Fortune’s Folly, by Author Cat Dubie an Interview

Give a warm welcome to Cat Dubie, author of Fortune’s Folly. Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Cat and Fortune’s Folly.

Who would you recommend this book to and what should readers be aware of before reading it?

 I’d recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction with a strong heroine, a strong conflict, and several spicy love scenes. Add a handful of supporting characters leading complicated lives whose stories intercept hers. There’s no HEA as that will occur in the sequel.

How long have you been writing?

I began writing in grade school, starting with poems, then short stories, longer stories, and novels. Set everything aside for a few years while I was raising a family, but as the kids got older and I had more time, the slumbering itch, the need returned.

What do you want your readers to take away from your books?

I’d love readers to close the book and think, “wow, what a story!” And if they aren’t wowed, I’d hope they connected somehow with the characters or the story essence, were entertained, or learned something new.

What’s your approach to writing? Are you a plotter or follow your characters flow (Pantser)?

Although not strict about it, I’m more of a plotter. My best plotting method is to create a timeline. This contains information on the characters—name, date of birth, place of birth, etc. Then the date on which the story starts, a brief line about events, and onto the next date/scene.

SPEED ROUND

Favorite movie: A Christmas Carol [the 1951 one with Alastair Sim] — a staple at our place.
Favorite book: To Kill a Mockingbird
Last book read: Against the Storm by Kat Martin
Favorite color: blue
Stilettos or flipflops: flipflops
Coffee or tea: coffee
Ebook or audiobook or paperback: Ebook
Pencil or pen: pen

Favorite song: The Alluvial Plains by Colin Chin

Streak or not: not

Favorite dessert: Tiramisu

Favorite junk food: pretzels

Favorite thing to do to relax: read

Champagne or gin: champagne

Paranormal or Historical: historical

Wonder Woman or Top Model: Wonder Woman

Favorite TV show: Criminal Minds

Hot or cold: cold

POV: 3rd person

I’d die if I don’t have: Wi-Fi

Review or Not: yes

Tell us a little about Fortune’s Folly.

In 1867, Eden Fitzgerald marries, not for love or money, but to persuade her influential in-laws to obtain her father’s release from a contrived prison sentence. Cleverly evading those who believe she, like her father, is a smuggler and Fenian collaborator, Eden does what she can, what she must to achieve her goal. When legal methods are exhausted, she dons a mask, carries a pistol and, using her wiles, wits, even her seductive beauty, robs wealthy citizens to amass enough money to arrange her father’s escape.

Her life grows ever more complicated by the lustful attentions of several men who profess to love her, and the one man she loves but dares not trust. As her crimes worsen, culminating in what may be treason, and her enemies grow more dangerous and determined to apprehend her, she must run for her own freedom.

A peek between the pages of Fortune’s Folly.

Jack Carver’s bearded face appeared when he brought the flame to the stub of his cigar. Eden clenched her teeth. Was this her moment of truth? His gaze shifted and he stiffened, tossed the match, stomped it out. “Anyone following you?”

Muffled footfalls now sounded an irregular pace: three steps, pause, three steps, pause. She whispered, “Yes.”

“Meet me tomorrow at this address.” He gave her a scrap of paper. She crumpled it into her reticule, and when she looked up, he was gone.

Moment of truth averted. She released her breath and moved to the right as Flynn had instructed. With skirts bunched over one arm, she advanced until faint lights materialized at the end of the lane. She stepped into a puddle. Hopefully rain.

The footsteps began again, the stealthy gait of a hunter. Had she dodged one bad fate for another? She darted across the lane and flattened herself against the wall of a building, slid along its rough length and edged into a recessed doorway.

A hand covered her mouth, an arm pulled her backward through a door that had opened without sound and closed the same way. A key turned in the lock. Unable to see anything, her heart thundering, she dug her nails into her assailant’s hand and bit at his fingers.

“Behave yourself,” Alex Banning breathed in her ear. “Don’t make a sound or Cavendish will hear you.”

Her instant relief she wasn’t about to be attacked by a ghoulish murderer was tempered with dread. Alex was the last person she had expected—or wanted—to see. He released her and she took a shivery breath. Someone thumped on the door, shook the handle. Low mutters, then footsteps faded.

Alex moved to the door and listened. “He’s gone. Let’s go.”

He unlocked the door. Eden held back. “Wait. Why are you here? Why is he here?”

“No time to chat. Keep behind me, close to the shadows. Your gown is a damn beacon.”

She crossed her arms. “I’ll not go anywhere with you.”

“You have no choice. You’re my prisoner.”

He opened the door, seized her wrist and charged toward the lighted street. She lifted her skirts again to keep from dragging them through filth. Without pause he hustled across the thoroughfare into another stinking alley. She was hot and out of breath when he stopped by a rickety wagon hitched to an ancient nag.

