Sandra Schwab

@scribblingsandy

Historical romance author with a PhD, a piano, & a very large library. Expert on dragons & PUNCH. Writes stories with happy endings and loves her caravan Miss Hetty. 🌈 She / her. Newsletter:

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Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· 9d

Do you like grumpy / sunshine and are you looking for a nice weekend read? Then check out my historical romance The Gladiator's Passion, currently on sale for USD 2.99! (Also includes grumpy cat and very smol dog.) buy.bookfunnel.com/wwxh5o1y9h

Book trope image for Sandra Schwab's m/m romance The Gladiator's Passion: In the middle is the book cover which depicts a young man with red hair and freckles, wearing very few clothes. The cover is surrounded by text: HEA, Roman antiquity, seduction via board game, kissing against doors, grumpy / sunshine, It's just sex, right?!

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· 25d

Today's #FridayFling prompt is "temple", and I thought I'd give you another snippet from the WIP. Enjoy! 😊 #HistoricalRomance #MMRomance

The image shows a snippet of text from Sandra's Saturnalia Gifts:

Maius turned towards the small Temple of the Matrones, the local mother deities. He gave the old priestess who welcomed him a jug of honeyed wine as an offering to the goddesses, then stood with his head bowed, sending a prayer to the trinity. I beg of you, grant me wisdom in this case.

Unbidden, the sight of Caomh’s face after he had given him the ring intruded on his thoughts. The memory was enough to make his stomach cramp.

Biting his lip, he added, And please, give me tact and patience to weather whatever might come.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Jul 10

Are you a subscriber of my newsletter? Then check out your inbox! A new mail went out today - with Miss Hetty pictures! 😊

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Jul 3

When you're trying to have an earnest conversation with your cat, but she is more interested in hogging the bed... 😂 For today's #FridayFling, a snippet from my WIP. Yes, we're back in Roman antiquity!!! 😊

A teaser image with text: With a sigh, Maius put the gladiator figurine back on the shelf, then turned to the bed. “Gift giving is not easy when your lover is as prickly as a hedgehog,” he told his cat. - “Rrrreh,” Mafdet said, rolling from one side to the other.

Below the text is a line drawing of the head of a grumpy-looking cat.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Jun 27

It's this Traiana:

The picture shows the top part of a row of bookshelves. In the shelf closest to the viewer, a really big, fat book has been drawn out so most of the cover is visible. The cover shows a bird's eye view of an illustration of a Roman city, with an amphitheater in the lower righthand corner. The title of the book is Colonia Ulpia Traiana: Xanten und sein Umland in römischer Zeit.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Jun 27

When you're melting in a heatwave (with temperatures well beyond 40°C / 104°F and no A/C), but your story is set in the middle of an icy cold winter... #WeekendSnippets

On a background of dark wood stands a little Roman-style oil lamp. This background is overlaid by text which reads: Winter brought icy rain to Traiana, and bitingly cold winds whistled through the streets of the city. Why, even the River Rhenus was covered by sheets of ice that drifted languidly along the water, filling the air with ominous crackling and a deep, grating sound.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Jun 14

The Gladiator's Passion is on sale for USD 2.99 for the summer! If you like historical romances with unusual settings, grumpy / sunshine, moody cats, and itty-bitty dogs, then this book is for you! 😊 buy.bookfunnel.com/qzyg52t44f

Promo image for Gladiator's Passion with the cover image in the middle. It shows a young, freckled man with red hair and something that resembles gladiatorial armor. To the left of the cover is a list with tropes: Roman antiquity, a grumpy gladiator, a sunshiny military doctor, seduction via boardgame, it's just sex, right? Right?!?!?, passionate kissing against doors. To the right of the cover is a snippet from a Kobo review: "The author's research draws you into her stories, then her wonderful characters and storylines completely steal your heat."

