Pamela Clare ~ Fan Group discussion

With the release of DEFIANT just a few days away, Lady Danielle and I wanted to do something special for this group to help make the wait easier.

I had the pleasure of reading DEFIANT while it was a WIP (work in progress) and there was a scene that I absolutely loved and knew everyone else would love it, too. Sadly, this scene was deleted from the book, but I decided to ask Pamela if she would allow me to post it here, exclusively for this group, and she agreed!

Fans of the Blakewell/Kenleigh Family Trilogy will be thrilled to read this, and those who haven't yet had the pleasure of reading the trilogy - well, what are you waiting for??

I asked Pamela to share with us her thoughts about writing this scene, and why she then chose to delete it:

I’ve been aware the entire time I’ve been working on the MacKinnon’s Ranger series that for much of the time covered by the series Nicholas Kenleigh, the hero I love so much from RIDE THE FIRE, was out there in the wilderness in self-imposed exile. I thought it would be a lot of fun to bring the two series together by having one of the MacKinnon brothers or the Rangers have a run-in with Nicholas prior to the time when he meets Bethie. I was very excited as I wrote that scene into DEFIANT — Connor, Joseph and Sarah encountering Nicholas in the wilderness. I imagined the mistrust would be high on both sides and, with Sarah at stake, the potential for an alpha-male showdown was high. I love that sort of scene.

But when I finished, the story refused to move forward again. I couldn’t write another word. The pacing seemed off, and I couldn’t get it back.

I think it was Hemingway who said to find the thing you love the most about what you’ve just written and delete it. I don’t think he meant that literally. I think what he meant was don’t sacrifice the story for one idea, sentence, concept or scene. As I sat there with a manuscript that refused to get longer, I realize I had no choice but to cut the scene out, focus the story on Connor and Sarah again, and that’s what I did. And sure enough, the moment the scene was out, the story started writing itself again.

Yet as I read through this scene again, I wished so very much that I had found a way to keep it. So we’re going to have to imagine that at some point Nicholas and the MacKinnon Brothers meet out there in the wild, men of the wilderness, survivors, face to face.

I’ll be working on revisions of RIDE THE FIRE before too long. Maybe I can fit a reference to MacKinnon’s Rangers in RTF 2.0.

Remember, this is a deleted scene and is not included in the final copy. Don't assume that any part of what you're about to read will take place.

A little setup to the scene: This is what would have been the end of chapter 13 and the beginning of 14. Connor and Joseph are traveling with Sarah, taking her to her uncle, Lord William Wentworth. It's been a physically and emotionally grueling journey so far and Connor knows that Sarah is hiding something, but Sarah isn't about to tell him what her secret is.
***

She swallowed, looked straight into his eyes, and lied. “I thank you for your concern, major, but I have no secrets.”

He arched a single dark brow. “Would you force me to call you a liar, mo luaidh? I can see in your eyes that you’re—”

From somewhere nearby, a horse snorted.

In a heartbeat, Sarah found herself on the ground, Connor shielding her body with his, rifle already in his hands, tompion between his teeth.

Then from among the trees ahead of them, a man appeared. Tall with long, dark hair and a long dark beard, he stepped forth, animal skins draped over his horse’s back. Sarah’s first thought was that he was a French trapper. But when he spoke, his accent was cultured and very English.

“No need to shoot. The name is Nicholas Kenleigh, a loyal subject of His Majesty King George. Have you anything to go with this buck?”

####

Connor leaned in close to Joseph and spoke in Mahican. “I do not like it. See how he watches her?”

Kenleigh was skinning and gutting the buck, his hands bloody to the wrists, his gaze drifting time and again to Sarah, who gathered kindling nearby apparently heedless that she was the center of so much male attention.

Joseph nodded. “A deserter?”

Such men, both French and English, prowled the forests, unable to return home for fear of being hanged. Cutthroats and thieves, they had no honor and lived outside the law, attacking farmsteads, stealing, raping, killing.

“Aye, what else would he be? Look at his horse.” Connor had never seen a stallion of such quality, surely beyond the means of a mere trapper. He’d likely stolen it. “There is war in his eyes. And his musket—it is the weapon of a soldier. ”

Even as they spoke, Kenleigh looked away from the buck, his gaze seeking Sarah. The man had like as not gone months, perhaps years, without a woman and might at this very moment be imagining all the ways Sarah might serve his lust.

