Showing posts with label historical romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label historical romance. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Reviews & Giveaway: The MacInnes Legacy by Julie & Sandy Moffett




 





The MacInness Legacy Series

In 1692, an innocent man accused of witchcraft hangs in Salem, Massachusetts. His death reignites a deadly feud between the descendants of two ancient Scottish clans—MacGow and MacInness, which leaves the MacInness clan descendants cursed. Any man who weds a MacInness is destined to an early death. The MacInnesses have one century to lift the curse and reflect it back upon Clan MacGow. One hundred years later, triplet sisters separated in childhood, are being drawn back to Salem. The have three months to refine their unearthly talents of fire, sight, and healing, and break the deadly curse…or lose the men they love forever.




The Fireweaver
The MacInness Legacy
Book I
Julie Moffett


Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance


Publisher: True Airspeed Press, LLC
Date of Publication: June 27, 2014


ASIN: B00LCS4TEM
Number of pages: 279


Cover Artist: Su Kopil



Book Description:

From best-selling author Julie Moffett comes THE FIREWEAVER, the first book in a historical paranormal romance series about sister witches written in conjunction with her own sister, Sandy Moffett.

Bridget Goodwell is the daughter of one of Salem’s most prominent Congregationalist ministers. Although Bridget is almost twenty-one years of age and long past the prime age of marriage, in three months time she will finally wed Peter Holton, a wealthy law student from a respectable family. Bridget’s future seems secure and bright. Except for the fact that Bridget is hiding a terrible secret. She is able to set things on fire by willing it so. All of her life she’s successfully hid her unnatural ability from family and friends. But just three weeks before her wedding, her secret is threatened when her childhood nemesis and first true love, Benjamin Hawkes, sails back into town with trouble on his mind.


Book Trailer: http://animoto.com/play/nG1PGQw35U1KOP6GdB2DHg


Available at Amazon BN iTunes Kobo


Excerpt The Fireweaver:



Salem Village, Massachusetts

October 31, 1692


Priscilla Mary Gardener was about to hang.


After twenty-one years of life, it would end here on Gallows Hill, not far from her home, with a rope around her neck and a suffocating black wool hood draped over her face.

How ironic that death would embrace her now. Blessed with health, youth, and vibrancy, she had never given herself leave to contemplate her own demise. But during these past two weeks she had been forced to ponder death and the fragility of life. She did not want to die. Even as she stood precariously over a rickety trap door with a noose around her neck, she still dared to hope there was a possibility she might be saved.


But it was not to be.


It saddened her that not one of her neighbors or friends came forward to speak for her, to challenge the preposterous claims that had been made against her. Not one raised their voice in protest against her execution. She was alone and condemned. The thick rope weighed on her neck, chafing her skin. Her wrists were tied behind her back and rubbed raw. At first, her arms had ached fiercely, but now only a dull pain throbbed. Her legs were unbound, but she feared moving even a breadth lest the trapdoor open and hasten her demise.


Priscilla drew in a painful but steadying breath, and reflected upon her life, one that had once been blessed and good. She’d had a husband who had loved her, and a mother and father who had adored and sheltered her. As death neared, she saw that little else mattered. Breathing became more difficult beneath the hood. Cold sweat trickled down her temples and neck, causing her to shudder uncontrollably. Perhaps, if God were truly merciful, she would suffocate beneath the black hood before they ever got on with the hanging. If not, she prayed her death would be quick and clean. She had no wish to suffer a long and agonizing death while the people she had known all her life looked on, wondering, whispering.


Priscilla supposed it was almost time now. A man on the scaffold said something, but she couldn’t make out the words through the hood. She was no longer certain if she were breathing. She felt light-headed, weak, as if she had already taken leave of her body. A hand pressed into the small of her back and she heard more mumbling. Then the noose tightened around her neck just as the trap door opened. Priscilla felt herself falling and then yank to a stop as pain exploded in her head. The pain passed and there was nothing but a suffocating stillness.


Was she dead?


Without warning, the chilling darkness turned to light, shocking her senses. When her vision cleared, Priscilla could see a body swaying from the gallows a short distance away, the horrid black hood still in place. It seemed so insignificant—a tiny black dot against the enormous gray-tinged skyline. Yet as she watched the body sway, she sensed something was not right. Inexplicably her sight became riveted on the black hood as if beneath the coarse, woolen fabric lay the answer to her death. Somehow she willed her spirit forward until she almost touched the hood. Her hand trembled as her fingers brushed against the coarse fabric.


Did a dead person’s hand still tremble?


Steeling herself, she yanked off the hood in one swift motion.


“John!”


Priscilla woke in terror, screaming her husband’s name. Thrashing out, she reached across the bed, seeking the warmth and comfort of his body. For a moment, poised precariously between a dream and reality, she felt her husband beside her, solid and familiar. She could even smell the oatmeal soap that had stubbornly clung to the rough but steady hands of a master carpenter.

She squeezed her eyes shut and crushed a pillow to her chest, clinging to the memory and scent of him. But the tighter she clung, the looser her hold became, and his memory slipped from her grasp as did the last vestiges of her dream.


She opened her eyes, alone in the bed. A profound sorrow clutched at her heart, twisting and turning until she could bear no more.

Fireweaver Review - 3.5 Stars!

Normally I'm not much for historical fiction of any kind.  I will read some historical romance depending on time period, plot synopsis, and/or author.  But adding a paranormal element like the MacInnes Legacy did intrigued me and I wanted to check it out.   To be completely honest, the Salem time aren't usually a period I read.  I don't know, just not something I find interesting usually.  This might have affected my review a tad.  ^_^;

I liked the plot and writing style of the author and even the characters.  They did seem to fit the time period, too.  Everything was well done.  It simply took me a bit to get into the story and because of the time period I wasn't really interested that much at first.

In any case, once I got into the story, and romance, I did like it an enjoyed myself.  3.5 stars!


The Seer
The MacInness Legacy
Book II
Sandy Moffett


Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance


Publisher: True Airspeed Press, LLC


Date of Publication: July 6, 2014


ASIN: B00LLNFLAE
Number of pages: 300


Cover Artist: Su Kopil



Book Description:



The Seer is the second book in The MacInness Legacy Series, written by award-winning sisters Sandy and Julie Moffett. The story garnered Sandy a Lories Award for Best New Paranormal Author.


After an innocent man accused of witchcraft hangs in 1692 Salem, his death reignites a deadly feud between the descendants of two ancient Scottish clans—MacGow and MacInness. The peaceful MacInness descendants are left tragically cursed. Any man who weds a MacInness is now destined to an early death. The MacInnesses have one century to lift the curse and reflect it back upon Clan MacGow. One hundred years later, triplet sisters separated in childhood are being drawn back to Salem. They have three months to refine their unearthly talents of fire, sight, and healing, and break the deadly curse…or lose the men they love forever.


