Pam Lecky's Blog, page 10
March 7, 2023
Hiding in Plain Sight by Eoghan Egan
Today I am delighted to feature Hiding in Plain Sight by fellow Irish crime writer, Eoghan Egan.
A Little Bit About the Book …A vicious serial killer roams the Irish Midlands with his sights set on his next victim…
Hiding in Plain SightA Little Bit about Eoghan
A native of Co. Roscommon, Eoghan wrote his first story aged nine.
Eoghan EganAt college, he studied Computer Programming, works in Sales Management & Marketing, but his passion for reading and writing remains.
Eoghan’s work got shortlisted for the 2018 Bridport Short Story Prize, and Listowel’s 2019 Bryan McMahon Short Story Award Competition. His novel was a contender in literary agent David Headley’s opening chapter Pitch Competition, and during March 2019, Eoghan’s entry won Litopia’s prestigious Pop-Up Submission.
A graduate of Maynooth University’s Creative Writing Curriculum, and Curtis Brown’s Edit & Pitch Your Novel Course, Eoghan divides his time between Roscommon and Dublin.
Social Media Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eoin.egan.9085/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eoghanegan/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/eoghanegan
February 23, 2023
The Black Madonna by Stella Riley: The Coffee Pot Book Club Tour
You can follow the full tour here: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2022/12/blog-tour-black-madonna-by-stella-riley.html
The Black Madonna by Stella Riley(Audiobook narrated by Alex Wyndham)
As England slides into Civil War, master-goldsmith and money-lender, Luciano Falcieri del Santi embarks on his own hidden agenda. A chance meeting one dark night results in an unlikely friendship with Member of Parliament, Richard Maxwell. Richard’s daughter, Kate – a spirited girl who vows to hold their home against both Cavalier and Roundhead – soon finds herself fighting an involuntary attraction to the clever, magnetic and diabolically beautiful Italian.
Hampered by the warring English, his quest growing daily more dangerous, Luciano begins to realise that his own life and that of everyone close to him rests on the knife-edge of success … for only success will permit him to reclaim the Black Madonna and offer his heart to the girl he loves.
From the machinations within Parliament to the last days of the King’s cause, The Black Madonna is an epic saga of passion and intrigue at a time when England was lost in a dark and bloody conflict.
Buy Links:
*Only £1.95 / $1.95 for the duration of the Blog Tour*
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bPNKpd
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Madonna-Roundheads-Cavaliers-Book-ebook/dp/B00D4CF3LM/
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Madonna-Roundheads-Cavaliers-Book-ebook/dp/B00D4CF3LM/
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Black-Madonna-Roundheads-Cavaliers-Book-ebook/dp/B00D4CF3LM/
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Black-Madonna-Roundheads-Cavaliers-Book-ebook/dp/B00D4CF3LM/
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-black-madonna-stella-riley/1115550936?ean=2940044562431
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-black-madonna-5
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-black-madonna/id659127225
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/321222
Audio: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Black-Madonna-Audiobook/B07SYMJ11G
The Black Madonna – An ExcerptA rescue … and the beginning of a close and unusual friendship.
Richard and Eden turned north through the labyrinthine alleyways of Bridewell in order to cross the Fleet. It was an insalubrious area and, fully alive to the possibility of robbery, Richard kept a watchful eye around them – which was how he came to notice the savage proceedings, illuminated by fitful moonlight, in a yard off to his left.
What was happening was happening in near-silence – largely due to the gag which had been stuffed into the victim’s mouth while two pairs of hands held him roughly upright to receive the blows of a third. Richard broke his son’s lethargy with one sharp jab of his elbow and then went plunging in at the assailants with a sort of flying dive that Eden, plunging swiftly in behind him, still found time to admire.
Dropped like a well-roasted chestnut while his captors met the unexpected attack, the victim slithered down the wall into an inert heap on the cobbles. His fall passed unheeded.
Finding himself bereft of his cudgel without quite knowing how, the first man launched himself at Richard and collided with a fist that broke two teeth and loosened several others. Eden, meanwhile, in a series of flawlessly executed moves learned in the Hotel de Cazenove (and a couple of effective but less genteel ones picked up in the taverns outside it), laid one man out cold against a water-butt and sent the other into staggering, retching retreat up the lane with Gap-Tooth in unsteady pursuit.
Richard flexed the fingers of his right hand, winced and grinned companionably at his son.
‘Well. It’s nice to know that your time at Angers wasn’t completely wasted.’
‘And almost as comforting to discover that you’ve still got the hardest fist in three counties,’ retorted Eden with a grin. Then, in a very different tone, ‘The only satisfaction, I suspect, either one of us will get. Have you seen who we’ve rescued?’
Richard dropped on one knee, pulled the gag from the victim’s mouth and peered into the battered, unconscious face.
‘Ah. Didn’t I see him at Far Flamstead last summer? A money-lender, isn’t he?’
‘Amongst other things,’ came the dry response. ‘Aside from pegging him up on the bridge, what do you suggest we do with him?’
Richard looked up, his brows lifting in mild surprise.
‘You don’t like him?’
‘Does anyone?’
‘I’ve no idea. But if they don’t, one presumes they have cause. Have you?’
‘Only indirectly. Not as much as whoever ordered this … but enough to understand why they might want to.’ Eden bent to disentangle one wrist from the human wreckage on the cobbles. ‘He’s not dead, at any rate.’
‘Nor even dying,’ added a thread-like voice with commendable distinctness. ‘Though I confess it feels like it.’
Slowly and with extreme caution, Luciano del Santi opened his eyes on Richard’s face and achieved the ghost of his usual sardonic smile.
‘Ah. Mr Maxwell, I believe?’
‘Yes – but never mind that now. If you’ll tell us where your house is, we’ll endeavour to get you there.’
‘Cheapside.’ The heavy lids fell again, as if in an effort to conserve energy. ‘The corner of Friday Street. It’s too far.’
‘Then where?’
‘Malt Lane … near Blackfriars Stairs,’ came the fading response. ‘The sign of the Heart and Coin.’
Eden met his father’s quizzical gaze with a carefully neutral one of his own.
‘The Heart and Coin?’ he said. ‘It sounds like a bawdy-house.’
‘The word,’ said Luciano del Santi, ‘is brothel. Don’t be shy. Just knock three times and ask for Gwynneth.’
