Elizabeth Meyette Archives

The Brentwood Saga, by Elizabeth Meyette

by Angela Smith | Jul 17, 2017 | Guests

Today, we have Elizabeth Meyette answering some fun interview questions and telling us about her newest release, The Brentwood Saga, which includes 2 of her historical romances for one low price!

Thanks for inviting me to be your guest today, Angela.

Thanks for coming! I can’t wait to get started! First question is: What intrigues you about your book?
I’m intrigued that Love’s Destiny, the first book in The Brentwood Saga, ever was written. I never intended to become a writer. Years ago, my friend wanted me to read her Kathleen Woodiwiss historical romance novels. I waved her off several times saying, “I don’t read romance,” then I finally relented. Halfway into Shanna, I was hooked. I devoured all the novels she gave me. But I didn’t want her to “win,” so when I returned the books, I sniffed (I’m sure I did) and said, “These were good, but I could write a romance novel” (Oh, the hubris of the uninitiated.) She said, “Then do it!” I said, “Okay, I will!” Then I had to follow through. If she had never encouraged…rather, dared me…I probably would not be an author today.

Wow, that is intriguing, and I’m definitely glad she inspired and challenged you. What was your favorite part of writing your book?
Probably my favorite part of writing is when my characters surprise me. They often introduce themselves, already named. And if I try to change their names for any reason, they get a bit huffy and won’t continue telling me their stories. Also, if they “show” me a scene and I don’t like it and refuse to write it, they go on strike. Sometimes they appear in the most interesting places. For example, in Love’s Spirit, I was writing a scene where there was a knock on the door, and I had no idea who it was. Turns out, it was a secondary character from earlier in the story whom I didn’t even know would reappear in the book.

What is your favorite aspect of reading a novel?
I love getting so lost in a novel that if it’s raining in the story, when I put the book down, I’m surprised that, in real life, the sun is actually shining. Sometimes I even live with the emotions of the characters I’m reading about, so if the protagonist is sad, so am I until I mentally “exit” the book for a while.

That’s always a great experience, and I love reading books that bring that out in us. Are you a plotter, a pantser, or both?
I am a post-pantser plotter. What??? Yes, I am a pantser, but I create a spreadsheet with a column for each chapter. After I’ve written a chapter, I fill in its column on the spreadsheet with a phrase that explains each scene in that chapter. So, I do not plot out my entire novel, but I keep track of what’s going on which helps tremendously when I am revising. Before I start my novel, I have a clear picture of the opening and closing scenes, from there it’s a toss-up how I get from point A to point B. Even when I try to plot, my characters chuckle kindly and do whatever the heck they want.

What a great idea! Do you have a certain theme in all of your novels?
I think the overarching theme in my historical romances is the power of love in facing down danger. In my upcoming novel, Love’s Courage, I have this quote from Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu: “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” I think that theme is echoed through all the books in The Brentwood Saga.

In my mysteries, there’s the theme of the search for one’s own truth. Jesse Graham is a self-avowed agnostic who can’t help praying when she’s in a crisis and whose best friend is a Catholic nun. Also, while Jesse tries to ignore the ghosts who call on her for help, she begins to realize that she has what her Italian friend calls “the gift,” though she calls it a curse. Gradually she begins to accept that she is a “ghost empath.”

Do you ever use your life experiences in your novels?
I’ve used life experiences more in my mysteries than in my historical romances. For example, Jesse is afraid of mice and spiders. In the opening scene of The Cavanaugh House she has an experience that I could hardly write because it freaked me out so. Also, I attended Catholic schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade, so scenes at St. Bartholomew’s Academy for Girls was a little walk down memory lane for me. By the way, most of the nuns who taught me were wonderful, and I have no stories of having my knuckles rapped with a ruler…though my brother does. And he probably deserved it.

What great experiences to share! If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one book with you, what would you take?
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I taught that book for many years in American Literature, and I never tired of reading it.

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one song with you, what would you take?
“Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey because I never have.

