Always Reading: NBTM Virtual Book Tour: Madame Rebelle by Amber Leigh Williams

MADAME REBELLE

Amber Leigh Williams

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GENRE: Historical Romance

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BLURB:

Rebel. Smuggler. Spy.

Champagne, France 1943

Meet Madame Rebelle. Edmee Guillon is a smuggler. She hides people from the German troops surrounding her ancestral home. When a dying man in a German uniform seeks refuge at Maison Boutet, Edmee struggles to believe his claims that he is French. Her life, the maison and the people she loves are already at stake. Can she take the chance that this mysterious spy is who he says he is? And which side of this war is he really on?

Christian Vovk has been betrayed by someone inside his resistance organization. He knows asking the striking young war widow to hide him will put her in certain danger. However, Christian can help Edmee save as many refugees as she can. Falling in love with her will hinder his duty to the operation that brought him to her doorstep in the first place. When love and duty become inevitably tangled, will Christian sacrifice one for the other?

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EXCERPT:

“Go home, Edmée. Do not come back to this part of the woods.”

As the soldier moved away, Edmée couldn’t believe it. They were letting her go?

Just like that?

Her feet tripped over one another as she moved into the trees. That was far easier than it should have been. They hadn’t asked to search her bags. They hadn’t asked what she was doing in the woods in the dark after curfew.

They’d only asked her name.

It made no sense.

She fled, her hands locked around the handles of the suitcases.

She didn’t risk taking her usual path back to Maison Boutet. She weaved and wandered for a while through brambles that caught her clothes and mud that sucked at the bottoms of her boots.

It felt like minutes…or maybe hours before she was back at her uncle’s vineyard.

The cases dangled weightily at the ends of her arms. Her knuckles had been white around them for so long, she could no longer feel them.

The maison was so dark, she failed to distinguish it from the landscape.

She looked at her muddy shoes, her trousers soaked past the ankles. The suitcases would have to be hidden, half of the contents destroyed…

She rushed into the heart of the rows. Her beacon was now the limestone mound with its rough-hewn back to the sky, the entrance to the hidden network of caves underneath the estate.

She wedged past the rocky entrance and stumbled down the steps toward the light.

At the bottom, the barrel of a pistol greeted her.

Her heart slammed into her ribs. Her knees threatened to fold.

She gaped at the man behind the gun.

Christian’s face was red and sweat-sheened. In the lantern’s low throbbing light, his features looked harsh. Moisture cloaked his bare chest like a second skin.

She’d searched him—his clothes, his personal effects… How did he get a gun?

Her lips trembled. She lifted her chin, regardless. The words were rough against her throat. “Are you going to shoot me?”

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Author Interview

Tell me about yourself. Where are you from?

ALW: Hi! My name is Amber Leigh Williams. I write historical fiction, romantic suspense, and contemporary romance. I've lived on the Alabama Gulf Coast for the majority of my life.

What genre do you read? Who's an author you read? Name your top 5 authors.

ALW: I try to read a little bit of everything but the genres I love most are rom-com and historical fiction. The five writers who bring me the most joy are Christina Lauren, Adrienne Young, Ali Hazelwood, Rebecca Yarros, and Sherry Thomas.

What book are you reading right now, and what do you like about it?

ALW: Since I'm researching my next novel at the moment, I'm reading several different books including trail guides for the Appalachian Chain. At the same time, I'm making my way through Catherine Mann's Hometown Heroes series and I am loving every second of it!

Favorite sports.

ALW: My kids have been playing team sports since they were preschool-age so I love to watch soccer and softball. Personally, I love walking, paddleboarding, fishing, and biking—anything that gets me out in the fresh air.

Favorite thing about your state you live in.

ALW: I love the wetlands. Biodiversity plays a big part in day-to-day life here. We've had turtles and crawfish walk up to our front door. The alligators at the state park are local celebrities with their own names and personalities. While I don't love the summer heat domes, I do love leaving footprints in the white sand on the beaches and watching the waves and herons.

