Latest Release Cover Reveal

Thanks again to the wonderfully talented Steven Novak for my latest cover.
Hearts and Crowns is the story of Gallien, grandson of the original hero of The Montbryce Legacy series.
Gallien has sworn never to wed again after a catastrophic marriage to a shrew who betrayed him with another man.
You know the old saying, Once bitten...twice shy.

Peridotte de Pontrouge has long dreamed of marrying Geoffrey Plantagenet, but her hopes are dashed when he is betrothed to the daughter of King Henry of England.
Political intrigue forces Gallien and Peri to marry against their will.
Here's a snippet from the betrothal ceremony, the first time Gallien and Peri meet.

Peri paused before the small wooden door to the Chart Room of Ellesmere Castle. “A moment,” she whispered to the Comte d’Anjou’s emissary.

Ballustre bowed, stroking his pointed beard. A tight smile flickered for only a moment, betraying his nervousness.

She smoothed her hands over her skirts and carefully adjusted the veil that threatened to slide from her braided hair. Alys had worked her usual magic with the wrinkled gown, barking orders at the maidservant sent by the Countess as if she were the lady of the castle. They had chosen the gown of forest green wool because it suited her skin and hair color—and her mood. This was not the festive occasion she had dreamed her betrothal ceremony would be.

She had not slept. None of the Montbryce men had returned by the time she had retired to her chamber the previous evening.

She raised her chin, then turned to her escort. Despite the dread churning in her belly, she said, “I am ready.”

He laid his palm against the door. It swung open without a sound and he ushered her inside. Her knees threatened to buckle as she stepped over the threshold into a new life she did not want. She was to be bound to a man who had not welcomed her and who had failed to appear this morning in the Great Hall.

She had broken her fast in uncomfortable silence with Fleurie and Isabelle, nibbling on a crust of freshly baked bread, feeling like a prisoner condemned to the gallows.

Determined to appear unruffled, she thrust out her chin. Her gaze fell on two heads of silver hair, both bent to the close study of some document upon the table. She faltered. By the wood of the true cross! Had King Henry betrothed her to an old man?

At her gasp, both men looked up. They shared a resemblance, except one was a good deal older than the other. The older man smiled, his eyes full of warmth and welcome.

The younger, taller knight straightened. Back rigid, lips in a tight line, he narrowed his eyes. Her belly lurched. Gooseflesh marched across her nape. She had never seen a young man with hair the color of moonbeams. It was strangely compelling. The unrelieved black of his doublet, hose and boots made his appearance all the more startling. Under his dark gaze, she felt like a rabbit caught in a snare.

He was much taller than she, a broad-shouldered warrior whose bearing and attire left no doubt about his wealth and power. It was immediately evident he did not welcome this betrothal. He did not want her.

Hearts and Crowns is available on Amazon.

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

It's an honor to have been nominated for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award, especially since the nomination came from author Rose Anderson. Her blog, Calliope's Writing Tablet is always full of inspiring articles.
I am obliged as part of the award to share 7 things about myself. My list will pale in comparison to Rose's, which includes white water rafting, walking on fire, and being a Master Level Reiki practitioner!

• I'm a cat lover. My mother will be turning over in her grave to hear that, but I've always had a place in my heart for cats. At one time I had four! I recently lost my most beloved cat, Topaz. I was in the midst of writing Haunted Knights and had added a black cat to the story. Topaz was a tortie, so I changed the book and renamed the cat Topaz. I even dedicated the book in her memory. It's hard to lose a pet you've had for 12 years.
• I am an amateur genealogist, a hobby that has had a huge influence on my writing. When I could not trace my own ancestry back to the Norman Conquest (the impossible dream), I made up a family and have followed their lives and love stories in my books.
• Before I retired (!) I was a teacher. I loved teaching, loved communicating ideas and concepts. I consider myself fortunate to have been born at a time when a good education was becoming available for all. It pains me when I encounter students who don't appreciate the opportunities schooling can give them.
• I spend quite a bit of my time now in Panama. My husband and I built a condo building in Las Lajas, a small community that boasts the best undiscovered beach in Panama. Walking the beach with nothing to look at but the ocean, the sand, the palm trees, and the millions of tiny red crabs, has often unlocked blocks in my writing. I invariably return from the beach with a new idea for the next part of a book. I harbor a secret dream to have other authors join me here for some kind of retreat, taking inspiration from the sea.
• I have spent most of my life in Canada, though I was born and educated in England. I suppose that's why I feel comfortable setting my books in the UK countries. I've never had the desire to write about Canada. Of course, I write medieval, though I have a contemporary novel set in Panama in the back of my mind.
• I am terrified of water. I didn't learn to swim until I was 23, though anybody watching me would not call it swimming. I only "swim" in water where I know my feet can touch bottom!
• I love wine. My basic criteria is that it be red.

Now, it's my turn to nominate blogs I have found inspirational.
Mimi Barbour's blog, Believe is a beautifully designed blog always worth a visit.
Jo-Ann Carson's blog Lovin' Danger and the Unexpected is my second choice.
Hope you'll check them out.
Now I'm off for a stroll along the beach.

Finding Mr. Right! The Evolution of a Book Cover

When I took the plunge into self publishing and brought out my debut novel, Conquering Passion, I created my own cover. I have only rudimentary skills with Photoshop and therefore it was a basic design.

