July News from Mary Anne Yarde #amwriting #HistoricalFiction

Hi everyone, I hope you are all well!

_{There have been some exciting things afoot this month for me. I have almost finished with the rewrites for The Du Lac Princess (Book 3 of The Du Lac Chronicles). I am hoping to send it off to my editor at the end of the week. The Du Lac Princess has taken me on quite a journey and writing it has certainly been a very emotional experience. I can’t wait to share it with you.}

_{I have also been busy working with my book designer for the cover of Book 3, and I think it might be my favourite cover so far. I will be revealing the cover very soon.}

_{In other news…}

_{I was thrilled to receive a Discovered Diamond Review for The Du Lac Chronicles.}

_{You can read the full review here…}

_{I also found out that The Du Lac Devil is a finalist in the Golden Quill Award. Yay!!}

<sub>The Contest Judges were asked to rate the books 0-10 based on the questions below: 

Is the story line engaging and interesting enough to make you turn the pages?
Is the protagonist's character well developed? (You can relate to it)
Is the antagonist character well developed? (You love to hate it)
Is the authors' writing style engaging and makes the story flow well?
Is the formatting and or illustrations aesthetically pleasing?
Did you find the story idea original?
Is the plot well thought out and well developed? (no inconsistencies and flows well)
Satisfying ending (happy ending or not, did it leave you satisfied with the conclusion of the story?)
​
The FINALIST books received 8-10 points out of 10:</sub>

You can find all the finalists, including myself, here...

Blog News.

Remember to keep an eye on the blog in the coming months as I have some fabulous guest authors coming on to talk about the inspirations behind their books. I don't know about you, but I love Author's Inspiration, I am always fascinated about what inspires authors’ to write their books.

_{Anyway, I need to go and procrastinate on Twitter and Facebook for a while.}

_{I'll catch up with you all soon.}

_{Take Care}

_{Mary Anne xxx}

#bookreview ~ The King's Daughter #historicalfantasy @WriterChurchill

The King’s Daughter

By

Stephanie Churchill

 

In this gripping sequel to The Scribe's Daughter, a young woman finds herself unwittingly caught up in a maelstrom of power, intrigue, and shifting perceptions, where the line between ally and enemy is subtle, and the fragile facade of reality is easily broken.

Irisa's parents are dead and her younger sister Kassia is away on a journey when the sisters’ mysterious customer returns, urging Irisa to leave with him before disaster strikes. Can she trust him to keep her safe? How much does he know about the fate of her father? Only a voyage across the Eastmor Ocean to the land of her ancestors will reveal the truth about her family’s disturbing past. Once there, Irisa steps into a future she has unknowingly been prepared for since childhood, but what she discovers is far more sinister than she could have ever imagined. Will she have the courage to claim her inheritance for her own?

What did I think of the book?

What if everything you thought you knew was a lie…

Irisa is a nobody. She is a poverty stricken young woman like the rest of the people in her neighbourhood. Irisa and her sister are only one breath away from being evicted, but thankfully Kassia has been hired for a job, so perhaps this month they will be able to make the rent.

But the life the sisters have known is about to come to a sudden and abrupt end.

Unbeknown to Irisa, her deceased parents have a past — a past that could cost the lives of both Irisa and her sister. Irisa has many questions, but the cost of discovering who they really are will come at a terrible price.

I was so looking forward to reading the sequel to The Scribe's Daughter, and I am pleased to say Stephanie Churchill did not disappoint.

The King's Daughter is a heartbreakingly emotional journey of discovery. In The Scribes Daughter, Irisa was portrayed as the delicate sister, the one that needed looking after by her sister, but Irisa has an inner strength and a quick wit. She is as much a survivor as Kassia is.

The story itself was incredibly fast-paced with many unexpected twist and turns that kept me turning those pages with anticipation.  The world Ms Churchill has created is so vivid in the telling that it is very easy to visualise, and her characterisation of both the protagonists and the antagonists were so well drawn that they practically breathed life.

The King's Daughter captivated me from beginning to end, and it is a story that I am sure I will come back to again. If ever there was a sit-down-and-finish book, then this is it. Kudos, Ms Churchill. But don’t take my word for it, check it out for yourself.

I Highly Recommend.

