Mary Anne Yarde's Blog: The Coffee Pot Book Club , page 203

Author’s Inspiration ~ Lily Baldwin #HistFic #Romance #Scotland @Lily_Baldwin

It is with the greatest of pleasures that I welcome Historical Romance author, Lily Baldwin, onto the blog today. Lilly writes the most amazing historical romance set in Scotland and today, Lily is going to share with us her inspirations behind her fabulous Scottish Outlaws series.

Jack: A Scottish Outlaw

Jack MacVie is a Scottish rebel, robbing English nobles on the road north into Scotland alongside his four brothers. But the MacVie brothers are not hell bent on riches. They became highwaymen to fight against the tyranny of King Edward of England.

In the aftermath of the Berwick massacre, Lady Isabella Redesdale is risking it all, journeying north into war-torn Scotland to be with her sister. But when her carriage is attacked by a band of villains, another gang descends to steal her away. 

Although they come from different worlds, Jack and Isabella are more alike than they first realize. They both crave freedom from war and despair, but in a world where kings reign and birth dictates one’s station, freedom is not won, it is stolen.
Author’s Inspiration
Hi everyone

The Island of Albion ~ #History #kingarthur

The Island of Albion…
Britain, the best of islands, is situated in the Western Ocean, between France and Ireland. It stretches for eight hundred miles in length and two hundred in breadth. It provides in unfailing plenty everything that is suited to the use of human beings. It is abound in every mineral. It has broad fields and hillsides which are suitable for the most intensive farming and in which, because of the richness in soil, all kinds of crops are grown in their season. It also has wide open woodland which are field with every kind of game. Through its forest glades stretch pasture-land which provides the various feeding-stuffs needed by cattle, and there too grow flowers of ever hue which offer their honey to the flitting bees. At the foot of its windswept mountains it has meadows green with grass, beauty-spots where clear springs flow into shining streams which ripple gently and murmur of deep sleep to those lying on their banks…
Geoffrey of MonmouthThe History Of The Kings of Britain



It is said that there are two sides to Britain, the first is what Geoffrey of Monmouth so elegantly describe in the opening of The History Of The Kings of Britain. Monmouth presents us with the reason so many crossed the sea and risked their lives to win a piece of this kingdom for themselves. Britain has always been a land that provides.
But as I said there are two sides to Britain and one is as fanciful as J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle Earth. There is hauntingly romantic feel that is out of reach but at the same time incredibly close.
Camelot. Camlann. Bardon Hill. Arthur.
Britain remembers her heroes. She doesn’t forget, and she doesn’t let us forget because some things cannot be forgotten.
I have been a little neglectful hunting mythology on this blog recently, and I don’t know about you but Arthur is calling me again and I think it is time I answered that call…
Buckle up. We are going for a ride.


  The Du Lac Chronicles series...

A generation after Arthur Pendragon ruled, Briton lies fragmented into warring kingdoms and principalities.
Eighteen-year-old Alden du Lac ruled the tiny kingdom of Cerniw. Now he half-hangs from a wooden pole, his back lashed into a mass of bloody welts exposed to the cold of a cruel winter night. He’s to be executed come daybreak—should he survive that long.
When Alden notices the shadowy figure approaching, he assumes death has come to end his pain. Instead, the daughter of his enemy, Cerdic of Wessex, frees and hides him, her motives unclear.
Annis has loved Alden since his ill-fated marriage to her Saxon cousin—a marriage that ended in blood and guilt—and she would give anything to protect him. Annis’s rescue of Alden traps them between a brutal Saxon king and Alden’s remaining allies. Meanwhile, unknown forces are carefully manipulating the ruins of Arthur’s legacy.
Links for Purchase
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#BookBlast ~ Traitor’s Knot #HistFic #EnglishCivilWar @hfvbt @cryssabazos @EndeavorPress

Book Blast ~ Historical Virtual Book Tour Presents....   Traitor’s KnotByCryssa Bazos

England 1650: Civil War has given way to an uneasy peace in the year since Parliament executed King Charles I.
Royalist officer James Hart refuses to accept the tyranny of the new government, and to raise funds for the restoration of the king’s son, he takes to the road as a highwayman.
Elizabeth Seton has long been shunned for being a traitor’s daughter. In the midst of the new order, she risks her life by sheltering fugitives from Parliament in a garrison town. But her attempts to rebuild her life are threatened, first by her own sense of injustice, then by falling in love with the dashing Hart.
The lovers’ loyalty is tested through war, defeat and separation. James must fight his way back to the woman he loves, while Elizabeth will do anything to save him, even if it means sacrificing herself.
Traitor’s Knot is a sweeping tale of love and conflicted loyalties set against the turmoil of the English Civil War.

“A hugely satisfying read that will appeal to historical fiction fans who demand authenticity, and who enjoy a combination of suspense, action, and a very believable love story.”

Elizabeth St. John, author of The Lady of the Tower

“A thrilling historical adventure expertly told.”
 Carol McGrath, author of The Handfasted Wife

