My Hero

Some of my friends think that Regency men are the Uber Romance Hero and gave me their top three reasons. I agree Regency men look good, live in a world filled with titles, and appear to live a life of leisure.  I enjoy Mr. Darcy but Regency men are all too tame. Let me give you my top three reasons why I think Medieval-Renaissance knights are the best.

1. Appearance

Some enjoy the breeches, shiny boots, tight coats and acres of snowy white linen. I love the shirtless look of a well-defined chest and ripped abs. It speaks protection, comfort and well, truly, their great to look at. I enlarged my book cover to 8.5x11 and keep it posted next to my desk. Every so often, after his shower, my husband comes over in his towel and poses next it. He thanks me for not including his full face. We can both dream.

2. Ascendance
Knights were members of the noble class. Likely candidates were chosen at boyhood and trained. A lesser or unlikely man could aspire to knighthood and reach his dreams, if he is found worthy. Knights, their code of conduct and chivalry, "Protect the weak, defenseless, helpless, and fight for the general welfare of all," inspired literature and the foundation of courtship through the middle ages up until the turn of this century.  What would a romance be without a (k)night?

3. Adventure

Knighthood comes with its requirements: save the damsel in distress, right the wrongs, and do away with the villain. Of course there were trials he had to go through to prove himself worthy. Usually he would somehow loose his shirt giving the damsel a glimpse of those perfect pecks and adorable abs.

Knights, not only had to prove themselves worthy on the field of battle (for his king, the damsel or even for himself) but also had to learn to balance the command and control needed to succeed with their own wants and desires. It's a lesson Lord Arik learns in Knight of Rapture.

What do you think?  Regency heroes or Medieval-Renaissance Knights?  Or something entirely different?

How a Contest Critique Set My Story on the Right Course

Before I published my first book, Knight of Runes, I entered a contest not with hopes of winning, which would have been awesome, but rather for feedback. More than anything, I wanted feedback.

I did very well in the contest actually. Well, according to two of the three judges anyway. The swing in the third set of scores was, well that is a blog for another day. Suffice it to say, I placed well but didn’t win. But I did get the feedback. Awesome!

My story is a time travel. Our heroine says the right words, carries the correct talisman, and is standing in the right spot, a constellation of events that transports her back in time 400 years. I set the magic place at Stonehenge.  I know I took some ‘poetic’ license. The great stones now stand protected behind a fence. No longer can visitors walk up and around them.  One judge noted that she lived near some great stones that were older than Stonehenge and there weren’t any barriers. The stones stand proudly amidst the village of Avebury, Wiltshire County in southern England.

Avebury is impressive. While erosion and vandalism, to say nothing of religious persecution, has reduced the henge, it is breathtaking. Like other henges, construction at Avebury started with deforesting the area somewhere about 3700 B.C. Archeologists estimate the actually setting of the stones began about 3000 B.C. when the central Cove, the early part of the Sanctuary, was built. Construction moved outward and lasted for several centuries. The circle covers almost 29 acres with a circumference of almost 1 mile. Concentric circles of stones defined the borders of the circle. These circles are much larger than the more famous Stonehenge. As a matter of fact, Stonehenge would fit into the outer stone circle at Avebury around 130 times.

A large portion of village resides inside the Avebury circle.

The Cove is the area of the henge where Rebeka, my heroine, is drawn into the time portal.  Like the rest of the henge, it’s been a long held belief that the stones represent male and female characteristics. A male scientist must have done this designation as male stones are long and think while the female is short and square. The two surviving primary stones at the Cove are perfect examples.  I thought the Cove the perfect place for Rebeka’s adventure to begin.

To my surprise, my publisher repriced Knight of Runes. It’s now available for $0.99. The sequel to the story, Knight of Rapture is currently $0.99 but only until Tuesday, March 15 when it returns to $3.99.

Knight of Runes

It’s the 21st century, time travel is still an Wellsian fantasy but not for Rebeka Tyler. The renowned renaissance scholar finds herself tossed into the 17th century. While trying to find her way back she discovers the only person who knows the answer but it will cost her dearly, her heart, and if she’s lucky, her future, for she has not been tossed into the past, but returned to where she belongs.

Amazon, BN, iBook, Kobo

Knight of Rapture

The 17^th century warrior knight, Lord Arik, manages his estate well and his people honorably. When his sorceress wife, Rebeka, is tricked into returning to the 21^st century, he spends months trying to find the precise spell to rescue her. But he never expected he would have to fight to keep all he holds dear from being obliterated from history. Must he sacrifice his love for Rebeka in order to keep her safe and secure his family forever?  Or will the great sorceress once again stand by his side enabling them to work together to defeat their greatest enemy, Bran, the dark druid?

Amazon, BN, iBook, Kobo

Druid Heroes

The beauty of nature, whether it’s an awesome sunset, the color of the fall leaves or the striking beauty of lightning is breathtaking, mysterious and has a power all its own.

To the druid, the sentry of the world, nature was the driving force and was dependent on the precarious balance of air, earth, fire and water. Their beliefs were strong and drawn from the spiritual unity of the natural forces. Druids were not masters but rather servants of nature.  In addition, they were the philosophers, judges, mathematicians, and scientists of the day. Druids did not codify their story but rather believed in the oral history. Nothing was written down. The only accounts that do survive are from the early Greeks and Romans who had first-hand knowledge. Druids were the caretakers of the lore and also great healers who were respected and considered the keepers of the ‘Old Faith.

Followers of the ‘Old Faith’ didn’t worship a deity although they did have the concept of a Mother Goddess which symbolized the earth and the fertility of nature.

When the Romans came to Britain the druids, and the deep respect people had for them, was a threat that needed to be eliminated. It began with character assassination and ended with eradication. To justify the slaughter, the Romans went on a smear campaign. But that’s another story.

Why are fantasy writers drawn to druids? I can’t speak for other authors, but I can tell you why I was drawn to druids in my story. The deep beliefs, the devotion to his land and his people, are the underpinnings of my hero’s personality. I challenged my hero and made him face the worse decision of his life. He will have to choose between his duty to his beloved manor and people and his own desires—protect his wife at the risk of his manor and people’s survival.

The twist is that no man, not even the greatest druid, can do it alone. In my new story, KNIGHT OF RAPTURE, our druid hero will need the strength of his wife, his soul mate, to bring this story to a happy ever after. 

For months Lord Arik has been trying to find 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 the easiest part of his quest.

Bran, the dark druid, follows Arik across the centuries, tireless in his quest for revenge. He’ll force Arik to make a choice, return to save his beloved family and home or stay in the 21^st century and save Rebeka. He can’t save them both.

Rebeka Tyler has no recollection of where she’s been the past five months. On top of that, ownership of her home, Fayne Manor, is called into question. When accidents begin to happen it looks more and more like she is the target. Further complicating things is the strange man who conveniently appears wherever trouble brews—watching her, perhaps even….protecting her? Or is he a deliberate attempt to distract her? Rebeka can only be sure of one thing—her family name and manor have survived for over eleven centuries. She won’t let them fall… in any century.