***Morning, friends! I haven't been blogging in ages. I've been fighting Lyme Disease & Fibromyalgia and just haven't been aggressively nagging people to come over and share their research info. Maybe it's the heat? I just don't know. But I've got a guest today! Please welcome, Toni. Sweeney! She's come to talk about the medieval world. ~Skhye

RESEARCHING THE MIDDLE AGES TO BUILD MY OWN MEDIEVAL WORLD

The Chronicles of Riven the Heretic, one of several series I write, is termed a medieval romance (the new nomenclature for that once called Sword and Sorcery).  The Chronicles has now progressed to its third volume, A Singing in the Blood, with the others being  Bloodseek and Blood Curse.

The idea for the original story beginning Riven’s life came from a movie,  Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone, not the X-rated movie starring Herve Villachaize, but the 3-D one starring Peter Strauss and Molly Ringwald.  In it, a bounty hunter goes after killers; he crash-lands on a prison planet, only to pick up a doubtful ally along the way, a fugitive teenager.  Adventures abound.  I decided my hero (Riven kan Ingan) was also going to be a bounty hunter, but hunting for the men who killed his family.  He’d meet up with a fugitive young woman and fall in love with her, settling down after getting his vengeance and bringing the killer to justice.  Didn’t work out that way. Before I had ever typed the first word, I realized the story line just didn’t feel right…don’t ask me what that meant…I couldn’t define it, then and can’t now…so… I thought about it some more.  By the time I was through cogitating, Riven had become a knight on another planet where the social development was that of the mid-Middle Ages.  He was an iconoclast, a man  loudly disavowing the gods everyone believed in.  He was also an opportunist, determined to overcome his barbaric birth and marry the Princess Royal and make everyone who’d ever snubbed him pay.  When the gods punish him by having Aleza kidnapped by a sorcerer and Riven is nearly killed trying to save her, the story was set.  I’d have him recover, go after the princess, meet that other young woman—make her a runaway slave or something equally lower caste and therefore below him socially--and fall in love with her instead.  Then, he’d have to make a choice, rescue the princess and marry her as planned, or rescue the princess and give her up to marry the woman he really loves, and in doing so, admit to everyone the gods exist because they chose her for him. 

So the story was plotted out, now the fun began.  Since this was to be a medieval milieu, I started scouring reference books for information on medieval life—marriage customs, clothing, the training and duties of knights, gods, religion, food—you name it.  I had a good background already—beginning with all the movies I’d seen, from Knights of the Round Table through the latest Robin Hood epic, as well as television series such as The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, Covington Cross, and The Tudors, not to mention Sir Thomas Malory’s La Morte d’Arthur, La Belle Dame sans Merci, Men of Iron, and so forth. The good ol’ Internet offered many sources, among them that ubiquitous standby Wikipedia.  I admit I use the Wiki a lot, though I generally cross-check its info with at least two other online sources.  Two other references I have used again and again are The New Century Classical Handbook, which I bought for a couple of dollars at a library sale on campus while I was in college.  This is a monstrous 1,162-page encyclopedia listing everything you might want to know about any god, goddess, or myth existing.  The Handbook enabled me to establish my pantheon of Arcanian gods, patterned closely after the Norse ones:  Odin became Ildrid-Allfather, king of the gods, his devious brother Loki, is Lutai, the god of wine and its accompanied drunkenness and cruelty; Thor became Garn, god of thunder and war.  I borrowed a little from the Greeks, too, namely in the Weaver of Fate, who, like the Three Fates, weaves the lives of humans on her loom, using colored threads to determine what will happen next, and Drel, Lord of Death, patterned to some extent after Pluto, but with a more bloody aspect.  Many vampire movies and novels played a part in formulating Drel’s appearance and actions.

Marriage and Family Life in the Middle Ages gave me plenty of information on social interaction as well as customs concerning religion, societal structures and classes, and—of course—marriage, including proxy marriage.  A good many of those marriage customs weren’t used in Bloodseek, however, but were put on the back burner and placed in the second novel, Blood Curse.  My ideas for clothing came from Costumes through the Ages and Clothing in the Middle Ages, the second volume containing patterns showing how the clothing was constructed as well as having photographs of actual garments surviving from that time period.  I became knowledgeable of what fabrics were available, what they were called, as well as the names of the most popular color of the day.  I learned much fascinating trivia as I researched, such as the fact that when darts were placed in the bosoms of female clothing so that women’s breasts were actually outlined, the fashion was denounced in the pulpits as opening the “Gates of Hell.” And a law was passed declaring that men’s tunic hems had to “cover the buttocks,” mainly because stockings worn at that time weren’t like tights, as we are led to believe, but were simply two legs with a piece of fabric attached to the top crossing over at the waist and tying on the opposite side.  If a gentleman wasn’t careful, when he sat, the pieces might part and his friends would get a rather startling display.  Oh my…  Men’s and women’s fashions were varied according to social class and use.  Most interesting were the under-wear and sleeping garments…namely, there weren’t any.

