Wednesday Promo- Christine Young

Today I'd like to introduce you to a fellow RWA chapter member and friend, Christine Young. We became friends and critique partners when I joined the Mid-Willamette Valley RWA chapter in Salem. OR.

Christine's bio:
Born in Medford, Oregon, novelist Christine Young has lived in Oregon all of her life. After graduating from Oregon State University with a BS in science, she spent another year at Southern Oregon State University working on her teaching certificate, and a few years later received her Master's degree in secondary education and counseling. Now the long, hot days of summer provide the perfect setting for creating romance. She sold her first book, Dakota's Bride, the summer of 1998 and her second book, My Angel to Kensington. Each fall, Christine returns to the classroom - and the pool - as a math teacher and high school swimming coach. Her teaching and writing careers have intertwined with raising three children. Yet summer still seems to be lucky for romance,. Awe-struck e-books will release another of Christine's historical romances in April 2009, Allura and in late 2009 The Wager will be released. She is now finishing Forever His which follows The Locket which is a sequel to My Angel and Dakota's Bride. Christine and her husband of 30 years live in Salem, Oregon, where she is currently working on another novel.

Christine, you write historical and futuristic, which are you the most comforatable writing and why?

I am most comfortable writing historical romance although I love to let my imagination just flow when I work in the future. There is so much an author can create and they don't have to worry about getting the history correct or changing the geography of the world. I also like to write contemporary. Once again I don't have to worry about common slang or words. I can go techno and it all ok.

Why do you write Romance?

I write romance because I fell in love with the genre years ago. I love the happy endings and I love books that deal primarily with the characters and how they interact.

I don't think I would ever ditch my husband for one of my heroes. I love each hero when I write the book and then I tend to forget about them. I don't even have a favorite hero. I suppose my favorite one is the one I'm writing about at the moment.

Here is a blurb from her latest book, The Locket

In 1894 seeking revenge for crimes against his family, Misha Petrovich follows a path that leads straight to Ariel Cameron's boarding house in Mist Harbor, Oregon. A family heirloom in Ariel's possession leads Misha to believe she is guilty. The locket has been handed down to the oldest girl in the Petrovich family for generations.

Ariel is innocent of wrong doing, but her father is not. Misha is torn by his feelings for Ariel and his need for restitution against her father. Knowing that the relationship between them is fragile, Misha does everything in his power to protect Ariel's father. His efforts are to no avail when her father is shot.

Ariel comes to realize Misha's steadfast courage and determination to protect her and her father despite what has happened to his family. Ariel's love and devotion heals Misha's heart.

Excerpt:

The Legend

The Crimea, 1294


Light mysteriously broke from the eastern horizon. The dark silhouette of a man on horseback stood in bold relief. In one hand he held a saber, in the other a rose. He held both objects aloft, his arms stiff while his battle cry filled the air, the sound stark and terrifying.

The lone man remained on top of the hill but a moment and then, as if the delicate flower burned his hands, he threw the rose to the dry desert sands. When he turned his horse and rode away, the rose was trampled beneath the hooves of his stallion.

A breeze lifted the petals of the flower from the stem one at a time, leaving only the thorns behind. Clouds rolled in, thunder demanding its place next to the sheets of lightning that suddenly controlled the dawn.


Purchase: Rogue Phoenix Press http://www.roguephoenixpress.com/

Thanks for this opportunity
Chris