It is a pleasure to welcome English author Lelsey Field to the blog today to talk about writing, independent publishing and her new time-slip romance novel, Duchess Thro Time.
I have to say a big thank you to Val for inviting me onto her blog today.
Thank you for stopping by today, Lesley. Over to you.
My name is Lesley Field and I write both contemporary and historical romance. My contemporary romances are set in Canada. Why Canada? I love the place, but especially Banff which is set in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. I love it so much that I wrote a trilogy about the Saunders family who own hotels in Banff and in Canmore, which is just along the highway from Banff. I then moved a bit further toward Calgary and set my novel Betrayal on the outskirts of Calgary. My current work in progress is set on Vancouver Island.
My historical novels are set in and around the Regency period. I have a series of three novels in my Duchess in Danger series, (all can be read independently), and the fourth should be coming out next year. Up until a few months ago I had two publishers but I now have the rights back to all 7 of my books. They have now been re-edited and re-published independently under my now “publishers” hat, Wild Moose Publications. Why did I decide to become an independent author? Mainly because I have several manuscripts sitting on my desktop crying out to be published.
Having written historical romance I tried my hand at a time travel novel and, “Duchess Thro Time,” was born and was released on the 8th November 2021. This is my first official publication since becoming an independent author. I’m very lucky in that my husband is able to prepare the cover art for my books. So that’s my writing history up to now. But how did it start.
It all started in 2012, after I’d retired. Before that I was a Personal Injury Lawyer and spent my days pursuing claims on behalf of injured plaintiffs. In 2012 I read a short story in a magazine and thought, I could do that. So I sat at my laptop and wrote what was supposed to be a short story, but in fact ended up as a 90,000 word novel. That turned out to be the first book in my Saunders series, “Saunders-Lies and Deception. It was meant to be a one off but book 2 in the series came into my head as I was on holiday in America, and then book 3 followed not long after. There’s no knowing when a plot line will come to you. But having written the book I wasn’t sure what to do with it, so looked for some suitable publishers and sent it off. While I was waiting for a reply I met a local author, Val Wood, who was doing a book signing. We got chatting and she gave me some very helpful tips. I e-mailed her later that day to thank her. A few months later I received an e-mail from Val inviting me to be her guest at her Romantic Novelists Association (RNA) Chapter group meeting. Through that meeting I learned about the RNA and was later successful in being accepted onto their New Writers Scheme, which enabled me to have a novel critiqued. To this day I am firm friends with Val Wood and have always considered her to be my mentor. She set me on a path I would never have expected to follow.
Although Saunders-Lies and Deception was the first book I wrote it wasn’t the first to be published. I was very lucky to have my first historical novel, “Dangerous Entrapment,” accepted by Canadian publishers. This was the first book in my Duchess in Danger series. To my delight that book was shortlisted by the RNA for historical novel of the year 2016, so I found myself pushed into the author world fairly quickly. My Canadian publishers later published 2 further books in the series and also the 3 books in my Saunders series. My novel Betrayal, was published by a different publisher, but they no longer publish my genre. Sadly my Canadian publisher was forced to close due to ill health. So that was then I made the decision to become an independent author.
All of my books are published in e-book and print format and are available on all Amazon sites. I have an author page on Amazon which details all of my books. I also have a website www.lesleyfield.com I can also be found on Goodreads and Instagram
The Extract
Kate’s first discussion with Marcus, 6th Duke of Halford. (Val I’ve used this extract as it shows how confusing it is when two people from different centuries try to converse with each other. I found it quite fun to write.)
Closing the door to shut out the noise he turned the key before finally turning to face her.
“Now, milady, perhaps you would care to give me some answers. What was that which you dropped into your reticule when I first came upon you?”
“Reticule, Reticule? Oh you mean the bag. It was my i-phone?”
“I phone, what the devil is that?”
“Doh!!” said Kate. “Are you kidding me?”
“I can assure you that I am not jesting, if that is what you mean.”
“Are you trying to tell me that you have never heard of an i-phone? It’s one of the latest things on the market. I thought everyone knew about it.”
“Well, I have never heard of it, so perhaps you would care to enlighten me?”
“It’s a phone. You know a mobile phone.” He looked blankly at her. “A phone to speak to people on?”
He shook his head. “If I need to speak to someone, I make an appointment to see them.”
“Yes, well I do if it’s really important. But a mobile, or the latest i-phone is used to speak to someone straight away, or to send a text message by.”
“Text,” he said, trying the word on his lips. “Phone?” He shook his head. He heard the sigh as she took the i-phone thing out of the reticule and showed it to him. He took it from her turning it over in his hand. It was not something he had seen before.
