Who is the Gentleman and the Rogue?

SUE: I'd like to welcome Lady Keira Russell from "A Gentleman and a Rogue" (Book 2 in the steampunk Windsor Diaries Series) to the blog today. Keira, I'm curious, what's a lady doing working in a quarry in England in 1855?

KEIRA: I'm up to my elbows in compressed natural gas! It all started when my father, Sir John Russell, left his post as prime minister. He feels very passionately about finding alternate fuel sources. Sadly, London is full of coal dust and that's not good for the lungs. We settled in Lincoln and Papa decided to explore wind power. I share his passion for the greater good and I work with compressed natural gas. 

SUE: Gosh, you sound so busy. Don't you have a social life?

KEIRA: I have to admit, I didn't have one for along time, but things are picking up.

SUE: Picking up? How so?

KEIRA: Edmund Windsor is back. That scoundrel! That rogue! He's a liar and a cheat and a mischief-maker. 

SUE: That's harsh.

KEIRA: He told me he loved me and then poof! He took the time traveling machine back to 2011. 

Keira Knightly

SUE: So, what's he doing back in 1855? Trying to win your heart again?

KEIRA: Him and his cousin, Alice, are up to their elbows in rivets, brass, iron, mischief, and steam.

SUE: I noticed you avoided that last question.

KEIRA: I'm sorry, what was it?

SUE: Is he trying to win your heart again?

KEIRA: One kiss does not mean I forgive him.

SUE: Do I detect a little too much protest in your voice?

KEIRA: None at all. Just because Edmund resembles Adonis, has a keen sense of wit, and a dimple to die for doesn’t mean I'm going to give my heart to him again.

SUE: So did Edmund come back to "woo" you, or does he have another agenda?

KEIRA: Another agenda, of course! He's trying to convince Queen Victoria to pick an alternate fuel source so his future time will right itself. It's all complicated – there's alternate futures, parallel universes, and time machines.

SUE: What's the alternate fuel source he wants Queen Victoria to select?

KEIRA: Compressed natural gas of all things!

SUE: I suspect he wants a second chance.

KEIRA: I’m highly skeptical. He's got to prove to me he's more than a good-looking man in a neck cloth.

SUE: Is Edmund a gentleman or a rogue?

KEIRA: Ladies never tell. 

SHORT BLURB: When Edmund travels back in time to set the future straight, will his love for Keira derail his efforts?

ENJOY THIS EXCERPT:

The song ended and Edmund grabbed her hand, tugging her toward the nearest hallway. At first, she wanted to protest; call out for her father and defy Edmund's wishes, but then reason kicked in. She wanted -- no, needed -- answers. And, she had plenty of questions. 

They entered the main wing, and passed two rooms before Edmund opened a door and dragged her inside. Books littered the shelves. The library. A beam of light from a full moon shined through the window, casting Edmund's features in sharp, contrasting shadows. He leaned against the door and crossed his arms. His eyes narrowed, giving his expression a dark, hard edge. He looked like a devil in this moment. She steeled her shoulders, ready to do battle with him. 

Silence grew between them as they both set their postures. Damn Edmund. She wanted to kiss the devil senseless. Thankfully, she still had her wits. 

"What are you doing with Jonas Byron?" Edmund's voice was cold and exact. 

"Dancing." She surprised herself with the ease of her retort. 

"Looked more like flirting to me." 

"Jealous?" 

A muscle twitched in his jaw. "No." 

"You are a horrible liar." 

"Keira, you can't trust him." 

She placed her hands on her hips. "Curious, you're the second man tonight to tell me that." 

"Grayson has your best interests at heart. You need to listen to him." 

"He's been missing for four years." She paused, glaring at him. "Like you have. And I thought you weren't coming back." 

"I'm here now, and I'm not leaving you again." 

She tilted her head and laughed. Oh, yes, he'd leave her again, and she had no intention of letting her heart get broken. 

