Saturday, January 30, 2016

Angusel reacts to Gawain's disgrace in Ch10/Sc1b of RAGING SEA by @KimHeadlee #amwriting

Graphic overlay c2016 by Kim Headlee.
Oftentimes, when someone expects high standards of himself, either in terms of performance or behavior, he also exerts similar standards upon those around him.

In the Lerner & Lowe classic Arthurian adaptation Camelot—the stage version as well as its silver-screen counterpart—this phenomenon is demonstrated by Lancelot when he suggests that Arthur initiate a training regimen for all Round Table knights. While Arthur embraces it for the fine idea that it is, the suggestion ensures instant friction between Lancelot and the rest of the court, Guinevere most especially. 

Today's excerpt from Raging Sea shows Angusel, my Lancelot character in The Dragon's Dove Chronicles, getting into trouble with Gyan (Guinevere) in a similar fashion.

Previous excerpts of Raging Sea 
Chapters 1–6 in Raging Sea: Reckonings
 Chapter 7: Sc 1 | Sc 2 | Sc 3 | Sc 4 | Sc 5a | Sc 5b |
Chapter 8: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 2 | Sc 3a | Sc 3b |
Chapter 9: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 1c | Sc 1d | Sc 1e |
Chapter 10: Sc 1a |

Raging Sea Chapter 10, Scene 1b
©2016 by Kim Headlee
All rights reserved.

“I thought he was in that unit too,” Drustanus murmured.

Angusel, who had been watching her, turned to follow the line of Drustanus’s gaze toward the procession’s tail to discover the he to whom his student had referred. What he saw made his heart lurch.

Gawain map Loth, clad in a plain cloak and traveling clothes, was riding between two uniformed guardsmen—if in fact “riding” could describe someone whose wrists were bound and whose mount was being led. Angusel shook his head and blinked, but the puzzling scene didn’t change.

As Gawain passed the enclosure, a gust of wind flung aside his cloak, revealing his back. The undyed linen of his tunic displayed several bloody stripes.

Only one explanation could fit these facts.

Angusel dropped his sword, sprinted to the rail, and vaulted it. The guardsmen tried to block his approach, but he dodged between their horses and dragged Gawain from the saddle.

“You! You disgraced yourself, and all of them!” Angusel vented his fury with his fists, drawing only token resistance from his target. “You bastard, you disgraced her!”

Though Gawain tried to protect his face, he did not disagree. It goaded Angusel to strike harder.

“Optio Ainchis Sàl a Dubh Loch, desist at once!”

She had ordered it.

He obeyed.

While the Pendragon and all the Comites Praetorii save the two men guarding Gawain continued toward the barracks, she had wheeled Macmuir about and was thundering toward them, her eyes blazing and her lime-spiked hair quivering as if readying barbs for an attack. She reined her stallion to a halt and maneuvered him in a tight circle to bleed off his unspent energy.

“You,” she said to Drustanus, who had run to the ring holding Angusel’s practice sword as well as his own. “Back to barracks.”

“Aye, Comitissa Gyan.” With his right fist still clutching a sword, he thumped his chest, nodded, and quit the ring at a dead run.

“You and you,” she addressed the guards, “escort your charge to the infirmary to have his wounds dressed, then bring him to my workroom. You”—her glare pinned Angusel in place, and his heart squirmed its response—“get yourself presentable for an audience with me. Immediately.”

***
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***


All this month, you are invited to...
— Follow Kim on Twitter
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... and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. Please enter often, and good luck!

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

The Business of Writing: The Author Brand with @LoreaSample #MFRWOrg #RLFBlog

Meme (c)2016 by Kim Headlee.
Photo of young woman in Ukraine (c)2014 by natamc
Depositphotos ID 79621474.

There's all kinds of advice online regarding how any entrepreneur can establish a clear branding message, but the best comment about the topic I've read recently was posted by She Owns It blog contributor Lorea Sample:
"Push past the fears of rejection, acceptance, and being misunderstood and flow in your being. Embrace and become resolute in all of your you-ness and your branding and messaging will flow. Like they say, “Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe”. Have a clear and consistent vibe and your tribe will understand and consistently be attracted to you." (emphasis mine; read the full article here)
This struck a chord with me because fears of rejection, acceptance, and being misunderstood certainly do haunt me as an author, and I have to imagine that I'm not alone in this feeling.

It seems I've been doing a lot of mentoring lately of various author-friends, and an email exchange with one of them inspired today's post about branding. In a nutshell:

Once you have have established your branding,
you need to do all you can to expand it.

The conversation started when I was preparing a book spotlight post to feature one of her books on The Maze. I usually try to check all the author's links, and when I got to the link she'd provided for Google+ (G+), I noticed that she had garnered enough followers to customize her G+ link but hadn't yet done so.

I suggested that she check into it as yet another way to expand her author brand.

Her response (after setting up her new G+ link) was: "How do you use that to expand your brand?"

I'm so glad she asked, because this is a topic that is becoming more and more crucial to authors wanting to claw their way to the surface of the ocean of available books in order for their work to be noticed.