Alexandra Gables needs no man to run her life. Educated, witty, and wealthy, she is the only child in a family with a long line of prominent scientists. Despite her gender, Alexandra intends to continue that heritage and let no man stand in her way. But her father, anxious for grandchildren, teams up with an old friend whose equally stubborn and brilliant son, Pierce Williams, has no time for a frivolous woman to slow down his life. When Alexandra is sent to Salem to help the elder Williams catalogue and sketch a scientific collection for the Royal Society of London, she has no idea that she is being dangled as marriage material for Pierce. Both are firmly determined to ignore each other, but Alexandra is drawn to Pierce’s quick wit, irresistible charm, and enviable engineering skill. However, close encounters with Pierce trigger an increase in the strange prophetic visions she has had all her life––visions that have no scientific basis or explanation. When a vision reveals the destruction of a ship Pierce designed, built, and will sail on, she must risk a deepening love for Pierce against the loss of his life and all her future dreams.


Book Trailer: http://animoto.com/play/nG1PGQw35U1KOP6GdB2DHg


Available at Amazon BN iTunes Kobo


Excerpt The Seer:


Salem, Massachusetts, May 1792



“’Tis a bleak morn to be enterin’ this witchin’ town,” a grizzled sailor mumbled as he assisted a young woman into the unsteady longboat.

Cold, sticky air ripe with rolling fog enveloped the seas abeam Salem, a place haunted by its persecution of witches nearly one hundred years ago. Though infamous in history, the thriving seaport now drew the educated and adventurous. Alexandra Gables, debarking the schooner Defiant, was no exception.

“Surely you do not believe in such endowed humans as witches,” Alexandra countered, mildly amused that people still maintained such unenlightened beliefs. “Even Salem has professed shame for the hangings. I do recollect they offered legal apologies and restitution to families of the victims.”

The sailor’s sun-hardened face, days distant from the blade of a good razor, crinkled in doubt. “Me mariner ears hear many a tale, ma’am. But no doubtin’ by me, every tale entwines a true fact. There be witches in Salem.”

She nodded politely and glanced up at the Defiant, searching for signs of her tiny companion. Crimson spears of sunrise cast a reddish glow on the fog-draped schooner. A truly enchanting morning, if she allowed such a persuasion. But enchanted was not the word she chose.

The ocean rolled gently beneath her feet inducing flutters in an already tentative stomach. She stepped toward the stern of the longboat thankful that the trip to shore was a brief one. She settled near the coxswain and tucked the fullness of her cotton skirt and petticoat discreetly onto her lap. Above, a covered birdcage attached to a rope descended slowly from the schooner deck. An oarsman handed over the cage and placed it beside her on the seat plank.

“Wha’ creature ye ha’ in there, Mistress Gables?” the Scottish born sailor asked, puzzled by the cage. “It no’ moves like a bird.”

“You are most clever, sir. ’Tis not a bird, but a creature I call Newton. He resembles the fabled companion Black Sam used to keep.”

The man’s eyes widened at the pirate’s name as he took a seat facing her and set his oar. She easily noted his desire to hear more. “I see you are familiar with Black Sam’s exploits.”

The deep-voiced coxswain behind her bellowed, “Aye, Mistress. Any sailor worth ’is salt has heard of ’im and ’is stormy demise.”

He switched his attention to squeezing in the last of the passengers and casting off from the schooner. Not until the oars dipped cleanly into Salem Harbor and he had steered clear of the ship, did he lean toward Alexandra again. “I ne’er heard sailors speak of any animal on ’is ship.”

“Not just any animal, but a small, rugged, resourceful creature,” she replied. “Tales say ’tis why Black Sam kept him. He discovered the creature when filling water casks at anchorage in Hispaniola. Some claim the two locked stares not sure who appeared more fearsome.”

The coxswain and oarsman stared with curiosity at the covered cage. As though in response, Newton shifted in his cage, banging his tail against the thin metal. The men jumped, and Alexandra fought to hide her amusement. With dramatic hesitation, she lifted ever so slightly the edge of Newton’s cover.

Orange-brown eyes set in a rough jumble of green scales glared out at the men. Like a true thespian, Newton inflated his scaled beard to display a row of short spikes. The men gasped and she lowered the cover.

“That be a devil’s creature,” the oarsman puffed and glanced suspiciously at her fiery hair she had properly tucked beneath a hat.

“’Tis simply a reptile,” she countered. “A French philosopher traveling from Cap-Haïtien gave this specimen to my father.”

A sudden shift in temperature brought the discussion to a halt. A quiet foreboding made its presence known in the foggy shroud. Every rhythmic slap of the oars into the harbor brought the longboat closer to shore and deepened her building unease. She knew of no possible reason for these dark feelings. Past scientific forays with her father into the western woods of New York and the wilds of Nova Scotia had offered far more danger than this trip to Salem.

Strange, but some internal voice foretold that the danger didn’t arise from bears, snakes, or Indians; it emanated from someplace far less obvious, from the very essence of Salem—or even from her own soul.

Seer Review - 4 Stars!

Since I was on a roll in this time period, I think it helped me enjoy this one more.  As with the first one - the Fireweaver - the romance was amazing and that carried the book for me in a time period I'm not really into.  The paranormal aspects also helped, of course.  I did completely adore how stubborn Alexandra and Pierce were.  

I was also pleased with the writing style and dialog and plot.  Since this is a box set I'm reviewing for this post (and it's freaking gigantic) I'm not going to go over more.  But it's well worth the read even if you don't read many historicals or paranormals, as long as you like romance, I think you'll be good with this series!



The Healer
The MacInness Legacy
Book III
Julie Moffett
Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Publisher: True Airspeed Press, LLC
Date of Publication: July 14, 2014
ASIN: B00LU2DYAU
Number of pages: 305
Cover Artist: Su Kopil

Book Description:


From best selling, award winning author Julie Moffett comes the third book in a historical paranormal romance series about sister witches written with her sister, Sandy Moffett. This book was nominated for a PRISM and a HOLT.


One hundred years after the witch trials in 1792 Salem Massachusetts:


Gillian is the daughter of a well-known Salem physician Zachariah Saunders and his wife, Mary. Years ago Gillian’s father was accused of improper medical behavior, and the family was ostracized to the nearby town of Gloucester. There Gillian became her father’s apprentice, learning all she could about medicine, botany and the healing arts. She was frightened, but intrigued, when she discovered she had an unusual ability to heal small, wounded animals by simply touching them. Her strange ability is put to the test when a young and handsome doctor is dragged to her door near death. Gillian makes him well again, but in the process falls hopelessly in love. It is this love that returns her to Salem and brings her face to face with the mother and sisters she never knew existed. Now she must overcome her past and help her newfound family work to lift a century-old curse before it destroys the men they love.


