Author Spotlight - Elizabeth Ellen Carter

I am so excited to introduce you to a fantastic and talented Romance Author, Elizabeth Ellen Carter.

Bio
Elizabeth Ellen Carter writes richly detailed historical romantic adventures. Her full length 3 book Regency era series Heart Of The Corsairs is released in 2017 and 2018 - Captive Of The Corsairs (July 2017), Revenge Of The Corsairs (November 2017) and Shadow Of The Corsairs (early 2018). Her other full length titles include the Roman era thriller Dark Heart, the medieval romantic adventure Warrior's Surrender, and the Regency titles Moonstone Obsession and Moonstone Conspiracy. Also available is the novella Nocturne.
A former newspaper journalist, Carter ran an award-winning PR agency for 12 years.

What is one ‘must have’ when you are writing?
An internet connection – which is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I can research on the fly, and a curse because I can get easily distracted.

What are you reading at the moment?
I’m between books at the moment but I’m about to start on Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky in the coming week.

Like to share something that recently made you happy? 
The hope of a family reconciliation following the passing of my grandmother. There was a rift between two much loved members of my family that I hope will have come to an end.

Like to share an embarrassing moment?
I heard my husband talking and I was answering him until I realized that he was talking to someone on the phone. 

Who is your favourite literary crush? 
GK Chesterton. He had a searing intellect, a devastating wit and his fiction stories are a joy to read.



If you were the main character in your favourite book, who would you be?
I’d be Nora Charles in The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammet – she’s happily married, rich, drinks a lot and solves murder mysteries with her husband.



What is your writing schedule? Morning, afternoon or night? 
I still hold a day job, so I write in the evenings, so I try to make sure I do a lot of preparation during the day, thinking about the structure of scenes and dialogue.
 


Are you a plotter, pantser or somewhere in between? 
Somewhere in between, I think. I have a story arc and key way-points but how I get to those points is an adventure in of itself.

Buy your copy here

What is the premise of your latest book?
Bluestocking Sophia Green’s future is uncertain. Orphaned as a child and raised by the wealthy Cappleman family, she has become the companion to her attractive younger cousin, Laura, while harboring to her breast an unrequited love for Laura’s diffident brother.

Sea captain Kit Hardacre’s past is a mystery – even to him. Kidnapped by Barbary Coast pirates at the age of 10, he does not remember his parents or even his real name. All he recalls are things he would rather forget.

When Laura’s reputation is threatened by a scandal, Sophia suggests weathering the storm in Sicily with their elderly uncle, a prominent archaeologist.

Their passage to Palermo is aboard Hardacre’s ship, but the Calliope, like its captain, is not all it seems. Both have only one mission – to rid the world of the evil pirate slaver Kaddouri or die in the attempt.

Initially disdainful of the captain’s devil-may-care attitude, Sophia can’t deny a growing attraction. And Kit begins to see in her a woman who could help him forget the horrors of his past.

Sophia allows herself to be drawn into the shallows of Kit’s world, but when the naive misjudgment of her cousins sees Laura abducted, Sophia is dragged into dangerous depths that could cost her life or her sanity in a living hell.

Who would you cast as your main characters?
Josh Whitehouse, who plays Hugh Armitage in the new series of Poldark would make a good Kit Hardacre – Kit is also a dancer, so he’s not big and muscle-bound. Spanish actress Paula Echevarria would be perfect as Sophia

Josh Whitehouse is Hugh Armitage on Poldark

What unique challenges did the book pose?
Captive of the Corsairs and indeed all three book in the Heart of the Corsairs series deals with very serious subject matters – both historically and psychologically - slavery, including sexual slavery, drug addiction, risk-taking behaviours and post-traumatic stress disorder.

I didn’t want to shy away from the reality of life at that time, but I was also conscious of the fact that it is a historical romance and there had to be a happily ever after.
 

What are you working on at the moment?
I’m near the end of the first draft of Revenge of the Corsairs, the sequel to Captive of the Corsairs. This book will tell Laura Cappleman’s story following her abduction.

What do you love to love?

I love my husband (who would be a who, not a what, LOL), my cats, beautiful sunrises and sunsets and great times with family and friends.

What do you love to laugh at?

I love a good comedy with razor-sharp dialogue. I also tend to see the absurd side of life, so there’s plenty to laugh at there!

What do you love to learn about?

History (of course!) and human nature – the psychology of why people do the things they do.