Hairstyles were another interesting facet.  Unlike the movies which show medieval heroes with buzz cuts, anyone in the true Medieval Ages who had his head shaven was most likely a criminal for that was one mode of punishment, especially for a woman.  Men wore their hair long, though usually not past shoulder-length, in a bowl-cut similar to the early Beatles’ “do”, or bangs and page boy, a la Prince Valiant.  Young men often braided their hair into dozens of tight pigtails before going to bed so that in the morning when unbraided, they would be blessed with curling, waving locks.  This was called “in press,” and is actually mentioned in The Canterbury Tales, which was another of my sources for a good description of social behavior.

Knights were another matter.  Fighting Techniques of the Medieval World and The Medieval Knight gave me plenty of food for thought.  In spite of the popular concept of a man loaded down in a tin-can suit, clanking his clumsy way about and bumping into everything in sight, a knight had to be able to perform a series of maneuvers while in armor—ranging from climbing a wall to vaulting onto his horse without assistance—before he could be considered worthy to fight.  A typical set of armor weight 25+ pounds.  The average height of a man in those days was 5’6” so the average weight was probably around 130 pounds.  Think of carrying around your own weight and then one-fifth of that again in metal and weaponry!   Not to mention the cotton undersuit and the leather oversuit worn under the armor to protect the skin from abrasion with the metal. And in sun-searing july or August.  I studied types of armor, types of swords, types of horses.  A knight didn’t just have one sword and one horse; he had a horse to carry his armor, one to ride, one to ride into battle…just as he had many swords for many occasions. 

Bulfinch’s Mythology added to what I’d already learned.  That Code of Chivalry…?  Not so chivalrous…protection of damsels in distress only lent itself to noble-born women.  Peasant women or any female of lower caste were just out of luck.  Many of the stories told of these women being raped by those “most noble knights” who considered themselves not doing anything wrong.  Indeed, during a war, women could expect to be physically mistreated by any male from the opposing ranks, the “Soldier’s Reward” giving the conquering hero the right to take, enjoy, and then probably dispose of any female he wished.

Last, but not least, I delved into superstition.  After all, the world I was creating was to be set in one similar to that in which the most superstition existed.  Since my hero was left-handed, I had to find out exactly what that meant in terms of how people would react to see him using the “Devil’s Hand” to wield his sword, etc.  The Oxford paperback reference A Dictionary of Superstitions was spot-on for that, as well as offering many another esoteric explanation for prophesying the future and “scrying”. 

Armed with all this information, I began my story, and now it seemed to flow through the keyboard onto my computer screen…  Riven kan Ingan, cursed by the gods…following the trail of the man who kidnapped his Princess…he rides across the blazing desert, his armor, 25-pounds of mail strapped behind his saddle, stripped away because of the heat; his fustian tunic is wet with sweat, his long blond hair streaked dark with it as it sticks to his neck.  His sword rests in a scabbard to one side of his saddle, within easy reach, while his exhausted charger plods along, head down…  And in the cloud-enshrouded heavens, Ildred All-father looks down and tells the Weaver of Lives how to construct the tapestry which is Riven’s life…

For the other four volumes in this series, as well as other stories written along the same lines, I’ve gone back to these volumes again and again.  They sit within easy reach, on the shelf behind my computer where I can snatch up one and thumb through it if I get stuck on some point of clothing, superstition, naming custom, or whatever.

The three volumes of The Chronicles of Riven the Heretic are available at www.double-dragon-ebooks.com in both e-book and print.  They are also available for Kindle through www.amazon.com.  Please visit Toni V. Sweeney’s website at http://www.tonivsweeney.com/ .  Trailers for Bloodseek, Blood Curse, and A Singing in the Blood can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/tvsweeney.