Book Trailer: http://animoto.com/play/nG1PGQw35U1KOP6GdB2DHg


Available at Amazon BN iTunes Kobo

Excerpt The Healer:


Salem, Massachusetts

October 1792


The sea lured Spencer Reeves like a siren calling to her lover.

He smiled in response as his small vessel, a skiff named the Rosemary, swept atop the glossy waves, leaving Salem Harbor behind. A strong, whipping breeze blew across the water, carrying the faint scents of sea salt and cod while a brilliant orange sky encompassed the New England coast in a spectacular sunset. He took a deep breath of air, lifting his face to the wind and embracing the stinging October chill.

“There’s nothing like a sail on a brisk autumn eve, is there, Spence?”

Spencer turned to his friend Charles Harrington, who sat lounging back against the gunwale, his legs stretched out in front of him. “Nothing. It’s the perfect end to an otherwise long day. All too soon enough we’ll have to dock the skiff for the winter. But not yet.”

Grinning, Charles pulled a small flask out of his breast pocket, popped it open, and took a long drink. He handed it to Jonathan Duttridge, the third member of their small crew, who took a deep pull and passed it to Spencer.

Spencer declined. “No. Someone has to remain in full control of his faculties in order to sail us back home and not on into Gloucester.”

Charles frowned. “Always the proper physician. Must you be incessantly wed to your profession?”

“Only when I sail…and, of course, when I perform surgery instead of leaving it to an incompetent barber. I have no intention of going as far as Gloucester this eve.”

Jonathan snorted in disapproval. “What would be wrong with a trip to Gloucester? I met a pleasant young lady there once.”

“Pleasant, indeed.” Charles chortled. “Need I remind you, we were at a house of ill repute? I’m sure she’ll remember to be pleasant if you come calling again with coin.”

Jonathan pursed his lips and Charles snatched the flask from him, taking another swallow. “Come on, Spence, if you refuse to partake in the spirits, then let’s see how fast this lady can go.”

Rising to the challenge, Spencer adjusted the sail and angled it into the wind. The skiff picked up speed, gliding deftly across the water.

As Salem became a dot on the horizon, Spencer felt the tension of the day released. He also had a long, though productive day. His father had personally commended him on the excellent sutures he had made on the tiny hand of three-year old Mary Brewer. He had correctly diagnosed and treated old Sam Forsythe for a mild case of gout. His own confidence as a physician was growing daily, as was the trust of the patients he treated while apprenticing with his father. But as his patient list and the number of people depending on him grew, Spencer found that he recently spent more time worrying about his work and less time visiting with friends and reinvigorating his body and mind. Today he had decided to ignore those needs no more. He’d sought out his friends, and now they were all reaping the rewards of a revitalizing sail.

They chatted companionably until dusk deepened. Spencer slowed the skiff and had Charles lit the small lantern that sat wedged between two wooden planks at the front of the bow. The light cast ghostly shadows over the men.

“Take a look at that, would you?” Jonathan pointed toward land, where a few scattered lights blinked along the shoreline.

“It looks like a cottage.” Charles came to stand beside Jonathan. “How far are we from Gloucester?”

“A good distance yet.” Spencer squinted. “It’s rather peculiar, but the structure seems to be neither in Salem or in Gloucester, but somewhere in between.”

“How odd,” Jonathan murmured. “I didn’t know anyone lived out this far.”

“That’s because it doesn’t house human inhabitants.” Charles took a swig and laughed.

Jonathan sniggered. “Then what exactly does the cottage house?”

Charles waved his arm in a grand gesture, and spoke in an eerie dramatic voice. “A small, but malevolent coven of witches. Beautiful, alluring witches, but evil just the same. Spence, what do you think?”

Spencer watched the dim lights wink and glow in a fascinating pattern. Someone had placed candles in the windows, as if beckoning to strangers. A chill skittered up his spine, raising the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck.

“Frankly, I think we should beach Charles here. Let him visit the cottage. Maybe the witches can cure him of his unremitting obsession with women.”

“Ha! No thank you, Spence. That’s one obsession I prefer not to be cured of, thank you very much. I rather think we should leave you there, Spence, so you can have a life outside your respectable but utterly tedious practice.”

Spencer tipped his head. “Tedious or not, I assure you, my life is quite full. Besides, am I not partaking of some leisurely activity at this very moment? Although some might question if being with you two truly counts as leisure.”

“Oh, it’s leisure all right.” Charles slid backward, his hip thudding against the hull as the skiff picked up speed from a sudden gust of wind. “Is not our company much sought after in Salem? Are we not fortunate to have a lady such as the Rosemary at our disposal?”

Spencer grinned. “On the last point I shall not disagree.”

“Speaking of ladies, Charles.” Jonathan swiped the flask from Charles’ grasp. “What’s this I hear about you being caught with your hands up Anna Wendall’s skirts?”

“It was an accident, I swear.” Charles lifted his hands innocently. “We were taking a stroll when she tripped and toppled into my arms. Her considerable weight caught me off-balance and we both fell to the ground. In my haste to help her up, I became entangled in her skirts. It’s not my fault her derrière was exposed to several passersby. I’ve been told it was quite a spectacle.”

“Her derrière, or your hands extracting themselves from her considerable flesh?” Spencer asked dryly.

“Very amusing.” Charles pressed his hand in an exaggerated fashion against his chest. “You wound me by disparaging my honorable intentions toward Mistress Wendall.”

Jonathan chuckled. “That’s a damn fine accounting of what happened, Charles, and I’d stand by it, if I were you. Especially when word of the unfortunate incident reaches her father. After all, most of Salem knows that you are constantly on the lookout for dastardly ways to take a quick peek beneath the skirts of any young lady.”

They all laughed and further debated the finer points of Anna Wendall’s derrière until an abrupt gust of wind caused the boat to lurch to one side. Concerned with the boom swinging, Spencer yelled, “Watch your heads.

“A storm seems to be brewing.” The wind whipped against the sail. “Where in the hell did it come from? We’d better head back to Salem.” He worked the tiller and sail as the vessel began to roll drunkenly from side to side.

“Would it not be more prudent to go on to Gloucester?” Charles yelled over the howl of the wind.

“If my calculations are correct, we are still about halfway between each town.” Spencer slid two steps to his left. “The storm seems to be coming out of the north from Gloucester. If we head back for Salem, perhaps we can outrun it.”