A great song! Are you working on any projects right now?
I’ve just sent Love’s Courage to my editor and hope to release it soon. Now I must decide whether to continue my Finger Lakes Mysteries series or jump into a new genre and write a contemporary romantic suspense that’s been tickling my brain. I have started both, so we’ll see whose voice is louder—Maggie’s or Leila’s.

Good luck with both! Do you see writing as a career?
It already is.

Have you traveled to any locations that appear in your books?
Rich and I visited Williamsburg, VA last fall so I could do research for Love’s Courage. My daughter’s friend is an actor/interpreter there and was our personal guide for two days. #heaven. Last January while in New York City for a writers’ conference, Rich and I had lunch at Fraunces Tavern where George Washington bid farewell to his officers at the end of the American Revolution. The original building still stands.

I was born and raised in upstate New York and visited and lived in the Finger Lakes region, so I’m very familiar with the setting for my mysteries. When we go back to Rochester to visit my family, Rich and I often visit the scene of The Cavanaugh House.

Sounds fun! Can you share a tip about what you do when you get stuck in your writing?
I walk away. Literally. Sitting there pounding the keyboard gets me nowhere. If I go for a long walk with no ear buds plugged in, more often than not, my head clears and a problem starts to untangle or something I’d never thought of pops into my head.

Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
Elizabeth Gilbert or Anne Lamott. I worship at their author altars.

So let’s hear more about Elizabeth Meyette’s books!

Releases Today for 99 Cents!

Against the backdrop of the Revolutionary War, a patriot and a loyalist must learn to trust among the lies and deceptions to find true love. This action-packed historical saga is now available as a value-priced collection.

Love’s Destiny: When Emily Wentworth’s father dies, her appointed guardian Jonathon Brentwood arrives at her home in London to take the strong-willed seventeen-year-old with him to the colonies. It’s her one chance at a new life, but Jonathon’s involvement in patriot activity against England disturbs—and threatens—Emily, a loyal subject of the king. Can they find a way to mend their divided politics, or will Emily learn too late that love is more precious than being right?

Love’s Spirit: Emily Brentwood is overjoyed to learn her husband escaped his British captors and is still alive. She clings to his promise to be with her for the birth of their baby, and no British officer who attempts to rape her or enemies who try to kill her can shake her belief in a happily ever after ending. Until a thread from Jonathon’s past emerges and he must betray her to ensure her safety. Can love’s spirit triumph over the obstacles that threaten to tear them apart amid the danger and lies?

My books are available at
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo| Simon & Schuster

Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to take part in this interview.

It was my pleasure. Thank you, Angela!

The Cavanaugh House, by Elizabeth Meyette

by Angela Smith | Apr 5, 2016 | Guests

GIVEAWAY ALERT: Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card below!

TCH Audiobook Cover - TCH3

Thanks for inviting me to your blog today, Angela.

Thanks for stopping by! I can’t wait to hear about The Cavanaugh House. What intrigues you most about this story?

What most intrigues me about The Cavanaugh House is how the idea for the book came to me. The first sentence scrolled through my head as I drove along a busy urban highway on a road trip with my husband Rich. Other sentences followed and I knew a book was being conceived. Along with the sentences came the clear image of a house which I knew would play a major role in the story and was based on a childhood memory. I felt panicky because I was driving and couldn’t write my ideas down. When Rich woke up, I told him about the story in great detail hoping between the two of us we could remember. But those details were etched in my brain and stayed with me until I could commit them to paper. The next day, I saw the exact house I had imagined sitting desolate and deserted by the highway. My husband took photos of it, and one of them became my book cover. Add to that the tale of a ghost in a haunted winery we visited, and voilà, The Cavanaugh House was born.

Wow, that’s awesome. And the fact you actually saw the house while on your trip makes it more so. What was your favorite part of writing The Cavanaugh House?

I’m a pantser, that is someone who writes by the seat of my pants. My favorite part of writing all of my books is when I am surprised by a turn of events that I didn’t see coming, or some synchronicity that occurs and I don’t realize it until the book is complete. For example, in my first book, Love’s Destiny, someone knocks on the front door. I didn’t know who it was until my protagonist, Emily, opened the door and discovered that with me. I love that kind of stuff! Another is a connection between two names in The Cavanaugh House. I can’t reveal the connection because it gives away the ending, but it was pretty cool when I realized it. I thought, how the heck did that happen?

