The Duke’s Daughter – Romance Lives Forever

Character Interview with Avery Fox

This interview is designed for your hero or heroine to tell
readers about himself or herself. Answer the questions as if the character were
talking.

Tell us about
yourself, please.

‘My name is Avery Fox, I am in my late twenties, but
considering I lied about my age to join the army as a young lad you will have
to forgive me if I don’t reveal my exact age.’

What inner doubt
causes you the most difficulty?

‘It would take a special woman to want to love me. I don’t
know that such a woman even exists. Having never known love myself, I am not certain
I am capable of feeling such an emotion.’

In the story world
your author created, explain what it is you fear most and why.

‘I fear that the world will discover I am a man without
honor, that I am no war hero. I took a life and personally gained from it.’

Tell us about your
significant other, that person who makes living worthwhile.

‘Beautiful, kind but unattainable. She is a duke’s daughter
and I just happen to have suddenly found myself in line for an earldom. There
can never be a future for the two of us together.’

What is your family
like?

‘I don’t have one, though I do envy those who have a loving
family. It is not something I have ever known.’

What special skills
do you rely on?

‘Expert marksman. Former army sniper. I am also a proficient
sketch artist and painter. There was a lot of downtime in the army so you have
to find something to amuse yourself.’

If someone from your
past showed up, who would you NOT want it to be, and why?

My older brother Thaxter, he made my life a living nightmare
as a child, which is why I ran away from home at such a young age. Fortunately,
there is little chance of ever meeting him again.

About the Writer

Sasha Cottman’s debut novel was
published in 2013. Letter from a Rake, was a Romantic Book of the Year finalist
in 2014 and won the Book Junkies Choice Award in 2014.

Her books are centred on the theme
of love, honour and family. Her current book series, The Duke of Strathmore,
covers the story of the love lives of a group of siblings and their cousins.

Sasha’s second novel An Unsuitable
Match, was a four time ARRA finalist in 2015. The third book in the Duke of
Strathmore series, The Duke’s Daughter, was released in August 2015.

Sasha divides her time between the
city of Melbourne, Australia and her family beach retreat at Torquay. She and
her family have discovered all the places the family cat disappears to whenever
it realises they are about to head home on a Sunday night.

Before accidently enrolling in a
course for romance writers a number of years ago, she had always had a love of
history. While her writing career may appear at odds with her professional
career as a finance executive, it means she can spot a poorly written company
board report at twenty feet.

A self-confessed ‘hopeless’ cook,
she writes a blog, In the Regency Kitchen, where she recreates recipes from the
Regency/Georgian era. Her family have so far managed to survive being the test
subjects of her culinary efforts.

The little time she has left during
the week and weekends is spent trying to beat her husband at Fitbit challenges
and trying to find where the pair to that sock really went.

What was your biggest
challenge in writing this book?

Finding time with a full time career is always a challenge.
This book actually wrote much of itself (I know that sounds odd, but I am a
plotter and this book had less planning than any of my other books).

Why did you choose
this character for the interview today?

Avery Fox was a character that demanded he be written. I
loved exploring what it must be like to live in a world where no one has ever
loved you and then meet someone capable of unconditional acceptance and love.

Are any sequels
planned for this book?

This is book 3 in my Duke of Strathmore series. I am
currently writing book 4.

What genre(s) would
you like to write that you haven’t tried yet?

Fantasy fiction with all its world building would be
brilliant.

What would your
readers be surprised to learn about you?

I spend my days working with facts and numbers while
managing 40 staff of a listed company before going home to write about the
lives and loves of imaginary people who live in England 200 years in the past.

Why should readers
who haven’t picked up one of your books before give this one a try?

If you want a happily ever after story, a laugh and the
warmth of reading about characters and the family who love them, then my books
are for you.

About the Book

Title The Duke’s Daughter

Genre Historical Romance

Author Sasha Cottman

Book heat level (based on movie ratings): PG13

When handsome army officer Avery Fox unexpectedly inherits
a fortune, he instantly becomes one of the season’s most eligible bachelors.
More accustomed to the battlefield, he has no patience with the naive
debutantes who fill the ballrooms of London.

Honest and impetuous Lady Lucy Radley is a breath of fresh
air, guiding him through the season and helping him to avoid any traps. So when
Avery is left with little option but to marry Lucy, he can’t help but feel he’s
been manipulated. Nor can he shake the feeling that a duke’s daughter should be
out of his reach.

From the wildly beautiful Scottish Highlands to the
elegant soirees of Paris, Avery and Lucy go on a journey that is full of
surprises for them both. But will their feelings for each other be strong
enough to overcome the circumstances of their marriage and survive the ghosts
of Avery’s past?