A jagged flash of lightning lit up the sky, leaving a trail of crackling sparks in its wake. Thunder boomed around them as the sky opened up and rain poured down in untamed fury. His view of the shore and horizon rapidly diminished.

Spencer clung to the wood rail, his skin tingling, his breath coming in shallow, fast gasps. “We have to put her into the waves or she’ll capsize. Help me get her hard aport.”

Charles and Jonathan scrambled to aid him, but a wave crashed into the craft, slamming Charles’ head into the boom. He nearly slid overboard, but Spencer dragged him back by the collar of his shirt and dumped him on the deck. Charles sat up, rubbing his skull. Thunder boomed again, this time so violently that even the skiff shuddered.

“Hell and damnation!”

They brought down the sail and Spencer fought with the tiller. His fingers slipped on the wood, and he narrowed his eyes against the onslaught of blinding rain. Spencer knew they were in imminent danger of capsizing.

Jonathan screamed. “Look out!”

Spencer glanced over his shoulder, his eyes widening at the enormous wall of water coming toward them. The wave slammed into them, crushing the boat like a toy. The skiff disintegrated beneath his feet, and the water reached up and yanked him under the white foam.

With barely a gulp of air in his lungs, Spencer flailed about, kicking hard against the undertow that threatened to drag him to his death. His right leg tangled in a rope, twisting his ankle and slamming it against something hard. Hot pain shot up from his foot along the right side of his body. In a moment of startling clarity, Spencer realized he was on the brink of death.

His last thought before blackness enveloped him was not one of despair, but one of hope that at least his friends would make it to safety.

Healer Review - 4 Stars!


I think with each book this series just get better.  Maybe because of the curse, maybe because I'm getting used to and even enjoying the time period a bit by now, or because the romance just happens to keep getting even better.

I do like these sisters' writing, though.  Its always a deep, emotional read about love and the adversity they face to keep that love.  This book is perhaps my favorite of the three.  I don't know why, just enjoyed it most I think.

The plot comes together well and the writing in it is very well-done so I'm sincerely happy to have had a chance to read the trilogy and review it!  Although I will be writing longer reviews later on when my post isn't hugely gigantic!  4 Stars!

 



Bewitching

Salem’s Academy for Ladies
Sandy Moffett
Genre: Historical paranormal romance
Publisher: True Airspeed Press, LLC
Date of Publication: August 5, 2014
ASIN: B00MGYX1GS
Number of pages: 108
Cover Artist: Su Kopil

Book Description:


Multi-award winning author Sandy Moffett brings to life historical Salem in this first novella of a series.


The Salem witch trials may be a hundred years past, but Constance Sedgewick and her two aunts run Salem’s Academy for Young Ladies, where any rumor of strange occurrences could ruin their excellent reputation. So when pictures start falling off walls, dishware unexplainably cracks, and odd things start to happen, Constance discovers her strong, arcane powers are taking on a life of their own. When her aunts share the cause, Constance isn’t sure she can withstand the cure.


Book Trailer: http://animoto.com/play/nG1PGQw35U1KOP6GdB2DHg


Available at Amazon BN iTunes Kobo


Excerpt Bewitching:


Salem, Massachusetts 1790


Constance Sedgewick stood in the front hall of Salem’s Academy for Young Ladies considering the repercussions if she summarily changed Phoebe’s mother into a mute.

“Phoebe has no need for learning numbers,” the woman huffed. “Such foolish knowledge wastes her precious time.”

Constance crossed her arms. “On the contrary, I have not found it so.”

“Humph, why, you haven’t even been able to secure a husband.”

A fiery ire rose from within and might well have exploded forth had a crashing thud not sounded down the hall. Constance whirled to see the damaged portrait of her father lying askew on the floor. The air sizzled with magic. Aunt Gwendolyn, blessed with frequently erratic spells, must have overheard the unkind comment.

Constance, doing her best to control her true emotions, drew a long breath and turned back to Phoebe’s mother.

“I do recall your family operates the English Goods store. Have you ever considered, heaven forbid, what would happen if your husband should become incapacitated? Who would calculate the shop finances?”

The woman straightened proudly. “My son will run the business someday.”

“Your son is barely nine years of age. What if this sad event happened tomorrow?”

“How dare you suggest such a thing.”

Constance gently put a hand on the woman’s arm and guided her to the front door. “Think of Phoebe’s knowledge as insurance in times of difficulty. Do you wish a sharper to steal your business blind because you lack knowledge of numbers?”

The woman, apparently recognizing the attempt to remove her from the manor house, firmly planted herself across the threshold. “I see the merit in your point, but she must be prepared for society and a proper husband. Attention is required in social skills, music, and the arts. Could you not allow her to concentrate more on those talents?”

“We treat all our young ladies equally. And I do believe my aunts do an admirable job of teaching the arts and personal etiquette. We produce well-rounded young ladies here. But if you think Phoebe will be better served at another establishment, I will gladly assist with her transfer.”

Phoebe’s mother grew pale. “But there are no others in town with your reputation.”

“Then, we shall be pleased to keep her as a student. You must understand, though, we are quite set in giving our young ladies a thorough education.”

Constance stepped away from the woman and took hold of the sturdy wooden door. While smiling pleasantly, she slowly moved her hand, hidden behind the door, in a shooing motion.

“I must get back to my students. If you have any further concerns, feel free to return after lessons today.” She swung the door shut as Phoebe’s mother stood with a surprised and puzzled expression.

The poor woman probably wondered how she had moved the few feet from the threshold onto the porch. Constance giggled at the image. Oh, the small pleasures of witchcraft. On occasion it posed a great burden, but other times proved a blessing.

Bewitching Review - 3.5 Stars!

This was a short read although I liked it less than the main trilogy.  I have heard of the whole paranormal schools for people with powers in most of the young adult paranormal type characters.  This one was well done for a historical I thought.  But I was back in a time period I was thanking my lucky stars I was not born into.

Luckily, as usual, the writing was great, dialog very decent, and the plot excellent for a novella.  3.5 stars!

I will definitely be reading more from these two sisters! 


About Julie Moffett:


Julie Moffett is the award-winning author of fourteen published novels in the genres of historical, paranormal fantasy, and time travel romances, and action/adventure mysteries.


She grew up as a military brat (Air Force) and has traveled extensively. Her more exciting exploits include attending Kubasaki High School in Okinawa, Japan, backpacking around Europe and Scandinavia for several months, a year-long college graduate study in Warsaw, Poland and a wonderful trip to Scotland and Ireland where she fell in love with castles, kilts and brogues.