The book sold very well on Amazon, as did the subsequent books of the same series, The Montbryce Legacy. I came to realize the books needed professionally designed covers that would tie them together as a series. This came to fruition with the help of Kim Killion from Hot Damn Designs.

But, you know how something niggles at the back of your mind when you are with a fellow you just know is not Mr. Right? 

The warrior on the cover of Conquering Passion began to get on my nerves! He was too “bulky”, too “in your face” (though the same model works brilliantly on the cover of The Winds of The Heavens, designed by Kate Sterling). I love this cover so much I use it as my Titter background!

So I began a search for the right man, and I am delighted to tell you I have found the face that best represents my hero, Ram de Montbryce. Ram is important to the series. Conquering Passion is his love story, but he appears in many subsequent books. He is the rock of the family.

So without further ado, I give you the real Ram! Hope you love him as much as I do. I think we will be together for many happy years! Heartfelt thanks to my designer Steven Novak for bringing him to life. Let me know which one you like best. I'll gift a free digital copy to one lucky winner. Remember your email address, substituting at for @ and dot com for .com.

My Irish Grandmother

Welcome to the Lucky in Love Blog Hop! Thanks for stopping by my blog. Fingers crossed you are lucky enough to win one of the fabulous prizes available to commenters. You can enter on each blog in the hop (over 200 times)
1st Grand Prize: A $100 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
2nd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more! (this prize unavailable for overseas entrants)

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the month of March, maybe because it’s the month I celebrate my birthday!

I also have two granddaughters who were born in March, though sad to say they are not Aries!

Perhaps my fondness for the month is why I enjoy St. Patrick’s Day.

My only connection to Ireland is a great, great grandmother, Susannah Moore, who left the Emerald Isle around 1840 to settle in England. She was born about 1822 and died in 1865. The only other thing I know  is that her father’s name was Matthew, but I do not know what part of Ireland she came from.

It’s rather ironic that we associate luck with the Irish, given their turbulent and often tragic history. I suspect life for Susannah was not easy in 19th century Lancashire. Prejudice against the Irish ran deep.

She married James Monks, whose early employment, like so many in Lancashire at that time, began in the cotton mills. It was dangerous and dirty work.

But James seems to have broken the mould. He became an innkeeper, the proprietor of a public house in Bolton, Lancashire. His elderly mother came to live with James and Susannah and unfortunately died after falling down the stairs at the pub! The mind boggles!

Later in life James became a hay and straw dealer! After Susannah’s death he married again.

Did James and Susannah love each other? Did he fall for her Irish eyes? Or her brogue? No way of knowing! But we can cross our fingers and hope they did know love in a harsh time.

In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day I have a new release, Dark Irish Knight.

Ronan MacLachlainn is an Irish nobleman bent on vengeance for the murder of his wife and unborn child, and the loss of his estates. Nothing can stand in his way. Not even love. 

For those readers familiar with my cast of characters, this is the love story of Rhoni de Montbryce, the babe born in the mountain fortress in Conquering Passion.

Dark Irish Knight is available from Amazon and Smashwords in all digital formats. I will give away a FREE digital copy to one lucky commenter on this blog. Make sure you include your email address.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! On to the next blog!

St. Columba's Well

My latest release, Dark Irish Knight, is set partially in the ancient community of Sord Colmcille in Ireland. The town's origins date back to 560 AD when it was founded by Saint Colmcille (521-597)(St. Columba).

Legend has it that the saint blessed a local well, giving the town its name, Sord, meaning "clear" or "pure". However, An Sord in Gaelic also means "the water source" and could indicate a large communal drinking well that existed in antiquity. 

Entrance to the Well

Well-worship existed in Ireland before the introduction of Christianity, and when the people were converted, like the transfer of pagan temples, wells, with all their veneration, were made over to the  new religion.

Located north of Dublin, today the community is known as Swords. St. Colmcille's Well is located on Well Road off Swords Main Street.

I chose this location specifically because of its history and to underline the irony of the hero’s loss of one eye to the murderous MacFintain brothers. Sord Colmcille was a place of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages for those who believed its waters could cure ailments of the eyes.

Also, Ronan MacLachlainn is a descendant of Vikings, and Dubh Linn was an area settle by Vikings. Lachlainn means ‘descended from Norwegians’. Norsemen ruled Dubh Linn for three hundred years until 1010 AD when they were defeated by the High King of Ireland, Brian Bóruma at the Battle of Clontarf.

Ronan is consumed by a desire to avenge his murdered wife and child and the loss of his estate to the MacFintains. And of course he seeks revenge for the loss of his eye. Nothing can stand in his way, not even love.

For those readers familiar with my cast of characters, this is the love story of Rhoni de Montbryce, the babe born in the Welsh fortress in Conquering Passion. 

An imposing ancient tower that can be seen for miles still stands next to the church in Swords, and I used this as my inspiration for Ronan's Tower, the estate usurped by the MacFintains. 

Dark Irish Knight is available from Amazon and Smashwords.

Can A Heart Truly Break?

Welcome to the Heartbreaker Blog Hop. Leave a comment to qualify to win!
1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize: A $100 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!
(All prizes are international with the exception of the Swag Pack)

Can a heart truly “break”?