* * *
On the mercifully short journey to Malt Lane, the Italian lapsed in and out of consciousness with a frequency that made his bearers greet the sign of the Heart and Coin with profound relief. It was a modest property but looking more like a comfortable country inn than the stew they had expected and inside, the cosy well-lit room was full of people.
The dark, beak-faced individual that Eden remembered from the hawking party was there, one hand on his knife. In front of him and involved in heated discussion were a slender, soberly-dressed woman with the whitest skin Eden had ever seen and an expression of desperate anxiety, and a small dynamic person who waved his arms wildly as he talked but still managed to look like a large brown nut with moustaches. Behind these three and collected into little tearful huddles were the girls. Girls with skin of every shade from lustrous pearl to ebony, hair of gold and copper and jet … and apparently only one thing in common. They were all uniquely beautiful.
Eden found that his mouth was open and resolutely shut it. Luciano del Santi opened his eyes, summoned his dwindling resources and said vaguely, ‘Pardon my intrusion … but if there is a chair, I believe these gentlemen would be glad to put me in it.’ And promptly passed out again.
There was a brief silence; and then the occupants of the room surged forward on a tide of exclamation. Predictably, the fellow with the knife got there first by the simple expedient of brushing the others aside. Nor did he waste time talking but merely removed his master from the hands of Richard and Eden and carried him inside to lay him carefully on the rug in front of the hearth.
The woman in grey, surrounded by the girls like a dove amongst humming-birds, followed issuing a stream of lilting orders during which Richard and Eden found themselves sitting on a cushioned settle while a dazzling blonde pressed glasses of brandy into their hands
Kneeling on the hearth and having cautiously examined the unconscious man’s ribs, Gwynneth looked up at the hawk-faced fellow and said, ‘There’s some damage but we’ll need a doctor to say how much. Certainly it’s worse than last time and I really don’t like the look of him.’
‘And that, as they say, adds insult to injury,’ breathed Luciano del Santi from behind closed lids. ‘But I forgive you. I’ll even allow Selim to put me to bed. The only question is – whose?’
A sudden flush stained the lovely skin and Gwynneth lost her calm façade.
‘You fool – you fool! Why do you do it? It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last. You promised not to stir after dark without Selim – you promised us all. One day they’ll kill you.’
The Italian opened his eyes, his mouth twisting with wry amusement.
‘No. Haven’t you realised yet that the devil looks after his own. I’m indestructible.’
‘Yes. You look it.’
He managed a long, extremely careful breath.
‘My looks again? You’re unkind, cara. Don’t cry.’
‘I’m not crying! You think I’d waste my tears on you?’ She sniffed and cradled his hand in both of hers. ‘Don’t think I care what happens to you – I don’t. But you might spare a thought for what’s to become of the girls and me if you get your throat cut.’
A faint laugh, abruptly checked, caused him to close his eyes again until the pain receded and made Gwynneth reach for the brandy.
‘Here,’ she said roughly. ‘Drink it all. And, if you must talk, say thank you to the good gentlemen who saved your worthless life tonight.’
Luciano del Santi turned his head to locate Richard and Eden, his brow furrowed with the effort of it. Then he said, ‘Forgive me. I thought you had gone.’
Richard crossed to his side, followed more slowly by Eden.
‘Think nothing of it. The brandy is excellent, so I’ve no complaints. And I’m sure that – for other reasons entirely – my son has none either.’ He paused briefly and then said, ‘Tell me … does this kind of thing happen to you often?’
‘Not often, no. Only when I grow careless.’
‘Only when you go out without Selim, you mean,’ said Gwynneth tartly. ‘There’s scarcely one of those fine gentlemen of the Court who buy their dinners with your money who wouldn’t stick a knife in your back given half a chance.’
‘You talk too much, cara.’ The beautiful voice, though faint, was pleasantly final. ‘There’s no reason why Mr Maxwell should interest himself in my affairs.’
‘None,’ said Richard, ‘save that I’ve already done so.’
‘And thereby placed me under an obligation to you.’
‘Are you suggesting that as my motive?’
The Italian stared inscrutably back at him.
‘No. I’m saying that if there is anything – either now or in the future – that I may do for you, you have but to name it.’
An arrested expression crossed Eden’s face and he opened his mouth as if to speak, then thought better of it.
Richard said, ‘I appreciate the offer and the fact that it isn’t made lightly. But not quite everything has to be paid for, signor.’
‘I know it.’ Luciano del Santi’s smile was crooked but oddly infectious. ‘But you must allow me to observe that you are the first Englishman I have met who knew it also.’
A Little Bit About Stella…
Stella RileyWinner of three gold medals for historical romance (Readers’ Favourite in 2019, Book Excellence Awards in 2020, Global Book Awards in 2022) and fourteen B.R.A.G. Medallions, Stella Riley lives in the beautiful medieval town of Sandwich in Kent.
She is fascinated by the English Civil Wars and has written six books set in that period. These, like the seven-book Rockliffe series (recommended in The Times newspaper!) and the Brandon Brothers trilogy, are all available in audio, narrated by Alex Wyndham.
Stella enjoys travel, reading, theatre, Baroque music and playing the harpsichord. She also has a fondness for men with long hair – hence her 17th and 18th century heroes.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://stellarileybooks.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RileyStella
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stellariley.books
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stellarileybooks/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/riley9631/stella-riley-books/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/stella-riley
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stella-Riley/e/B0034PB7UU/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50913323-the-black-madonna
February 21, 2023
Hammer by Micheál Cladáin: The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour
Today on the blog, I am delighted to host Micheál Cladáin for his blog tour for Hammer, part of The Iron Between Series. Micheál has kindly provided an excerpt from the book, which you can read below.
You can follow the full tour here: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2022/12/blog-tour-hammer-by-micheal-cladain.html
Hammer by Micheál CladáinGenonn’s tired and dreams of a remote roundhouse in the Cuala Mountains.
However, sudden rebellion in Roman Britain destroys that dream because the Elder Council task him with delivering Lorg Mór, the hammer of the Gods, to the tribes across the straits of Pwll Ceris. Despite being torn between a waning sense of duty and his desire to become a hermit, Genonn finally agrees to help.