Common wisdom states that it takes at least seven mentions of an advertisement before a customer decides to purchase the product—emphasis mine, because books have become a commodity (thanks so very much for that, Amazon :P) while not being, strictly speaking, a necessity for basic living. So customers require a whole heap more convincing before they'll part with their hard-earned cash.

Anywhere in Social Media Land that you can claim your name (Tumblr, Reddit, etc.) will expand your brand, provided that you are active—and interactive—on those sites. Top notch social media promotion is literally a full-time job, so you have to pick and choose the platforms where you want to be most active if you want to stand a prayer of getting any actual writing done too.

I have chosen the following, in this order:

That said—and thank you for choosing to follow me!—Facebook, G+ and Pinterest are pretty much tied for how much involvement I do on those platforms. I use Facebook far more for keeping up with my kids and face-to-face friends than promotion. My YouTube channel is for my book trailers and the occasional video I create myself, so there's not a lot of regular action there. I do have a Tumblr account, but only because I needed to have one in order to read a review of one of my books that someone had posted there.

Google+ has been handy—and simple—for sharing my blog posts, as well as review posts of my books on other folks' blogs. I do wish that Google/Blogger had an auto-post option to Facebook & Twitter, though. Much of the time I forget. (Or maybe it does have a cross-post setting that you know about and I don't?? Please leave a comment if that's the case!) I love that I can choose to cross-post (or not) Pinterest pins to Twitter and/or Facebook on a pin-by-pin basis; I also have found Pinterest to be invaluable for graphic collaboration with the artists I have hired for one reason or another (development of the graphic novel edition of The Challenge is the Project du Jour for me :).

Thanks to a reminder by author Alethea Kontis at MarsCon where we were both panelists earlier this month, I have now claimed my username at Instagram, Tsu, and other places.

Basically, "expanding your brand" means getting your name out there in as diverse a way possible, because you never know who's going to see what when!

***


All this month, you are invited to...
— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow
... and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. Please enter often, and good luck!

Monday, January 25, 2016

Kendra asks a boon in SNOW IN JULY #paranormal medieval romance #MFRWOrg

Kendra vows that she shall find
neither comfort nor love
in the arms of a Norman…
unless it snows in July.
Appearing vulnerable requires a great deal of courage. 

In today's excerpt from Snow in July, which is running on other blogs as part of the Medieval Monday exchange, Kendra musters the courage to become vulnerable enough to ask Alain to grant her a simple yet profound wish.


EXCERPT

“Would my lord knight grant me a boon that would enable me to fulfill an altogether different vow?” Kendra slid her hands up his chest, reveling in the feel of his taut muscles beneath the tunic’s thin linen.

“Name it, my lady,” Alain said in a husky whisper.

“Please…” She stood on tiptoe to reach around his neck and pull his face to hers, drawing a deep breath. “Please kiss me.”

He lost no time in honoring her request. Their mouths met, tentatively at first, then harder and more ravenously as their mutual hunger found freedom. Their tongues entwined, locked in a dance far more sublime than any pale dream. She felt the void left by her brother’s death beginning, at last, to fill.

So this was why Del had been so insistent that she seek happiness. He knew it would help her heal, God rest his dear soul. She increased the pressure on Alain’s lips, and he answered in kind.

Faint shouts forced them to step apart. Alain looked out the nearest window and hurried to each of the others in turn, muttering in French.

“Is it the outlaws? What do you see?”

“Nothing.” He spat the word as if blaming it for the interruption. “The surviving outlaws must have returned. Does this tower have someplace to hide where they might not think to look?”

SYNOPSIS:
Sir Robert Alain de Bellencombre has been granted what every man wants: a rich English estate in exchange for his valiant service at the Battle of Hastings. To claim this reward, the Norman knight must wed the estate's Saxon heiress. Most men would leap at such an opportunity, but for Alain, who broke his vow to his dying mother by failing to protect his youngest brother in battle, it means facing more easily broken vows. But when rumors of rampant thievery, dangerous beasts, and sorcery plaguing a neighboring estate reach his ears, nothing will make him shirk duty to king and country when people's lives stand at risk. He assumes the guise of a squire to scout the land, its problems, and its lady.

Lady Kendra of Edgarburh has been granted what no woman wants: a forced marriage to an enemy who may be kith or kin to the man who murdered her beloved brother. Compounding her anguish is her failure to awaken the miraculous healing gift bequeathed by their late mother in time to save his life. Although with his dying breath, he made her promise to seek happiness above all, Kendra vows that she shall find neither comfort nor love in the arms of a Norman…unless it snows in July.

Alain is smitten by Lady Kendra from the first moment of their meeting; Kendra feels the forbidden allure of the handsome and courtly Norman "squire." But a growing evil overshadows everyone, invoking dark forces and ensnaring Kendra in a plot to overthrow the king Alain is oath-bound to serve. Kendra and Alain face a battle unlike any other as their honor, their love, their lives, and even their very souls lie in the balance.

