Michelle Beattie

Get Lost in This Story…

Excerpt from “A Pirate’s Possession”.

Her heart beat quickly with her intent and her palms were suddenly damp. She wiped them on her trousers and grabbed the handle. Biting her lower lip, Claire eased open the hatch. Thankfully Nate kept a well tended ship and the hatch swung open soundlessly.

No light came from below and as she strained to listen, the only sound was that of Vincent's soft whistling and the whisper of wind sliding between the sails. Claire swallowed hard, closed her eyes and said a brief prayer. Opening them again, she stepped onto the ladder.

With each step down she paused to listen. It was only once she'd made it far enough to be able to close the hatch above her that she heard Nate's even and deep breathing. Her shoulders sagged. He was asleep. The hatch closed as silently as it had opened.

Since it had been dim above deck as well, her eyes didn't need time to accustom to the darkness. Recalling where she'd seen everything earlier, Claire crept toward the berth. She'd hoped she'd step on some clothing as it would mean she could simply search through his clothes for the map, but her feet hit nothing but smooth wood.

She only dared breathe in short, shallow breaths. Soon she was at the bedside, her heartbeat thumping loudly in her ears. It seemed as though he'd fallen asleep without meaning to, spread out over the blankets. He hadn't even taken off his jacket.

Claire wiped her quaking hands onto her pants, reminded herself to remain steady. She could do this. She had to do this.

He was sleeping on his back and his large hands were at his sides. His head was turned slightly away from her. The part of her that remembered what they'd meant to each other, or rather what she'd believed they'd meant to each other, wanted to linger. It wanted to trace the arch of his brows and feel the roughness of his beard. It wanted to once again be taken in his arms and to be cherished.

For God's sake, stop it, she scolded herself. The map, remember the map. Remember the lies, the hurt.

To that end, she deliberately kept her gaze off his face. Reaching forward, she slid her hand into the pocket of his jacket. Her fingers brushed against the paper and Claire's heart leapt to her throat. She had it!

She slowly pulled her hand away. When Nate didn't move, Claire exhaled a trembling breath.

She looked at him once more, had a moment when she wished things could have been different. But knowing they weren't, could never be, she backed away from the berth, tucked the folded map into her undershirt and turned for the ladder.

She got as far as the base of it before she was grabbed from behind.

The scream ripped from her throat.

"Goddammit, Claire," he swore as she thrashed to break free.

Her arms flailed wildly, desperate to connect with some part of him that would make him release her. Her elbow struck his chest. Her foot came down hard on his. Growling, he spun her around. Her right knee came racing up.

"No, you don't," he said as he deftly wrapped a large hand around the back of her knee and held it there, a mere breath away from where she'd intended to strike him. His other hand grabbed her left wrist and held it shackled down at her hip.

Luckily Claire was right-handed. Smiling sweetly, she aimed for his jaw.

Today, we welcome historical romance author Michelle Beattie to the blog. Michelle grew up on her grandfather's homestead near Beaumont, Alberta, Canada. She didn't fall in love with romance novels until she graduated from high school and worked at a car rental company that allowed her a lot of free time. To fill it, she turned to romance novels, specifically historical westerns. It wasn't until years later that she began to edit as she read and soon she began thinking, "I'd have done that differently." Soon she sat herself down and began her first manuscript, a historical western. Twelve years later, and a genre hop to pirates, she sold her first manuscript to the Berkley Publishing Group. Michelle writes full time, is married and has two beautiful daughters.

Heather: What’s your favorite movie of all time?

Michelle: Pirates of the Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl because it inspired me to write a pirate novel.

Heather: How often to you get lost in a story?

Michelle: Hopefully every time. If I can't, I'll stop reading and go on to another book.

Heather: What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?

Michelle: Any story, really, where I can really relate to the characters and can feel what is happening to them. If it's too far-fetched I typically won't get lost in it. I like action, so if you can start with that, that usually hooks me from the beginning.

Heather: What turns you off like nothing else?

Michelle: In a book? Lack of character motivation or having the character do something that no normal person would for no apparent reason.

Heather: Where do you read and how often?

Michelle: In bed, every night. I work full time, have 2 kids and a home to look after and I always find time to read. I don't understand people who say they're too busy. There's always five minutes to read!

Heather: Be honest, when reading 1^st person...do you miss the hero’s POV?

Michelle: Heck yes! While I don't mind seeing his actions and his expressions from the heroine's POV, I like to get in his head!

Heather: What sound or noise do you love?

Michelle: Fire crackling and water lapping. Also frogs and crickets and the lonely sound of a loon.

Heather: Do you write while listening to music? If so what kind?

Michelle: Can't. I need silence. It's why I don't get much work done during summer holidays or weekends when my kids are home!

Heather: What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book? Michelle: Walk away from it for a few days. Walk away from writing all together and get caught up on housework!

Heather: Which of your characters would you most/least to invite to dinner, and why?

Michelle: Luke from What a Pirate Desires because he's just so darn sexy and cocky. I'd love to get into a sparring match with him. Well, and he's a good kisser too!

Heather: Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

Michelle: Yes. And of course I think those that loved it are brilliant and those that didn't just didn't get it!

Heather: What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing? Michelle: Seeing my name on the cover and knowing I was good enough. I've never been good at anything else, not drawing, sports, math, business, etc. So it was a great ego boost to set my sights on this and actually achieve it. Not many people can say they achieved their dream.

Heather: What’s your favorite “love” word?

Michelle: Cherish. It's easy to say love, to think it, but to truly cherish someone is the ultimate. It means you realize how lucky you are to have that person in your life.

Heather: If you could interview one person (and it doesn’t have to be a writer) who would it be?

Michelle: God. Then Johnny Depp!

Heather: If you were given a chance to travel to the past where would you go and specifically why?

Michelle: To the wild west or the goldrush. It goes back to chivalry and being cherished. I just really love how they treated and thought of their women.

Heather: Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it?

Michelle: Coffee with cream and sugar in the am, after supper mint tea to relax

Heather: What’s something you’d like to tell your fans?

Michelle: Thank you! Thanks for spending your hard-earned money on my books and for taking a chance on a newbie writer such as myself. I appreciate it more than I could ever tell them!

HEATHER’S GOTTA ASK –MICHELLE’S GOTTA ANSWER J

Heather: What is the most fascinating thing you learned while researching or writing this particular book?

Michelle: I was never interested in pirates until Pirates of the Caribbean. It just wasn't a thing I cared about. I couldn't figure out why, other than Johnny Depp, that movie hooked me so much. And then one day my best friend's mom gave me this block of wood she found at her place (they lived down the road and me and my friend played a lot together). On it were my initials and this pirate flag I had carved into the wood. I don't remember making it, but clearly there's always been a bit of pirate in me after all!

GOT A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS?

In A Pirate's Possession, Claire and Nate are on the hunt for treasure. If you could find anything, and it doesn't have to be monetary, what would you most like to find and why?

WILL YOU HAVE A DRAWING FROM THOSE LEAVING COMMENTS?

I would love to give a copy a signed copy of “A Pirate’s Possession” as well as a bookmark to a random commenter today!

Thanks for coming by today, Michelle!

If you’d like to learn more about Michelle, visit her website or find her on Facebook.

http://www.michellebeattie.com/

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=74981930200

Readers, don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance at the drawing.

We will announce a winner here and on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Get-Lost-In-A-Story/

You can also follow us on Twitter @GetLostInAStory

Come back tomorrow, where our guest will be historical author and this month’s RT Book Reviews Cover Girl, Delilah Marvelle!!!