Another extract from THE LOVEDAY SECRETS

Here is another taster from THE LOVEDAY SECRETS. An old adversary returns and for Adam and Senara secrets could be uncovered from the past that could destroy their reputations.




An hour later Adam returned to Boscabel still unsettled by the visit from the lawyer. Since his last meeting with the excise officer he had not given Beaumont much thought, but with Sawle hanged and no longer a threat to Beaumont, it did now seem strange that he had not been seen patrolling these waters. Sawle had not been the only smuggler operating in the district.
Unwilling to upset Senara, he pushed his fears aside. His wife had enough worries with the arrival of the boy who had lost his memory. Yet it had never been easy keeping anything from his wife. She was incredibly perceptive at sensing a person’s moods, her gypsy blood giving her an uncanny intuition concerning people and their future. Her premonitions had been proved right on too many occasions for him to doubt her ability. She had always feared Beaumont’s vindictive nature, and had not the excise officer shot Edward Loveday when Beaumont had been in the pay of Harry Sawle.
Adam shuddered. He had thought the smuggler’s death would have freed him from the sinister shadow the man had cast over their lives. Then annoyed at the way his common sense had deserted him, Adam drew a sharp breath. He did not fear ghosts or any man alive. Yet he could have wished that his last meeting with Beaumont had been less acrimonious: that he had not lost his temper and threatened to run him through if he ever found him snooping on Loveday land again.
Beaumont had not been seen in the area for months when Adam had met him in a chance encounter close to his cousin Japhet’s land at Tor Farm. With Japhet out of the country, the farm had been rented to a tenant. Adam had been out returning from a visit to Sir Henry and as it was a fine afternoon had taken a detour to ride past Tor Farm and assure himself that all appeared in good order. Since a previous tenant of the farm had allowed contraband to be stored in the barn against the express instructions of the family, Adam kept a closer eye on his cousin’s property. He had been alerted by a flash of light coming from a small coppice. It could only have been caused by sunlight glinting off metal or glass. He had dismounted and approached on foot to see a lone figure crouched behind a tree with a spyglass to his eye, watching the farm from the cover of a small coppice. Across the fields the tenants twelve year old daughter Millie was standing at the water pump. From the state of her bodice and skirt she had slipped over and landed in horse droppings. Her mother was berating her and pulling at her skirt and top as she stripped it from her to soak in the water from the pump. Millie was crying and the water splashed over her petticoats moulding the linen to her budding figure.
‘Have you taken to spying on young girls?’ Adam had sneered.
Beaumont snapped shut the spyglass and glowered at him. ‘There was a landing on the coast last night. This farm has been used to store contraband in the past. I was checking whether anything looked suspicious. My men are searching other farms by the moor.’
‘I warned you to stay off our land?’ Adam challenged.
‘As an officer of the crown I have my duty to perform. The Loveday’s may proclaim their innocence but you have been hand in glove with smugglers in the past. With Sawle as a brother-in-law what else would we expect? You even built a ship for Sawle so he could outrun the revenue cutter. For all we know you are in partnership with him. It would not be the first time your land has been used.’ A head shorter than Adam, Beaumont’s thin face was now heavily scored with lines of debauchery and excess.
The insults plucked at Adam’s pride and his temper crashed through his reason like storm waves over a breakwater. ‘Or that you have acted too hastily against us. I have not forgotten that you murdered my father.’
‘I was doing my duty. He resisted arrest.’ Even though Beaumont had to tip back his head to look up at Adam, he glared along his hooked hose with arrogant disdain.
‘We both know that is a lie.’ Adam had closed the space between them, his fists bunched as his anger ground through him. He could see sweat glistening on Beaumont’s face.
‘Lay a hand on me and I’ll have you arrested for attacking an officer of the King about his duty.’ Beaumont blustered and fumbled to draw his sword.
Despite being unarmed, Adam challenged, ‘It could be worth it.’
Beaumont was backing away to where his horse was tethered, his sword held ready to counter an attack. His boot entangled in the knee-high bracken and he stumbled. Adam leapt forward and ducking the lunge of the blade landed a punch on the officer’s jaw. At the force of the blow Beaumont dropped the sword and Adam swiftly delivered two more blows to his head and body. Beaumont was knocked to the ground and covered his head with his hands.
Adam picked up the fallen sword and pointed it at his enemy.
‘Don’t kill me. I beg you. Don’t kill me!’
His cowardice disgusted Adam. Because of him his father had died. He did not deserve to live. Yet where was the honour in killing such a coward?
Breathing heavily, Adam had controlled his anger and stood back. ‘Any smuggler who uses our land to store their goods knows that we will summon the authorities.’ His voice was thick with warning. ‘Get on your way, Beaumont. This time I will not stain my hands with your craven blood. But if I ever catch you within a mile of our land again I will know your actions are intent upon dishonouring our name and I will kill you.’ He slashed the sword down on a granite boulder in the undergrowth and the steel snapped in two and he threw the hilt as far as he could.
Beaumont had staggered to his feet holding his hand to his bleeding face. ‘This assault and your threats will be reported to the authorities.’
Adam had turned from him and walked away. Yet for some days afterwards he had expected the militia to arrest him. Nothing had happened and he assumed that Beaumont had slithered away to lick his wounds on the other side of the county. It was not until he remembered the incident now that he recalled that at the time Beaumont had not been in his naval uniform. If he had not been on duty what had he been doing in the area?

