COMING HOME by Cynthia Owens

Hello to everyone, and especially Miriam, my Celtic Hearts Clan sister and friend. Thanks so much for having me here, and thank you for allowing me to talk about my historical romance novel, Coming Home, the second book in my Claddagh Series. I’m so pleased to be here. AND I’ll be giving away an autographed paperback copy of Coming Home to one lucky commenter. So put the kettle on the hob, settle into your favorite chair, and share some of my memories of Ireland.

Coming Home is the unintentional sequel to my first book, In Sunshine or in Shadow. I hadn’t planned to write a sequel, but the characters called me back to Ballycashel, the tiny, wind-swept West-of-Ireland village where both books are set.

Visiting Ireland was a long-held dream of mine, not just for research purposes, but because I’ve always felt connected to the country somehow. And on July 11, 2009, when the ferry docked in Dublin, I felt I’d arrived at my heart’s true home.

We drove off the ferry and into a curtain of magical mist that turned into a true Irish downpour. It rained steadily throughout the day, as we drove from Dublin to the village of Feakle, in County Clare. Our cottage there could have belonged to Ashleen and Cavan Callaghan, hero and heroine of Coming Home. Its stone walls, thatched roof, and the lovely warm hearth sizzling with sods of turf made me feel as if I’d gone back in time. That night, I sat in a rocking chair before the turf fire, listening to Irish music and just absorbing the Irish atmosphere.

And I felt like a character from one of my own stories.

Naturally a visit to Ireland isn’t complete without touring at least one castle. The first one we visited was Bunratty Castle, located in County Clare. It’s a spectacularly beautiful castle dating back to Medieval times, complete with winding staircases and amazing views from the battlements. It was also a gold mine of research opportunities because it has a folk park designed to look like a Nineteenth Century Irish village. It was at Bunratty Castle that I found Tom Flynn’s cottage. Loop Head House was the cottage of a farmer/fisherman, just like Tom Flynn, one of my favorite characters in Coming Home, and one of my favorite secondary characters in the Claddagh Series. A minor character in In Sunshine or in Shadow, Tom plays a major part in the love story in Coming Home.

On another day, we had the great good fortune to visit Thoor Ballylee, a fortified 13th Century Norman tower, once home to the great Irish poet, William Butler Yeats. The grounds were lovely, the “Winding Stair” dizzying, and the view from the very top of the tower was both breathtaking and terrifying – at least for me, as I’ve always been afraid of heights. We even got to see Yeats’s bed! Three years later, I feel incredibly lucky to have visited Ballylee. The autumn and winter of 2009 were severe, and the tower was damaged by heavy flooding. Sadly, the tower remains closed to visitors to this day.

It was hard to leave Ireland. The green fields, the soft mist, the incredibly friendly people, the atmosphere, was sheer magic. Ireland is like a lover, and once you meet her, she’s impossible to forget. She takes your hand in a gentle clasp, urging you forward into a world of mist and magic. She touches your heart, fires your spirit, and fills your soul with a yearning to remain always.

And I can’t wait to go back!

Miriam, thanks so much for hosting me on your lovely blog!

Leave a comment for a chance to win a signed copy of Coming Home.

And watch for Playing For Keeps, Book III of the Claddagh Series, coming soon from Highland Press!

Book Blurb:
“A woman’s love is strong, more powerful than all the ghosts in Ireland..”

Daughter of an Irish village girl, step-daughter of the landlord, Ashleen O’Brien has lived between two very different worlds. But after a year in America, she yearns to return to the green land that is her heart’s home.

War and betrayal have taken everything from Cavan Callaghan – his home, his family, and the woman he loved. A hero of the Irish Brigade at Antietam, he’s searching for the family he never knew.

Love and deception await Cavan and Ashleen along those emerald shores, as the ghosts of a past that can never quite be forgotten rise to threaten their newfound happiness.

You can find me at my website: http://authorcynthiaowens.com/
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCynthiaOwens  


Follow me on Twitter: @Cynwrites1
Buy Coming Home here: http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Home-Cynthia-Owens/dp/0983396000/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1303209296&sr=1-1  

Interview with Author ADRIENNE CLARK

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of Adrienne's book!

The Lure of Long Ago and Faraway
One of the most important decisions you make as an author is when and where your story will take place. While some of us prefer to write about the here and now, others, like me, dream of stories set long ago and far away. For me, the past evokes a certain kind of longing and magic that I find more difficult to realize in the present.

