The Dress, a comedy of oddities, is finally available on Kindle & in paperback! 

Take an odd girl, mix her with a loving mother and lots of wacky neighbors, throw in an invitation to the prom, and watch the miracles fly. 

 
"A delightful coming-of-age story about a very odd girl with special talents. Funny, heartwarming, and full of characters you will love!" 

"What a fun quick read! I loved all the quirky characters and laughed out loud several times!! Definitely recommend it!"

BTW, the Kindle book is ONLY $.99 RIGHT NOW!

https://www.amazon.com/Dress-Minnette.../dp/B0CVV5DNN7 - Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Dress-Minnette-Meador/dp/B0CVTV7KMP - Paperback

BOOK REVIEW: HAND OF THE GODS

 The first review is in for my historical fantasy romance, Hand of the Gods, and it's a good one.  Here's a snippet for you.

"At its core, “Hand of the Gods” is a captivating tale of love tested against the backdrop of political intrigue and supernatural forces. With its dynamic characters and gripping plot twists, this novel will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment of The Sahra Chronicles. Newman’s masterful storytelling invites readers to lose themselves in a world where destiny is written in the stars, and the gods hold sway over mortal affairs."

You can see the review in full and enter a drawing for an Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift certificate today at https://ginaraemitchell.com/hand-of-the-gods

BLOG TOUR: HAND OF THE GODS

 

From February 5 - 9, Goddess Fish Tours will host a blog tour for my historical fantasy romance, Hand of the Gods.  Book 2 of The Sahra Chronicles, this volume returns the reader to an ancient land lightly touched by fantasy and to characters from Book 1, Light of the Gods.  Two favorites from Book 1 are Arman Garimandi, an Omani cavalry officer, and Sange, now his wife.  Arman has a convoluted heritage and past, but Sange is pure Arak nomad--young, unsophisticated, and unquestioningly in love with her husband.  But Arman has secrets.

Join the blog tour in progress and don't forget to enter the drawing for an Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift certificate, and read on!  Here is where you can find Hand of the Gods:

February 5: https://guatemalapaula.blogspot.com/
February 5: https://ornerybookemporium.blogspot.com/

February 6: https://tinadonahuebooks.blogspot.com - spotlight

February 6: https://www.longandshortreviews.com/
February 7: https://kitnkabookle.com/blog/
February 7: https://fabulousandbrunette.blogspot.com/
February 8: https://ginaraemitchell.com/ - review
February 8: https://www.literaryau.com/
February 9: https://sandrasbookclub.blogspot.com/

A BLESSED IMBOLC

 
Imbolc is a traditional Irish fire festival, frequently associated with Saint Brigid's Day, marking the beginning of spring.  It is typically celebrated on February 1st within Irish Paganism.  But it's so much a part of Irish tradition and culture that many people who do not identify as Pagan still celebrate some aspects, such as tying a scarf to the branch of a tree on the eve of the holiday.  Kept throughout the year, it is said to confer blessings upon your house.

The term Imbolc is often associated with "washing" or spring cleaning.  Not a bad idea for those of us who like to freshen up the house!   It is sometimes also interpreted as "ewe's milk," which may relate to the fact that spring is lambing season.  Pastures all over Ireland are dotted with new babies every spring--a very welcome sight indeed.

Irish tradition embraces four festivals:  Imbolc, marking the start of spring; Beltaine, celebrating the beginning of summer; Lunasa, which is the start of harvest season; and Samhain, announcing the onset of winter.  Many people associate Samhain with the better-known Halloween, whose roots are in the celebration of Samhain.

Saint Brigid, or Brighid the Goddess, is also interwoven with Imbolc, both literally and symbolically in the form of the traditional Brigid's Cross.  Fashioned of straw and hung over the hearth or perhaps in the doorway to the kitchen, it invites protection of "hearth and home" and is found in many Irish homes. 

A blessed Imbolc to all who observe.

  

IT'S MOVIE TIME

 I'm happy to share this new video for my historical fantasy romance, Hand of the Gods.  Available now as an ebook and soon in print, it's a tale of love and secrets in an ancient land touched by fantasy.   https://youtu.be/cqS_YyWzvZc

Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQQL1SHP

                    https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144515969 

                    https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1497018 

                   

NEW RELEASE: HAND OF THE GODS

Those who survived the Battle of Grandfather Mountain are said to be in the Hand of the Gods.  Book 2 of my historical fantasy romance series, The Sahra Chronicles, follows them in Hand of the Gods.

No one is more in need of their help than Sange, young sister of nomad clan chieftain Javrik.  She is drawn to Arman Garimandi, the heroic Omani cavalry commander who saved her people during the siege, and shocks her family by marrying him despite her brother's warning that one day he will break her heart.

Undeterred, she follows Arman to two forts where he is assigned duty.  In the first, danger she never anticipated comes in the form of another woman.  But in the second, she finds herself an unwitting pawn--possibly even a prisoner--in a struggle between two powerful nations.

