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Thursday 28 April 2022

My Coffee Pot Guest Today : J R Tomlin The Douglas Bastard

 (A sequel to The Black Douglas Trilogy)


Welcome to my Blog!
Wander through wonderful worlds
real and fictional,
meet interesting people,
visit exciting places
and find a few good books
to enjoy along the way!


About the Book

Book Title: The Douglas Bastard
Series: (A sequel to The Black Douglas Trilogy)
Author: J R Tomlin
Publication Date: 26th April 2022
Publisher: Albannach Publishing
Genre: Historical Fiction

The Black Douglas is dead. With Scotland's greatest knight no more, the throne is up for grabs as enemies try to devour the kingdom.

An orphaned youth returning from exile, Archibald, the Black Douglas's bastard son, fights for a land being torn apart from within and without. If Archibald is to survive, he must learn to sleep with a claymore in his hand and one eye open because even his closest friend might betray him...

This is an adventure set in the bloody Second Scottish War of Independence when Scot-land's very survival is in question.

Read An Excerpt

After splashing my face and hands, I pulled on my good blue wool chausses, tying them to the belt of my breeches, donned my good tunic that went to mid-thigh, and pulled a comb through the snarls in my black hair. Black like my father’s. I smiled.
Tall towers flanked both sides of the gate to the inner bailey, but the gate was open. It was a typical late morning, a servant trod to the kitchen with a large goose under each arm, a boy was scooping up piles of horseshit, a big-bellied priest rushed toward the latrine tower, and on each side of the door to the keep stood a guard holding a pike. 
One of the guards opened the thick oaken door. The antechamber was empty, but people were talking in the great hall, a vast room with white walls painted with frescoes of knights fighting. King David was smiling as he stood talking with Sir William of Liddesdale. He wore a fine silk tunic belted low around his hips with a silver hilted dagger hanging in the front. With them were a score of men, most of whom I knew. 
Sir William saw me but continued talking, so I circled the room until I was close enough to listen. Sir Malcolm Fleming, David's foster father, raised an eyebrow and the king sent me a sympathetic smile. I lowered my eyes so I would look like a well-behaved page and stood quietly. Fleming went back to speaking in a low voice to Robert the Keith, the Marischal. 
"Your return should be soon, Your Grace. We have discussed it much at home and feel that you should return as soon as you are seventeen—a good age to begin to lead in some of the fighting," Sir William said.
"I agree, Liddesdale," Sir Malcolm put in. "But we have much planning to do first.”
Pierre Roger, Bishop of Arras, nodded. His shimmering red cloak flowed to his ankles above his black cassock. I wouldn’t mind having a cloak like that. But not by being a priest!
"I think I am ready. King Philip even let me join him when he rode to defend Cambrai." The King furrowed his brow in a disappointed look. "The English ran, so there was no fighting.”
"You will have more chances to fight them, sire, I can promise—in only another year or two when you come home. In the meantime, we expect to retake Perth and Edinburgh for you." Sir William turned to a powerfully built man, lean with a stern face marked by a scar across his cheek, and said, "Sieur Arnoul, I have not thanked you sufficiently for your news. Men-at-arms and crossbowmen both! I would I had time to go to Paris to express my gratitude to King Philip.”
The Frenchman inclined his head slightly in reply. "I believe we will give the English an interesting surprise.”
"I should be there," David said, still frowning. “I must show my people that I am nae afraid to fight.” 
Fleming gave the King a fond look. "I am sure if there is more fighting in France, the King will invite you to join him again.”
"Forbye, Your Grace, that gives us time to increase your skills," Robert the Keith added. "And there will be a tournament in Paris for you to ride in next month.”
David's face lit up at the mention of a tournament. "That will be braw." He turned back to Sir William. "Are there tournaments in Scotland?”
"Between we Scots, not often, sire, as we are too busy fighting the English, but we often arrange a tournament with our enemies when there is a truce." His slight smile had a feral cast. "Sometimes au outrance.”
"Truly?" The King's eyes widened. "Have you done so?”
"Only once to the death, sire. The English seem wary of jousting with me, and truces are not so common that I often have the chance. This attack on Perth is more likely to allow me to show the point of my sword to an Englishman.”
"My men and wagons of arms and armor will leave for Boulogne on the morrow," Sieur Arnoul said. "I suggest that we follow the next day. We will want to move as quickly and secretly as possible.”
"You fear traitors?" Abbot William Dalgarnock of Kelso, the King's tutor, asked.
"Fear? No, I would not say fear, but it is always possible that someone, a merchant mayhap, would profit by selling information to the English. We will take no chances.”
Sir William gave a sharp nod. "Then we are agreed.”
I shifted and stared hard at the knight, willing him to remember his promise. 
"I have not forgotten, lad," he said, sounding amused. 
Everyone looked at me. My face burned, but I stood straight with my shoulders back, trying as hard as I could to look older.
"He wants to join my service as my page." Sir William brushed his lips with his hand. "He is my cousin's git, after all, so fostering him is a family obligation. One I do not mind taking on.”
"But . . ." David wrinkled his brow. "If it is too dangerous for me, it must be for him as well.”
"No one will be looking to capture him as they would you, sire. Despite his father's fame." He tilted his head and gave me a considering look. "A love-bairn with no father must make his own way in the world, and I can teach him how to do that." 
The Keith cleared his throat. "His father was my good-brother and a comrade-in-arms. He would want a good start for the lad.”
"James isnae here, but I will do the best that I can for him.”
My face grew even hotter as they talked about me as though I could not hear. I gripped my hands into fists. If I spoke up, the men would say I would do as I was told, but David motioned for me to come closer. 
"What say you, Archie?" King David drew his brows together and pushed his hair off his forehead. "Do you want to join his service?”
"Aye." I could not contain my grin and a little bounce. "I do.”
"Och, it may be a hard place to learn." He still looked doubtful. "But he is your sire's cousin after all.”
"Sir William is the only family with a castle presently to take him in for training. Hugh Douglas"—Sir Malcolm grimaced—"absolutely would not do, and the other William, his cousin, is too young. When we return to Scotland, some decision would have to be made regarding the lad anyroad, so I suggest you allow it, Your Grace.”
"That is good, then." The King looked down at the dagger hanging from his belt and pulled it from its sheath. He held it out to me hilt first. "A gift, lad. For luck.”
It had a long blade and a silver hilt, and I bowed deeply as I stroked it. A laugh tried to bubble up, but I was afraid King David would be offended, so I swallowed it down. I felt as though I was glowing, as though my happiness must beam from me. "When you return, I can serve you too, Your Grace." 
David’s eyes crinkled in a smile. 
"I will. You will see.”
"You're a good lad, Archie." Sir Malcolm patted my shoulder. "Go pack your things.”
When I reached our chamber, Will greeted me with a grin. "You broke his nose! Now he sounds like a pig snorting when he talks. But are you in trouble?”
I gave him a shove on the shoulder. "If I am, it's the best kind. I'm leaving for Scotland with one of my cousins, the Knight of Liddesdale.”
Will's eyes widened. "Will they let you fight?”
"I will be a page, so they will try to stop me." I laughed, not able to contain it. "But I heard them talking. Everyone will be going home soon, so soon we can fight together. It will be braw. It will be the brawest thing that ever happened!”
A servant entered carrying a new cloak and two new tunics as a parting gift from Sir Malcolm, and I began stuffing my few possessions into a canvas bag.