Edmund lunged forward, placed his hands on her waist, and pulled her against the length of his hard, muscled body, trapping her arms between them so her hands rested on his chest. His emerald eyes flamed with desire. Her heart turned over in response. His unique scent, spice and currants, weakened her resolve. As her memories flooded through her mind, her lips ached for his. 

"God, Keira, don't test me like this." 

Stephanie Burkhart

AUTHOR BIO: Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 Dispatcher for LAPD. Victorian Scoundrel, Book 1 in The Windsor Diaries won BRONZE in the 2012 Reader's Favorite Contest in Romance: Historical. 

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A Royal Visit by the heroine of Victorian Scoundrel

I'd like to welcome Her Royal Highness, Princess Alice of York to my blog. Thank you so much for agreeing to appear, Your Highness. Do you mind if I ask a few questions about your adventures when you traveled to the past.

ALICE: It's wonderful to visit you today, Sue. My father took me to New Zealand two years ago and I just fell in love with the countryside. I'd be delighted to answer your questions.

SUE: Did you ever think of allowing your cousin Edmund to go to the past without you?

ALICE: Oh, that sly fox went a couple of times before I discovered what he was up to. It's a good thing I found him when I did. He'd been up to a ton a mischief.

SUE: When you first arrived in 1851 did you believe that you'd traveled in time?

ALICE: Well, I was a bit shocked, but I totally believed it. I took one look at the ladies and saw they were wearing dresses down to their ankles and crinolines! And don't get me started on the corsets and capes. Horrid. It just amazes me that was fashionable in Queen Victoria's age.

SUE: What were your first impressions of your ancestors?

ALICE: I was in awe. And I don't feel that way often. Queen Victoria set England on a wonderful path of innovation and modernization. (despite those horrid dresses) I'm proud to be her granddaughter. Many times removed, mind you.

SUE: And the Great Exhibition – did you like it? The Crystal Palace is said to be a marvelous creation.

ALICE: My mouth must have dropped to the ground for two minutes while I gawked at the palace. It was majestic. Stately. It embodied British know-how and ingenuity. Then I remembered I was a Princess and closed my mouth. Thank goodness, Grayson didn't seem to mind. I hardly ever gawk.

SUE: Did you ever think you'd return to 2011?

ALICE: Oh, I certainly did. If Edmund is anything, he's very resourceful. I knew he'd find my missing locket.

SUE: You're a member of the royal family. Was it difficult to behave as a normal person?

ALICE: Oh, yes. My parents loved to travel. It was part of their "job" you see, good-will ambassadors and all. I always had tutors and then there was finishing school. My mother passed away when I was fourteen. The whole world mourned her death. And dating? That's another story. Men only want to date because I'm a princess and think I can do "something" for them. I'm always in the spotlight. That's what I enjoyed being in 1851 – I wasn't in the spotlight. I was just plain "Alice Windsor" and it was fun, mind you a slipped a few times and mentioned I was a princess but no one believed me.

SUE: What was your reaction when you found out what Prince Edmund was doing?

ALICE: That I had to clean up another one of his messes. I love Ed dearly, but he is always making a mess. And I'm the one to clean it up.

SUE: I understand you formed an attachment for Grayson Kentfield, Earl Swinton. Did the fact that you'd travelled from the future affect your feelings?

ALICE: It most certainly did. I really did try to fight the attraction, but Grayson, bless him, was interested in me. Not the fact I was a princess who could do "something" for him. I never had a man interested in the person I was before.

SUE: How did present day life compare with life in 1851? Was there any major difference?

ALICE: Well, our air in 2011 is much cleaner. We use compressed natural gas to power our society. In 1851 it's all coal. The stench is so bad that certain parts of London smell like rotten tomatoes.

SUE: Without giving away what eventually happened, are you happy with the outcome?

ALICE: Oh, I'm a sucker for Happily Ever After. I truly am, but with Edmund, there's always a mess to clean up. Well, actually, I think it's my mess we're cleaning up this time…

SUE: Thank you for being here today, Your Royal Highness.

