Title: Angelina’s
Secret
Author: Diane Merrill Wigginton
Series: Jeweled Dagger Series (Book 1) (The Benjamin Franklin Award Winning Series)
Publisher: Jeweled Dagger Publishing
Release Date: Feb 14 2017
Edition/Format: 2nd Edition/Formats ~ eBook &
Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
Angelina Stewart is a
beautiful, bold, independent woman hiding a terrible secret. After returning
home from a sea voyage, she is touted as a hero for saving her family’s ship
and crew from a band of ruthless pirates, but Angelina feels like such a fraud.
At the same time, her psychic abilities are becoming more pronounced as she
attempts to unravel the mystery of London’s gruesome murders before she becomes
the killer’s next victim.
Captain Jude Deveraux is leading a double life as well. He
and his band of French privateers steal, rob, and plunder unsuspecting ships
that have the misfortune of wandering into their domain. Awarded a title by the
King of France for bravery during battle, The Duke of Bayonne, A.K.A. Pirate
Captain, Jude Deveraux, takes what he wants from the world as he and best
friend, Honore live each day as if it were their last. That is until the day
Jude discovers that the only thing he truly wants is to capture the untamed
heart of fiery tempered, Angelina for his own.
I turned on my heels and headed in the opposite direction
passing our table. I just kept going. I needed some air, which was funny
because the enormous dance floor was outdoors.
The gardens were alight with thousands of lanterns, and I
needed distance. I headed toward the topiaries at the other end of the royal
gardens and as far away from Jude as I could get. Anger mingled with
humiliation fueled my escape. I could hear Jude behind me, but I didn’t slow
down. Breathing hard at this point because I was nearly running and my tight
corset restricted my ability to breathe deeply, I didn’t even know exactly what
it was that I was running from. I just knew I needed space.
When he grabbed my arm, I came to a sudden stop as I gasped
for air. Jude grasped my shoulders, shaking me like a rag doll. My wig toppled
to the ground and pins flew as copper strands tumbled down, spilling over my
shoulders.
“Why didn’t you stop? Didn’t you hear me calling after you?
What is wrong?” Jude’s anger was mixed with frustration as he tried to make
sense of his own feelings.
“Help me, please. I cannot breathe,” My words came out in
short gasps for air before I went limp. Spinning me around while holding me
against his left arm, he proceeded to unlace the top portion of my gown.
Reaching into the pocket of my gown, he retrieved the dagger and cut the top
laces of my corset. The air flooded into my lungs in one giant gasp as my knees
gave out. Placing the dagger between his teeth, he picked me up in his arms,
like one would a hurt child, and carried me toward a bench void of light. It
was probably extinguished by the bench’s previous occupants.
Shadows playing across his face made him look ruthless and
savage. I had to blink twice for I thought my eyes deceived me. Gently placing
me on the bench he kneeled down. Retrieving the sheath from my pocket, he
placed it on the end of the dagger and put it back into my pocket.
“You can really never tell when these things will come in
handy.” He patted the dagger that lay in my pocket against my leg. “Good thing
you took your brother’s advice.”
“How did you know I had it on me?” Astonishment showing on
my face.
“I felt it when we were dancing,” he answered offhandedly.
“Is it often you hold a woman so closely while dancing that
you know exactly what she carries in her dress pocket?” I asked slightly
scandalized by his admission.
“You can lose the disapproving tone, if you please. It isn’t
often that I have the need to hold a woman so closely. They usually press in on
me,” he added, feeling rather full of himself.
“Hah . . . you have rather a high opinion of yourself.” I
found his attitude grating on my nerves. Abruptly standing to leave, I took
three steps before remembering my dress was undone
“I heard no protests from you while we were dancing.”
Whirling around, I fixed him with an angry scowl. “I
couldn’t protest since your arm was cutting off my circulation, you pompous
toad.” I turned around presenting my back to him and indicating my need by
pointing to my dress where it gaped open. “Assistance, please.”
“Toads don’t have thumbs.” Playing the fool, he held his
hands up as if all his digits were stuck together.
I turned on him with hands on my hips. “You have some nerve,
Jude Deveraux, or would Judas be a more appropriate name for you?” I angrily
said through clenched teeth so mad that I would swear steam escaped from my
ears.
“You have so many moods it is difficult to pick just which
one is my favorite.” His arm snaked out ensnaring me tightly against his taut
form. Tipping my head back with his free hand under my chin his kiss was tender
and passionate at the same time. He tasted of red wine and sensuality and
something so familiar.
Then it hit me. Those gloriously full lips had kissed me
before. Opening my eyes and pulling back as my hands furiously worked to untie
his cravat and open his shirt.
“Slow down, my pet, I enjoy enthusiasm but there are limits
to even my self-control,” Jude said in his thick French accent which I
discovered came out when he was amorous.
Reaching my hands beneath the collar of his crisp white
linen shirt, I worked one hand over his chest as my other hand sought out his
left shoulder. Every scar just as I had remembered them, but the left shoulder
would be the tell.
“Ah hah! It was you all along, I knew it! And you tried to
tell me I was mistaken.” I pushed hard against his chest to free myself from
our entanglement. I paced back and forth in front of him, as I proceeded to
berate his good name and parentage in the process. I turned to face him
squarely now with hands on hips and eyes shooting daggers at him.