Physically, of course, it could break down and we might suffer a cardiac arrest. But that is not what we are referring to on this blog hop.

Why do we associate the misery of lost love, or unrequited love with the heart? After all it’s an organ of the body—albeit a vital one—nothing more.

Yet we would be judged odd if we talked about having our lungs broken, or our liver!

“What’s wrong with you?”

“My lover left me with a broken liver.”

(Come to think of it, men do sometimes refer to having another part of their male anatomy broken when things don’t go their way.)

Do we actually feel pain in this “heart-shaped” organ when love kicks us in the teeth? (Sorry!)

Actually, we do! Acute shock, or disappointment, triggers an adrenaline release in the body, which rushes to the heart. We want to fight the “heartbreak”, argue with the person jilting us, or flee, never to see the cad again.

Too much adrenaline can trigger palpitations, tachycardia, arrhythmia—all symptoms we “feel” in our heart.

It can also bring on headaches, but we don’t talk about having our heads broken!

If there was no such thing as a broken heart, romance authors would be in a bad way! If relationships were easy and worked out smoothly every time, I’d be out of a job!

But life isn’t like that, is it?

Nor was it, thank goodness, in medieval times, my favourite period to write about! In fact heartbreak was rampant then, when women had little choice or say in whom they married, and precious few rights.

But the nice thing about romance is that it is “happily ever after”, so we can mend our heroine’s broken heart with a stroke of the pen (or a tap of the keyboard).

Our heroes can be just plain chauvinists, like Ram de Montbryce, in Conquering Passion, and we can right that silliness by giving him a feisty heroine (Mabelle) who insists on voicing her opinions. He discovers he actually likes that about her and her broken heart is mended!

Sometimes it takes an enormous personal sacrifice to make a hero understand just how much a woman loves him. In Dance of Love, Farah leaves behind her most precious possession when she has to leave her hero. She knows it is necessary for him to resume his life as a warrior after he is stricken by a crippling affliction. Her actions eventually prompt him to pursue her and both are relieved of their broken heart!

My medieval heroes are heartbreakers, but not because they are “bad boys”. It’s just they can’t see the wood for the trees! They don’t mean to break the hearts of their heroines, they simply put other things ahead of love—things like honour, vengeance, fear of rejection.

It’s understandable really when you consider the times these men lived in. They often had to fight to protect what was theirs. It could be dangerous to let down one’s guard. Even within families treachery existed. But not in my medieval family. The Montbryces are intensely loyal to each other. And the men all suffer from the “Montbryce curse.” They are noblemen in love with their wives—supposedly an anomaly in the Middle Ages. It was not “manly” to show loving feelings, even for one’s spouse and/or children.

If you would like to qualify to win a free copy of one of my romances, leave a comment with your email address spelled out. Thanks for visiting the blog hop.

http://carrieannbloghops.blogspot.com/p/heartbreaker-hop.html

"Share The Wealth" Virginia Henley

I am extremely pleased and honoured to welcome renowned romance writer, Virginia Henley as my first guest on Share The Wealth Wednesdays. She does indeed have a wealth of experience to share with us.

Tell Us About Yourself, Virginia.
I was born in Bolton, Lancashire, England, and when I turned twelve, my parents and I emigrated to Canada. I married my high school sweetheart, Arthur Henley, and we have two sons, two grandsons, one granddaughter, and one great-granddaughter. We became permanent residents of the United States sixteen years ago, and we live on the Gulf of Mexico in St. Petersburg, Florida.
History is my passion, and as an English school girl, I absorbed a great deal of British history. I didn't start to write until I was forty years old and my sons were in high school.

How Did You Get Started Writing?
One day around 1978 I read a book by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss that combined history with a sensual love story. I realized immediately that I could do this. My mother had died and my father came to live with us. So I had my husband, two sons, and my father, all watching men's programs on TV and I knew I had to do something for myself.

I forbade the men to touch my writing on the coffee table, and it took me a whole year to write my first historical romance in long hand, and a month to type it. Then for the next four years I sent out the manuscript to various publishers. They'd keep it for about six months and return it saying they didn't read unsolicited manuscripts. In the meantime I wrote a second book that I called The Irish Gypsy.
One day I was in a bookstore and I found a historical romance where the author had dedicated her book to her editor, Page Cuddy at Avon Books. So I wrote her a letter, told her a bit about myself and a bit about my book. She said to pop it in the mail and she would read it. She bought the book for $1,500 and it was published in 1982.
I wrote two more for Avon. Then the publisher left, my editor got married and left, and the new people didn't want my next book.
So I decided to get myself an agent. I had met Jay Acton in New York at a book conference, who represented some big-name authors, and he agreed to take me on. He sold me to Dell Books and it wasn't long before I started to make the bestseller lists.
I wrote a medieval called The Falcon And The Flower. It was extremely sensual, and to this day I remember word for word the dreadful review it got from Publishers Weekly: "Only a hard core fan of soft core pornography could slog their way through this one."
I got a terrible case of hives from what they said, but, the book jumped onto the bestseller lists and it won an award from Romantic Times for the Most Sensual Medieval Romance of 1989.
The tenth book I wrote, SEDUCED, made the New York Times Bestseller List and I got up on the roof and shouted it to the world!
I consider myself extremely lucky to have been a part of what I call the golden age of publishing. In the 90's publishers did marvelous things for their successful writers. They flew me to New York to be professionally photographed---hair, makeup, the whole thing. They sent me to all the major cities in the U.S. on book tours, meeting me at the airport with a driver, and putting me up at the best hotels. They held contests for my readers with prizes like a tropical vacation at a Sandals Resort and amazingly, they bought me full-page ads in Cosmopolitan Magazine that cost $60,000. Those were the days!