THE LOVEDAY SECRETS PAPERBACK PUBLICATION

DECEMBER 11TH Publication Day

A new cousin was introduced to the series in The Loveday Secrets who brought with him a dark family secret that could destroy them all. This is an extract of their reunion.

‘Adam, St John, Thomas, at last we are all together. Will you not greet our dear cousin Tristan Loveday? I believe you thought him dead these past twenty odd years,’ Tamasine Loveday excitedly announced.
There was a frozen silence from the men. Tamasine was shocked by the naked fury on her brother Adam’s face.
‘Tristan, what trickery did you use to gain my sister’s acquaintance?’ Rigid with anger Adam bowed stiffly to Tamasine. She was wide-eyed with shock, her hand raised to her face to veil her expression. Adam clipped out. ‘Sister, you have made a grave error of judgement inviting this scoundrel into your home. I refuse to acknowledge him as kin. If you are wise, you will ask him to leave at once.’
‘So speaks a true grandson of George Loveday,’ replied Tristan with equal venom. ‘Unforgiving to the end and still believing your twin’s lies.’
‘I know what I saw that fateful night. You brought shame to us all,’ Adam flared.
‘In the heat of the moment – we all had much to answer for that night.’ Tristan challenged. ‘Do you think I have not regretted what happened? I was a youth caught up in such turbulent violence I did not know what I was doing. Did any of us? I am not the same person today. Did that night not change you, cousin?’
Still bristling with fury, Adam swivelled on his heel and marched from the room. Throughout, the exchange St John had allowed his twin to speak, a look of horror on his face.
Tamasine regarded St John with astonishment. ‘I thought this reunion would be a delightful surprise. What possessed Adam to take so violently against Tristan.’ She was shocked that Adam, the most reasonable of men, could regard one of their family as an enemy.
St John shifted uneasily and glared at Tristan with contempt. ‘How dare you trick our sister in this fashion, What lies did you use to slither your way back into our family?’
Unperturbed Tristan held his cousin’s condemning glare and adjusted the ruffles at his wrist. ‘Your sister has a kinder heart than my Trevowan kin.’
‘She does not know how you betrayed us. I will not stay in the same room as you.’ St John also marched away. The darkest night of his life had come back to haunt him. And if the truth were ever known it could be the cause of his ruin.
Thomas was equally puzzled. He remembered only that Tristan had run away from Trevowan as a youth and that their grandfather, who had given the ne’er-do-well a home, had been repaid by treachery,

THE LOVEDAY SECRETS is published in paperback by Headline on 11th December.

Kate Tremayne

Inspiration for Work in Progress

Inspiration of WIP



A time of panic for me is receiving the finished cover of the novel I am writing and I've still got another 25,000 words to write bringing all the threads and theme of the story to a dramatic climax. This is the cover of THE LOVEDAY CONSPIRACY due out June of next year. There are three conspiracies running through this story involving different members of the family and I also wanted a surprise ending that united the family now divided in their loyalties. On seeing the cover which creates an atmosphere of darker elements and mystery a twist ending suddenly came to me. I love the new look to the covers and this one in particular.

Kate Tremayne

Award nomination

Dear Kate

Adam Loveday has been nominated for the Christmas Awards. Your friends and family, publisher can vote for you if they take a look and send an email.

http://redrosesforauthors.blogspot.com/2008/11/christmas-awards.html



Best wishes and lots of luck.

Latest News

Some readers have contacted me that they have had troubling ordering copies of ADAM LOVEDAY that was reprinted at the end of last year. My editor has told me that there are stocks in the warehouse.
Please try again at your locac bookshop and give them the book's ISBN which is: 978 07553 4620 2. Alternatively you can order from Bookpoint direct, by calling 01235 400 414.

Unfortunately for the moment THE LOVEDAY TRIALS has sold out in the warehouse but the good news is it will reprinted at the end of the year and will be available in January.

Audio books

The Loveday Secrets is now available in CD or tape format from Soundings. Seeing our novels in print is always a thrill but to hear an experienced actor reading the story is amazing.

When long lost cousin and ne'er-do-well Tristan Loveday returns to Cornwall, his presence sends shockwaves around the family. Tristan holds the key to more than one secret that could destroy everything the Lovedays hold dear. And he has a deadly score to settle with a member of the family whom he believes betrayed him.

It seems everyone has something to hide - even Adam Loveday's wife Senara. Now a respected member of the community, she fears a shadow from her past could bring about her downfall. Unless he overcomes his demons Adam's twin brother St John risks losing all he owns, and in London Georganna Loveday is hiding a scandalous secret.

As tensions rise and lies are uncovered, the cracks begin to show. And before the summer is over, lives will be irrevocably changed forever.

The Loveday Secrets is also out in hardback.

Other Loveday title in audio are ADAM LOVEDAY, THE LOVEDAY FORTUNES, THE LOVEDAY TRIALS published by Magna and THE LOVEDAY LOYALTY, THE LOVEDAY REVENGE available from Isis Soundings.

Kate Tremayne
Labels: Isis Soundings, Kate Tremaynes, Loveday books, Loveday Secrets

Extract from The Loveday Scandals

In the last post I talked about characterisation. In this abridged extract from THE LOVEDAY SCANDALS I introduce Tamasine to the family who did not know of her existence. I picked a scene that showed something of her indomitable character and made her immediately memorable.