How long have you been writing?

ALW: I've been a writer since elementary school. I found a pocket full of stories in my mind and began to write them down. For a long time, I've been fascinated how words and stories come together and how powerful they can be.

What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?

ALW: I've tried both and I can say with absolute certainty that I write better with an outline on deadline. Over time, I've learned to give myself breathing room so if change happens organically and it doesn't alter the overall structure of the plot I can go with the flow and that gets the writing interesting.

How did you come up with the ideas for your book?

ALW: I’ve always been interested in what happened in Europe during World War II, but then I read three books that focused primarily on 1940s France and the French Resistance. The first was Sarah Helm's A Life in Secrets: Vera Atkins and the Missing Agents of World War II. The second book was A Train in Winter by Caroline Moorehead, and the last one was a firsthand account of World War II France by Agnes Humbert called Resistance: A French Woman's Journal of the War. I became deeply invested in the lives of women in the resistance and all the things they risked and sacrificed to take their country back from the German Army. That's where the character of Edmée was born.

How do you celebrate finishing a book?

ALW: I write on a tight schedule so when a book is completed, I usually take a week off to recalibrate. I'll catch up on reading, go on as many long walks as I can, and spend time with my family and my four dogs.

What would you tell a writer who is just starting out? What program do you use for writing? What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book? What’s your writing software of choice?

ALW: I would tell a new writer not to focus so much on making their story perfect. Instead, put emphasis more on excellence in your work. Perfection is unattainable and I believe that’s what leads to writer's block. It just holds a writer back. Pursuing excellence, on the other hand, is more productive, in my experience.

I use Microsoft Word primarily though I've had my quibbles with it. I would experiment with different programs to see which works best for you, your pace, and your writing style.

How do you organize everything and finding the time to sit down and write?

ALW: I'm not sure I am all that organized. My notes tend to get scattered all over the place. Creativity is born out of chaos. I do schedule blocks of time for writing sprints when I'm on deadline. This can be in the middle of the day or late at night or during a trip to the library with my kids. I've done writing sprints during road trips and vacations. Learning to write anywhere is a great tool for any writer's toolbox.

As an author, what would you choose as your spirit animal?

ALW: I love this question. I am highly responsive to treats and head rubs so I would definitely be a big, messy, fluffy, floppy-eared dog, the kind that naps the day away, cuddles on the couch all evening then takes up most of the bed at night.

Who has been the biggest supporter of your writing?

ALW: My family has been very supportive. Madame Rebelle is my 14th publication and they were as excited about it as they were when the first book hit the shelves. They're all so sweet and lovely about it every time.

How do you name your characters?

ALW: As silly as it may seem, I'll often refer to baby name lists until I find something that feels right. When Madame Rebelle was in early stages, I researched names that were popular in 1940s France and French surnames. As soon as I heard the name Edmée, I knew that would be the main character's name. After researching, I found that the name partly means “protector,” which fits who Edmée is to a T.

Can you describe a typical day in your writing life?

ALW: During the work week, I'll spend five to seven hours in our homeschool room with the kids. They normally have extracurricular activities as well so things won't wind down until six p.m. at the earliest. It's important during the day to find those little blocks of time here and there to write, whether it's at home, the library or soccer/softball practice. After the kids go to bed, I'll normally stay up until one a.m. if I'm on a deadline to get some more writing time in, and I drink loads of ginger peach tea to help keep me awake.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Amber Leigh Williams writes pulse-pounding romantic suspense, historical fiction, and contemporary romance. When she’s not writing, she enjoys traveling and being outdoors with her family and dogs. She is fluent in sarcasm and is known to hoard books like the book dragon she is. An advocate for literacy, she is an ardent supporter of libraries and the constitutional right to read.

Madame Rebelle - Purchase Links

Amazon Ebook

Amazon Paperback

Amber’s Website

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