"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...

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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!

Of Haunted Castles and Book Covers....

I read it one more time for good measure, took a deep breath...and hit the submit key. That didn't stop the butterflies from swarming though. It happens each time I fill out the information sheet required for my cover art. And why? Because all the while I am writing my books, I envision the perfect couple in the perfect setting to grace the cover. To date, my covers haven't even come close to the one I imagined. 

Not unexpected, but  more often than not, somehow disappointing nonetheless.

Now, in regards to my newly contracted novel, "Spirit of the Knight",  I'm hoping a medieval castle graces the cover, if even off in the distance. After all, there were many such castles that influenced my fictional castle in the novel.  And in light of that fact, l decided to treat you to a couple of them today...

Eilean Donan  geograph.org.uk Anne Burgess

Eilean Donan, built in the 13th century, sits on an island and is surrounded by three lochs.  The castle is both breath-taking and mysterious. It's also haunted. According to a plethora of witnesses, a 17th century Spanish soldier, killed during the Jacobite rebellion is often seen carrying the head he lost in battle... Apparently his favorite place to haunt is the gift shop, so if you're not of a mind to encounter a ghost, perhaps you should do your shopping elsewhere. Oh, and Lady Mary still hangs around the castle as well. She is usually found in one of the bedrooms of the castle.

Roslin Castle Taken by r:Supergolden

Cover Reveal: A Need so Insatiable by Cecilia Robert

I am honored to take part in Cecilia Robert's cover reveal for her latest novel! Isn't it just gorgeous?

Book blurb: “I’ve never bowed or kneeled for anyone,” Rafael said. “Never thought I would.” Then he was on his knees. He slid his arms around my waist, tugging me closer and bowed his head. “You own me, Sophie.” He looked up, his dark eyes hitting me with enough force to snatch the breath from my lungs. “You’ve owned me from the moment I walked into your life in that music room. Then I saw you slipping out the window like the wolves were after you and I knew I wanted you in my life. You’ve wrapped yourself in my heart and mind. I can’t get you out. I don’t want to.”

Graduate opera singer, Sophie Fisher’s life is on fire and it’s not her breathtaking voice lighting it, but the trail of debts her father left behind after he passed away a few months ago. If she’s not ducking around corners or slipping out of windows to escape the debt collectors and a slew of characters sent from hell, she’s dealing with her rebellious fifteen-year-old sister, Lilli, who is still coming to terms with their father’s death. And as if that’s not enough, Rafael Van Rees bursts into her life—literally—bringing with him a set of emotions she isn’t prepared to deal with and a life the public had no idea of.

The Ghosts of General Wayne Inn, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania...

So, as we continue our tour of lonely spirits and haunted places from America’s early history, we arrive at the former Wayside Inn (circa 1704), and/or the General Wayne Inn (the name the building acquired in 1793), built on land purchased by William Penn. Some call this place, “the most haunted house in America.” And indeed, the General Wayne Inn boasts an intriguing menagerie of otherworldly residents over its three hundred and eight year sojourn. 

 

Throughout the Revolutionary War, many battles were fought in the area that surrounds the Inn. According to various reports, during one of those battles, a British officer and two Hessian soldiers were fatally wounded very near the place. As the Redcoat lay dying, someone filched his prize locket. There are those who believe this officer has remained earthbound for the need to locate this locket. Several witnesses say the man even includes the living in his search. (So, if you're in the area, watch your pockets).

And what is a haunted house without the haunted basement door? There are numerous accounts of a Hessian soldier (either one of many, or this soldier is awfully busy) locked inside the basement room. He knocks, hoping someone will let him out. (Just as an aside, various mediums have counted up to eight Hessian spirits, haunting the Inn.)

Oh, and then there’s the unseen phantom who has naught but admiration for the ladies who visit the bar. Many of these patrons feel someone blowing on the back of their necks. Yet, when they turn around, not a living soul is there...

“Spirit of the Revolution” and Our Amazing American Rangers...

Cover Art by Angela Anderson - The Wild Rose Press Graphic Artist

Blurb:

Only divine intervention could have guided Jolena Leigh Michaelsson to the doorstep of a ramshackle manor in Pennsylvania, bringing her face-to-face with the man she has waited her whole life to find. There is just one problem. Mathias McGregor died two centuries ago…

Mathias, Revolutionary War ranger and spy, battles his conscience and his heart when he finds himself falling for the beautiful violinist invading his home. Jolena is mortal and deserves far more than what he as a spirit can offer her.

When Jolena’s family motto leads them to unearth a valuable coded message—the very message Mathias died trying to deliver to General Washington—Jolena vows to unravel the mystery surrounding the cryptic document. But someone else wants the message, and he’ll stop at nothing to get it, not even murder.

Divine intervention brought them together—will it also allow them to find forever?

You know, until I wrote this book, I didn’t know that Rangers existed during the Revolutionary war. I thought they were far more contemporary. For me, Army Rangers conjured images from the movies. In Private Ryan, Tom Hanks led a group of Rangers to save—well—Private Ryan. In The Longest Day, Rangers fought their way up the cliff to destroy the German coastal artillery, only to find the guns had never been installed in the bunkers.  And of course, we have our real-life Rangers (heroes every one) during the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

During his mortality, Mathias McGregor, my handsome, ghostly hero in Spirit of the Revolution was a member of the elite Morgan’s Rangers. (He also involved himself in highly secretive missions of reconnaissance, facilitating espionage and conducting other covert missions for Major John Clark but that’s another blog altogether.) In my novel, Mathias served under the leadership of Daniel Morgan from the unit’s inception. Yet, the Rangers in the Americas have a long history even before the Revolutionary War began.

Colonel Daniel Morgan

Ghosts of Oak Alley Plantation...

Imprint on time, vivid imagination, or do ghosts really haunt our nation’s antebellum mansions?

Take Oak Alley for instance, the very mansion that graces the cover of “Spirit of the Rebellion.” According to witnesses, this plantation home, facing the Mississippi River in Vacherie, Louisiana, is a place where supernatural events are commonplace.

The list is endless. Lights turn off and on, and rocking chairs rock by themselves. Unseen hands touch guests and employees alike. Some have heard the mournful sounds of either a woman or a child weeping. A lady in black paces the length of the widow’s walk, and at times, meanders beneath the shade of the mighty oak trees. A man dressed in gray, wearing boots, haunts the kitchen. Many have heard the distinctive clip-clop of horses alongside the sound of approaching wooden wheels. Yet, the phantom carriage never arrives. The pleasant odor of lavender permeates the room that once belonged to the lady of the house. Shadows lurk in the corners. And did I mention the candlestick that flew across the room during a tour?

The All Important Book Cover…

I have learned so much on my journey to becoming a published author and over the coming weeks and months; I’ll share some of those things with you. But because I am looking at them right now, I think I’ll share with you what I have learned concerning the all important book cover…

Cover for Shadow of the Witte Wieven...

Due for release April 21, 2012

Cover design by Najla Qamber!