When I thought of the story To Dance in Liradon I knew it would take place in medieval Ireland. Although I’ve never been to Ireland (a terrible wrong I hope to remedy in the near future) I’ve always been drawn to Irish mythology. Steeped in legend, rich with beautiful heroines, fierce warriors, heroic battles, and of course, Faeries, few cultures can compete with Ireland’s gift for storytelling. What captivated me most about Irish mythology were tales about the Tuatha de Danaan, also known as the ‘Shining Ones,’ or as I refer to them in my book, the ‘Fair Folk.’

Far from the tiny, winged creatures popular in British culture, Irish Faeries are tall, beautiful, extremely proud and amoral. The more I read about the Tuatha de Danaan, the more I wanted to write about them.

A recurring theme in Irish mythology about the Tuatha de Danaan is the idea of paradise; the land of promise as it is spoken of in some sources. In Faerie land there is no suffering, no disease, and no one ever grows old or inform. Those who enter its enchanted borders are young and beautiful forever.

Of course, nothing is ever quite what it seems. What does it mean to live in this kind of eternal paradise? And how does perfect happiness affect our bonds to one another? In To Dance in Liradon, my heroine, Brigid, must ask these very questions when she lifts the veil that separates human from Faerie. I love naming heroines, and I chose Brigid as a nod to the Celtic Goddess of Fire.

To Dance in Liradon takes place in two distinct but intimately intertwined worlds, Faerie and human. The juxtaposition of these worlds intrigued me, different as light and dark, but like light and dark they define one another. Both have the power to lure and enchant, but in very different ways. The Irish poet W.B Yeats imagined interactions between Faeries and humans as a magnetic pushing-pulling attraction, one for the other.

My story unfolds when Brigid finds herself torn between two worlds and two men as she struggles to understand who she is and where she belongs. It takes courage for a young woman to walk among the Fair Folk, who think themselves the noblest race on earth, and even more courage to find out what to dance in Liradon really means.

Fantasy writers spend many hours creating new and exciting worlds for their readers, and many of them draw on mythological sources. I’ll never forget my visits to Narnia, Middle Earth and Prydain. These books, among others, inspired me to create my own fantasy worlds. But the human world is beautiful too, in all its flawed, imperfect mortality. My hope is that To Dance in Liradon gives readers a glimpse into both Faerie and human worlds, and that they are in some way moved by what they find there.


Website: http://adrienneclarkewriter.com/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/#!/adrienne.clarke.9

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/AdrienneLClarke



To Dance in Liradon is available at:

http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/

http://www.amazon.com/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/



Adrienne Clarke

http://www.adrienneclarkewriter.com/

To Dance in Liradon is now available from Soul Mate Publishing!


When Brigid suddenly finds herself torn between two men and two worlds, her struggle leads her into the glittering, ruthless world of Faerie where she must rescue her true love from a terrible sacrifice or lose him forever.

Cover Blurb for To Dance in Liradon

Seventeen-year old Brigid O'Flynn is an outcast. A chance encounter with the Faerie Queen left her tainted in the eyes of the villagers, who blame the Faerie for the village’s missing women and children. Desperate to win the village’s acceptance Brigid agrees to marry her childhood friend: Serious, hardworking, Connell Mackenna. But when Connell disappears before their wedding Brigid's hopes are shattered. Blamed for her fiancé’s death, Brigid fears she will suffer the same fate as the other village outcasts, the mysterious Willow Women. Lured into Liradon by their inhuman lovers, and cast out weak and broken, the Willow Women spend their lives searching for the way back into Faerie. When Connell suddenly reappears Brigid is overjoyed, but everything is not as it seems. Consumed by his desire for beauty and celebration, Connell abandons his responsibilities, and Brigid soon finds herself drawn into a passionate, dangerous world of two.

 

When Brigid discovers the truth behind Connell's transformation she’s forced to choose between two men and two worlds. Brigid’s struggle leads her into glittering, ruthless Liradon where she must rescue her true love from a terrible sacrifice or lose him forever.

