One of my new Aussie friends is award-winning author, Kendall Talbot. I love her energy and daredevilness. Writing about treasure-hunters seems right down her..uh...safety-line.TREASURED DREAMS
Treasured Series, Book 3
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When Rosalina discovers a devastating family secret, the world as she knows it is shattered and a madman from her past reappears.
Rosalina’s love, Archer, finds a clue to a treasure stolen during World War II—but when Rosalina is kidnapped, he must either comply with Nox’s demands that he find the treasure, or risk his life to save her. Archer, a man who knows what he wants, won’t stop until Rosalina is back in his arms.
Everyone believed Nox was dead, but somehow he survived the latest attempt on his life. Now this dead man walking is out for revenge—and there are still so many on his list.
Can true love conquer all, even a madman hell bent on revenge?
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ANGI: If you were a treasure
hunter…what’s the first thing you’d go after?
KENDALL: I love this question. I’ve
done a huge amount of research on missing treasure for my Treasure series of
books and the one that fascinates me this most is the Lost Loot of Lima. In
1820, Lima was verging of revolt so as a preventative measure, the Viceroy of
Lima elected to transport the city’s extensive wealth to Mexico for
safekeeping. The treasures included jewels, diamonds, gold, candlesticks, and
two life-size solid gold statues of Mary holding the baby Jesus. The treasure
was valued at between $12 million and $60 million. 
Captain William Thompson,
commander of the Mary Dear, was in charge of transporting the cache to
Mexico. Thompson and his crew couldn’t resist the valuable temptation and
they turned pirate. They cut the throats of the guards and accompanying
priests, and threw their bodies overboard.
Thompson headed for Cocos Island,
off the coast of Costa Rica, where he and his men apparently buried the
treasure. They then split up to lay low until the situation calmed down.
They planned to regroup later to divide up the loot.
However, the Mary
Dear was captured and the crew were convicted for piracy. All but Thompson
and his first mate were hung. To save their lives, the two agreed to lead
the Spanish to the stolen treasure. The pair took the Spanish as far as
the Cocos Islands and then promptly escaped in the jungle. Thompson, the
first mate, and the treasure were never seen again.
How’s that for a
fascinating missing treasure story. To this day people still look for that
treasure.
ANGI: Hugh Jackman or Chris
Pine?
KENDALL: oooh,
I’ll have both please.
ANGI: What's your most favorite
thing to do in your country?
KENDALL: I
love going to the beach, but not to sit in the sand or to surf, I just love the
sound of the waves crashing into the shore. There’s something so romantic about
it.
ANGI: Sand or Snow?
KENDALL: I
cannot stand sand in the cracks, so definitely snow.
ANGI: What
might we find in your heroine's purse?
KENDALL: My
heroine’s purse contains a little slip of handmade decorative paper. Folded up
within that paper is a couple of flakes of gold that a wrinkly old Japanese
woman gave her for good luck.
ANGI: Would you rather be in a
Fairy Tale or Action Adventure?
KENDALL: I
love a good kick arse, action movie. I grew up with Indiana Jones, Die Hard and
Jurassic Park - so without a doubt it's Action Adventure. I love writing action
adventure too, there’s nothing like creating an adrenaline rush.
ANGI: Who’s your favorite
villain?
KENDALL: In
my Treasured Series, I have a villain, called Nox. He’s an evil priest, who’ll
do anything to get his hands on the treasure, and murder is just the beginning.
I loved being in the head of this bad guy when I wrote his chapters... is that
bad? He had some really interesting ways to kill people, including poisonous
mushroom risotto. But he isn’t just a bad guy for the sake of it, his history
is gut wrenching and complex, whilst it doesn’t justify what he does, it
certainly gives the reader insight into his warped thought processes.
ANGI: Hiking Boots or Dancing Heels?
KENDALL: As
my book Lost in Kakadu was inspired
by a three-day hike over the Milford Track in New Zealand - it has to be hiking
boots.
ANGI’S GOTTA
ASK: What’s
one thing from your bucket list?
KENDALL’S GOTTA ANSWER: I have 101 things on my bucket list. I have
already done 38 of them. The one that I absolutely must do is see the
Terracotta warriors in China.
Breathless Encounters - Award winning
romance and suspense author Kendall Talbot brings you a collection of romantic
short stories with a little twist in their tail. These stories are all inspired
by real life events and are perfect for a quick getaway.
The Blue Diamond: The mystery
letter from her grandfather’s will offers Gemma the ride of her life.
