure, suspense, and, where appropriate, a dab of comic relief. Carefully researched historical facts are woven into each manuscript, providing a backdrop from which steamy romance, gripping plots, and vivid characters—dashing alpha heroes and resourceful, beguiling heroines you can’t help but admire—spring to life. A member of RWA, World Romance Writers, Celtic Hearts Romance Writers, and Savvy Authors, B.J. also writes contemporary, paranormal, time travel, and romantic suspense.

C.S. Lewis first captivated B. J.’s imagination in the fourth grade, and her desire to write sprang from there. Following a career in nursing and child and youth work, B.J. married her knight-in-shining-armor, and he whisked her away to his castle by the sea. In reality, they share their century-old home in a small Canadian town on the shore of Lake Erie with three dogs and a cat. When she is not working at her childcare job, on her small business, or writing, you will find her reading, camping, or antique hunting.

Find all B.J.'s books on her Amazon page.

Connect with B.J. on her website and at Soul Mate Publishing.