8 Questions with Florence A. Bliss, author of Taken by His Sword.

He took her innocence…She took his honor. But when danger unhinges their world, someone will have to fall on their sword.

The lust. The betrayal. The love. Sometimes the hardest battle…is seducing your enemy.

Alexandra wants one thing: to train with her sword, never mind the outraged public. But when the achingly handsome Monsieur Philippe kisses her, she finds herself willing to give up her heart and even her blade to be with him. That is, until she learns Philippe took another woman to bed after giving Alexandra her first kiss. Shattered and humiliated, Alexandra is done with etiquette. She’s done with skirts and ruffles. And men. Now, five years later, she’s a mercenary, known for her quick wits, expert blade, and dedication to protecting the people she guides through the uncharted forests of Provence. And if, by chance, she ever sees Philippe again, she’ll have no problem knocking that seductive smile right off his goddamned face.

Philippe never forgot the tender kiss he and Alexandra shared, and he never forgave himself for acting so badly. Years later, when he finds himself tracking a mysterious band of foes, the mercenary hired to lead him is none other than the enticing girl he unwittingly destroyed. But Alexandra is a woman now, a breathtaking and dangerous woman. Though he must balance his mounting desire for her with his duty to tame the venomous nest of criminals, Philippe soon realizes that winning Alexandra’s affection will mean he must strip his pride, lay his title on the line, and fight harder than ever before. And if dodging a few of her punches means he can maybe get another taste of her, then this adventure might be more explosive than he ever expected.

Get Taken by His Sword (Swords of Chevalerie Book 1) at Amazon.

Read my review here.

What genre do you write and why?

I have a soft spot for historical romance because those were my first romance books.  I like the added social constraints of historicals, but I have some ideas for contemporary and sci-fi romances as well.

Where do you get inspiration for your stories?

I’ll be walking along and suddenly BOOM–story idea.  Sometimes it will come from an interaction I see between two people. An exchange I hear, a portrait, a dream. For Taken by His Sword, I had a very vivid dream of a girl holding a sword while everyone around her was wearing fancy, historical clothes. I’m an introverted people watcher so I’m constantly imagining stories involving the strangers I see. Be careful about catching my eye–I might write about you one day…

How did you do research for your book?

Since my book is historical I spent a lot of time reading about French culture, history, and sword fighting in the 1600s. The nice thing about doing a historical is that there isn’t anyone alive that can confirm or deny what I say. If I have some obscure question (did they eat at parties? What type of feather did they use for quills?) and I don’t find the answer in one or two searches, then I just invoke creative license and make it up!

How long have you been writing?

I have been writing for over 20 years! I had a few little literary stories published years ago, but other than that I was struggling to find something to write about that really resonated for me.  That’s when I started with romance because I loved romance novels so much growing up.

Do you have another profession besides writing?

Yes!  I am a middle school English teacher!  But don’t tell my students I wrote a romance novel because they will use it against me.

In today’s tech savvy world, most writers use a computer or laptop. Have you ever written parts of your book on paper?

The first step for me is handwriting the plot in a stream of consciousness style flood in a spiral, college-ruled notebook.  This gives me the basic story structure to go off of.  When I get stuck on a scene, I go back to the notebook and free write until I spark an idea.

What is something you had to cut from your book that you wish you could have kept?

Oh my goodness I cut about 40 thousand words from that sucker. In the director’s cut, I explored much more of how young Alex came to live with the Duchess and then fall in love with swordfighting and Philippe.  I actually think the version that got published is much tighter, but those were really hard cuts at the time!

Do you snack while writing? Favorite snack?

Just coffee.  So much coffee.

Get Taken by His Sword (Swords of Chevalerie Book 1) at Amazon.

Author Bio:

Website: https://www.florenceabliss.com/

Instagram: @florence.a.bliss

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4aoWc2l

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213784980-taken-by-his-sword

 

© 2014-2024- Ronovan Hester Copyright reserved. The author asserts his moral and legal rights over this work.