Book Excerpt


People clogged the market, moving as slow as a herd of sheep and with as much purpose. Shrill cries of, “Wool, thirty-six shillings to the pound!” cut through the crowd. James scanned the square, looking for a dark-haired woman in a blue skirt. It was as though he searched for a chaff of barley in a stack of wheat.
James manoeuvred against the tide of people. Soot-faced urchins ran between the channels that opened in the crowd, jostling as they darted past. In an effort to avoid further collision, he nearly bumped into a matron, her basket loaded with packages.
She beamed a bright smile. “God save you, Master Hart.” Her free hand fluttered over her lace collar like a butterfly.
“And you, Mistress Boddington.” James tipped his hat to her. “I trust the family has fared the winter well.” The moment she lowered her eyes, James tried to steal a glance over her shoulder. At of the edge of his vision, he caught a flash of blue.
The woman bobbed her head. “With God’s grace. My daughter, Sibyl, has been a blessing. She has become such an adept housekeeper.”
James ignored the expectation in her tone. Sibyl Boddington was too timid for his taste. “Please give my compliments to your daughter. If you’ll excuse me.”
The matron opened her mouth to continue the conversation, but James managed to extricate himself into the safety of the crowd.
He quickened his pace. Where could she have gone? Taller than most, James commanded a better view of the market, but still he could not find her. How difficult could this be? He rolled his eyes at the irony. He, James Hart, once the best scoutmaster of the King’s army and famed for his ability to track a field mouse, could not find a slip of a maid in a Warwick market.
James made his way down Jury Street through the livestock market and pens of bleating lambs. Someone had forgotten to latch a crate properly, and a pair of fluttering chickens escaped from their coop. The butcher tossed a scrap of offal over his shoulder, and stray dogs darted in before they were beaten away.
Turning on Market Square, James paused to survey the haberdashers. Surely he would find her here, amongst the stalls of linens, laces and ribbons. Hats and coifs intermingled, and for a moment all he could see was a blur of white and grey. About to turn away, his eyes at last fell upon the one he sought.
Elizabeth Seton browsed the household stalls, strolling at her leisure. James walked towards her, his eyes fixed firmly on the prize. She hovered over a collection of linens, and her fingers brushed over the cloths, but she did not linger beyond a curious moment. James kept a discreet distance, ever narrowing the gap. One slim hand held her skirts, raising them slightly to avoid a muddy puddle before she continued on her way.
He halted his progress when she became rooted at the bookseller’s. While fancy ribbons and laces had not attracted her interest, a stack of pamphlets and chapbooks made the difference. She struck up a conversation with the bookseller, laughing at something he said. James rubbed his chin, engrossed. An unusual maid, he thought,and drew closer.
Leaning over the small collection, her head tilted to peer at the titles. Hair secured in a sedate knot, a wayward tendril escaped its constraint. The wind lifted and teased the stray lock, contrasting to the paleness of her nape. James fought the urge to reach out and twist the strand in his fingers.
He bent forward and addressed her in a low tone, “Are you looking to improve your mind,or to seek instruction?”
Elizabeth started in surprise. Her eyes widened, and for the first time, he realised how blue they were. Almost immediately they narrowed, as though she wasn’t sure how to respond to his boldness. He knew he was being forward, but he had never won a thing without pressing his advantage.
“I am looking for a book on good manners, sir. I would not expect you to recommend one.”
James grinned. Without looking away, he addressed the bookseller, who watched them. “Master Ward, would you be so kind as to introduce us?”
“I would,” the man said. “Only I haven’t made the maid’s acquaintance myself.”
Amusement flitted across her lips. “Elizabeth Seton,” she announced.
“Mistress Seton, may I present James Hart, ostler at the Chequer and Crowne,” the bookseller said, fulfilling his duty.
James swept his hat from his head. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mistress Seton.” He rather liked saying her name.
“Master Hart.” Elizabeth canted her head and hesitated for a fraction. She looked at him openly and did not avert her eyes in modesty when he returned her gaze.
“You’re new to Warwick,” he said.
“How would you know this?”
“I know everyone here.”
“Not so,” she said. One brow arched ever so slightly. “You did not know me until this moment.”
James found her bewitching. “I stand corrected, Mistress Seton. Still, you are new to Warwick.”
Elizabeth’s head dipped.
“If I were to guess, I’d say you were Mistress Stanborowe’s niece. I’ve heard that Ellendale has a new resident.”
“Indeed, your information is correct.”
“Pray, allow me the privilege of calling on you.” James leaned against the stall and nearly sent a stack of books tumbling.
“My aunt values courtesy, and you, sir, are quite forward. I can only assume she would object.”
“I assure you, mistress, I am not an objectionable fellow,” he said. “Is that not right, Master Ward?”
“Quite true.” The man’s voice shook with laughter.
“There you have it,” James said. “If you can’t trust the word of a bookseller, all is lost.”
A small smile flitted at the corner of her mouth. James found the resulting dimple intriguing. “I must be leaving.” She picked up her purchase and prepared to depart. “God save you, sir, and good day.” She reached over to pay the bookseller, but Master Ward caught James’s warning frown and casually turned away.
“Are women from the south always so aloof?” James blurted, then cringed. Lagging wit—you cando better.
She halted in surprise. “How did you know I came from the south?”
“Far south, I would guess,” he said, grasping the first thing that came to mind.
“How do you suppose?” Her eyes narrowed.
“Naturally, by your speech.”
“Indeed? I could be from London,” Elizabeth replied.
“You are as likely from London as I from Scotland.”
Elizabeth gave up trying to attract the bookseller’s attention and laid her coin atop a pile of chapbooks. She clutched her purchase to her chest in preparation for her escape.
“I will make you a wager,” he said. “If I can guess where you came from, you’ll allow me to call on you.”
“And if you’re wrong?” “I’ll wish you good day and trouble you no more.” James offered his hand, but she ignored it. “Do we have an agreement?”
Elizabeth held his gaze for a moment. She pursed her lips, and a hint of a dimple lurked at the corners. “Agreed.”
James smiled. He hadn’t forgotten what she had told the highwayman. “Let’s see—I’ll need one word from you.”
“Which one?” Elizabeth asked.
“Owl.”
“Owl?”
“Aye, the very one. Say it again.” He crossed his arms and waited. When she repeated it, he nodded. “’Tis perfectly clear. Your speech has a Dorset flavour.” For truth, she did have a lovely, soft way of speaking.
Elizabeth’s brow arched slightly. “Are you certain I am not from Hampshire?”
“Aye. Admit it, I’m correct.”
“Fine, then, but Dorset is quite large, and that does not prove your wit.”


