Good Morning Friends and Welcome to another edition of Tuesday Treasure and another Rocking Summer Romance read!
Today's guest is Kim Headlee with her book,
Snow in July.......
Sir Robert
Alain de Bellencombre has been granted what every man wants: a rich English
estate in exchange for his valiant service at the Battle of Hastings. To claim
this reward, the Norman knight must wed the estate's Saxon heiress. Most men
would leap at such an opportunity, but for Alain, who broke his vow to his
dying mother by failing to protect his youngest brother in battle, it means
facing more easily broken vows. But when rumors of rampant thievery, dangerous
beasts, and sorcery plaguing a neighboring estate reach his ears, nothing will
make him shirk duty to king and country when people's lives stand at risk. He
assumes the guise of a squire to scout the land, its problems, and its lady.
Lady Kendra
of Edgarburh has been granted what no woman wants: a forced marriage to an
enemy who may be kith or kin to the man who murdered her beloved brother.
Compounding her anguish is her failure to awaken the miraculous healing gift
bequeathed by their late mother in time to save his life. Although with his
dying breath, he made her promise to seek happiness above all, Kendra vows that
she shall find neither comfort nor love in the arms of a Norman…unless it snows
in July.
Alain is
smitten by Lady Kendra from the first moment of their meeting; Kendra feels the
forbidden allure of the handsome and courtly Norman "squire." But a growing evil overshadows everyone, invoking dark
forces and ensnaring Kendra in a plot to overthrow the king Alain is oath-bound
to serve. Kendra and Alain face a battle unlike any other as their honor, their
love, their lives, and even their very souls lie in the balance.
EXCERPT
FIFTEEN
THOUSAND MEN and horses writhed across the valley below, appearing as toys in a
children’s game.
Many
might consider war a game, but Sir Robert Alain de Bellencombre, knight of
Normandy bound to the service of Duke William and commander of a unit in the
cavalry reserves, did not number among their ranks.
Edward
the Confessor, King of England via his Saxon father but Norman by his mother,
was dead. This battle, raging near the coastal hamlet called Hastings, would
decide the right of one man to wear the English crown: William the Norman,
acknowledged by Pope Alexander to be Edward’s lawful successor; or Harold the
Saxon, brother of Edward’s wife, the man alleged to be Edward’s deathbed
choice.
Stroking
his war horse’s glossy charcoal neck to calm her, Alain pondered Harold’s
claim. It had to be true. This many men would not sacrifice their lives for a
lie. Yet the vast majority of Harold’s supporters were Saxons harboring no wish
to bear the Norman yoke. Perhaps such men might be desperate enough to fight
for a lie that promised to restore Saxon rule.
A
trumpet blared. He signaled his men forward, couched his lance, and spurred
Chou to send her careening into the melee.
Harold’s
shield wall, which had seemed impregnable, began to crumble under the onslaught
of Alain’s unit, hastened by the desertion of men who no doubt decided they
weren’t quite so willing to die. Their lord stood exposed just long enough for
a Norman archer to sight his mark. Harold fell, screaming and clutching an
arrow that protruded from one eye.
Harold’s
supporters closed ranks around him, blocking Alain’s view and giving him more
than enough to do as the Saxons redoubled their efforts to guard their lord’s
body.
A
familiar whirl of colors caught Alain’s attention. The saffron leopard prowling
on a green field—Étienne! A Saxon knight, with a blue arm and fist blazing
defiance across his gray shield, bore down upon Étienne with leveled lance.
Étienne tumbled from his horse. He scrambled to his feet and retrieved his
sword, putting it to good use on the Saxons surrounding him, although the
knight who’d unhorsed him had already ridden in search of other targets.
Lance
long since discarded and sword now rising and falling with fatal precision, Alain
surged to reach his brother’s side. Protection of her youngest son had been
their dying mother’s wish, and he had sworn on his own life to keep Étienne
safe.
Before
he could close the distance, another Saxon knight fought past Étienne’s guard
to thrust a war-knife into his throat. Through the visor the knight’s eyes
gleamed with startling, fathomless malice. Alain could only watch in stunned
disbelief as he laid his hand upon Étienne’s chest for a few moments. Uttering
a soul-freezing howl, the Saxon yanked out his seax and disappeared into the
press with Étienne’s shield, denying Alain vengeance.
Shame
and grief rent his heart asunder.
He
had failed the two he loved most; failed them so utterly that he could never
beg their forgiveness in this lifetime.