Following the scandal surrounding St John's trial for murder in The Loveday Trials Edward has planned a harvest feast to put the scandal behind them.

The nights alone on the road had been frightening. The excitement of Tamasine's journey had faded to become an ordeal and a battle against hunger and exhaustion. Her determination had kept her going. She would not arrive weak and broken. She would be strong and succeed. The idealism of youth and naivety bolstered her strength. She must be close to her goal.
What if they did not welcome her? It had been presumptuous of her to assume that after one meeting Edward Loveday would open his home to her. Was it not more likely that he would have kept her identity a secret from his family?
Tamasine tossed back her dark hair, a determined fire returning to her azure eyes. She had come too far to turn back now...

Senara glanced in Edward's direction and saw a dark-haired woman pushing her way through the crowd towards him. Her hair was tangled and flowing to her waist and her plain grey gown was smeared with dirt. She was pale and looked close to exhaustion. Edward's body was rigid with tension as he moved to intercept her approach. Before he could reach her, she stumbled and fell on her knees at his feet.
'I am sorry. I never meant to arrive like this.' Her voice was cultured, though tiredness slurred her words. She reached out to Edward, but he recoiled from her. Momentarily his composure deserted him and guilt was stark in his eyes. The expression rapidly vanished, replaced by a cold and lethal fury.
The young woman's eyes remained locked upon Edward. 'Forgive me, sir. I could not stay at the academy.'
Amelia was at her husband's side. 'Edward who is this young woman?'
Edward did not move and seemed incapable of speaking.
'Who are you?' Amelia demanded of the stranger.
'Tamasine... Tamasine Loveday...' Her eyes closed as she fainted.
Aunt Elspeth hobbled forward. 'A Loveday did she say? She's got the Loveday looks. But what is one of our family doing arriving in such a state?'
'The girl is my ward.' Edward stated. 'She should be at school.'
Senara had only ever known Edward to be completely in control of a situation, even when he was angry.The stiffness of his manner betrayed an inner fear that was puzzling.
'You have never mentioned a ward,' Amelia accused.
'With all the troubles this summer I saw no need to add to your worries, my dear.'
'And whose child is she?' Elspeth was frowning. 'We should all have been told. She is a Loveday after all.'
'Not exactly.' Edward turned his back to the group. 'It is complicated.'
'What is it about this ward that you feared would upset me?' Amelia put a hand to her throat, suspicion narrowing her eyes.
'Good heavens, is the child yours, brother?' Elspeth gasped.

Kate Tremayne

Novel writing Tip 4 Characters

Memorable characters are as important as plot.
I can only emphasise how important it is to learn from our favourite authors. List the characters of your favourite novel. Then analyse each of them by their strengths, weaknesses any quirks in their personalities and most of all their motivation. Note how one is the foil for another. How the good are portrayed differently from the bad without resorting to stereotypes. How did the characters interact with each other? What caused the rivalry, friendship, romance, conflict or dissension?
Take particular note how a character is introduced both by description and something of their personality. Never give a reader a wodge of information all in one go. The picture of them should be built up slowly so that the reader remembers what they look like and the driving force behind their personality.
Key words reveal a great deal in description. eg. A stubborn tilt to an otherwise weak chin. A glitter of contempt in eyes which have never shown love. Pompous set of prim lips. The fastidious brushing down of clothing over a pot belly.
Mannerisms also reveal a great deal about a character. And most of all remember that your characters will grow and change through the experiences prsented in your novel.
You do not have to make a character lovable for them to be memorable they have to be believable.The self-centred Scarlet O'Hara was most memorable for her fighting spirit. No one is perfect and to err is to be human. It is how the characters deal with adversity and conflict that engage your reader's attention.
Give each character key tags encompassing their personality.
These were the key tags I had for some of the main characters in the Loveday series.
ADAM LOVEDAY was brave, loyal, passionate about shipbuilding but pride could be his downfall.
ST JOHN LOVEDAY heir and a wastrel, self-centred and dissolute but valued the good opinion of others.
JAPHET LOVEDAY lovable rogue, chancer, rakehell but fiercely loyal to his family despite his wild blood.
MERIEL scheming fortune-huntress who tricked St John into marriage motivated by greed and to better her station in life.
SENARA wise-woman, half-gypsy determined never to make Adam ashamed of her background.
GWENDOLYN love for Japhet transforms the timid woman and she will travel half way round the world to stand by her man and prove his innocence.

change in fashion for book covers

These are all the different covers both hardback and paperback for the Loveday series. Which is your favourite? I have loved them all in their time and I am very excited about the new image for The Loveday Secrets paperback which was previewed earlies in the blog. I also liked Revenge and both covers for Adam Loveday.

Review The Loveday Revenge

It does not matter how long you have been published or how many novels you have written a good review still sets your heart singing that you have produced something worthy of praise. When we write about people and events that we are passionate about it makes all our hours of solitude and research worthwhile. I was so delighted by this review I wanted to share it with you. This was a review given by singletitles.com

With its cast of unforgettable characters, sweeping locations, nail-biting intrigue and poignant family drama, Kate Tremayne’s saga following the lives and loves of the Loveday family is a must-read for readers who yearn for those wonderfully old-fashioned, full-bloodied and intense family sagas by Susan Howatch and Winston Graham.