Links for Purchase


Amazon


About the author


Cryssa Bazos is a historical fiction writer and 17th Century enthusiast, with a particular interest in the English Civil War (ECW). She blogs about English history and storytelling at her blog, the 17th Century Enthusiast, and is an editor of the English Historical Fiction Authors blog site.
Cryssa’s debut novel, Traitor’s Knot, a romantic tale of adventure set during the English Civil War. Traitor’s Knot is the first in a series of adventures spanning from the ECW to the Restoration and is now available from Endeavour Press. Useful LinkswebsiteFacebookTwitterGoodreads
Traitor’s Knot by Cryssa Bazos
Publication Date: May 9, 2017Endeavor PresseBook; 394 PagesGenre: Fiction/HistoricalGenre: Fiction/Historical/Mystery  
 
 

#bookreview ~ The Quest for the Crown of Thorns #HistFic @CRipleyMiller

The Quest for the Crown of Thorns(The Long - Hair Saga Book 2)  ByCynthia Ripley Miller 

AD 454. Three years after the Roman victory over Attila the Hun at Catalaunum, Arria Felix and Garic the Frank are married and enjoying life on Garic's farm in northern Gaul (France). Their happy life is interrupted, when a cryptic message arrives from Rome, calling Arria home to her father, the esteemed Senator Felix. At Arria's insistence, but against Garic's better judgment, they leave at once.

Upon their arrival at Villa Solis, they are confronted with a brutal murder and the dangerous mission that awaits them. The fate of a profound and sacred object--Christ's Crown of Thorns--rests in their hands. They must carry the holy relic to the safety of Constantinople, away from a corrupt emperor and old enemies determined to steal it for their own gain.

But an even greater force arises to derail their quest--a secret cult willing to commit any atrocity to capture the Crown of Thorns. And all the while, the gruesome murder and the conspiracy behind it haunt Arria's thoughts.

Arria and Garic's marital bonds are tested but forged as they partner together to fulfill one of history's most challenging missions, The Quest for the Crown of Thorns.

What did I think of the Book?

Power, status, money, greed ~ there is nothing that cannot be bought and everything has a price.
Yet some things cost more than others. If a man is willing to lay down his life or kill to possess an object, then that object must be very precious indeed.
Senator Felix is dying, but a silver blade can hasten ones departure to the promised lands. But before his past catches up with him, he sends his daughter, Arria, a letter, ordering her to come home at once, for there is a matter that acquires her immediate attention ~ a matter of such a delicate nature that he dare not write it down on parchment.
Senator Felix knows where one of the most sacred relics of the Christians is. And now it is Arria's responsibility to get Christ’s, Crown of Thorns, to a place of safety.
With softly lyrical prose and a story so spell-binding that it transported me back to the 5th Century, The Quest for the Crown of Thorns, is an elegant masterpiece of historical fiction. This book totally ensnared me in its clasps, and it did not release me until I had read it all.
The attention to detail was exquisite ~ I could see, hear, smell and taste the time that Miller was describing. The history itself was well-written and researched. It was like being there. Miller has brought this era back to life.

The characterisation was sublime, and the romance was breathtakingly beautiful. I adored the world that Miller has created, as well as the characters in it. This is a sit-down and finish book and is one I would Highly Recommend.
Links for PurchaseAmazon USAmazon UKAbout the author   Cynthia Ripley Miller is the author of On the Edge of Sunrise, the first novel in the Long-Hair Saga, a series set in late ancient Rome and France and a Chanticleer International Chatelaine Award finalist.  She has lived and travelled in Europe, Africa, North America and the Caribbean, taught history and currently teaches English.  Her short stories have appeared in the anthology Summer Tapestry, The Scriptor, and at Orchard Press Mysteries.com.  Cynthia blogs on her website, http://www.cynthiaripleymiller.com and at Historical Happenings and Oddities: A Distant Focus.She lives with her husband and their cat, Romulus, and German Shepherd, Jessie, in a suburb of Chicago. Useful Links Website: http://cynthiaripleymiller.comFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/cynthiaripleymiller/Blog: http://cynthiaripleymiller.wordpress.com/ Twitter: @CRipleyMiller  

#BookBlast ~ The Fortune Teller #HistFic @hfvbt @Gwen_Womack @PicadorUSA

Book Blast ~ Historical Virtual Book Tour Presents....    The Fortune Teller
By Gwendolyn Womack
FROM THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE MEMORY PAINTER COMES A SWEEPING AND SUSPENSEFUL TALE OF ROMANCE, FATE, AND FORTUNE.
Semele Cavnow appraises antiquities for an exclusive Manhattan auction house, deciphering ancient texts—and when she discovers a manuscript written in the time of Cleopatra, she knows it will be the find of her career. Its author tells the story of a priceless tarot deck, now lost to history, but as Semele delves further, she realizes the manuscript is more than it seems. Both a memoir and a prophecy, it appears to be the work of a powerful seer, describing devastating wars and natural disasters in detail thousands of years before they occurred.
The more she reads, the more the manuscript begins to affect Semele’s life. But what happened to the tarot deck? As the mystery of her connection to its story deepens, Semele can’t shake the feeling that she’s being followed. Only one person can help her make sense of it all: her client, Theo Bossard. Yet Theo is arrogant and elusive, concealing secrets of his own, and there’s more to Semele’s desire to speak with him than she would like to admit. Can Semele even trust him?
The auction date is swiftly approaching, and someone wants to interfere—someone who knows the cards exist, and that the Bossard manuscript is tied to her. Semele realizes it’s up to her to stop them: the manuscript holds the key to a two-thousand-year-old secret, a secret someone will do anything to possess.
  “Womack alternates back and forth between a whirlwind history that spans thousands of years and the suspense of Semele’s search…Entertaining.” Kirkus Reviews
“Beginning as a clever mystery based on an ancient manuscript and evolving into a family epic spanning centuries, an international thriller, and a destined romance, The Fortune Teller has something for everyone. Offer it to fans of A.S. Byatt’s Possession and Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series.” Booklist


Links for Purchase
Amazon
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 IndieBound
 Powell’s
Giveaway

