Smelling Daisies
SMELLING DAISIES
Elysia and Mark Stevens
GENRE: Historical Romantic Comedy
BLURB:
Whenever things seem to fall apart around Daisy, romance novels are her way of escaping. When immersed in a novel, she can imagine herself in the story as the lead female character. Still, the difference between her and the typical female character in her novels is that she is not your average damsel in distress.
Daisy was raised by a military father who ensured his daughter knew survival skills and how to protect herself. Following in her beloved father's footsteps, Daisy joined the army and met Justin. Eventually, Daisy's dreams would come true. While on a decompression stop after a deployment overseas, she finds herself at the Lachlan Castle in Scotland. There, she is thrown back in time to the era she loves to read about, but things are nothing like she imagined.
When Daisy befriends a bonnie Scottish lass, she finds herself in a haven under the roof of the girl's brother, a laird named Alick. It becomes clear that the laird is constantly challenged by the many nuances of Daisy's status as a modern-day female soldier as she attempts to navigate the dangerous life in medieval Scotland. While trying her best to fit in, Daisy stumbles upon a psychotic baron named Thomas, who loves to torture women and is fascinated with her.
Both Laird Alick and Baron Thomas want to tame the lioness in Daisy but for different reasons. But Daisy is ill-prepared for medieval love or warfare and must train her heart and head to face what's coming next.
Excerpt:
The sword felt foreign in my hands and was heavier than I expected, but the weight distribution allowed it to move more fluidly than a stick or a bat.
Now at Dylan and Mairi’s side, I looked at Dylan, raised my sword, and said, “Speed and violence.”
He clanged swords with me and repeated, “Speed and violence.”
And I knew that shit was about to get tangly.
At that point in the fight, it became like a dream.
Shielding Dylan’s flank, I suddenly sensed Alick beside me before the steal of my sword made its first battle cry, and the haunting sound of men’s screams filled my ears. There was
no counting down the clock; the three of us went to work on these pigs for what were minutes but flashed by like only seconds. They kept coming, one after another after another, as we stacked the bodies up like a cord of wood. Finally,
using the blunt handle of his sword, Alick struck down the last feeble Englishman with a jolt to the head, splitting his skull like a piñata.
About the Authors:
Hi, I am Elysia Stevens, and I am a big fan of rom-coms, which should not be a surprise after reading this story. Most would describe me as eccentric in my personality, which really stands out in my choice of attire. I love to wear fun socks, and every Friday I celebrate “Fabio Friday” by wearing a Fabio T-shirt for all to enjoy (luv ya, Fabio!). Thankfully, my husband, Mark Stevens, has a lot of patience because I can’t sit still for more than five minutes at a time and always have my head in the clouds. He has been my partner in life for over eighteen years, and there is nothing we can’t and don’t tackle together. My husband’s taste generally ranges from Stephen King to classic literature, but being the great guy he is, he not only read my rom-com novel but also co-authored it with me! Unfortunately, he still doesn’t understand the appeal of a good naughty scene in a book, but I won’t hold that against him.
Q&A With the Authors:
What is something unique/quirky about you?
Elysia
I have close to 200 pairs of crazy design socks! Everyone that I know, knows that the quickest way to my heart is through my feet – wait that doesn’t make sense.
Mark
I wouldn’t say that I am overly unique, I put my pants on two legs at a time just like everyone else does 😉.
What was your inspiration for writing this book?
It started with me talking about it with New York Times bestselling author, Maggie Shayne at a book convention in San Francisco when I was visiting there with my mom. I was openly discussing my ideas and trying to get Maggie to write them for me so that I didn’t have to do all the hard work, but she told me that I needed to write my own stories, and she gave me the kick in the butt that I needed. Eventually I convinced Mark to help me out and we managed to work my ideas and his ideas into the story that we have today. The ideas for the scenes came from events that we either experienced ourselves, or that my friends and family shared with us.
How did you come up with the name of this book?
There was a lot of brainstorming involved, but when Mark used Daisy’s name as a play on words with one of the scenes in the book, that is when I said “Eureka, that’s the one!” Smelling Daisies has a hidden meaning which readers will understand once they read the book — the illustration on the cover is based on that scene.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
Elysia
Collaborating with Mark along the way was a lot of fun. He brought a male perspective to the story that would not have been there hadn’t he agreed to come along for the ride. Together with my crazy imagination and his ability to inject humour and masculinity when needed really delivered the essence to the story.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
I know that for Mark it is his procrastination, he loves to leave things until the last minute. I am sure that he would say for me it is being distracted by my phone, but I think that it is my Korean dramas on NETFLIX – I do love me some Korean dramas 😀.
Do you have any other books you are working on that you can tell us about?
Daisy's second installment, titled Picking Daisies, is currently in the works. We're fine-tuning some plot details and eagerly anticipating April 22, 2025, when we'll tally the votes from our website to determine the direction the readers want for the story. We’re holding off on getting too far ahead for now, but we have some exciting ideas in mind and are developing a few scenarios which are dependent on the path our readers choose!
What Are Your Top 10 Favorite books/authors?
Elysia’s Top 10
Ransom - Julie Garwood
Remembrance - Jude Deveraux
Zombie Fallout - Mark Tufo (best on audio)
Where the Red Fern Grows - Wilson Rawls
Old Yeller - Fred Gipson
One for the Money - Janet Evanovich
Sleep with the Lights On - Maggie Shayne
My Lady Jane - Cynthia Hand
Dove - Robin Lee Graham with Derek L.T. Gill
Eric by Doris Lund
Mark’s Top 10
For Whom the Bell Tolls - Earnest Hemingway
Steppenwolf - Herman Hesse
The Day of the Locust - Nathanael West
Such Is My Beloved - Morley Callaghan
The Rescue - Nicholas Sparks
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
Different Seasons - Stephen King
Lone Survivor - Marcus Luttrell
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
A House in the Sky - Amanda Lindhout
Anything more you would like to say to your readers and fans?
We are so appreciative of your support. It is great to be able to put our story down on paper but even better when someone wants to read it! Stay tuned for Daisy’s next installment and if you like the story, please take a minute to post a review so that our book stands out amongst the thousands of other great books that it is hanging out with!
CONNECT WITH ELYSIA AND MARK STEVENS
WEBSITE: https://elysiamarkstevensbooks.ca/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/elysiamarkstevensbooks/
PURCHASE LINKS: SMELLING DAISES
AMAZON.COM: https://amazon.com/dp/1779418647
AMAZON.CA: https://amazon.ca/dp/1779418647
BARNES & NOBLE: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/smelling-daisies-elysia-stevens/1146227969?ean=9781779418654
IBOOKS: https://books.apple.com/us/book/smelling-daisies/id6670277003
GIVEAWAY
The authors will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
Thank you so much for featuring SMELLING DAISIES today.
ReplyDeleteCute cover, too!
ReplyDeletelooks like something I would love to read
ReplyDeleteI like romantic comedies.
ReplyDeleteLove the cover! Sounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a great read.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a brilliant novel. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a fantastic novel. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteTerrific reading suggestions.
ReplyDeleteOn the cover, he looks as if he is wondering what he got himself into!
ReplyDeleteGood excerpt. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete