Character Interview and Giveaway - Topaz Eyes

Today’s blog will be Meet A Heroine Monday!  I have Keira Drummond, of Topaz Eyes by Nancy Jardine, answering some interview questions.  A FREE e-copy of Topaz Eyes is being offered to one lucky commenter...please leave a comment with a way to contact you should Nancy draw your name from the hat!

Hi Keira…some background info first…when is your birthday and how old are you?

That question makes me feel even older already! I’m a Pisces, born 15^th March and I’ll be 28 come my next birthday.

How do you spend your days and what are your hobbies?

Before I got embroiled in the quest to find the Tiru Salana jewellery collection with Teun Zeger my days now seem pretty tame. I’d mostly be spending the day doing my work as a translator, on the internet a lot, and sometimes on the phone for long consultations. Occasionally I’d travel to the client which might mean some short trips to Europe. All that didn’t leave me much time for hobbies, but when I can manage it I love to explore new places. I guess the hobby part is finding out what I can about the place before I go, and where to see when I get there.

A quest like that sounds exciting!  Can you list 3 words that best describe you?

Dedicated, tenacious, pain- butt (that’s what my sister calls me!)

I’m sure she means it lovingly!  Where have you traveled?

I am so…lucky about that. My work has given me lots of opportunities for travel, and as a student I lived and worked in quite a few places in Europe. Heidelberg –of course - is where the treasure hunt began.  And the Topaz Eyes hunt also took me to Vienna, Amsterdam… If I look at a map of Europe there are not all that many places I’ve not been to! I’ve not made Greece yet, or Hungary, but someday I will. The fantastic jewellery search with Teun has meant I’ve managed to get across the Atlantic to the US, to Rochester/ Minnesota, and Duluth, and New York. All flying visits but I’m convinced I WILL return!

Wow, how wonderful to have seen so much.  If you could keep only one material item you own, what would it be?

Ah! That would definitely be a certain item of jewellery that Teun Zeger has given me. I won’t tell you exactly what, or that just might give away too much of the story!

What is your favorite food? 

Being a Scot I have to honestly say it has to be haggis, neeps ‘n tatties. For those who’ve never heard of that famous Scottish dish it’s a kind of oatmeal pudding. Traditionally it’s made from the sheep’s pluck – that’s the liver, heart, lungs - mixed with oatmeal, onions, and suet. Haggis is served with mashed neeps – that’s orange fleshed turnip in Scotland, what the English call swede – and mashed potatoes. The veggies are usually mashed with a bit of butter and pepper. I love a moist haggis and not too peppery!  

Well, I can safely say I’ve tried none of those things.  Favorite drink?

Well, that’s not Scottish –it’s Aurum from Italy - a spectacular orange liqueur. You really want to try it sometime! Mmmm..

That’s more my speed, lol.  Lastly, who would play you in a movie? 

Oh, someone who looks like the English actress Keira Knightley would be perfect.

Oh, she’s beautiful!  Thanks for sharing with us, Nancy and Keira.  Readers please enjoy the blurb and be sure to leave a comment to enter the contest!

Topaz Eyes Blurb:

A peculiar invitation to Heidelberg embroils Keira Drummond in the search for a mysterious collection of extraordinary jewels once owned by a Mughal Emperor; a hoard that was last known to be in the possession of Amsterdam resident, Geertje Hoogeveen, in 1910.

Who among the progeny of Geertje – hitherto unfamiliar third cousins brought together for the quest – can Keira rely on? Distrust and suspicion among them is rife.

Which one is greedy, and determined enough, to hire thugs to tail her… and worse… as she travels to Vienna and Minnesota?  Can Keira even trust Teun Zeger - a Californian she is becoming very drawn to – as they pair up to unearth the jewellery?

As they follow a trail of clues, will they uncover the full collection before the hired gun kills them? Details remain furtive and undisclosed until danger and death forces their exposure. And who harbours the ultimate mystery item that is even more precious than the Mughal jewels?

Greed, suspicion and murder are balanced by growing family loyalty, trust, and love.

 

 

Buy Links for Topaz Eyes:   

Amazon http://amzn.to/RhRWK1

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/261511 

Amazon author page for books and YouTube trailers: http://amzn.to/RJZzZz

Nancy Jardine can be contacted at these places:

http://nancyjardine.blogspot.com   http://nancyjardineauthor.weebly.com    http://facebook.com/nancy.jardine.56    Twitter @nansjar