“We could kill him now or wait for him to kill us and take her.”

Connor knew Joseph was right, but the thought of slaying a man in cold blood was repugnant to him. They had no proof that Kenleigh was deserter, after all. The only thing he’d done thus far was to gaze upon Sarah a bit too long and a bit too often.

Then again, maybe they should kill him.

Connor reined in his anger. “We must remain watchful and ready.”

Without needing to speak further, Connor and Joseph kept Sarah far beyond Kenleigh’s reach, one of them ever at her side as cuts of venison were set to roast above the fire, cornmeal was mixed into ashcakes, and more firewood was gathered. If Kenleigh made any move to take her, they would kill him before he touched her.

Kenleigh said little but went about his business, watching the venison, brushing his horse, speaking to it in soft reassuring tones. The chestnut stallion, which he called Zeus, nuzzled him, nickering softly, the affection between the two helping to reassure Connor that Kenleigh wasn’t entirely evil.

Men could be easily fooled; animals were not.

An hour later, they sat around the fire, Sarah between Connor and Joseph—and across the fire from Kenleigh.

The man cut off a sliver of roasted venison with his knife and ate it with uncommon grace, his manners sharply at odds with his rough appearance.

“Obwandiyag of the Ottawa speaks of uniting the tribes to throw the whites out. When this war ends, I fear we shall face another.”

Joseph seemed to consider this. “It will be hard to bring the tribes together. The Haudenosaunee and Wyandot will never stop fighting, and my people will never ally themselves with the Mohawk.”

“I’ve heard Obwandiyag speak. He is metai—a spiritual leader—and holds the respect of many.” Kenleigh cut off another slice of venison. “Some among the Ottawa believe he was born to rid the Americas of Europeans.”

Then his gaze shifted to Sarah, who had stopped eating to listen. “I apologize if my words frighten you, miss.”

“She’s my wife.” Connor spoke the words with more force than he’d intended.

Kenleigh met his gaze. “What brings you out this far?”

And Connor saw that Kenleigh trusted them no more than they trusted him. Why then had he approached them? There could be only one reason—Sarah.
Connor’s hackles rose.

“A Mequachake Shawnee war party took her.” Connor cut Sarah a slice of meat and held it out for her, using the gesture as an excuse to move closer to her. “We came to get her back.”

Kenleigh looked from Connor to Joseph and back again. “Just the two of you against the entire village?”

“Aye.” Connor cut a slice of meat, the juices hot on his fingers. “You’ll find a dozen or so dead Shawnee a good day’s journey to the south.”

Kenleigh seemed to study him, as if taking his measure afresh, then his gaze shifted once more to Sarah. This time, his voice was gentle when he spoke. “Is what this man says true? Is he your husband?”

“Aye, sir.” A blush crept into Sarah’s cheeks. “We are… We are newly wed.”

“Felicitations.” Kenleigh’s gaze shifted back to Connor. “I’ve given you my name. ’Tis time I learnt yours.”

Joseph spoke first. “Joseph Aupauteunk, war chief of the Mahican.”

“I am Connor MacKinnon, and this is my bride, Sarah.”

Kenleigh’s eyebrows rose. “Connor MacKinnon? Major Connor MacKinnon of MacKinnon’s Rangers?”

“Aye, the same.”

“Why didn’t you bloody say so in the first place? With deserters running rampant through these woods, I saw the woman and feared she was your captive.”

Sarah gaped at him. “You thought to rescue me?”
Connor gave a snort. “Is that why you contrived to sup wi’ us—so that you could discover the truth about her?”

“Aye.” Kenleigh grinned, reaching out to cut another slice of meat. “And I suppose you thought I was a deserter.”

Connor met his gaze. “Are you?”

“Nay.” Kenleigh cut off another slice. “I fought beside Colonel Washington as a volunteer in the Virginia Regiment early in the war until I was taken captive by the Wyandot.”

Connor concealed his surprise. Few taken by the Wyandot escaped being burnt alive in their fires. He might have asked Kenleigh how he’d avoided that fate, but the haunted look that came to Kenleigh’s eyes stopped Connor cold.