Julie has a B.A. in Political Science and Russian Language from Colorado College, a M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and is nearly finished with her M.Ed from Liberty University in Virginia. Able to speak Russian and Polish, she worked as a journalist for the international radio station, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Washington, D.C. for eleven years, publishing hundreds of articles. She now works as a proposal writer and research advisor for a defense contractor in the Washington, D.C. area.

Julie is a single mom with two sons, who keep her quite busy. She belongs to Romance Writers of America and Washington Romance Writers where she served six years on the organization’s Board of Directors. She was also the Market News Columnist and Feature’s Editor for the organization’s monthly newsletter, Update, for eleven years.


Website: www.juliemoffett.com

Twitter: @JMoffettAuthor

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Julie-Moffett-Author/123804877633091

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/190485.Julie_Moffett

Instagram: http://instagram.com/julie_moffett

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/JMoffettAuthor/



About Sandy Moffett:


I write fast-paced stories full of adventure, unique characters, mystery and suspense. I've published two novels with Kensington Publishing Corporation and have placed and won writing contests as both a published and unpublished author (ex. National Reader’s Choice finalist (published), RWA Golden Heart (finalist). I am a member of Mystery Writers of America and several national and local writing organizations.


I'm a hydrogeologist by training with an M.S. in geological sciences and have taken additional engineering graduate coursework. I've taught at a university, worked on a project for the Air Force Flight Test Center, worked as a design engineer for a civil engineering firm, and have done computer modeling and field studies as a hydrogeologic consultant. I've studied in England and Italy, traveled to South Africa, Egypt, and South America, and still travel to places of interest all over the world so I can make my stories richer.


Website (writing as Sandy Parks): http://www.sandyparksauthor.com/

Twitter: @SMoffettAuthor

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sandy-Moffett-Author/1474954889405428

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1117846.Sandy_Moffett





 

Tour giveaway

3 box sets The MacInness Legacy Series


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

New Release & Giveaway: MacAlister's Hope by Laurin Wittig

MacAlisters Hope - Banner  

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – MACALISTER’S HOPE 
SERIES – A KILMARTIN GLEN NOVELLA 
AUTHOR – LAURIN WITTIG 
GENRE – SCOTTISH HISTORICAL ROMANCE 
PUBLICATION DATE – OCTOBER 21, 2014 
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 29K 
PUBLISHER – INDIE 
COVER ARTIST – T. A. Straley
 

BOOK SYNOPSIS

Kieron MacAlister has always loved Fia MacLachlan, a wee fey lass he met years ago who, with her sweet smile and surprising insight, changed his life. When he comes face-to-face with the beautiful woman she’s grown into, can he convince her to change her life, too?
 

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MacAlisters Hope - Cover






 

EXCERPT




“Fia can go with you,” Elena said.

Fia’s breath hitched. “Nay, I am needed here, at least until after the bairn is born and you are recovered.”

Elena took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I shall be fine. The midwife can look after me.”

Fia wanted to shake her head, but she nodded instead, swallowing all of her arguments for why she should stay. ’Twas her duty to do as the chief and the lady required. “I will go.”

“Do you share the Lamont gift?” Tavish snapped, jerking Fia’s attention back to the two men who stood closest to her and spoke for their clan.

“Nay,” Fia answered with a lift of her chin, “but I am well trained as a healer.”

“Fia is expert with herbs, far more than I am,” Elena said. “She has a canny way of knowing which will best serve those she treats, such as I have never seen before.” Elena reached out and pulled Fia close, wrapping her arm over Fia’s shoulder in a gesture that had always made Fia feel safe, while at the same time Elena skewered first Tavish, then the other man, with that same motherly glare that made even grown men cower. “She is more than capable of tending your chief in his illness.”

Elena’s words of praise eased some of Fia’s concern over leaving her foster mother when the bairn could come at any time.

“Aye, I will do all that I can for your chief, but I have one condition.”

Elena tightened her grip and Symon turned to face her, irritation and concern filling his eyes. Fia wiggled free of Elena’s grip and took her hand again. She smiled at Symon, knowing he could not glower at her when she did that, and indeed his gaze softened.

“I will need to return to Kilmartin within a ten day. If you cannot promise me that, then I will not go with you.” She took a deep breath, unused to going against Symon or Elena’s wishes, but she hoped this was enough of a compromise to keep everyone happy. Fia could feel the knots in her shoulders loosening now that she had set her own requirements on the deal.

“But she does not have your gift.” The words came out as a growl from between Tavish’s gritted teeth.

Fia could see the man next to him tense, as if ready to do battle, though he had not so much as gestured toward his dirk or his sword. That was when she noticed that he held something in his hand, rolling it in his palm as if he calmed himself with it. She looked up at his face carefully for the first time and realized he was familiar to her, though she could not remember from where she might know him. There was something about his eyes…nay, she could not place him.

Elena tilted her head and smiled, glancing at Fia and drawing Fia’s attention back to the conversation.

“Nay, she does not have the Lamont gift,” Elena agreed, “but she is very talented in her own way, and you do not have a choice. Fia can go with you to tend your chief—your father—” she added pointedly, “and be returned here within a ten day, or you can leave here with a tincture that may or may not be what your father requires.”

Tavish started to respond, when the other man simultaneously reached out and gripped his shoulder, as if to stop him from speaking, and dropped the thing in his hand. Fia watched as a perfectly round, milky stone rolled to rest near Elena’s feet. Fia scooped it up, for Elena could not even bend over these days. She dusted the pretty stone off on her skirt, then held it out for the man but he did not take it from her.

“Do you think you can heal him, Fia?” he asked, saying her name as if he, too, remembered her, though she still could not remember why she knew him.

She looked at Tavish, holding the stone out for him to take as his companion did not seem interested in it anymore. “I do not ken,” she said, needing to be truthful with him and herself, “but I will do my best.” The palest pink whispered along the milky white ribbons within the stone, surprising her even as she heard the other man let out his breath. “But you must promise to have me back here before Elena’s time,” she said, though her eyes were still on the stone that was once again milky white, “whether your father is better or not.”

Elena plucked the stone from Fia’s hand and held it up to the pale sunlight, gazing into it with a bemused look upon her face.

“I believe she can heal him,” Elena said, still gazing into the stone, while pink once more whispered through it. Fia gasped. Elena looked at her for a moment and quirked an eyebrow as if asking if Fia had seen what Elena had. Elena lowered her hand and held the stone out to its owner with a mysterious sort of smile playing over her lips. “’Tis a beautiful stone. It reminds me of a tale I once heard about the Cailleach Bheur, the mother of winter, and a frozen tear that held the truth of her heartache. You should not be so uncareful with it.”