“It works like this,” she said, leaning across and touching the screen, which immediately lit up. “See, that is the menu. It shows all the functions on the phone but it won’t pick up a signal.”
“Signal?”
“Yes, a signal from a transmitter.”
“Transmitter?”
“Are you deliberately winding me up? Yes, a transmitter. You know those things that are sited in the cities and countryside, send out signals that we pick up so our phones and televisions work. Unless of course you have a television which needs a signal via a satellite.”
Marcus was confused and she was looking at him as though he were mad, but he had to ask the question. “Satellite?”
“Oh, strewth, yes a satellite, you know those things that float around in space.”
Marcus searched her face. Was she insane? Had she escaped from some institution? None of what she spoke made any sense to him at all. “So how do these...err…satellites get into space?” And what the devil is space?
“Are you stupid? We launch them on rockets. Next you’ll be telling me we didn’t land on the moon.”
That was enough for Marcus. He had no intention of being made to look a fool. No matter how entrancing his tormentor was. The question was direct. “Are you escaped from bedlam, or are you a spy?”
“Bedlam? You mean the mad house, of course not. And a spy. What makes you think I’m a spy?” she asked, sounding bewildered by the suggestions.
“This,” he said, holding out the phone. “All the things you are speaking of. Are these some kind of trap that is being set by the French?”
“The French!! What would they be setting traps for? We are all part of the European Union. You know one for all and all for one. Well perhaps not quite like that.”
“But we are at war with the French, with Napoleon.” He was puzzled, then taken aback when she suddenly burst into laughter.
“Oh, nice try. If this is Charlie’s idea of a joke it’s falling far short of being funny. Did she put you up to this? Is this some twisted way of trying to make me forget what she and James have done?”
“No one has, put me up to anything, as you so delicately put it. We are at war with the French. If Bretton hears what you are saying he will have you arrested as a spy. Perhaps I should let him take you?” he said, thoughtfully looking at Catherine.
“Look, if this is some kind of joke it’s wearing a bit thin.”
“I can assure you it is no joke. If Bretton gets his hands on you he will have you incarcerated and tortured until you tell him all.”
“But I can’t tell him anything. I’m not a spy and I don’t enjoy being treated like this. Good grief it’s two thousand and nine, I do have rights.”
He was about to interrupt but held his tongue until she had finished. “What was it that you said?”
“I said, I’m not a spy…”
“No, not that, later just before you finished speaking.”
“I said it’s two thousand and nine, and I do have rights.”
His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. “Who is on the throne of England?” he asked cautiously.
“What’s this, twenty questions?”
“Answer me, or I will be tempted to call Bretton in.” Something in his tone must have conveyed the seriousness of the situation.
“Queen Elizabeth the Second. Why?”
“George the Third was on the throne, but at present George the Fourth is appointed as Regent.” He watched her face pale, then colour flooded back into her cheeks.
“This is a joke, right?” He shook his head. “What year is it?” her voice was barely a whisper.
“Eighteen hundred and eleven.”
“Oh my God. It can’t be? You are joking?”
“I can assure you that it is, and it is no joke, Catherine.” Suddenly everything about the way she spoke made sense. Well not really sense, as he had no idea of those matters of which she spoke. But what was clear was that she did not belong to this time. But who was she, where was she from, and how the devil had she got here? Even more important, what the hell was he to do with her?
“Duchess Thro Time.”
Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3BBcwMg
Amazon UK https://amzn.to/3nOQwZf
The Author
Lesley Field was born and grew up on Teesside, in the North East of England She enjoyed riding and reading and later spent most of her working life pursuing personal injury claims on behalf of claimants. When retirement came she kicked off the restraints of the law and discovered her real self. What she discovered or re-discovered was writing something she’d dabbled in when she was in her teens. Although writing contemporary fiction set in Canada, she also writes historical fiction, set in London in and around the Regency period. Using her love of Canada and her enjoyment of horses she brings both to her books.
Lesley is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association coming in through their New Writers Scheme. Having now progressed to full membership she is also a member of ROMNA and a member of Promoting Yorkshire Authors.
Happily living on the North Yorkshire coast with her husband she spends her days enjoying life, and writing.
The Links.
Website – https://lesleyfield.com
Author Page Lesley Field @lesleyfield2author
Personal - https://www.facebook.com/lesley.field.79
Twitter - Lesley Field @lesleyfield2
Amazon Author page link for all books
Loved this extract. This will be going on my TBR pile!