BOOK TRAILER: http://youtu.be/vFsaD1jCLLU


BUY & TBR LINKS
BARNES & NOBLE NOOK – B&N PAPERBACKKOBOSMASHWORDSITUNESGOODREADS

***


All this month, you are invited to...
— Follow Kim on Twitter
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— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow
... and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. Please enter often, and good luck!

What was she thinking? CAMERON by @LaneMcFarland for #MedievalMonday

For this installment of Medieval Monday on The Maze, I would like to introduce you to Lane McFarland and her novel Cameron

Excerpt

Robert gently set Cameron on the ground, and she turned to face him. A bit dazed, she ran trembling fingers down the front of her gown. His hands lingered at her waist, and when he didn’t step back, she looked up to find him smiling.

“I believe ye owe me yer thanks, Mistress Cameron.”

At his mention of her name, she searched his face. “How do ye know me?”

He chuckled, his deep voice rumbling throughout his thick chest. “I make it my business to know all the bonnie lasses in the area.”

The men behind him laughed.

Her stomach tightened. She was no beauty. He obviously mocked her—in front of his men. Prickly heat tingled across her cheeks.

“I’ll catch up to ye,” Robert called over his shoulder.

“Oh, aye. Once ye’ve taken care of business,” one man asserted.

“Important business to be sure,” the other bantered.

The men chuckled as they nudged their mounts, then trotted down the path and out of sight.

Robert’s gaze lingered on her mouth before he raised it to her eyes. “I believe it’s customary to thank someone when they’ve helped ye.”

Cameron cleared her throat. “Aye, I do thank ye.”

He studied her lips again. “I had something more in mind. Ye know ye’d still be stuck in that tree if I hadn’t come along, so ye owe me.”

His warm breath caressed her face. He bent and placed his mouth on hers. His arms pulled her close, his muscular frame molding her body against his. Stubble scratched her skin, and she inhaled his male scent of leather, and aye, of horse.

She should be horrified at his advances. What was she thinking, allowing a Graham to kiss her so… so wickedly and deliciously? She should push him away and demand he step back, but somehow, she loathed the idea. Indeed, she reveled in the feel of his hard body pressed against hers.

Synopsis

Determined to band Scots together against English tyranny, Laird Robert Graham seals a truce with his feuding neighbor, the MacDougalls. But after his brother is nearly killed in a treacherous attack, Graham kidnaps the laird’s daughter in an act of revenge.

Cameron MacDougall has devoted her life to the healing arts. She’s long rebelled against her father’s feuding ways, but when Robert Graham abducts her, she’s finds herself at the center of the dispute between their families. She expects the anger she feels, not the simmering attraction to the powerful warrior, or the love she develops for his clan.

Can she stop further violence between the clans with her escape? Or will she find her surrender leads to a lasting peace and her own heart’s desire?

Buy link: Amazon

***


All this month, you are invited to...
— Follow Kim on Twitter
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— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow
... and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. Please enter often, and good luck!

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Angusel begins training Drustanus in Ch10/Sc1a of RAGING SEA by @KimHeadlee #amwriting

Graphic overlay c2016 by Kim Headlee.
The Lancelot-Gawain friendship is an epic one in the truest sense of the word, according to traditional Arthurian legends. Another such epic friendship is that of Lancelot and Tristan—or Tristram, as some medieval stories name him.

My Tristan character in The Dragon's Dove Chronicles goes by an even earlier form of his name: Drustanus. A glimpse of the deepening friendship between him and Angusel is the focal point of today's Raging Sea excerpt.

Previous excerpts of Raging Sea 
Chapters 1–6 in Raging Sea: Reckonings
 Chapter 7: Sc 1 | Sc 2 | Sc 3 | Sc 4 | Sc 5a | Sc 5b |
Chapter 8: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 2 | Sc 3a | Sc 3b |
Chapter 9: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 1c | Sc 1d | Sc 1e |

Raging Sea Chapter 10, Scene 1a
©2016 by Kim Headlee
All rights reserved.

SWORD AT THE ready, Angusel circled his opponent, inviting attack. Drustanus answered with thrusts and slashes that were indeed improving, if predictable, and his footwork was atrocious. One quick lunge or twist, and he’d go down every time. But he kept getting up, ready to try again, and that was all that mattered.

Their wooden practice weapons collided with a fearsome clatter. Angusel’s sword almost slipped from his grip. He grinned.

“That’s the way! Now follow it with a body block.” He demonstrated with full force, and Drustanus went sprawling with a yelp, kicking up a cloud of dust in the fall that made them both cough.

Waving to part the cloud, Angusel bent to offer his hand, which Drustanus grasped to haul himself up. “I think I have the right of it now, Ainchis Sàl.” Sword cocked, he adopted a fair attack stance. “Let me have another go.”

He never got the chance.

Angusel had moved their training sessions to the main ring near the fort’s north gate upon receiving Centurion Marcus’s approval—though they were still constrained to practicing in the waning light after supper to prevent this activity from interfering with their regular legion duties. This evening, the double gates had swung open to admit a large mounted unit.

All the alae had returned from maneuvers hours ago.

He lifted a finger to signal Drustanus to pause, and together they turned to watch the Comites Praetorii parade by on their way to the barracks.

