Talented guest, Vonda Sinclair

Wee Darby and I are thrilled, and feel honored to have the very talented author and photographer,  Vonda Sinclair, as our special guest today! Vonda has been kind enough to share some of her gorgeous photographs she’s taken on a few of her visits to Scotland.

Stonehaven Dunnottar

So grab a spot of tea (or coffee), and a scone or piece of shortbread, and get ready for a real treat! Please help me welcome her by leaving comments.  Vonda has also been gracious to offer one lucky commenter, one of her free audiobooks! (Calm down, Wee Darby, 🙂  No, I’m afraid this offer is for our “guest commenters” only 🙂      So make yourself comfortable and get ready to meet, Vonda Sinclair!

I wish to take a wee moment to thank you for being with us and doing this interview!  Since Vonda writes historical romance – I thought we might have a wee bit of fun by doing something different today . . .

1st –  If you had to pick “just one” of your books – which would you choose as your favorite and why?

First of all, thank you for having me as a guest on your wonderful blog! As for the question, it’s a difficult one. LOL I love different things about each of my books. My Fierce Highlander is the first book in the series and I love it for several reasons. The hero, Alasdair, is not only fierce in battle and in his passion for the heroine, he is also sincere and feels things deeply. He’s a serious, caring and compassionate leader for his clan. Gwyneth is an unusual heroine for the genre of historical romance. I enjoyed writing them both. Her son Rory is a cute lad, a wee warrior in training. The bond that develops between Rory and (his future stepfather) Alasdair is touching. The book is free right now for those who would like to read it.

The second book in the series, My Wild Highlander, was a lot of fun to write because of Lachlan (Alasdair’s younger brother.) He’s a charming rogue used to seducing all the lasses. What happens when the king convinces him to marry a prickly half-French lass? Lots of fun watching them clash. My last release, Highlander Unbroken, is a bit different in that both the hero and heroine have endured extremely difficult times in the past. The hero, Neacal MacDonald, was tortured by an enemy clan, and the heroine, Anna, endured the deaths of her first husband, her unborn child and watched her sister be abused and horribly injured. Both are survivors and have discovered a strength they never knew they had but both were still hurting. Together, can they better heal from their past traumas? It’s a story with a lot of darkness and emotion but also healing and hope.

2nd – Through all your travels, do you have a specific location (or castle), you enjoy visiting the most?

Eilean Donan

It’s difficult to choose only one. Eilean Donan is a favorite I’ve visited a few times. The location, sitting in the middle of three lochs, is spectacular. I love photographing it from different vantage points and in different types of light. I also love Dunnottar near Stonehaven. The highlight of my most recent trip to Scotland in September was visiting Castle Tioram, in the Lochaber region on the west coast. This castle is the inspiration for the setting in two of my recent stories, Highlander Unbroken and My Captive Highlander. I fictionalized it and changed the castle’s name to Bearach. Visiting this castle was a dream come true. I had been looking at photos of it for many years, but it’s so remote I feared I wouldn’t get to visit it. I figured out if we could stay in Glenfinnan, which in itself is slightly remote, then we could visit Tioram, taking a whole day to do so. The drive out from Glenfinnan to the castle is about 25 miles on narrow, curvy roads, a lot of them single track. The scenery is so stunning multiple stops for photo ops were required. LOL The castle is in a derelict and ruined state. It’s dangerous to go inside because of falling masonry and stones. We walked all around it taking photos. It’s an inspiring and beautiful place.

Castle Tioram

3rd –  If  you found yourself transported back, centuries in time – what time period and location would you hope to find yourself in?       

The early 1600s Scotland so I could do first hand research for the time period I write about. 🙂

and –  Which one item from the present would you take back with you?

If I knew I wouldn’t be able to return to present day, I would take a photo album containing pictures of all my loved ones, pets, and places/ things I love.

and 🙂   Which 2 characters in your books would you enjoy meeting, live in person once you reached your destination?

I don’t think I could choose just two. 🙂 I would want to meet the whole gang from my Highland Adventure series. They are all linked by family or friendship and they all care about one another. They share a great bond and help each other when needed.

Castle Tioram

4th – Your photographs are gorgeous!  (I have learned in the past – cameras are definitely not my friends when I “really” want/need them to be 🙂   Are there any other hobbies you enjoy?

Thank you! Yes, I enjoy gardening, especially growing flowers. I also love hiking or walking in nature, on trails through the woods, up mountains, and visiting waterfalls or other beautiful or interesting sites. I also love traveling.

(Patty chiming in here for a wee minute)   Thanks for sharing with us, Vonda, and Fantastic answers 🙂   I’m like you, I would want the opportunity to meet all my characters too! I’m sure our guests might have questions they would like to ask you as well 🙂

          ***click here to continue reading –  there’s more to see 🙂 

Highlander Unbroken (Highland Adventure Book 8) 

Kindle http://amzn.com/B01BLUSSK6

Torture has driven Neacal MacDonald to the brink of madness.  As the new chief of the MacDonald clan, Neacal will do whatever it takes to honor his late father and to help his clan thrive. But whispers of his madness abound and many in his clan turn traitor, wanting MacDonald of Sleat to lead them instead. Conflict ignites between the bitter rivals when Sleat garners the help of the man who tortured Neacal in the past.

Can one woman’s song pull him back and begin to heal his soul?  Everything has been ripped from Anna Douglas except her angelic voice and the will to survive. When she meets Neacal, she recognizes something familiar in him—stark loneliness and pain. His past could be even more tragic and tarnished than hers. No one must learn her true identity or about the brutish man declaring she is his wife, for he will stop at nothing to reclaim her. Though Neacal vowed to never trust a woman again, he cannot resist the secrets in Anna’s eyes or her spellbinding song, which threatens to break down the icy walls surrounding his tormented heart.

Here’s a list of Vonda’s links:

Website: www.vondasinclair.com

Newsletter: http://vondasinclair.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=69e8f3a9a34508af8b38108b4&id=d026f8a85b

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Vonda-Sinclair/e/B005GXBR1C/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1423612683&sr=1-2-ent

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VondaSinclair

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VondaSinclair

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5083448.Vonda_Sinclair

Group Blog: http://fierceromance.blogspot.com/

Don’t forget to leave a comment for this “fabulous opportunity” to win one of Vonda’s free audiobooks! The lucky winner will be selected and announced on Thursday, May 26th, at 6pm Eastern Standard time – here on the blog!

Wee Darby and I send our special thanks to all our guests for stopping by, and especially to my friend, Vonda, for being here with us and sharing her gorgeous photos~  I’m sure our guests will enjoy reading your interview answers as much as Wee Darby and I have!  I sincerely hope you’ll come back and join us again, Vonda!  ((Hugs))