Light of the Gods
by Miriam Newman
GENRE: Fantasy historical romance
BLURB: In
ages gone by, the gods of the mountains had split the earth in two. Now that passage must form a barrier against
invaders. Javrik, clan chieftain’s son,
has known his wife for only a month when he must defend her. Arman, soldier from a far-off land, finds
himself fighting for people he never knew existed. The lives of nomads, raiders, warriors and
lovers are changed forever in the shadow of Grandfather Mountain.
Excerpt
Two:
It was a happy homecoming group at table that night
although, inevitably, most people spoke of war.
“These are good,” Javrik acknowledged, sitting next to Sarai
with his brother on his other side, both of them eating her sweet rolls. The
only rule of the home seemed to be that the men must leave their boots on the
porch, to save cleaning for the women. But she could see that her husband had
changed into clean clothes, and washed his beard and his hair. They still
curled faintly, looking like spun gold as they dried. In a crowd of men coming
in, many with wives and children, he stood out.
It was pretty clear, though, that Jerisi held court.
“Sarai‘s father,” he told the assemblage, “returned to
prepare stone throwers.”
There was a murmur of approval.
“You have the timber and rope to make them.” He spoke
directly to her, but obviously to everyone else as well. “And the rocks. We
will harvest rocks from your ground like a crop and shoot them from atop
Grandfather Mountain and Little Man on anyone below.”
He rubbed his hands gleefully, provoking a laugh at the
table. “That should take out a good number.”
“What else can they throw?” someone asked.
“Oh, pretty much anything. Flaming balls of pitch. Severed
heads.”
The laughter this time was robust.
“UGGHHH!” Most of the women protested, but they, too, were
laughing.
Jerisi, already well into his cups, raised a tankard. “Drink
to their deaths, my friends!”
So, this was war. Unconsciously, Sarai leaned towards
Javrik, who was less inebriated than some others—but not much.
“Ugly stuff, isn‘t it?” he commiserated. “And I‘m afraid you
haven‘t seen anything yet.”
“And I thought you were the civilized ones,” she teased.
“That‘s what they tell us in the mountains.”
“Oh, no.” He leaned back. “We only pretend.”
She had dressed for dinner in the bright colors the other
women favored, and worn her hair as Sange suggested, intricately braided and
held with rich-looking combs. Well, she had fed him, gotten him drunk, dressed
like a woman looking for attention...there was only one thing left to try. If
he rejected her again, she didn‘t know what she would do. A woman might have an
abusive husband or a drunken one, which was bad enough. But to have one who
simply didn‘t care about you was the kiss of death, since you were shackled to
him for life.
“Where do we sleep tonight?” she asked, letting her leg
touch his beneath the shelter of the table.
“Upstairs,” he said, not moving his leg. “Do you want me to
show you?”
At last, she thought. The man was not made of stone, after
all. Her fingers curled anxiously inside her palms, but the weight and warmth
against her thigh was very real.
“Yes,” she murmured. “Yes, I do want that.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Fantasy poetry driven by myths and legends has been
my passion for as long as I can remember. I was published in poetry before
catching the romance writing bug. I bring that background to my writing along
with a lifelong addiction to horses, an 18 year career in various areas of
psychiatric social services and many trips to Ireland, where I nurture my muse.
My published works range from contemporary fantasy romance to fantasy
historical, futuristic, science fiction and historical romance. Currently I live
in rural Pennsylvania with a “motley crew” of rescue animals. You can see my
books at www.miriamnewman.com.
Website:
http://miriamnewman.com
Website:
http://thedarkcastlelords.net
Blog:
http://miriamnewman.com/blog
Blog:
http://thecelticroseblog.blogspot.com
Email:
mrmireland@aol.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMiriamNewman
Twitter:
https://www.twitter.com/miriamnewman
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/miriam-newman-cf7ca8bf-caab-4b7e-a6f2-7db5490d9215
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3146550.Miriam_Newman
Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/Miriam-Newman/e/B005DBFZUG
8 comments:
Thank you for hosting my book today!
Thank you for hosting today!
I enjoyed the excerpt.Thanks for sharing. Sounds really good.
Thanks, Marcy, and good luck.
Good evening, Miriam. Are there any other historical periods or ancient cultures that you are interested in and might be inclined to create a fictional world for?
I love the world of the ancient Celts and that really does lend itself to fantasy, so you just never know. The other time period where I've found myself is 1066, the year of the Norman invasion of England. That is straight historical stuff, though. Nothing additional is needed. The clash of cultures--Anglo-Saxon, Norman and the end of the Viking era--has everything you need for great fiction.
This sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.
Thank you, Sherry. I loved the cover by Lynn Hubbard.
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