C.H. Admirand

I have so many wonderful memories from childhood because when my parents moved back to NJ from SC, we lived next door to my great aunt and uncle just two houses down from my grandparents! Great Uncle Bill used to have this six-note whistle that he used to let my brother, sisters, and I know he was outside and ready for us to come over. I remember waking up and hearing him whistle. No one else was up, so I couldn't ask anyone to help me tie my red plaid sneakers--it was that long ago. So I carefully crept down the stairs--it had to be around 5 am, and I opened the back door (we never locked our doors growing up on Cedar Hill) and Uncle Bill was waiting for me with a big grin on his face. He knelt down; tied my shoes, then took my hand and we walked over to the barn to start our day.

I loved watching Hullabaloo A-Go-Go, Where the Action is, and Shindig as a kid and really, really wanted to be one of those dancers in the cage wearing those cool white, ankle-high go-go boots. Sadly, I didn't have the chance to take dance lessons, and by the time I was old enough, those TV shows weren't on the air any more.

Because it happened to me when I was seventeen! I had tried out for a part in our high school's production of West Side Story, but didn't get it. But, I still wanted to be a part of the production, so I signed up to be one of the usherettes. I had no idea that DJ, one of my brother's friends, was on break from college and helping my brother in the lighting booth. He saw me before I saw him...and when I did, I couldn't catch my breath or speak! I did manage to close my mouth after I realized it had dropped open. He had broad shoulders, was tall and blond with brilliant green eyes and had this crooked smile sigh. He captivated me from that first glance. My brother had a last-minute hot date and asked DJ to take me home. That was 46 years ago. We were a team for 45 of the best years of my life--married for 41--dated for the first four. We just knew we were MFEO (for those of you who've seen Sleepless in Seattle ). A gut deep feeling that just came over me. It was the same for DJ.

LOL, my younger sisters used to tease me that I was in DJ-land from the moment I first met him. Everything changed the moment we met. My heart knew that he was the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with. It turned out that he spent the rest of his life with me. Our two sons and daughter were with me in the hospital when he lost his hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer in November. I would not trade one moment of our time together and would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

It was actually an email from author Violetta Rand asking if I'd be interested in writing a Regency Romance series for Dragonblade Publishing. I hadn't written a Regency Romance in a few years, but loved the time period. After that first email, we chatted back and forth talking about different series possibilities. We brainstormed and The Lords of Vice series was born.

I've always included bits and pieces of my ancestors and ancestry--and family names, in my books. Lady Margaret is a combination of a few generations of the strong women in my family.

I think I was more surprised than anyone when I got "the call" from Avalon when I sold my first book. My husband and I were outside working in the yard and our oldest son came outside saying there was some lady on the phone for dad. DJ came outside a few minutes later, smiling and said the call was for me. I'd queried Avalon and sent in my manuscript for The Marshal's Destiny using my initials C.H. Admirand--I thought my full name would be too long for the cover of a book. When they called to offer me a contract, they thought I was a man so they asked for Mr. Admirand!

One of my author friends, Amanda McIntyre, and I had talked about writing cookbooks because a number of our characters enjoyed spending time in the kitchen. Last April she reached out to me and asked if I'd be interested in doing a "joint" cookbook featuring recipes that were handed down in our families and those that appeared in some of our books. It was the perfect time because we both felt people needed to find a place of comfort during the pandemic. For Amanda and I, it was in our kitchens. It's the heart of my home and has always been my favorite room in the house. A portion of the proceeds from the sales were donated to Feeding America.

I love writing strong female characters and at times growing up have felt "different" because I was more interested in reading and spending time with my family than other kids my age. Thinking about how restrictive it would have been growing up during Regency England, I started thinking outside the box when creating the three heroines (I still need to finish writing books 2 & 3) I decided they would be the complete opposite of their names. Patience was anything but. She was impetuous and impossible, which led her to disguise herself as a man to fight a duel in her best friend's place.

It depends on the terms of my contracts. I have written historicals that have taken as long as six months, but the new series i just finished writing has much tighter deadlines, and I've written them in three months. It helps that I am very familiar with the time period and have a number of wonderful research books in my personal library.

That's a very interesting question. I believe in fate and destiny and that there is a path chosen for each of us before we are born. There are times when I have ignored my gut feelings, knowing I am tempting fate, but can't seem to help myself. I think those are the times when there are important life lessons that I needed to learn and that Karma, fate and destiny are playing an important part in my decisions.

LOL, absolutely! But they are wonderful boys and our daughter and son-in-law are doing an amazing job raising them.

Book 4 (the last in The Lord of Vice Series), Redirecting the Baron's Greed, is in my editor's hands. I'm currently writing a Christmas Novella featuring characters from The Lords of Vice Series.

Two of my author friends highly recommended using AllAuthor. I am so glad that I followed their advice! There are so many different promo options with eye-catching graphics that are very easy to use. Coupled with their tweet scheduler and featured book option, it's a win-win situation!