Nay, “parade” was not the word for it. Every horseman—and woman—looked dust-covered, bone-weary, and dispirited.

What in the name of all the gods had happened?

Drustanus was whispering the same question.

The Pendragon and… she rode past them. Drustanus and Angusel rendered the expected legion salutes. No one paid either of them any heed; every member of the company kept his forlorn gaze trained upon the road before his horse’s hooves as if to do otherwise would invite derision and scorn.

***


All this month, you are invited to...
— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow
... and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. Please enter often, and good luck!

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

The Business of Writing: A Marketing Opportunity with @AuthorTinaGayle's #EggcerptExchange!

Sign up here for the 2016 Eggcerpt Exchange!
Marketing your book is not about sales.

Wait. What??

Yes, you read that right.

Marketing is the act of making the best of opportunities to get your name and your book's information in front of readers at least seven times before they're willing to take a chance on your work.

Once that relationship is established, the sales will come.

A fantastic opportunity to cross-pollinate your work across the blogisphere is the annual Eggcerpt Exchange organized by my author-friend Tina Gayle. The exchange is open to all authors with blogs who are willing to spotlight other authors in a reciprocal arrangement.

The procedure is pretty simple.

Visit the Eggcerpt Exchange signup page on Tina's blog to leave a comment with your name, your blog and availability for hosting other authors, the genre(s) in which you write, and how an interested party may contact you for setting up an exchange (if leaving an email address, I recommend writing it in such a way that spam bots will have a harder time mining it from the post).

Eggcerpt Exchange spotlights may be posted at any time between February 1st and March 31st—roughly, the Lent and Easter season with a few days added to both ends to round out the months. Each post consists of information about the book to be featured (cover, synopsis, PG-13 or milder excerpt, buy links), a brief author bio, and an interview centered upon one of the characters in the featured book.

If you are a multi-published author, different books may be spotlighted on different blogs throughout the duration of the Eggcerpt Exchange as long as the character interview matches a character in the given book.

Basically, the only no-no is not to reciprocate, and in the three or so years that I've participated, that has never been an issue.

I hope to be featuring your books on The Maze soon!

***


All this month, you are invited to...
— Follow Kim on Twitter
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— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow
... and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. Please enter often, and good luck!

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Latest winners and #FREE RAGING SEA: Reckonings by @KimHeadlee historical Arthurian legends

Where there is courage,
there is strength.
Raging Sea: Reckonings
by Kim Headlee.
Before you dash off to download your copy of Raging Sea: Reckonings
—free worldwide on 1/20/2016 and always free via Kindle Unlimited & Amazon Prime—please take a moment to help me congratulate the following contest winners, who already have been notified:


Please follow The Maze for your next Rafflecopter opportunity to win!

***


All this month, you are invited to...
— Follow Kim on Twitter
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— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow
... and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. Please enter often, and good luck!

Monday, January 18, 2016

She captured his mouth with hers in TANIS by Bambi Lynn @hot_historicals on #MedievalMonday

Today on The Maze I welcome back Bambi Lynn with a Medieval Monday "first kiss" excerpt from Tanis!

Excerpt

He stopped abruptly when she appeared. His demeanor changing quickly from one of surprise to that of hungry predator. She smirked. He would soon see which of them was prey. She pressed him back into the room with a strength belied by the dainty hand on his immense chest. She kicked the door shut with her foot as they entered.

With one beefy arm around her waist, Tanis gathered her up against him. Fighting the urge to squeal with delight, Kiah wrapped both legs around him. He was massive. And hard.

She wore nothing beneath the fur around her waist that left her legs bare to her thighs and drove men wild. The ridges of his stomach teased her through the fabric of his shirt, but Kiah savored the anticipation of feeling his skin against her almost as much as the contact itself. It would be difficult to say which gave her more pleasure.

A choice she was glad she did not have to make.

Winding her arms around his neck, she captured his mouth with hers. She was hit with the most mind-numbing kiss she had known in all the ages. A groan of sheer ecstasy bubbled up in her throat. What elements caused such a reaction? Why did she not feel it with all men?

Why did it not last more than a few days?

She felt like she could fly, something she had done every day since her creation, one of few gifts withheld from man. But in human form, the sensation of flying was far greater than the reality. It was not fair.

Emotions combined with her human sensations, roiling through her in a tangled mess that left her bereft of coherent thought. She kissed him fiercely, inhaling his essence as her tongue danced with his. He smelled of male and sex, tempting her to vanquish their clothes and feel his naked skin against hers. His body was sculpted muscle, hard and strong, beckoning her to meld her own warrior’s body against it, to stroke it, to lick it, to conquer it.

Tanis kissed her back, with equal enthusiasm, alternately teasing her and devouring her. She tasted his humanity and for once was not revolted by it. His passion enflamed her own, leaving her drunk with lust. He tangled his fists in the fur at the small of her back. In many other parts of the world, her attire would be scandalous. It certainly was not acceptable here in Alba, but in the wilds of the Highlands, she found it a simple matter to ensure her existence went unnoticed, even in human form.