Kate Tremayne’s Loveday saga gets better and better with every book! Romantic, passionate, intriguing, breathtaking and engrossing from beginning to end, once I started The Loveday Revenge, I found myself unable to put it down. Full of characters that linger in the mind long after the last page is turned, nefarious scheming, heartwrenching romance, powerful emotion, love, lust, greed and family secrets, The Loveday Revenge is sheer perfection from start to finish.
If you want to find out the reason why readers and critics all over the world are falling in love with the Loveday family, then pick up a copy of The Loveday Revenge, and get ready to be swept back in time with these enthralling books which I just cannot get enough of!

Exploits of a Lovable Rogue

One of the greatest joys of writing the Loveday series is to receive so many emails from readers. They are a constant joy and never more so than on a day when one of the Lovedays have got themselves into a scrape from which I wonder if they can ever redeem themselves with honour and integrity. For a writer to learn that readers empathise with the characters and feel their pain and anguish is great motivation for an author to push themselves that one step further to make each story unique and memorable. It is originality that attracts a publisher to a novel and the best authors do not allow themselves to fall back onto clichéd plots or predictable formula.

In the series Adam is the main hero but the moment his rakehell cousin Japhet stepped onto the page I knew this was a man women would adore and through love hope to reform. The fourth book in the series THE LOVEDAY SCANDALS was given a new look to the covers and with the background of Bodmin Moor this is one of my favourites. THE LOVEDAY SCANDALS brings Japhet to the fore but his wild escapades threaten his life. In a gritty family series there can be no fairy tale endings and each Loveday must face the consequences of their actions…

Any scandal surrounding a Loveday would not be mundane and as I try and use the theme of each book on multi levels and involving new dramas for at least three of the characters, the theme of a scandal involving each of them opened so many exciting possibilities. Having lived and worked in London for several years, I loved the opportunity to research the 18th century gaming hells, underworld, theatre and life in Newgate.
The novel begins with Adam still at sea and his twin St John banished to Virginia. It was fascinating to research an Ameican link to the family and life on a tobacco plantation at that time. This also enabled me to bring in the more devious side of St John's character and the duplicity which will govern many of his exploits in the future.
In England the family struggle to survive in the face of fresh scandals and shocking revelations. Japhet has fled to London to forget the heartache of his love affair with Gwendolyn Druce. He finds himself drawn into the dangerous world of the city’s gambling dens and, when he runs out of money, turns to highway robbery. As his life spirals out of control he engages in a passionate affair with actress Celestine Yorke, but when Gwen arrives in London Celestine’s ardour turns to obsessive jealousy. She has her suspicions that he is a highwayman. When blackmail fails to keep him at her side, there is no greater fury than a woman scorned. The gallows await any found guilty of highway robbery. How can our hero realistically escape the noose? Certainly not without sacrifice and dire circumstances.

Meanwhile Edward and Amelia’s marriage is rocked by the arrival of his illegitimate daughter, Tamasine, who has come to claim her rightful place in the family. Can the Lovedays rise above the turmoil which seems set to finally tear them apart?

Kate Tremayne

Writing Tip 3. Memorable Characters make a bestseller

The reason the Loveday books could expand from the original concept of a trilogy to become a series now running to nine books with two more due for publication, is due to memorable and diverse characterisation. The three sets of male cousins are all entirely different both in personality, goals and psychological makeup. Adam the privateer sea-captain who is passionate about the shipyard and the family estate at Trevowan. His twin St John, the heir, a wastrel and obsessive gambler who will always take the easy option and becomes involved with smuggling. Japhet, eldest son of a vicar: the lovable rogue, a rakehell with an interest in horse breeding, often engaged in dealings perilously close to the wrong side of the law. He risks all as a highwayman. His younger brother Pious Peter chooses the church but has his own wild demons to overcome. Cousin Thomas in London the son of a prominent banker, a renowned duellist whose heart is set upon becoming a famous playwright. All are fearless in the face of adversity and driven by the wildness in their blood. All are united in their family loyalty to overcome their enemies. Each is driven by their ambition to succeed no matter the danger or adversary. Background and personality colour every scene as they are driven by their motivation to overcome all odds. Give your reader well motivated and memorable characters, and do not be afraid to show their flaws, and they will stay in the readers mind long after the novel is finished with them wanting to know more about their lives.

The Rakehell Loveday

This is the hardback cover of The Loveday Trials. It depicts the fortune huntress Meriel whose shotgun wedding ensured her marriage to St John. The house is a representation of Boscabel the estate purchased by Adam.

In this extract from the novel it shows the devil-may-care cousin Japhet, as yet an unreformed rakehell. He is the eldest son of the Rev Joshua Loveday. The books have their share of romances but I also love writing the action and adventure scenes. Japhet has provided many of these.