***Is this a tone of information or what? Toni, have you ever seen The Great Books LA MORTE D'ARTHUR? That's an incredible documentary. I'd note sources on knights here too. But you covered that subject well. Love those titles! Now, who wouldn't want to read about a heretic? I've got this encyclopedia of heretics... When you pick it up and start reading, then start hopping from page to page, you don't get very much writing done. It's too bloody fascinating to put down! Thanks for sharing your references with us. I've definitely got to check out this series. ~Skhye

***Please welcome, Allie Standifer! I recently met her at a writing conference. I hear she always wins the grand door prize. Well, she did at the conference. And she's got a witty reply for anything anyone says. So, I decided to nag her until she agreed to speak here. Whew. I didn't have to nag her too long... ~Skhye

Thank you Skhye for inviting me into your little portion of the net.  I’m excited to be here sharing my favorite research tips and tricks.

First, though, let me explain a few things about myself.

I’m a writing freak. Everything comes from the seat of my pants. I don’t plan, plot or otherwise know what the heck is going to happen at any given moment. My books are a constant surprise to me as well as my readers.

I rarely delve into research once I get started unless it’s to check a quick fact or description. A perfect example of this is a series I’m currently writing with Ellora’s Cave called Erotic Escapes. My first book, Tease Me In Tunisia, takes place in Tunis, Tunisia. A town and country rich in history and local flavor that was truly a pleasure to learn more about. Travel books are my addiction. I’ve written many a story with just a glimpse of some far off land. There are so many places to see and cultures to explore I’ll never be able to experience them all in person. Thanks to the Internet, books and TV, I have the opportunity to travel without ever leaving my office.

Some of my favorite and most used books are 501 Must-Visit Destinations by Bounty Books. This is an utterly fantastic resource for travel freaks like me. Not only are there big colorful pics to entertain me, but these geniuses put in valuable details every traveler needs. Hints such as what to see, where there is to do, what not to miss, what to buy, when to go, what it’s known for and how to get there.  A must have for any travel writer or anyone interested in unique places all over the world.

The Book of Cities by Philip Dodd and Ben Donald is also a favorite of mine.  This smaller book does include beautiful color pictures as well. But these guys really get into the details. Like the local name, latitude, altitude, population, famous natives and famous residents. They also include quotes about the place by well known writers, actors, politicians and such. Great place for quick fact checks.

LonleyPlanet.com is a fabulous source on the Internet. This is a invaluable source for dealing with culture shock, travel hints and millions of other details you’d never think to ask, but really need to know.

Tease Me In Tunisia was so much fun to write and explore I couldn’t stop looking for another city to explore. I found the perfect place in Pleasure Me In Petra. Check my website for release details, fun contests and hints on where I’ll be and what I’m up to.



Allie's Website

Allie's Blog

Sooner or later…everyone’s addicted

***Great info, Allie! Lonely Planet has been one of my favorite travel shows for ages. I used to record them... I'm such a geek. I still have episodes that I pull out for ridiculous educational purposes! Shoot me. I can't help myself.

Have you jumped on the ROUGH GUIDE wagon? The anthropologist in me just loves that British approach to presenting cultures to the armchair adventurer. And do subscribe to National Geographic's TRAVELER. It's only $10/year. TRAVELER is a-m-a-z-i-n-g. My latest upcoming release's title, FERAL FASCINATIONS, came from an article in TRAVELER. Nat Geo also has another incredible journal, ADVENTURE(R)---sorry, can't remember it that's with or without the last "r". Tons of local scientific info for the hiker, repeller, or spelunker!!! I'm none of the above.  But I love the geological approach to describing an area. I'll blame that on my geological focus with my BS.  

Quotes? I need a copy of THE BOOK OF CITIES!

Everybody check out Allie's books. She sat down and wrote a complex mini story in 15 minutes at a workshop. Her story was about fairies and magical objects (uh, kinda explicit LOL) based on the objects in a brown paper bag everyone was given. I'll just leave you with the word interesting. You'll definitely be intrigued by the worldbuilding if not the kink. And I bet there's some humor in those tales, Allie.

Oh, and, um, just between you and I, after listening to those cowboys at the ranch during the conference, well, I'd just like to add that you can't believe everything the tell you. But you can create one heck of a realistic character based on what they appear to know. *snort* That bad explanation for horse size still has me laughing!