During the Book Blast we will be giving away a Tarot Deck & Book Set! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.
Description: This deck/book set provides everything you need to understand tarot. The full-size deck is a vibrantly recolored version of the classic Rider-Waite deck, updated with subtle shading that gives depth to the familiar tarot scenes. The 272-page, user-friendly handbook with full-color illustrations is perfect for beginners as well as experienced readers who want to refresh their tarot skills.
Giveaway Rules
• Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on June 30th. You must be 18 or older to enter. • Giveaway is open to residents in the US only. • Only one entry per household. • All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion. • Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
Enter Here…

About the author


Originally from Houston, Texas, Gwendolyn Womack studied theater at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. She holds an MFA in Directing Theatre, Video, and Cinema from California Institute of the Arts. Her first novel, The Memory Painter, was an RWA PRISM award winner in the Time Travel/Steampunk category and a finalist for Best First Novel.
She now resides in Los Angeles with her husband and her son.
Useful Links Website FacebookTwitterPinterestGoodreads

The Fortune Teller by Gwendolyn Womack
Paperback Publication Date: June 6, 2017PicadorPaperback; 368 PagesISBN: 9781250099778
Genre: Fiction/Historical/Mystery



 

What happened to the Trojans? #FolkloreThursday #Britain #History

Who were the first inhabitants of Britain...?
Today we are going to look at Albion and the best way to do that is through storytelling. So come with me, if you will, and travel back in time for a few minutes...
The City of Troy has been sacked. The once glorious kingdom is on fire. And those who survived the massacre now find themselves in bondage. Their future will be an unhappy one. They are to be taken to Greece and sold at the slave markets.
Add capThe Procession of the Trojan Horse in Troy by Domenico Tiepolo (1773).
Time takes care of everything, and as the years rolled by, people died, children were born, and they began to forget their Trojan heritage.
They all forgot. All bar one…
Some things cannot be swept away and forgotten. Brutus felt Trojan nobility running through his veins. He was not content to spend the rest of his days a slave. He reminded his comrades who they were. He encouraged rebellion against their Greek masters. The rebellion was a success and the Trojans, determined to keep hold of their freedom, ran away.
Brutus was granted an audience with the goddess Diana, and she told Brutus…
“Brutus! there lies beyond the Gallic boundsAn island which the western sea surrounds,By giants once possessed, now few remainTo bar thy entrance, or obstruct thy reign.To reach that happy shore thy sails employThere fate decrees to raise a second TroyAnd found an empire in thy royal line,Which time shall ne'er destroy, nor bounds confine…”
Geoffrey of Monmouth The History Of The Kings of Britain
Brutus had led his fellow countryman to freedom and because of that, these men would follow wherever Brutus led.
They crossed the sea and looked upon the mighty great white cliffs of a country known as Albion. And they knew, deep down in their hearts, that this island was destined to be theirs.
The White Cliffs of Dover.
“The island was then called Albion, and inhabited by none but a few giants. Notwithstanding this, the pleasant situation of the places, the plenty of rivers abounding with fish, and the engaging prospect of its woods, made Brutus and his company very desirous to fix their habitation in it…”
All they had to do was rid the island of the Giants. Something easier said than done. But these Trojans had rediscovered the warrior blood that ran in the veins. They were not going to be defeated by a few Giants. The Trojans rounded up the Giants and herded them to Cornwall. The Giants had nowhere left to run. It was time to fight if they wanted to keep their kingdom. The largest and most fearsome of giants was Gogmagog, and he had had enough. He was so angry with these Trojan invaders that he stamped his feet until the rocks shattered and turned to tin. 

There was a Trojan’s general, who was a brave and fierce warrior. Gogmagog did not scare him. It was decided that Corineus and Gogmagog would fight in single combat. Whoever won, kept the kingdom. 
Gogmagog and Corineus battled it out all day. Gogmagog had the advantage of height and strength, but Corineus was quick, and he picked up that giant and flung him over the edge of a cliff. Gogmagog was dashed “into a thousand fragments.”

Combat between Brutus's troops and the giants led by Gogmagog.

As a reward, Brutus gifted Cornwall to Corineus. The Trojans divided the rest of the island up amongst themselves… Brutus named their newly conquered kingdom after himself. He called it Britain… And the rest, as they say, is history.

You may be wondering where the name “Albion” came from in the first place. You may not, but I am going to tell you anyway...!

It is said that a great Greek King married his thirty daughters into noble houses, but the princesses did not want to be married. They would not be ruled by their husbands. So they plotted against them. The youngest sister did not want to be a part of this uprising, so she betrayed them. The sisters were punished. They were confined to a rudderless ship and set adrift. Three days later they found themselves in England. Albina was the first sister to set foot on English soil, so she named the country after herself. She called it Albion.
So there we have it.
Unfortunately for Albina and her sisters there were no men on Albion, and after a time the women became lonely. Whether they were tricked, we will never know, but these women lay with Incubus — demons that take on the forms of man. The sisters birthed a race of giants. And they would have lived happily ever after if the Trojans hadn’t landed on their shores! Monty Python famously said “No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.” But then, no one expects the Trojan army either!
Albina and other daughters of Diodicias.
Two giants of Albion are in the background, encountered by a ship carrying Brutus and his men.*All images can be found on Wikipedia*

Author’s Inspiration ~ Diane Rapp #Historical #Mystery @DianeRapp

It is with the greatest of pleasures that I welcome Historical Mystery author, Diane Rapp on to the blog today. Diane is going to tell us all about the inspiration behind her fabulous book, Golden Legacy. Let’s take a quick look at the book!!
Golden Legacy
 