How many books have you written? Do you have a favorite?
I've written 28 full length historical romances, 5 novellas, and one short story.
My favorite would have to be A Woman Of Passion about Bess Hardwick, a real historical woman in the Elizabethan Era. She began as a servant girl with nothing, and by her own willful determination, and four husbands along the way, she became the wealthiest woman in England, after the queen.
I collected research material on Elizabeth Hardwick for many years until I felt competent enough to write her story. 


How much time do you spend promoting your books? What works best for you?
I began at Avon, moved on to Dell where I wrote 15 books, then moved to NAL/Signet, and also wrote a few novellas for Kensington. The publisher always gave me a publicist and paid for some advertising. The only thing I did was buy either the cover or a full-page colored ad in Romantic Times Magazine. Over the years I've attended the yearly conferences of the RWA Romance Writers of America, and RT Romantic Times. I've always believed that the best investment you can make is in yourself.

What was the deciding factor in self-publishing your books?

I belong to a small eloop of authors who are good friends. At one time we all worked for Dell, then moved on to other publishers: Connie Brockway, Marsha Canham, Jacquie D'Alessandro, Sherri Erwin, Jill Gregory, Julia London, and Julie Ortolon.
About three years ago, two of these authors, Julie Ortolon and Marsha Canham, had gotten the rights back to some of their backlist books. They had put them up as ebooks on Amazon, were doing very well, and they urged the rest of us to try it.
At this time all my books were still in print and I couldn't get the rights back. A year later I managed to get the rights back to two 28-year-old books from Avon. I had them scanned, but it took weeks and weeks to make all the necessary corrections and I decided then and there that in future I would just retype them into documents.
Over the next couple of months I got the rights back to a short story and two novellas. My Canadian friend Marsha Canham checked my formatting and designed some great covers for me.
Then six of us decided to write novella-length stories for a book about an ancient antique mirrored pendant that was passed down through the ages. We published the ebook entitled Masters of Seduction. We agreed that after a year we would take it off sale and each of us would put our own story up separately. My story is set at the end of the Elizabethan reign, and the title is A Rough Wooing. (Taken from the historical period when James the Sixth of Scotland became James the First of England, and tried to force England and Scotland to co-exist in peace.)
The only book I wrote that was never published was a plantation novel set in South Carolina in the Civil War period. There were two reasons why my publisher turned it down. First, they only wanted England, Ireland and Scotland from me, and second, it was about slavery, which was considered politically incorrect.
So I retyped the book and put it up as an ebook on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes&Noble, and Kobo.
The five books I've self-published are by no means bestsellers, but altogether they earn me about a thousand dollars each month.
The only promotion I have done is on my website www.virginiahenley.com and on my Facebook page
www.Facebook.com/virginia.henley1

What advice do you have for other authors wanting to self-publish?

My advice to other authors is WHATEVER ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Get your books up as quickly as you can. Even my agent admits that authors no longer need a traditional publishing house, an editor, or an agent.
Julie Ortolon does extremely well. She has two 3-book series, as well as single titles, and series books get downloaded far more often than books that are not connected.
Marsha Canham was able to get the rights back to all her swashbuckling masterpieces and they are extremely popular.
It seems to me that the more ebooks you have, the greater your success. Product attracts readers.

What do you have planned for the future?

At the moment I am writing a Regency story that will be the first of a series. I'm a slow writer and it will likely take me all year to complete the 3 novellas, but I'll put each one up as soon as it is finished.

Can you list some Pros/Cons of self-publishing?

I've not found many negative things. You are responsible for everything, making sure it is edited well and properly formatted, with a good title and cover, but the advantages are liberating. You can write whatever you choose, you have no deadline, and there is no waiting a year for a publisher to release your book. You can decide your own price, and of course you earn a far greater percentage of the cover price than a traditional publisher will pay you.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I am what they call a pantser, not a plotter. Of course I do about six week's research before I start a book, but then I just sit down and write it, and I do it from start to finish without jumping round. I edit and polish what I wrote yesterday, and do that every day, and when I reach the end, I'm done. I don't do rough drafts, etc. Because my books are character driven, the easiest part for me is the characters and the dialogue. The hardest part is plotting. This is the reason I take a real historical event and interweave my hero and heroine into the story. I use real history as the bones of my skeleton and hang my story on it.
I give my readers the authentic history and the sex. It's a one-two punch that satisfied the reader and it has been a successful formula for me. I don't have critique partners---I simply have to satisfy myself.

Tell us about your next book.

I've just turned in my last contracted book to my publisher. LORD RAKEHELL is the fourth and final book of a series I call Peers Of The Realm. These books are about real people in history, starting in the Regency period with THE DECADENT DUKE, THE IRISH DUKE, and THE DARK EARL, which takes us into the Victorian era.
LORD RAKEHELL tells the story of Lord James Hamilton who was Gentleman of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria's son, Prince Edward, who married Princess Alexandra of Denmark. The scandalous exploits of these real people of history are far more shocking, and therefore fascinating than anything I could make up.
LORD RAKEHELL will be published in Trade size paper in November 2013.