When his daughter follows him into danger, it tests his resolve. He wants to do everything he can to see her back to Druid Island and her mother. This new test of will means he is once again conflicted between duty and desire. Ultimately, his sense of duty wins; is it the right decision? Has he done the right thing by relegating his daughter’s safety below his commitment to the clans?
Buy Links:
Hammer is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/bzKZWz
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BMLQML9J
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMLQML9J
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BMLQML9J
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BMLQML9J
Hammer: An ExcerptIreland, Southwest of Tara – CE 60 or 61
Genonn stopped just inside and frowned at the patrons glowering at him. What had been a raucous celebration was now a dense silence. The same silence greeted his arrival in drinking halls across the land. The revellers were thinking the thought that struck every person when he walked into a hostel or feast hall: “What have we done?” they asked themselves. “Why has a druid arrived here?” Guilt was always at the forefront of their unimaginative intellects when a druid arrived without the chieftain having sued the Elder Council for aid.
Nothing but a hostel full of Cúl an tí. Country folk — always the same.
Genonn smiled at the stern faces, hoping the tension would ease when he offered a story in exchange for a sup and a bite, removing their inherent fear. Silver usually followed a story because — truth be told — he was a good storyteller. Knew all the best tales and carried the gift of the gab, or so they said. Most would buy ale and a story before a meal, which he availed of whenever the chance arose.
Studying the dim interior, Genonn decided it was a bit of a midden. There was a stink of something unpleasant from the mouldering rushes; dirty cups and plates were piled at the ends of the tables. Barrels were stacked at the back with a man standing beside them, washing pots in a tub filled with steaming water. Either he was the hosteller or was a local paying for his food. He seemed like a bit of a bundún, so the hosteller was the likely answer.
This could be the hole where I begin my final song.
Genonn’s song: the song of the warrior and An Dagda’s hammer. During the task set by the Elder Council, he discovered the warrior had stolen the hammer. Having hunted for him through the length and breadth of Ériu, Genonn hoped he might be in this dingy hole, still loose after ten Samhains with a price on his head. It was the warrior’s type of establishment, a place where he could drink himself into Tír nÓg.
It used to be. He might have changed.
With that thought, Genonn hobbled over to the barrels and resting his staff against the wall, he asked the pot washer, ‘A bite to eat and a sup of mead for a story?’
‘Why should I give you food, and my patrons give you silver? You could be any old vagabond, chancing your arm for a free meal,’ the hosteller scoffed. ‘I’m not one to hand over without credentials.’
So, once again, my foretelling comes to pass. The hosteller and, without question, a bundún.
‘You want to know my credentials, you say.’
‘Aye. You want my food and my patrons’ silver, old man,’ the hosteller said, indicating the men and women in the hall, ‘you better give me a good reason.’
‘Very well. I am Genonn, called The Vigilant by some. I am a druid, a greybeard, a seeker. Late of the Elder Council on Ynys Môn. Their leader once, many Samhains ago.’
The hosteller scoffed and continued pot washing, ignoring Genonn.
‘You do not believe me, I fear.’ Bundún.
‘You think me a fool, old man? True, you are worn around the edges, grey of beard, but wouldn’t give you more than forty summers. The Vigilant would have been born during my father’s time, before the battle of Gairech.’
‘Before your father, even, but he is Genonn, so he is,’ someone said from a bench in the deeper shadows.
Genonn squinted into the dark beside the barrels as his heart began to race. He could not see any details of the speaker except a slight reflection of the brazier light, but he did not need more light. He would know the voice anywhere. It belonged to a man he had counted as a friend, at least until he murdered two innocent boys.
A Little Bit about Micheál
Micheál has been an author for many years. He studied Classics and developed a love of Greek and Roman culture through those studies. In particular, he loved their mythologies. As well as a classical education, bedtime stories consisted of tales read from a great tome of Greek Mythology, and Micheál was destined to become a storyteller from those times.
Social Media Links:
Website: www.philhughespublishing.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cladain_m
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerchedCrowPress
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mickcladain/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Miche%C3%A1l-Clad%C3%A1in/author/B07BGWK6BD
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17189173.Miche_l_Clad_in
February 12, 2023
Historical Fiction Author of the Month: Tony Riches
Welcome to my new Blog Series, Historical Fiction Author of the Month.
Each month, I will showcase a different historical fiction author. Their books will range from romance to mystery and adventure, and will be from many different eras. I hope you discover a new author and their work to enjoy. Happy reading!
In this post, I am delighted to feature author, Tony Riches.
Tony Riches
Tony RichesTony Riches is a full-time UK author of Tudor historical fiction. He lives with his wife in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the lives of the Tudors. As well as his new Elizabethan series, Tony’s historical fiction novels include the best-selling Tudor trilogy and his Brandon trilogy, (about Charles Brandon and his wives). Tony also has a popular podcast series, Stories of the Tudors. For more information about Tony’s books visit his website www.tonyriches.com and his blog, The Writing Desk and find him on Facebook and Twitter @tonyriches
I’m sure readers are curious to know what enticed you to write in this genre in particular, Tony?I was born in Pembroke, birthplace of Henry Tudor, who became King Henry VII and began the Tudor Dynasty, but I only began to study its history when I returned to the area as a full-time author. I also took part in the successful campaign for a statue of Henry Tudor to be placed in front of Pembroke Castle.
I found several accounts of Henry’s life, but no novels which brought the truth of his story to life. The idea for the Tudor Trilogy occurred to me when I realised Henry Tudor could be born in book one, ‘come of age’ in book two, and rule England as king in book three, so there would be plenty of scope to explore his life and times.
I’m pleased to say all three books of the Tudor trilogy became best-sellers in the US and UK, and I decided to write a ‘sequel’ about the life of Henry VII’s daughter, Mary Tudor, who became Queen of France. This developed into the Brandon trilogy, as I was intrigued by the life of Mary’s second husband, Charles Brandon, the best friend of Henry VIII. The final book of the Brandon trilogy, about his last wife, Katherine Willoughby, has also become an international best-seller.
Katherine saw Elizabeth I become queen, and I began writing an Elizabethan series, so that my books tell the continuous stories of the Tudors from Owen Tudor’s first meeting with Queen Catherine of Valois through to the end of Queen Elizabeth’s reign.
Explore Tony’s Books
The fascinating story of the rise of the Tudor dynasty, from Welsh Servant Owen Tudor meeting the lonely widowed Queen Catherine of Valois.
