Heart of the Storm, Where Past Meets Present...

Myths and legends can draw me in faster than almost anything else. They always have. So do the mysteries that have no irrefutable answer. The thing is—the imagination can take you so many places as it forms its own possibilities, its own answers to the world’s legends and mysteries. And in this wondrous place, my novels are born.

In "Heart of the Storm," published by The Wild Rose Press, I took on the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle. Over the years, I have watched many documentaries concerning this oceanic area between Florida, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda (although the area varies by author). I have read books and several recorded testimonies. Many of those accounts share common events: A sudden unusual storm; bizarre cloud formations; flashes of light; loss of visible horizon, and malfunction of navigational equipment to name a few.

Throughout it all there were things I wanted to know.

Like:

What happened to all the ships and planes that disappeared without a trace? Why didn’t anyone ever find a piece of wreckage? And what about that abandoned schooner the Ellen Austin encountered in 1881. The captain ordered a skeleton crew to man the deserted ship. Although they sailed alongside each other, a sudden but brief storm separated them. No one ever saw the schooner or her crew again. Where could they have gone in such a short amount of time? What about all of the other ships, planes, and missing crews that have been lost to history?

Hence, Heart of the Storm, a sweet paranormal/fantasy romance was born:

Blurb:

The Ghosts of Tutbury Castle

Since Bound by Oath and Honour begins in a creepy (inspired by Cannock Chase) forest in beautiful county Staffordshire, I thought it appropriate to write a little something paranormal in Tutbury...like the castle for instance.

Photograph of Tutbury Castle by Dave Harris

For a time, the great de Ferrers family called this castle home. Later it became a center for some very powerful earls and dukes, such as the great John of Gaunt, 2nd Duke of Lancaster. 

What? You don’t recognize the name? Well somewhere along the way you might have heard of his son, King Henry IV; his grandson, King Henry V; and his great grandson, King Henry VI.

Ahem... moving right along...

Deep in Romania, the Spooky Forest of Hoia-Baciu

For all of those who have asked and asked (thank you so very much, you don't know how happy that makes me...) Bound by Oath and Honour, is now available in paperback, audio (narrated by the amazing Andrew McDermott) and ebook format, all published by The Wild Rose Press!

Beautiful Cover by Debbie Taylor!

And so it is with great pleasure I bring you the world's most haunted forest...or so they claim. And why not? In Bound by Oath and Honour, quite a bit happens inside a creepy forest in Romania.

Okay... here we go.

Very near the city of Cluj-Napoca, you'll find--if you choose--the Hoia-Baciu Forest. Now this particular forest is often referred to as the Bermuda Triangle of Romania. Over the passing decades, many people who have visited the woodland have reported some really bizarre paranormal activity and unexplained events.

Creepy, Crawly, Rustling, Bustling by Theodor Kittlesen

Like what you ask?

What Lurks Inside the Forest of Cannock Chase...

So, you might ask, "Where on earth have you been, Debbie? I mean you haven't posted a thing for well over a month now...and really...how boring is that?"

Well, the answer to that question is---I've been busy catching up with life, and working on my latest work in progress. What could be better than all that? However, I do want to take a minute and tell you all that we now have an audio version of my sweet fantasy Romance, Bound by Oath and Honour, narrated by the fabulous Andrew McDermott! Do you love that "warms you all the way to the bone, spine tingling in a most fabulous way Irish accent? Then this audio book is definitely for you!

Cover created by Debbie Taylor! What do you think?

Yep!

Anyway, since malevolent shifters are the antagonists in this book, I thought I'd share some of the crazy goings on in England--all purported to be true--that inspired the villains in my book.

In central England there is a lovely, but spooky forest known as Cannock Chase. There are those who will tell you encounters with enormous felines, ghostly canines, werewovles, and even creatures akin to Bigfoot have become a common thing for those who venture inside the woodland. We even have a newspaper report as recorded in the Stafford Post, April 26 in the year 2007 relating to this that states:

The Haunting Ruins of Pennard Castle...

Half buried in windblown sand along the Gower Peninsula in South Wales, is what's left of the once majestic, Pennard Castle.

By Eiona R

Commissioned by Henry de Beaumont, the first Earl of Warwick in the twelth century, the castle has slowly been consumed by time and sand after its abandonment right around the turn of the fifteenth century. Now all that's left is the gatehouse, the curtain wall, and the remains of the Norman Hall - oh - and the ghosts, of course.

They say that the Gwrach y Rhibyn (The scary banshee creature of Wales) haunts the area. Stories handed down through the centuries tell us that anyone daft enough to spend the night inside the castle, won't live to see the dawn! We also have tales of a ghostly woman, consumed by sorrow, who walks the grounds on moonless nights. Some say that despair caused her to walk into a nearby lake from which she never emerged--at least not in mortality. No one is quite sure who she is, or what caused her sorrow.

