Today Maddie interviews Jack Porter, hero
from Entranced !
Jack Porter is one of
those heroes that you can love, or you can leave. He has flaws, quite a few
flaws, to be honest. He wants his way most all of the time, and he doesn’t like
to compromise. He is set in his ways. And when he mourns for his Hannah Claire,
he’s prone to wallow in self-pity and rum.
But his love for Hannah Claire
has knows no boundaries. Jack Porter loves his woman through life, death,
reincarnation, and time travel. He understands none of it, other than Hannah
Claire Winslow is his love, his spirit mate. And that it shall be that way, for eternity.
I happened along Jack one
morning, very early, while trolling an Outer Banks beach for shells. Our
conversation was quick, as you can see, but it was enough to write an entire
series around...
MJ: Good morning, Jack. I
see you are up early. Or have you been out walking this beach all night long?
Jack P: Aye, good mornin’ to you. I fear I have been out all night.
It’s the moon, you know? It’s a full one and truth be known, it’s a blue moon.
It could bring my Hannah Claire back to me.
MJ: Back? So, where is Hannah Claire?
Jack: *gives odd look* Why, she’s not here, that is for certain.
She must be in her heavenly home.
MJ: Ah. Her heavenly
home… So, she is d…”
Jack: *puts hand up* Stop right there. My Hannah Claire is
just…somewhere else. You see, I have to be here though, in case she might
return. That’s why I walk the beach at night, yearning for her touch, to run my
fingers through her silken tresses, steal a kiss…
MJ: And how does this blue moon figure into this?
Jack: *steps closer, MJ feels a spark of current, drawn… * You see, a blue moon storm can open the
portal.
MJ: *steps back and watches Jack gaze out over the ocean’s horizon*
A portal. Hm. Is there a storm coming?
Jack: *nods* Yes. Yes. She
may come home tonight. *turns back to MJ* You see, I am lost without her. I am
less of a man, prone to partake of too much rum and wallow in self-pity. I need
my Hannah Claire home. With me.
MJ: *thinking* Jack, where
are you now? Are you home? Is this
your home?
Jack: *scans the beach around them, his stare lands upon the
lighthouse and light keeper’s home* Well, I am… I am here, but I am not. In
between?
MJ: *Watches as wind whips up surf, clouds pass in front of the
moon, darkness* Jack? Jack?
But he is gone. And MJ
feels confused and rather lonely. Is this how Hannah Claire felt the first time
she saw Jack walking the beach?
An excerpt from Entranced:
“What brings ya to the sea, lass?”
His deeply pronounced Elizabethan inflection drew Claire in to focus on
him. A local, likely. Family generations old, she was certain. And the “lass”
reference disturbed her for some reason. She wasn’t quite sure why.
Her gaze met his. “Just vacationing. Staying up the island a bit.”
He raked his fingers over the stubble of his chin and cocked his head to
the left. “You’re at the old light keeper’s cottage?”
She nearly lied, finding no reason to tell this man where she was staying,
but then she relaxed. Why lie? She would be gone tomorrow. And in this peaceful
little town, she couldn’t imagine anything dangerous happening.
“Yes, that’s where I’m staying. I rather like it there.”
He chuckled. “Haven’t seen the likes of ol’ Jack, have you now?”
Who? Jack?
Claire froze, not sure she could find her voice. Could that be…is his
name…? “Um… No.” She shook her head. “I haven’t seen much of anyone.”
A deep belly laugh escaped him then. “Lass, so you have seen him. I can
tell by the look on your face. Thought he’d be about. It’s the moon, you know.
It’s a blue one coming up. Second full moon this month. Seems to bring poor
Jack’s spirit out looking for his Hannah about that time.”
Hannah?
He leaned closer. “Don’t worry. He won’t hurt you. He’s just looking for
his dead wife. Been stalking that beach for a few hundred years now mourning
her. All he wants is his Hannah back. Too bad your name ain’t Hannah ‘cause you’re
a comely lass, and I bet he’d like you.”
She swallowed and bit her lower lip. She was momentarily lost in the
depths of the man’s gaze. What did he know? Who was he?
She shook her head. “No. No, my name is Claire.”
He pulled back and squinted at her. “You’re sure, lass?”
Hastily, she nodded. “And I haven’t seen him. Really.” She backed away,
suddenly very eager to get the hell out of that dark corner. “I need to be
going now. Thank you for…”
For what? For scaring the shit out of her?
“Be safe, lass. Helluva storm coming in. Be safe.”
Storm. Everyone kept talking about the storm.
***
* * * * * *
Entranced by Maddie James
The Legend of Blackbeard’s Chalice, Book One
Time Travel | Paranormal | Romance | Suspense
Can souls touch through time and hold
on when all odds are against them?
Claire
Winslow vacations on an East Coast barrier island, content with her life and
her potential future—until the illusion of a man walking the misty shore haunts
her. Then one kiss—a beautiful, soulful, stolen kiss in the night—and her life
changes forever.
Nearly
300 years past, Jack Porter is in hot pursuit of his kidnapped wife. Not an
easy feat considering the year is 1718 and the kidnapper is the notorious
pirate Blackbeard aka Edward Teach. Determined to rescue his wife and take the
pirate’s head in the process, Jack steals aboard the pirate’s ship to save her.
Entranced sends Jack and Claire on a wild
search through time, not only for the resolution to a powerful attraction
between them, but also for a historical artifact that holds the key to their
future happiness—the coveted silver-plated chalice made from Blackbeard’s
skull.
Whether
writing traditional contemporary romance or building paranormal worlds,
bestselling romance author, Maddie James, pens stories that frequently cross a
variety of romantic sub-genres. Sweet or spicy, suspense or comedy, western or
time-travel, her heroes and heroines always chase one thing—the happily-ever-after—whether they realize
it or not!
A Food Network junkie who plots the way she cooks—by the seat of
her pants—Maddie always has a delicious end product in mind (and she always
follows a secret recipe!).
Her first book, THE WILD
WEST, a Kensington Precious Gems romance, received a Calico Trails Cameo
Award. RED: A SEDUCTION TALE, claimed
first place as the Romance Book Scene's favorite novella of the year. A four
time nominee for a CAPA/Psyche Award from The Romance Studio, Maddie’s books
have received numerous 5 Star and Top Pick reviews. Her books have landed on
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo top-selling lists, and she is frequently
listed as a Top 100 Most Popular Contemporary Romance Author at Amazon.
Maddie is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and its
Published Author Network (PAN), Louisville Romance Writers (LRWA), Novelists
Inc. (NINC), Kentuckiana Authors, and the Independent Book Publishers
Association (IBPA).
Connect on:
Twitter @maddiejames
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/maddiejames1
or https://www.facebook.com/MJNovelist
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/660725.Maddie_James
Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/MaddieJamesauthor
Google+ google.com/+MaddieJames
Giveaway
Maddie
is giving away a signed print copy of Entranced !
Thank you, Krista, for hosting Jack and me here today. I hope you enjoyed our brief conversation! That Jack, he is such the Alpha.....
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, I loved it! You have quite the way with that Alpha!
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