'You be a lusty lover, my fine gentleman,' Kitty chuckled, 'but it be wicked to tempt me from my marriage vows.'
'You are too much a woman to be so long neglected,' Japhe whispered against her ear as they rolled across the rumpled bed. The candle had burned low, casting a yellowing light over their naked figures.
'I shall miss you when your husband returns.' Japhet kissed her with returning desire. 'He's due back any day now and this could be our last night together.'
'Then we best make it a night to remember.' Suddenly Kitty tensed. 'I heard something. Someone's on the stairs.'
Japhet heard a heavy footfall. He rolled Kitty aside, bounded from the bed and had time only to snatch up his breeches before the door was flung wide. A broad-shouldered, bearded man filled the portal.
'Damn you for a whore,' Captain David Veryan bellowed and pulled a cat-o'-nine-tails from his belt.
Kitty's husband rounded on Japhet, who, clutching his breeches in front of him, having had no time to don them,was edging towards the window.
'You'll not escape, you scoundrel,' Veryan growled.
The whip whistled in the air, the lead-tipped thongs slashing across Japhet's buttocks, drawing blood. A second blow caught his shoulder and snaked cruelly around his ribs, the flesh torn from the bone. Japhet wrapped his breeches around his arm and raised it to fend off the next vicious lash strokes. The whip raked across his shoulders as Japhet hurled himself at the man.
His flesh was raw and stinging and he could feel the blood mingling with his sweat as he kicked out at the captain. Unfortunately, his sword was on the floor across the room.He managed to heave the bigger man off balance, and darted towards his weapon. Another lashing of the whip peeled a strip of flesh from his chest.
'From what I've heard of you, Loveday, you've 'ad this coming a long time.'
Japhet evaded the next blows, but his hair and sweat were dripping into his eyes and the candle flame was flickering wildly, making it hard to see his opponent clearly. The captain raised his hand to strike again and Japhet grabbed his wrist, twisting his body in a wrestling hold to throw the heavier man over his shoulder to hit the floor.As the boards shook from the crashing weight, Japhet dived towards his sword belt and drew the blade.
Kitty screamed. 'No.Japhet! Don't kill 'im! He be a good man. We wronged 'im.'
Japhet had no intention of killing the captain in an uneven fight but he knew his own life was in danger if he lost the upper hand.

Review: 'A story of family relationships that transcends time, and heralds the emergence of an exciting new storyteller' North Cornwall Advertiser

Writing Tip 2

Want to write your own bestseller. Then learn from the masters. Once you have decided upon your genre study the bestsellers in this field and your favourite authors. Analyse the overall plot and then how each chapter revealed character history and personality, created crisis and conflict and how the main character and their protagonists interact with each other. Note how each chapter opens and builds to a new drama and how it ends foreshadowing some conflict or problem still to be resolved. What kept you turning the pages?

Adventure and romance

Originally the Loveday novels were to be a trilogy. By book three it was obvious that the trilogy was emerging into a series as the three sets of Loveday cousins became engaged in so many exciting adventures. Although each book must stand on its own as a complete story I now wanted to embrace all the family within the theme of each book title.

The third book in the series THE LOVEDAY TRIALS is about the trials of adversity faced by the family and also the court trial when St John is arrested for the murder of an enemy. Historically it was a turbulent time with lots of scope for the men to participate. It was great fun to write and it has been described as the Scarlet Pimpernel meets Hornblower meets Poldark.

As the Lovedays’ finances recover from near ruin, it is clear their trials are far from over.
Adam returning to Trevowan with Senara – now his wife – and their baby son, finds himself at loggerheads for the first time with his father. Edward refuses to accept his son’s choice of bride, and as a result Adam finds it impossible to continue working in the Loveday shipyard so dear to him. To support his family he works as an English spy in a France still in the grip of the Terror. Treachery and adventure await him and his life is endangered. Meanwhile in Cornwall Senara strives to be accepted by the Loveday family and local community.
St John, meanwhile, is in trouble again. His involvement in the murky world of smuggling has made him some dangerous enemies – not least the corrupt and evil Thadeous Lanyon, who suspects him of being in league with the notorious smuggler and Lanyon’s arch enemy, Harry Sawle. Lanyon thinks nothing of killing anyone who crosses him – so when he himself is found murdered, and Sawle has an alibi, St John is arrested. He must face trial and, if found guilty, will be hanged.
This scandal adds to the growing dissent and rivalry that troubles the Loveday household. Even Edward must face a secret from his past that threatens to rock the stability of his own marriage.
Japhet the unrepentent rakehell lives dangerously close to the wrong side of the law. Can love redeem him, or will his reputation destroy his chance of happiness?
Will the Lovedays pull together as they have done before? Or will these new trials finally tear them apart?

Intrigue, passion and tensions abound in THE LOVEDAY TRIALS making it an unforgettable read.

Weekly Novel Writing Tip No 1

Know your characters as well as your best friends. And remember no matter how long you have known a best friend there is always something in their past that will amaze or surprise you. We all have dark sides which we usually keep hidden but certain experiences or situations will bring out these reactions. And there is the face we show to the world and the one revealed only in private. These are all aspects which when shown to a reader will allow them to emphasise with a character and keep them wanting to know more. That was the concept behind the Loveday Secrets which created a greater insight and dramatic past adventures and conflicts for the characters.

Introductions and suspense

Cover is the hardback edition of The Loveday Fortunes

Extract from chapter one of The Loveday Fortunes

This is the first time Senara appears in book 2 of the series. As each book has to stand alone the danger in retroducing characters is that readers of book one know all about Senara but she is a stranger to a new reader. Introductions therefore have to tell you intricate facts of their personality in a concise way whilst foreshadowing something of the conflict to come.