GOLDEN LEGACY blends historical adventure with modern-day mystery in an exciting novel available in e-book and print.  Readers follow the stories of two daring heroines as they tackle the hazards of gold country over a century apart.
Ginny is an English gentlewoman traveling alone in the year 1888.  Having reached the age of twenty-five, she deems herself a spinster, admitting that the circumstance stems from personal choice.  Ginny’s travel plans drastically alter when a telegram arrives—her brother Johnny was shot by bandits. Rushing by train from San Francisco to Colorado takes less than a week.  After tending to Johnny’s comfort, the plucky woman strikes out to deliver supplies to Nick.  He is a family friend, and Johnny’s business partner, who remains stranded at a secret gold mine.  Packing one mule with supplies and riding another, Ginny dodges miscreants to escape from town. She follows a hand-drawn map through perilous terrain armed with courage, a fountain pen, and two sharp hatpins.
In the modern story, Kayla learns that she must find the family gold mine to inherit a family legacy. Ginny’s journal, along with clever clues hidden by other ancestors, guides Kayla and her friends into hazardous mountains. These puzzles were designed to prove an heir’s courage, ingenuity, and honesty.  Dangers conjure nightmares that terrify Kayla and test her mettle.  Can she conquer old fears to unlock a golden legacy and launch her new life with Steven?
Author’s Inspiration
A seed for the idea of GOLDEN LEGACY was planted in my mind when our family moved to Ridgway, Colorado years ago.  The spectacular San Juan Mountain range surrounds the mining towns of Telluride and Ouray. Small towns sprang up to support intrepid miners who searched for gold, silver, and other minerals in treacherous granite cliffs of Colorado.
The area’s rich history prompted me to read real-life accounts like TOMBOY BRIDE and FATHER STRUCK IT RICH.  But the roots for the book idea germinated when I read A LADY’S LIFE IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.  This was a journal written by Isabella Lucy Bird about her travels through Colorado.  Miss Bird was an English gentlewoman who traveled alone during the 1800s, a rough-and-tumble time in Colorado history. In the mountains Miss Bird encountered an English ex-patriot, a ruggedly handsome man with a reputation for violence and hard drinking. However, his English manners emerged when he interacted with Miss Bird. As I read the account, I detected a romance between them but the relationship failed.  Unfortunately real-life accounts are bound by actual events. As an unsatisfied reader, I wondered how I might tell such a story and include a romance. 
Roots for my book idea spread as I developed characters to inhabit the story during modern times.  After completing my High Seas Mystery trilogy, I thought it might be “fun” to transport familiar characters into the magnificent mountains of Colorado.  They’d search for a family gold mine, following clues from a journal written by a plucky ancestor.  Lots of fun? It was a year’s worth of hard work!
The project sprouted tender young leaves, but I didn’t realize how much research was needed to write an historical novel.  History demands accuracy.  I confirmed railroad routes to Colorado in the 1880s, learned how sleeping accommodations on those trains worked, researched inventions of the period, and viewed pictures of fashions. To immerse myself in the proper language I read historical novels set during the period.  I built a “family tree” from Ginny down to Kayla, using approximated life-cycles to decide how many women had completed the family quest before Kayla.  By establishing names, dates, and histories, I built a back story for an entire family who left clues for later heirs. 
Leaves on the project grew broader as I established Ginny’s personality.  I wrote her entire journal (in the first person) to keep my mind focused on the correct language.  While living near Ouray, we toured the Bachelor Mine and drove terrifying trails through surrounding mountains in a 4-wheel drive vehicle. I imagined how scary it could be to ride a mule over the same terrain.  Of course miscreants provided another sort of peril for Ginny!
After I finished the journal, the project started to produce tiny buds.  I changed mental gears and wrote the modern-day account, filled with different dangers and problems, including potential bad guys.  How could I merge the two narratives in a believable manner?  I decided that the modern characters could read episodes from the journal to slowly reveal Ginny’s story as they tackled puzzles about the mine. 
Perhaps an ancestor, who learned photography, left framed pictures behind as clues. The beautiful Beaumont Hotel is an important landmark in both stories.  This hotel was recently renovated, so I contacted the current owners to request photos.  Jennifer Leaver was kind enough to supply me with a treasure-trove of photos to use in the book.  I “colorized” old-time photos to make them more vivid for Kindle Fire e-readers.  I also bought other photos that are displayed inside the book.  To see how the idea for this book burst into colorful blossoms, visit the “Golden Legacy” tab at my website and view a slide show and video.
The front cover of my novel shows the two heroines near Mount Sneffels, and the back cover of the print edition shows Lake Como.  This real-life lake is a sparkling turquoise gem high in the mountains near my fictional gold mine. Photographer Rose Krohn Epps provided me with a license to use her vivid photo of Lake Como for the cover, interior, advertising, and articles about the book.
Book’s Website link  
Links for Purchase
Universal book link
About the author
 
Diane Rapp became an entrepreneur when she started a dog grooming salon in Santa Barbara, California. She spent the next thirty years as a small business owner; she sold real estate, owned an office supply/copy center, and performed free-lance advertising design. During those hectic years Diane wrote stories as a cure for insomnia.  After onsite research and writing a Caribbean tour guide with her daughter, Diane decided to write a mystery series set on cruise ships.  Each book is a stand-alone novel with enough information to satisfy new readers.
MURDER CARIBBEAN-STYLE is the first book in the High Seas Mystery series.  Readers meet the main characters and learn about life aboard a ship while solving the murder of Kayla’s ex-lover, Patrick.  He made plenty of enemies on the entire cruise line.  Kayla needs to learn what caused Patrick’s personality change—after a visit home he abruptly turned into a womanizer and thief.  She doesn’t want her friends accused of the murder. When she teams up with Steven Young, a handsome British magician working undercover for Interpol, danger and romance are mixed with the action.
MURDER ON A GHOST SHIP is book two of the series.  Cruise line Chairman, Emily Schultz recently bought a new ship but there is a very unhappy ghost aboard, causing trouble.  Kayla and Natalia are summoned back to work.  They must get rid of the ghost before the pesky phantom sinks Emily’s career.  When Steven joins the team, angry smugglers track him down with deadly intentions. 