Stolen Love: Will love and
tragedy inspire Rachel to believe there is a future?
Creepy Neighbor: Everything is
not as it appears.
The Plumbers Secret: A handsome
stranger tests Kellie’s first rule of engagement.
Charlie’s Angel: War torn London provides an ultimate escape.
Read
a little, Buy the book
The
Blue Diamond:
I stared at
the trembling fingers of the frail man opposite and wondered if my grandfather’s
will was the reason for his agitation. My parents and two older stepsiblings,
Margaret and Peter, glared at the lawyer with greed in their eyes, but I wasn’t
prepared to listen to how Poppa’s belongings would be divided.
I’d
been living a bad dream since his sudden passing, and the sadness in the
lawyer’s eyes only heightened my loss. The day before he’d died, Poppa and I
had joked about his health being stronger than mine, and I cringed at the
memory of our discussion about my broken heart. Clearly it was his heart that
had been damaged.
The
bald lawyer cleared his throat and ran his hand over his beaded brow. “Kenneth
Griffith has bequeathed the following items,” the lawyer said in a slow
Australian drawl.
I
picked at imaginary lint on my skirt as Poppa’s assets and various other items
were shared out amongst my family. Yet, there was no mention of my name. My
heart squeezed. I had hoped to receive something
from Poppa. No matter how little, I would’ve cherished it forever.
An
evil grin from Margaret confirmed my stepsister was enjoying this moment.
“Finally,
Gemma,” the lawyer said, “your grandfather left very specific instructions for
you.” He glanced at me over his glasses before he began reading again. “I leave
the blue diamond—”
My sister gasped and the lawyer held up his hand, shushing
her.
“I
leave the blue diamond to Gemma and hope she enjoys her beauty as much as I
once did.” He placed a yellow envelope on the desk. “The details are in here.”
I
rested my hand on the envelope. My mind raced to catch up to the moment. Poppa
and I had spent many days together, and not once had he mentioned a blue
diamond. Other than the wedding ring he never removed, I’d never seen Poppa
with any jewelry.
“Well
. . . open it,” my sister said, snapping me back to reality.
“I
um . . . I think I’ll wait until later.” I slipped the envelope onto my lap.
“But
you can’t do that. We’re here to read the will,” Peter said. My stepbrother
believed that being older than me gave him the right to boss me around.
“I
have read the will, Mr. Griffith.” The lawyer peered over his glasses at my
brother. “It is up to Gemma whether or not she divulges the information
pertaining to her bequeathment.”
A
glint in the lawyer’s eye had me blinking at him as I was itching to know what
the envelope contained.
With
my mind buzzing and my stomach churning, I heard very little of the remaining
meeting.
We
left the room with Margaret tugging on my arm and insisting that I open the
envelope and tell her what was inside. But, unlike my thundering heart, I
remained stubbornly silent.
As
I drove home alone, dozens of questions ate at me. I recalled the final scene
of the movie, Titanic, where the blue
diamond necklace tumbled from Rose’s frail fingers into the depths of the
freezing ocean. Where had Poppa got the diamond from? Why had he never spoken
of it? I wondered if Poppa’s nickname for me, Little Gem, had anything to do
with it.
I
sat the envelope on the table, deliberately prolonging opening it as I made a
simple dinner, drank a glass of wine and fielded calls from both Margaret and
Peter. Both stepsiblings were furious over my decision to keep the contents of
the envelope hidden.
I
didn’t care. There was something thrilling about having my own little secret.
International Giveaway
UP NEXT ON GLIAS:
Sorcha Mowbray
Sorcha Mowbray
or @GetLostInAStory #GetLostStories
ROSALINA’S TREASURED TREATS COOKBOOK
ROSALINA’S TREASURED TREATS COOKBOOK
Companion Cook Book to my “Treasured” Series of books.
KENDALL TALBOT is an award winning author, thrill seeker and a hopeless romantic. She has travelled extensively, some 36 countries and counting, and she's addicted to experiences that make her scream... white water rafting, scuba diving with sharks and hang gliding are just a few. Her stories reflect her sense of adventure and her long running love affair with her very own hero.
Kendall collects junky jewelry and expensive perfume, her favorite night out is with great friends and a fabulous bottle of wine or two, and she rarely watches TV. She lives in Brisbane with her hubby, her two grown boys and her little dog, Josie McLuvin.
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KENDALL WANTS TO KNOW: Would you commit a felony
to save the person you love? I explored this question with my book Double Take.
I’d love to know your thoughts.
