Susan Anne Mason’s debut historical novel, Irish Meadows, won the Fiction from the Heartland contest from the Mid-American Romance Authors Chapter of RWA. A member of ACFW, as well, she lives outside of Toronto, Ontario, with her husband and two children. She can be found online at www.susanannemason.com

 

 

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Welcome back to the blog, Sue. I’m so glad to have you here today. Congratulations on your upcoming release, A Most Noble Heir. I’m so looking forward to reading this!

Thanks, Savanna. It’s great to be here!

Tell us about your latest hero and heroine. Why do YOU love these two characters?

My hero is Nolan Price, a groomsman at Stainsby Hall in Derbyshire, England. Nolan has big plans for his future—a future he hopes will include Hannah Burnham, a kitchen maid at the same estate, whom he plans to marry. Nolan and Hannah are both young and idealistic, and they accept the challenges life throws at them with grace and courage, relying on their faith to sustain them through the trials. These characters are especially dear to me because they are loosely based on my great-great grandparents who worked at the real Stainsby Hall in Derbyshire as a groom and a kitchen maid. 🙂

Can’t wait to meet them. I love that your great-great-grandparents were inspiration for the characters. 🙂

What part of this story did you enjoy researching the most?

I had a lot to learn about the rules of aristocracy in England, and it was challenging to come up with ideas to support my plot! Since I’ve always loved the royal family, it was great fun researching other levels of nobility in England.

If you could go out to lunch with one of your characters, who would it be and why?

It would definitely be with Hannah’s Aunt Iris, the Duchess of Hartford. Iris is one of those characters who totally surprised me. She’s a wealthy widow who welcomes Hannah and her sister with open arms. She is also very independent and not afraid to bend the rules of society! Iris became the giver of advice for several of the main characters, and I’m sure she’d be a fascinating lunch partner!

What do you love most about your home in Canada?

I am very proud to live in one of the best countries in the world! I love that we Canadians are a diverse, kind, generous, and accepting people. The other thing I love about Canada is the change of seasons. Though I wish the winter was shorter (especially this year), it definitely makes me appreciate the spring and summer all the more. And fall, with its changing colors, is spectacular.

I would love to visit there someday!

What was the last book you read and what will you remember most about it?

I recently finished “A Fragile Hope” by Cynthia Ruchti. It was a riveting read about a man whose wife suffers a deep brain injury in a serious car accident. Everything about where she was going and why is a mystery to him. He learns that she is pregnant, which she hid from him, and that she was about to leave him. As he waits to see if his wife will survive, he must learn to forgive her apparent betrayal while learning to love a child that is likely not his. I highly recommend it!

Wow, that sounds like an incredible read. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Is there anything else you’d like to add? Any upcoming projects you can share with us?

Actually there is! I have a new series coming out with Bethany House called Canadian Crossings. The first book is entitled “The Best of Intentions” and it comes out this summer.

It’s the story of Grace Abernathy who journeys from England to Canada to find her sister Rose, a recent war widow with an infant son. She plans to bring Rose and her son home to England. However, when Grace arrives, she is met with more tragedy. Desperate to keep her promise to Rose, Grace must find out what has become of her nephew. When she learns Christian is in the custody of his paternal relatives, whom Rose loathed, she procures a job as Christian’s nanny, using an assumed name. To Grace’s dismay, she soon finds herself falling for the boy’s guardian. I hope my readers will love Grace and Andrew’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

That sounds like such a fun story. I’ll be watching for it as well, Sue. Thanks so much for visiting with us today.

GIVEAWAY!!

Sue has graciously offered to give away a copy of A Most Noble Heir. Enter below and it could be YOU! ;)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for entering! Giveaway is open only in the U.S. and Canada and ends February 28, 2018.  The winner will be notified by email. Happy Reading, everybody! 😉