The third book in the series, MURDER FOR GLACIER BLUE takes readers on a wedding cruise to Alaska.  Kayla and friends gather together preparing for her wedding on Glacier Bay but an art heist and murder threaten to ruin the wedding.  The security team must guard valuable paintings displayed next to authorized copies.  The copies are due to be auctioned for charity, but valuable originals give thieves targets to steal.  Wedding plans hit a snag when Steven’s ex-wife arrives on the arm of his childhood friend. She’s intent on creating trouble. Photos of actual Alaskan attractions are mixed into the narrative as readers take a virtual cruise, solve an art heist, and arrest a killer.
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#BlogTour ~ Guardians Of The Crown #HistFic #Romance @AlisonStuart14

RABT Book Tours proudly presents...  
Guardians Of The Crown (The Complete Collection) ByAlison Stuart 

From award-winning author Alison Stuart comes a stirring historical trilogy about soldiers, spies, and the strong women that love them.

By The Sword (Amazon Rating 4.5) 

England 1650. In the aftermath of the execution of the King, England totters once more on the brink of civil war.
Kate Ashley finds her loyalty to the Parliamentary cause tested when she inherits responsibility for the estate of the Royalist Thornton family. Jonathan Thornton, exiled and hunted for his loyalty to the King’s cause now returns to England to garner support for the young King. Finding Kate in his family home, he sees in her a chance at a life he doesn’t deserve. But love is fragile in the face of history. What hope can one soldier and one woman hold in times like these?(Winner of the 2008 Epic Award for Best Historical Romance) For more information click  HERE
The King's Man (Amazon Rating 4.7)

London 1654: Kit Lovell is a disillusioned Royalist who passes his time cheating at cards, living off his wealthy and attractive mistress and plotting the death of Oliver Cromwell.
Penniless and friendless, Thamsine Granville has lost everything. Terrified, in pain and alone, she hurls a piece of brick at the coach of Oliver Cromwell and earns herself an immediate death sentence. Only the quick thinking of a stranger saves her. Far from the bored, benevolent rescuer that he seems, Kit plunges Thamsine into his world of espionage and betrayal – a world that has no room for falling in love. Torn between Thamsine and loyalty to his King, Kit’s carefully constructed web of lies begins to unravel. He must make one last desperate gamble – the cost of which might be his life.For more information click HERE
Exile's Return (Amazon Rating 4.8)

England, 1659: Following the death of Cromwell, a new king is poised to ascend the throne of England.Imprisoned, exiled and tortured, fugitive Daniel Lovell returns to England, determined to kill the man who murdered his father. But his plans for revenge must wait, as the King has one last mission for him.Agnes Fletcher’s lover is dead, and when his two orphaned children are torn from her care by their scheming guardian, she embarks on a perilous journey to save them. She didn’t plan on meeting the infamous Daniel Lovell.Thrown together with separate quests – and competing obligations – Daniel and Agnes make their way from London to the English countryside, danger at every turn. Will they find the peace they crave, or will their fledgling love be a final casualty of war?For more information click HERE




Book Excerpt
Book #1 ~ By The Sword
Kate nodded, a faint colour rising in her cheeks. ‘I had a good dowry and Richard fair prospects.’ She looked up at him, holding his eyes with her clear gaze. ‘And we loved each other.’
Dear God, this bloody war, Jonathan thought.  ‘And if it were not for the war, you would be living in wedded bliss in Barton Manor, surrounded by a brood of children,’ he said.
Kate looked away and he knew his observation had hit home. He reached for her hand and when she tried to pull away he tightened his grip, forcing her to look up at him.
‘I’m sorry, Kate, that was a thoughtless remark. I’m the last person who has any right to do that.’ He released her hand. ‘From what I knew of Richard, he did not have the heart of a soldier.’
He knew more about Richard Ashley than he was prepared to reveal. A scholar, not a soldier. Richard should be at home at Barton Manor with this woman and their children. Not dead in the ground at the age of twenty-two. Kate looked up at him, her brow creased in puzzlement, and he cursed himself for revealing too much.
‘What could you possibly have known of him? The Thorntons have been estranged from the Ashleys for over thirty years.’ This time he bit his tongue and when he didn’t reply she continued.  ‘To answer your question, Richard may not have gone willingly to the war but he fought bravely against the terrible odds in the North. He followed Sir Thomas Fairfax into hell during those early years.’
Jonathan nodded. ‘Fairfax’s men had it hard in those early years.’ He paused. ‘Was he with Fairfax that day at Marston Moor?’
‘Of course,’ Kate replied. ‘Were you there? Is it possible you faced Richard?’Of course Jonathan had been there with Prince Rupert’s cavalry. It had been a bloodbath.  Marston Moor had put in train a series of tragic events in his own life that had nothing to do with the battle.
He swallowed and gave a barely perceptible nod. ‘I was on the other flank with Rupert.’
‘What did it matter?’ A rare flash of anger rose in Kate. ‘You wouldn’t have known Richard if you had met on the battlefield.’
Yes I would, he thought.
‘That is the tragedy of a civil war, Kate.’
She didn’t seem to notice that he had used her given name. Her eyes blazed with anger and misery. ‘They brought him home to die. It was a horrible death.’ Her voice cracked.
She lowered her head and took several deep shuddering breaths that wracked her body.
Without thinking, Jonathan lifted his hand to her face, tilting her chin so she looked at him. Her eyes swam with unshed tears. Tears he had caused. ‘So many deaths. Too many, Kate. Believe me, it’s not always easy to be the survivor. I may not be dead but I have lost all that is important to me. It’s a hollow victory over death.’
So many deaths...Marston Moor and afterwards, Oxford. He had run at life, stumbled into the path of innocent people, and he had survived while they had died.