 

I would like to thank Anna Markland for this wonderful opportunity to be guest author for her blog. She too is a great lover of history.

Website: http://www.virginiahenley.com
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/virginia.henley1
Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/VirginiaJHenley
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/VirginiaHenley

Thank you, Virginia for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences with us.

Where the Heck Is Aragon?

Catherine of Aragon

Mention Aragon and most people think of the Queen divorced by Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon.

c.1214

In the Middle Ages, Aragon was a kingdom in the northeastern part of Spain. It included what is now Catalonia. The map at right demonstrates that a large part of Spain was still dominated by Muslim peoples in 1214. The struggle by the christian kings of Spain to reconquer Spain went on for hundreds of years, and is also part of the plot of my book, set in 1107.

 In modern times, Aragon is a region of Spain that does not extend to the coast.

Aragon is the setting for my latest release, Dance of Love. My hero and heroine cross the Pyrenees Mountains into Aragon from France.

Aragon is a land of castles, monasteries and magnificent scenery.

Loarre Castle, near Huesca

I hope you will enjoy reading something of the history of Aragon in the early part of the 12th century from my book, Dance of Love.

Also available on Amazon UK.

The Shamshir

A Shamshir is a type of sabre with a curve that is considered radical for a sword: 5 to 15 degrees from tip to tip. The name is derived from Persian shamshīr, which means "sword" (in general). The radically curved sword family includes the shamshir, scimitar, and others.

Originally Persian swords were straight and double edged. The curved scimitar blades were Central Asian in origin. The earliest evidence of curved swords, or scimitars, is from the 9th century, when it was used among soldiers in the Khurasan region of Central Asia.

The shamshir is a one-handed, curved sword featuring a slim blade that has almost no taper until the very tip. Instead of being worn upright (hilt-high), it is worn horizontally, with the hilt and tip pointing up. It was normally used for slashing unarmored opponents either on foot or mounted. The tip could be used for thrusting.

Izzy de Montbryce, the hero of Dance of Love, suffers from debilitating arthritis in his hands. Imagine a warrior unable to wield a sword.

Enter the heroine, Farah, who has travelled from Jerusalem with a shamshir. She is a dancer who uses the blade in her performance of the Sword Dance. The weapon proves much easier for Izzy to use, but for Farah it is a treasure whose value goes far beyond the material. It is a link to her past. She cannot part with it when she leaves to continue her journey.

Dance of Love Amazon 2.99

Can Love Produce a Miracle?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks flexible (synovial) joints.

About 1% of the world's population is afflicted by rheumatoid arthritis, women three times more often than men. Onset is most frequent between the ages of 40 and 50, but people of any age can be affected.

In my latest release, Dance of Love, it is the hero, Izzy de Montbryce, who is afflicted.

RA can be a disabling and painful condition, which can lead to substantial loss of functioning and mobility. Imagine a medieval warrior who cannot wield a sword when his condition flares.

Fortunately, my heroine, Farah, has studied medicine in the east, particularly the treatises of an Islamic physician, Al-Kindi. He was born in Basra three hundred years before my story, which is set in 1107 AD. His father was the emir of Kufa. His family were direct descendants of the King of Kinda, companion of the Prophet. He was highly revered as a great physician by Muslim peoples.

Farah compounds one of Al-Kindi’s recipes for easing the pain of arthritis. Here is the medieval recipe for Drug for the Spirits:

(modern weight equivalents included)
Colchicum 12 mithqals 53.53 grams
Leaf of Meccan Henna 1 mithqal 4.46 grams
Caper leaf 1 mithqal 4.46 grams 

Pepper 1 mithqal 4.46 grams
Long pepper 1 mithqal 4.46 grams
Cinnamon 1 mithqal 4.46 grams
Indian cumin 1 mithqal 4.46 grams
Ginger 1 mithqal 4.46 grams
Dry Storax ¼ mithqal 4.46 grams
Cuttlefish bone ¼ mithqal 1.115 grams
Sal ammoniac (fossil salt) ¼ mithqal 1.115 grams
Salt ¼ mithqal 1.115 grams

The ingredients of this recipe are pulverized and kneaded with honey. One dose is 5 dirhams (15.625 grams), which is taken with food.

Al-Kindi uses colchicum instead of colocynth. The colchicum is counterbalanced by the use of ginger to prevent accidental poisoning. The salts and dry storax are used to decrease the toxicity. The use of cuttlefish bone and the salts help flush the colchicum out of the body after it has served its purpose. The use of caper leaves, long and black pepper, cinnamon, and ginger helps the digestive system maintain its regularity, with the caper leaf activating the bowels. One of the problems with the use of colchicum is its actions on the bowels allows them to act too freely, so the use of henna leaves are used to prevent diarrhea. Another problem with the use of colchicum is the decrease in the heart rate, so the use of cinnamon is used to regulate the heart, and it is used to prevent spasms and strokes.