Master Kenleigh journeyed with them for the rest of the afternoon. He insisted Sarah ride while he walked, but Connor would allow this only if he sat upon the horse with her, apparently trusting neither the stallion nor its owner with her safety. He climbed onto the beast’s back, then drew her into the saddle before him, positioning her so that she sat astride.

But Sarah had never sat a horse in so bold a fashion before. Heat flooded her cheeks as her already short doeskin skirt was pushed up, leaving her legs exposed from the top of her leggings, which tied off just below her knees, to the middle of her thighs. “I cannot sit like this. ’Tis indecent and—”

“Stop thrashin’ about, or you’ll frighten the horse.” Connor steadied her, taking the reins from Master Kenleigh, who held the bridle, speaking to the stallion in low, reassuring tones.

Though Sarah couldn’t be certain because of his thick beard, it seemed to her Master Kenleigh was smiling.

Then Connor spoke softly for her ears alone. “This journey has been hard on you, lass. Rest while you can. Besides, ’tis no’ as bad as being bare-breasted, aye?”

And Sarah’s cheeks burned hotter.

For a time, they moved through the forest without speaking. Birds filled the forest with song, their staccato chirps and trills a merry chorus. The sky was still blue, warm sunlight filtering down through budding branches onto a carpet of wet leaves, last summer’s crowning glory now a faded carpet. A warm breeze blew through the trees, carrying the mingled scents of damp earth, moldering vegetation, and sunshine, mountains and valleys stretching out around them as far as the eye could see.

Oh, how Margaret would have loved to paint this for one of her landscapes! Yet, even Margaret with her eye and her skill with the brush would have struggled to capture such beauty on canvas. How could any art depict a wilderness as fierce and vast as this?

Sarah’s gaze dropped to Master Kenleigh, who walked beside them. What a mystery he was. In appearance, he seemed every bit the wild man, a trapper of little means, crude and unkempt, a haunted look in his eyes. Yet his speech was refined, his manners those of a well-bred gentleman.

It touched Sarah that he had thought to rescue her. A stranger, he’d been willing to risk his life to save hers. Yet, how fortunate it was for all of them that he’d chosen to seek out the truth of her situation before striking. Who’s to say who might have emerged the victor had he attacked Connor and Joseph? Of a similar height to Connor, he clearly knew how to fight and survive.

She’d often heard her father say that Britain was well rid of the riffraff who emigrated to the Americas—the poor, convicts, traitors, heretics, zealots. But it seemed to her that the American frontier bred men of uncommon strength and courage, men who were every bit as gallant as they were rough.

And something Joseph had said came back to her.

In this land, nobility comes not from one’s fathers or a title or from the land one owns, but from one’s actions. The MacKinnon brothers are the highest nobility to those who live on the frontier—true warriors, men who know how to fight and survive, men who put the lives of others before their own.

Sarah could see that now. Though Connor, Joseph and Master Kenleigh would not have been welcome in her father’s halls, they were noble men, possessed of skills and qualities few London gentlemen could match.

It was Master Kenleigh who finally broke the silence, pointing through the trees toward sun-dappled hills beyond. “When you reach the valley between those two mountains, veer east. The Delaware are gathering at the northern end of that valley, most of them ready, like the Shawnee, to abandon their peace with Britain. Unless I am mistaken, MacKinnon, there is still a price on your scalp.”

There was a price on Connor’s scalp?

“Aye, so there is.”

The men began to speak of the land and the surest routes to Fort Edward, their knowledge of this forest beyond her comprehension. How they could tell one stand of trees, one mountaintop, one valley from the next, she could not say. And lulled by the motion of the horse and the fresh, warm air, Sarah drifted off to sleep.

She roused sometime later—how much later she couldn’t say—to find her head resting against Connor’s chest, his arm wrapped gently around her ribcage just beneath her breasts. She felt safe in his embrace, sheltered, cared for. Not wanting that feeling to end, she let herself doze, her mind catching snatches of quiet conversation.
“Have you seen the great river?” Connor’s voice rumbled in his chest.

“The river the Ojibwa call Mshi-ziibi? Aye, I’ve seen. I’ve crossed it, in fact, and journeyed west beyond it for most of a year.”