Woven within his humanity was the hint of pagan blood. Its impurity laced the delectable flavor of the man. She recoiled from the foulness of it, only because she reminded herself she should, before it was too late.

Synopsis

Tanis Cleary, laird of a small Highland clan, wants to protect what’s left of his family from the pagan god who hunts them. But even with his colossal strength, fed by the unholy blood in his veins, he cannot do it alone. His only ally is an insatiable angel with a chip on her shoulder. Will he desert his clan to follow the only woman who can save him from eternal damnation?

Kiah is an angel of God, tasked with guarding one of His most sacred vessels. Like any woman desperate to win her Father’s approval, Kiah will stop at nothing to succeed in her mission. Distracted by the lure of a man more compelling than any other, Kiah soon finds herself battling the fires of hell, her very existence in jeopardy.

Read Tanis for FREE on Kindle Unlimited today!

***


All this month, you are invited to...
— Follow Kim on Twitter
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— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow
... and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. Please enter often, and good luck!

Saturday, January 16, 2016

Gawain is tried in a court of love in Ch9/Sc1e of RAGING SEA by @KimHeadlee #amwriting

Graphic overlay (c)2015 by Kim Headlee.
The medieval concept of "courtly love" and its corollary, the "court of love," where men who violated the "rules of love" were tried by a jury of women, most likely were invented by troubadours to entertain their noble patrons. Whether or not these social constructs were practiced in real life remains a matter of debate. 

In Arthurian legend, Gawain is hauled before a court of love, presided over by Guinevere, for his crime of having raped a virgin. The interesting takeaway from the tale is that Gawain was punished less for the act of sexual predation than for the fact that he had denied the woman her choice in the matter, and Guinevere sentences him to a yearlong quest to help all women he encounters so that he may figure out why what he did was so wrong.

I pay brief homage to this legend in today's excerpt from Raging Sea.

Previous excerpts of Raging Sea 
Chapters 1–6 in Raging Sea: Reckonings
 Chapter 7: Sc 1 | Sc 2 | Sc 3 | Sc 4 | Sc 5a | Sc 5b |
Chapter 8: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 2 | Sc 3a | Sc 3b |
Chapter 9: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 1c | Sc 1d |

Raging Sea Chapter 9, Scene 1e
©2016 by Kim Headlee
All rights reserved.

Fergus ran his tongue across his bottom lip as it curved into a grin. “What says the Scarlet Dragon? The man be one of your soldiers,” he said to Arthur, “and ye’ve been strangely silent all this time.”

Arthur took that as his cue to stand, and he looked none too happy to do so. “In the Dragon Legion, a soldier’s punishment is meted by his unit commander.” He offered his hand to Gyan, who accepted it for only as long as it took to push to her feet beside him.

Even in the throes of battle, Gawain had never seen her look so stern.

She drew a long breath and expelled it. “Since there was no commission of rape—”

“By Scáthach, he intended to!” Caitleen wailed. Fergus shushed her, stroking her cheek.

“Only the gods may judge a man’s intent, if there exists no action to demonstrate it,” Gyan stated. “Gawain’s actions demonstrated lewdness and a public breach of self-discipline. Therefore, his punishment is the legion standard ten lashes.”

Fergus released his wife and stalked closer to the dais. “Not good enough! Not by half!”

Urien raised his hands. “I agree.” He faced Arthur and Gyan. “Gawain attacked an honored, highborn lady in front of scores of honored, highborn witnesses. That demands special consideration.”

For a long time Gyan regarded the man to whom she had once been betrothed. Finally, she turned toward Gawain and extended her hand, palm up. He felt his eyes widen as the implication set in. She confirmed it with a nod. With fumbling fingers, he unfastened his legion badge, letting his blue Comites Praetorii unit cloak slip to pool at his feet. The pit in his stomach suggested how long he would be forbidden to wear it.

“Forever?” he dared to whisper as he leaned across the table to surrender the badge to his ex-commanding officer. Again, his hand trembled, and his self-loathing deepened.

Her fingers eclipsed the dragon brooch, her gaze steady but sad. “Commander Peredur,” she said to her brother without taking her eyes from Gawain, “arrange to have this soldier escorted to the camp and confined there, under guard and allowed no visitors except yourself, Arthur, Merlin, and me, for the duration of this mission.”

As Peredur joined Gawain from his place on the dais, the Scotti warriors returned to theirs. Gyan said to Fergus and Caitleen, “I am truly sorry for my soldier’s reprehensible behavior. Please accept my assurances that it shall never happen again. To that end, I appoint my second-in-command to deliver the physical portion of his punishment”—she glanced at Peredur—“to commence after my duties here are concluded so that I may be present.”

“We demand to be present too. Else how would we know if—”

If Gyan’s glare had been any colder, Fergus would have turned into a pillar of ice, and his wife along with him. “You shall be informed. My lord.”

Peredur clamped his hand around Gawain’s arm, and his march into disgrace began.

*** The end of Chapter 9 ***


All this month, you are invited to...
— Follow Kim on Twitter
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— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow
... and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. Please enter often, and good luck!

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Latest Business of Writing Workshop presentation at MarsCon 1/15/16 Williamsburg, VA!

