| Alfled played the boy but could not forget she had the heart and soul of a woman.
Visit Margaret Blake's web site
An excerpt from A Saxon Tapestry
About Margaret Blake Margaret Blake was born in Manchester, England. She lived in New Rochelle, New York and worked as a waitress at the famous Schraffts Restaurant. Although she had worked at a variety of jobs in the UK this was her favourite job. "It was such fun meeting such a variety of people. It really opened my eyes and I know has helped my writing enormously."
Although she had written novels, these she hid in a suitcase. After marrying her late dearly loved husband, John, he noticed the suitcase and asked what was in it. When she told him he took it on himself to read the stories and novels. "You have to do something about this," he demanded.
With John's encouragement Margaret wrote a new novel and sent it off to a publisher, although it wasn't accepted the response was encouraging enough for her to try again. The second book she sent off was accepted by Robert Hale Limited. Eleven books of romantic and historical romance followed.
There was then a change of career for Margaret, who after completing a degree as a mature student, worked as a lecturer and teacher. A trip to Australia and New Zealand and inspired by her friend, the late lovely, Loren Teague, Margaret started to write again. Now she has written eight novels for Whiskey Creek Press, three for Robert Hale Limited and one for Wings Press.
Her latest novel Dangerous Enchantment was in the top ten best seller list at Whiskey Creek Press.
Back list
Whiskey Creek Press
Fortune's Folly
Eden's Child
Beloved Deceiver
His Other Wife
Spanish Lies
The Substitute Bride
Dangerous Enchantment.
Wings ePress
Bitter Betrayal
Robert Hale Limited
Breaking the Clouds
A Poisoned Legacy
Shadows of the Past
Available from Amazon.com
www. The Book Depository - postage free.
An Interview with Margaret Blake
By Holly Hewson for The Romance Studio
HH: Margaret, thank you for talking with us at TRS! Please tell us about your featured book, A Saxon Tapestry. MB: A Saxon Tapestry is set just at the time of the Norman invasion. Alfled my heroine is in mortal danger as William the Conqueror is determined to wipe out the Godwine family. As a relative of King Harold and owning prime land, she fears she will not be able to survive. She takes on the disguise of her dead twin brother Alfred and manages to fool the Norman Seigneur who comes to take over her house and land. Alfled must play a dangerous game for Rolf Le Blond is not a man to be taken lightly!
HH: Your heroine is facing a serious situation and disguises herself as her lost brother to survive. Where did you get the idea for this fascinating story? MB: I wanted to write about the Anglo Saxons who were quite cultured peoples; I was sick of reading about the Normans and thought I would write about the Battle of Hastings from an Anglo Saxon point of view, hence the Saxon rather than Norman Tapestry! That was my initial idea, the rest just came to me. I asked myself what this girl would do to protect herself from an enemy that had little respect for women. Incidentally I did go to France to see the actual Bayeux Tapestry which was quite something.
HH: What makes your story different from other stories with a similar plot about a woman in peril disguising herself as a male? MB: Alfled has spirit and she has a lot of courage, but she is also a young girl and makes terrible mistakes. She sometimes allows her emotions to get the better of her. The revelation of who she really is does not come about by her own admission, and she is quite prepared to go to extraordinary lengths to keep her disguise, some would say rather foolish deceptions too.
HH: What do you admire most about Alfled? MB: I admire her courage. She is very stubborn and sometimes too dogmatic, which irritates me a bit. But then it irritates the Seigneur too and that is essential to the book. She has been the adored child in a family of men, her behaviour can be excused, plus she is very young and has a great deal of compassion.
HH: What else do you have in store for lucky readers? MB: I have a romantic suspense out in the future. This is set in one of my favourite places Tampa, it is quite funny in parts too – I liked to play about with the different names we have for many things (English and American) which can lead to some amusing situations. No, Holly I am not going to tell you what they are... you must read the book!
HH: And I will. <g> What do you think today's readers are looking for and how do you fill that demand in your writing? MB: I think readers are looking for what they always have been, a jolly good story, but in this fast age you have to pace it up quite a bit. People don’t have time to read long descriptions.
HH: What you most like to accomplish in your writing career? MB: I am happy writing and being published, you know it would be fantastic if they made a tv or film from one of my books, then I could earn lots of money and buy a condo in Florida, but it probably won’t happen and I have learned to be content and indeed to be thankful for what I have now.
HH: What makes it all worth it to you as an author? MB: I am doing something I love and which seems to give pleasure to other people and that really makes it worthwhile. I have written and published twenty-four books I guess that is very precious to me.
HH: What are you reading right now? MB: I am reading a Harlan Coban novel The Final Detail. It’s very good too.
HH: Any big plans for the summer? MB: Yes I sure do, on the 1st June, I am flying to Tampa to be with my family. This is my first visit since John died, so I am looking forward to getting lots of hugs.
My lovely daughter in law, Alyce, tells me they have great plans which will be fantastic, but you know I am just happy to be with my son Dan, my daughter in law and my three gorgeous grandkids. That makes me so happy.
Thank you, Holly for a lovely visit. It’s always such fun to talk with you and you always ask such challenging questions.
HH: Thank you! Enjoy your family visit.
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