“What lies beyond the river?”

“Plains so vast they seem like an ocean of tall grass and beyond that mountains that make these peaks look like mere hills.”

And for a time she dreamt she was floating over waves of grass in the birch bark canoe, her head lying against Connor’s chest as he rowed.

“Your wife is a gentle creature. Why in God’s name did you bring her out here? You of all people should know the frontier is no place for a woman.”

“My reasons are my own affair, Kenleigh.”

They were talking about her, she realized. But then she was drifting again.

“Where are your men? Why are you out here alone? You’ve long leagues yet to travel and just the two of you to watch over her.”

“We hadn’t yet mustered for the season. Most of the Rangers are winterin’ wi’ their families. I sent for volunteers, but I dinnae think they’ll be able to find us ere we reach Fort Edward. They’ll track us as far as Mequachake, but whether the village will still be there or they’ll be able to find our tracks leading westward, I dinnae ken.”

When next Sarah opened her eyes, she saw Master Kenleigh set his rifle against a tree and draw his buckskin tunic over his head as if he’d grown overly warm from his exertions. The shirt of white linen he wore beneath it got caught in the supple leather and nearly came off, too, giving her a glimpse of his bare back.

It took a moment for Sarah to understand what she was seeing.

Scars.

His body was covered with them. Cuts. Pinched flesh. Burn marks. It looked as if someone had tried to cut him to bits or burn him alive. Or both.

She sat upright and might have gasped had Connor not covered her mouth, his lips pressed against her ear as he whispered an almost inaudible, “Shhh.”

And Sarah’s heart filled with pity for Master Kenleigh. Someone had hurt him horribly, and his flesh bore the marks of that cruelty.

Now he lived alone on the frontier with no home, no family, no one to call his friend. How lonely he must be! And yet, even in the midst of his loneliness he had turned aside from his own path for her sake.

But who had hurt him and why?

Joseph, who had been scouting ahead, was waiting for them as planned at the top of the next ridge. He acknowledged Connor with an almost imperceptible nod.
“It’s here we part ways, Major.” Kenleigh took the stallion’s bridle. “A good day’s journey east of here, you’ll find an old farmstead where your wife can take shelter.”

“Are you certain you willna travel wi’ us?” Connor dismounted, then reached up for Sarah, setting her on her feet beside him, strangely pleased by this fiction of his being her husband. “You can trade at Fort Edward, build up your stores. There’s always room in the Rangers for a man wi’ your skills and knowledge.”

Kenleigh took the reins and rubbed the horse’s muzzle, answering without meeting Connor’s gaze.

“You honor me, Major, but I have seen enough war.”

’Twas as final an answer as a man could give, and having seen the scars on Kenleigh’s body, Connor did not begrudge him.

“Should you ever be in need, seek me out.” Connor adjusted his tumpline pack, then reached for the rifle he’d tucked behind Kenleigh’s saddle. “Thank you for sharin’ the venison—and your horse. I hope we didna take you too far out of your way.”

“I have no destination, so you needn’t fear on that account.” Then Kenleigh faced Connor, holding out his hand. “’Tis not every day a man meets a living legend.”

Connor shook Kenleigh’s hand, feeling vaguely discomfited by the praise. ’Twas Iain and Morgan who were legends, not Connor. “I bid you farewell and a safe journey.”

Kenleigh’s gaze came to rest on Sarah, and he bowed his head. “Ma’am.”

He turned away and began to mount his horse.
“Wait!” She hurried over to him. “You would have risked your life for mine, and for that, I am most grateful. I’ll not forget your courage. May God bless and keep you and guide you on your journey, wherever it may lead. I shall keep you in my prayers.”

Then she stood on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to the man’s cheek, much to Connor’s astonishment. Kenleigh’s gaze dropped once more to Sarah’s face, but it wasn’t lust Connor saw in his eyes. It was soul-deep longing, loneliness, regret.

When Connor glanced over his shoulder a few minutes later, Kenleigh still stood there atop the ridge, watching them as they made their way down the mountainside.

###

“Who hurt him? How did he get such terrible scars?”

“I suspect the Wyandot tormented him. He didna wish to speak of it, and I didna ask.” Connor glanced down at Sarah, who walked beside him, her brow furrowed. “Is that why you’ve been so pensive?”

