Wednesday 27 October 2010

The Portrait - My New Release



    It has been quite some time since I posted on my blog and have to admit that I'm the world's worst blogger.  However, my new Regency Romance, THE PORTRAIT, is now available from Barnes and Noble  http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/product.aspx?r=1&afsrc=1&EAN=9780803477872  and Amazon.com  http://www.amazon.com/Portrait-Hazel-Statham/dp/0803477872/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288261849&sr=1-4 and I am very thrilled about its release.  I love this book and am very happy to be able to share it with my readers.

Here is a brief blurb:

   England 1812   

   Severely injured at the battle of Salamanca, Edward Thurston, the new Earl of Sinclair, returns home to his beloved Fly Hall.  Determined not to present his prospective bride with the wreck he believes himself to have become, he has decided to end his betrothal, unaware that Lady Jennifer, for vastly differing reasons, has reached the self-same decision.

   Throughout the campaigns, it was seen that he relied greatly on a miniature he carried, and it is to this he clings upon his return.  Will he eventually find happiness with the girl in the portrait or will he remain firm in his resolve not to wed?  Reason dictates one course, his heart another.




     For anyone that might be interested in purchasing the book and is unable to do so via the web, I have a limited number of copies for sale on my website  www.hazel-statham.co.uk   Visitors will also find that, for a limited time,  I have reduced the price of my other books for sale there.

     I will be taking a month-long virtual book tour commencing on 1st November and here is a list of my tour stops.  If you have time, please join me there and leave a comment.  I love to hear from my readers and promise to answer all e-mails.



Monday, November 1
Interviewed at Pump Up Your Book!
Tuesday, November 2
Book reviewed at A Musing Reviews
Wednesday, November 3
Guest blogging at Review from Here
Thursday, November 4
Guest blogging at Lori’s Reading Corner
Friday, November 5
Interviewed at The Hot Author Report
Monday, November 8
Book spotlighted at The Plot
Tuesday, November 9
Character interviewed at The Plot
Book Reviewed at A Book Lover
Wednesday, November 10
Interviewed at The Writer’s Life
Thursday, November 11
Book reviewed at Life in Review
Friday, November 12
Book reviewed at Rundpinne
Monday, November 15
Book reviewed, guest blogging, and giveaway at Acting Balanced
Tuesday, November 16
Book reviewed at The Book Connection
Book reviewed at My Favorite Things
Wednesday, November 17
Book reviewed and guest blogging at Diva’s Bookcase
Thursday, November 18
Book reviewed at Making Time for Mommy
Friday, November 19
Book reviewed at The Review Stew
Book reviewed and giveaway at A Cozy Reader’s Corner Reviews
Monday, November 22
Guest blogging at Life in the First Draft
Tuesday, November 23
Guest blogging at Life in the First Draft
Wednesday, November 24
Book reviewed at Book Reviews by Molly
Friday, November 26
Book reviewed by Okbo Lover
Book reviewed and giveaway at Mandy’s Escape

TBD:   Guest blogging at Historical Romance UK



 

Wednesday, 27 May 2009


 


LIZZIE’S RAKE VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR JUNE ‘09


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Join Regency romance author Hazel Statham as she travels the blogosphere in June 2009 with Pump Up Your Book Promotion Public Relations on her fourth virtual book tour to discuss her latest release, Lizzie’s Rake (The Wild Rose Press).

When infamous rake and Corinthian, Maxim Beaufort, Earl of St. Ive, finds himself in possession of a property in Yorkshire, he is irresistibly drawn to Elizabeth Granger, the former owner’s daughter. Whilst attempting to help the family, he ends up filling the role as benefactor. When the house is razed, he arranges temporary accommodations for Elizabeth and her siblings on his estate but when he proposes to Elizabeth he is rejected.

Trust doesn’t come easily for Elizabeth and determined to protect her heart, she struggles to resist her longings, especially considering the earl’s reputation. At times, their difficulties appear insurmountable but the earl is widely known as ‘The Indomitable’ and the name was not lightly earned.

PRAISE FOR LIZZIE’S RAKE:

“Lizzie's Rake… is so well written with delightful characters, one is caught up in events making this a most satisfying story of a rocky road to love.” – Camellia, Long and Short Reviews

PRAISE FOR OTHER BOOKS BY HAZEL STATHAM:

“His Shadowed Heart by Hazel Statham is a richly detailed and well-written historical romance.” – Christina, Romance Junkies

“My Dearest Friend is a very tender love story… The reader cannot help but be caught up in their life.” — Cherokee, Coffee Time Romance

Hazel Statham lives in Staffordshire, England. Her first two novels were published in 2005. She has been married to her husband Terry since 1969 and they have a grown daughter and beautiful grandson. Apart from reading and writing historical novels, her other ruling passion is animals and until recently, she was treasurer for an organization that raised money for animal charities. She currently shares her home with two lovely yellow Labradors named Lucy and Mollie, who are her constant companions.