Ancient worlds warfare combined with a timeless love story, you can find it here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQQL1SHP  

BEFORE THE BATTLE: EXCERPT - LIGHT OF THE GODS

 

Javrik, son of a nomad clan chieftain, has always known he would have to take his father's place one day.  But he never expected to have to lead his clan in war.  Luckily, as if by the favor of the gods, he finds an Omani cavalry patrol led by Arman Garimandi just in time to try to save his people.  But Javrik also has a young and innocent sister who sees their captain as something more than human.

                       ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"They had filled the mountaintop with the aromatic smell of arrow shafts being formed—hundreds of men fletching arrows and attaching heads of metal because Helsum had forges and molds for those, creating something far more lethal than the old flint arrowheads.

Garimandi looked longingly at one of his crossbow bolts, for which there were no molds.

"Wish we had more of these. But many a man has been killed with a good longbow."

Javrik barely glanced up.   "True. We don‘t have the conveniences of your army, I‘m afraid."

The captain resumed scraping a cedar shaft.  "You never needed them. Helsum does well with what he has."

He was crafting what would become arrows with considerable expertise, apparently not handicapped by their primitive materials even while disparaging them. Clearly, he had done this before.

"My men will take out those who appear to be officers with our bolts," Garimandi said, "to reduce their command. What you need is three-sided ranked fire with longbows."

"Ranked fire?"

"Station your men center, left and right on both cliffs, three rows deep. Direct their fire center, left and right, into the Domidians. That way, you are not wasting arrows aiming at the same targets. As each row fires, the one behind should loose in rotation while the previous one notches again."

"Like scything," Javrik said, comprehending at once.

"Exactly. It is very difficult standing up to that sort of fire. Tell your clan leaders."

"Spiked spears at the barricade," the captain went on.  "Archers behind. Do not hurl them unless you must, because we can‘t replace them. Instead, impale whatever the archers cannot stop. Protect the stone throwers with your lives. They can take out more men at one blow than you can with twenty arrows."

"Oil?" Javrik inquired, but the Omani shook his head.

"Ineffective at this height. Not enough will reach the target. Spread pitch at the base of the cliff and use fire arrows."

He nodded to a small pile of metal arrowheads neatly arranged beside shafts and vats of oil holding rags.  "I don‘t have many of those, unfortunately, and Helsum doesn‘t have the right forges. But they will affix quickly to a shaft notched to hold them. Light the rag and when it is blazing, fire into the pitch. Coat your boulders to form a fire wall and let it spread."

It was an arsenal, all neatly assembled atop the cliff and, Javrik assumed, on the top of Little Man, as well.

"You have done this before?" he inquired.

"We nearly did it at Xanthus," the captain replied.  "Magistri stopped us so we didn‘t burn down the city with the people inside. He relieved the maggot in command."

"You had to clean it out by hand?"

"Yes, but we still had a city. However..." He passed a completed shaft to an Arak waiting to attach the head and feathers.  "We know some got out to the west, toward the ocean. They are the ones who will attack you. Your watchers can see to the south, so that is not where they will come. Their scouts will have seen your mountains and know you can see them, so they will stay west and come at you from that direction. You will have very little warning."

"So all our preparation was in vain?"

"Not in vain. You were correct that they were not heading east, back to Domidia. We have troops over there. No, they‘ll head for these mountains, kill everyone here and turn into an army of bandits. It will take us twenty years to clean them out, if we ever can. Better to stop them now."

Javrik rocked back on his heels, taken aback in more ways than one, but the young captain smiled at him.

"I serve a large army, friend. I was receiving dispatches constantly until I left the south to come with you. The enemy is west, the Havacians are west, and both are trying to reach here. It‘s a simple matter of who gets here first. Because our troops were tied up in Xanthus, I am betting it is the Domidians. We will be relieved, but we have to hold out until help can get here. Meanwhile, get your people up this pass."

"You are well informed for a mere captain," Javrik observed.

 Garimandi just gave him a flat look.  "This is my job."

"So you stay here?"

"They can send Alcinis and Havacians back home and from what I have heard, they are eager to go. But to run Omana, they will need men who speak Omani. That makes it likely I will stay. Does it bother you so much?"

"That does not bother me."

"What does, then? The fact that your sister seems to like me?"

"She is my sister."

"Yes, and since she is, I suggest you get used to me. If theDomidians kill me, that‘s one thing. If you do, that is another."

That was a plain enough threat, and Javrik didn‘t think he was bluffing. It did hint, though, that he had more of an interest in Sange than merely bedding her. The man might actually be serious. But his father had taught him to have a suspicious nature and, aside from her obvious physical appeal, Javrik wondered why.

"You did not kill me when you could have," he conceded. "I will not kill you or cut off your balls, unless you hurt her. And then I will."

"Save your strength for the enemy." Garimandi squinted at the sun, which had gifted them with a rare appearance.  "They will be here soon enough."

First Review:  "Light of the Gods" by Miriam Newman is a fantastic read! It's a captivating story that will transport you to a mythical world filled with intriguing characters and epic adventures.

Join the blog tour for this new book and enter the drawing for a $20 Amazon/BN gift certificate at https://elainepcantrell.blogspot.com/2023/12/light-of-gods.html