Giveaway
If you would like to explore this fascinating period in history, Alison is offering a copy of her time travel romance SECRETS IN TIME to any readers who wish to sign up to her newsletter. The offer remains open until 30 June.
https://www.instafreebie.com/free/U0q8I 

Links for Purchase
Amazon
Kobo
B&N
Google Play
ibooks
Escape Publishing


About the author
Award winning Australian author, Alison Stuart learned her passion for history from her father. She has been writing stories since her teenage years but it was not until 2007 that her first full length novel was published. Alison has now published eight full length historical romances and a collection of her short stories.  Her disposition for writing about soldier heroes may come from her varied career as a lawyer in the military and fire services. These days when she is not writing she is travelling and routinely drags her long suffering husband around battlefields and castles.To keep up to date with Alison’s news and for access to exclusive content subscribe to her Readers’ List. Just click HERE

Useful LinksWebsite   Blogs  Facebook  Twitter@AlisonStuart14 Goodreads   Pinterest   

Guardians of the CrownHistorical RomanceDate Published: 25 May 2017Publisher: Escape Publishing
   

Guest Post ~ #timetravel author, Diana Rubino #HistFic #Ireland @DianaLRubino

DARK BREWA time travel romanceLearn from the past or forever be doomed to repeat it.


Accused of her husband’s murder, Kylah McKinley, a practicing Druid, travels back through time to her past life in 1324 Ireland and brings the true killer to justice.
Two months of hell change Kylah’s life forever. On her many past life regressions, she returns to 14th century Ireland as Alice Kyteler, a druid moneylender falsely accused of murdering her husband. Kylah’s life mirrors Alice’s in one tragic event after another—she finds her husband sprawled on the floor, cold, blue, with no pulse. Evidence points to her, and police arrest her for his murder. Kylah and Alice shared another twist of fate—they fell in love with the man who believed in them. As Kylah prepares for her trial and fights to maintain her innocence, she must learn from her past or forever be doomed to repeat it.  
An interview with Diana about Dark Brew 
Where did the story come from? 
The story took 12 years from start to finish. I’m a longtime member of the Richard III Society, and in the spring of 2004, I read an article in The Ricardian Register by Pamela Butler, about Alice Kyteler, who lived in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1324, and faced witchcraft charges. After her trial and acquittal, she vanished from the annals of history. I couldn't resist writing a book about her. 
How did you decide to make it a paranormal? 
I’m a believer in reincarnation, and I go on paranormal investigations whenever I can. I’ve gone on several past life regressions. Cape Cod has a lot of history and paranormal activity. I’ve been on many ghost walks and ghost hunts there. I wanted to connect Alice in the past with someone in the present, her reincarnation. 
Was Alice Kyteler famous in 14th century Ireland? 
Not at all but she was the richest woman in Kilkenny, and for that reason the villagers hated her, especially the men. They accused her of killing her first husband, but she was acquitted. Then they accused her of killing her fourth husband, John LePoer, with witchcraft, the accusations more absurd than those of the 1692 witch hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts. Chancellor Edward de Burgh arrested Alice because her stepsons claimed she had murdered John by casting a witch’s spell with malefecia…and she used the enchanted skull of a beheaded thief as her cauldron. She went to trial and her dear friend Michael Artson had her acquitted, but she vanished into the annals of history. According to legend, she went to England. But no one knows for sure. 
Why did you make it a time travel? 
Because my heroine, Kylah McKinley, is a druid and has done many past life regressions, she knows she’s the reincarnation of Alice. So she has to go back and find out what happened to Alice, because too many weird things are happening to her in this life that parallel Alice’s life. Kylah lives on my beloved Cape Cod. She’s a druid, a ghost hunter and owns a new age store in a restored Revolutionary War-era tavern. She was also the target of a hit-and-run. Another hit-and-run crippled her husband Ted. That’s no coincidence—she’s convinced someone’s out to get them both. 
She brews an ancient Druid herb mixture, goes back in time and enters Alice’s life to find out exactly what happened and who killed her husband. These two months of hell change her life forever. Kylah’s life mirrors Alice’s in one tragic event after another—she finds her husband sprawled on the floor, cold, blue, with no pulse. Evidence points to her, and police arrest her for his murder. Kylah and Alice shared another twist of fate—they fell in love with the man who believed in them. As Kylah prepares for her trial and fights to maintain her innocence, she must learn from her past or she’s doomed to repeat it.  
Have you ever spoken to Pamela Butler, who wrote the article about Alice?
Yes, we’ve corresponded. She lives in New Mexico, so we’ve never met in person. I asked Pam what inspired her to write about Alice. I’d never heard of Alice until I read her article, “Witchcraft & Heresy. She replied: “You asked why I wrote about Alice Kyteler, who preceded Richard by a century-and-a-half. I only wrote it because others on the listserv encouraged me to write about witchcraft, a subject about which I knew very little. I ordered three books from Amazon.com on the subjects of witchcraft, heresy, Satanism, etc. for research reasons. That was my basis, plus I searched the Internet. The Malleus Malleficarum was published in 1487, just two years after Richard's death, so it's almost contemporary. I chanced across Alice in this reading and thought that it was an interesting case. Witch burning was fairly rare in Ireland, and wasn't as bad in England at that time as it had been on the Continent. I wish that the M.M. had never been published; still, the fact that it was published and accepted may reveal the mindset of those times.” 
An excerpt from Dark Brew 
Kylah shut Ted’s den door. She couldn’t bear to look at the spot where he gasped his last breath. His presence, an imposing force, lingered. So did his scent, a blend of tobacco, pine aftershave and manly sweat. Each reminder ripped into her heart like a knife. Especially now with the funeral looming ahead, the eulogies, the mournful organ hymns, the tolling bells . . .
These ceremonies should bring closure, but they’d only prolong the agony of her grief. She wanted to remember him alive for a while longer, wishing she could delay these morbid customs until the hurt subsided. 
Throughout the house, his essence echoed his personality: the wine stain on the carpet, the heap of dirty shirts, shorts and socks piled up in the laundry room, the spattered stove, his fingerprints on the microwave. But she couldn’t bring herself to clean any of it up. Painful as these remnants were, they offered a strange comfort. He still lived here.
“I’ll find that murderer, Teddy,” she promised him over and over, wandering from room to empty room, traces of him lurking in every corner. “I’ll do everything in my power to make sure justice is served. Another past life regression isn’t enough anymore. I know what I have to do now. And I promise, it will never, ever happen again—in any future life.”
She inhaled deeply and breathed him in. “Go take a shower, Teddy.” She chuckled through her tears as the doorbell rang. She cringed, breaking out in cold sweat when she saw the black sedan at the curb.
“Not again.” No sense in hiding, so she let the detectives in.
“Mrs. McKinley, we need your permission to do a search and take some of your husband’s possessions from the house,” Nolan said.
“What for?” She met his steely stare. “I looked everywhere and found nothing.”
“Mrs. McKinley, the cupboard door was open, four jars of herbs are missing, and the autopsy showed he died of herb poisoning. Thoseherbs,” Nolan added for emphasis, as if it had slipped her feeble mind. “Foxglove, mandrake, hemlock—and an as-yet unidentified one,” he read from a notebook. “The M.E. determined it was a lethal dose.”
Sherlock Holmes got nothin’ on him, she thought. 
“Where’s this cupboard, ma’am?” Egan spoke up.
“Right there.” She pointed, its door gaping exactly the way she’d found it that night. Nolan went over to it and peered inside.
“Ma’am, it would be better if you left the house for a half hour or so. Please leave a number where you can be reached,” Egan ordered.
Nolan glanced down the hall. “Where is your bedroom?”
What could they want in the bedroom? “It’s at the top of the stairs on the right. But we didn’t sleep together,” she offered, as if that would faze them. It didn’t.
After giving him her cell number, she got into her car and drove to the beach.
An hour later, she let herself back in and looked around. They’d taken the computer, her case of CDs, her thumb drive, her remaining herb jars, Ted’s notebooks, and left her alone with one horrible fact: This was now a homicide case and she was the prime suspect. 
Links for Purchase
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The Wild Rose Press--Paperback & Ebook
Contact Diana

