Ruthless (47 page)

In that scene, I planned for Muriele to be
somewhat wicked and immoral. Huh! I was going to kill her off
toward the end. But she stomped her feet (Oh, my poor brain!) and
took on a life of her own. She wanted her own book, and if I
planned to kill her off, she wasn't going to go along with it. I
had to go back and rewrite her scenes. Only then did she behave. I
had her character wrong and she didn't like who I'd thought she
was.

I had a deal of planning to do to get her to
the Abbey and leave her in safety. She almost died aiding Catalin
and Elyne when they were escaping to the Abbey. Ranald paid a
fortune for the Abbess to keep her safe, even though Ranald had no
idea from whom he was protecting her.

She appears again in Seduced when Raik tries
to convince her to marry him so he can keep her secure.

So, with all that exposure, she
had
to have her story told.

It was fun having the wicked Feradoch
manipulate honor-bound Magnus into hunting down the love of his
life, knowing his oath will force him to hang her.

Oh, and you don't know it, but you've already
met the hero and heroine to
Surrender
.

o0o

As in the Blackthorn Trilogy, please keep in
mind that it is not always possible to use only words appropriate
to the time. I kept the dialect down to few characters. If any word
puzzles you, check The Glossary Pages in
www.sophiajohnson.net
or write me.

I'm always happy to answer any questions.

Well, Rats! I'm tired of author biographies
being in the third person. This one is going to be me talking to
you. I'm a native Floridian born in Key West, FL. That makes me a
Conch (pronounced conk), not a Florida Cracker. I spent my first
six years in Panama Canal Zone. Many people have told me that when
I'm nervous I have a bit of an accent that isn't quite southern or
Floridian. That's because I learned to speak in Panama. It was
stronger in my teens than it is today, but sometimes it sneaks
out.

In Key West, I loved sitting beneath a
coconut tree and daydreaming. My other siblings swim like fish. I'm
the only one who can't swim worth a hoot. That's because I spent
more time on the sand than in the ocean. The sound of the surf and
the wonderful briny smell of the Atlantic would almost put me to
sleep. But my daydreams kept me alert. I spent a lot of time, too,
swatting mosquitoes and brushing sand off my arms.

Wherever we traveled, my father would refer
to the people we saw and ask us, “Have you ever wondered how
terrible life would be if you were that person?" The first time I
remember was when I was six and we were walking by some very poor
and obviously ill people. If we stared or drug our feet, it earned
us a sharp rap on the head with his knuckles. That quickly
straightened us up!

When I had free time, I always had my nose in
a book. One day I was reading a Civil War story and it started me
thinking what I'd do if I awoke one morning in some strange bedroom
and someone came in and called me by another name? Even worse, what
if I found I'd traveled back through centuries?

How would I react if I was the character I
was reading about.

Now you have the secret to my writing. I
always get into my characters' heads and ask, "What if…?"

I wouldn’t be able to resist the men in my
tales. And I'm not a very strong person. *snort* In fact, I'm a bit
of a whimp. That's why I make my heroine's character the woman I'd
like to be. Uh, huh! If I didn't, when Magnus stalked Muriele up
the stairwell, she'd have squealed like a stuck pig!

My Tag Line is “Love Through the Ages,” the theme of
my novels.

www.sophiajohnson.net

I have not added reviews of The Blackthorn
Trilogy because there are so many on Amazon.com for
Always
Mine, Midnight's Bride and Risk Everything.
Kensington Zebra
didn't advertise the books as a trilogy because they came out with
the last one first. But I named it The Blackthorn Trilogy because a
trilogy is what it was. The first book, Always Mine, sets the whole
trilogy into motion.

The Raptor Castle Series should be read in
the proper order, because you'll learn the secondary characters
from one book and follow him/her to the next.

Jamet "bsmrk" *****

I didn't think that this was possible to
surpass
Always Mine (Zebra Historical Romance)
an intense
love story or
Midnight's Bride
a love story of delightful
innocence or even
Risk Everything (Zebra Debut)
but with
Forbidden, the first of the Raptor Series, Sophia Johnson has out
done herself. From the first Forbidden grabs you and doesn't let
you go until the end which in itself segues into Seduced so well
and leaves you so anxious to read this next book.

"Stacy" *****

I am a lover of medieval historical romance
books and came upon Sophia Johnson's Blackthorn Trilogy…. Sophia
blew me away and took me far away to a medieval castle with some
very sexy and sensitive warrior leading men and their feisty
heroines! I loved the Blackthorn Trilogy and couldn't wait to get
more of what Sophia delivers: entertaining, amusing and downright
sexy books! The first book in the Raptor Castle series "Forbidden"
sizzles!

Brenda Ollis *****

If you have read any of Sophia's books, you
know that she is an exceptional historical romance author. I read
the three books in the Blackthorn trilogy and loved them. …I didn't
think she could top the last three. Well, have no fear!! I read
"Forbidden" and could not put it down. Sophia has outdone herself
with this first book.

Suzanne Canada *****

I love her characters - strong, handsome,
sexy men and lovely, adventurous, brave ladies all interwoven in a
story with twists and turns, ensuring I couldn't put her books
down. This first in her new Raptor Castle series, "Forbidden",
certainly did not disappoint! The handsome and mysterious Ranald
and his lady Catalin, along with the other intriguing characters in
the story, again kept me ignoring housework and family!

Lauren "llwotb” *****

I love the writing that Sophia Johnson
creates. I have read the Blackthorn series and have just finished
Forbidden for the second time. Her characters are strong and I
wanted more. Hopefully her next books will be out sooner than
later.

Captured by Raptor

BooksRfriends2 *****

Seduced is the second book in the Raptor
Castle Series. If you read book one (Forbidden), this continues
with Raik's story. Warin De Burgh, the Baron of Seton Castle, is
ill and his time is limited.…The Baron has a plan that includes
Raik of Raptor Castle, but his beloved wife must agree. It will not
be easy to convince her since Letia and Raik do not like each
other. If you like historical romances you will want to add this
series to your library.

Seduced

Cigram33 *****

Amazing read. So entertaining and informative
of the times that the story was set in. I am looking forward to the
next offering. CJM

Wonderful

Tisha *****

I love this book along with all Sophia's
other book. She is by far my favorite author of Medieval romance
novels. I can't say enough about them.

A Mesmerizing, Sexy Seduction

"Stacy" *****

Sophia has outdone herself with SEDUCED! I
LOVED IT!! … A great and entertaining read full of humor and the
perfect, feisty seductress.