Pain
slammed into his shoulder, toppling him from the saddle. Étienne’s body broke
his fall. He tried to roll clear, but a spear through his chest pinned him to
Étienne. His gut convulsed, and bile burned his throat. Blinding agony killed
his struggle to free himself. Death’s stench invaded his nostrils.
He
closed his eyes and waited for his final journey to begin.
Snow in July can be purchased at the following places....
About Kim.....
Kim Headlee lives on a farm in southwestern Virginia with her family, cats,
goats, and assorted wildlife. People & creatures come and go, but the cave
and the 250-year-old house ruins -- the latter having been occupied as recently
as the mid-20th century -- seem to be sticking around for a while yet.
Kim is a Seattle native (when she used to live in the Metro DC area, she
loved telling people she was from "the other Washington") and a
direct descendent of 20
th-century Russian nobility. Her grandmother
was a childhood friend of the doomed Grand Duchess Anastasia, and the romantic
yet tragic story of how Lydia escaped Communist Russia with the aid of her
American husband will most certainly one day fuel one of Kim's novels. Another
novel in the queue will involve her husband's ancestor, the 7th-century
proto-Viking king of the Swedish colony in Russia.
For the time being, however, Kim has plenty of work to do in creating her
projected 8-book Arthurian series, The Dragon's Dove Chronicles, and other
novels under her new imprint, Pendragon Cove Press. She also writes romantic
historical fiction under the pseudonym "Kimberly Iverson."
FOLLOW KIM:
Kim answered some questions for us!
Ice Tea or Lemonade? Depends on how hot I am, and whether I
feel in the mood for spicy or sweet. :D
Lake or ocean? Ocean, then lake. Any open body of water will
do, really. Just call me “Ariel in reverse.”
Sandals or Flipflops? Sandals with a toe thong, but not the
real blingy kind.
Sit in the shadow of a tree or on the front/back porch? Oh,
here is where you bump me off and take my real estate. I have a second, fully
appointed house on my hundred-acre property called The Retreat—with a
second-story screened porch off the library. The nearest neighbors are the
horses & chickens on an adjacent farm.
Ball cap or floppy hat? Ball cap. With or without a Seattle
Mariners or University of Washington Huskies logo.
Q: Which comes first, characters or plot?
A: My characters’ features, choices, flaws, fears, dreams,
desires, and foibles always define the plot.
Q: Plotter, Pantser, or somewhere in between?
A: Depends on the work. My first novel, Dawnflight,
was definitely seat-of-the pants. Morning’s Journey (sequel to Dawnflight),
Liberty, Snow in July, and my forthcoming Twain sequel, King
Arthur’s Sister in Washington’s Court were all developed using detailed
outlines. I have an outline for Raging Sea (sequel to Morning’s
Journey), but I’m not entirely happy with it and have been toying with the
idea of going back to seat-of-the-pants to finish that one. So, to answer the
question in a single word: Yes.
Q: Among those that you’ve written, which is your favorite
book and why?
A: King Arthur’s Sister in Washington’s Court (ebook
edition forthcoming in November 2014; fully illustrated print edition November
2015), hands down. In 2007, when my (now ex) literary agent sent a blanket
message to his client list stating that he had met a publisher who was actively
seeking sequels to 19th-century authors’ works, I got the green
light to develop a sequel to A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court,
providing that I updated my story for the 21st century. Which I did,
in spades, and dove right in. After about 50 pages, however, the thought hit
me: who did I think I was, trying to emulate Mark Twain, for heaven’s sake?
That single doubt stopped me…for three years. Not just that project,
either, but all of my fiction projects. If “writer’s block” has a dictionary
entry, there’s where you’ll find my picture. Finally, in early 2010, I
exercised (literally—treadmill, Wii Fit, etc.) my way out of my depression,
strapped on a pair, decided that with my background and talent, I might be the
only one alive who could pull this off, and finished the first draft. It became
the single most important project for me to reclaim my writing mojo, because if
I could write this, I could write anything.
Q: Have your characters ever taken over the story and moved
it in a direction totally different than you had in mind? What did you do?
A: Let me think…no, not really. Not yet, anyway. :D
Q: Do you have a "must have" book for writing?
A: Yes, but which book it is depends upon the project. When
working on my Arthurian series (Dawnflight, Morning’s Journey,
etc.), my Scottish Gaelic-English dictionary is my go-to reference for
developing character names, endearments, epithets, etc. With Liberty, I
had a book on Roman culture that was absolutely indispensable.
Well friends, hope you've enjoyed this Rocking Summer Romance spotlight! Stay tuned every week for more Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and of course Saturday Spotlight!
Until later....take care & God Bless!
PamT
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