Based on first hand research including following in Henry Tudors footsteps to remote Brittany, and his return to the Battle of Bosworth to become the first Tudor King of England.
https://mybook.to/TheTudorTrilogybooks
Discover the true story of Charles Brandon, best friend of King Henry VIII – and his wives Mary Tudor and Katherine Willoughby. Based on actual events of courage, passion and adventure in the turbulent world of the Tudor court.
Mary Tudor watches her elder brother become King of England and wonders what the future holds for her.
https://mybook.to/TheBrandonTrilogy
Enter the court of Queen Elizabeth with the Elizabethan Series
Three favourites of Queen Elizabeth I who saw different facets of her. Drake showered her with gold and jewels, Essex was the errant son she never had. Raleigh was her protector.
https://mybook.to/TheElizabethanSeries
You can find out more about Tony and his work by checking out his social media links below:
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tony-Riches/e/B006UZWOXA
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Tony-Riches/e/B006UZWOXA
Website: https://www.tonyriches.com/
Writing blog: https://tonyriches.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tonyriches
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonyriches.author
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyriches.author/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tonyriches.author
Podcasts: https://tonyriches.podbean.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5604088.Tony_Riches
I’m delighted to share that next month’s author is Carol HedgesFebruary 8, 2023
The Adventures of Ruby Pi and the Geometry Girls: The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour
You can follow the tour here: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2022/12/blog-tour-adventures-of-ruby-pi-and-geometry-girls.html
The Adventures of Ruby Pi and the Geometry Girls by Tom DurwoodYoung adult fiction featuring gambling, bandits, swordplay, probability and Bayes’ Theorem. An English teacher hopes to engage students with colorful STEM adventures.
“In this outstanding collection, Tom addresses the chronic problem of our young women dropping out of STEM studies. His stories lend adventure to scientific thinking.”
(~ Tanzeela Siddique, Math Instructor)
Buy Links:
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/4D6QQe
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BFG186JR
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BFG186JR
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0BFG186JR
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B0BFG186JR
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-adventures-of-ruby-pi-and-the-geometry-girls-tom-durwood/1142255340?ean=9781952520273
Kobo: https://www.bestsellersbookstore.com/book/9781952520273
Excerpt: Girl Saves a Queen1. ISOKE AND THE SLAYERS
In African history, we have evidence of counting and numeration systems, games and puzzles, geometry, graphs, record‐keeping, money, weights, and measures, etc.
— Paulus Gerdes, A History of Mathematics In Africa
“Come!” urged Isoke. “We can’t be late!”
The first day of the Igue festival was in full swing. With a grunt, the girl shouldered one of the ropes. “The Mundari are thoughtless merchants. They’ll let their best calves go first– ”
She pulled the big-wheeled cart through the festival grounds. Six of her brothers pulled alongside her.
“You’re a long way from home, umngeele,” called a smiling Xhosa woman standing before a tiger- patterned curtain. She used a term that meant something between “borderlander” and “boon-docker.” She waved invitingly.
“Save some time for me on the way back,” Simtho told her. She laughed. The other brothers, even grim-faced Ypiku, enjoyed this exchange.
The little outlander family, led by the skinny girl Isoke, made their way past the vendors’ stands and the livestock pens and the tapestry displays.
Isoke had visited the grounds the night before, to map out their route.
The festival grounds were a celebration of symbols and numbers – different tribes’ runes and patterns spoke of beliefs, cosmology, rituals, totem birds and animals. Seers threw sign-marked rune-stones and announced destinies. Hooded hawks perched on their masters’ arms. Teams of boys jousted, their patterned vests identifying each clan. A tethered panther paced to and fro in a large cage, its eyes resting on passers-by.
The fair seemed boundless. They could only see parts of the whole. “Stay strong, brothers!”urged the girl. “We are almost there — ”
Only fourteen years old, Isoke was the matriarch of her clan and the acting chieftain of the Atakora, a small, once- undisciplined tribe of hunters in the remote Cotinou region, on the eastern peripheries of the kingdoms of Benin. They wore their bows and shields on their backs, for all outlanders are hunters, and all hunters care to keep their weapons close by.
“Here we go – this way — ”
Isoke had been saving for over a year to buy a bull-calf, to sire the village’s heifers. A healthy herd would change the fortunes of her people, that much she knew. She was determined to do right. Her ingenious new design for the baskets was water-tight and had become much-favored among the river tribes. As word spread and others came to see, and acquire, the baskets, she had been able to collect two bags full of sarafu, the coins forged by the brass workers of Igbo Ukwu, coins which the traders of the steppes used as currency. These she would use to buy a fine bull-calf.
The Mundari bred a handsome line of cattle. “There!” called Isoke. “The Mundari pennants are just beyond — ” They rounded a corner. They had come to a sort of open space, or plaza. It was the royal court. They saw Nala, Queen of the Benin lands, the festival’s hostess, as she sat presiding over dances and livestock displays and various goings-on. Beside her stood the wiry Portuguese, her most trusted advisor. Behind Nala’s throne stood the royal guard, fine strong warriors in their war paint and feathered head-gear and imposing shields. Around the perimeters of the plaza were arranged the Queen’s closest allies, some of the most powerful tribes of the Benin nation. Isoke suddenly stopped.
Something is wrong …
“Why are we stopping?” asked Osahar angrily.
Isoke crouched and held her left hand high. She fisted the hand. Now a second time. …
Simtho, who was closest to Isoke in age and temperament, saw that his sister’s shoulders were tensed, trembling slightly.
“Something is very, very wrong,” murmured the girl.
With a signal, she bade her brothers notch their bows. They did so on the instant, not asking why. On their left, at the head of the plaza, was the royal court – On their right, among the assembled wagons, stood a broad-berthed cart. Its open bay concealed behind a tapestry of moons and stars. Without warning a blood-curdling scream tore from behind the curtain.
The tapestry was ripped away —
A clutch of roaring painted warriors appeared in its place. The assassins burst out, spears raised, ‘DEATH TO NALA!!’ on their lips —
Isoke ran straight at them —
“Wait! Wait!” cried Ypiku, the eldest of her brothers, the cautious, rule-abiding first born —
But there was no waiting.
