Bits 'n Bobs Author Blog
4/11/2015 1 Comment Medieval Monday Spring 2015In a tine-travel story of a spell gone wrong, Kim Headlee gives us a twist on Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Morgan le Fay, 6th-century Queen of Gore and the only major character not killed off by Mark Twain in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, vows revenge upon the Yankee Hank Morgan. She casts a spell to take her to 1879 Connecticut so she may waylay Sir Boss before he can travel back in time to destroy her world. But the spell misses by 300 miles and 200 years, landing her in the Washington, D.C., of 2079, replete with flying limousines, hovering office buildings, virtual-reality television, and sundry other technological marvels. Whatever is a time-displaced queen of magic and minions to do? Why, rebuild her kingdom, of course—two kingdoms, in fact: as Campaign Boss for the reelection of American President Malory Beckham Hinton, and as owner of the London Knights world-champion baseball franchise. Written as though by the old master himself, King Arthur’s Sister in Washington’s Court by Mark Twain as channeled by Kim Iverson Headlee offers laughs, love, and a candid look at American society, popular culture, politics, baseball...and the human heart. BUY LINKS: Amazon Kindle: US | UK | CA | AU | BR | DE | ES | FR | IN | IT | JP | MX | NL | EPUB format for: Nook | iPad/iPhone | Kobo | Smashwords EXCERPT: (from Chapter XIV: Defend the Banner!) The wench’s smile looked indulgent, if a bit saddened. “Queen Morgan, may I offer an observation?” “Pray, proceed, Darla, as I seem to have paid for it.” “This is about a man—the dishy one you’re always coming in here with.” “Brilliant. Yes, the dishy one. Dishy, and treacherous.” I took a long pull of bitters. “Lor’ love ye, madame; but all men are treacherous! If you’re lucky, that’s all he is.” I reflected, through another draught, upon this spot of rough wisdom. Of all the men I had ever known, biblically or not, in this century or any other, the only man I could not label as “treacherous” was Sir Galahad, and we all know what happened to him. For the couple of you who might not be privy to the story: in brief, Sir Galahad drank from the Holy Grail and fell down dead, reportedly because his soul was so pure that Our Lord God bustled him straightaway to heaven. The fact that Sir Galahad had always acted so damned self-righteous that his Grail-hunting companions had wearied of his holier-than-thou ways probably had nothing whatever to do with his demise. I said: “You need his love… and he needs yours.” (c)2015 by Jennifer Doneske “I have treachery aplenty in my life, Darla.” Free agents, not-free agents, other players, managers, coaches… the list seemed endless. “I do not need more from Sandy Carter.” “But you do need his love.” I shook my head. “With love like that…” She was not listening, but had looked toward the line of tall windows fronting the street, across which arched the words “nnI dleiftuO” and, in a revolving pattern of white, blue, and red tube-lights, “NEPO.” I would have taken umbrage at the offense—the server’s, not the fact that the words in the windows appeared backward to my vantage—but I had imbibed too much beer to care. Darla said, “You need his love… and he needs yours. Look.”
