by Sarah | Oct 16, 2013 | Character Interview, Guest Authors, Thursday Tell All, Writing
I’m visiting with Nox in the cozy front room of his house in Ribeauville, a small town in Francia, where he and his wife, Salena work for the lord of the town. Nox is relaxing in a simple wooden chair by the circular hearth.
Did you have a happy childhood? “I did,” he says slowly. “I grew up on a tenant farm not far out of town. Although I had to work hard, it was a decent, simple life. I also had a good friend nearby. Grant and I managed to get into all sorts of mischief together.”
You seemed a little doubtful about the answer to that question. “My childhood ended abruptly at age 14 when my parents and little brother died of an illness that ravaged our whole community. Theophilus, the Lord of Ribeauville, brought me here to work as his houseboy, though the housekeeper seemed to want me to stay in the stables instead of interfering in her domain.” He smiles at the recollection, then sobers. “That was a difficult time.”
I can only imagine how hard that was. Do you think the loss affected you? He nods. “There is no doubt. I am very reluctant to get attached to people. Salena is the only person I’ve really taken a risk with and we had to reach a crisis to make me take that jump.”
How did you meet Salena? “On the one hand, I’ve known Salena all my life since she is Grant’s little sister. But, on the other hand, in a way it feels like I met her for the first time when she caught me in a moment of dejection at a spot overlooking my childhood home. When I saw her on the road, I knew almost immediately it was her, yet she was so cautious with me. I did not think I looked like an untrustworthy fellow and here was a pretty young woman acting as if I was going to murder her where she stood! Only later did I come learn that some of her neighbors considered her something of a witch, so she is understandably cautious around people in general.”
Why would they think she is a witch? “Mostly because of one hateful woman who twisted a series of coincidences to turn the community against Salena and her family.”
Were you immediately attracted to her once she realized you were a friend? “Of course. She is beautiful, with her golden eyes that other people see as a sign of evil in her. What nonsense!” he says dismissively. “The most touching thing she did that day was to remember my family.” His voice softens. “She told me a story about my brother Diem that I had not known. It was so wonderful after all these years to have someone talk about them, to be with someone who remembered.”
Have you renewed your friendship with Grant? “Absolutely. It was partly through him that Salena and I kept being thrown together, not that either of us minded.”
Did he mind? Nox laughs. “He was shocked. Like most men, he did not think of his sister as attractive or available, and he considered me part of the family, so to see the two of us together went against his grain for a while. His wife helped at a few critical times with keeping him out of the way.”
Did anyone else encourage you? “Theo gave me some good counsel. And his wife, Lily, also.” He laughs again. “I don’t think Lily could have planned all the little actions that fed my interest in Salena during a particular visit to town. If she did, she should plan battles for the emperor.”
What happens now? What does your future hold? “We are settling into married life, and Salena into her new work with the Lady of Ribeauville. We hope for children, though the idea of another precious person in my life makes me sweat. I just want Salena to be safe so we can enjoy decades of happiness together. Keeping her by my side is the only thing that worries me any more.”
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The night is dark. The moon is bright. She brings his heart into her light.
The fifth book in the Evolution Series and a 49,000 word historical romance novella.
A vicious neighbor uses a series of coincidences to label Salena as the local moon-charmer, making her an outcast in rural Francia. When Salena encounters her brother’s childhood friend, Nox, out on business for the Lord of Ribeauville, she fears he will accept the locals’ tales about her, especially since they relate to the death of his family a decade before. He is, instead, as charmed by her as she is by him.
Nox’s sympathy for Salena evolves into affection in spite of his strict rule against close ties with people. Afraid to risk another loss like that of his youth, he abruptly ends their relationship, unaware that Salena has already been downtrodden by her father denying her request to venture farther out into the world.
A threat to Salena’s family prompts her to run away in the hopes of protecting those she loves while forging a new path for her life. Too late, Nox discovers that she has also run away with his scarred heart.
The books in the Evolution Series in chronological order are Unbidden, Second Love: A Short Historical Romance Story, Redeemed, Vain, and Little Witch. The Evolution Series is set what we now know as France and Bavaria in the years after Charlemagne’s death.
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EXCERPT from Little Witch: Historical Romance Novella
“I remember them,” Salena blurted.
