Today's Special - - Madeline Martin

I'm delighted to welcome historical romance writer Madeline Martin to The Romance Dish today. A 2015 debut author, Madeline now has three published books under her belt. Her latest, Enchantment of  Highlander was released last week and is another winner. I've enjoyed all three books and am excited to see what she brings us next. When Madeline isn't busy writing, working or mothering, she can often be found, as she puts it, "engaging in workouts that keep my life exciting." She has completed a 50 mile mountain bike ride and annually runs a local 10k mud run to support MS research. You can find Madeline online at the following locations:

Twitter (@MadelineMMartin) 
Facebook  http://on.fb.me/1ByLMIy  
Goodreads  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12062937.Madeline_Martin

Please give Madeline a warm welcome!

Almost every time I ask my readers what they want to know, I get requests to know more about me and my daily life as an author. Well, prepare to be entirely underwhelmed by the daily life of this writer.  (Warning: contains no glamor)

Before we can get into it, I have to introduce the cast of characters:

Me – I’m heating up the Highlands with my Scottish set historical romance. I love my minions, Mr. Awesome and all the goofy fun we have together. I’m president of my local writing chapter, First Coast Romance Writers, and love to bring authors and readers together with my weekly giveaway on my FB page, Free Book Friday (https://www.facebook.com/MadelineMartinAuthor)

Mr. Awesome – He helps me mitigate the crazy and has an incredible ability to keep me from going all Chicken Little when schedules get tight. I swear the man has the patience of a saint and is my personal hero.

OldestMinion – A sweetheart with an artist’s soul and a penchant for starting fights with her younger sister. No, I have not given in to the temptation to let them death match it out. Yet.

YoungestMinion – A hard core Momma’s girl (she’s asked if she can go back in my stomach so we can be together all the time – I know, creepy cute, right?) who thinks her sister is a goddess among men and has more sass than I can sometimes handle.

Now – a typical day:

4:30AM: Wake up and hit start on my beloved Keurig. Correction: Fill Keurig (because those things are always empty) then hit start.

4:33AM: Write/Edit

6:00AM: Present minions with ten and five minute wake-up warnings before sweetly luring them from bed with breakfast. That failing, issue warnings until they finally acquiesce and come downstairs.

7:30AM: Drop off minions at school and go to corporate America job where I pull report with SQL code and make pretty charts in Excel. On my breaks, I reply to FB posts, e-mails and make a to do list for the evening.

11:30AM: Go to the gym. Sometimes the A/C is broken, but that just means I sweat out more toxins,

right??? (Note: If I’m behind on my writing/editing schedule, I’ll do that on my lunch break instead)

4:30PM: Get off work and collect the minions from school before honorably (ie: refraining from cussing) fight through traffic to get home.

5:00PM: Make dinner and help the minions with homework while researching said homework (PS Common Core, I hate you)

6:30PM: Eat dinner together as a family, because I will always believe in the value of that.

8:00PM: Tuck the minions into bed with back scratches, songs and kisses. Then while Mr. Awesome reads them a book (cuz he really is that awesome), I catch up on that to do list I made earlier.

9:00PM: Meet up online with other writers for writing/editing sprints.

10:00PM: Spend quality time with Mr. Awesome and usually head to bed around 11 or so to do it all again the next day.

Friday nights we do Family Fun Nights, which usually consists of a variety of any of the following items: dance-a-thons, junk food, board games, family friendly movies we can all enjoy (Barbie not included – my brain will automatically reject any Barbie movie)

Confession: I remember(ish) almost everything for home and work and school and writing and family with a confetti of post it notes scattered around my world and detailed, color-coded excel spreadsheets. Included in this is a weekly goal spreadsheet where I track what needs to be done in all aspects of my life to ensure what’s important stays forefront.

In between all the times listed above is a bunch of snuggles, kisses, crazy jokes, random silliness and showers (because while I didn’t list it, I swear I do make time to take a shower every day).

Yes, it is a busy schedule, but it’s one I happily do as it’s filled with love and all my dreams come true. 

Readers, tell us about your typical day. Or tell us about your favorite kind of historical romance. 

Do you enjoy highland romances? Madeline writes highlander heroes worth swooning over! 

I have a signed, print copy of Madeline's second book, Possession of  Highlander for one randomly chosen person who leaves a comment on today's post. (U.S. addresses only)

Alec MacLean returns home after a decade to find his recently deceased father has let his inheritance fall to ruin. As the new laird, it’s Alec’s responsibility to rebuild the castle and restore the lands. He must also regain the people’s trust after having abandoned them so long ago, a feat not easily done when he fears he’s plagued with the same darkness as his father. 

Celia escaped the North Berwick witch trials at a young age, surviving because of the sacrifice of her beloved caretaker. She’s made a life for herself in the wilds of Scotland where no laird rules, a life where she heals for coin, a life without love so she can never feel the hurt of loss again. 

When the new laird comes back to claim his land, his determination to restore order threatens everything Celia has worked so hard to gain, especially with the undeniable attraction sizzling between them. Together, they will face all challenges, from the tangle of their own damaged pasts to the fire-fueled witch hunts sweeping the Isle of Mull. Together, they will find that the best way to overcome darkness and war is through the undeniable light of love.