ELISABETH HOBBES IS NEW TO HARLEQUIN HISTORICALS

Elisabeth is a 2013 Alum of Harlequin's So You Think You Can Write Contest, selling her first book
FALLING FOR HER CAPTOR


"Set me free. Say I escaped, or that you never found me,"
Kidnapped heiress Lady Aline of Leavingham has surrendered any hope of rescue when a mysterious figure casts her assailant aside. But it’s soon clear Aline’s saviour has no intention of setting her free. Worse – he’s sworn to deliver her to the Duke of Roxholm: her family’s enemy!



Sir Hugh of Eardham has never seen anything quite like Aline’s beauty and fighting spirit. There’s no doubt he’s tempted more to protect her than to keep her bound. But could this loyal knight ever break his oath of allegiance for Aline’s sake?

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Biography: Elisabeth grew up in York, England, where she spent most of her teenage years wandering around the city looking for a handsome Roman or Viking to sweep her off her feet. Inspired by this, she studied Classics, History and English before venturing into the world of teaching. When she's not writing, she spends a lot of her spare time reading and cooking one-handed while holding a book! Her hobbies include skiing, Arabic dance, fencing and exploring dreadful tourist attractions, none of which have made it into a story yet.  She lives in Cheshire with her husband, two young children and three cats with ridiculous names.

Jan Schliesman: How often to you get lost in a story?
Elisabeth Hobbes: All the time, in fact for me the mark of a good book is one I carry round the house reading while I'm doing the housework.  I've burned a fair few meals because I've got too lost to notice what's happening!  I hail the Kindle as one of the greatest inventions ever because I never travel without a stack of books and it's made packing so much easier.

Jan: Have you always loved a happily ever after?  Does it disappoint you when stories don’t have a happy ending?
Elisabeth: I love a happy ending, though as long as the ending is satisfying I don't mind if it isn't happily ever after.  It depends on the type of book though.  If I picked up a romance and the heroine married the wrong man at the end I'd feel pretty cheated.

Jan: What’s a typical day like in your writing world?
Elisabeth: I don't really have a typical day as I write around my other job (as a primary school teacher) and being a mum and doing housework so I stash post-its and notebooks around the house to scribble ideas down.  A good day involves going to a cafe and writing for a couple of hours while I eat toasted teacakes and drink tea.

Jan: What's your favorite fairy tale?
Elisabeth: Beauty and the Beast.  I always loved the idea of the character having inner goodness beneath the off-putting exterior that was just waiting to be discovered by the right person.

Jan: Did you enter a lot of contests before eventually selling to Harlequin?

Elisabeth: So You Think You Can Write was my first try.  I didn't really know they existed and it was only thanks to a friend that I heard about SYTYCW.  I'll be forever grateful to her for telling me about it!

Jan: Has your second book been easier or harder to write than the first?
Elisabeth: Easier in some ways because I know the guidelines and expectations, which I didn't first time around.  Harder because now I'm writing for a deadline I don't have the luxury of being able to ignore it for a couple of weeks if I get stuck.

Jan: What will always make you smile, even on a bad day?
Elisabeth: My children.  They both have a really quirky sense of humour.

Jan: What do you do to unwind and relax?
Elisabeth: I live very close to the Peak District so I love going for walks in the hills.  I'm not sure I ever relax though, I've almost always got a story going round in my head.

JAN’S GOTTA ASK:  Since my hubby works for Haagen Dazs, what’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?
ELISABETH’S GOTTA ANSWER: Something nutty with caramel.  I have an ice cream maker so experiment a lot.  My best so far has been peanut butter and Nutella.

Jan: What's up next for you?
Elisabeth: I'm working on my second book, due to my editor at the end of October.  Currently titled 'To Win the Widow's Heart' though of course this may change.  Widowed on her wedding day, Eleanor Peyton, has no intention of losing her independence by remarrying, and love isn’t even a consideration.

William Rudhale has no trouble getting any woman he chooses and has recently become steward to Eleanor's father.  When Eleanor returns to her childhood home, the beautiful yet spiky woman fascinates William.  When he wagers he can win a kiss by Midwinter’s night, whose heart is at more at stake, and what will happen if Eleanor discovers the truth behind his interest? 

FIND ELISABETH HOBBES:
Website     Facebook      Twitter: @ElisabethHobbes      Goodreads

CATHERINE COULTER

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THANK YOU, Elisabeth, for sharing a bit of your world with us!  We love hearing about life on the other side of the pond:)  Elisabeth will be giving away an autographed copy of Falling For Her Captor to anyone in North America or the UK who answers the following question: 

Who would be your ideal knight in shining armour?

Leave a comment below and be sure to include your email address so we can contact the winner!