The Business of Writing: An Introduction
Workshop presented by Kim Headlee.
I have my MarsCon 2016 schedule,
and it's a great one! 

It kicks off with my Business of Writing Workshop at 5 p.m. Friday 1/15 (Room 14). Other programming for which I am scheduled, all in room Harrison 1:
  • Friday, 8 p.m. panel: Social Media Etiquette for Authors
  • Saturday, 12 noon panel: Adapting Books to Movies
  • Saturday, 3 p.m. panel: The Mary Sue Complex
  • Sunday, 1 p.m. panel: Paranormal Fiction - balancing the line between the truth and fantasy.
I hope to see you there!


***
Enter for chances to win a prize in this massive multi-author giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

***


All this month, you are invited to...
— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow
... and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. Please enter often, and good luck!

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

The Business of Writing: Content of the Author Blog with #giveaway

Image c2015 by zzoplanet;
Depositphotos  ID 86051516.
Today on The Maze, I offer part two of my discussion of the Author Blog: its content.

If you missed my dissertation on the structure of the Author Blog, I invite you to take a peek at this post.

The structure-related topics I covered last week include the blogging platform, layout, and blog elements.

While blog elements are in fact a specialized form of content, for the purposes of today's post I intend to share my thoughts about the meat-and-potatoes aspect of the Author Blog: the individual posts.

Blog Content

The essential items to consider for any blog post include paying attention to use of applicable keywords, creating an interesting and useful title, embedding good images and videos, and structuring the post with a well-written introduction, body, and conclusion. For more information, view this article by Head Technologies.

The amusing Lili's Travel Plans blog has some great advice regarding all those posts you see in your Twitter feed that start with "How To" or "X Tips for Doing Y", if you're tempted to structure your posts in either of those ways. Unless you want to appear spammer-y, try to avoid those tactics in your headlines. Read Lili's full take on why here.

A Triberr tribemate of mine, eBooksIndia, could have called one of their posts "5 Tips for Becoming a Better Author-Blogger" but instead titled it How Authors Can Become Better Bloggers. Kavitha rightly advises author-bloggers to concentrate on developing a focus for the blog, being mindful of content, promoting your book via blog tours where you contribute guest posts to other blogs, building community by responding to comments in an engaging yet professional way, and creating a regular blogging schedule. To that impressive list I add the suggestion to support other authors by participating as a blog-tour host. The creation of positive karma is always a good thing for everyone involved. :)

Author Nikki Woods drills down even further to offer the following list of specific must-haves for content on an author's blog:
  1. Excerpts from your works in progress
  2. Writing tips
  3. Personal snippets or anecdotes
  4. Insight into your writing process
  5. Inspiration for your writing
Nikki's complete article may be viewed here.  I concur with her list, and I do offer these items from time to time on The Maze. Often, I combine items in a single post, such as a personal anecdote or aspect of inspiration with a work-in-progress excerpt. Obviously, what you elect to share with the world will be in direct relation to your comfort level.

If by now you're feeling a bit overwhelmed, please don't be.

The key to all of this is to achieve a balance of content so that your blog reflects whatever brand you have established as an author but does not appear as a 24x7 infomercial about your books. Programming that sort of content in the sidebar (as I have done on The Maze) is akin to TV channels pasting their logo into the corner of your screen: it's there if the visitor chooses to see it, but it can be tuned out while she or he is viewing the featured post.

And running a giveaway now and then certainly doesn't hurt.

Happy writing... and blogging! :)
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Monday, January 11, 2016

More than a healing kiss in The Druid Knight Tales #FREE by @RuthACasie #MedievalMonday

Today on The Maze, I am pleased to welcome back Ruth A. Casie and her FREE short story The Druid Knight Tales as Medieval Monday shifts to the theme of the first kiss of the hero and heroine.

For you Galavant fans, I can assure you that this kiss is neither musty nor too moist. :D

Excerpt:
“Aye,” he said sleepily, followed by a soft snore.

She wiped the blood from the scratches on his cheek and studied him.

Full brows framed his wide-set eyes with long, thick lashes. His high cheekbones accentuated the deep hollows beneath them. His close-clipped beard outlined his full lips. His face spoke of power and ageless strength. He had a face that was easy to look at.

The wounds cleaned and bandaged, she bent over and gave him a lingering kiss on his forehead. Her head snapped up and her fingers went to her lips. They tingled as if she had eaten something spicy. She searched his face. His ashen color hadn’t changed. Panic welled in her throat. Her healing kiss always brought results.

His arm snaked around her and drew her to him. She didn’t resist when he pulled her closer and kissed her deeply. When she moved away his eyes were closed, the corners of his mouth tipped up in a smile, and his face took on a soft pink hue.

Relief flooded through her but was quickly replaced with doubt. For the first time she wondered if her healing kiss would be enough.

She prepared the camp and when she was done, sat back to rest. The smell of the wood and the snap of the fire were soothing. The dancing flames mesmerized her and drew her in deeper. The intertwined flames parted and in its midst she saw two figures following a light. She knew it was an omen but she could not tell if the sign was good or bad. A loud snap and a log fell, sending sparks flying, startling her out of her trance.