There never is. In a real life, the most fateful events can unfold at the snap of a finger –
The ragged-toothed assassins were young and big-shouldered, fearful killers bristling with knives. One wielded a short-sword, of the European fashion. They wore leopard skins. Isoke grabbed a torch from the Xhosa and hurled it crossways, to trip the slayers as they advanced. Three of them toppled. A round of her brothers’ arrows struck down the front-line assassins before they had closed half the distance across the plaza –
A slayer hurled a spear directly at Queen Nala — Nala, a tall, fierce woman, plucked the spear from its trajectory mid-air and returned it with force.
It impaled its bearer with a ‘Thunk!’–
Now the Portagee swept a pair of pistols from his waistband, aimed and fired with loud double ‘Booms! —
Two slayers descended on Isoke, who had drawn a blade of her own — Osahar appeared. He stood in front of his sister, shielding her – Osahar kicked one slayer’s legs out from under him and garroted the second with his bow-string, until the bow snapped — The royal guard, unused to actual fighting, fled — The Queen threw herself into the shield-splintering melee.
The Portagee’s sword flashed cleverly.
Half-mad with frenzy, brave Simtho leapt on the back of a slayer, only to earn a deep wound in the shoulder for the effort — But the leopard skins had planned poorly, for now – now that their initial rush had been blunted – they were trapped.
Now a dash of hunters from the Yoruba and Xhosa and (surprisingly!) Swahili delegations ran to the aid of their Queen — For a long moment all was confusion and blood-lust. Terrible cries and shouts of Surrender! rose. The pretend-warriors who brag of their deeds but care not to wield a sword when blood is spilled huddled behind the throne.
It ended in a moment, as it had started.
And when the deadly combat had stilled, and when the dust and smoke had settled, it was the scrawny border girl, Isoke, who stood in the center of the plaza, still and tall among the fallen.
Shivering hilts and bloody spears and moaning bodies surrounded her.
In the distance, drums started up. Isoke surveyed the square. Now a war chant rose, in celebration of Queen Nala’s great victory, and the selfless bravery of her subjects. The Portagee raised his sword in salute. He shook his weapon.
“How did you know?” he called to Isoke. “What gave them away?”
She wiped her blade on the fabric of her skirt. “Geometry,” the border girl replied.
A Little Bit about TomTom Durwood is a teacher, writer and editor with an interest in history. Tom most recently taught English Composition and Empire and Literature at Valley Forge Military College, where he won the Teacher of the Year Award five times. Tom has taught Public Speaking and Basic Communications as guest lecturer for the Naval Special Warfare Development Group at the Dam’s Neck Annex of the Naval War College.
Tom DurwoodTom’s ebook Empire and Literature matches global works of film and fiction to specific quadrants of empire, finding surprising parallels. Literature, film, art and architecture are viewed against the rise and fall of empire. In a foreword to Empire and Literature, postcolonial scholar Dipesh Chakrabarty of the University of Chicago calls it “imaginative and innovative.” Prof. Chakrabarty writes that “Durwood has given us a thought-provoking introduction to the humanities.” His subsequent book “Kid Lit: An Introduction to Literary Criticism” has been well-reviewed. “My favorite nonfiction book of the year,” writes The Literary Apothecary (Goodreads).
Early reader response to Tom’s historical fiction adventures has been promising. “A true pleasure … the richness of the layers of Tom’s novel is compelling,” writes Fatima Sharrafedine in her foreword to “The Illustrated Boatman’s Daughter.” The Midwest Book Review calls that same adventure “uniformly gripping and educational … pairing action and adventure with social issues.” Adds Prairie Review, “A deeply intriguing, ambitious historical fiction series.”
Tom briefly ran his own children’s book imprint, Calico Books (Contemporary Books, Chicago). Tom’s newspaper column “Shelter” appeared in the North County Times for seven years. Tom earned a Masters in English Literature in San Diego, where he also served as Executive Director of San Diego Habitat for Humanity.
Two of Tom’s books, “Kid Lit” and “The Illustrated Boatman’s Daughter,” were selected “Best of the New” by Julie Sara Porter’s Bookworm Book Alert
Social Media Links:
Website: www.themathgirls.com
Newsletter: empire-studies-press.mailchimpsites.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TDurwood
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thomas.durwood.52
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-durwood-542bb422/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.fr/theusefulsherpa/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Tom-Durwood/e/B00935QAQ6
Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5462355.Tom_Durwood
January 31, 2023
The White Sails Collectors Edition Book Blast
You can follow the tour here: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/01/blog-tour-white-sails-series-collectors-edition.html
The White Sails Series Collector’s Edition By Emma Lombard
Award-winner, The White Sails Series, where icy winter storms, opportunistic mercenaries, uncharted lands, and a colourful crew of sailors are all lashed together by an epic love story.
This collector’s edition includes all four books in the series.
The White Sails Series: Special Hardback Omnibus
If Bridgerton and Pirates of the Caribbean had a love child.
Are you a fan of sweeping romantic adventures?
Do you fall for tall, brooding Naval Officers?
Love a feisty female lead who makes you yell aloud?
Then hop aboard Emma Lombard’s hardback Collector’s Edition of The White Sails Series, and batten down the hatches!
But why?
Well, firstly, let me tell you what my Kickstarter campaign isn’t. It isn’t a plea for donations, it’s not a beg for money, and it’s not just another retailer.
Okay, so what is it then?
Kickstarter is a wonderful way for me to give more to my fans.
It allows fans access to a special collector’s edition that is not (and will never be) available from online retailers.
It allows fans to have each and every copy personalised, which is just not doable on retailers.
It also allows fans a more intimate view of the story behind my series.
And best of all, it allows fans to get involved in my next series, whether through an exclusive sneak peek of the first draft or even having a character named after them.
Oh, and did I mention there’s an opportunity to win the original oil painting of the cover?
Where else in the world do you get all this extra cool stuff thrown in just because you bought a book?
What’s in it for you, Emma?
Without wanting to sound too cheesy, I’m beside myself to put such a pretty book out in the world. I’m mean, just look at that dreamy sunset! I’m not going to lie, I love a chunky book.
This collector’s edition fulfils my ultimate author dream—to be able to hold (and smell) a weighty tome. I’m not the only one—I’ve had folks walk up to my books at the market and pick them up just to smell them! My kind of peeps!