Their dash across the street revealed a man who looked nothing like the fastidious Captain she remembered. Unkempt hair, ragged beard, shapeless and threadbare clothes—a disguise? He tugged a cap over his head and lifted the wagon seat. “Get in there.”

Astonished and unnerved, she stared at the narrow box. “No. No, I won’t.”

Without a word, he hoisted her into the space. She banged elbows and shoulders, and scrambled to sweep up her voluminous skirts. He tucked in loose flounces and lowered the seat, leaving her in darkness. A tight confined darkness.

The wagon creaked and groaned when Alex settled on the seat. He rapped it with his fist. “Everything all right in there?”

“Of course not.” The words fell back at her from the wood, perhaps four inches from her face. Little cracks admitted glimmers of light, and the feeling of being in a coffin faded. But where was he taking her? Was she truly his prisoner? If so, what did he want?

Would she be locked away, imprisoned like Da? What would happen to her boys? Her innocent babies…

No. No panic. They were Fontaines and would be taken care of. And she meant to get free, no matter how many new lies she had to tell Alex.

The wagon jerked forward. “Keep still. This won’t be long.

Buy links:

Amazon  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SXBZBM2

 

About the Author:

Cat Dubie was the girl who always had her nose in a book, the one who read with a flashlight under the covers or, when the moon was full, sat by a window for hours laughing, crying, loving characters whose adventurous lives wouldn’t let her sleep.

She has traveled the world in books. She has traveled back to the dawn of time and far into the future in books. Her keen interest in history determined the nature of her books, and the first Historical romance novel she read, settled the genre.

After working for various levels of government, she retired and now lives in the beautiful province of British Columbia, where she indulges in her need for creating stories about romance, adventure, passion, mystery, love …

social media sites:

Facebook

 https://www.facebook.com/Cat-Dubie-Romance-Writer-1686578678099306/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Twitter

@CatDubie    https://twitter.com/catdubie?lang=en

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/catdubie/

Pinterest

https://www.pinterest.ca/catdubie/

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17284451.Cat_Dubie

Blog

https://catdubie.blogspot.ca

Buy links:

Amazon  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SXBZBM2

 

It was wonderful having you with us today.  Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Fortune’s Folly!

Visits: 357


Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged , , by with 4 comments.

Cat Dubie Author of The Queen of Paradise Valley

Give a warm welcome to Cat Dubie, author of  The Queen of Paradise Valley!

Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Cat Dubie and Del and Dianna from The Queen of Paradise Valley.

Thanks, Tena, for hosting me and my characters on your blog today! Del and Diana are ready for their interviews –

Great lets start with this handsome hunk sitting next to you.

The name’s Delaney Russell, Del to my friends.

Tells us about the real you—   What event in your past has left the most indelible impression on you?

[short hesitation] When I was ten I watched my Pa die in a cold, lonely cave. He was sick, couldn’t work, so we packed up a wagon and headed to Colorado to see if his old partner would help us. He flat out refused. I spent a long time planning vengeance for Pa. But when I met the old partner’s daughter, everything changed. And not for the better, not for a long time.

What do you most value?

[Smiles] Well, my wife would say my property, my horses, then her.  I’d say the reverse. [another smile] But I’ll add honesty and trust, two things worth fighting for.

What is the type of woman you want to spend the rest of your life with?

I once loved the sweetest, kindest, truest woman I’d ever known. We planned a life together, but she died too soon. I later discovered it was a dream, never meant to be. Now I found a new reason to live and love with an unpredictable, exciting, passionate, stubborn, ornery-at-times woman who sure lives up to her royal nickname. It was a hell of a hard road getting where we are now. She almost killed me, but she also saved my life. And yeah, she’s my forever woman.

What do you consider most important in life?

Well, it’s different for everyone. Some say family, some say wealth, some say power. These days, I say it’s most important to be alive, to wake up every morning beside someone you love.

What is your biggest secret?

Most of my secrets were revealed in the book. Read it to find out. [winks]

Thank you Del, we appreciate your time. Now Diana, it’s your turn in the barrel, so to speak.

I’m Diana Rennie, now Mrs. Russell.

Who are you really?  Who were the biggest role models in your life?

Ha! I didn’t have any growing up – when I was three my mother whisked me from the ranch where I was born to New York city. She wanted only to sit on the top rung of the Society ladder. Her frantic pace eventually killed her – liquor, morphine, belladonna. Could say my role models were my teachers, especially my piano teacher. Also the house servants, who took pity on me and were wonderfully kind. I didn’t have a real role model until I met my father again. [sighs] But he was far from perfect, as I sadly discovered.

What kind of man do you want to spend the rest of your life with?  

