The Seduction of Sarah Marks (19 page)
Read The Seduction of Sarah Marks Online
Authors: Kathleen Bittner Roth
Acknowledgments
I actually dreamed this entire story one night. I woke up amazed that I had watched a movie in my sleep. Even though I wrote a couple of novels before I managed to get to this one, the story remained as a bright spot in my heart. When I sat down to finally put it to words, the characters and the story came alive as though the dream had occurred the night before.
I have a passion for collecting stories of eccentric women throughout history who were daring enough to step outside the dictates of society. Mum is my representative of these unconventional women who lived during the Regency and Victorian eras. All the stories Mum tells about her past are based on actual events belonging to the wilful daughter of an earl, Lady Hester Stanhope (12 March 1776—23 June 1839). Niece to William Pitt the Younger, she acted as his assistant while he was prime minister. Upon his death, the government awarded her a lifetime pension, which she promptly used to pursue a scandalous life in the Middle East, never to return to England. Wild and daring, Lady Hester thought nothing of traipsing around the desert in men’s clothing, or of taking a string of lovers, including one twelve years her junior. Given the opportunity to write whatever stories I enjoy telling, I simply had to include Mum in all those wild adventures.
I want to thank my agent Jill Marsal of the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency for placing
The Seduction of Sarah Marks
in the right hands. You are my rock.
Many thanks to my wonderful editor, Erin Molta, who showed me how to make this story even better. I also thank you for your bright and cheery support that shines through, even in the briefest of emails.
Thanks to my wonderful RWA® Hearts Through History critique partners: Wendy, Anne, Tess, Averil, Renee, Barbara, Joan, Sam, Cari, and Deb for helping me put the right words into the story. What an amazingly talented and caring group of women you are!
Thanks to the awesome 2012 Firebirds. As fellow finalists in the prestigious Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Contest®, we’ve stuck together and supported one another through thick and thin. Thanks for being there when I needed you most.
To my Beta readers, Jennifer Arp and Nancy Linehan. Your precious input and catching those niggling little typos and sentences that didn’t make sense saved me on more than one occasion.
To the Lalalas and The Dashing Duchesses, I’m in the best of company!
Thanks to my wonderful Hungarian neighbor, Edit Meszaros. A fantastic cook who lived for a time in England, she makes her own liqueurs. Without you, Mum’s “tipples” wouldn’t have been authentic. And thank you, Edit, for those scrumptious meals when I was too busy trying to finish a manuscript to cook. And hey, you even lent me your cat to prance around on my desk. What more could I ask for?
And since you, dear reader, have chosen to read my story, my heartfelt thanks. Without you, there’d be no point, would there? I hope you enjoyed the story.
About the Author
Kathleen Bittner Roth is a PAN member of Romance Writers of America® and belongs to the Hearts Through History Romance Writers chapter. Kathleen was a finalist in RWA’s prestigious Golden Heart contest and has won numerous awards for her writing. She is the founder of Inner World Perceptions, an international well-being center. She has worked in the media for many years (television and radio, including The History Channel, and all four major networks). Kathleen has also been a contributing editor of an online romance magazine and a guest on many blogs.
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