To the west, the sun hovered just above the horizon.

“I cannot bear to think of how he must have suffered.” She looked up at him. “Does the thought not distress you?”

Her question, asked in innocence, gave Connor pause. It wasn’t that he didn’t care what had befallen Kenleigh, but it hadn’t shaken him the way it clearly had Sarah. “I’ve seen cruelty enough in this war to sicken a man’s soul.”

Sarah watched him through troubled eyes. Clearly, this wasn’t the answer she’d expected, but it was the only one Connor could give.

So there you have it! A scene I loved so much I wanted to share it with you all, especially those of you who are fans of the Blakewell/Kenleigh Family trilogy, and Nicholas Kenleigh. I truly hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.

Pamela, thank you for sharing this with the group! You put your heart and soul into your stories, and it shows, each and every time, and Defiant is no different. It's going to be a HUGE success, and it couldn't happen to a more deserving woman!

Want to win a copy of Defiant?

Tell us what what you thought of that deleted scene, or what you've been doing to pass the time waiting for Defiant. One commenter will win a ebook copy of Defiant from either Amazon or Barnes and Noble, or a paperback copy from Book Depository. Open to U.S. residents only, or international residents anywhere Book Depository ships.

Comments must be posted by 12:01am EST July 3rd.

Oh, I must go find me a copy soon!

Thank you Pamela, I can't imagine putting your heart and soul into a novel, and then have to tear it apart! I can certainly understand when the story doesn't flow, but it still has to be very difficult.
I have the first two books in the series, but holding on till I can read all three at once! Looking forward to it.

I loved this scene and how it showed Nicholas's true character, his willingness to rescue Sarah should she need it even after all he suffered, just as he did for Bethie.

One question? Do we get to know what Lady Sarah's secret is? :) Is that one part of the story we will still get?

Bravo, Pamela. Sorry you couldn't fit this into the story.

OMG!!! I LOVE IT...gah it makes me fall in love with Connor and Sarah all over again =) Thank you for sharing it!!! I am not entering the contest since I already have it.

Lynsey A wrote: "Do we get to know what Lady Sarah's secret is? :) Is that one part of the story we will still get?"

YES!!!!!!!!!! And what a secret it is!

Thanks, UM! Can't wait!!! :)

Pamela thanks for allowing the scene to be posted. Thanks for posting it Dhes! I loved the scene! I am on pins and needles waiting for Defiant to come out. Until then, I have put it in my currently reading, even thought I don't have it yet, just so I will be all set to go. :-)

Thanks Dhes for posting it--it was awesome! Although I shouldn't have read it, becuase I got all wrapped up in it and want Defiant right now! And ohhhh, I remember how Nicholas got those scars...

Thank you Pamela for putting your heart into your work--it shows.:)

I'm convinced Pamela can write no bad. Even the deleted stuff is magic.

Auntee wrote: "And ohhhh, I remember how Nicholas got those scars..."

OMG... I still cringe when I think about it and it's been months since I read it. Talk about truly tortured hero.

Thanks for sharing! I just came to read this, I have already read Defiant.

Those who are waiting, I can say it was everything I hoped it would be! You'll love it!

That was excellent. Very cool to see these two series intersect!

Thank you for sharing Pamela.

Love everything Pamela has done... this is no exception! Can't wait for Tuesday!

OCH, its too bad this didn't work for PC because I LOVE the idea so much of overlapping the two series. A very exciting idea,

Thanks for posting this Dhes and thanks for sharing the awesomeness Pamela. Can't wait for Connor in a few days although this did make it a bit easier.

As my friend In The Cage says "Even the deleted stuff is magic."

WOW, I loved this and am sorry it didn't work. I know it must have pained Pamela to have to remove this scene! Thank you Dhes for sharing with us. I fell hard for Nicholas in the Blakewell/Kenleigh Family Trilogy. I think I stopped breathing several times while reading his story (and for more reasons than the suspense:)

Pamela, Thank you for sharing your amazing talent with us. You are such a gifted and incredibly talented writer and with your intense research skills the ending product is always magnificent! I devour everything you write and then anxiously wait for more:)!

