Meet an editor and lady’s man in
Elizabeth Camden’s
historical romance
From This Moment
Bethany House
The Story
Romulus White has tried for years to hire illustrator Stella West for his renowned scientific magazine. She is the missing piece he needs to propel his magazine to the forefront of the industry.
But Stella abruptly quit the art world and moved to Boston with a single purpose: to solve the mysterious death of her beloved sister. Romulus, a man with connections to high society and every important power circle in the city, could be her most valuable ally.
Sparks fly the instant Stella and Romulus join forces, and Romulus soon realizes the strong-willed and charismatic Stella could disrupt his hard-won independence. Can they continue to help each other when their efforts draw the wrong kind of attention from the powers-that-be and put all they’ve worked for at risk?
Introducing Romulus White
Brief physical description
As you can see from the picture, I am tall, dark, and handsome. I’m lucky to have been born with good looks and an abundance of natural charm, as it hides a world of insecurity. Not that I’d let anyone see behind the curtain to learn that, but you did ask….
Resembles…
I’ve been told I look exactly like Rupert Everett from the 1999 movie An Ideal Husband.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths? I publish the world’s most prestigious science magazine, and that tends to open a lot of doors for me. I am a voracious social animal, and love the chance to hobnob with Boston’s intellectual and scientific community. As for weaknesses, they are surely too many to innumerate, but my mother would say my chief failing is squiring too many women about town and refusing to settle down. I have announced that I will marry when I am forty, which means I’ve got eight more years of blissful bachelorhood to savour.
Quirk (if any)
Well, you’ve already seen that my name is ‘Romulus’ and that is burden enough for any man to lug about his entire life. I’m afraid I was born during my mother’s fascination with Roman history, so I was saddled with the name of Rome’s founder. I’m grateful I wasn’t born during her medieval phase or I’d have been named Beowulf, so it could be worse.
Background to the story
My early story was told in the novella Summer of Dreams, which is free, by the way. http://amzn.to/1U2yter As a writer myself, I find it appalling that Elizabeth Camden is giving her work away for free, but that’s not my main gripe about the novella. What annoys me is that she exposed all my weaknesses to the world. Yes, yes…I am handsome and charming…but it is all a façade covering up howling insecurity and my biggest fear is that someday the rest of the world will realize it. I got kicked to the curb in Summer of Dreams and was reduced to snivelling idiocy. Mercifully, From this Moment picks up ten years later when I am at the top of my game. As the editor of Scientific World, I count the nation’s leading inventors as close friends and have built a fantastic reputation both for myself and my magazine. The only thing that is driving me insane is that I can’t hire Stella West to do the colour illustrations for Scientific World. I’ve never met the woman because she lives in London and I live in Boston…but we’ve been carrying on an outrageous correspondence for the past four years. I’ve offered her my firstborn child if she will only come work for me, but she continues to resist. Rumour has it she is moving to Boston, and I await her arrival with expectation. I suspect we will either get along famously or want to kill each other on sight.
Your inspiration for the character
Elizabeth Camden here. When I wrote Summer of Dreams I intended for Romulus to be only a secondary character. Despite my best efforts, he tended to steal every scene he appeared in, and I figured he was worthy of leading man status in the follow-up novel. From this Moment is about how a committed bachelor falls hard for a woman who works for his magazine. Little does he know when he hires Stella that their alliance will cost him dearly.
Summer of Dreams is a prequel novella that takes place ten years before the main story, and features the same cast of characters. I loved having a chance to show my main characters in college….with all the exuberant hope and reckless choices young people sometimes make. Checking in on them ten years later allowed me to develop some terrific storylines about love and enduring friendships. I hope you download Summer of Dreams (free, remember!) and if you like it you can check in on Romulus, Clyde, and Evelyn all grown up in From this Moment. Both stories read perfectly well as stand-alones, but if you’ve got an e-reader I hope you pick up Summer of Dreams, too!
Thanks Elizabeth!
Relz Reviewz Extras
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Visit Elizabeth’s website and blog
Buy at Amazon: From This Moment or Koorong
June 25, 2016 at 10:26 am
I don’t know about more intriguing, but I do like unusual names if it fits the character. Thanks fornthe post and the giveaway!
June 25, 2016 at 10:33 am
I do find unique names easier to remember. I read the prequel novella Summer of Dreams several weeks ago and couldn’t remember the names of the other characters (Clyde and Evelyn) until I read them in this blog post, but I sure did remember Romulus! I do think names should fit the characters, and Romulus does fit his character. I’m looking forward to reading From This Moment.
June 25, 2016 at 10:50 am
Romulus is an historic name so I don’t find it very weird, but I can’t stand names with different spellings or made up names.
I read this novel on the Kindle and loved it!
June 25, 2016 at 10:51 am
I agree that the name should fit the characters! 🙂 I do love Elizabeth’s characters! And the cover is stunning!
June 25, 2016 at 11:03 am
I like unique names as long as I can pronounce them in my head. If they are spelled funny, then it makes it difficult for the book to flow.
Thanks for the chance to win!
June 25, 2016 at 11:17 am
I love your character action review. He is quite able to speak for himself! Enjoyed it very much. Kathleen – Lane Hill House
June 25, 2016 at 11:20 am
I like unique names as long as they are easy to pronounce. I’ve been trudging through a book with impossible names. I’ll never remember them.
