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Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog. Today I have historical romance writer Mageela Troche visiting with her book, The Marriage Alliance. First, Mageela shares an embarrassing moment when she was younger. Ever have something similar to this happen to you???? An embarrassing moment that always makes me burst out laughing is one that happened when I was about seventeen. It was summer here in Manhattan and everyone—and I mean everyone I knew was outside, talking and hanging out while listening to the radio. I had to go home for a moment and one of my best friends was accompanying me. We were standing at the curb waiting for the traffic to past when I heard my other friends talking about something (what that was I cannot remember). Being nosy, I turned around just as I took a step off the curb. Well, there was a hole in the street and my foot landed right in it. I went straight down to the ground. Laughter rang out around me but it blended along with my own. Now the thing is when I laugh really hard I snort. So there I was, laying down face first on the hot tar, snorting with laughter and tears running down my face. Sure, my ankle hurt a little but I wasn’t bleeding. The story kept everyone entertained that whole day. Ho boy! I'm glad you weren't seriously hurt! I can relate to such an incident similar to that. So, tell us a little about your book, The Marriage Alliance.  Her hand in marriage could secure peace and safety for those she longs to protect. Lady Ailsa Cameron is not the most patient of souls. She has even slept through a few high masses. Still, this gentle lass never did anything wicked enough to deserve her father’s pronouncement that she must wed the dread Black Duncan, Laird of Clan MacLean. As leader of the Spartans of the North, Duncan MacLean has inspired many a gruesome tale throughout the majestic highlands and beyond. Duncan accepts Laird Cameron’s offer of his daughter’s hand in marriage and pledges to make war against their shared enemy, Clan MacKinnon. Duncan aches to possess his ravishing bride as passionately as he vows never to lower his defenses again. Love blooms between them nonetheless, until betrayal incites a war. Clan MacLean is in danger as are Ailsa and Duncan – but the thing in most peril is their love. Can past enemies become lovers at last? Or will the flame in their hearts be consumed by the fires of war? Can you share an excerpt from the book? It certainly sounds intriguing to me! Scottish Highlands, 1256 Surely, Ailsa Cameron never managed anything in her score of a lifetime so wicked to deserve this cruel punishment. She never took the life of another. Admittedly, she dozed through a few masses in her lifetime. Others were guilty of such sin and never punished so harshly. Maybe, it was the many times she took the Lord’s name in vain. That vile curse hadn’t passed her lips for some time, not since her last penance forbade her from speaking for a sennight. She had remained silent until the noon meal but her guilt still lingered. Even that did not warrant her wedding the dreaded Duncan MacLean. Nay, she journeyed along the stone-littered tract to the MacLean fortress because of men and one in particular, her father—Laird Cameron. His fierce desire to merge with the Spartans of the North appointed Ailsa the maiden sacrifice to appease the ferocious dragon. Who was the dragon—her father or her husband-to-be? Either way, Saint Peter would throw open the pearly gates for her since she behaved as the dutiful daughter, pledging the rest of her days to Laird MacLean. Not that she had many days to live. MacLeans would rather kill a Cameron than share the air…of course, after they cut out her tongue. Especially since bloodthirsty MacLeans enjoyed a savory meal of human flesh. Would her tongue be roasted before consumed or eaten raw? No doubt raw. That meal probably accounted for the clan’s immense proportions. Few men towered over Highland men yet most Highlanders struggled to stand shoulder to shoulder with MacLean men. Muscular forms of others appeared scrawny beside the mighty MacLeans. And the women were no smaller, just about the height of an average Highlander, convenient since both sexes lugged around basketfuls of enemies’ fingers. Ailsa strained to reach her brother’s wide shoulders. She’ll never fit in. She wanted to escape to the mountains rising in the distance behind her. If she veered her mare around, she could gallop away to freedom in the harsh environment, where she could starve to death or, if luck were on her side, be eaten by wild animals. Maybe, it wasn’t too late to be a bride of Christ. She could live in a convent and not starve or have her flesh ripped from her bones by the sharp fangs of wolves. Then again, the nunnery might not be the best place. Even though Ailsa perfected the serene visage, her talents rested elsewhere. Besides, she had slumbered through quite a few more masses than she admitted. Another sin she added to her mental count. Taking the veil would be a disaster for her and the nuns. So, Ailsa rode onward, up the cresting hill. The impressive fortified castle soared on the rocky outcrop overlooking the loch at the path’s end. A towering curtain wall hugged the craggy contours as the loch’s water lapped gently against the rocks. Harsh Highland elements weathered the structure’s limestone to a mixture of grays, browns, and whites cloaking the structure with a dismal aura Ailsa believed her life would become once behind its walls. Even her gentle mare, dismayed by the sight ahead, stumbled on a stone strewn on the trail meandering to the gatehouse and her doom. “We shall be well, Joy.” Her mare tossed back her head and neighed, not believing her. Patting her lean crest, she peeked through the veil of her hair to her father. He wore a pleased looked on his face that bode ill for others. She glanced at her elder brother. Alec sent her tentative smile then turned his gaze. He was as happy about this marriage as she was. As the heir, Alec tried to persuade their father from his determined course but to no avail. Father had a plan, and his children must submit to his commands. “Come along,” Laird Cameron demanded, placing himself between the two siblings. She sucked in a lungful of crisp highland air, slowly exhaling until the straining muscles in her face eased. Unlike the countless other times, her calming technique failed so she decided to ignore him. Glancing upward to the lofty battlements, she spotted two heads. Oh God’s eyes, she forgot that gruesome tale! She gawked and swallowed her squeak. MacLeans decorated their parapets with their enemies’ heads on spikes as a warning to those foolish enough to attack. For the rest of her short days, she’d have to see ghastly heads…until she was propped next to them. “By marrying the brute, my influence will extend to these lands, and I can get what is mine. Girl, you’ve been an annoyance since your first breath,” Laird Cameron snarled the exact words he had grumbled since her first breath. Ailsa craned her neck, scanning the ramparts for more spiked heads when her father jerked Joy to a halt, whipping her head forward. “Finally, you serve some good.” https://www.amazon.com/Marriage-Alliance-Mageela-Troche-ebook/dp/B072N3G575/ This sounds like a wonderful read, Mageela. Let's see what we can find out about Mageela Troche!  An Air Force brat, Mageela Troche has lived throughout the world then landed in New York City. She wanted to leave the same day she arrived. Yet, with her stubbornness, Mageela learned to like the place and the libraries were the main reason. Since she was a little girl, Mageela wanted to be an author and an actress, however, once in college, she changed her life plan in the pursuit of money. After all, college loans must be repaid. With life’s twists and turns, she returned to writing and focused on the romance genre. Mageela Troche’s first break came when she sold a short story to a magazine. She sold two more before the publication of her historical romance novel, The Marriage Alliance. She has gone on to write four more novels and a novella. Mageela is currently writing in the cramped corner of her Big Apple apartment. She is the proud owner of a Black-masked lovebird named Boobula. She loves to hear from her readers and can be found online at MageelaTroche.com website: http://www.MageelaTroche.com Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/AuthorMageelaTroche Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/MageelaTroche Pinterest: http://www.Pinterest.com/MageelaTroche blog: http://www.trocheauthor.wordpress.com It's nice to have you on my blog again, Mageela, thanks for stopping by and sharing your book. I hope you have great success with it. If you're a visitor to my blog, we love to hear from you. Please leave us a comment and let us know you stopped by. Thanks Connie
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