“Aye, my lady,” he said quietly. “I have heard that story, too.” He swallowed and smiled. “I am afraid I have a bad habit of fiddling with it and dropping it betimes,” he added, tucking the stone into a pouch at his belt. “Fia’s skills will be most appreciated.”

Tavish sucked in a loud breath.

“She will do as she says,” the other man said to him, “I am sure of it.”

Tavish said nothing for a long moment, then nodded. “Very well. If we cannot have the skill of Lady Elena, we will take Fia with us to tend my da.”

Fia and the other man winced at Tavish’s less than grateful tone.

“And return me in a ten day.” Fia narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips together. She had no intention of budging from Elena’s side without this assurance.

“We promise,” the other man said when Tavish did not.






MacAlisters Hop - Author PhotoAUTHOR BIO

Laurin Wittig writes Kindle Top 10 bestselling and award-winning Scottish medieval romances. She has been obsessed with her Scottish heritage since her first visit to Scotland when she was eleven years old, and was thrilled, years later, to discover Scottish romances. Since then she has had the good fortune to bring her own Highland stories to readers around the world.









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Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Review, Interview, Guest Post & Giveaway: Snow in July by Kim Iverson Headlee



snowinjulynew  

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Snow in July 

AUTHOR – Kim Iverson Headlee 

GENRE – Young Adult Paranormal Historical Romance 

PUBLICATION DATE – July 2014 

LENTH (Pages/# Words) – 386 pages/94K words 

PUBLISHER – Pendragon Cove Press 

COVER DESIGNER – Natasha Brown

 

 

 

 

Snow in July - Book Cover BOOK SYNOPSIS

Sir Robert Alain de Bellencombre has been granted what every man wants: a rich English estate in exchange for his valiant service at the Battle of Hastings. To claim this reward, the Norman knight must wed the estate's Saxon heiress. Most men would leap at such an opportunity, but for Alain, who broke his vow to his dying mother by failing to protect his youngest brother in battle, it means facing more easily broken vows. But when rumors of rampant thievery, dangerous beasts, and sorcery plaguing a neighboring estate reach his ears, nothing will make him shirk duty to king and country when people's lives stand at risk. He assumes the guise of a squire to scout the land, its problems, and its lady.

Lady Kendra of Edgarburh has been granted what no woman wants: a forced marriage to an enemy who may be kith or kin to the man who murdered her beloved brother. Compounding her anguish is her failure to awaken the miraculous healing gift bequeathed by their late mother in time to save his life. Although with his dying breath, he made her promise to seek happiness above all, Kendra vows that she shall find neither comfort nor love in the arms of a Norman…unless it snows in July.

Alain is smitten by Lady Kendra from the first moment of their meeting; Kendra feels the forbidden allure of the handsome and courtly Norman "squire." But a growing evil overshadows everyone, invoking dark forces and ensnaring Kendra in a plot to overthrow the king Alain is oath-bound to serve. Kendra and Alain face a battle unlike any other as their honor, their love, their lives, and even their very souls lie in the balance.

 

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  Snow In July - Full Sleeve  

 

 

 

EXCERPT

FIFTEEN THOUSAND MEN and horses writhed across the valley below, appearing as toys in a children’s game.


Many might consider war a game, but Sir Robert Alain de Bellencombre, knight of Normandy bound to the service of Duke William and commander of a unit in the cavalry reserves, did not number among their ranks.


Edward the Confessor, King of England via his Saxon father but Norman by his mother, was dead. This battle, raging near the coastal hamlet called Hastings, would decide the right of one man to wear the English crown: William the Norman, acknowledged by Pope Alexander to be Edward’s lawful successor; or Harold the Saxon, brother of Edward’s wife, the man alleged to be Edward’s deathbed choice.


Stroking his war horse’s glossy charcoal neck to calm her, Alain pondered Harold’s claim. It had to be true. This many men would not sacrifice their lives for a lie. Yet the vast majority of Harold’s supporters were Saxons harboring no wish to bear the Norman yoke. Perhaps such men might be desperate enough to fight for a lie that promised to restore Saxon rule.


A trumpet blared. He signaled his men forward, couched his lance, and spurred Chou to send her careening into the melee.


Harold’s shield wall, which had seemed impregnable, began to crumble under the onslaught of Alain’s unit, hastened by the desertion of men who no doubt decided they weren’t quite so willing to die. Their lord stood exposed just long enough for a Norman archer to sight his mark. Harold fell, screaming and clutching an arrow that protruded from one eye.


Harold’s supporters closed ranks around him, blocking Alain’s view and giving him more than enough to do as the Saxons redoubled their efforts to guard their lord’s body.


A familiar whirl of colors caught Alain’s attention. The saffron leopard prowling on a green field—Étienne! A Saxon knight, with a blue arm and fist blazing defiance across his gray shield, bore down upon Étienne with leveled lance. Étienne tumbled from his horse. He scrambled to his feet and retrieved his sword, putting it to good use on the Saxons surrounding him, although the knight who’d unhorsed him had already ridden in search of other targets.


Lance long since discarded and sword now rising and falling with fatal precision, Alain surged to reach his brother’s side. Protection of her youngest son had been their dying mother’s wish, and he had sworn on his own life to keep Étienne safe.


Before he could close the distance, another Saxon knight fought past Étienne’s guard to thrust a war-knife into his throat. Through the visor the knight’s eyes gleamed with startling, fathomless malice. Alain could only watch in stunned disbelief as he laid his hand upon Étienne’s chest for a few moments. Uttering a soul-freezing howl, the Saxon yanked out his seax and disappeared into the press with Étienne’s shield, denying Alain vengeance.


Shame and grief rent his heart asunder.


He had failed the two he loved most; failed them so utterly that he could never beg their forgiveness in this lifetime.


Pain slammed into his shoulder, toppling him from the saddle. Étienne’s body broke his fall. He tried to roll clear, but a spear through his chest pinned him to Étienne. His gut convulsed, and bile burned his throat. Blinding agony killed his struggle to free himself. Death’s stench invaded his nostrils.


He closed his eyes and waited for his final journey to begin.




Character Bios


Robert Alain de Bellencombre
Preferring the name Alain for use by close family and friends, he is a Norman knight in the service of William the Conqueror and a court favorite. Being the second son of Count Hugh FitzWalter and Countess Margaret has prevented Alain from inheriting his father’s title and lands, which caused his first fiancée to jilt him in favor of Alain’s older half brother Philippe. 

Alain is the older brother of Étienne de Bellencombre, and Alain’s failure to protect Étienne at the Battle of Hastings becomes a major source of grief that Alain must learn to vanquish. The device on Alain’s shield represents the Norman town Bellencombre, his birthplace: a white rose nestled in tangle of greenery, on saffron yellow.