A Cursed Island's Romantic Reprieve

by Nancy Lee Badger

The art of writing a historical novel of any kind must start with a period in time. When I conceived the basic plot for DRAGON’S CURSE, I needed something to tie my characters to an actual historical event. Otherwise, I would consider my entire story a fantasy. History was never my favorite subject, but the internet has opened my eyes to the easy access to information. In addition to surfing the web, I researched several books and consulted a colorful clan map of Scotland. I found the perfect, horrific story, set on the island of Eigg.

Horrific? How can I call a story that horrified me perfect? Besides sympathetic characters and action packed scenes, every romantic novel needs a conflict. Conflict either keeps the hero and heroine at odds or breaks them up the moment it is revealed. Eigg’s 16th century history would work nicely, so I took the liberty of adding it to my novel. When my first Scottish historical novel was released by Whispers Publishing, the hours I had spent researching historical facts were worth it. DRAGON’S CURSE is a paranormal romance, but my addition of fact-based occurrences added a layer that makes my romance ‘pop’.

I stumbled on the story of how a band of Macleod’s massacred an entire village of Macdonalds in 1577. Wait a minute: a massacre as a plot line in a romance novel? There is a reason I pursued this avenue. Here is what happened. A small band of Macleod’s visited the island of Eigg and were accused of doing something nasty to some island ladies. The Macleod’s were tied up and sent adrift so they might return to their homeland on Skye if the lord so willed it. They survived and later returned to have their revenge. The islanders saw them coming and hid in a cave. The Macleods could not find any of the 400 or so islanders, so returned to their boats.


This is the part I refer to in my story. One of the islanders left the cave to watch their departure. Unfortunately, he was spotted. The Macleods returned to shore, covered the cave entrance, and smoked the islanders to death. Nasty. I used artistic license to make my hero, Draco MacDonald, accused of causing their deaths. A vengeful witch levies a curse that makes Draco change into a dragon at inopportune times.

Hiding out for fifteen years in a huge cave on the real Scottish island of Staffa, he meets Brianna Macleod when she accompanies a boatload of hunters. They have come to drink, carouse, and hunt the various beasties. Little do they know a dragon watches their every step! Close to Staffa, the island of Eigg sits surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean near the Isle of Mull and is easily reachable from the mainland of Scotland. The Cave of Frances, known back then as Uamh Fhraing, is known today as Massacre Cave. Moss, undergrowth, and a waterfall hid its tiny entrance, but hikers follow easy maps to find it and visit.

Eigg, Gaelic for ‘notched Island’, is part of a group of islands in the Highlands local authority known collectively as the Small Islands. It stretches some four miles long from end to end, and supports about 70 inhabitants. Along with its picturesque homes, village shop, post office, and school, tourists also visit the lovely beaches, craft shops, and restaurants. Birders visit in order to spot the Golden Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Long-eared Owl, Cuckoo, Kestrel, and many more. A favorite stopping point is the Bay of the Singing Sands, named for high-pitched notes that the sands make when they are walked on once they have dried out. But, it is the infamous Massacre Cave that gives this lovely little island its historical prominence.

BOOK BLURB

Sometimes a special gift and an unwanted curse cannot keep destined lovers apart.
Brianna Macleod has accompanied a shipload of her guardian’s friends to a remote island off the coast of Scotland. She eludes these Highland hunters to keep her innocence…and her gift of sight. Her attitude against falling for womanly desires changes when she nearly drowns. Saved by the talons of a terrifying winged beast, she awakens—naked—in a cave, beside an unusual man.

Cursed by a vengeful witch to transform into a dragon at inopportune times, Draco MacDonald hides on this deserted island to live alone: until he plucks a servant girl from certain death. Fueled by jealousy, and tempered by fear for her safety, he succumbs to an unfamiliar desire to mate. Her kisses propel him to dare to make her his own.

Set in 1592 Scotland on the Scottish island of Staffa, the cursed hero battles a ghostly witch, a hunter set on rape, and his own growing desire for a young woman with premonitions of his death. Her kisses propel him to dare to make her his own.


