Untamed by Jane Shoup ~ Blog Tour
A love too strong to be tamed: the true story of Tarzan, and the woman who loved him.
In 1908, on a mission to find a new breed of ape in central Africa, an unfathomable thing is discovered – a wild, white man, living amongst gorillas. Local villagers call him matokeo ya utafutaji kwa, the untamed one.
Joining the team of hunters and trackers searching for matokeo ya utafutaji kwa is Arianna Day, the 21-year-old niece of the expedition’s leader. She catches the untamed one’s eye and, believing she is meant for him, he takes her captive and claims her for his own, body and soul.
When Arianna is rescued, the untamed one is captured, and they are sent their separate ways: the wild man to learn language and social skills he’d long forgotten, Arianna back home to England to try to fit back into her old life. A promising marriage proposal awaits, but thoughts of the untamed one haunts her.
Amidst the backdrop of London in the summer of 1908, as the Olympic Games are hosted and the Franko-British Exhibition is held, the now-civilized wild man returns home, with his original name restored: Sebastian or ‘Zan' Shaffer. He and Arianna are drawn together again only to be ripped apart by social convention and Marshall Derringer, the man determined to have her as his wife. But Zan is not the only one with an untamed heart
In 1908, on a mission to find a new breed of ape in central Africa, an unfathomable thing is discovered – a wild, white man, living amongst gorillas. Local villagers call him matokeo ya utafutaji kwa, the untamed one.
Joining the team of hunters and trackers searching for matokeo ya utafutaji kwa is Arianna Day, the 21-year-old niece of the expedition’s leader. She catches the untamed one’s eye and, believing she is meant for him, he takes her captive and claims her for his own, body and soul.
When Arianna is rescued, the untamed one is captured, and they are sent their separate ways: the wild man to learn language and social skills he’d long forgotten, Arianna back home to England to try to fit back into her old life. A promising marriage proposal awaits, but thoughts of the untamed one haunts her.
Amidst the backdrop of London in the summer of 1908, as the Olympic Games are hosted and the Franko-British Exhibition is held, the now-civilized wild man returns home, with his original name restored: Sebastian or ‘Zan' Shaffer. He and Arianna are drawn together again only to be ripped apart by social convention and Marshall Derringer, the man determined to have her as his wife. But Zan is not the only one with an untamed heart
Click HERE to read an excerpt
Originally
from Southern Indiana, (born in Evansville, grew up in Newburgh,) I now
reside in Greensboro, North Carolina. My day job is that of a real
estate agent, although the goal is become a full time writer … who
actually eats regularly and pays the bills. I’m exceedingly proud of my
young adult daughters, Mackenzie, Allyson and Hayley. They’re lovely and
wacky and smart and basically my favorite people on earth.
If
I had to describe myself . . . I’d say upbeat, highly imaginative,
passionate, restless, easily bored, humorous, stubborn, spiritual and
truly blessed.
I
love writing. I love getting caught up in another time and place.
Honestly – it’s often a disappointment to have to return to reality. My
favorite genre tends to be whatever I’m working on at the moment. I
write historical fiction, action/adventure, suspense, fantasy and more,
all of it with an element of romance to it.
That’s about it, but if you want to know more, read my stuff. I’m in every page.
For more info about this tour and others check out
Diversion Books
Jane's guest post
Jane's guest post
My dream man growing up was Nick Barkley in Big Valley. In hindsight, I think that probably
says a lot about me. I could have chosen the intelligent, handsome, successful and sophisticated
elder brother and attorney Jerrod to have a crush on or the handsome, far more sensitive
Heath, played by a young Lee Majors, but no. Nick was my man. The tough man in black with
the stubborn streak a mile wide. A cowboy through and through. I have a definite weakness for
those strong, stoic, hard working, all-male creatures in blue jeans and cowboy hats. They have
their own code of ethics and manners, at least from my romanticized viewpoint.
My typical male protagonist it tall and well built with dark hair and compelling eyes.
