My first novel–which features a woman who embroiders—was published in February 2014 by Harlequin/Love Inspired. I had so much fun writing it!
Here is the blurb:
A Mother’s Mission
When her baby is stolen out of her arms, noblewoman Annia will do anything to find her—even brave the treacherous back alleys of Rome to search for her. Desperate to be reunited with her daughter, Annia finds herself up against a fierce Roman soldier who insists her baby is safe. Dare she trust him?
Rugged war hero Marcus Sergius rescues abandoned babies for his mother’s villa orphanage. When he witnesses Annia’s courageous fight for her child, he remembers that some things are worth fighting for. Helping Annia means giving up his future…unless love is truly possible for a battle-hardened Roman legionary.
The review from Romantic Times Magazine:
Divorced by her husband, Annia is shocked to learn that her baby girl is to be taken away, perhaps to die. Marcus Peregrinus, the soldier who comes to take her baby, hopes to become prefect with the help of Annia’s ex-husband. Taking the baby is a way to get it, but he has no plans to let the baby die. Discovering how evil his new benefactor is, Marcus soon finds himself very involved in Annia’s life, to the point that it may endanger him, his family and the charitable work they are doing. An interesting look at Roman life in the early days of Christianity. The hero’s struggle to do what is right and still pursue the future he believes he wants is well represented.
Where the idea for this novel came from:
When I was doing research for my dissertation (on Shakespeare) and reading Greek and Roman drama, I came across information on this barbaric practice of infant exposure–where babies are set out to either die or be taken by slave traders because the father does not want the baby for some reason. It could be that there is not enough money to support the baby, or that the baby is in some way handicapped, or because the baby is a girl and the father does not want to pay the dowry. Anyway, all I could think about was the poor mothers. What would they feel after carrying a baby for nine months, and then having the baby taken away?
So, I wrote the first draft of this novel during National Novel Writing Month after finished my dissertation and was waiting to graduate
So, I wrote the first draft of this novel during National Novel Writing Month after finished my dissertation and was waiting to graduate
Milinda Sews 