Forgotten Fragrance
Publication Date: February, 2015
Publisher: Harlequin Escape
About the Book:
Only one woman can confirm his innocence, and release him from
the torments of his past.
Determined to throw off the shackles of her convict past,
Charlotte Oliver accepts her employer’s marriage proposal, even though she does
not love him, and together they board a refitted whaling schooner bound for
Sydney to begin their new life.
But life has a way of disrupting
plans, and during the voyage the Zephyrus undergoes a mutiny. Captain Christian Charity
loses his ship, but he also risks losing so much more. Charlotte has, in her
possession, a tiny blue bottle and an Angel coin. On their own, they mean
nothing more than a keepsake, but to Christian, they could mean everything – a
past remade and a future with love.
Excerpt:
Craning her head
back Charlotte peered up at the imposing figure standing amidships, arms
akimbo, studying their little boat as it bumped alongside the immaculate black
hull. A rope snaked down and the young sailor caught it and, as Marcus
predicted, a ladder was lowered.
The sailor
offered his hand, steadying her while she took a firm grasp on the lower rungs,
then averted his eyes as she began her ascent. Before she had time to worry
about her modesty a huge pair of roughened hands reached out and reefed her
unceremoniously over the rail. She landed on the deck with a thump. Rearranging
her skirts she nodded her thanks and moved aside to make way for Marcus.
His head
appeared level with the deck rail and they hauled him aboard in a torrent of
snorts and grumbles. He smoothed his topcoat, shrugged and eyed the forbidding
giant who had watched the entire proceedings with a studied indifference.
‘Captain
Charity, I presume.’ Marcus offered his hand and with a degree of reluctance
the man unfolded his immense hairless forearms, exposed by the rolled-up
sleeves of his shirt.
Charlotte bit
back the laugh building in her throat. The man looked more like a pirate with
his large glittering earring and red neckerchief than the captain of this neat
little craft.
‘Nah! Henk,
First Mate, Capt'n's gone ashore. Business to conduct.’ The corpulent pirate
withdrew his hand and wiped it down his stained trousers, then resumed his
belligerent stance.
Marcus’ Adam’s
apple bobbed as he swallowed his intimidation and pulled his shoulders back.
‘Marcus Wainwright. I've arranged passage to Sydney aboard the Zephyrus.’
‘Don't hold with
no passengers, meself. Zephyrus is a working ship, whaler not a bloody
transporter.’ The pirate’s flat green eyes raked her. ‘And not a bleedin’ hen
frigate.’
Interview:
MRP would like to extend a very warm welcome to Téa Cooper, author of Forgotten Fragrance. Téa, who or what most influenced you to
become a writer?
I’ve always wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. My first
publicized effort was rewarded with a wallop. No one appreciated my crayoned hieroglyphics
on the bedroom wall. Then there was the rather dubious story at boarding school
about the school-gardener. I have to say it was a combined effort and saw most
of us expelled from the school. When I left school I was determined to be a
journalist. I scored a job as a cadet reporter. It lasted about twelve months
until a massive number of newspapers went down the drain.
I headed off for University then and also had a job working as an editorial
assistant on a magazine called Frontier and writing reviews. Sadly it wasn’t
very viable financially and I ended up teaching. I’ve always kept a journal so
I didn’t completely give up writing.
Then one very rainy Easter, I came across a competition run by Mills and
Boon in a women’s magazine. I wrote a story called Arctic Ambience (Shudder! My only excuse is it was around the time
Fabio was gracing covers). First prize was a publication contract and second a
bottle of perfume. Yep! I won the perfume!
I did however move “write a book” a bit further up my bucket list. It wasn’t
until 2011 that I decided it was time to have another go. My first book was
published in 2012.
So who or what influenced me … I think it is in my genes, although where or
who I inherited it from I have no idea.
What advice would you give aspiring
authors?
Be patient and never give up! (See above.)
From the first stroke of a pen (or
laptop), how long did it take you get published?
I’m probably not prepared to divulge that! (See above.)
Did you ever feel like calling it
quits?
I never called it quits, and for that I will be eternally grateful.
Thank you so much for joining us today, Téa. Good luck and great sales with Forgotten Fragrance.
Review:
Forgotten
Fragrance
gives the reader a whiff of something delightful. It takes us on a voyage to Australia’s
“wild west” days, and the situations and events that formed that nation.
A
convicted criminal, Charlotte Oliver has few options to look forward to, so
when she’s offered marriage she agrees with thanksgiving, never mind that her
intended is about as appealing as a mud hen. What she cannot anticipate is that
her life, and the lives of all those on board, will change forever when the engaged
couple boards the Zephyrus, with the
dashing but troubled Captain Charity at the helm.
The
characters are distinct and many-faceted, the writing strong and compelling. I
enjoyed this sojourn south of the equator, and recommend it.
Well done
About the Author:
Best-selling Australian author, Téa Cooper lives in a stone cottage on one hundred acres of bushland, just outside the time-warp village of Wollombi, New South Wales. Although Téa was born and raised in England the majority of her books, both contemporary and historical, are set in Australia, the country she now calls home. When she isn’t writing Téa can usually be found haunting the local museum or chatting to the locals, who provide her with a never-ending source of inspiration. She is a member of Romance Writers Australia and Hunter Romance Writers and is a 2014 finalist in the Australian Romance Readers Awards for her historical romance, Jazz Baby.
Best-selling Australian author, Téa Cooper lives in a stone cottage on one hundred acres of bushland, just outside the time-warp village of Wollombi, New South Wales. Although Téa was born and raised in England the majority of her books, both contemporary and historical, are set in Australia, the country she now calls home. When she isn’t writing Téa can usually be found haunting the local museum or chatting to the locals, who provide her with a never-ending source of inspiration. She is a member of Romance Writers Australia and Hunter Romance Writers and is a 2014 finalist in the Australian Romance Readers Awards for her historical romance, Jazz Baby.
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