I have some exciting news at last! I want to thank all of you who have sent enquiries, written words of encouragement and continued your support through what I know has been a long wait. The release of The Highwayman was delayed a few times due to negotiations regarding it, and the other two books in the series. I am very pleased to announce that as of April of this year, I have acquired the worldwide rights to Libertine’s Kiss, The King’s Courtesan and The Highwayman so I will now be able to publish these books as a series as was originally intended.
The series title is Rakes and Rogues of the Restoration. For those of you who didn’t know or haven’t read it, in book # 1 Libertine's Kiss, we met the libertine William de Veres and his childhood sweetheart Elizabeth Walters, along with a cast of historical characters including Charles II and Lady Castlemaine. William is based on the notorious libertine, court poet and friend of King Charles, John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester. Book #2 will keep the title The King's Courtesan as a subtitle, but will now be called Soldiers of Fortune. In it, we catch up with Captain Nichols, William, and Elizabeth and of course King Charles II from Libertine's Kiss. We also meet Hope Mathews, a character based in part of the historical Nell Gwynn. The last page of Soldiers of Fortune/King's Courtesan leads directly to book #3 The Highwayman, in which we follow the adventure of the real 17th century highwayman Swift Nick, and a female heroine based on the 17th century traveler and journalist, Celia Fiennes.
I will be releasing them each about one month apart, starting in July. This will give those who are interested a chance to catch up on books they might have missed, although each one can be read as a stand-alone. I am very excited about the new covers and hope to tell you all about them soon (and show them off). I am delighted to be re-launching these books as a series as originally intended and absolutely thrilled that The Highwayman will be available to readers at last. Thanks once again to some of the best…and most patient fans anyone could hope for. I look forward to sharing covers and release dates soon!