June 25, 2016 at 11:28 am
And character names… I loved Amaryllis in Dawn Crandall’s The Everstone Chronicles and her name preceded her. Kathleen
June 25, 2016 at 1:38 pm
I don’t know that I find characters with unique names more intriguing, but I do like unusual names.
June 25, 2016 at 4:05 pm
I find them intriguing if they are historically accurate and not too ridiculous 😉 My tastes run more towards common (but not trendy) names overall.
June 25, 2016 at 4:37 pm
Of course I love unique names, as mine also is 🙂 They are both fascinating and intriguing to me!
Thank you for the chance to win a copy of “From this Moment”! Elizabeth is a exceptionally excellent writer.
June 25, 2016 at 11:34 pm
I like unique names, although I rarely use them in my writing. Oh, I went to Elizabeth’s FB page and saw a post about the most misspelled words by state, and I helped make sergeant Mississippi’s word.
June 26, 2016 at 1:41 am
I wouldn’t use the term intriguing but I do enjoy an unusual name on occasion as long as it is easy to pronounce and that there are not too many in the same novel.
June 26, 2016 at 3:09 am
Unique names can be fun, just as long as I can figure out how to pronounce them.
June 26, 2016 at 5:41 am
I do find characters with interesting names more intriguing; however, if it’s too crazy or doesn’t fit the person, I’m not a fan.
June 26, 2016 at 8:55 am
I do like characters with different/intriguing names. As long as I can figure out how to pronounce it!
June 26, 2016 at 10:14 am
I do enjoy characters with different/unique names, especially when there is a backstory as to why they have that name (like in Romulus’ case!). Although oddly spelled versions of common names can get a little annoying, unless there is a reason for it that the author has included! 🙂
June 26, 2016 at 10:48 am
As long as the name and spelling fit with the time period, I’m generally fine with something unusual. Classical mythology has long been popular in academics, so a name like Romulus makes sense to me.
June 26, 2016 at 10:51 am
I do like strong nicknames.. doesn’t have to be unusual though..
June 26, 2016 at 4:44 pm
I don’t find that unique names make a character anymore intriguing, but I am a lover of old-fashioned names. When I named my daughter Sadie, it was after my grandmother. 17 years ago it wasn’t as common as it is now, especially in Amish fiction. haha
June 27, 2016 at 3:58 am
I like unique names but don’t think the name makes the character intriguing. I think it’s a bonus, though, if the intriguing character comes with a unique name 🙂
June 27, 2016 at 7:08 am
I love unusual names. The more original, the better. But I’m not as massive fan of made up names – I prefer names that get a unique names that second lease of life to names that feel clobbered together.
However, I don’t feel all characters need ‘out-there’ names; it just helps with remembering characters. Hadassah from Francine River’s Mark of the Lion series is a perfect example.
June 27, 2016 at 7:22 am
It’s always fun to see how authors come up with unique names and it certainly makes them stick in your head more!
June 27, 2016 at 8:35 am
I like characters with unusual names. They stand out more to me when they do.
June 28, 2016 at 12:32 am
love his name!
June 28, 2016 at 12:58 am
Not really – it sometimes feels like all authors throw in the unique names more and more and you miss hearing a John meets Sarah. 😀
Sometimes the names are so unusally, that the reader doesn’t know how to pronounce the name and just look upon it as “X” – but every once in awhile – it’s nice.
Of course, I have a different name and never see it much – but that’s okay! 🙂
Have a Blessed day!
June 28, 2016 at 12:59 am
I don’t think a name makes a character more intriguing, but I do like a unique name.
June 28, 2016 at 1:39 am
I find them interesting. Sometimes I picture characters with odd names one way & it’s always fun to have them turn out to be the opposite of what I expected. Would love to win this book!
June 28, 2016 at 2:38 am
I don’t know that I find them more intriguing… but I do enjoy characters with unique names! 🙂
June 28, 2016 at 3:01 pm
Love interesting names and characters. Book sounds really good. When we have money, I’ll check it out.
June 29, 2016 at 5:03 am
I have been waiting for this one to come out! Definitely in my TBR pile.
June 30, 2016 at 6:49 am
Sometimes I like unique names. I’m currently reading a book with a character named Capability (she’s usually called Kitty). She was named after another Capability, a man who I think was an architect and a real person.
June 30, 2016 at 10:04 am
I appreciate unique names, but they don’t make or break a character for me. A character who is a good role model is a great character no matter what their name is!
July 1, 2016 at 3:41 am
I don’t know that I find characters with intriguing names more unique in terms of their characteristics, but I DO find them more memorable because they’re unforgettable because of their unusual name. Great post! 🙂
July 1, 2016 at 6:50 am
Yes, I find characters that have interesting names very intriguing. I think it adds to the story.
July 1, 2016 at 12:07 pm
I just want to say that I cannot wait to read this book. As soon as I finish a book by Elizabeth Camden, I’m checking to see when the next will release. I feel like many of her characters have had unique names, and I like that.
July 2, 2016 at 4:41 am
Yes! Love unique names for characters. I find them more interesting 🙂