Known as Al-Kindi in the Western world, Abu Yusuf Ya’qub ibn. Ishaq al-Kindi was most likely born in Basra in 800 C.E. Although Al-Kindi was educated in Baghdad in philosophy, he is a major figure in the translation of Greek, Persian, and Syriac works into Arabic. As for Al-Kindi’s works, there are over 300 known treatises from many different subject matters. Little more is known about his life except that he died sometime after 870 C.E.

(Thanks to MUSTO, CHRISTOPHER JOHN. The Ancient and Medieval Pharmaceutical Treatments for Arthritis, Gout, and Sciatica. (Under the direction of Dr. John M. Riddle)). 

But there is something else Farah does for Izzy that helps him overcome his physical limitations. However, telling you what it is will spoil the story!

The plot revolves around the possibility of miracles. Farah believes in them, Izzy does not. 

I have dedicated the book to all who suffer the debilitating pain of arthritis.

SPANISH DANCING

You won’t be surprised to learn that my upcoming release, Dance of Love, centres on the theme of dancing. My heroine, Farah, is a Spanish woman respected as a gifted dancer.

The closest thing to the type of dance I envisioned her performing is the SEVILLANA, though on the cover she is performing the Sword Dance, another of her specialties. The video clip at the end of the post will give you a good idea of sevillanas.

Sevillanas are a type of Spanish folk music. Historically, they are a derivative of Castilian folk music (seguidilla), spiced with Arabic rhythms. They have a relatively limited musical pattern, but rich lyrics, based on country side life, towns, neighborhoods, pilgrimage, and love themes.

Sevillanas can be heard in southern Spain, mainly, in fairs and festivals, including the famous Seville Fair, La Feria de Sevilla. There is an associated dance for the music: "Baile por sevillanas", consisting of four different parts. One can find schools teaching "baile por sevillanas" in nearly every town in Spain.

Generally speaking, a sevillana is very light and happy music.

The Sevillana did not originate in Seville. It is an old folk dance, danced by couples of all ages and sexes during celebrations (fiestas or ferias), often by whole families and pueblos. Sevillanas choreography is very stable, and knowing it is very useful, since it is a fiesta dance. It is a very vivid dance, but it is NOT flamenco. Paradoxically, during spectacles and shows it is usually Sevillana dancing that some people take for flamenco, as it is full of turns.

The dance can be very erotic and sensual, although the pair will never touch each other until the final moments when the man will put his arm around the waist of the woman to finish the dance. The sevillana was originally a courting dance where the man sets out to woo the woman in a display similar to two mating flamingos. In the old Spanish tradition, young couples were limited in their courting practises, the man would spend the night talking to his novia, through the iron grills of her door or window, and if they did get the chance to go for a walk, they would most definitely be chaperoned by the girl’s mother, sister, or whole family.

The feria week would be the only time that the man could show his affection to the girl, asking her to accompany him in the dancing of sevillanas, and this is most probably why there is little physical contact, as the whole night would be watched over by her family.

Today the sevillana is danced at any form of get-together, whether it is the feria, a wedding, or at a family party, where all and everyone present will join in. For many, dancing the sevillana is just routine, something they have grown up with and learnt simply by being constantly surrounded by it, although there are many schools where you can go to learn it.

It is normally far better and enjoyable when performed by everyday Andalucians rather than professional or trained dancers, because even though the movements are set to a pattern, it is a dance of the people, and when they are simply enjoying themselves, it will be far more entertaining.

The casetas or small bars at the feria will be bursting with people who for one week of the year will forget about everything other than enjoying themselves, and like all fiestas in Andalucía, the colour, the theatrical scenes, and the traditional dress, all combine to make a most wonderful experience.

Dance of Love will be available in early November.

Forgive My Grasshopper Mentality

I have something of a grasshopper mentality when it comes to inspiration for my characters and their stories. If you prefer to read sagas in chronological order, here’s a handy list. Links to all my books are in the Amazon widget to the right.

1065—Conquering Passion—Montbryce Legacy I
1066—If Love Dares Enough—Montbryce Legacy III
1066—Defiant Passion—Sons of Rhodri I *
1087—A Man of Value—Montbryce Legacy II
1100—Passion in the Blood—Montbryce Legacy IV
1106—Dark and Bright—Sons of Rhodri II
1107—The Winds of the Heavens—Sons of Rhodri III
1107—Dance of Love (Dec 2012)—Montbryce-The Next Generation III
1113—Carried Away—FitzRam Family I
1120—Sweet Taste of Love—FitzRam Family II
1124—Wild Viking Princess—FitzRam Family III

 *The complete Sons of Rhodri Trilogy is available in paperback from Amazon.

If you like stories with medieval breeds of dogs, you’ll enjoy If Love Dares Enough, Carried Away, and Wild Viking Princess. If you have a soft spot for cats, read Passion in the Blood.

If you are looking for historical fiction centred on a certain geographic region:
English History—all books
Norman French History—all books
Crusades—A Man of Value
Welsh History—Conquering Passion, Defiant Passion, Dark and Bright, The Winds of the Heavens
Scottish History—Conquering Passion, A Man of Value, Sweet Taste of Love
European History (Holy Roman Empire)—Carried Away
Danish History—Wild Viking Princess
Spanish History—Dance of Love (Dec. 2012)

If you like to read about historical characters:
William the Conqueror—Conquering Passion, If Love Dares Enough, Defiant Passion
William Rufus—A Man of Value
Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy—Passion in the Blood
Henry I of England—Passion in the Blood, Sweet Taste of Love
Heinrich V, Holy Roman Emperor—Carried Away
Vikings—Wild Viking Princess
Kings of Aragon (Spain)—Dance of Love (Dec. 2012)

The Big Reveal

I am delighted to announce the unveiling of new covers for my third medieval romance series, The FitzRam Family.

