I am delighted to introduce you today to Laura Beers and her book Saving Shadow!
Laura Beers spent most of her childhood with a nose stuck in a book, dreaming of becoming an author. She attended Brigham Young University, eventually earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management.
Many years later, and with loving encouragement from her family, Laura decided to start writing again. Besides being a full-time homemaker to her three kids, she loves waterskiing, hiking, and drinking Dr. Pepper. Currently, Laura Beers resides in South Carolina.
You can connect with Laura on Facebook.
Her debut novel, Saving Shadow, released on September 1, 2017
Born with a perfect memory, Lady Elizabeth Beckett has become one of the world’s most notorious spies, despite being the daughter of a duke. She is shielded only by her code name: Shadow. When young ladies of High Society begin disappearing from London, Eliza has no doubt who is orchestrating these crimes; a heinous man she has been investigating for years. Vowing to save them before they are sold to the highest bidder, she must risk everything to stop him.
Lord Sinclair was perfectly content being the second son of a marquess, but when his brother is murdered, he is thrust into a position he has not been prepared for and does not desire. As an agent for the Crown, he is expected to retire now that he is the heir, but he’s been granted special permission for one more mission… to obtain justice for his murdered brother.
Used to keeping secrets, Lady Eliza and Lord Sinclair must learn to open up to each other when they are assigned as partners to bring down the same ruthless man and his brutal empire of abduction and slavery. As Eliza’s tainted past becomes too much for her to bear alone, can she learn to trust her new partner with her secrets, her life, and possibly her heart?
Hi Laura! Welcome to the blog!
Laura: Apples. They are crunchy, delicious, and the perfect snack.
Carrie: Yep! Yum!
Laura: Summer. We call summer, “Cousin Time,” and all my siblings get together for one big vacation. It helps our kids get to truly know their cousins and become friends, too.
Carrie: Aww! Even though I hate summer, that sounds like lots of fun!
Laura: Dogs! Cats only tolerate your existence, but dogs love you, regardless of your faults.
Carrie: Yay for dogs!!
Laura: Neither. I am a Dr. Pepper enthusiast. I have started to slow down my drinking habits since my muffin top is starting to expand.
Carrie: hahaha!
Q: Around here I like to say that reading is my superpower. If YOU had a superpower, what would it be?
Laura: My superpower is my uncanny ability to discover the best-tasting Dr. Pepper fountain drinks within 25 miles. That way, it saves me time, money, and my taste buds rejoice.
Carrie: LOL! I’m the same way with diet cokes.
Q: Who is your favorite book character from childhood?
Laura: My favorite book character of all time is Nancy Drew. She was everything I aspired to be when I was younger: talented, kind, popular, and she could solve mysteries after school. Whenever she teamed up with the Hardy Boys, I would curl up on the couch and read the book in one sitting.
Carrie: Yessssss!!! My favorite Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys book was the one where they went to Memphis… or maybe it’s the one with the Olympic-like games … or maybe the ski resort. Yes. It’s the ski resort. Um… yeah. Anyway… lol
Q: Writing spaces are as diverse as authors and books. Where is your favorite space to write?
Laura: My favorite space to write is at the kitchen table. When my kids are home from school, I can watch them play Minecraft or finish their homework. That way, I don’t feel as guilty about being on the computer as much.
I am a writer, but being a mother is still my favorite job.
Carrie: aww i love that!
Q: Tell us a little about Lady Eliza and Lord Sinclair. Did you have any photos and/or people that inspired these characters?
Laura: At seventeen, Lady Eliza had an intense desire to have more adventure in her life. She wanted to do more with her life than what other people thought she was capable of. The problem was that she wasn’t prepared for the emotional toll of taking lives in defense of the Crown or for her own near-death experience.
Lord Sinclair was content being an agent of the Crown until his brother was murdered by their step-brother. He was angry and bitter for his brother’s senseless death, but he started to heal once he met Eliza.
Lady Eliza and Lord Sinclair were kindred spirits. They were two people that were longing for respite from their own demons and turned to rely on each other.
Carrie: I cannot wait to meet them! 🙂
Q: If you were going to become a spy (Regency or otherwise lol), what would you want your code name to be? And, why?
Laura: My code name would be Silver Fox. Foxes are often depicted as a symbol of cunning and trickery, a reputation forged by their ability to easily evade hunters.
Carrie: Love it! I need to think about what mine would be… hmm…
Q: What do you most want readers to take away from Saving Shadow?
Laura: Everyone dreams of adventure and saving the world, but could you kill if the situation required it? Eliza wanted adventure, but began losing herself when she started believing she was more assassin than spy. I wanted to share a story that showed the raw emotion of a female agent of the Crown, who kills only when necessary. Sounds intense, right? However, in between the soul-searching and the dangerous adventures, there’s a fun, lighthearted story with plenty of witty banter!
Carrie: sounds like my kind of book!
Thank you so much for taking time to talk with me! 🙂 Before we say goodbye for today, tell us what‘s coming up next for you.
Laura: I am so excited about my 2nd book in the series, A Peculiar Courtship. The tagline for this book is, “He would protect her from anything. Even herself.” The story revolves around Lord Jonathon Beckett and Lady Hannah, and a sinister plot by the dastardly French spies that are hiding in plain sight.
Carrie: Ahhhh! Can’t wait!
Laura Beers is graciously offering an ebook of Saving Shadow to FIVE of my readers! Open internationally except where prohibited by law. This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.
What about you? What would your spy code name be?
Ooo! Shades of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Love it! My spy code name would be Eugenie. Cause I like the name. And I read a book about Napoleon’s early love! A long time ago.
oh i love that, Paula!
My spy code name would be Lieutenant Frank Colombo. (We never actually heard his first name, but in one of the episodes he flashes his I.D. and you can see the name Frank.) I think I have watched every episode! I’m not familiar with Laura Beers and her book. It’s fun to find new authors.
Nice to meet you Laura. My code name would be Lord Calvert.
Laura sounds like a great new author. Thanks, Carrie, for introducing us to another good book!
I think my spy name would be Ruby Dancer because it just sounds cool, haha! Laura’s book looks really awesome. Thanks for the great interview!
Mine would be Shyreader
This sounds like a good book. I guess my code name would be Gardener since I enjoy plants.
My code name would be Super Mema. Right now my grandchildren think I can do anything. Wait till they get a little older. Lol. I am enjoying my super status while it lasts.
Hi Carrie,
Okay thinking of a spy code name is fun. I’m going to go with a name some of the freshmen boys at work call me….. Momoshoo. Either that or LitEater (because I love to devour books!)
Thanks for introducing me to Laura and her interesting book.
My code name would be bookertc
Ooh! This sounds like something I need to read! Let’s see. A secret spy name… Hmmm… I think Wraith would be my spy name. All the best people have that code name. Just ask Tox ?
Thanks, Carrie! It’s nice to meet a new-to-me author. My brother-in-law taught construction management at BYU for quite a while. Maybe Laura had him for a professor.
I don’t think I’d be a very good spy. I’m not a good actor, and I’m sure I’d give myself away right off.
Hmm, I’m not sure what my code name would be… Probably The Reader, because that’s what my family thinks I do all the time (they’re not far off 😉 ).
I wouldn’t have a spy code name, because I wouldn’t live long as a spy. Everything I feel shows on my face!
Hmmmm…maybe…ok, I can’t think of anything. I’m not creative. 🙂
SQUEEEE!!! Regency spy novel!
My spy name would be Spicy Dragon.
haha! Fun!
I think my spy name would be Crafty Baker because those are two of my hobbies other than reading
haha! i love it!