Local author promoting finale of four-part book series

URBANA – Around the area, you may see Elizabeth Hoyt writing her latest historical romance novel in a bookstore or coffee shop.

Hoyt, who has nine published books, is promoting the final book in her four-book soldier series, "To Desire a Devil." The third book of the series, "To Beguile a Beast," reached The New York Times' best-seller list in May.

"The Legend of the Four Soldiers" series is based on a massacre during the French and Indian War. Hoyt said it is the same massacre in the movie "The Last of the Mohicans." The British hero in each of the four books was somehow involved in the massacre.

"I started thinking about what it would be like for men to come home from war 200 years ago when there was no post-traumatic stress syndrome, let alone any mental health system at all," Hoyt said.

In "To Desire a Devil," Viscount Hope is the hero, and he has returned from the war after being thought dead for several years. Hoyt said in the first three books, all the characters and her readers thought he was dead. But he's back and ready to clear his name that he's not the British traitor that revealed the regiment's location to the French. Since this book is also a romance novel, Hope will be falling in love before the end, and Hoyt promised she reveals the British traitor.

Hoyt started writing romance novels eight years ago at 35. She was a stay-at-home mom and decided that it was time to go back to work. However, any interesting career required her to go to school, but she decided not to return to college. So, she gave herself five years to write a book and get published.

Soon after she turned 40, her first book, "The Raven Prince," was published. She hasn't looked back.

Since 2006, she has had two historical romance series and two contemporary romance novels, under the pen name Julia Harper, published. Hoyt is working on another historical romance trilogy about the Gin Craze in London in the 18th century. Her new series is titled "Maiden Lane," and the first book, tentatively due out in August, has the working title,"Wicked Intentions."

She is also currently writing a novella, "The Ice Princess," which fans can read for free at www.elizabethhoyt.com/books/iceprincess.php. The novella features a secondary character from her first novel, "The Raven Prince," and Hoyt puts up one chapter a month.

She is a member of Romance Writers of America. She said this was a great organization to join, especially if you are a brand-new writer and are looking for information on how to get published. But the No. 1 thing she recommends is to writers is to write every day.

"Writers learn by writing," Hoyt said. "That's how I learned how to write."

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