That’s always a great feeling, and I love it when we as writers are surprised by our stories. Do you have a specific writing style?

Writing The Cavanaugh House was very different from writing my two historical romances. In my first two books, I kept the language and dialogue more formal as it would have been in the 18^th century. I even searched my manuscript for apostrophes to eliminate any contraction like can’t or don’t. I wanted the language elevated to keep the atmosphere of formality. One editor caught a character saying, “Hello” and cut it because that word wasn’t used until the invention of the telephone. I had to use “Good morning” or “Good day.” It was a relief to set The Cavanaugh House in 1968 where I could use contractions, idioms, even slang if I wanted to. So my writing style for The Cavanaugh House was much more contemporary.

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one book with you, what would you take?

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Even though I taught that book for years, I’ve never tired of it.

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one song with you, what would you take?

“Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey

Both great choices! Are you working on any projects right now?

I have two projects in the works right now. I’ve completed a rough draft of Buried Secrets, the sequel to The Cavanaugh House. I put it away for a while because I needed distance from it so I could come back and revise it with fresh eyes. I’ve also started the third book in my Passionate Patriots series, Love’s Courage. I love the plot line in this book, so it will be fun to research.

Do you see writing as a career?

Yes. I retired from teaching early so I could pursue writing full time. I work at my craft everyday, though as a hybrid author (both traditionally and self-published) I see marketing as a career as well LOL.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Start writing earlier in life. Don’t wait until you have time—make time.

Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?

William Shakespeare. I love words, and many of the words and phrases we commonly use today were invented by Shakespeare. For example, arouse, blushing, undress (I see a pattern here) gnarled, varied, zany. Sometimes when I’m writing I want to make up words because I can’t find the exact word I need. In The Cavanaugh House, I thought I’d made up the word “scritch” for the sound Jesse hears when the ghost appears. I didn’t want to use “scratch” because it has too many connotations, so “scritch” was what I settled on—a softer sound, a haunting sound. But I discovered it’s been used before. Hey, Will, I gave it a try.

The Cavanaugh House excerpt:

This house held secrets. Secrets that wafted through rotting window sashes on the winter wind. Secrets that spiders wove into webs anchored between the ceiling and walls. Secrets that scuttled on the feet of cockroaches across stained kitchen linoleum and scurried into its cracks. Secrets that peered from holes in the baseboard from glinting mouse eyes. This house held the secrets close to its bosom where they had slept for decades. No one had disturbed these secrets in all the years the house sat decaying from neglect. There was no reason to, and there was no desire.

The Cavanaugh House blurb:

When Jesse Graham unlocks the door to the deserted house she inherited from her Aunt Helen, she doesn’t realize she’s unlocking secrets that had lain dormant for years. Reeling from a broken engagement to acclaimed musician Robert Cronmiller, Jesse wants to leave the city where her name is linked to his in all the society pages. Her best friend Maggie, aka Sister Angelina, convinces her to take a job at a private girls’ school in the pastoral Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. Anticipating a quiet, revitalizing life in her aunt’s deserted house, Jesse is instead thrown into a maze of danger. Questions about her aunt’s death lead Jesse to investigate events surrounding it and the people involved, but she uncovers a web of deceit that reaches far beyond the occurrences of over two decades earlier. Still dejected from her broken engagement, Jesse finds it difficult to trust anyone, even her self-absorbed mother. Joe Riley is irresistible, but secrets obstruct involvement with him until Jesse can solve the secrets of the Cavanaugh House. Someone doesn’t want those secrets unearthed and will stop at nothing, even murder, to keep them hidden.

Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to take part in this interview.

Thank you for hosting me today, Angela.

How can readers discover more about you and you work?

My audiobook is now available and I am celebrating with a giveaway on my website. You can enter it below!

My books are available Amazon, and my audiobook is available on:

Audible

Amazon

iTunes

Visit me at:

Website: www.elizabethmeyette.com

Blog: www.elizabethmeyette.com/blog

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabethfmeyette/