Love’s Courage
Brentwood Saga, #3
by Elizabeth Meyette
Narrator:
Amy McFadden
Length: 7
hours 36 minutes
Released:
January 23rd 2018
Publisher:
Boris Publishing
Genre:
Historical Romance


She had to leave him to save her father. He had to follow her to save
his heart.
In August 1777, Jenny Sutton leaves Williamsburg, Virginia, and the man
she loves and sets sail for British-occupied Manhattan to tend to her dying
father. Aboard the Destiny, Jonathon Brentwood makes a request of Jenny that
will entangle her in the network of spies serving the Patriot cause. With her
father already under suspicion, Jenny's activities must be hidden from the
watchful eyes of British troops. But she has caught the eye of British officer
Lieutenant Nigel Ashby, who is aware of her sympathies, yet offers her
protection through marriage. Only by accepting his proposal will Jenny avoid
the hangman's noose - and lose Andrew forever.
Desperate to join - and protect - Jenny, Andrew Wentworth agrees to
deliver messages to Patriot troops on his way to New York. His route brings him
face to face with those suffering under British rule. The fight for
independence and his desire to reach Jenny become intertwined. Arriving in Manhattan,
Andrew is arrested as a spy by the British officer coercing Jenny into
marriage. She may be saved from the gallows, but will Andrew?
As war rages around them, Jenny and Andrew must find the courage to
fight for their new country's freedom and their own eternal love.
Brentwood Saga:
Love’s Destiny – Brentwood
Saga, #1
Love’s Spirit – Brentwood
Saga, #2
Love’s Courage – Brentwood
Saga, #3


Believer
in dreams-come-true and self-confessed chocoholic, Elizabeth Meyette is the
author of a little history … a little mystery … a little romance. The Cavanaugh
House and its sequel, Buried Secrets, are mysteries set in 1968 in the Finger
Lakes region of New York State. Love’s Destiny, Love’s Spirit, and Love’s
Courage are historical romances set during the American Revolution. Elizabeth
is an Amazon Best-selling author, a PAN (Published Authors Network) member of
Romance Writers of America, a member of Sisters in Crime and a member of the
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Before pursuing her
writing career full time, Elizabeth taught English, Journalism, and Library
Science/Technology. After retiring from teaching, Elizabeth embarked on her
writing career full-time and, in addition to her four novels, has published
poetry, magazine articles and her blog site, Meyette’s Musings. A friend said
of her, “You haven’t retired, you’ve refired!” Elizabeth and her husband
Richard live in west Michigan where they enjoy the beauty of the Great Lakes.
They have an agreement that she cannot cook on writing days after he endured
burnt broccoli and overcooked chicken. Fortunately, Richard is an excellent
cook.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Instagram