I can hardly wait for Defiant and Connor's story! In addition to all the greatness in this series; the American Colonial setting, the rich history of the time period and region, you have given us some mighty fine Highland Warriors. These MacKinnon brothers take my breath away for sure and there's enough heat to blow up the entire British camp:)

Wow, thanks for sharing Pamela! I'm super excited to read it! Angela told me she loved it so I'm just waiting for a chance to read it myself!

Thanks so much for posting this, Dhes, and Pamela for writing it.
I can hardly wait to read the books.

WOW! Thanks for posting, Dhes, and for sharing this scene with us! Now I'm even more impatient to read Defiant.

Pamela, Your talent never ceases to amaze me and your stories always have such heart, soul, passion, and tackle difficult subjects with integrity. Thank you and please never stop writing!

And I'm glad we had an awesome I-Team story, Skin Deep, to help pass the time while in Defiant wait mode. :)

Wow!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing Pamela & Dhes. I've never read Ride the Fire, but me thinks I'm going to buy it now - I need to know more about Nicholas!

Alyssa, you are in for such treats!

Alyssa (Hesperia Loves Books) wrote: "Wow!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing Pamela & Dhes. I've never read Ride the Fire, but me thinks I'm going to buy it now - I need to know more about Nicholas!"

**gasp** Alyssa! For shame! ;) Yes, you must read Ride the Fire It's sooo good! Nicholas is seriously one of my absolute favorite heroes ever and that book... have tissues handy. And a fan.

Just sayin'...

I'm glad you're enjoying this little time with Connor, Sarah and Joseph, and of course, Nicholas Kenleigh. I haven't been this excited about a book release in a long, long time and I KNOW you're all going to LOVE it!

Thanks to all of you who've posted here for your comments and kind words. I must be the luckiest author in the world to have readers like you, who appreciate my stories. I would answer each of you individually — I read every comment — but I have vowed to write 3,000 words today, as I must if I want to finish STRIKING DISTANCE on time. (And I know you want that!)

YES, it was SO painful to delete this scene. I knew how much readers would enjoy seeing the series dovetail, and I personally got MAJOR MAJOR gratification out of adding Nicholas to the book. But in the end it didn't work.

This story was about Connor and Sarah, and the narrative had to stay focused on them without detours.

I'm hoping there's a way to work him into Joseph's story, which will take place (I'm guessing) in 1763 just before Pontiac's Rebellion.

So here's a fun thought, and one that rolled around in my head while I wrote this. IF Sarah had, indeed, been a captive and Nicholas had rescued her, do you think the two of them would have fallen in love, leaving poor Bethie and her baby to die on the frontier (or be taken captive by the Wyandot)?

UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~* wrote: "Alyssa (Hesperia Loves Books) wrote: "Wow!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing Pamela & Dhes. I've never read Ride the Fire, but me thinks I'm going to buy it now - I need to know more about Nicholas!"

**g..."

LOL...I'm not really a fan of Historical Romance, but Pamela writes it in a way that makes me love it. I'll definitely be giving it a shot :)

Pamela wrote: "IF Sarah had, indeed, been a captive and Nicholas had rescued her, do you think the two of them would have fallen in love, leaving poor Bethie and her baby to die on the frontier (or be taken captive by the Wyandot)? "

Bethie and Sarah are such totally different people, as are Connor and Nicholas, that I'm not sure the personality and life experience dynamics would have allowed for them falling in love.

The thing is, Nicholas is such a tortured soul, I'm not sure he could have connected with Sarah's more refined nature, whereas Bethie had lived through her own brand of hell and wasn't as socially... delicate or sophisticated as Sarah.

So, I don't think Nicholas would have ever been able to see himself as worthy of a 'well bred lady' like Sarah, but I think Bethie's kind of strength and understanding is exactly what he needed.

I would have been so so sad if the birth scene in Ride The Fire had never happened Pamela. Perish the thought!

As I've said before, Ride The Fire was my first Pamela Clare read and of course will always be my favorite. So you can imagine what a treat it was for me to read the deleted scene and catch a glimpse of my favorite hero of all time, the tortured but oh so awesome Nicholas. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing it.

I give Dhes the credit, Michele. It was her idea to share it with you all. :-)

I wish I could have kept it in the story!