I know it’s taboo to talk about money, but the pledges received for this campaign will help me recoup some of the upfront expenses that I have already laid out, like editing, book cover design, audiobook narration, and it will give me the momentum I need to invest in those same services for my next series, The Gold Hills Series.
You’ll be helping keep the indie publishing ecosphere turning, which in turn lets me keep creating more stories.
So, what’s The White Sails Series about?
One of my readers described it best: If Bridgerton and Pirates of the Caribbean had a love child.
The idea for this series was born from a tiny nugget of family gossip that my grandmother shared with me. She told me how my 3x great grandmother left her well-to-do family in England to elope with an English sea captain, and live aboard his ship with him.
I took the basic concept of this story and had a blast creating an entirely fictitious imagining of what it might have been like for a woman to live aboard a ship in those days. Quite ironic considering that I get terribly sea-sick myself.
Curious? Never seen what a Kickstarter campaign looks like?
Just looking: Take a look at Emma’s campaign to see it in detail: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/emma-lombard-author/the-white-sails-series-special-hardback-omnibus-audiobook?ref=9oxhwz
Note: clicking on this link will not sign you up to anything, it will simply take you to the campaign page to look.
GIVEAWAY:
Batten down the hatches, m’lovelies, for a chance to win an exclusive, personalised, hardcover Collector’s Edition of The White Sails Series:
Fill out the entry form — https://forms.gle/Be1snbRhVZzcKyKY7
Winner will be notified by email on February 18th, 2023.
Buy Links:
Exclusively available on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/emma-lombard-author/the-white-sails-series-special-hardback-omnibus-audiobook?ref=9oxhwz
A Little Bit about Emma Lombard
Emma Lombard was born in Pontefract in the UK. She grew up in Africa—calling Zimbabwe and South Africa home for a few years—before finally settling in Brisbane Australia, and raising four boys. Before she started writing historical fiction, she was a freelance editor in the corporate world, which was definitely not half as exciting as writing rollicking romantic adventures. Her characters are fearless seafarers, even though in real life Emma gets disastrously sea sick.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://www.emmalombardauthor.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LombardEmma
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmmaLombardAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmalombardauthor/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/emma-lombard
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Emma-Lombard/author/B08XP3Z5RC
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21214987.Emma_Lombard
January 30, 2023
Historical Fiction Author of the Month: Susie Murphy
Welcome to my new Blog Series, Historical Fiction Author of the Month.
Each month, I will showcase a different historical fiction author. Their books will range from romance to mystery and adventure, and will be from many different eras. I hope you discover a new author and their work to enjoy. Happy reading!
In this inaugural post, I am delighted to feature fellow Irish author, Susie Murphy.
Susie MurphySusie Murphy is an Irish historical fiction author. She loves historical fiction so much that she often wishes she had been born two hundred years ago. Still, she remains grateful for many aspects of the modern age, including women’s suffrage, electric showers and pizza.
Susie has published five novels in her A Matter of Class series, a sweeping romance saga which begins in Ireland in 1828. A Matter of Class has achieved acclaim from the Historical Novel Society which selected her third book, A Class Forsaken, as an Editors’ Choice in spring 2021 and praised her fourth book, A Class Coveted, as ‘strongly recommended’ in summer 2022.
She is currently working on her sixth book, A Class Inherited. This story was originally intended to be just one book but Susie’s characters have insisted that there will now be at least eight volumes in the series.
I’m sure readers are curious to know what enticed you to write in this genre in particular, Susie?I was drawn to historical fiction because I am fascinated by history, particularly the 19th century. I get goosebumps about all facets of it, from the fashion to the architecture to the social customs of the time. I’m highly aware of the danger of romanticising the past, however, so I find it intriguing to seek a balance between creating an idealistic version of history while including the less savoury aspects as well. On top of this, I have a soft spot for love stories so a romantic element is an absolute must too!
A Matter of Class
Can an English landowner’s daughter and an Irish stable hand’s son find a way to be together when society says they shouldn’t fall in love?
Historical Novel Society Review:
‘Fast-paced and full of obstacles and adventure. Highly recommended for fans of historical romance and Irish history.’ Editors’ Choice, Historical Novel Society (February 2021 issue Historical Novels Review)
A Class Forsaken (A Matter of Class)
Buy Links:
A Class Apart: https://getbook.at/apart
A Class Entwined: https://getbook.at/entwined
A Class Forsaken: https://getbook.at/forsaken
A Class Coveted: https://getbook.at/coveted
A Class Reunited: https://mybook.to/aclassreunited
You can find out more about Susie and her work by checking out her social media links below:
Website: www.susiemurphywrites.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/susiemurphywrites
Twitter: www.twitter.com/susiemwrites
Instagram: www.instagram.com/susiemurphywrites
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@susiemurphywrites
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/susiemurphywrites
I’m delighted to share that next month’s author is Tony RichesJanuary 24, 2023
The Yanks Are Starving by Glen Craney: The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour
You can follow the full tour here:
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2022/11/blog-tour-the-yanks-are-starving.html
THE YANKS ARE STARVING: A Novel of the Bonus Army
Two armies. One flag. No honor.
The most shocking day in American history.
Former political journalist Glen Craney brings to life the little-known story of the Bonus March of 1932, which culminates in a bloody clash between homeless World War I veterans and U.S. Army regulars on the streets of Washington, D.C.
Mired in the Great Depression and on the brink of revolution, the nation holds its collective breath as a rail-riding hobo named Walter Waters leads 40,000 destitute men and their families to the steps of the U.S. Capitol on a desperate quest for economic justice.
This timely epic evokes the historical novels of Jeff Sharra as it sweeps across three decades following eight Americans who survive the fighting in France and come together fourteen years later to determine the fate of a country threatened by communism and fascism.
From the Boxer Rebellion in China to the Plain of West Point, from the persecution of conscientious objectors to the horrors of the Marne, from the Hoovervilles of the heartland to the pitiful Anacostia encampment, here is an unforgettable portrayal of the political intrigue and government betrayal that ignited the only violent conflict between two American armies.