Leah Polglase was rarely ruffled by anything life dealt her and had never judged her daughter's relationship with Adam Loveday as wrong. Happiness was a rare commodity for the poor and you took it with an open heart when it blessed your life.
'Cap'n Loveday loves you. Senara,' Leah stated. 'You were a fool not to wed him when he asked.'
'Our backgrounds are too diverse. He will one day marry his own kind.'
Leah studied her daughter. Senara was beautiful, with an oval face and high cheekbones. There was a sensuous sweep to her brows and tilt of her full lips. Such beauty was dangerous to a woman who was half-gypsy. Women became jealous and saw her as a rival. and men too easily desired her, believing her lowly status made her easy sport. Captain Loveday adored Senara and treated her with respect.
'Cap'n Loveday's twin brother did not we his own kind.'Leah provoked. 'St John Loveday wed a tavern keeper's daughter.'
Senara rounded on her mother, and her green eyes flashed in a rare show of temper. 'Meriel Sawle was a fortune-huntress who married for money. She got herself with child to snare St John. Would you tar me with the same brush?'
'No! You love Cap'n Loveday. Meriel Sawle, hussy that she be, never loved anyone but herself. It's not the same.'
Senara looked at Angel the scarred bull-mastiff that she had saved from death after a bull baiting. His legs were twitching and he was making whimpering noises as he dreamed. 'I know my place, Ma. It be here,not in any fancy house owned by the Lovedays. Besides I've my trade as a potter.'
The words were defiant, but Leah could see behind them to the passion and vulnerability beneath. Adam Loveday was handsome and charming enough to turn the head of a princess. Yet could be bring her daughter lasting happiness? She shook her grey-head and sighed, fearing the couple's love was ill fated.

Review


'Fans of costume dramas and eighteenth-century literature will enjoy Adam Loveday, a story of warring brothers and forbidden love' Chester Evening Leader

It started with Adam part 2

As I told you in my previous post Adam was to be the main hero of the books with his twin St John as a secondary character. As the rivalry between the twins intensfied with St John forced to marry at gunpoint Meriel Sawle, the woman both of them had been rivals for, more of St John's story is revealed in the second book of the series THE LOVEDAY FORTUNES. Meriel, is a woman of great beauty and few scruples and she was determined to marry above her station, as a tavern keeper's daughter, for riches. In the meantime Adam has been forced by family duty to become betrothed to his French cousin Lisette as her sick father fears for her safety with the unrest brewing in pre-revolution France.

When first devising the characters for the series I wanted to introduce them to the reader so that on their first impression of them they were not always aware of the more devious side of their natures. Also diversity of personalities was needed to make them foils for their opponents. Meriel was obviously a scheming fortune-huntress but Lisette gave all the appearance of a sweet innocent. Nothing could have been further from the truth as was revealed in later books.
St John's victory over Adam in marrying Meriel is a hollow one. The passionate seductress in book one is now cold and manipulative influencing her weak husband in her schemes to acquire wealth.

Romance is never an easy path as Adam falls in love with Senara who despite her gypsy birth is too proud to share him when he must marry.
The great fun of a series is that the characters have the space to develop through their experiences and all facets of their personalities can be slowly revealed.

THE LOVEDAY FORTUNES Cornwall 1791
As the civil unrest in France gathers force, ripples of conflict are also reaching across the Channel, for the Loveday family are fighting their own private battles. Charles Mercer - Edward Loveday's brother-in-law - has been found dead, the reputation of his eminent bank in tatters. Charles has left the Lovedays facing emotional trauma and financial ruin.
But risk comes as second nature to the Lovedays. Adam finds refuge from the pressures of keeping the family shipyard solvent in the arms of Senara - whom he is determined to marry despite his father's threats of disinheritance. And St John, angry at having to curb his spending, throws his hand in with the Sawle brolthers - the notorious smugglers who rule Penruan by intimidation and violence.
As changing fortunes strain a family already buckling with internal tensions, each one of the Lovcedays must sacrifice personal ambitiion and unite to overcome such a crisis. But to some of them, sacrifice does not come easy...

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The Loveday Secrets upmarket cover

This wonderful new cover for the paperback of The Loveday Secrets which will be published in December has just been faxed to me by my editor. Isn't it gorgeous.

Kate Tremayne

It all started with Adam

These are the two great covers for the paperback publication of ADAM LOVEDAY the first book in the Loveday series. The one on the right is the current re-issued cover.

Although the series covers the lives of three sets of Loveday cousins from the outset Adam was the main hero.
As the younger twin who loved his family home Trevowan and was a skilled and talented shipwright, he was denied the two things he held most dear by the circumstances of his birth. His older twin St John soon proved the weaker son, bent upon his own self gratification and no interest in the family shipyard. The rivalry between the twins started at a young age and was to continue throughout their lives. Believing the shipyard was out of his reach Adam began a career in the navy but his wild blood brought an abrupt end to his career and to redeem his himself he became a spy for the British government during the early years of the French Revolution.
St John continued his dissolute lifestyle and their rakehell cousin Japhet, the eldest son of a rector was also seeking his fortune by living dangerously close to the wrong side of the law. Japhet's brother Pious Peter was fighting his own inner demons in the shadow of his brother's reputation and their sister Hannah is battling to save her husband's farm during his long illness.
Meanwhile in London Thomas the eldest cousin is shackled to his father's bank but dreams of becoming a famous playwright. Thomas is also gaining the reputation as a notable duellist.