Personal Photo of Three Cliffs Bay near Pennard Castle

Y Ddraig Goch...The Red Dragon of Wales

Still feeling the dragons as Court the Hawk Book Tour and Giveaway continues, so...

Most Myths evolve. They take a story here and a story there. Here a Hero, there another hero...a villain or two...and in time, someone writes their version down. So it is with Y Ddraig Goch, the Red Dragon and symbol of Wales. 

5th century manuscript of Historia Regum Britanniae, Vortigern and the Red Dragon

Recorded in the 9th century's Historia Brittonum, we find the tale of Vortigern the Saxon tyrant, who was determined to build a fortified tower. Men were called to the task and every day they worked from the break of day until the setting of the sun.  Yet, all of their labors were in vain, for each night, something--or someone--completely destroyed the structure. Frustrated beyond measure, Vortigern turned to his wise men for a solution to this vexing problem.

Of Dragon Myths and Jörmungandr--The mighty Dragon of Midgard...

There's just something about dragons that I both love and respect. They are at once both majestic and terrifying creatures (Toothless aside)...And, I've included one that figures quite prominently in Court of the Hawk. This being the case, I thought what better way to kick off our Book Tour, then share the Norse legend concerning Jörmungandr. Have you heard of him?

Lokis Gezücht. Loki's brood; Hel, Fenrir and Jörmungandr circa 1905

At the very dawn of time, according to this fascinating myth, Loki fathered three children during his liaison with Angrboða the giantess. Hel, Fenrir and last but cerainly not least, Jörmungandr, also known as the Mighty Serpent of Midgard. Shortly after his birth, an enraged Odin imprisoned him in the oceans surrounding Midgard where he lay eternally hidden from the mortal world. They say the dragon grew large enough to encircle the earth and grasp his tail with his teeth.

Gwynn ap Nudd, King of the Fair Folk...

Well, Court of the Hawk has had its official release and is now available worldwide. This story is a bit different than my previous novels published by The Wild Rose Press. Although this one has a ghost (who I promise will eventually get his own story), Court of the Hawk is probably more fantasy, than it is paranormal, but it still has its paranormal elements, like a shifter for instance, who won't get his own story. And in a round about way (as the mind goes) that brings me around to Gywnn ap Nudd, king of the Tylwyth Teg, who is very much part of the tale. However, I have used some creative license when it comes to the mythical Welsh Faerie king...well, a lot actually...you'll have to read it to see what I mean.

Gwynn Ap Nudd is a son of Nudd, who is a son of Don the mother-goddess and Beli, the god of death. In the early Welsh poems, Gwynn is known as a god of battle and of the dead. As time went on, historians described Gwyn as one whom God placed over "the brood of devils in the world of Annwn, lest they should destroy the present race.” Finally, the Welsh people came to know him as king of the Tylwyth Teg, the Welsh fairies or the Fair Folk.

The Wild Rose Press Releases Court of the Hawk!

The time has just flown since  The Wild Rose Press issued the release date for my sixth novel,  Court of the Hawk, and I have been so busy with my current Work in Progress that I didn't notice the days slip-sliding away. Nonetheless, here we are and so to celebrate the release of both ebook and paperback this week, I thought I'd not only give you the blurb, but an extended excerpt as well!  Are you ready? (Come on now, you just have to share the excitement with me!)

Blurb:

When a single moment challenges your perception of truth… 

Epigraphist Dr. Essie DeSpencer travels to an ancient Welsh castle in order to decipher an Ogham inscription discovered by the handsome and enigmatic, Garreth ap Daffyd. But the journey is not what she expects. She doesn’t plan to fall for the Lord of the castle, or to find herself deeply entrenched in legends, myths, and magic. Real legends, and real magic, that have devastating consequences. 

Garreth didn’t plan for Essie to stay any longer than it took her to decipher the pictograph. Instead, he finds himself falling in love for the first time in his very long life. Now the Lord of Llys y Gwalch must find a way to attain the heart of his soul mate and keep her safe from the dangers that threaten them both.

Excerpt:

Tylwyth Teg or The Fair Folk of Ancient Welsh Legend.

The Tylwyth Teg--or the Fair Folk--are the ethereal, fair-haired, beautiful fairies of ancient Welsh myth. They were kindhearted as well as mischievous, and they were a curious mixture of both good and evil. However, according to Owen's Welsh dictionary, unlike other fairies that dwell within Great Britain, these fairies are not your typical Tinker Bell Fairies which fit nicely in the palm of your hand. You see, as a whole, these fairies are quite tall.