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· May 30

Who's got her newsletter back up and running? THIS WOMAN RIGHT HERE! WHEEEE!!!!! If you are a subscriber, check your inbox! 😊 Next up: Getting my sign-up links functioning again. 💪🏻

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· May 29

On the bright side: Once I manage to get my newsletter back up, I'll have a little goodie to share with my subscribers... 😊

Teaser image for Passion of a Winter Morning, showing the book cover and a teaser quote from the story. The book cover shows a young man with blond hair and spectacles against a wintry background. The teaser text reads: John wanted Alfie's lips back on his skin, even though they were driving him out of his mind with lust. Especially because they were driving him out of his mind with lust. He was determined to goad his oak tree into kissing him some more. The sensation of that delightful man seducing him... He wanted more of it, the snow and the cold be damned.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Mar 9

These people are just beyond ridiculous. I've just left this comment:

Screenshot of Sandy's comment on the Deccaclassics Instagram post: Oh. So you've now deleted the slide where you posted the wrong portrait for Fanny Hensel AND deleted all the critical comments, too? This is not the way to handle something like this.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Feb 28

Die Caption wurde inzwischen angepasst und durch einen Hinweis in Klammern ergänzt, aber ohne dass diese Anpassung als solche kenntlich gemacht wurde.

Screenshot einer Teil der ZDF heute Caption auf IG: "Landes gab es Luftalarm, um vor anfliegenden Raketen und Geschossen zu warnen. Sirenen heulten im Großraum Tel Aviv, in Jerusalem, in Samaria (Israels Bezeichnung für einen Teil des besetzten Westjordanlands) und im Negev, wie die Nachrichtenseite Ynet berichtete. Auch aus dem Norden Israels wurde Luftalarm gemeldet."
Die Anpassung "(Israels Bezeichnung für einen Teil des besetzten Westjordanlands)" ist im Screenshot gelb hervorgehoben.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Feb 22

I mean, look how cute this thing is!!! (You might have to click on the pic to see the whole stick)

A picture of the top part of a wooden walking stick. The top bit is shaped like a marmot.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Feb 21

I had a little meltdown last night, so this morning I told myself that enough is enough and who cares if my flat is a mess?, and then sat down and did some writerly stuff for the first time in.... I don't know how many weeks. VERY satisfying!!!

A bird's eye view of the first page of the print-out of Sandy's story Passion of a Winter Morning. Two pages are printed on one sheet of paper, and the margins have been filled with handwritten notes and corrections in red. The red pen lies to the left of the manuscript, and a tall mug with black tea stands on the manuscript itself. On the mug is an illustration of a sitting pink cat.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Feb 13

#FridayFling - When you are trying to convince your cat that your are TOTALLY not going to the city to meet your lover. No, absolutely not! From my #HistoricalRomance The Gladiator's Passion, in which a kind-hearted military doctor meets a prickly gladiator (and also acquires a very grumpy cat).

Teaser image for The Gladiator's Passion with a text box, the cover image (showing a young red-haired man wearing gladiatorial armor of sorts), and an illustration of the head of a grumpy cat in one corner. The quote in the text box reads: This time, Maius managed to stay away for only one week. “It’s not that I want to see the gladiator again,” he told his cat. Absentmindedly, he rubbed over the half-healed scratch she had left on this back of his hand. Again. “I also have things to discuss with Philyssam.” Mafdet blinked and didn’t look convinced. Ye Gods, he couldn’t even convice a cat! “Questions to ask about the scroll he lent me last week,” Maius said firmly.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Feb 8

And doing research onsite? BLISS!!! (Especially if there is good food!)

A picture of the main gate of the Saalburg, a reconstructed Roman auxiliary fort. In the foreground is a stone on which sits a rubber duckie dressed like a Roman centurion.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Feb 8

And I love my primary resources (especially my Victorian magazines!!!)

An open volume of Punch, the Victorian magazine, resting on a large book pillow.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Feb 8

I love the research books I use for the background research for my stories.