I'm going to have to check out your Tunisian tale... because that is one intriguing cover. Maybe it's the colors that have me staring at it? The light overlay almost has an inkblot effect. But I can make out the outline of an African woman's head. Thanks so much for taking the time to share with me here!!! ~Skhye

***Please welcome, Linda LaRoque! I had the great pleasure of reviewing her novel FLAMES ON THE SKY during its edits. If you love Tony Hillerman, you will enjoy her work. But now it's time to hear a little about what she did for research when writing this romantic suspense. ~Skhye

The Joy of Research

I love research. It opens doors in my mind and is often a source of ideas. When I browse the pages of books and web articles or scan websites, surprise plot twists evolve. Not always, but when they do, they’re a real bonus.

While researching Chaco Canyon of New Mexico, the setting for Flames on the Sky, and the pueblo Indians in the area, I ran across the word nukpanas, which means evil spirits. What a perfect name for the evil spirit that plans to destroy the ancient artifacts of Chaco Canyon. Further research allowed me to create a villain I could be proud of, one I hope my readers love to hate.

Though I have several books on the pueblos in New Mexico, the majority of my research data came from websites, in particular The New Mexico Parks Service and Government Archives. The Anasazi of 1000 A.D. held a monopoly on the turquoise trade so I spent a lot of time researching where they might have obtained their turquoise. I strove to make all aspects of the story—the Native American people, their language, dress, and etc. as accurate as possible.

After the story was finished my husband and I drove to New Mexico, toured Chaco Canyon, and took lots of pictures. Nothing can beat seeing a place in person, getting a feel for the area and its vastness. Plus, I wanted to make sure I’d gotten things right. It wasn’t hard to imagine Madison and Lonan sitting around a fire in the basin listening to the rhythm of the foot drums and flute of the ancient people as it carried on the wind.

Flames on the Sky is the second book of The Turquoise Legacy. In the first, My Heart Will Find Yours, I used the ancient piece of turquoise in Texanna’s locket, ley lines and spin torsion fields to initiate time travel. In the second story, I use those phenomena again but added the vortex to the mix. Until I started writing time travels, I never knew of these natural occurrences. Now, I can’t say they can actually cause time travel, but hey, that’s what imaginations are for.

And FLAMES ON THE SKY's book trailer won Most Artistic Trailer for June from The NEW Covey Trail Awards!!!

Flames on the Sky is available in both ebook and print formats. You can purchase a copy at Amazon.com, The Wild Rose Press, Fictionwise.com and other online book stores. ~Linda LaRoque

Linda's website 

Linda's blog  

Linda LaRoque ~Western Romance with a Twist in Time: A Law of Her Own, Forever Faithful, Desires of the Heart, My Heart Will Find Yours, Flames on the Sky10-9, The Wild Rose Press; Investment of the Heart, When the Ocotillo Bloom 7-9, Champagne Books.

***I am a huge fan of the Anasazi. The culture is one I was enthralled with back before college. I've walked through the empty echoing pueblos and felt the remnant energy ebbing from the carefully placed stacks of rock of the weathering walls. Gosh, wish I was on vacation! Should I say you can learn a lot about turquoise just watching Home Shopping jewelry shows on TV? This doesn't mean you should buy all the jewelry as the clock ticks down to "all sold"... But

a few pieces won't kill you! ROFLMAO I'm into a wearable rock and mineral collection.  And I'm all with you on the purpose of imaginations!!!

Thank you so much for sharing this information with us, Linda. I loved FLAMES ON THE SKY and bought a copy for my mother, the Tony Hillerman fan! Everyone, buy a copy for a good romantic mystery read... ~Skhye 

Most writers have a substantial home research library on their areas of interest. Each of us has learned how to surf the web for additional information. Sometimes, though, it helps to go in person to experience a setting first hand. Since most of my books are set in Texas and I live in Texas, this usually doesn’t present a problem for me. Hmm, maybe I should write foreign settings so I could really travel.

When I was writing a western historical a while back—THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE to be released in September—I needed to see the setting once again to refresh my memory and fill in missing details. I already knew I loved the Central Texas area around Bandera. Years before our family stayed at the well-known Mayan Dude Ranch near Bandera. My husband was not captivated, but our daughters and I loved the place.

My youngest daughter and I attended a conference hosted by the San Antonio RWA chapter. (They have a great conference, by the way.) Afterward, my daughter and I took a detour by Bandera and Medina. We love road trips and are famous in our family for our “detours” that seem logical only to us. To us, everything is “on the way.” LOL This time, I needed to visit Lost Maples State Natural Area in Bandera and Real Counties five miles north of Vanderpool, Texas on Ranch Road 187. The setting for this particular book was a fictional ranch near Bandera in 1885 but Lost Maples plays an important part in the book.