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Look who is on this week's Thursday's Threads! To make things interesting, I've used a different excerpt here from the one on Medieval Monday's blog. Enjoy! The Highlander’s Outlaw Bride Genre: Scottish historical romance Heat level: Sensual Blurb: Thrust into the role of laird upon his father's unexpected death, Connor MacLaurey returns home to find his cousin has usurped his lands and title. Furthermore, his betrothed--a lass he barely knows and certainly did not agree to marry--is hunted by the sheriff, accused of stealing cattle. His plan is to petition the king for clemency for the foolish chit, break the betrothal, and take his castle back from his treacherous cousin. Marriage is not in his plans. Brianna Douglas has no use for men. Widowed young, berated daily for failing to give her husband a child, and sent home in subsequent disgrace, she devotes her life to holding her family's land for her young brother as their sotted father drowns his sorrow in whisky over her mother's death. Raiders have hit her clan hard, and to save them, she finds herself betrothed to Laird MacLaurey's absent son to seal a pact of protection with the MacLaurey clan. Forced into a marriage neither wants, it will take a king's edict and sacrifice from both to discover what love means. But can they accept their losses and learn from their mistakes before Brianna marries another? * * * Excerpt: “Explain why ye hate me so.” Conn’s voice sounded soft and low, both gentling and demanding at the same time. Brianna glanced past him, her gaze darting from side to side, judging the possibility of escape. There was none, and after a moment she lifted her chin a notch, refusing to answer him. He hid a grin at her courage and pride. And stubbornness. “Have ye always disliked the idea of marriage, then?” A disdainful breath escaped her. “I was married once before. It dinnae interest me much then, either.” “Yer previous husband was only a lad. Heir to a sizeable bit of land, but still just a lad.” “And ye can do better,” she tossed at him, repeating his earlier boast to the king. “Ye know I can.” He touched the backs of his fingers to her cheek and she gasped, her skin darkening beneath his touch. “I cannae get our love-making out of my mind.” Brianna shrugged. “Och, there was nothing to recommend it to me. I have already put it from my mind.” “I apologize for that, dearling. Ye willnae feel so bereft the next time, I promise ye.” “Dinnae bother. All I want from ye is Morven’s protection for Wyndham.” He met her steely stare. “Ye dinnae want me?” “Nae,” she ground between clenched teeth, her nostrils flaring. “Ye werenae married long enough to appreciate a man in yer bed. I bet ye still have yer dowry chest.” He teased her lightly, wanting to see a smile on her lips. “I burned the wood to warm my cold bedroom,” she snarled in reply. “Yer wedding dress?” “Rags for the stable!” He leaned closer, his voice a raw whisper in her ear. “I would settle for marrying ye the way I found ye.” Brianna eyed him in puzzlement, and he knew the instant she remembered he had pulled her from the burn as naked as the day she was born. With a snarl of either rage or despair, she flung herself away from the wall. Before he could stop her, she darted beneath his arm and fled down the darkened hallway, her billowing silver hair the last thing to fade into the darkness. * * * Buy Link: http://www.amzn.com/B00UD9JMBQ This week on Medieval Monday, I have Ruth Casie and her time-travel romance, Knight of Rapture. Blurb: He crossed the centuries to find her… For months Lord Arik has been trying to find the right combination of runes to create the precise spell to rescue his wife, Rebeka, but the druid knight will soon discover that reaching her four hundred years in the future is only the beginning of his quest. He arrives in the 21st century to find her memory of him erased, his legacy on the brink of destruction, and traces of dark magick at every turn. A threat has followed… Bran, the dark druid, is more determined than ever to get his revenge. His evil has spread across the centuries. Arik will lose all. Time is his weapon, and he’s made sure his plan leaves no one dear to Arik, in past or present, safe from the destruction. But their enemy has overlooked the strongest magick of all… Professor Rebeka Tyler is dealing with more than just a faulty memory. Ownership of Fayne Manor, her home, has been called into question. Convenient accidents begin happening putting those she cares for in the line of fire. And then there’s the unexpected arrival of a strange man dressed like he belonged in a medieval fair—a man who somehow is always around when needed, and always on her mind. She doesn’t know who to trust. But one thing is certain. Her family line and manor have survived for over eleven centuries. She won’t let them fall, not on her watch… in any century. Excerpt: She took another step and past the stone marker. The air chilled and the sky turned an array of colors. Everything around her began to swirl. She realized her mistake too late. The portal, she was in the portal. Arik. Close to him now, she reached for him but her hand passed through the form. She examined her hand turning it over then spotted the shadow of the man. An illusion? The shadow turned towards her. She watched as the wind washed over his face and it changed. “Bran,” she whispered in disbelief. Her head swiveled while she searched for something, anything to grab on to. The portal had one use and she had no