Awards:Foreword Magazine Book-of-the-Year FinalistChaucer Award Book-of-the-Year FinalistindieBRAG Medallion HonoreePraise for The Yanks are Starving :
“[A] wonderful source of historical fact wrapped in a compelling novel.” — Historical Novel Society Reviews
“[A] vivid picture of not only men being deprived of their veterans’ rights, but of their human rights as well.…Craney performs a valuable service by chronicling it in this admirable book.” — Military Writers Society of America
Buy Links:
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/Yanks
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Yanks-Are-Starving-Novel-Bonus-ebook/dp/B00G8OZ3MM
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00G8OZ3MM
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00G8OZ3MM
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00G8OZ3MM
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-yanks-are-starving-glen-craney/1117253154
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-yanks-are-starving
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-yanks-are-starving/id726771775
An Excerpt from The Yanks are StarvingAs a blood-pressure cuff tightened around his arm, President Herbert Hoover thumbed through that morning’s edition of the Washington Star. He paused at a cartoon lampooning him on a whimsical fishing expedition to catch enough trout to feed a nation of Hoovervilles. That distasteful epithet, coined by wags to describe the thousands of shantytowns sprouting up around the country, never failed to roil his stomach. Disgusted, he looked away from the editorial page, only to be assaulted by the same oppressive drab green that closed in on him here every day. He had wanted to repaint the walls of the Oval Office white after a fire destroyed the wing two years ago, but Lou, feeling the mood of the country was not right for such an innovation, had prevailed on him to restore the place exactly as Taft had first modeled it.
I cannot even govern my own household.
The gyrating hand on the blood-pressure gauge finally settled, and Admiral Joel T. Boone, his reedy, mustached White House physician, regarded the result as if he had just been dealt a bad poker hand. He adjusted the cuff for another attempt, but the president shook his head and ripped it off, refusing to be clamped again.
Hoover didn’t need to be told the numbers were too high. The tightness in his chest and numbness in his hands were evidence enough. He glanced at his reflection in the glass of Lou’s framed picture on the desk. His graying hair had thinned and his eyesight was so weak now that he had to squint even with the spectacles. Each day seemed to bring more bad news, sapping his vitality drip by drip. Born a year after the Panic of 1873, he had witnessed fourteen recessions come and go, but none had lasted as long as this latest downturn sparked by the stock market crash in October of 1929. The food riots in the cities were now becoming more frequent. Just last month, hundreds of women had been reported sleeping in Chicago’s Grant Park.
Desperate for a respite from these burdens, he searched the mail, hoping for a letter from his son, Bert Junior. Instead, his gaze landed on the heel marks that his predecessor, Cal Coolidge, had left on the desk during his daily naps. He glared a silent curse at those infernal scratches. They had become his personal version of the Latin reminder whispered centuries ago by Roman servants to keep the emperors grounded in reality.
Memento mori… Remember, you are mortal.
This moribund economy was that snoozing New Englander’s fault! How many times had he warned Coolidge against the evils of easy money and speculation? But the obstinate man had refused to listen to him, choosing instead to escape during his last year in office to the Black Hills, where he had spent more time watching rodeos than dealing with falling farm prices. Now he knew why Woodrow Wilson had deteriorated so rapidly during his second term. On mornings like this, he yearned to be back at Stanford, far away from politics and taking care of his neglected—
“Mr. President, I cannot get an accurate reading if you don’t relax.”
He returned to the newspaper and flipped its pages to a report of a speech given earlier that week by that Tammany Hall puppet, Franklin Roosevelt. His mouth soured as he read the New Yorker’s vitriol glazed with sugary patrician eloquence. “Why is it, Joel, that when a man is on this job as I am, day and night, doing the best he can, that certain men seek to oppose everything he does just to be ornery?”
“Few people understand the stress of your job, sir.”
He knew what the editors of the Washington papers would say to that: At least he has a job. He tossed aside the Star and, hoping for more empathy from the Midwest, picked up the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Yet on page five, a two-paragraph notice below the fold sparked his ire again. He barked at the story, “Peel them for donations, why don’t you!”
Mystified by the president’s outburst, the admiral asked, “Sir?”
Hoover chastised himself for the indiscretion. More and more these days, he caught himself mumbling defences at the cascade of criticism about his national stewardship. He ruffled the newspaper in frustration—as if the confounded stories might be shaken from the page—and displayed for the admiral’s inspection the latest horror in print. It was an item tucked between accounts of the marriage of Amelia Earhart and the congressional push to have The Star Spangled Banner designated as the national anthem. “Look at this, Joel. They’re building a church in St. Louis out of orange crates.”
The physician felt his pulse. “How have you been feeling lately, sir?”
“As if I’m trapped in my own skin. Why is my face so puffy?”
“The swelling is edema. It’s caused by lack of sleep. Let’s try the other arm.”
A Little Bit About Glen…
Glen CraneyGlen Craney is an author, screenwriter, journalist, and lawyer. A graduate of Indiana University Law School and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, he is the recipient of the Nicholl Fellowship Prize from the Academy of Motion Pictures and the Chaucer and Laramie First-Place Awards for historical fiction. He is also a four-time indieBRAG Medallion winner, a Military Writers Society of America Gold Medalist, a four-time Foreword Magazine Book-of-the-Year Award Finalist, and an Historical Novel Society Reviews Editor’s Choice honoree. He lives in Malibu and has served as the president of the Southern California Chapter of the HNS.
Social Media Links:
Website: www.glencraney.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/glencraney
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GlenCraneyAuthor
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/glen-craney
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Glen-Craney/e/B002C1VQZ8
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/1516207.Glen_Craney
January 18, 2023
His Castilian Hawk by Anna Belfrage – AudioBook Blast
You can find out more about this tour here: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2022/11/blog-tour-his-castilian-hawk-audio-book.html
For bastard-born Robert FitzStephan, being given Eleanor d’Outremer in marriage is an honour. For Eleanor, this forced wedding is anything but a fairy tale.
Robert FitzStephan has served Edward Longshanks loyally since the age of twelve. Now he is riding with his king to once and for all bring Wales under English control.
Eleanor d’Outremer—Noor to family—lost her Castilian mother as a child and is left entirely alone when her father and brother are killed. When ordered to wed the unknown Robert FitzStephan, she has no choice but to comply.
Two strangers in a marriage bed is not easy. Things are further complicated by Noor’s blood-ties to the Welsh princes and by covetous Edith who has warmed Robert’s bed for years.