Q&A with Author Elizabeth Meyette
·
Tell us about the process of
turning your book into an audiobook.
o Love’s
Courage is my first romance audiobook. Both of my mysteries are
available in audiobook format, but since my other romances are traditionally
published, I have no control over that. If I did, they, too, would be available
for listening pleasure. I have had such good response with my
mysteries, that I knew I wanted to create this format for Love’s Courage.
I actually waited to finalize formatting for my ebook and print editions until
I’d listened to the audiobook format because I catch revisions while I’m
listening.
·
How closely did you work with your
narrator before and during the recording process? Did you give them any
pronunciation tips or special insight into the characters?
o Amy
McFadden is wonderful to work with. When I send her my manuscript, I include a
character sheet listing brief character sketches. I’m a singer, so I like to
include what voice range for each character (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone,
bass). But Amy is so thorough and professional, that I don’t want to dictate
too much. When I heard her audition tape for The Cavanaugh
House, my first audiobook, I almost cried I was so happy. She totally got
my characters. When I have revisions, sometimes I call rather than
email her because we need to talk it through. Sometimes she reads my mind and
will answer her phone and say, “You want me to do this …” and she is spot on.
Her turn-around time on re-recording is excellent. I LOVE working with Amy.
·
Were there any real life
inspirations behind your writing?
o I had
visited the Colonial Williamsburg/Jamestown area many years ago and fell in
love with the history, imagining what life was like back then and the courage
of people fighting for liberty. I wrote my first romance, Love’s
Destiny, soon after, though it wasn’t published until 2012. Rich and I
returned to Colonial Williamsburg in 2016 and spent a week there and in
Yorktown so I could research my book.
·
How do you manage to avoid
burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?
o This is a
timely question since I just finished Love’s Courage. When I’m
working on a book, I drill down pretty hard, focusing on little else. My goal
for 2017 is balance, so I am trying to be more human LOL. When I finish a book
and publishing and marketing settles down, I often find myself at loose
ends—what do I do next? Heck, what do I do when I wake up today? Without the
intense focus of writing a specific book, I feel scattered. Maybe that’s
burn-out, maybe it’s ADD. Membership in writers’ groups helps me
tremendously. When I meet with other writers, their enthusiasm buoys me up.
It’s like a vaccination or something. As they talk about their projects and
plans, ideas start to bubble up in my brain. It doesn’t take long before I’m
drilling down again.
·
Is there a particular part of this
story that you feel is more resonating in the audiobook performance than in the
book format?
·
o I think
as the conflict builds and life becomes more dangerous for Jenny and Andrew,
Amy’s narration adds intensity to the story and their world. Of course,
dialogue is always enhanced as the characters become alive to the listener.
·
If you had the power to time
travel, would you use it? If yes, when and where would you go?
o Yes, as
long as I can return to this time. Obviously, I love the American Revolution
era, so I would travel to Colonial Williamsburg to experience that time. And I
would definitely visit the apothecary shop because I am fascinated by how our
ancestors used natural herbs and plants for healing. The apothecary shop is a
vital site in Love’s Courage because, in my story, that’s
where spies exchanged secret messages.
·
What do you say to those who view
listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
o I say
“humbug.” I loved college lectures because I’m an auditory learner. I think
listening to an audiobook is as much reading as sitting with the print or ebook
version in your hands. Plus, I think listening to the story adds a depth and
dimension readers don’t get if they lack a vivid imagination. When I listen to
different voices, increased tempo as tension rises, tenderness coming through
in a lover’s voice, that makes the story more three dimensional to me.
·
Have any of your characters ever
appeared in your dreams?
o Not so
much in my dreams, but they turn up in unexpected places. We were waiting at
the gate to board our plane once, when I grabbed my husband’s arm and whispered,
“Rich, look! There’s Marty!” He knew I had spotted a man who looked like he
could play my Italian cop, Marty D’Amato in the movie version of The
Cavanaugh House. The other day, I waited in the car while Rich went into a
convenience store. A man walked by the doors who looked like Randy from Love’s
Courage. A few minutes later, a young guy came out who looked just
like Andrew. That is always fun. Rich is never surprised, either.
·
In your opinion, what are the pros
and cons of writing a stand-alone novel vs. writing a series?
o
Well,
the pros of a series are you have a captive audience for every book after the
first, and you’ve already created your world. Readers love revisiting favorite
characters, so if they liked the first in the series, they’ll return for more.
As long as the author doesn’t slough off on quality. The hard part for an
author is the delicate balance of enough, but not too much, backstory. Ideally,
a reader can pick up book three first and still understand the book. On
the other hand, a stand-alone may be all there is to a story. The richness of
the story unfolds and comes to a satisfying conclusion. When the tale is told,
don’t cheapen it by trying to extend what isn’t there.
What’s
next for you?
·
When
a book is finished and published, I sometimes find myself feeling a bit
scattered. I’ve started the third book in The Cavanaugh House series.
My readers have been asking for it for a while. I’m excited about writing it,
too, because I miss those characters and want to hang out with them again. Stay
tuned…there will be another audiobook coming.
Amy McFadden has narrated over 300 titles in
Humor, Romance, Not-Super- Violent Thrillers-- -and various (often delightfully
ridiculous) combinations thereof. She’s an Audie Award Winner for The
Brink (Short Stories); 4-time Audie Award Finalist in Humor, Lit Fic,
Mystery/Thriller and Short Story; Earphones Award Winner in Romance,
Mystery/Thriller; AudioFile’s Top 10 Romances of 2016 and Top 100 books of
2017.
Narrator Links:


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