intention of leaving. Get out, her brain shouted. His lips twisted into a cynical sneer. He tilted his head in jaunty satisfaction, snapped his fingers and vanished. “No,” she yelled. “Arik,” she closed her eyes and screamed in her head trying to mind touch him while the wind tore at her. “Beka,” he boomed. Her eyes snapped open. She shielded them from the dust and debris and stared at Arik on the other side of the opening. He stood at the high plateau, miles away. His hands were braced on the opening’s edges, which were nothing more than solid streams of whirling wind. He struggled to keep the portal from closing. “Come.” His voice didn’t allow for any argument. The wind whipped at her, pushed her back. She tried again. “I can’t. The wind. Keeps. Pushing. Me. Away.” She shoved her staff in front of her and anchored it in the ground. Against the gusting wind, pulled herself towards him. “A little more, Beka.” He gripped the edge of the portal with one hand and stretched the other out to her. She shoved her hand towards him as far as she could. The tips of their fingers brushed. In a burst of effort he Hecaught the top of her hand, a precarious hold. With a tight grasp she wrapped her fingers around his thumb. Safe, she wasn’t far now. She concentrated on his face. The corners of his mouth turned up as he pulled her towards safety. The wind grew stronger buffeting around them then changed its path. Before she could brace herself for the new direction, the gust blasted them. Without a firm grip, her hand began to slip. She pushed through the building panic. His smile slipped. The expression on his face turned to determination. Again her hand slipped until he held her by her fingertips. He held them fast—crushing them but that didn’t matter. He had to hold on to her. Every muscle strained. Inch by inch he brought her closer to him. She tried to help him the best way she could. Anchored to the edge of the portal, Arik encouraged her on. But his alternatives were limited. The closer she got to him, the stronger the gale blew. Just a little closer, that’s all she needed for Arik to grab her and get her out of the portal. The wind exploded from another direction. The blasting gale pushed her staff away from the opening, across the dirt, cutting an ugly scar in the ground and dragging her away with her staff. Away from Arik. Buy Links Amazon: http://amzn.to/1CtC7ad BN: http://bit.ly/1McK4oC KOBO: http://bit.ly/1NaqW7Q iBook: http://apple.co/1M5o92x 4/5/2015 0 Comments Medieval Monday 2015Welcome to a new round of Medieval Monday 2015! Today I am spotlighting my newest book, The Highlander's Outlaw Bride, set in 14th century Scotland. It is the 4th book in The Highlander's Bride series. Blurb: Thrust into the role of laird upon his father's unexpected death, Connor MacLaurey returns home to find his cousin has usurped his lands and title. Furthermore, his betrothed--a lass he barely knows and certainly did not agree to marry--is hunted by the sheriff, accused of stealing cattle. His plan is to petition the king for clemency for the foolish chit, break the betrothal, and take his castle back from his treacherous cousin. Marriage is not in his plans. Brianna Douglas has no desire for marriage. Widowed young, berated daily for failing to give her first husband a child, and sent home in subsequent disgrace, she devotes her life to holding her family's land for her young brother as their sotted father drowns his sorrow in whisky over her mother's death. Raiders have hit her clan hard, and to save them, she finds herself betrothed to Laird MacLaurey's absent son to seal a pact of protection with the MacLaurey clan. Forced into a marriage neither wants, it will take a king's edict and sacrifice from both to discover what love means. But can they accept their losses and learn from their mistakes before Brianna marries another? Excerpt: Her step quickened and she fled the room to the stairway leading to her chamber. An iron grip on her arm yanked her to a stop and she whirled to face him, his expression black with fury. “Let go of me!” she hissed angrily. Conn released her arm, but did not move away. “What do ye think ye are about? Are ye dead set on being hanged?” “The king pardoned me.” “Aye, for reiving. Disobedience to the king is treason and will also get ye hanged.” Brianna eyed him narrowly, unable to quell her toe as it tapped the stone floor impatiently. “I dinnae want to marry.” “Well, there will be none to wed ye from the gallows.” He loomed over her, his expression darker still. “And I could have refused ye for yer lack of respect.” “Lack of respect? I said naught that is not on any other’s tongue, m’laird.” “Ye know naught of me or my past year in France.” “Enough to know I dinnae want to be shackled to a skirt-chaser like yerself. I dinnae want such disrespect in my marriage, either!” Conn exhaled a long breath. “Why are ye so against this marriage?” “Are ye daft? What is there to recommend it?” “The reivers—“ “Have stripped my clan of their wealth.” “Yer dowry is of no importance to me. However, I do find myself in need of an heir.” Furious, Brianna tossed her head. “Ye would do better to find a woman ye know will give ye one. I have no desire to be that woman.” “Is that so?” The soft tone of his voice did not match the fire she saw in his eyes. She shook off the frisson of longing before it woke the passion his voice ignited in her, and did not flinch as she spoke the lie. “Aye.” * * * Buy link: http://www.amzn.com/B00UD9JMBQ |
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