“You lied to me. You tried to make me think that I had lost
my mind because I said that the pirate captain and Jude Deveraux, the Duke of
Bayonne, was one in the same. And yet here you are, and much to my surprise you
are the very same! Care to explain yourself, Monsieur Deveraux?” My breathing
labored heavily, so filled with anger I struggled to catch my breath.
“Ma belle Ange, you truly are an angel,” Jude purred the
words. “You now know my secret and the question that lies between us is what
will you do with that knowledge?” He stood silently in front of me for a
moment, then dropped to one knee. “My life is now in your hands, ma amour.”
My anger suddenly dissipating like water on a roof of a hot
summer day. The very thought of never being with him or touching him again
weighed heavy on my heart. My breathing came in short bursts now for a
different reason.
“No! Don’t you start with your French and your sincere eyes.
How could you?” A small scream mixed with a growl of frustration omitted from
my throat as I clenched and unclenched my hands by my side, trying desperately
to think.
Walking over to him, I placed my hands on his face, tilting
it up to mine. “I have not breathed deeply since the day you left me on the
deck of that ship, and sailed away.” Tears springing to my eyes as one single
tear escaped making a trail down my cheek. “I believed I would never see you
again and my heart broke that day,” I confessed, while tears spilled from my
eyes as I spoke what was truly in my heart. “Then like a dream you came
strolling up one day, unconstrained, giving me a shock only to deny the truth.
My imprisoned heart cannot take any more lies. I implore you take my heart or
lock it away forever, never to be used again.” And with that, Jude wrapped one
arm around my waist as he gently caressed my face.
“You truly are a remarkable woman.”
Our lips touched gently at first, as I reached up, releasing
his hair from its tie and threading my fingers through it pulling him even
closer still. My desire was igniting deep inside of me as a moan escaped from
Jude’s throat. Lifting me in his arms, he began to look around as I rained
kisses on his neck and face.
I could tell we were moving but in what direction I did not
care.
Tell us a little about the book and where did you get the idea to write this story.
I had an idea to create an epic love affair between two unlikely people that was also full of suspense, action and some sort of psychic abilities. From there the story evolved.
How and when did you get started writing novels?
I always wanted to be a published author and felt I could tell a good story but had never proved myself. So, one day I sat down with an idea in my head and just began writing a story from the characters point of view. I was 5o years old at the time and story flowed out of me. It turned out to be an amazing story and I had a few friends that said that it was good and that they wanted more. Then I wrote the sequel, Isabella’s Heart and they still asked for more, so I just kept going, writing Olivia’s Promise.
What’s the best and worst part of being a writer?
I love everything about writing and being creative. When your words flow out onto paper and play out in another’s head like a movie then you have told a good story.
What is your writing schedule like?
Lately it is not very good. I have been preparing our home in California for sale. We are planning a move to Montana and I have been packing, staging and cleaning as well as having garage sales to make enough money to keep my burgeoning business, Jeweled Dagger Publishing going. I am working on a new novel that has nothing to do with the Jeweled Dagger Series. It is an idea that I had long before the series and I am excited to tell the it.
Where do you get your ideas?
I can’t really say, but sometimes you are listening to someone speak, or watch a show and an idea comes to mind and I write it down in a note book. From there I flush out characters and scenarios and begin to write. As all writers know, the story you begin with can completely change from what you end up with. And before you know it, you have a story.
Is there something about you or your life that readers might be surprised about?
I was on the Price is Right in 1990 and won the show case. I won a trip to Japan and took my Mother and daughter who was 3 at the time. It was a great trip, full of wonderful memories. I love traveling, having unique adventures and learning about different cultures.
Do you write a novel straight through? Or revise as you go? Plan a whole series in advance? Or does the series evolve?
I am not a disciplined writer and I like to allow a story to flow. I tend to revise as I go, so even if I have an outline, it is just a loose interpretation. The series was not planned, it just became this epic story that developed, evolving from my imagination.
Do you use Beta readers?
My best friend, Gigi, close friends and my mother tend to be my Beta. They are very spot on when it comes to giving an opinion.
What’s next after the Jeweled Dagger Series?
It is a story taking place in 1846, during the great Irish Famine, about a young girl who over comes family tragedy, heart ache and escapes the rough streets of Ireland, to come to America only to be thrown into a foreign culture, forced to integrate. There will be surprises, heart wrenching emotion and witty verbal sparring along with an array of interesting characters. The working title is “Lara’s Story.”
Born in Riverside, California in 1963, my family and I moved
to San Diego when I was nearly 8. I had a very rich life growing up, with my
brother, David and best friend Gigi, for company. I was married to my current
husband, David in 1998 and we moved to Herald, California in 2001. We have a
blended family of 6 kids and enjoy
the rural life on our 5 1/2 acre ranch, 45 minutes south of Sacramento. I love
writing and creating stories that are different and intriguing. I like to give
my readers a little something unexpected. I have always wanted to be a
published author, but the timing never seemed right. Raising a family and
working full time always took precedence. Shortly after I turned 50 I decided
that it would never be the right time, and determined that I needed to live my
truth and follow my dreams. So I began writing on a whim, and loved everything
about it. My first book is out, and the second one is at the publishers,
scheduled to be released, April 4, 2017. I am currently working on book 3 of my
series, slated to release the first week in August, 2017. I am very excited
about the future, and thrilled to be writing. I count my blessings every day
because I know how truly lucky I am. Life is good.
Facebook
Page/Book Page Angelina’s Secret
Twitter @Dianesunny
Website/Publisher
Jeweled Dagger Publishing
