Rumrunners and Suffragettes

Hello! Mia Hopkins here. I’m so proud to be a part of the Rogues anthology.

My contribution, “The Heat,” is a Prohibition-era story about an Irish-American bootlegger named Jim who becomes stranded during a winter storm.

Because cops are on the lookout for rumrunners, Jim seeks shelter in the house of Helen Baker, a widowed suffragette who’s both fascinated by and attracted to the mysterious stranger. Soon Jim and Helen find their way upstairs, where they find new ways to stay warm.

“The Heat” is my first historical story, and it was a blast to write. Here’s what inspired it.

The Great Gatsby. Written in 1925 by F. Scott Fitzgerald, this is one of my favorite books of all time. I love Nick Carraway as the gentle, plainspoken narrator of this short but carefully plotted rags-to-riches-to-disaster story. Both the Robert Redford and Leonardo Di Caprio movies are enjoyable in their own ways, but for me, nothing beats Fitzgerald’s writing.

Boardwalk Empire. This show ran on HBO from 2010 to 2014 and starred a terrifying Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson, a kind of Prohibition-era Tony Soprano in Atlantic City. Kelly MacDonald, Nucky’s beleaguered Irish immigrant wife, was the inspiration for Helen in “The Heat.”

Michael Fassbender. The voice, the intensity, the edgy charm, the sexy…sharkiness. That’s Jim.

The Baltimore. Jazz and ragtime are the soundtrack to this story. Jim and Helen listen to music on the gramophone and dance in the kitchen. The Baltimore was an up-tempo dance popular in 1920. You can hear the song and see the dance here.

Half Moon Bay. During Prohibition, this town and others like it in San Mateo Country were infamous for rumrunners, bootleggers, moonshiners, and speakeasies. The foggy coves and inlets along this part of the California coast were perfect drop-off points for boats carrying illegal whisky from Canada. In the story, Jim owns a speakeasy in San Francisco and drives down to Half Moon Bay to pick up his liquor.

About the Author

Mia Hopkins writes lush romances starring fun, sexy characters who love to get down and dirty. She’s a sucker for working class heroes, brainy heroines and wisecracking best friends. She lives in the heart of Los Angeles with her roguish husband and two waggish dogs.

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GIVEAWAY

I’d like to give away a print copy of Rogues and a print copy of my contemporary erotic romance Deep Down to one commenter. Contest closes at midnight PST on May 31. I’ll announce the winner here on June 1.

To win, please answer this question below…

What’s the naughtiest thing you’ve ever done on a date?
**INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS SO I CAN CONTACT YOU!**