The picture shows a close-up of one of Sandy's bookshelves, with a very fat book about the Colonia Ulpia Traiana sticking out of the neat row of books. On the cover of the book is a map of the Roman city, with the amphitheatre clearly recognizable in the right bottom corner.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Feb 8

I sometimes put together maps of the houses and gardens in my stories:

A bird's eye view of Sandy's desk with a Shire Library book about garden buildings. Most of the book is covered by a sheet of paper which shows a handdrawn map of a country estate with a house in the middle and the gardens full of garden follies.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Feb 8

Or like this:

A bird's eye view of Sandy's desk with a closed notebook with a few loose sheets of paper sticking out. A pink post-it is stuck on top. Sandy's Alphasmart Neo rests on an open research book and the page shows reconstructed Roman carriages.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Feb 8

Or frequently like this:

Picture shows bird's eye view of Sandy's desk with an open notebook and a black gel pen. The left page of the notebook is covered in handwritten text.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Feb 8

Or it might look like this:

Bird's eye view of Sandy's desk with the same character portraits as before, several sheets of loose paper in various sizes covered in handwritten notes, and an Alphasmart Neo. The Neo is a writing device that consists of a keyboard with an integrated mini screen that lets you see four lines of text.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Feb 8

What my writing process looks like:

Picture shows a view across a camping table to the green grass of a camping lot in the background and a blooming rhododendron. On the table, there is a print-out of a manuscript with notes scribbled in the margins (in turquoise green), with a turquoise green gel pen lying next to it as well as character portraits of a freckled red-haired young man carrying a sword across his shoulders (not a particularly safe way to carry a sword, but hey...) and dark-skinned mixed-race man with short black hair. Neither of them wears any clothes because Sandy was impatient to render those portraits of her digital models and digital clothes tend to make her computer explode. Well... freeze more often than not.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Jan 18

Today, my parents brought my new doggie brother home - and I spent the afternoon and evening dashing after him, alternating between wiping up pee where he has marked his new home (he hasn't been castrated) and consoling him when he was crying.

A little brown and white doggie stands on grass, looking up at the camera.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Jan 18

My Mom just sent me this picture - the doggie brother is on his way home!!!! Wheeee!

Picture taken in the backseat of a car. You can see a person's jeans-clad leg with the hem of a red sweater. A brown and white doggie with plushy ears is resting his head on the knee.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Jan 16

A preview of the doggie cuteness to come. 😊

A little brown and white doggie with floppy ears lies snuggled up among blankets and small pillows

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Jan 11

@vidao.bsky.social @growlycub.bsky.social I hope you two are well! 🧡 I'm afraid I won't be able to make it to the watch-along today because we're busy with some last-minute stuff to prepare for the arrival of our new doggie.

A little brown and caramel-colored doggie is held on the arm of a woman clad in a black winter coat, with a snowy street in the background. The doggie has very big eyes, and his tongue sticks out a little bit.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Jan 5

Oh, and I tend to pick up all kinds of different crafts along the way. At the moment, I'm dipping my toes into pink eraser art.

Picture of a small sketchbook. On the open page, a koi pond scene has been printed in three rectangles, with water lily leaves and several koi fish.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Dec 26

My new doggie brother (he will come and live with my parents in late January)

Picture shows an extremely cute small doggie with light brown and white fur and slightly floppy ears.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Dec 20

I mean... What IS this even??!?

Pic shows bits of what's probably a bathroom with a separate toilet. I have no clue what the thing is that covers the walls. Might be wallpaper, but looks like rows of green silk skirting with lacy hems and kitschy flowers painted / printed on. The toilet looks pretty normal, so you are safe there (though you have to wonder why the owner didn't install one of those super fancy modern toilets that wash your nether regions). The sink looks like a faux baroque chest of drawers with gold ornaments stuck onto it. It's covered by a marble (or faux marble, who knows?) plate into which a golden sink has been let. You can look at your face in a golden-framed mirror, and the bathroom lamp is a bronze statue of a woman with an 18th-century hairdo and a loosely draped gown... perhaps a shawl?!?!? that leaves her belly, her boobs and one of her legs exposed. She holds up a lampshade. Or perhaps the lampshade is attached to the wall? It's hard to tell what with the busy green skirting background. There is a floating glass shelf in the corner that holds what looks like bronze Christmas baubles with bows on top. The bows look as if they have been made out of pipecleaners. This bathroom will give you migraines AND a nightmares.

Sandra Schwab@scribblingsandy· Dec 20

My Friday lunch-break art: eraser stamps with pens. I'm really happy with how it turned out. 😊