*I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from the author for review consideration.*

Available for pre-order

Release 1^st September 2017 

Amazon US

Amazon UK

About the author

I used to live my life as an unsuspecting part of the reading public. Spending my days in a Georgetown law firm just outside downtown Washington, D.C., by all outward appearances I was a paralegal working in international trade and then antitrust law. I liked books, and I read them often, but that's all I was: a reader of books.

When my husband and I got married, I moved to the Minneapolis metro area and found work as a corporate paralegal, specializing in corporate formation, mergers & acquisitions, and corporate finance. Again, by all outward appearances, I was a paralegal and a reader of books.

And then one day, while on my lunch break, I visited the neighboring Barnes & Noble and happened upon a book by author Sharon Kay Penman, and while I'd never heard of her before, I took a chance and bought the book. That day I became a reader of historical fiction.

Fast forward a dozen years or so, and I had become a rabid fan of Sharon Kay Penman's books as well as historical fiction in general. Because of a casual comment she'd made on social media, I wrote Ms. Penman a ridiculously long review of her latest book, Lionheart. As a result of that review, she asked me what would become the most life-changing question: "Have you ever thought about writing?" And The Scribe's Daughter was born.

When I'm not writing or taxiing my two children to school or other activities, I'm likely walking Cozmo, our dog or reading another book to review. 

New Release — The Awakening – Embrace beyond Passion #Viking #Romance #HistFic @sarahdahl13

 

The Awakening

Embrace beyond Passion

By

Sarah Dahl

The second in the collection of sensual short stories set in the Viking age, the Tales of Freya:

In a world of crackling fires and rough landscapes, long winters and bloody raids, the immediacy of life and death ignites undeniable passions. Warriors and monks, healers and housewives – all follow the call of their hearts and bodies to indulge in pleasures that may forever change their lives …

Ingrid leads a quiet, joyless life with a husband who is oblivious to her needs. Every time the dragon boats carry him away, she resigns herself to the solitude of her modest hilltop farm by the fjord. But her uneventful world is shaken to the core when the shadows of her house reveal a secret that sets her passions afire.

 “Full of passion and rich historical detail . . . an enthralling read, impossible to put down.”

Book Excerpt

Ingrid felt Rikard’s eyes on her, piercing through the dark. Her heart strained against her chest, thudding nervously, knowing she wouldn’t manage a polite conversation. His presence paralysed her. His dark voice derailed her every thought. She stared into the flames, wringing her hands as if to warm them.

Before she knew it, his hands covered hers. She winced as if bitten, eyes wide from the unexpected touch. How dare he …. But being an able warrior, he must have scanned the room for onlookers before reaching out. He knew he was safe.

“Ice-cold,” he stated matter-of-factly.

Oh, by the gods, how could he? Even though they had known each other since childhood, they had never exchanged more than a few polite words at the market. She remembered how the air had crackled between them after his return from his longest trip. His eyes had lingered on her, and her flush deepened so much she thought everyone around them would notice. As far as she knew, he wasn’t tied to a farm, a wife, or family. He lived on the earl’s estate, waiting to join the next raid.

As if that made a difference.

Strong, calloused fingers began to gently massage her, while Rikard kept his eyes on the fire. Breathless, she was unable to retrieve her hands. His palms radiated badly needed life into her stiff fingers, burning marks onto her skin where he stroked. She knew she’d be staring at the invisible pattern later, when she was alone.

“What brought you here?” His head did not move to look at her.

“I … I wanted to —”

He chuckled and his eyes met hers, silencing her. Little bright dots danced in their coal blackness.

Links for Purchase

Pronoun

Amazon US

Amazon UK

About the author

 

Sarah Dahl lives on the edge of the rural German Eifel and writes historical fiction (novels and short stories) primarily set in the Viking age. She also works as an editor, translates, and coaches new writers in German and English. She is interested in everyday life in bygone centuries and the human stories that may have occurred behind the hard, historical facts. Her author page is: sarah-dahl.com

Useful Links

Author homepage and blog

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Publisher Pronoun  

Goodreads

Amazon.com author page

Amazon.co.uk author page

The Awakening – Embrace beyond Passion

Publication date: July 21, 2017

Published by: Pronoun

Series: Tales of Freya