EXCERPT

He tasted of salt and the sea, causing a laugh to bubble up from between her bruised lips.
“What, pray tell, have I done to amuse ye?”
“Ranald smells of blood and dung and tastes of ale. Ye smell—and taste—delicious.” She pulled his head back down and drank him in. The soft cries of seabirds mingled with the gentle boom of breaking waves. The salty breeze swept over her and cooled the heat rising from her body.
His fingers thrust inside her secret place repeatedly. Passion rose and she nearly swooned. When his gentle touch disappeared, she groaned her displeasure. He chuckled.
“What is so funny, sir?” Her words came out weak and breathy.
“I plan to taste ye as well.”
“Ye have already accomplished this, sir. Have ye forgotten so soon?” His response, another low chuckle, caused her brow to furrow, and when he dropped kisses on the tight fabric of her frock, just below her breasts, she nearly asked the man why he headed in the wrong direction. Then, he placed a kiss on the meager piece of thin chemise covering the sensitive juncture of her thighs.
She froze.
“Relax, sweet one. Accept my offering and enjoy the moment. Ye will thank me, when the task is complete.”
The man spoke in riddles. She closed her eyes and relaxed her thighs. I trust him. He will no’ harm me, this I know.
“Ye honor me, sweet lass.”


AUTHOR BIO

Nancy Lee Badger writes fulltime and lives with her husband in North Carolina. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, Celtic Heart Romance Writers, and Sisters in Crime. She also writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense as Nancy Lennea: www.nancylennea.com.

Website: www.nancyleebadger.com
Blog www.RescuingRomance.nancyleebadger.com
DRAGON’S CURSE is available from Whispers Publishing
Buy link: http://bit.ly/93hRiM

SCOTLAND HAS...DRAGONS?

I scratched my head the first time someone told me Scotland was famous for its dragons. "You're kidding," I replied, then listened intently. I liked dragons, didn't I? I wanted a plot for a book that incorporated ancient Scottish life with the paranormal. Why not use dragons?

This kind of thinking led me to research. Dragons, legendary creatures, are typically pictured as having serpent-like or reptilian traits. Dragons are featured in the myths of cultures spanning the globe, not just medieval England. Since Scotland is where I base my newest novella, DRAGON’S CURSE, I'll talk about these mysterious creatures that settled there

Rumor has it that dragons are a mix of the serpent, the feline, and the predatory bird, the great predators of prehistoric times. Once man started to walk upright, he combined them into one terrifying beast, and the dragon was born. Sounds feasible, doesn't it?

From Cirein Croin, a sea serpent believed to be the largest creature ever, to the long, thick tailed wingless Beithar who haunted the quarries and mountains around Glen Coe, to the infamous Loch Ness Monster, dragons have been a part of Scottish folklore.

The Loch Ness Monster, also known as ‘Nessie’, is classified as a dragon even though many assume it is a leftover dinosaur. Some think its a lake fish that has grown to gigantic proportions. Tales of Nessie date from the sixth century and one story goes like this: When Saint Columba traveled through the country of the Picts, he had to cross the River Ness. He came across Picts burying a man said to have been bitten by the water-monster. Not a stupid man, Columba ordered one of his men to swim across and return with a boat. The chosen man, Lugneus Mocumin swam off, but the monster saw him and charged. All on shore stood in horror except Columba, who raised his holy hand and inscribed the Cross in the air. He called upon the name of God and commanded the beast, saying, “Go no further! Do not touch the man! Go back at once!” The monster drew back, retreating to the depths of the Loch. Unharmed, Lugneus brought the boat back. Everyone was astonished. The heathen savages who witnessed the miracle were overcome and came to know the magnificence of the God of the Christians. A good story, passed down through the ages.


Nessie and Loch Ness are the most famous tourist attraction in Scotland and the locals will tell you about the mythical sea creature that some have actually seen in modern times and is probably a stranded dragon. The dragon can be seen as a symbol of the Celts, Picts and other early heathens of the area.

Dragons have found their way into many modern books and movies. Shape shifters are a modern day paranormal storyline and several authors have used dragon lore to create stories to entertain us all. My story is slightly different. My hero has been cursed by a dead witch for a crime he did not commit. Cursed to transform into a dragon at inopportune times, Draco Macdonald decides to live out his years on the uninhabited island of Staffa. These plans go awry when Brianna Macleod arrives with a hunting party. Staffa is a real uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland and its huge caves would make a wonderful home for any dragon!


For more information concerning dragons and dragon lore, check your local library, book store, or these websites:

http://www.theserenedragon.net

http://www.monstropedia.org

DRAGON’S CURSE is available from Whispers Publishing.
Visit my website:http://www.nancyleebadger.com and
blog http://www.RescuingRomance.nancyleebadger.com for info, buy links, and excerpts.