From Now On by Susan A. Royal Excerpt, Interview & Giveaway

Title: From Now On

Series:  It’s About Time Series #2

Author:  Susan A. Royal

Published:  May 23rd, 2014

Publisher:   MuseItUp

Word Count:  approx. 90,000

Genre:  Time Travel Adventure Romance

Content Warning:  Mild Sexual Content

Synopsis:

Erin and Griffin’s happy reunion is short-lived when Isobeil sends him on a mission to mysterious Manx Island soon after their arrival in his world. Griffin asks for Erin’s hand in marriage and promises they’ll marry when he returns, but he doesn’t come back in the allotted time. Erin discovers Isobeil isn’t at all concerned he is missing. In fact she plans to use Griffin’s absence to send Erin back to her own time.

Erin’s old friend, Arvo, helps her sneak out of the castle. Together with his squire they travel to Griffin’s childhood home, seeking help from Griffin’s trusted friend, Sir Edevane. Erin and Griffin’s sister, Kat, share a touching moment before she is summoned by Griffin’s mother, Lady Gwyneth. After an uneasy confrontation, Gwyneth wishes Erin and Edevane Godspeed, sending them on their way. At a tavern along the way, they meet Rhylie and Sage, orphaned sisters who ask to travel with them to Swansea.

After they arrive in the port city, they make arrangements with Captain Akin for passage to Manx Island. Once they set sail, Erin discovers unexpected passengers. Against her mother’s wishes, Kat has followed them. Also aboard are Rhylie and Sage, on their way home to Manx Island.

They find Griffin’s horse, Bayard, running loose on the beach. Captain Akin tells them the vines tangled in his bridle grow only in Ballaugh Curragh, which is on the other side of the island, so they head in that direction.

When Erin and Bayard get lost in a strange mist, she stumbles upon a herd of pigs, led by a little man called Figg. He takes Erin back to camp. On the way, he admits he’s recently seen Griffin and Bayard in the company of strangers. And Griffin was being held against his will. Figg offers Erin his help.

At a small village on their way, they discover the strangers passed through days before. They are caught in a freak snowstorm and take shelter for the night in the ruins of an old church, where Erin glimpses a ghost keeping watch at a grave. That night she dreams of the woman and learns why she haunts the graveyard.

Armed mercenaries capture Erin and the others and take them to a hidden camp where Erin is shocked to discover her brother Aidan is the man in charge. He is under orders to level Ballaugh Curragh if necessary to keep H.G. Hammond, a power hungry murderer, from activating a device to set up his own empire in this time. She is even more determined to find Griffin while there’s still time. Rhylie and Sage help them escape and lead them to their childhood home outside Kirk Michael, where Rhylie tells the story of their father and mother and how they met.

Aidan catches up with them, and when his men disobey his orders, Aidan sends them back to their own time. Erin talks her brother into joining them. He shocked to discover Rhylie and Sage are his daughters. He realizes he’s got to find some other way to deal with Hammond. It’s one thing to sacrifice his life, but another thing altogether when it involves his family.

Iain is killed when a small group goes to scout out Hammond’s camp. They decide to strike immediately or lose the advantage of surprise. Once they arrive, Aidan sets off an explosion to confuse Hammond’s men and goes in to disarm the device. While he’s doing that, Erin finds Griffin alive, but trapped in the cellar of a building. She manages to save him before it caves in completely. Aidan is able to disable the device and fails to catch Hammond who escapes, but not before Akin can follow him to whatever world he is going.

Everyone returns to Lady Gwyneth’s manor. Erin and Griffin are reunited at last and their marriage takes place. Aidan manages to arrive in time to walk his sister down the aisle. After the ceremony Erin is stunned when Aidan approaches with two of the guests and asks Erin if she recognizes Dad and Mom.

Amazon | Goodreads

Excerpt:

I am a stranger in this world, even though I’ve traveled this way before.

Fate and not design brought me the first time. It hurled me into a distant future, with no idea how or why, taking me from an existence dependent upon modern technology to a place where people fear such things and those who use them. While searching for my way home from this harsh and sometimes violent world, my admiration for its inhabitants who valued honor and duty above all else grew into admiration and respect. I found myself drawn to one in particular, a man who saved me more than once. Only I never expected to fall in love with him.

Torn between my feelings and a longing for home, I returned to my time with only vague memories of my experience. My life went back to normal, but part of me sensed the loss of something more precious than anything I’d regained. Until one day, I saw him again.

This time I’ve come by choice, and it is where I’m going to stay.

Fate willing.

About the Author:

Born in west Texas and raised in south Texas, Susan makes her home in a 100-year-old farmhouse in a small east Texas town that comes complete with a female ghost who has been known to harmonize with her son when he plays guitar.

Susan is married and the mother of six (she counts her children’s spouses as her own) and five grandchildren who are all unique and very special. Her family is rich with characters, both past and present. Her grandmother shared stories of living on a farm in Oklahoma Territory with three sisters and three brothers and working as a telephone operator in the early 20th century. Her father told her about growing up in San Antonio in the depression, and she experienced being a teenager during WWII through her mother’s eyes.

Susan loves to take her readers through all kinds of adventures with liberal doses of romance. Her latest book is From Now On, a time travel adventure/romance. It’s the stand-alone sequel to Not Long Ago in her It’s About Time series. In My Own Shadow is a Fantasy adventure/romance. Look for her books at MuseItUp/Amazon/B&N. Odin’s Spear, one of her short stories is featured in a Quests, Curses, and Vengeance anthology, Martinus Publishing, available on Amazon.

Interview:

 How did you start your writing career?

My children were grown and gone and I finally had the time and a computer of my own. I decided if I was ever going to write like I’d always wanted, it was time. So with no idea what I was doing, I began. I wrote, I edited, I learned, I rewrote, I submitted. And I’ve never looked back.

Where do you dream of traveling to and why?

I’ve always dreamed of being a time traveler.  I would love to watch a tournament in England during the Middle Ages, tour Italy during the Renaissance, roam the deserts of ancient Egypt, or hear Gaelic spoken in Scotland in the 1700’s just for starters. Why? I’d love to visit these places up close and personal and see firsthand how close they are to the places I’ve only read about.

Tell us about your next release.

I’m in the final stages of a young adult fantasy titled Xander and the Missing Princess. Xander is a little person and former constable of Battington, who comes out of retirement to investigate the disappearance of Princess Mena. Rumors of romantic entanglements lead him in circles, trying to discover what happened. For one thing, there’s the love potion she bought from the apothecary. Who was it for?  As if all that weren’t bad enough, Xander has to deal with secrets, half-truths and outright lies.

Has someone been instrumental in inspiring you as a writer?

My mother-in-law got her teaching degree when she was 42. In those days, with a husband, 3 children and teaching piano lessons to pay for her schooling, it wasn’t easy but it was her dream, and she did it.

Has someone helped or mentored you in your writing career?

Everyone I meet helps me in one way or another. I’m happy to say most writers are very gracious when it comes to sharing expertise or giving encouragement. My publisher, Lea Schizas is also a great help. She burns the candle at both ends, trying to help her authors any way she can.

Do you have critique partners or beta readers?

I’m a member of an online critique group. I have writer friends I brainstorm with and my sister is my beta reader.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned while writing this book?

I’m happiest writing in a fantasy world or some other time besides the one I’m living in.

What one word best describes you?

Persistent

Amazon Author Page | Website | GoodReads | Blog

Giveaway Details:

There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:

• One winner will receive an ecopy of Not Long Ago and From Now On, the first two books in the It’s About Time series.

Giveaway is International.

a Rafflecopter giveaway