Sandra:
This novel is a multi-cultural Regency romance story of a
seventeen-year-old Anglo-West Indian bastard, Thorn Wick, now
acknowledged by his father, The Duke of Althorn, who was never made
aware of his birth. Our hero admires the ward of his father from afar,
an aristocratic flirtatious English lady, Alicia, who has designs on him
until the reality of loving Thorn too much almost destroys her. Throw
in our noble Duke, an evil witch doctor, a Barbados tribal chieftain
intent on redemption, horse racing for the Regent, amazing “heavenly”
Argamak Turkmen horses, a conspiracy to bring down the monarchy, and our
plot thickens. Lust, desire, passion all conflict to epic proportions.
Honor, truth, and justice test his values. Just when he starts to
believe in fairy tales, another obstacle looms to thwart his plans. And
then there’s love!
Where did you get the idea for this story?
Sandra: Ever
since I can remember, the subject of bastardy fascinated. I read John
Jakes eight-book series that spanned generations and centuries and
decided I wanted to create a ‘magnificent’ bastard of my own.
How does Thorn react to the stigma?
Sandra: Yanked
from the West Indies, the half-breed, is transported to London, England
where he is considered illegitimate. Can anyone imagine the emotions
that consumed him? Except for the noble duke’s recognition and that of
the family who supports him, acceptance though difficult is made easier.
Thorn fights against all the odds. He wants to be regarded as an
honorable man, like his father.
Prepare
to be transported from island life in Barbados to aristocratic England
and then back to Barbados where stunning revelations wrack our hero’s
world.
What stunning revelations?
Sandra:
Without spoiling the story for readers, all I can say is that there is a
native uprising against foreign plantation owners, the discovery of the
truth about Thorn’s mother’s death, and a flight to save his life as he
swims out to a waiting ship bound for England and a bad storm.
Why did you decide to write Regency Romance?
Sandra: I
was an only child whose parents both worked. Before and after school, I
was alone, and the only reading materials my parents had was the book Heidi and The Encyclopedia Britannica. You can imagine that the Encyclopedia
was dry reading. History intrigued me, particularly the historical
period of the Regency era. At the age of thirteen, after a brief stint
in a convent in New Jersey, I accepted that the life of a novice nun was
not my calling. Interestingly, when I arrived there in Morristown, the
convent was an old historical mansion with parquet floors and grand
staircases, not to mention a soaring ceiling, usually found in Regency
mansions.
My
first task was to wash the parquet floors, dry them, polish with a
special formula, and then shine them. But that was not the reason I
left. It had to do with a glass of evaporated milk. No cookie could
disguise the taste at the 3:30
afternoon sessions. I pleaded not to be forced to drink the odiferous
liquid, but I was to be an example. I drank it, threw up on the Sister’s
garment, and then requested I go home to my parents. My reckoning was
simple. If I was meant to be a nun most surely the milk would not be a
problem. In those days the convents had strict rules, and they did their
best to train and teach us, but my heart was elsewhere.
Visions
of dukes, duchesses, viscounts, earls, danced in my head. So I kept on
writing. I sometimes think that in another life, I was born during the
Regency period. I’ve never created a duke I couldn’t love.
Online
classes, seminars, conferencing, monthly meetings, networking, etc.
over the past five years made me realize I had to study the craft.
Decades later, when I decided that to see my name in print was a goal
before I left the planet, I broke through the ceiling. My debut novel
was Once Upon a Duke,
released July 14, 2015. I’ve been on a marvelous journey ever since,
with my fourth book in The Duke Series whose release date is November 4,
2016, The Duke’s Magnificent Bastard.
When do you write?
Sandra:
Writing to me is not a pastime or a way to make money, it is an
obsession. I write ten to twelve hours a day, every day, and then I read
in the wee time of a morning, which doesn’t leave too much time to
clean the house. The dust puppies will always be there.
About The Duke’s Magnificent Bastard
After
three years in England, Thorn Wick, the duke’s bastard son, perfectly
flawed, still fights for acceptance in his father’s world as a renowned
golden horse trainer. Just when he starts to believe in fairy tales,
another obstacle looms to thwart his plans.
Alicia
Montgomery, ward of the duke, is in love with Thorn. Strong willed and
adventurous, she determines she can convince him to admit his feelings
until the reality of loving Thorn too much almost destroyed her.
On
a dangerous mission to Barbados at the request of his father, Thorn is
stunned when secrets are revealed about his mother. Will Thorn extract
revenge for the foul deed?
Can Alicia quell Thorn’s demons and prove to him love can pave the way to their happiness?
Can
Thorn relinquish his past because he now has a present and a future?
Will he accept the man he has become? Will he return to his father and
Alicia and fulfill their destiny?
About the Author
From
a humble beginning in Newark, NJ, retired business executive Sandra
Masters had a short stay at a convent in Morristown, NJ, to the board
rooms of NYC to the ballrooms of the Regency period. Spicy Sensual
Seduction with Swagger.
.
THE DUKE’S MAGNIFICENT BASTARD is available now at Amazon.com as of November 4th. If you have any questions, simply email me at: sandramastersauthor@gmail.com. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Sandra Masters
S
andra Master's Novels:
Once Upon a Duke, Debut Book
My Divinely Decadent Duke, Book 2
Thorn, Son of a Duke at 99 cents - Prequel Teaser, Book 3 (A must read before you buy book 4.)
The Duke's Magnificent Bastard, Book
4, releases worldwide on November 4, 2016, and reunites many of the
characters in Book 2, MY DIVINELY DECADENT DUKE. Stunning events have
happened to affect the future of the dynasty. Consider it a family
reunion.
Last month, one of my Facebook friends posted a challenge to come up
with four fictional characters that I identified with. It was great fun
putting my list together. You should try it. It's a great way to tell
your readers more about who you are and what you enjoy reading or
watching. I am a brand new cactus rose. Following are the ones I
selected as most like me.
Jing-mei
Woo (June) in The Joy Luck Club—I remember identifying with June
throughout the novel, notably when her mother praises her for never
taking the best quality crab. I try to respect the needs and wants of
others which includes bypassing crab claws for body meat, or taking the
smallest piece of cake on the plate. Like June, I was pushed to excel
(at school rather than piano). My mother and Suyuan Woo were both
critical mothers. Mine was especially critical when it came to socially
acceptable behavior and physical appearance. I came to realize this
wasn’t because she was mean, but because she wanted the best for me and
my sisters. I know she loved me, and I loved her with all my heart.
Anna from the movie
“Frozen”--Although I am the oldest of three sisters rather than the
younger of two, Anna is as devoted to her sister Elsa as I am to my
sisters Karen and Susan. I am also optimistic and caring like she is and
have her never-give-up attitude. I, too, was separated from my sisters
for a long time, not because we had grown apart, but because I lived
across the country for many years. Now we spend as much time together as
we can.