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A Recipe to Try While Reading DARK BREW
DARK BREW is set on modern-day Cape Cod, when Kylah isn’t traveling back in time to 1324 Ireland. I have a home on the Cape, and spend as much time there as I can when the weather cooperates. The Cape Cod Irish Village is a restaurant/pub/hotel where my husband and I have been going for many years. We have a traditional Irish dinner there and dance up a storm to the live Irish music they always have. I mention the Irish Village in DARK BREW and their great Irish cuisine.
Traditional Irish fare has been a long-standing theme at the Irish Village where Chef Chris Lynch has headed the kitchen for the better part of 16 years. New American cuisine with a slant on old Irish staples is how Chef Lynch would characterize the menu at the Irish Village. Having spent many years honing his craft in kitchens all across the Northeast, Chris realized that most of the guests who come to the Cape and have frequented the Irish Village for decades in some cases want to feel at home and his team tries to match the daily specials to their memories of meals taken at the tables of their own families. Simple and plentiful is a formula that has kept many repeat customers coming back to the Village year after year.
Here’s a recipe from Chris for “Breadan Eireann”
This recipe serves 4 people
Preheat oven to 375 degrees4 ea. – 6oz Salmon Fillet4 ea. – Jumbo Shrimp12 oz. – medium sea scallops4 cups mashed potato1 cup sauteed onions & mushrooms, sliced thin6 oz. dry sherry8 oz. clarified butter
DIRECTIONS
In a baking dish or in individual casserole dishes arrange salmon, scallops & shrimp closely together.  Pipe mashed potatoes around salmon and seafood encircling all of the fish.  Pour 1 ½ oz. of sherry and 2 oz. of butter over the fish and potatoes.  Bake in oven for approximately 20 minutes or until salmon flakes under the touch.  Remove and top with ¼ cup sautéed onions & mushrooms.  Return to oven for 2-3 minutes to finish browning the potatoes and to heat the onions & mushrooms.  Serve immediately.  

#blogtour ~ The Irish Milliner #histfic @cynthianeale7 @HFVBT

Book Spotlight &  GiveawayHistorical Virtual Book Tour Presents....    The Irish Milliner
by
Cynthia G. Neale

It is New York City and the Civil War is brewing. Norah McCabe, an Irish immigrant who escaped the Famine as a child, is now a young widow with a daughter. She is a milliner, struggling to survive in tumultuous times. Norah meets Abraham Lincoln, befriends the extraordinary African-American woman Elizabeth Jennings, and assists the Underground Railroad. She falls headlong in love with Edward M. Knox, son of the famous hat-maker Charles Knox, but he is lace curtain Irish and she is shanty Irish. Edward joins the 69th regiment and leaves for battle. Can their love endure through class differences and war?This is a story of survival, intrigue, romance, as well as, exploring the conflict of Irish immigrants thrust into a war that threatened to destroy a nation. It is about an Irish-American woman who could be any immigrant today, any woman today, seeking to create beauty and make sense of her life.
“Suddenly the Civil War seems very relevant and Cynthia Neale does a great job of focusing on the role of the Irish in the conflict. And it's great fun to be in touch with her wonderful character, Norah McCabe, again!”
Mary Pat Kelly, author of Galway Bay and Of Irish Blood
“This timely novel spans centuries to bring to our attention to a topic as old as yesterday, as expedient as tomorrow⎯emigration. Neale's work, written with love and insight, reminds us that our neighbor is all mankind.” Tim Pat Coogan, Irish broadcaster, journalist, writer and author of 1916 The Easter Rising, Michael Collins and The Famine Plot


Links for Purchase


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Giveaway

To win an eBook of The Irish Milliner by Cynthia G. Neale, please enter via the Gleam form below. Two eBooks are up for grabs!
Rules– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on June 9th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open internationally.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

Enter Giveaway

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