Synopsis:
After a year of searching, Maximilian, the druid Grand Master, finds the sacred mistletoe destined for his soul mate shriveled and dead. He must journey to the Otherworld and tell the Ancestors of his failure.

Ellyn of Brodgar is an exceptional healer. But each healing kiss depletes her energy and brings her closer to death. Ellyn needs to find her own healing power before it’s too late.

Max and Ellyn are tossed into the Otherworld and have until the third sunset to appeal to the Ancestors or be lost forever. Together they find love, and as the last rays of the third sunset slip away, both are willing to sacrifice their hopes, dreams, and lives for the other. Do they have what it takes to escape the Otherworld and begin their life together?

Buy links:  Amazon | iBooks | Kobo |

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Saturday, January 9, 2016

Did lust rob Gawain of strength? Ch 9/Sc 1d of RAGING SEA by @KimHeadlee #amwriting

Graphic overlay (c)2015 by Kim Headlee.
Welcome back to Saturday excerpts from Raging Sea! I hope you enjoyed a pleasant holiday season and are ready to tackle the new year head-on. I know I am. :) 

To catch up with the early doings of Angusel, Gawain, and everyone else, I invite you to download a copy of Raging Sea: Reckonings, which is free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription or Amazon Prime membership.

In today's excerpt, Morghe (aka Morgan le Fay) begins to show why in later centuries she was dubbed "Morgan the Wise."

Previous excerpts of Raging Sea 
Chapters 1–6 in Raging Sea: Reckonings
 Chapter 7: Sc 1 | Sc 2 | Sc 3 | Sc 4 | Sc 5a | Sc 5b |
Chapter 8: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 2 | Sc 3a | Sc 3b |
Chapter 9: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 1c |

Raging Sea Chapter 9, Scene 1d
©2016 by Kim Headlee
All rights reserved.

“Chieftain Urien, you and all your guests be witness to this heinous assault upon me innocent lady wife,” Fergus stated. “I demand his head.”

“No!” shouted Gyan and Morghe together, and they shared a look.

“No,” Morghe repeated at Gyan’s nod. “This action is so very unlike my nephew’s normal behavior that it deserves further investigation before just punishment can be meted out.” She smiled at Urien. “With my lord husband’s permission?”

“What do you propose, my lady wife?” Urien asked.

She navigated from behind the table to approach Gawain and proceeded to feel his forehead and neck. With gentle fingertips, she probed the spot on his jaw where Fergus had struck him, and he couldn’t stop the wince. His knees still felt like jelly. He locked them to prevent them from betraying him. She ordered the Scotti warriors to release Gawain and step back. Once they complied with a nod from their lord, she bade Gawain to raise one arm parallel with the floor. The tremors that shook his hand alarmed him, and he clenched his fist, despising the display of weakness. Morghe gave him a sympathetic smile and faced Urien.

“Gawain has a fever and—”

“Aye, the fever bred of lust,” Fergus muttered, hugging his wife to him.

Morghe shot him an annoyed look. “When was the last time lust robbed you of strength, my lord Fergus?” When that netted no answer but a glare, she addressed Urien. “Clearly, something he ate or drank put him into this state and made him lose control over his baser urges. I propose—”

“’Twas your selfsame cup he drank from!” shrieked Caitleen.

“Indeed. Perhaps traditions are different among your people. I am not in the habit of poisoning my blood kin.” Gawain couldn’t figure out why a look of discomfiture flashed across Urien’s face at that, but his head was aching too much to expend anymore thought on the matter. “Furthermore,” Morghe continued, “what reason could I possibly possess to disrupt my own festivities in this deplorable manner?”

“I do hope, Chieftainess Morghe, that ye are not suggesting that me wife did anything to bring this upon herself. That would be most unfortunate to our new alliance.”

Urien rose from his tall-backed chair. “No one is suggesting anything of the kind, Lord Fergus. Neither is anyone denying the harm done to your lovely lady wife. What may appease you, other than Gawain’s death?”

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All this month, you are invited to...
— Follow Kim on Twitter
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... and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. Please enter often, and good luck!

Friday, January 8, 2016

Name Your Poison: Wolfbane by @Liza0Connor Victorian #murdermystery and #giveaway

Characters in many of my books are accomplished herbalists, which includes knowing how to prepare and administer poisons. I employ creative ways to keep those details vague, even though I could impart the information, mainly because I'd rather not make it easy on anyone wanting to, say, do away with an annoying spouse.

My author-friend Liza O'Connor, whose latest release is the Sherlock-esque The Darkest Days, is a lot braver than I am. :D


Until the twentieth century, Wolfbane (aka Aconite, Monkshood) was the deadliest poison known. And there is still no antidote even now.

To kill someone in eight minutes you need to drop the crystalized form into alcohol and get the person you clearly do not like to drink it. The trick is to not to let the person throw up, which their body will try to do.