Nox inhaled sharply but she could not stop her words now that the thought was in her head. “Your mother always took pity on me because you boys did not like playing with a girl. I remember Diem used to spit at me to try to make me go away. He could spit farther than you or Grant.” She gave a sad laugh. “He always wanted the two of you to himself. One day when you hid from him he was stuck with me and he taught me to spit. You should have seen his face when I spit all the way from the door to the side of the road.”
Nox’s face was still averted, his eyes trained on the house. “I can picture him.” His voice wavered.
She should not have spoken of his family. “It must be very difficult for you,” she said.
He cleared his throat. “What must be?”
“To, um, to have people to miss for the rest of your life.”
His head pivoted abruptly so he could look at her. For a brief, excruciating moment, all the shields a person carried against others dropped away from him. She saw him as he must have looked on the day his last family member died, leaving him devastated and terrified and alone.
“I am sorry,” she blurted. “I should not speak of those times. My memories must just make it harder.”
He lifted a hand to stop her. “No.” He cleared his throat again. “I liked your story. Diem really taught you to spit?” he asked cautiously.
“He did, though I have not practiced for years, I assure you.”
He chuckled. “It is nice to meet someone who remembers and, maybe, understands.”
“I can’t claim to understand,” she demurred. “I have been very lucky.”
His lips turned up in a thin suggestion of a smile. “I have been lucky, too, in a way,” he said, clearly hoping to put her at ease again. “Part of my luck has been my job with the Lord of Ribeauville. He would expect me to get on with it.” He brushed his hands together. “Do you know of the property in dispute?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Would you be able to take me to it? I mean, if you think your parents would not mind.”
*~*
If you want to keep in touch with Jill Hughey she blogs at http://jillhughey.blogspot.com, she is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jillhugheyromance, and she tweets @jillhughey.
by Sarah | Oct 15, 2013 | Books, Changing Tracks, Dark Territory, Derailed, Hump Day Hook, Secret Cravings Publishing, Writing
Another Hump Day Hook!
Another week of [amazon_link id=”B00FE1AVOU” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Dark Territory[/amazon_link].
Since I was MIA during the release of [amazon_link id=”B00FE1AVOU” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Dark Territory (The Dominion Falls Series book 3)[/amazon_link], what with my kid being in the hospital and life falling into general disarray and chaos…I have yet to have had a GIVEAWAY.
So today I’m having a giveaway!! 1 lucky commenter will win their choice of one of my Dominion Falls series books – or if they have them all, one of my others (I just had a horror short released in an anthology, too).
The giveaway will end on Friday night, October 18th at 11PM.
Now onto the hook. Jane sees her brother again for the first time since her near-death by hanging. She reveals the depth of her pain:
“What is it?” Slowly he sank into the chair beside her again.
I remember everything about that day.
“You said that.”
Every time I close my eyes, it happens again. The nightmares are much more than nightmares. I remember it, over and over again. Have you ever had a nightmare in which you could not scream?
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Did you like this sample? You can pick up the whole series now!!
Changing Tracks
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Derailed
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Dark Territory
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Hump Day Hook asks authors to post one paragraph of one of their stories, whether a WIP, one contracted, or already published. Please visit and comment on the participants – you might just stumble on the next great read for your library! To see more participants, click on the HDH banner below:
by Sarah | Oct 13, 2013 | Books, Tuesday Tales, Writing
The prompt this week is this lovely fall scene picture. Beautiful, isn’t it? Inspiring, romantic, even…yeah…I went a different way.
Unfortunately, as with the last picture prompt, Deep Fried Sweethearts can’t be the story…since that’s a Valentine’s story and there’s no lovely fall scenes there. So, instead I’m bringing a new story.
I’m calling it a sci-fi, but it’s a loose description for now since I’m not fully sure where I’m going with it. This was inspired by some show I saw on NatGeo when my kid was in the hospital and it’s been rolling around in my head since. So, I give you the start of a new story that has yet to be named. The place filler name for now is Ice Age.
The beginning of the end came on a beautiful autumn day. I remember clearly. My mother predicted everything that happened before and after. Even if she hadn’t taught me everything before her death during the asteroidal panic, she left me with all of the information on her data discs.
