Today ActuallyAlethea is pleased to welcome back Scottish author Nancy Jardine, who has been busily writing and publishing in the interim since her last appearance here.
Hi Alethea, it’s lovely to pay a
return visit to your blog and always a pleasure to visit the home of a
historical author because I empathise with how much research can be involved
during the writing process, and how much time we can spend on promoting our
work. My Celtic Fervour Series is set a bit further back than your novels are, covering
the period AD 71- 84 with the setting northern Roman Britain, but research is
research regardless of time and place.
Since I last popped over to see you,
After Whorl: Donning Double Cloaks, the third book of my Historical Romantic
Adventures was launched at the end of March 2014. So far, my series has 3
books- Book 1 The Beltane Choice;
Book 2 After Whorl: Bran Reborn; Book
3 After Whorl: Donning Double Cloaks.
Book 3 has a long title which
doesn’t fit easily on a twitter message but since it’s directly linked to Book
2 of my series-After Whorl: Bran Reborn-I
decided a bit of forewarning for the reader was essential. When someone looks
at my titles, I hope the similarity of the ‘After Whorl’ at the beginning of
both Book 2 and Book 3 will make them wonder why they’re prefaced with the same
words. I hope they will then realise that although they are getting a full
length story about Brennus of Garrigill and Ineda of Marske in Book 2, the
adventures continue for those same characters in Book 3 since they end up being
separated for a long time and lead their own adventurous lives with different
partners. Reading the blurbs for the books makes that quite clear in addition to a neat message at the
end of Book 2 which says ‘To be continued…’
A reader has asked me why I am
marketing my stories as Historical Romantic Adventures, and do they need to be
read in sequence. Each book of the series is a full length novel and could be
read alone, but since they are all interlinked with characters being introduced
and then reappearing in later books, it would be a richer reader experience to
read them as follow-on novels. They don’t fit neatly into a historical fiction
category since they have varying elements of romance, though they are heavy on
historical details and involve scenes of bloody war, and military strategy and
strife. They are all adventures, though, which plunge the reader into the era
and into the minds of my characters and the situations they find themselves in.
Since Book 2 of the series does not have a HEA ending, the series doesn’t fit
typical romances.
My Celtic warriors from the hillfort
of Garrigill in Brigantia find ways to thwart the inevitable advance of the
Roman Army onto their territory; the Brigantes being a federation of Celtic
tribes whose lands were in northern Britain (north of England). My brothers
from Garrigill also find and lose love along the way, suffer hardships, separation
from the family, and endure terrible battle injury.
In Book 3, After Whorl: Donning Double Cloaks, Brennus continues to spy
against Rome but gets on as best he can with a normal family life for some
years since the woman who won his love, Ineda, is lost to him. Ineda has been
taken prisoner by a Roman tribune who uses her as his personal slave. She can’t
escape his clutches but finds ways to tolerate her captivity for a very long
time. In the broader sense, Book 3 also involves the flight, and the plight, of
the refugee Brigante family into what is now modern day Scotland, the northerly
trek taking its toll of family members in death and disease as often happens in
refugee situations. The Celtic struggle culminates in a large bloody battle in
north-east Scotland between the Celtic tribes
and the Roman army in AD 84, Brennus
fighting alongside his brothers, fellow Garrigill warriors and co-opted
warriors who have become part of their band.
I’m just dipping a toe into Book 4
which has new main characters, but those well loved ones from Books 1, 2 &
3 are also in the plot!
Alethea- Thank you for allowing me
to share my series with your readers and best wishes with your new historical
book launch.
Blurb for After Whorl: Donning Double Cloaks:
Pursued by Rome.
AD 73 Northern Britannia
After King Venutius’ defeat, Brennus of Garrigill – known as Bran – maintains a spy network monitoring Roman activity in Brigantia. Relative peace reigns till AD 78 when Roman Governor Agricola marches his legions to the far north. Brennus is always one step ahead of the Roman Army as he seeks the Caledon Celt who will lead all tribes in battle against Rome.
Ineda of Marske treks northwards with her master, Tribune Valerius, who is responsible for supplying Agricola’s northern campaigns. At Inchtuthil Roman Fort Ineda flees seeking fellow Brigantes congregating on the foothills of Beinn na Ciche.
After
Whorl: Donning Double Cloaks is available from:
Amazon.com http://amzn.to/1g1O3yk
Amazon UK http://amzn.to/1dOlmoM
Smashwords
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/422379
Barnes and Noble P/B
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/after-whorl-nancy-jardine/1118872607?ean=9781909841574
Youtube trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN-KdW1qi6g&list=ULUgPf5kTAyi4
Nancy Jardine’s novels can be found
in paperback and ebook formats from:
Crooked Cat Bookstore
Waterstones
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords
W. H. Smith
and other book retailers.
Nancy’s writing time is shared with
regular grandchild minding duties, tending her large garden, ancestry research
and leisure reading. She’s currently writing a family saga based mainly in
Scotland, and Book 4 of her Celtic Fervour series. She’s delighted to be able
to share that Topaz Eyes (Crooked Cat
Publishing) an ancestral-based mystery, is a finalist for THE PEOPLE’S BOOK
PRIZE Fiction 2014; the final round of voting for this during the last week of
May. The winners will be announced at a splendid Awards Ceremony in London,
28th May, to which Nancy will attend. (Acquiring the ‘little black dress’ for
this will be fun, as will her jaunt to London.)
1 comment:
Hi Alethea! Thank you for hosting me today. It's lovely to visit you. :-)
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