Amor Libris: Are there any new authors who have caught your attention?

Sarah Stuart: I’m a reviewer for Readers’ Favorite so I often have the chance to read authors’ first books, sometimes before they are published. It’s very satisfying to be able to offer advice knowing it won’t affect their Amazon rating. Red Tide (Aspen Falls Thrillers Book 1) is Peg Brantley’s debut novel, and I loved it: that was a 5 star.

Amor Libris: Can you share the title and blurb of your latest book?

Sarah Stuart: Dynasty of Deceit: A Showbiz Family Saga (Royal Command Book 3)

“Screams cut the clear air.” The Diamond Superstar, Michael Marsh, turns from signing autographs to see his beloved wife, Lizzie, lying dead on the snow: a skier in black is spotted speeding away towards the Matterhorn. Lisette leaves her husband, Brian, and rushes to her grieving father’s side, rekindling media suspicions of an incestuous relationship.

Jealous, and driven by guilty secrets of his own, Brian abandons Lisette, who is pregnant with his son. For the sake of Lizzie’s youngest daughter, Greta, he is determined to find the killer and mete out justice. The Swiss police ask the London force for help and the detective chief inspector assigned to the case is hostile, influenced by paparazzi stories that Lisette, Michael, or both, wanted Lizzie dead.

Who stabbed the woman everybody loved, and why? How can twins, secret lovers Harriet and Kit, help Greta, and will the way they choose bring the showbiz family empire crashing to the ground? Can rejected, deserted Lisette keep her solemn promise to Lizzie to pass on Margaret Tudor’s Book of Hours with its Royal Command “find love where ye may” to a daughter conceived in love?

Amor Libris: Who is your favorite character from your latest book, and why?

Sarah Stuart: Michael Marsh, the Diamond Superstar. He is the root, trunk, and branches of the whole series. It spans over forty years, which does mean a huge cast of characters. Dangerous Liaisons opens with Michael. Whether Sweet Temptation will end with him, I don’t know yet, but without him, none of the books would exist. Why do I like him, other than the books developed around him and he fascinates readers? For the same reason that he captivates so many fans: he’s handsome, sexy, and talented, and fun to write about.

Amor Libris: Are any of the characters and/or experiences in your books based upon yourself or someone you know?

Sarah Stuart: The characters, other than the villains, are people I would like to meet rather than based on people I have met. Some of the experiences are based on my own, and that will be especially true of Sweet Temptation. The settings are based more on experience of them than research. I have visited all the twelve European countries included in the concert tour in Illicit Passion, except Poland. Kraków has a sports stadium, also used for concerts, which seats eighteen thousand people: perfect for the drama of the final concert.

Amor Libris: Can you share with us about what you are working on now or your next project?

Sarah Stuart: I’m writing a fourth book in a series that began as one book, Dangerous Liaisons, and then developed into a trilogy with a very clear end to the historical thread that had run throughout. Some readers who took the time to review Dynasty of Deceit on Amazon said they were sorry it was the last book, and one said that he hoped it wasn’t! The same thing happened in discussions of Goodreads: nobody wanted the series to end. Given time, book four will be Sweet Temptation.

Amor Libris: Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Sarah Stuart: Only write if you can’t bear not to: if you do, write what you enjoy writing. The latest trend, whatever it is, will be over before you hit publish.

Amor Libris: How can we contact you and find out more about you and your books?

Sarah Stuart: I login to Goodreads most days and I’m happy to answer questions, fans are welcome friends on Facebook, and I can be found on Twitter.