It is 1786 and the childhood rivalry between Adam and St John has intensified and continues to govern their fated passions and chequered fortunes. St John has become a dissolute wastrel but Adam, with a thirst for adventure and a talent for ship design, has fierce family pride in his home and the shipyard. Aware of his father's increasing disapproval, St John fears that the Loveday yard will be given to Adam after all, and puts into motion a plan to ensure that Adam will never get what his heart desires: the shipyard - and Meriel Sawle, the seductive daughter of the local innkeeper, whose violent family are infamous in the smuggling trade...

Reviews for Adam Loveday
'A fast moving and exciting read' Historical Novels Review
'This sweeping saga has the lot: colour, intensity and pace' Northern Echo

The Loveday Secrets now published

The Loveday Secrets was published by Headline in hardback on 1st May 2008. The paperback is not available until December.

Here is an extract from the first chapter.

St John Loveday cursed the day he had wed Felicity. He had been in debt then and thought the young widow a wealthy prize. He had not learned the truth that her fortune was so paltry until after they were married. Then after a year of marriage she had presented him with another daughter instead of the son he longed for and his feelings for her had turned to loathing.
There was a low rumbling like thunder behind him. Dragging his wits from his reverie, he barely had time to pull his horse into a gateway to a field before a coach sped past at a reckless pace. Briefly, he glimpsed the straining horses that were white flecked with sweat, and the near side wheel creaked as it rolled over a small rock. There was a rush of wind as it rattled past and the vehicle missed St John and his mount by less than a hands breadth. Was the driver drunk or a madman? St John saw the coach sway dangerously as it continued round a bend.
When his horse reared with fright, he was almost unseated before he brought it under control. The near collision frayed his nerves and his temper and he cursed roundly. ‘Confounded idiot! You could have killed me.’ St John’s shout was lost in the night, his mood turning even bleaker.
It took some moments to calm his horse that continued to snort and quiver in its terror. He had been lucky not to be severely injured. Downing the last of the brandy, which swirled warmly through his veins, he soon felt its calming effect. Not so many years ago in his early twenties, he had regularly diced with death. His guilt was making him paint too black a picture of his life. Trevowan had been free of debt for a year and that at least had enabled him to mortgage the estate as security for the loan he needed to settle his gaming accounts. He had overcome financial losses before and he could do so again. He did mot know why gaming could take a hold upon him and make him take risks with the security of his home? Yet he knew that the excitement of the turn of a card, throw of a dice, or wager on a horse race was something his blood craved beyond caution or reason.
The quantity of brandy he had drunk and the steady clop of his gelding’s gait after what had been a long day in the saddle began to tell on him. The breeze whipped the May blossom from its branches so that it fell like snow upon his shoulders and the air was sweet with the scent of bluebells. He pulled the collar of his coat around his ears against the chill in the night air. His eyes drooped and he slackened his hold on the reins. In the distance he heard the clock in the tower of Penruan church strike nine. Not far to ride now. The horse would find its own way to the comfort of its stable. As his head began to nod, he allowed his body to be lulled by the rhythm of his mount.
Abruptly, he was jolted awake. His horse snorted in alarm had reared on its hind legs and for a moment he was in danger of being unseated. When he brought it under control, the gelding remained skittish, refusing to move forward and kept sidestepping so that the low lying branches clawed at St John’s cheeks. There was a dead and mangled body of a large stag on the track, the blood still fresh and glistening silver in the moonlight. The smell of it had unnerved his young horse that had never been used for hunting. Engrossed in his task of claming the horse, St John did not immediately notice a larger dark shape blocking the road ahead. Belatedly, he realised it was an overturned coach. It must have collided with the stag. There was no sign of the horses. Or of life…
The narrow lane had widened into an open space with tracks leading off in five directions. He proceeded slowly and tied his gelding to the broken wheel of the vehicle lying on its side. He shook his head to clear it of the cloying effects of the brandy that made his thinking sluggish and he stared blearily at the wreckage. The coach’s axle was broken and some of the luggage was scattered on the ground where the straps had broken at the violence of the accident. He walked along the coach’s side noting that before toppling over the front of it had first smashed against the dry stone wall, splintering some of the wood. The shaft the horses were harnessed too had sheared off and no doubt the animals had bolted.
Or had they been taken by the occupant of the vehicle to continue their journey? he wondered. Surely though they would not have let so many of their possessions for anyone to steal? He rubbed his temple forcing his mind to function more rationally. He stared at the scattered objects and discovered that one of them was human in shape. His step waved precariously as he advanced on the figure. It was the coachman, who before releasing the reins had been dragged some distance along the earth by the terrified horses. The figure was on its stomach and his legs, which were twisted out at odd angles, were clearly broken.
St John knelt over him to ascertain if he was still alive. The sight of the broken and bloodied skull laying against a small boulder was evidence enough that the man was dead. St John stumbled back to the vehicle wishing he had not drunk so much. The coach must be the one that had almost run him down earlier. He needed to check whether there were injured passengers on board?
For a moment dizziness made him cling to the vehicle, then he grabbed the side of the window and hauled himself up. When the scene before him stopped revolving, the moonlight revealed the bloodied body of an attractive woman in her thirties, her eyes staring sightlessly back at him. Even in the poor light there was no mistaking the expensive lace on her bodice and the glitter of gems on an exposed wrist. She was also beyond his help and there was no one else inside the coach.