Lost Maples State Natural Area covers 2174.2 scenic acres on the Sabinal River. Acquired by purchase from private owners in 1973 -1974, the site was opened to the public on September 1, 1979. The annual visitation is approximately 200,000 visitors. Long before the area was a park, sightseers would crowd the narrow gravel road that wound its way along the Sabinal River Canyon to view the fall colors.

In pre-history, dinosaurs roamed here and left their prints in the limestone mud. Footprints were discovered by Roland Byrd in the 1930’s on what he labeled the Mayan Ranch Trackway. When the ranch owner wouldn’t allow excavation, Byrd moved on to Glen Rose and excavated on the Paluxy River. Those tracks are in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

Archaeological evidence shows that this area was used by prehistoric peoples at various times. In historic times, which began with Spanish exploration and colonization efforts in the late 17th century, the Apache, Lipan Apache, and Comanche Indians ranged over the land and posed a threat to settlement well into the 19th century. In the late nineteenth century, Texas was still a pretty wild place in some areas. By 1875, the time of Indian raids on settlers had passed, but that doesn’t mean that life was safe or easy. Lost Maples is one of the loveliest areas in that part of the state, but it was used as a route for rustlers, renegade Comanche, and the evil Comancheros who victimized everyone. They traveled through Lost Maples on their rides between Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) and Mexico.  Abundant water, protection of the high canyon walls, and tiny side canyons and creeks offered protection for criminals. The well known Indian trail along the Sabinal River was marked on early Spanish maps as Comanche Trail.

The park is an outstanding example of Edwards Plateau flora and fauna. It is a combination of steep, rugged limestone canyons, springs, plateau grasslands, wooded slopes, and clear streams. Rare species of birds such as the Green Kingfisher live there year round. The endangered Black-Capped Vireo and Golden-Cheeked Warbler nest and feed in the spring and early summer. Lost Maples features a large, isolated stand of uncommon Uvalde Bigtooth Maple, whose fall foliage can be spectacular. Generally, the foliage changes the last two weeks of October through the first two weeks of November. To northerners these maples might appear ordinary but this is the only place in Texas that these trees are native.

The first thing my daughter and I noticed is that the area offers tranquility—almost a religious experience. In fact, the Sabinal River was originally called Arroyo de la Soledad, Spanish for “stream of solitude.” The river rises in fissure springs that flow from great slabs of limestone southwest to the Balcones Escarpment. The river is sixty miles long. In several places it sinks underground to rise again downstream. It is fed by Hale, Hollow and Can creeks within the park and by Mill, Little, and Onion creeks south of the park. Canyon Creek in Uvalde County is called the West Prong of the Sabinal.

Seeing this impressive canyon and the huge Bigtooth Maple trees left an unforgettable image in my mind that helped me as I wrote my story. Sometimes, research in person pays off not only in information gathered, but in a pleasant experience.



Caroline's Website
Caroline's books  
Visit my blog

NORTHERN ROSES AND SOUTHERN BELLES,  P&E Poll Top Ten, 4 stars from RT
OUT OF THE BLUE Travel from 1845 Ireland to 2010 Texas
THE TEXAN'S IRISH BRIDE Ride the 1885 Texas range,  available Sept. 3rd

***Wow, thanks for sharing your memories. I've been out and about this area many times. especially on geology fieldtrips. That's natural history.  I highly recommend THE ROADSIDE GUIDE TO THE GEOLOGY OF TEXAS to anyone wanting to dig through what geology you will find along interstates, etc. And for those of you dealing with other states, the ROADSIDE GUIDE TO series has a book for each state! There's nothing like a handy reference book to keep in the car. Unless, you just don't care about rocks, fossils, natural history, etc. I realize I have strange interests. ROFL

That's an awesome cover. I'm certain your love for natural history shines through in your work. I can't wait to read OUT OF THE BLUE. Best of luck with this release. ~Skhye

***Please welcome Sky Purington! She's giong to share a bit o' her research on Scotland. And remember to enter Sky's contest! ~Skhye

Wow, great to be here again. Thanks for having me, Skhye.  Today, I’ll be dishing out about the research behind my upcoming release, Sylvan Mist (Book III in Scottish Highlander Trilogy). Though I threatened to overtake Skhye’s blog with this post back when I visited to talk about Darkest Memory, I won’t! Least I’ll try not to. *Evil Grin*

Okay, I took out my four inch binder of notes and blew off the dust─literally. It’s been that long since I started writing this trilogy. Three years! Why so much information? Within three novels the reader travels between medieval Scotland, colonial New Hampshire and modern day New Hampshire. Therefore, I had a whole lot to learn.   