You can find Hazel online at http://www.hazel-statham.co.uk/

If you would like to follow Hazel Statham on her virtual book tour, visit the official Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tour site at http://virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/.

Hazel Statham’s virtual book tour is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours, a virtual book tour agency for authors who want quality service for an affordable price. More information can be found on their website at http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/.

Friday, 1 May 2009


Lizzie's Rake Coming Soon!


I am delighted to announce that my new Regency romance ‘Lizzie’s Rake' released through The Wild Rose Press, will be available as planned from May 8th, 2009.


As an added bonus, as well as being available in the USA, it will now also be available in the UK through distributers and can be ordered from local book shops by quoting ISBN: 1-60154-465-0 As with my previous books, it is also available as an e-book.


My other Wings ePress releases, ‘His Shadowed Heart’, ‘Dominic’ and ‘My Dearest Friend’ are still available from Wings ePress, Amazon.com, Fictionwise and can be ordered from Barnes & Noble.


Wednesday, 17 September 2008


Interview with Lady Victoria from His Shadowed Heart


Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Lady Victoria Stanton, sister to the Earl of Waverley.

Hazel - Good evening your ladyship.

Lady Victoria – Good evening. Perhaps for the duration of the interview you would prefer to call me Victoria – so much easier than formalities.

Hazel – Thank you, your la… Victoria! It’s so good of you to grant me this interview. I know your dislike of prevarication so, without hesitation, I will ask you what you can tell me of the report that your brother, the Earl of Waverley, is to be married? I hear tell that the young lady in question is a mere nobody?

Victoria – Ah, the dear boy! Never have I seen a man so determined to avoid matrimony. No matter what argument I raised, he blatantly refused. You can imagine my amazement therefore, when he presented me with his intention of taking Miss Northam as his wife. Miss Northam is a charming young girl, but not at all the kind of female that I could have envisaged would attract his attention. Her situation is unfortunate and not one that I would wish on any girl, but I see it as no reason to maker her an offer. Obviously there is something in her manner that appeals to him, but I fail to see it. She is charming, intelligent and very sweet natured, but I would have expected him to offer for someone more mature, in both years and outlook.

Hazel – You don’t approve of the match?

Victoria – On the contrary! I would welcome anyone who could take him out of his despondency. However, I feel that at nineteen she lacks the experience necessary to take her place at his side. Lordings is a huge responsibility and could easily overawe such a young, inexperienced girl – for inexperienced girl she is! She has no knowledge of running a household or presiding over events. Her education is sadly lacking in these areas.

Hazel – And when is the wedding to take place?

Victoria – My brother informs me that the nuptials will take place in just four weeks. Four weeks! I asked why the unseemly haste and he told me that not only was it to take place in such a short time, but also in the private chapel at Lordings! I had expected more, so much more. After all, his first wedding had been magnificent with no expense spared. In comparison, this will seem quite paltry! Almost as if he wishes to hide the girl away.

Hazel – Will you attend the wedding?

Victoria – Of course! Why should I not? He is my brother and I love him dearly. No matter what my reservations, I will support him in this. I will not have it thought that I object in any way. Society is cruel and very quick to judge. Caroline will have my full support and if anyone should make a comment in my hearing, I promise you, I will champion her to the end.

Hazel – Do they return to London after the wedding?

Victoria - I believe they are to remain at Lordings - for a while at least. Richard has taken leave from the Ministry, although I do believe he will not stay away long. Such is the situation in the Peninsular that he is constantly called upon for advice.

Hazel – Please convey my good wishes to the bride and groom, but be assured that I will follow your brother’s story with great interest. I am sure there is more to it than meets the eye.

Victoria – My very thoughts. There is something quite intriguing about the whole situation, but it is thoroughly worthwhile if only to see the look on Cousin Gerald’s face when he hears the news. It will be priceless! The marriage lays waste to all his expectations now there is a possibility of Richard producing an heir.

Goodness me! Is that the time? I must go. I have promised to take Julia to tea with Diana’s brood.

Hazel - It has been a great pleasure and honour to speak with you, your ladyship. I do so hope we meet again.



This interview originally appeared at The Plot.

Scoffing Romance


Romance as a genre has been scoffed at for many years with very few readers actually admitting to reading it, but it accounts for 38% of all books sold, therefore, as the poor sister in the publishing world, it does very well.

Until recently, Traditional Regency Romance has always been a favourite with readers, but about two years ago, the New York Publishing houses decided that its popularity had begun to wane and reduced their output. Unfortunately, they forgot to impart its drop in popularity to the readers and the genre continued to sell. Sales did dip briefly, but now there appears to be a resurgence of interest. New readers are enthralled with the romance and elegance of the era and already devoted readers continue their support.