You know, in New York I never had an ideal man in mind. Mother groomed me to marry a wealthy man, even a titled European one. I had other plans. And when I went to Colorado to live with my father, I had no thoughts about spending my life with a man. I was happy to live there and learn all I could about him. Then I met – you could say butted heads with  – the one man who completely changed my life. I disliked him at first, we argued about everything, and when I discovered he was my partner I was determined to get rid of him. But he saved me again and again, from outward forces, from myself! Even when I sure didn’t deserve his help. I could easily say he’s strong and handsome, but he’s so much more. And amazingly he loves me. I can’t bear to think of life without him.

What kind of man would you never choose?

I’d never choose a man whose life revolves around his belongings and riches, or who had no compassion for others.

What is most important to you in life?

At one time it was my ambition to become a world renowned pianist. Then it was my father, who I thought was the greatest man in the world until I discovered he was only human. Now it’s Del, the ranch, and the family we hope to have someday.

What is your biggest fear?

[laughs] I used to fear many things but had perfected a way of hiding it. It took some harrowing experiences and a special man to shrink those fears enough to kick them away. Now my biggest fear is probably waking up and finding the last years were only a dream. If it’s a dream, I never want to wake up.

Cat it your turn. Tell us a little about writing this story.  Was it fun or difficult?  Do your characters always act as you expect? Are you a plotter, or fly (write) by the seat of your pants?

I wrote The Queen of Paradise Valley over several years. The first draft was over 200,000 words. I put it away for years, and dusted it off every now and then to do rewrites and editing. The writing part was fun, the editing was harder, as I had much to learn about the process. My biggest problem – I started the story too early, made complex [I thought interesting] lives for each main character. Several chapters later, the actual story began. I took out those early chapters [killed my darlings!] and it finally made cohesive sense. Each edit I made whittled the word count down until I had less than 100,000 words.

The characters go in the direction I lead them, but then insist on having the final word. They say and do things that alter the plot, but I don’t mind – that’s the fun part! And as I reread my story I sometimes get surprised. Did I write that? Hmm, I don’t remember that paragraph. Maybe I was in a fugue state and someone else was dictating the story? [The joy of writing!] A plotter or a pantster? I’d have to say both. I write scenes out of order as they come to me or as the characters dictate, but then I have a big timeline of events into which I fit the scenes I’ve written, and find which scenes I still need.

Tell us a little about The Queen of Paradise Valley:

Diana Rennie, daughter of a wealthy rancher, attempts to persuade mystery man Del Russell to leave his grievances behind and forgive her father for past mistakes. Her careful plan goes awry and results in a shotgun wedding and a prison sentence for Del.
Four years later, Del is back in her life with a vengeance—back for his rightful share of Diana’s ranch, back to prove he isn’t the criminal she thought he was, back to finish what the two of them started years ago in a passionate daze. And he isn’t going anywhere, no matter what beautiful, treacherous Diana does or says to try to get rid of him.
A Peek Between the Pages of The Queen of Paradise Valley:

“I don’t have much left to wager. I doubt you’d  want my saddle, and I won’t part with my horses.” He again rubbed his jaw. “My share of the mine.”

The cards slipped from her hand. “Are you mad? For forty dollars and a pretty—”

“I had higher stakes in mind.”

“What stakes?” Now his eyes were like sunshine  reflected on a rippling silver lake. She gathered the cards, and the stones skipped against her skin. Mouth dry, she repeated, “What stakes?”

“If I win, you’ll move into my bedroom, share my bed.”

Thrills snaked down her back, jumbled visions careened through her mind. She forced herself to concentrate on reshuffling the cards. Wind whistled down the chimney, and the flames flared, then sizzled and spit when sprayed by melting snow.

She met his gaze. “If I win, you’ll sign your entire share to me.” He nodded and she went on, “If you win, I’ll go to your bed, but for one night only. Is your share of the mine worth so little to you?”

“Is your pride worth so much to you?” A soft laugh. “Should we put it in writing? Deal the cards.

Maybe your luck will hold.”

You can find The Queen of Paradise Valley at most online retailers including:

The Wild Rose Press, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Indigo, Kobo

About the Author:

Cat Dubie believes she was destined to write. Her love of words began early – she was making rhymes soon after learning to talk. With a crayon in hand she first drew stories, with a pencil she wrote them. As for reading, she was the girl who always had her nose in a book, the one who read with a flashlight under the covers or, when the moon was full, sat by a window for hours laughing, crying, loving characters whose adventurous lives wouldn’t let her sleep.

She has traveled the world in books. She has traveled back in time and into the future in books. Her keen interest in history determined the nature of her books, and the first Historical romance novel she read, settled the genre.

After working for various levels of government, she retired and now lives in the beautiful province of British Columbia, where she indulges in her need for creating stories about romance, adventure, passion, mystery, love …

Social media links:

My blog:    https://catdubie.blogspot.ca

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/authorcat.dubie.7

twitter:        https://twitter.com/catdubie

 

It was wonderful having you, Dell and Diana with us today.  Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with The Queen of Paradise Valley.  

 

Visits: 816


Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged , , , , , by with 23 comments.
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