I’ll start by telling you what I labeled the tabs in my mega-folder so you have an idea: customs, marriage, clothing, castles, medicine, land, weather, animals, folklore, religion, clans, weapons, music, and language. That included individual sections for medieval Scotland and colonial New Hampshire.

All of this information was found in two locations: Online and local libraries. Wait, that’s not entirely true. After all, the research really started when I attended the Highland Games here in New Hampshire. Watching the clans who had immigrated to this country walk onto the field in full attire…hearing the sounds of the bagpipes echo off the mountains. Once I became infatuated there was no turning back. My next stop? The football field length full of tents erected by different clans, all chock full of history. My clan─the Brouns─were lowlanders from East Lothian. My husband’s clan─the Stewarts (ancient name MacFerarcher- Gaelic translation- Mac’Lomain)─were highlanders. Our clans were intermarried for 300 years in medieval Scotland. Pretty cool, eh? And more than enough fate and destiny to give birth to a romantic Scottish Trilogy!

From there it was on to the endless nights of research. Two months later I had my four-inch binder full of facts. Without getting into too many details, I’ll shoot out a few websites that helped me immensely when tackling the ‘medieval Scotland’ part. First, Electric Scotland, such a great site, super people. Other sites included Tartans.com,  MedievalScotland.org, Sacredfire.net, and Siol-nan-gaidheal.  

When not researching Scotland, I was down to the Salem and North Salem, New Hampshire libraries. The tricky thing? Back in the colonial period, North Salem didn’t exist. It was simply Salem…so I had to ping-pong between the two libraries to get exactly what I was looking for. While quite a few books helped, two stood out. History of Salem, New Hampshire  by Edgar Gilbert. and Voices from Colonial America: New Hampshire 1603-1776 (National Geographic Voices from ColonialAmerica) by Scott Auden.

I’d say that covers as much as I’m probably allowed today. (Refer back to ‘threatened to overtake Skhye’s blog but won’t!’) Though Sylvan Mist was great fun to write it sapped a lot of brain cells. Why? I had to make sure it tied up two previous novels and one short story well. (The Kings’s Druidess (Irish lead-in), Fate’s Monolith (Book I) and Destiny’s Denial (Book II). Aye, I believe the previous said works stood well on their own, but there were a few details saved for the ending. C’mon, don’t we all save the best for last? 

To tempt the taste buds, I’ll leave you with a few words about the hero and heroine in Sylvan Mist. Coira, colonial born, teaches English history (we’re talkin’ an age a stones throw from the Revolutionary War folks). While her sister and mom are witches, she is not. To be called back in time by a Scotsman (barbarian) is the worst kind of torture. She loves all things English. A Scotsman? This is like rubbing salt in the ‘rhetorical’ wound. William─wizard and chieftain to the most powerful clan in Scotland─knew he was meant to be with a Broun woman. When Coira travels back─not the woman meant for him─he has many difficult decisions to make. How can a woman that is ‘all things English’ and a Scottish wizard possibly find love?

If you have a second and want to learn more, pop over to my website. If this story sounds like it’s up your alley, keep your eyes peeled for its release on June 18 through The Wild Rose Press.

Another huge thank you to Skhye for having me over. It’s been great! Then again, I got to talk about Scotland. *Super Wide Smile* Because I’m visiting the blog of someone who loves Scotland as much as I do, I’d love to host a contest Scottish style. Leave a comment for a chance to win a PRINT copy of Sylvan Mist. The catch? The comment must have a touch o’ Scot to it.

Use any one of the following in your comment or whatever else you can think of (or find on the net!) Examples… “Awrite─Hi” “Guid mornin!─Good Morning” “See ye efter!─See you later” “Guid cheerio the nou!─Goodbye!” “Braw─excellent.” I’ve an excellent sense of humor, so feel free to have fun with this comment!



***Oh don't tempt me to mutter about reeble rabble! Och! Hey, just kidding, and great post. I fear everyone will wonder off searching with these awesome links and forget to comment. So, you all come back to learn about bawbags... And I'm awfully fond of your third book's cover, Sky. Okay, maybe a wee bit jealous. Thanks for entertaining us. ~Skhye