Kendra Waldronsdotter
Lady Kendra is the heiress to her father’s estate of Edgarburh, near London. King William the Bastard has decreed that she marry one of his knights...perhaps even the very man who had ambushed her brother and dealt him his mortal wound. Though Kendra cannot bear to imagine what the king will do to her father or her people if she disobeys this command, she vows that she will never marry a Norman unless it snows in July. The name Kendra is the female form of Kendrick, meaning “keen power,” and in fact the Lady Kendra is heiress, through her mother, to a powerful healing gift that she must learn how to wield in order to save those she loves.

 

 Review - 4 Stars!

I don't normally read many historically set novels, although I will on occasion if I love the author, or if it catches my attention.  The title and cover captured my attention first.  The blurb piqued my interest next.  I'm super-duper glad I decided to pick up this tour and a chance to review for it.  

The story concept itself is a nice one.  Enemies forced into marriage.  I know, it's not unique for historical romance, but add in the bit of sorcery and it's a  recipe for a magical story.  I love enemies turned lovers theme.  I love adding magic.  I love the setting with knights and maidens.  Nice!

As for the characters, I empathized with Kendra (despite the fact she is from another time) and liked her immensely.  I loved Alain for her, too.  This was a clean read, so the romance was sweet with a hint of attraction, but nothing too heated.  Which is fine, it didn't need more.  You could tell Kendra and Alain really felt for each other and that was enough for the story.

As for the story itself, it was fast-paced enough to keep my attention for almost the entire novel, with only a few places I felt was dragging.  The weren't major plot holes or horrible areas where drama or a situation was thrown into the story just for the sake of torturing the characters and no other reason.  Everything fit into it quite well and seemed to be there for a reason, so I didn't want to throw something at the screen.  ^_^

As for the writing, sometimes I felt the story was written a tad too formally, but it fit the time period enough it wasn't a terrible turn off.  The dialog was fairly well done and didn't make me wince - and its one of my peeves - so I was happy there!  

Overall, it's a great read with an excellent story.  I will definitely read more by this author!  4 stars!



 

Snow in July - Book Spine

Top 10:  Authors


As with all my top 10s, this is list is given in the order that they have occurred to me. All have inspired my writing in one way or another.

1. William Shakespeare
2. Mary Stewart
3. Parke Godwin
4. Anne McCaffrey
5. Mark Twain
6. Stanislaw Lem
7. Sir Thomas Malory
8. Kate Welsh
9. Alys Clare
10. Tad Williams

 This or That


Coffee or Soda? 
Coffee, usually, unless it’s really hot out.

TV or Books? 
Depends on whether I need escape (usually TV), or research (usually books).

Chocolate or Carrot Sticks? 
What’s a “carrot stick”? LOL!

Cats or Dogs?  
Cats for their independence and being generally low maintenance, though I currently have two lovely Great Pyrenees who guard our goats, and I have had dogs throughout much of my life.

Scarier: Spiders or Snakes?
 
Since we have plenty of both on our farm, and I have never minded either (unless they are a poisonous species), I will have to go with spiders for their annoying ability to drop in unannounced.  Plus we have one species that winters in our kitty litter in the basement. If only I can train them with itty bitty scoops...!

Beer or Wine? 
Wine; specifically, mead. But Crabbie’s Ginger Beer runs a very close second.

Preferred Friends: Male or Female?
 
Female, because it’s easier to relate—though I’ve always considered my husband as a friend too.

Alpha or Beta? 
Alpha all the way. I can run the world too, if you’ll let me. :D

Funny or Emotional? 
Usually, funny. Emotional when I am trying to evoke something for my writing.


 

 

Author Interview

What made you decide to start becoming a published author?
My husband, because he couldn’t wrap his head around my spending so much time writing and not getting paid for it. My revenge is drafting him to read my early drafts and help me spot errors in my plot logic and battle descriptions. It’s a good partnership. :D

How many unpublished stories do you have?

I have several works that exist in various stages of development, including the other six installments of my planned eight­book series called The Dragon’s Cove Chronicles, two sequels to my soon­to­be released 2 (1st Edition was published under the pseudonym Kimberly Iverson by HQN Books, 2006), a novelization of the screenplay I wrote as a sequel to King Arthur’s Sister in Washington’s Court, and a stand­alone novel about a very early Viking in my husband’s genealogy. My literary cup runneth over!

What are you working on at this moment?


Currently I am working on the following projects:  
The updated print edition layout of Morning’s Journey (The Dragon’s Dove Chronicles, volume 2)
Liberty, 2 formats
Reviewing and approving illustrations and print layout files for the hardcover edition of King Arthur’s Sister in Washington’s Court
Listening to and approving audio files for the audiobook edition of King Arthur’s Sister in Washington’s Court
Writing the first draft of Raging Sea (The Dragon’s Dove Chronicles, volume 3)

What is your favorite type of heroine/protagonist to write? Feisty women? Strong women? Weak women? Flighty women?

My work features independent women, regardless of their level of physical strength. Even my gladiatrix­slave heroine of Liberty, whose situation is controlled by the will and whims of her masters, possesses a spirit that cannot be conquered. I see too many women defining themselves in terms of the men in their lives, which leads to a multitude of problems. If any of my novels can inspire even one woman to redefine herself in terms of what she would like life, rather than what everyone else expects of her, then I will consider my literary mission accomplished.

Do you get the dreaded writer's block and how do you combat it?


Of course I do. The worst case of it I have ever contracted and beaten—which lasted for three years—is described in a special bio I wrote for King Arthur’s Sister in Washington’s Court. If writer’s block has a dictionary entry, there is where you will find my photo. I am pleased to report that I am much better now!

How many proofreaders/editors do you use before publishing your work?

Nobody ever sees a first draft of mine. After that, I usually get my husband to look over my work, and sometimes one or two very close writer­ friends. Then I send it to my marvelous editor, Deb Taber, for at least one and sometimes two paid passes, depending on the story’s needs.

Do you have input in your covers? Who designs them?

My current cover designer is the wonderful Natasha Brown, and we have developed an excellent working relationship for all my current ebook and full-wrap covers.

Coffee or Tea?

Depends on my mood and needs. Sometimes I’m in the mood for a nice soothing cup of Celestial Seasonings “Tension Tamer” tea, but I need coffee to wake up, pretty much every day.

How do you take your coffee?

On the weak side (Starbucks brews their coffee twice as strong as I prefer), with a variety of International Delight creamer, my number one favorite being White Chocolate Raspberry. Other varieties in my fridge today include Almond Joy, Cinnabon, and Irish Crème. If the truth be told, I drink coffee more for the creamer than anything else—and the fact that caffeine is not an illegal drug. :D

How many cats do you own?