A rush of nausea made him turn away. What a waste of two lives. Why had the vehicle been driven at such a reckless pace? From her clothing the woman was a person of position therefore in decency he could not leave her body here all night. The furious speed that they had been travelling continued to trouble him. Such a dangerous pace was more of a desperate flight borne of fear. Yet from whom had she been fleeing?
It was a question that stayed with him. Over the top of the dry-stone wall he scanned the undulating countryside. At so late an hour no candlelight lit the windows of the scattered farmsteads, and it was several miles to the nearest hamlet. He doubted anyone else would be on the road this late, unless they were smugglers or vagabonds. They would strip the woman of her finery and steal anything of value.
He strained to hear some sound of an approaching traveller. There was nothing only the song of a nightingale and the croak of toads in the nearby dewpond. He turned at a scuffling in the hedgerow and a family of badgers, the white stripes on their faces clear in the moonlight, scurried across his path. It was a reminder that hungry foxes would feast on a corpse if left in the open. Clearly, he could not leave the woman’s body here but it would not be easy hauling her out of the carriage. He would need to stand on a chest or something to pull her body from the conveyance. For some moments he stared at the scattered luggage. There was trunk on the road near the wheels that was large enough for him to stand on.
Several minutes later he was sweating and weary as he struggled to lift the woman from the coach. Her arm flopped against the handle of the open door and the glittering bracelet she had been wearing fell to the ground. The clasp was broken and guessing that the diamonds were worth several hundred pounds St John absently stashed it in his pocket for safekeeping. There were also diamond drops in her ears, which he also pocketed lest they were dislodged and lost. The woman was heavier than he expected and it took all his strength to haul her over his shoulder and stagger to his horse and heave her across the saddle. Pausing to recover his breath, he wiped the blood from her face with the corner of her cloak. She was dark-haired and olive skinned, and had been beautiful in a rather foreign exotic way. He knew all the gentry in this part of the county and this woman was a stranger to him.
It was then be heard a low groan. It was human and had certainly not come from the woman or the driver. Infuriatingly, a long narrow strip of cloud had covered the moon and plunged into almost total darkness he could see no sign of another figure. Then as he strained to listen the groan came again from near some elder bushes. Moving towards the sound, he stumbled over an unseen casket and crashed to his knees. As he pushed himself up from the ground, his hand encountered a slim leg partly hidden by the wayside ferns. He ran his palm along the leg clad in breeches and the moon free of its veiling cover revealed a young lad of seven or eight. There was blood on his head and pale velvet jacket. The eyelids flickered briefly.
‘Mama,’ he gasped, then went limp in St John’s arms.
‘Poor motherless child,’ he sighed. ‘Let’s get you home and a doctor to tend you. Then we’ll have to find out who you are.’
St John lifted him and as he walked towards his horse, his foot struck the casket that had earlier tripped him. The moon had reappeared from behind the cloud revealing that the lock had broken and its contents were spilled on the ground. His throat dried and a hot rush of sweat coated his body. He could not believe his eyes. This was an answer to his prayers, the resolution of all his problems. It was riches beyond his dreams. But they were not his.
Yet who would know? An insidious voice whispered in his head. The owner of these jewels and gold coins is dead and so was her driver.
Temptation had always been St John’s weakness. He closed his eyes and swallowed. He despised himself for allowing the spread of riches to lure him, even for a moment, into considering something so dishonourable.
He drew a shuddering breath. He had made some foolish mistakes in the past and suffered the shame of his lapses from grace. He was now older – wiser…
When he hoisted the boy onto his already laden gelding and took the reins to lead his horse, the clock at Penruan struck ten. The hour was later than he expected. He had no idea of the seriousness of the boy’s condition but since the lad remained unconscious he suspected it was grave. It would take him over an hour to reach his home and then a physician would need to be summoned which could take another hour. The boy could be dead by then. His twin’s estate at Boscabel was closer than Trevowan. Adam’s wife had skill with herbs and Senara had treated many injuries of the shipwright’s families who worked in the Loveday shipyard.
His aching body called out for the comfort of his own bed, but the boy should be tended as soon as possible. He led his horse around the corpse of the coachman. Hopefully the foxes would not get him before servants were sent to retrieve his boby. Also the coach could not be left blocking the track and the luggage must be saved from thieves and searched for clues of the lad’s identity.

I hope you enjoyed this extract. The Loveday Secrets is available through all good bookshops and also Amazon.co.uk

Kate Tremayne

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A new adventure for the family begins

If you love the Loveday series of family novels I hope you will enjoy this blog which will give you insights into world of the Loveday family and of Kate Tremayne their creator.

The blog is a response to the request of many readers to my website and I hope it will be fully interactive with comments from readers about the family and their adventures, conflicts and romances.

If you are a regular Loveday fan let me know what subjects you want me to cover.

The Loveday books are set in 18th Century Cornwall and cover all aspects of historical events of the time.

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Loveday books in order of sequence Adam Loveday, The Loveday Fortunes, The Loveday Trials, The Loveday Scandals, The Loveday Honour, The Loveday Pride, The Loveday Loyalty, The Loveday Revenge and just published The Loveday Secrets.

The blog will be regularly updated every week. Join me again and tell any friends who are Loveday fans.

Best wishes

Kate Tremayne