The completion of this project signifies a milestone for me. All ten of my published books now have professionally designed covers.For this series I worked with Steven Novak, (http://www.novakillustration.com/bookcovers.html) who also did the covers for Mimi Barbour’s new releases, Partners and Roll the Dice. Like Mimi, I can heartily recommend him.

The process of working with a designer to produce covers can be a trying one. Sometimes it’s hard to achieve a meeting of the minds. Steven was open to all my ideas and willing to make lots of changes. He wanted me to be comfortable with the finished product, and I am!

Special thanks to fellow authors Mimi Barbour, Helen Scott Taylor (Oceans Between Us) and Lois Lavrisa (Liquid Lies) for permission to use quotes from their reviews.

So without further ado, here are the covers.

A Brief History of Schleswig-Holstein

Map of Denmark 1570

The setting for my latest release, Wild Viking Princess is the island of Strand, which in medieval times was located off the west coast of Denmark. As I described in a previous post, the island was torn apart by a vicious storm in 1634, and became three islands.

The history of the region is a long and complex one. Those lands now belong to Germany. Below is an attempt to simplify that history by means of a timeline.

450 - 500 Angles, Saxons (the Anglo-Saxons) and Danes from the area that would much later be known as Schleswig-Holstein raided England after the Romans had left. They found the fertile land good for farming, and settled, bringing their families over

798 Charlemagne defeated the north-Elbian Saxons, supported by his Slavonic allies who had settled in eastern Holstein 400 years before.

804 Charlemagne began to have fortified settlements built north of the Elbe-River, beginning with Hamburg - which was never part of Schleswig-Holstein. He drove several thousand Saxon families out of their homeland, and made them settle in southern Germany (Bavaria, Suabia, Rhine-area).

from 804 Beginning of Christianisation of the pagan North, churches were built.

900 Haithabu, a thriving town that would later be rebuilt as Heddeby, was a trading-post of European importance. The population was mainly Danes and Vikings from Sweden.

800- 1100 The land north of the Elbe-River and Hamburg was raided and dominated by Danes. The Franks, whose dominance in Germany was taken over by Saxon rulers, tried to keep up their influence. My latest release, Wild Viking Princess, is set in 1124 AD.

Reconstructed Viking village

1111 Adolf I. of Schauenburg was installed as Count of Holstein. He and his heirs brought peace and Christianity back to Holstein. Many towns and churches were founded and built during the rule of the Schauenburgers. Dutchmen, Frisians and Westfalians were called into his county, of whom especially the Dutchmen and the Frisians were experts in dyking, and in turning marshes and moors into fertile land and safe ground. They came as colonists, stayed and settled, mixing with the native population. The Slavonic people in eastern Holstein were gradually integrated into Holstein, with the help of the Bible, patient colonisation, and mainly the sword. Schleswig remained under Danish rule, with a mixed population of Danes and Germans.

1200 - 1203 Holstein, Hamburg, Luebeck and Ratzeburg fell into the hands of the expansive Danish Kings, Knud (- 1202) and Waldemar II., who ruled from 1202 to 1241.

1227 Battle of Bornhoeved. A decisive battle amongst several that had been fought before. Holstein was reconquered, and the Danish policies of expansion were ended.

1227 - 1460 This period may be called "struggle for dominance in Schleswig", Danes and Germans claiming and negotiating their rights.

abt. 1350 The "Black Death", the bubonic plague, haunted Denmark and the duchies. Especially the west coast and the islands were afflicted. Of an estimated population of 420 000 souls in both duchies in 1340, there were only 230 000 left in 1353.

1440 Holstein and Schleswig united under Adolf VIII. of Schauenburg, the last of his line.

1460 Treaty of Ripen: the Danish King Christian I. was installed as Duke of Schleswig and Count of Holstein. He had to grant privileges to the knighthood of the two lands and to their people. Apart from that and before all, he vowed that Schleswig and Holstein would remain forever undivided.

1474 Holstein became a duchy.

1500 The Battle of Hemmingstedt. The Duke of Holstein, King Hans of Denmark, attempted once again (after his predecessors had failed in 1319 and in 1404) to bring the renitent Dithmarscher population under his yoke, to make them pay their dues. He had hired 4000 fierce mercenaries, the Black Guard, who were followed by 2000 knights of all noble houses of Schleswig, Holstein and Denmark, and another 5000 armed subjects. The Dithmarschers, highly outnumbered, battled for their independence once more, and did so successfully, for the last time.

1569 Dithmarschen's last feud. The King of Denmark came with an army of 18 000 well armed followers and took the country. The Dithmarschers had to acknowledge his reign, and to give up their old parliamentary system of self-administration.