Before the year 2050 all glaciers had melted, leaving the world alarmed as political heads ranted about the predicted greenhouse effect and the loss of species they would later forget about. The loss of the glaciers wasn’t fast and scientists had sworn they could fix it, but they never did, and neither did all of the green-living speeches of the millennial humans.
For the more level-headed scientists, the changes did more than drown Florida, New York City and most coastlines, leaving them to become massive marine playgrounds. It brought about another ecological shift; and right under the panicked politicians noses the new Ice Age began.
Like the melting of the glaciers, the re-appearance happened slow.
In 2119 my grandfather happily began to track the forming of the glaciers, because they meant hope for the rebirth of the earth. While most of the world worried about what a renewed ice age would do to the landscape and billions of humans, scientists once again reassured they could handle it.
After all, glaciers move slow.
Of course they do, until you add in an asteroid tumbling toward earth. An asteroid that the powers that be not-so-wisely decided to blow to smithereens in my eighth year of life.
That was the day my mother took me for one last autumn ride through the rolling hills of Indiana. She told me to take in every aspect, the bright yellows and reds, the smell of crisp autumn air.
“Everything changes tonight,” she predicted.
She was right.
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Hope you enjoyed it! Click on the Tuesday Tales badge to see more excellent entries!!
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by Sarah | Oct 13, 2013 | Photography, Scavenger Hunt Sunday, Songography
I’m diving into Songography this week to mix it up with my Scavenger Hunt Sunday. To help with this week’s entries I had lots to do, I spared you 95% of my Haunted House pictures…but included one since I was desperate for a pink picture. Everything else was from our Harvest Festival and mine & hubbies anniversary.
All taken w/ Canon Rebel XS or LG Lucid 2.
1. M is For…
Molly, of course. Couldn’t do this prompt without my beautiful girl.
It’s also for Moon…loved the moon sitting amongst the sunset-lit clouds.
2.What you Saw Today
Pumpkins. Lots of pumpkins at the festival.
And a small plane flying low over the festival.
3. Corner
Another mantis paid us a visit this week, this time he hung out on the corner of my front stoop, posing for shots.
I shot this one “from the hip” and loved the cockeyed angle and the way it caught the corner of the bin of gourds.
4. Pink
I loved the pink silks I found on some of the corn in the maize-maze…most of it had turned black, but some were gorgeously pink.
And then there was this guy’s creepy pink mouth at The Children’s Museum’s Haunted Hollywood exhibit.
5. Hands
Kennedy loved that she could hold the little pumpkins in her hands.
After 11 years of marriage we still like to hold hands at dinner.
Songography:
Look Out Any Window by Bruce Hornsby:
Lyrics that moved me were: There’s a man workin’ in a field
See’s the rain and it’s burning
He’s saying this can’t be real
Oh as he sees the color of the fields turnin
This time of year there are any number of farmers working out in the fields around here. I didn’t have my camera with me when I happened to stumble upon it, but I thought these shots I got at the fall festival captured the essence of it:
You can find more pictures over at my flickr account.
by Sarah | Oct 12, 2013 | Books, Changing Tracks, Publishing Credits, Secret Cravings Publishing, WeWriWa, Writing
Welcome back to the Weekend Writing Warriors!
I’m still keeping you all intrigued with the beginning of the series [amazon_link id=”B00BEMN5SC” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Changing Tracks (The Dominion Falls Series book 1)[/amazon_link].
We come upon Jane, my amnesiac with the eidetic memory, and Cole…who is feeling a little jealous thanks to rumors the town is spreading around about her visits to the army camp and a certain Major Webb:
“Are you still jealous?”
“You bedded him yet?”
“No.” Hands on her hips, she lifted her chin in defiance, “I haven’t even been to bed with you and you are in my room at all sorts of inappropriate hours.”
“And you’re at the army camp at inappropriate hours too.”
“So you are jealous, good to know.”
He narrowed his eyes, his fists clenching tight until the muscles of his arms showed through his tight sleeves; a harrumph redirected her attention back to his frowning lips, “Wonder if you’ve always been this difficult.”
“Long as I can remember.”
*Creative editing employed to make this fit the 8…but I had to include that last line.
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Did you like this sample, too? You can pick up the whole series now!!
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Head back on over to the Weekend Writing Warriors to read many more wonderful offerings!
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