Take the Fair Face of Woman by Sophie Anderson 1823-1903

These lovely beings are said to live very happily in lakes or streams or in the hollows of the hills. The women folk are called y mamau or mothers. They dance gracefully in the moonlight, make fairy rings, heap treasures on those they favor, steal little children (especially those with fair hair) and substitute them for gifts or changelings. They also create fairy paths and those that follow such a path should do so with caution.

Beneath the Sea... The Kingdom of Cantre'r Gwaelod...

Llys Helig isn’t the only kingdom to have disappeared beneath the sea in Wales. We also have Cantre'r Gwaelod (or the Lowland Hundred as translated into English), sometimes called the Welsh Atlantis. This fertile tract of land once existed between Bardsay and Ramsay Islands. However, if you want to visit it now, you might have to get yourself a wet suit and scuba gear, and then dive to the bottom of what is now Cardigan Bay, West Wales.

Sunset Over Cardigan Bay by Peter Broster

As with other lost kingdoms, a legend or two is also associated with Cantre'r Gwaelod. If we go way back in history and take a look at the Black Book of Carmarthen, we find mentioned therein, the land of Maes Gwyddno or the plain of Gwyddno. According to this book, the sea swallowed Cantre'r Gwaelod when a maiden named Mererid ignored her duties and in consequence of the neglect, the well overflowed. (Doesn’t make any real sense to me either…)

Helen C. Johannes, Author of Bloodstone & The Prince of Val-Feyridge...

I am so excited to have the very talented Helen C. Johannes visiting with me today as she speaks a little bit about the craft of writing and gives us a look at her exciting fantasy romances!

I’m Helen C. Johannes and I write fantasy romance for The Wild Rose Press. Thank you, Deb, for kindly offering to host me on your blog. I’ve given some thought lately to the fine art of writing, and I have a point I’d like to discuss. I’d be delighted to hear your thoughts on this:

“Write what you know.”

That’s the advice given to aspiring writers. And it’s basically good advice. No one can write authentically about a career, place, time, or situation without having ‘knowledge’ of it. Aspiring writers of suspense and crime fiction, for instance, ought to know what a police detective or private investigator really does before attempting to write a story around such a character. Stories fall flat when the author’s ‘knowledge’ fails in the eyes of a reader or editor.

Shadow of the Witte Wieven Book Tour Begins!

Inkspell Publishing and I decided that an extended Second Edition of Shadow of the Witte Wieven, graced with a brand new cover, deserved a brand new book tour! We will be giving away a $15 gift certificate for Amazon at the end of the tour, as well as a few other surprises along the way, so stay with us! Today I'm answering questions at Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews so stop by, say hello and enter to win!

Covery design by Shandra Kay!

The Blurb:

Despite a contract on her head, lone Drug Enforcement Agent, Aliyana Montijo must ferret out a mole and stop the assassination of top DEA officials, as so ordered by the Colombian drug lord she seeks to take down. The task is a daunting one, for there is no one she can trust. No one that is, until she encounters a most unlikely ally.

Former seventeenth century captain of the Dutch West Indies Company, Wolfaert Dircksen Van Ness, now from a parallel dimension, encounters the beautiful agent during an unearthly storm in the Bermuda triangle. Drawn to the Spanish beauty he rescues, he pledges his assistance, despite her reluctance to accept either his help or his heart.

Wolf must bridge both space and time to claim the woman he loves...

 http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/nssl/nssl0011.htm Public domain

The Excerpt:

"Court of the Hawk" Gets a Cover!!!

I am so excited....

Debbie Taylor, the very talented cover artist for The Wild Rose Press has just presented my cover for my upcoming fantasy romance, "Court of the Hawk" and I just had to share it with all of you on this fabulous Friday!

And just in case you're wondering why on earth there is a castle at the bottom of the sea, I'll go ahead and  leave you with the blurb...

Blurb:

When a single moment challenges your perception of truth…

Epigraphist Dr. Essie DeSpencer, travels to an ancient Welsh castle in order to decipher an Ogham inscription discovered by the handsome and enigmatic, Garreth ap Daffyd. But the journey is not what she anticipated. She doesn’t expect to fall for the Lord of the castle, or to find herself deeply entrenched in legends, myths, and magic. Real legends, and real magic, that have devastating consequences.

Garreth didn’t plan for Essie to stay any longer than it took her to decipher the pictograph. Instead, he finds himself falling in love for the first time in his very long life. Now the Lord of Llys y Gwalch must find a way to attain the heart of his soul mate and keep her safe from the dangers that threaten them both...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tell me what you think of the cover, I'm dying to hear your thoughts (and more than likely so is Debbie Taylor)!

Hoping you all have a wonderful weekend!