Meet Ashley
Two things you should know about me right upfront. I’m a hard-core romantic! And I love history!
I believe true love, real or imagined, should transform your life from a solitary journey into a passionate adventure. Easier said than done sometimes but writing about the infinite number of possibilities, working out the exact when and where, and developing the character's personal journey to get there, thrills me to no end.
I love history with larger-than-life heroes, chivalrous knights, lords and ladies, castles, manors, battles and conquests. These are the foundations for passionate, historical romance novels. That’s what I write. There is nothing like the intense emotions sparked between a driven, hard-working medieval warrior and a feisty damsel in a quandary, often not of her own making.
​
It only makes sense that I use my MA in History and all those research techniques to create romantic characters from the past. Although I'm writing fiction, I like to incorporate authentic places, events, and people, embellishing the past. I use real history but with an artistic flair. I love research, especially from primary documents, and could get lost in them! You’ll discover a world of fiction wrapped around historical people and events in my stories. Some events you may recognize, some you may recognize but a little different than you remember, and some are just from my imagination.
​
I’m fascinated by the High Middle Ages in Scotland, England, and Ireland. There are so many world-changing events taking place here from their participation in the Crusades to the Battle of Hastings that permanently connected the islands to the continent. Before the Declaration of Arbroath, before William Wallace, before the Doomsday Book, the area was ripe for great events and they never failed to deliver. It is on this combustible backdrop that I create characters with the same desires and motivations as we have today.
​
When I’m not writing, I enjoy cooking. It’s relaxing and I always like to find something new and easy. On Fridays I occasionally share simple recipes with Foody Friday. Sometimes entrees. Sometimes desserts. Sometimes snacks. Always delicious.
​
Feel free to look around, sign up for my newsletter, and be sure to come by again.
​
