trueromance

I adore old musicals. Whether it’s “My Fair Lady,” “The Sound of Music,” “West Side Story,” or my all-time favorite “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” there’s something about a feel-good musical that holds up to the test of time. Not to mention, the songs get stuck in your head and it seems perfectly normal to randomly burst into song. I’ve been known to sing “Bless Your Beautiful Hide” to my kids, especially when they drive me crazy.

One of the reasons I love “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” so much is because it’s based on love at first sight and recognizing the good heart that lies beneath a rugged exterior. The heroine Millie is faced with seven brothers who haven’t a clue how to win the heart of a girl, but each is eager to prove himself. While she teaches them good manners and how to be a gentleman, her own husband learns a thing or two about what women really want.

When my editor suggested that I switch time periods from medieval Ireland to medieval Scotland, I envisioned a family of warrior brothers. In many ways, it reminded me of the Pontipee Brothers from “Seven Brides”—a group of strapping men, each yearning for the love of his life.

Like the musical, my heroine Nairna returns to a Scottish clan sorely in need of a woman’s touch. And although they married seven years earlier, Nairna and Bram only spent one night together before he was taken as a prisoner of war. They hardly know each other at all, and yet they’re drawn to rediscover the love they once shared.

Claimed by the Highland Warrior is my homage to Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, although I created only four men. Like the Pontipee Brothers, I named them after the alphabet, but not necessarily in order of eldest to youngest (Alex, Bram, Callum, and Dougal). Something also happened to the women of the clan, which leaves Nairna surrounded by male Scots sorely in need of taming. And with all of that testosterone, she’s quite eager to bring the women back!

In order for her to rekindle the lost love with her husband, she’ll have to help Bram face the scars of his imprisonment and discover the man beneath the damaged hero.

To celebrate the new MacKinloch Clan series, I’m offering up a $25 Borders gift card and two signed copies of Claimed by the Highland Warrior to three random commenters. Just tell me your favorite Broadway musical and you’re entered to win!

Next for the MacKinloch Clan, SEDUCED BY HER HIGHLAND WARRIOR! Available on July 19, 2011.

Michelle Willingham’s website: www.michellewillingham.com
Michelle Willingham’s Facebook : www.facebook.com/michellewillinghamfans.

Setting: Britannia 51 AD
Subgenre: Historical, Erotic Romance with Fantasy Elements
Hero: Bren, undercover warrior-spy in the Roman Legions
Heroine: Morwyn, kick-ass Druid priestess

One sentence summary:
A tortured warrior and rebellious Druid priestess have to overcome their past, put their trust in each other and face their deepest fears if they want to survive the invasion of their lands and the wrath of a spurned goddess.

Scene you like most and would never cut:
There’s a scene in the middle of the book where Morwyn witnesses Bren doing something that shakes her to her core. The decision she makes – to stay with him instead of escaping – makes her face how much this man means to her. It’s an equally pivotal moment for Bren as he realizes that Morwyn is prepared to stick by him, no matter how low she believes he’s sunk.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying:
I can’t imagine Morwyn ever saying something like this: “Yes, dear. Anything you say, dear.” If she doesn’t agree with something she has no hesitation in letting her views be known

What celebrity is your hero like:
I never really base my hero or heroine on celebrities, but if a movie was to be made of Captive (a girl can dream, right?!) then I’d be very happy if Clive Owen took the role  I think my editor would be very happy with that too! Alternatively, I’m a bit obsessed with Henry Cavill (Sussex in The Tudors) at the moment. He’d have to roughen up a bit, there’s nothing polished about Bren, but he is closer in age to my hero than Clive is.

What celebrity is your heorine like:
Oh this is a hard one. When Bren first meets Morwyn she’s under attack and he rescues her (much to her disgust). She is very feminine and brings out his protective streak. But she is also tough and a warrior in her own right, so whoever played her in the movie of Captive (whoops, there I go again!) would have to be able to show these aspects of her character. I’m thinking Jessica Alba, when she was in Dark Angel.

What is your heroines occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing:
Morwyn is an acolyte of the great goddess, the Morrigan. Almost fully trained before the invasion of the Romans, Morwyn is a powerful Druid priestess but at the start of Captive has turned her back on her calling.

What is your heroes occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing:
Bren is a tough warrior who, three years ago, took on another man’s identity in order to infiltrate the Roman Legions. He is completely loyal to his king and dedicated to ridding his land of the invaders.

What you think readers will like best about this book:
Bren is horribly tortured by the brutal events in his past. Because of this, he’s locked his heart away and constructed an impenetrable shield around his emotions. I think readers will enjoy how both Bren and Morwyn fight their attraction for each other, and watching how Bren’s barriers are demolished by Morwyn.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet:
I had several readers wanting to know what happened to Gawain, a Celt warrior from my debut romance, Forbidden. I wanted to know what happened to him as well. Then I started writing Captive and found out. I was a bit choked!!

What’s next:
I’ve a few things in the works. I’m a third of the way through a third book set in my world of Forbidden, and have recently finished a Scottish set historical that I’m leaving to rest for a bit before going back to it with a hatchet! Currently I’m writing a contemporary paranormal romance.

I’d love to give away a copy to one lucky commenter – open internationally wherever The Book Depository delivers. What is it about the tortured hero that makes him so irresistible? Or what kind of hero is your personal favorite in romance?