He’s got a strong life force and a lot of passion, although he tends to be quiet and thoughtful.
He’s got nobility, even if he doesn’t fully recognize it. He thinks he’s nothing special – but he is.
Sebastian ‘Zan’ Shaffer is the star of Untamed, the ‘true’ story of Tarzan. He was
interesting to write because of the transition he undergoes in the course of the story. As a six
year old, he was abandoned in an African jungle, so when he’s discovered twenty years later,
he’s forgotten language and the customs of man. It’s not that he’s more animal than man, but
his existence is very primal. He lives according to his needs. When he sees Arianna in camp, he
knows from the center of his being that she’s his mate. So he takes her. He makes her his mate.
Later, after he’s captured, after language begins coming back to him, after he’s taught
the basic expectations of society, he is returned to London where his reformation continues.
Physically, he looks like a different man, a handsome, civilized man – and there is vulnerability,
but there is also a big part of him that remains as he was, matokeo ya utafutaji kwa, the
untamed one.
One of my favorite parts is where Ari and Zan see one another again for the first time in
London. Toward the end of the scene, she’s getting ready to show him to the door, although
neither one of them want to part, and he gets the nerve to ask. “Your uncle … he does not hate
me?”
“No! Oh, no. He was wary when we were in Africa. That’s why we left when we did. He
was afraid you would—”
“Take you,” he supplied when her sentence broke off. “He was afraid I would take you
again.”
“Yes.”
He nodded slowly. “I would have,” he stated.
Zan is simply not capable of artifice. For all his towering strength and ability to survive,
there is a great innocence about him. Which isn’t to say he can’t be dangerous, especially when
someone he loves is threatened. I won’t give too much away. I’ll simply say I hope readers like
him as much as I do.
says a lot about me. I could have chosen the intelligent, handsome, successful and sophisticated
elder brother and attorney Jerrod to have a crush on or the handsome, far more sensitive
Heath, played by a young Lee Majors, but no. Nick was my man. The tough man in black with
the stubborn streak a mile wide. A cowboy through and through. I have a definite weakness for
those strong, stoic, hard working, all-male creatures in blue jeans and cowboy hats. They have
their own code of ethics and manners, at least from my romanticized viewpoint.
My typical male protagonist it tall and well built with dark hair and compelling eyes.
He’s got a strong life force and a lot of passion, although he tends to be quiet and thoughtful.
He’s got nobility, even if he doesn’t fully recognize it. He thinks he’s nothing special – but he is.
Sebastian ‘Zan’ Shaffer is the star of Untamed, the ‘true’ story of Tarzan. He was
interesting to write because of the transition he undergoes in the course of the story. As a six
year old, he was abandoned in an African jungle, so when he’s discovered twenty years later,
he’s forgotten language and the customs of man. It’s not that he’s more animal than man, but
his existence is very primal. He lives according to his needs. When he sees Arianna in camp, he
knows from the center of his being that she’s his mate. So he takes her. He makes her his mate.
Later, after he’s captured, after language begins coming back to him, after he’s taught
the basic expectations of society, he is returned to London where his reformation continues.
Physically, he looks like a different man, a handsome, civilized man – and there is vulnerability,
but there is also a big part of him that remains as he was, matokeo ya utafutaji kwa, the
untamed one.
One of my favorite parts is where Ari and Zan see one another again for the first time in
London. Toward the end of the scene, she’s getting ready to show him to the door, although
neither one of them want to part, and he gets the nerve to ask. “Your uncle … he does not hate
me?”
“No! Oh, no. He was wary when we were in Africa. That’s why we left when we did. He
was afraid you would—”
“Take you,” he supplied when her sentence broke off. “He was afraid I would take you
again.”
“Yes.”
He nodded slowly. “I would have,” he stated.
Zan is simply not capable of artifice. For all his towering strength and ability to survive,
there is a great innocence about him. Which isn’t to say he can’t be dangerous, especially when
someone he loves is threatened. I won’t give too much away. I’ll simply say I hope readers like
him as much as I do.
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