ALICE: It was a pleasure, Sue.

Here's a link to the Book Teaser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IUYj2d7ZeY

Publisher's Buy Link: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-183/Stephanie-Burkhart-Victorian-Scoundrel/Detail.bok



BLURB: It's 2011 and compressed natural gas has taken over from the coal producing steam machines of the Victorian Age. Alice Windsor, Princess of York, follows her mischief-making cousin, Prince Edmund of Wales back to the past and 1851 where Prince Albert is hosting Britain's Great Exhibition.

Alice soon discovers Edmund has struck up a friendship with their great-grandfather, Prince Albert, and his mischief making entails leaving a dinosaur-sized footprint in history. She also meets Grayson Kentfield, Earl Swinton, and the Prime Minister, Sir John Russell. The Prime Minster finds her odd, to say the least.

It's only when Alice falls for the handsome Earl Swinton does she realize the dangers of time travel. How can she give her heart to a man from the past while striving to stop Edmund from changing time with his forward thinking ideas?


EXCERPT:

Grayson looked at Alice. Her breath hitched. Damn that dimple when it peeked out. What she wouldn't do to kiss it, his face, him. Grayson nodded his head, gave instructions to his driver, and the carriage ambled away.

Edmund crossed his arms and glared at her. "What have you done, Cousin?"

"What did you give Prince Albert?"

"None of your business."

"It is if your handprint is going to reverberate in 2011."

Edmund raked a hand through his thick strawberry blond hair like he usually did when he got flustered. "Oh, I've done nothing the British aren't going to figure out for themselves, trust me."

Alice put her hands on her hips. "'Fess up, Cousin."

"I wasn't the only one leaving handprints. Earl Swinton appeared very interested in you, glasses and all."

Alice frowned. She knew her glasses made her look mousy, but she needed to wear them. Despite that, Grayson had shown an interest in her, and she liked it. She just wasn't prepared to betray that to Edmund. "Well, he--"

"And how did you meet him? I thought I told you to stay at the arch?"

"I marched off to the palace to find you, of course," she replied. "You honestly didn't expect me to wait for you, did you?"

"I should have known you wouldn't have stayed put."

"Besides, I knew you were up to no good. I had to find out what."

"I much prefer you use the word 'mischief.'"

"Oh, Edmund."

"Well, I wasn't the only one stirring the pot, Mouse." His eyes fell to her neck. "Where's your necklace?"

She hated it when he called her 'Mouse.' "The prime minister has it, Rat."

Edmund narrowed his eyes, disapproval dancing in them. "What happened?"

"Instead of finding you, I found the prime minister and Earl Swinton. The prime minister is Sir John Russell, in case you didn't know. He thought my necklace was interesting and wanted to have a datamancer look at it."

"Oh, Bloody George! You need that necklace to go back home."

Alice bit the inside of her lip. She suspected as much.

Edmund pinched the bridge of his nose and drew in a breath.

"What are you thinking?"

He looked up at Alice. "Well, I can't leave you here."

"Don't you even think of giving me your necklace either. I'm not leaving you back here to do more damage than you've already done."

Edmund sighed. He looked past her shoulder at the arch, deep in thought. Alice wasn't sure if she should yell at him or hug him for not leaving her. Finally, he looked back at her. "We have to get your necklace back, Mouse."



Victorian Scoundrel is available as an Ebook For Sony Ereader, Kindle, Nook, Kobo and various formats for download.

Review from Tia Taylor: Victorian Scoundrel is a clever Steam Punk novel full of Time travel, interesting gadgets, witty dialogue and love scenes that will have the reader reaching for a fan!

Stephanie Burkhart has a fresh, quick, quirky, inventive imagination and she gives the readers of Victorian Scoundrel a delightful mixture of all of the above!
Romance Under the Moonlight

Victorian Scoundrel
Book 1, The Windsor Diaries
Steampunk Romance at it's finest


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