I write historical fiction and historical romantic fiction mainly set in the Regency and Georgian eras. My romances are what is termed as ‘sweet’, which means that there is no graphic sex and I close the bedroom door when my characters ‘retire’.

However, this doesn’t mean that my books are not ‘romantic’ – on the contrary. Romance is integral to the plot and is what drives the story forward. Luckily, I know from letters I’ve received from fans that there are still readers who prefer this kind of novel to the more revealing kind – enough for there still to remain a viable market.

My work has been likened to Georgette Heyer’s, and as I’m a huge fan of hers, I take it as a great complement. Of course, there will always be those who prefer the more modern approach where the mores of modern-day living are just transposed in period, but I prefer to remain true to the attitudes of the day. If I state fact, it is as accurate as I can make it and I always make the story fit the fact, not the fact fit the story.

No matter what, I shall continue to create my own Regency world, knowing that as long as there are readers there must always be authors and no matter what the trend, my books will always be there for romance readers to enjoy.


Regards,

Hazel
This article originally appeared at Pop Syndicate during my July 2008 virtual book tour.

Tuesday, 5 August 2008


Guest of The Long and the Short of It Romance--Part 5


Grandpa
My grandson, Daniel is six and like every other six-year-old, he can in turn seem two or twenty. Quite early on in life he decided that Grandpa (or Grumpy Gramps as he is frequently called) was going to be his idol. Wherever Grandpa is, so is Daniel and quite frequently, when out shopping, we hear this child’s voice shouting GRANDPA! and see him dragging his mummy toward us. Not that Grandpa is averse to all this attention – in fact, he revels in it, the outcome of which is that, at sixty-three, he finds himself in all sorts of situations.

Daniel thinks of Grandpa as a constant activity centre. Last week, whilst on holiday, he was expected to swing from tree to tree on the ropes of an assault course, ride his bike over an obstacle course, race down huge aqua slides, balance on revolving barrels and swing on tyres tied to trees. Whatever energy he had left was reserved for table tennis, ten-pin bowling, the Wii and general racing and wrestling games with his grandson. Grandpa sixty-three? Nah! He’s six, like Daniel!
This article originally appeared at The Long and Short of It Romance site in July 2008.

Monday, 4 August 2008


Guest of The Long and the Short of It Romance--Part 4


Have You Ever Had One Of Those Days?

Have you ever had one of those days? We just did! We arrived home from a great holiday with our daughter and her family – the first thing we noticed was the puddle of water on the kitchen floor. Before going on holiday, we had had a new kitchen fitted with new appliances and, in our absence, the freezer had decided to stop working – hence the puddle and no usable food! Opening a can of soup, my husband turned on the microwave which spat a few times and died.

Undaunted, we went to collect the dogs from the kennels – Mollie, the pup, was limping. She had decided to remove the stitches from her paw a little earlier than planned, so, back to the vet. She came home with the stitches replaced and the usual plastic bucket on her head. She was not happy!

By this time, it was getting quite late and we thought nothing else could happen. Wrong! My tooth fell out!

Definitely one of those days! LOL



This article originally appeared at The Long and the Short of It Romance site in July 2008.

Sunday, 3 August 2008


Guest of The Long and the Short of It Romance--Part 3


The Haunting

Do you believe in haunted houses? No? I must admit that I didn’t either, that is, until we went to live in our previous house. It was a large semi-detached house built sometime in the 1930’s. A very elegant house positioned overlooking a beautiful park full of flowers.

As you might guess, as an author, I have a very vivid imagination and it was to this I attributed the noises and strange happenings in the house. They happened when I was alone. Small things at first, what sounded like birds scuttling across the attic in the middle of the night (quite feasible). A freezing spare bedroom, even when the heating was full on. A weird odour on the landing, that only I could smell. Then the crashes and loud bangs began and they were not so easily ignored. Lights went on and off (again quite feasible) and taps turned on of their own accord. Sounds of a child running around in the bedrooms when our own child was fast asleep, and frequently footsteps on the stairs during the night. You would wonder how three people could live in such a house, all hear the noises, yet say nothing to each other for fear of seeming a fool.

It was the knocking on the bedside cabinet when I went to bed alone that finally drove me downstairs to tell my husband and he admitted to hearing and seeing similar events but saying nothing for fear of unnerving me. Even the dog would no longer go into the bedrooms.

The climax came when I way lying awake one night and I heard the footsteps on the stairs. My husband still slept but a dark figure came into the bedroom and walked around to his side of the bed. I was terrified and just peeped over my husband’s half-turned shoulder. The form stood silhouetted between the bed and the window, then disappeared.

We moved house!



This article originally appeared at The Long and the Short of It Romance site in July 2008.