1618 - 1648 The Thirty Years' War brought devastation over Schleswig, Holstein and vast parts of Europe. The German Emperor sought to reinstall the Catholic Belief in all of Germany, after Protestantism according to Martin Luther's doctrines had spread over most parts of northern Germany during the bygone century. What had started off as a religiously motivated crusade turned into a European war, with shifts of power and territorial changes in the end. Schleswig and Holstein were afflicted by heavy looting, and also by diseases the passing troops were the carriers of, especially the bubonic plague once again. Those who survived fled from their farms. It took a long time until Schleswig and Holstein had recovered from that cruel war.

16th century map of Denmark

1634 The North Sea coast and islands were destroyed by a tremendous flood that tore apart everything that hard-working Frisians and Dithmarschers had built to protect their land from the sea's destructive force. The large island Nordstrand was washed into the sea, leaving only two small fractions to exist after the deluge. Of the 8 600 inhabitants, only a quarter survived.

1700 - 1721 The Nordic War between Sweden on one side and Denmark, Poland and Russia on the other, saw Schleswig and Holstein as a battlefield again. Marauding troops devastated large parts of the duchies.

1760 - 1800 Peaceful times, for a change. Reformation of the archaic structures in farming: fields that had been used by all villagers were split up into individual property, and the whole territory belonging to a village was restructured, into larger units and with new roads. Moors and bogs were colonized by settlers from southern Germany, who also introduced the potatoe as a staple food into Schleswig-Holstein, where people had been used to live of buckwheat, oats, and cabbage mainly.

1800 - 1805 Serfdom was abolished in both duchies. One of the points of conflict in my novel is the Danish tradition of thralldom, or slavery.

1813 King Friedrich (Frederic) VI. of Denmark had opted to join arms with Napoleon, the expansive-minded French ruler. The war had brought the economy to the ground, and the Kingdom was bankrupt. Whose riches were counted in bankdrafts or cash money, he became a poor man in 1813. And Prussian, Swedish, and Russian troops invaded Schleswig-Holstein, bringing destruction over the duchies. The Russians did not leave until December 1814.

1814/15 The Duchy Lauenburg came under Danish rule (the Danish King became Duke of Lauenburg).

1815 The "German League" (der Deutsche Bund) was established, Holstein part of it, but remaining under Danish rule (the King of Denmark was the Duke of Holstein. He represented Holstein in the German National Assemblies. He was also the Duke of Schleswig, but Schleswig was not part of the "German League").

1815 - 1848 Nationalistic and patriotic activities on both sides of the Eider-River, mainly about the status of Schleswig, which was the focus of interest of Germans and Danes likewise.

1848 The Danish King granted the Duchy Holstein the right of a constitution of its own, and, under strong patriotic and nationalist influence, decided that the Duchy Schleswig should have a constitution that was valid for the whole Danish Kingdom, with Schleswig part of it. That would have eased the long-standing union of the two duchies apart, by way of political and administrative means. The duchies installed a provisional government of Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel, under the German flag and under the colors of hope for a united German Schleswig-Holstein: the new flag in blue, white, and red.

1848 - 1851 Uprise and war against Denmark. Schleswig-Holsteiners fought along with many volunteers of all Germany, and a very strong Prussian contingent. Denmark came out victorious at the end. Many casualties on both sides.

1852 - 1864 Denmark forced the Danish language upon large parts of Schleswig, to be spoken in schools, at court, and in church (in turns with services in German). Dismissal of pro-German officers from the army, of pastors and teachers, of functionaries in public office. Many Schleswig-Holsteiners opted for emigration under those oppressive circumstances, hoping to find in America or Australia what they could not find here.

1863 Prussian and Austrian troops marched into Holstein to secure German interests.

1864 Denmark imposed the all-Danish constitution upon the Duchy Schleswig. Conflicting views about the rightful succession for the office of the Duke of Schleswig. Prussian and Austrian troops fought the war with the duchies, driving the Danish army out of Schleswig-Holstein. With the Treaty of Peace of Vienna, the Danish Kingdom renounced all claims and rights in the duchies Schleswig, Holstein, and Lauenburg. The people of Schleswig were given the option of choosing Danish citizenship within the following six years. Many made use of that offer to avoid military service under Prussian conditions. They became Danish subjects living in Prussia, without political rights.

1864 - 1866 Holstein under Austrian administration, Schleswig and Lauenburg under Prussian.

1866 Prussian - Austrian War about dominance in the German League. Austria defeated. All three duchies under Prussian administration. Universal conscription was introduced, a three years term of service became compulsory for everyone.

1867 Schleswig-Holstein-Lauenburg (the latter officially in 1876) were integrated into the Kingdom Prussia. The duchies were ruled from Berlin. The Schleswig-Holsteiners became "Must-be-Prussians". The dream of a state of their own was over. A rise in the number of emigrations ensued.

1870 - 1871 Germany (Prussia, rather) at war with France.

1871 Establishment, foundation of the "German Reich" (das Deutsche Reich). The duchies, now called "Regierungsbezirk Schleswig", as a Prussian province, being part of it.

1914 - 1918 World War One, Germany defeated. Denmark remained neutral.

1919 Treaty of Peace of Versailles. It was decided that the northern German border in Schleswig should be redrawn, taking into account the will of the people, to be expressed in a referendum, with the choice of Danish or German citizenship.

Denmark today

1920 The new border between Germany and Denmark was drawn as it still exists today. There remained, however, Danish minorities living this side of the line, as well as German minorities in Denmark, each with the privilege of the use of their language and the cultivation of their national heritage.