I have an entire blog on what will happen next, and it’s pretty gruesome. http://www.lizaoconnor.com/2014/11/name-your-poison-how-about-aconite.html

Wolfbane, aka Monkshood and Aconite.
Fortunately for Barns, he only got the powder (made from the root and leaves) on his hand, which Xavier quickly washed, thus, while weakened presently, he’ll make a full recovery.

The Darkest Days by Liza O'Connor

Synopsis

When the pot has too many cooks a feast can be ruined, and that’s exactly what happens with Xavier and Vic’s new cases. Each proves more complicated than initially thought with criminals dropping out of the sky, wreaking havoc upon Xavier, Vic, and their excellent employees. By the end, Vic threatens to open a school that teaches criminals how to stay out of each other’s way.

Worse yet, a treasured member of the staff is shot in the heart while attempting to save Vic and the Queen’s cousin.


Once Tubs verified the hall clear of any other problems, he approached the housekeeper. “I got this.” He focused on the woman. “You don’t have to die tonight,” he said softly. “Just face the wall and put your hands behind your back.”

“You stay away from me or I’m calling the police,” she warned.

Tubs stepped forward, causing her to back away from Barn’s body. He reached down and felt Barns’ neck, never taking his eyes off her. “He’s still alive, but his pulse is weak.”

“I didn’t touch the boy,” the housekeeper insisted. “He was like that when I opened the door.”

“Tubs, you secure the housekeeper. I’ll tend to Barns.”

Tubs shifted his position so he stood between Vic and the woman easing towards the front door.

Vic had every confidence Tubs would not let the woman escape, so she focused on Barns. The boy showed no sign of bleeding, but Tubs was right, his heart was weakening. The moment the woman broke for the door, Tubs slammed her against it, wrenching both arms behind her back and securing them with handcuffs, He then searched her for weapons, finding nothing. He pulled a handkerchief from her apron pocket. He smelled it then pressed it to the woman’s nose. “What is this?”

The woman struggled to pull away from the cloth. “I don’t know what that is. I’ve never seen it before. You must have put it in my pocket.”

Vic grabbed her cuffed hands and jabbed a prick underneath a fingernail. The woman fell to her knees as she howled in pain. “What did you give him?” Vic yelled over her howls.

“Wolfbane,” she cried.

Vic withdrew the prick. “If he dies, I’ll torture you for weeks,” she warned.

I don't "monetize" my blog by displaying ads,
but I do include Amazon affiliate links.
Thanks for your patronage! :)
Book 6
Free with Amazon Kindle Unlimited

Need to catch up?

Book 1
The Troublesome Apprentice
The greatest sleuth in Victorian England hires a young man
who turns out to be a young woman.

Book 2
The Missing Partner
Opps! The greatest sleuth in Victorian England goes missing,
leaving Vic to rescue him, a suffragette, and about 100 servants.
Not to mention an eviscerating cat.
Yes, let’s not mention the cat.

Book 2.5
A Right to Love
A romantic detour for Jacko.
Want to see how amply rewarded Jacko was when he & Vic
save an old woman from Bedlam?

Book 3
The Mesmerist
The Mesmerist can control people from afar and make them murder for her. Worse yet, Xavier Thorn has fallen under her spell.

Book 4
Well Kept Secrets
The problems with secrets is that they always come to light,
no matter how you wish to silence them.

Book 5
Pack of Trouble
Changes are a part of life, but these changes almost kill Vic.

All Xavier & Vic books are Free with Amazon Kindle Unlimited


Liza O’Connor was raised badly by feral cats, left the South/Midwest and wandered off to find nicer people on the east coast. There she worked for the meanest man on Wall Street, while her psychotic husband tried to kill her three times. (So much for finding nicer people.) Then one day she declared enough, got a better job, divorced her husband, and fell in love with her new life where people behaved nicely. But all those bad behaviors has given her lots of fodder for her humorous books. Please buy these books, because otherwise, she’ll become grumpy and write troubled novels instead. They will likely traumatize you.

You have been warned.

More mostly humorous books by Liza:

Ghost Lover—Two British brothers fall in love with the same young woman. Ancestral ghost is called in to fix the situation. And there’s a ghost cat that roams about the book as well. (Humorous Contemporary Romance)

Saving Casey—Cass wakes up in the body of a troubled teen who has burned every bridge imaginable. Her only choice is to turn this life around, but that’s much harder than she ever imagined.

Untamed & Unabashed—The youngest of the Bennet sisters, Lydia, tells her story. A faithful spinoff from Pride & Prejudice.

A Long Road to Love Series: (Humorous Contemporary odd Romance)

Worst Week Ever — Laugh out loud week of disasters of Epic proportions.

Oh Stupid Heart — The heart wants what it wants, even if it’s impossible.

Coming to Reason — There is a breaking point when even a saint comes to reason.

Climbing out of Hell — The reconstruction of a terrible man into a great one.

The Hardest Love — Is to love oneself. Sam’s story.


FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT

LIZA O'CONNOR

Investigate these sites:

Liza's Blog and Website | Facebook | Twitter |



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Enter for chances to win a prize in this massive multi-author giveaway!
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All this month, you are invited to...
— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow
... and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. Please enter often, and good luck!