I love Nicholas, too, and I think of RIDE THE FIRE as the book of my heart, the novel where I found my voice as a writer.

Alright, this scene should not be deleted!!! And Thank you Dhes for sharing with us.

My Defiant is on the way from UK to Malaysia by Bookdepository. The item will be arrive within 3-4 weeks. But I'm looking forward to buy ebook.. if I got luck!

Now please tell me, where I can find Nicholas's story? What's the title? He's sound good to me.

The title is RIDE THE FIRE. It's out of print until February when it's being reissued with new material and revisions.

UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~* wrote: "Pamela wrote: "IF Sarah had, indeed, been a captive and Nicholas had rescued her, do you think the two of them would have fallen in love, leaving poor Bethie and her baby to die on the frontier (or..."

Well said, Dhestiny.

I am a big believer that you end up where you're supposed to. Nicholas and Bethie were supposed to be together, so that's how it worked out. They just had to wade through all the rough spots and heartache to find their happy ending together.

I agree with Dhes, too, Lady Danielle. Another thing: Because he is more upper class than Connor, I really think he wouldn't even have considered touching Sarah. He has a great deal of respect for the British throne, considers himself a loyal subject of the King. He wouldn't dally with the king's great-granddaughter.

Of course, it isn't lack of respect for the British that lands Connor and Sarah, um, together, shall we say...

Pamela wrote: "The title is RIDE THE FIRE. It's out of print until February when it's being reissued with new material and revisions."

Thank you Pamela. Just bought and from Smashwords.

Where can I find RIDE THE FIRE?

Nisha, you can't unless you find it used somewhere. It's out of print and not available as an ebook right now. It's being reissued in February 2013 with new material and revisions. So it's a bit of a wait for that one.

Sorry!

Pamela wrote: "I agree with Dhes, too, Lady Danielle. Another thing: Because he is more upper class than Connor, I really think he wouldn't even have considered touching Sarah. He has a great deal of respect for ..."

That makes sense, Pamela.

Pamela wrote: "Nisha, you can't unless you find it used somewhere. It's out of print and not available as an ebook right now. It's being reissued in February 2013 with new material and revisions. So it's a bit of..."

Ooooic :-) then I will wait in year 2013.

Thank you Gorgeous!

I hope everyone will enjoy RTF's epilogue and the revisions.

When I finished writing RIDE THE FIRE, I told my agent I'd never write a book like it again.

I honestly don't know if I have managed to equal it. For me, writing that book was such an outpouring of personal emotion.

I totally can see that. It was a highly emotional read for me!

I'm glad the book held emotional power for you, Lady Danielle. I was trashed for six weeks after finishing it. I couldn't do anything but cry.

Wow! I hope that it was a good catharsis for you to get that emotion out. Thanks for sharing it with us!

You're all so very welcome! I'm glad you're loving this scene as much as I did. I thought it'd be a fun way to pass some time while waiting for July 3rd to finally get here! Thanks to Pamela for sharing it with us!

Honestly, if you haven't met Nicholas Kenleigh, you're missing out on one of historical romances greatest heroes. The trilogy is excellent so be sure and put it on your 'books to buy' list for after you've finished DEFIANT and are looking for your next Pamela Clare fix.

Looks like I'm going to have to buy another copy of Ride The Fire when its re released. gotta have the new material and revisions. (Gah I'm just imagining the yummy new cover)

Although I don't personally see how it could get any better??? That in my opinion is a perfect historical romance and everything I've read in the genre since must adhere to my new RTF ratings scale

If you live in the U.S. near an indy bookstore, or have a book club or reading group you meet with and want to help promote DEFIANT, drop me a PM with your mailing address so I can send you some DEFIANT romance trading cards. Keep 1 for yourself and pass the others around to friends, co-workers, reading buddies or bookstores - anyone you can tempt into reading the book!

Loved meeting Nicholas again ;-). Sorry it had to be deleted because you write so wonderfully , now I guess I'll have to buy the re-release to get that extra material!!! Ride the Fire is also one of my favorites :-)).

And the winner of DEFIANT is Nisha Mslvoe!

Nisha, I'll contact you for your shipping/order information!

Okay, are you ready??

The live action book trailer for DEFIANT is finally out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYQA2W...

Congratulations, Nisha! Enjoy!