Robert’s new wife may be young and innocent, but he is soon to discover that not only is she spirited and proud, she is also brave. Because when Wales lies gasping and Edward I exacts terrible justice on the last prince and his children, Noor is determined to save at least one member of the House of Aberffraw from the English king.
Will years of ingrained service have Robert standing with his king or will he follow his heart and protect his wife, his beautiful and fierce Castilian hawk?
Buy Links:
The Kindle ebook of this title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Universal Link: http://myBook.to/HISHAWK
Audible Amazon: https://www.audible.com/pd/His-Castilian-Hawk-Audiobook/B0BLPXJL8M
Bingebooks : https://bingebooks.com/book/the-castilian-hawk
NOOK (Barnes and Noble): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/his-castilian-hawk-anna-belfrage/1137734133
Chirp: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/his-castilian-hawk-by-anna-belfrage
Libro: https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9789198507249
Storytel: https://www.storytel.com/se/sv/books/3555095
Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/600535465/His-Castilian-Hawk
Kobo & Walmart: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/his-castilian-hawk
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/Anna_Belfrage_His_Castilian_Hawk?id=AQAAAEBCAX5BLM
Audiobooks: https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/his-castilian-hawk/640346
Author Bio: Anna BelfrageHad Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with two absorbing interests: history and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England.
Anna has also published The Wanderer, a fast-paced contemporary romantic suspense trilogy with paranormal and time-slip ingredients.
Her Castilian Heart is the third in her “Castilian” series, a stand-alone sequel to her September 2020 release, His Castilian Hawk. Set against the complications of Edward I’s invasion of Wales, His Castilian Hawk is a story of loyalty, integrity—and love. In the second instalment, The Castilian Pomegranate, we travel with the protagonists to the complex political world of medieval Spain. This latest release finds our protagonists back in England—not necessarily any safer than the wilds of Spain!
Anna has also authored The Whirlpools of Time in which she returns to the world of time travel. Join Duncan and the somewhat reluctant time-traveller Erin on their adventures through the Scottish Highlands just as the first Jacobite rebellion is about to explode!
All of Anna’s books have been awarded the IndieBRAG Medallion, she has several Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choices, and one of her books won the HNS Indie Award in 2015. She is also the proud recipient of various Reader’s Favorite medals as well as having won various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards.
Find out more about Anna, her books and enjoy her eclectic historical blog on her website, www.annabelfrage.com
Social Media Links:
Website: www.annabelfrage.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/abelfrageauthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annabelfrageauthor
Instagram: https://instagram.com/annabelfrageauthor
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/anna-belfrage
Amazon Author Page: http://Author.to/ABG
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6449528.Anna_Belfrage
January 16, 2023
Spotlight on New Release from William Todd: A Summer with the Hermit King
A little bit about A Summer with the Hermit King
A Summer with the Hermit King
1888. Sixteen-year-old Auggie Rose runs away from an orphanage for the bliss of the idyllic Presque Isle along the shores of Lake Erie. Will the witness of a murder turn his dream into a nightmare?
I have been asked more than once what made me write this book. I am not a YA author. My wheel house is Sherlock Holmes pastiches and gothic horror. Although it shares the same time period in which I usually write, this is completely different from anything I have ever undertaken before. Although I have never ‘written’ YA I enjoy reading YA. And given the popularity of shows like Enola Holmes, The Irregulars, and Anne with an E, YA in this time period has become extremely popular. I got the idea out of the blue based on a local legend, Joe Root, a hermit who called Presque Isle, the peninsula at Erie, PA, home in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
When I did some initial research, I found out some rather interesting little-known tidbits about Erie around that same time. Since I was already in the middle of another book, I sort of put this off to the side and tried to forget about it. But characters seemed to be creating themselves ex nihilo from that lump of information in my brain and soon, I just could not get the idea out of my head. It consumed most of my waking day. Auggie, Maisy, Joe, Will, and Julia, it seems, had a story to tell, and when characters have a story to tell, there is little an author can do to thwart them. They take over your life. Truly, they do! Try as he might to ignore it, unless he can live off of one or two hours of sleep a night, an author is helpless but to take that inevitable seat at his laptop and write their story. That was the painful beginning of A Summer with the Hermit King. Admittedly, it initially came in fits and starts—after all, I had never written YA before, and it proved a bit daunting, at first. I was learning on the fly. Family hardships took me away from my writing for a time, and for the better part of five months not a single word was written. But Auggie and his tale would not leave me alone.
Finally, fifteen months later (two years if you count the multiple rewrites during editing) and A Summer with the Hermit King was complete. I had decided early on to use some real people and real events in the book because Erie has an interesting history, and when I found out these little tidbits, I knew I just had to weave them into the story. I cannot go into detail as to what they are here because they are integral to the plot. Suffice to say, I give an explanation at the end of the book. If I had to describe it in general terms, it is part YA, part coming-of-age, part cozy mystery (sorry, it’s in my blood!), and wholly historical. If you like the Enola Holmes’s and the Irregulars’s and the Anne with an E’s and heck, maybe throw Tom Sawyer in there too, I think you would also like A Summer with the Hermit King!
A little bit about WilliamWilliam Todd has been writing for over 20 years, primarily gothic horror stories in the style of Lovecraft, Poe, and Shelley. Loving all things Victorian, he was inspired to read, and later to write, by Arthur Conan Doyle. The first book he ever read cover to cover was Hound of the Baskervilles, which also fed his appetite for horror. William Todd has written two short story compilations of gothic horror, Dead of Night and Beyond the Gossamer Veil and one sci-fi/horror hybrid genre Something Wicked This Way Comes. He has also written multiple Sherlock Holmes pastiches, Murder in Keswick, A Reflection of Evil, Mystery of the Broken Window, and Elementary—a short story compilation, which were picked up for republish by Spellbound Publishing, Ltd.
William ToddThree of his short stories were part of MX Publishing’s New Sherlock Holmes Stories with proceeds going to a charity for special needs children housed in Undershaw, the very home Conan Doyle penned Hound of the Baskervilles. Writing for the books was a special privilege because his daughter, Alina, has Down Syndrome.
In 2022, he has just published his first YA/historical novel A Summer with the Hermit King, which is an Amazon #1 New Release, and has started yet another Sherlock Holmes compilation. When not writing (which isn’t often!) William spends his time walking the trails and beaches of Presque Isle in his home of Erie, Pennsylvania and spending time with his family.