I don’t “own” any cats, but I serve the needs of one outdoor cat and seven indoor cats. Yes, we have a healthy perspective of where we all fit in our universe.

As a Trekkie, do you go to conventions? Perhaps speak Klingon? Or simply just love the Star Trek universe?

I have never considered myself a Trekkie, though one of my favorite TV shows of all time, of any genre, is Star Trek: Deep Space Nine for its brilliant writing and character interplay. I know the Klingon words for “victory” and “blood” (and what does that say about me? LOL). I do attend conventions once in a while, usually Farpoint (February) and Shore Leave (August), both held in Hunt Valley, Maryland. But quite often I schedule a spa day for myself while my husband attends panels and helps his cousin, who is one of the organizers, and our daughter has been a volunteer for so many years that she is now officially on the Farpoint staff. It looks like I will be one of the author­ guests at Farpoint in 2015, and I’ve kind­of­sort­of received confirmation of this, but they have a new author liaison and she hasn’t given me the official nod yet. I am pleased to announce that I have been confirmed as an author­guest at Mysticon 2015 (Feb 27­ Mar 1; Roanoke, Virginia), which is not strictly a Trek convention, but darn close!

Do you write about military men and women because it is something you're very familiar with as an Air Force vet, kind of like the old adage, write what you know? Or you just REALLY like the military men and women?

To clarify, I am not an Armed Forces veteran—I attended the US Air Force Academy for only two years, which excused me from a service commitment— but my husband retired as a lieutenant colonel after twenty years in the Air Force. I was told growing up that there are a lot of officers in my ancestry, mainly among the Russian nobility of my family tree. My two years at the Academy, brief as they were, certainly did leave an indelible mark that shall influence my fiction for the rest of my life, not only in terms of the military lifestyle, but the even more important aspect of the warrior’s code of ethics and honor.

(I'd like to take the time here to say thanks for your service to our country!! I sincerely support our military and have the utmost respect for anyone who can survive serving (and I don't mean death in war and such, I mean the actual training, because I am a super wimp).)

On behalf of my husband and our friends in the Armed Forces, thank you very much!

Lastly, how do your life experiences show up in your stories?

Since most of my stories are set many centuries in the past, it is difficult to apply much of my life experiences in a direct way, but one specific example—a part of the survival training I received at the Academy—found its way into Morning’s Journey (The Dragon’s Dove Chronicles, volume 2) in that I was able to describe a similar experience for one of my major characters as a rite-­of-passage event for him.

­­­­­Give us your stalker links!

My pleasure! I run a contest every month on my blog for anyone who has followed me on Google+ or Twitter, subscribed to my newsletter or YouTube channel, or commented on any of my blog posts during the month, regardless of whether they are following me anywhere else.

As a special deal for your terrific audience, I invite them to do the “like” or “follow” thing on any of the social media sites below, and then leave a comment on my blog to report their “like” number, and so forth. Each action, including the blog comment, is good for an entry in this month’s contest, which will be for an ebook copy of Snow in July—or any of my other novels! I use the web site random.org to make my selection.

Find Kim Headlee on:

Amazon Authors Central: http://www.amazon.com/Kim­Headlee/e/B001KE2LK2
Video Interview: http://youtu.be/DV5iKrEIROk
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/gyanhumara

Thank you very much for this opportunity to connect with your blog’s readers! 

Sorry for the late post!  Blog issues led to this being left in blog limbo!


GUEST POST by Kim Iverson Headlee

Today’s Chicken and Egg Question: Do my real­life experiences mirror my novels?

Although I write historical fiction—centering upon ancient history—there do arise occasions when experiences in real life mirror events in my books. Two such experiences, both occurring on separate visits to the British Isles, leap to mind today.

After my first novel, Dawnflight, was purchased by Sonnet Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, in 1997, my husband and I used a portion of the advance to take a trip to Scotland. The trip was part celebration and all research as we visited the sites of the heroine’s home fortress (Ardoca Roman Camp, Perthshire), as well as the villain’s (Dunadd hill fort on the Kintyre Peninsula).  Ardoca is on private land, so we had to content ourselves with what we could view from the road of the remaining ridges of the fortifications and so forth, but the trip to Dunadd proved quite special indeed. The very idea of finding the well, the foundations of the gate tower, two roads to the summit of different widths, and the replica symbol­stones that adorned the site where my story’s villain called home sent literal chills down my spine. The fact that the fortress was being buffeted by 70 mph winds that day, it being a fine brisk afternoon in January, had nothing at all to do with those chills, I assure you!

A few years later, my husband was dispatched to London on business and I was able to accompany him. While he was attending a meeting on our last morning, I decided to visit a prayer service at St. Paul’s Cathedral. I had been scrambling around, trying to get packed, and I almost didn’t go, but something told me I needed to make this trek. I arrived at the church feeling harried and breathless, but the instant I stepped within those sacred walls and the choir’s music enveloped me, I felt all of that melt away as fast as if it had never been. It didn’t occur to me until well into the service that this experience was very much akin to a scene I described the heroine as having experienced inside her first church in Dawnflight, which had been published for nearly three years by this time.

I tend to vote most often for the Chicken, but I’ve learned there are times when the Egg does indeed come first.


 

AUTHOR BIO

Kim Headlee lives on a farm in southwestern Virginia with her family, cats, goats, and assorted wildlife. People & creatures come and go, but the cave and the 250-year-old house ruins -- the latter having been occupied as recently as the mid-20th century -- seem to be sticking around for a while yet.

 

Kim is a Seattle native (when she used to live in the Metro DC area, she loved telling people she was from "the other Washington") and a direct descendent of 20th-century Russian nobility. Her grandmother was a childhood friend of the doomed Grand Duchess Anastasia, and the romantic yet tragic story of how Lydia escaped Communist Russia with the aid of her American husband will most certainly one day fuel one of Kim's novels. Another novel in the queue will involve her husband's ancestor, the 7th-century proto-Viking king of the Swedish colony in Russia.

 

For the time being, however, Kim has plenty of work to do in creating her projected 8-book Arthurian series, The Dragon's Dove Chronicles, and other novels under her new imprint, Pendragon Cove Press. She also writes romantic historical fiction under the pseudonym "Kimberly Iverson."

 

 

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GIVEAWAY PRIZES

• 10 eBook Copies of Snow in July • 10 Snow in July Notecards from the Author

 

 

GOODREADS GIVEAWAY

• 10 Autographed copies (US residents only) of the print edition via Goodreads (scheduled to run October 1-October 30)

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE GOODREADS GIVEAWAY

 

 

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