About the Author

J. R. Tomlin is the author of nineteen historical novels.

She has close ties with Scotland since her father was a native Scot, and she spent substantial time in Edinburgh while growing up. Her historical novels are set for the most part in Scotland. Her love of that nation is traced from the stories of Robert the Bruce and the Good Sir James her grandmother read to her when she was small, to hillwalking through the Cairngorms where the granite hills have a gorgeous red glow under the setting sun. Later, her writing was influenced by Alexander Dumas, Victor Hugo, Nigel Tranter, and Sir Walter Scott.

When JR isn't writing, she enjoys hiking, playing with her Westie, and killing monsters in computer games. In addition to spending time in Scotland, she has traveled in the US, Eu-rope, and the Pacific Rim. She now lives in Oregon.

Website: jrtomlin.com



Follow the Tour
Twitter Handles: @JRTomlinAuthor @maryanneyarde
Instagram Handle: @coffeepotbookclub
Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #Scotland #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub



note: Helen has not yet read this title - it is on her TBR list

*** *** 

You might also like 

books written by Helen Hollick 

Website: https://helenhollick.net/

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick 

~~ ~ ~ ~ 

The SEA WITCH VOYAGES
nautical adventures set during the Golden Age of Piracy

If you liked Pirates Of The Caribbean?
then you'll love the Sea Witch Voyages!
Amazon:
 https://viewbook.at/SeaWitch

* * *
THE SAXON SERIES
the events that led to 1066
the Battle of Hastings

1066 - the events that led to the
Battle of Hastings
from Amazon
Harold the King (UK edition)
I Am The Chosen King (US/Canada edition)
1066 Turned Upside Down -
an anthology of alternative stories

* * *

KING ARTHUR

A post-Roman warlord and the story
of King Arthur
The boy who became a man
The Man who became a King
The King who became a legend
Book One of the Pendragon's Banner Trilogy
The Kingmaking 


Plus many more...
fiction, non-fiction

~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Discovering Diamonds

For readers and writers of Historical Fiction 

Writers... Are you seeking good reviews for your novels? 

Readers... Are you looking for good Historical Fiction to enjoy?

Discovering Diamonds offers the opportunity to have genuine reviews FOR FREE. Our reviewers are a mixture of experienced authors, librarians and editors. While we do not guarantee to review every book submitted we will post 4 or 5 star reviews on our website, Amazon UK and Goodreads. 

We do not post negative reviews and we are not a critique service - just genuine reviewers keen to promote quality historical fiction. 

We only accept e-files (mobi or PDF) more information here:

https://discoveringdiamonds.blogspot.com/p/submissions.html

https://discoveringdiamonds.blogspot.com/


Tuesday 26 April 2022

My coffee pot guest today: Lelita Baldock: Where the Gulls Fall Silent


Welcome to my Blog!
Wander through wonderful worlds
real and fictional,
meet interesting people,
visit exciting places
and find a few good books
to enjoy along the way!

Read an Excerpt

Where the Gulls Fall Silent 

The sky was heavy with gathering clouds, the air thick with the promise of storm. Sleet fell from high, melting onto the earth in pools of icy mud as the town gathered together for the walk to Sunday Service at St Endellion Church. Weather like this, a harbinger of snow, would usually keep some indoors to pray in private. But after the failure of the last two seasons’ fish run and the coming winter winds, being on God’s good side seemed prudent.

Even Peren had come out, swinging from the wooden crutches Kenver had made him the winter before, finally using them to leave his home with his family.

Kerensa smiled at him and Emblyn as they joined the rest of the town on the bayside ready to leave. Lately they’d taken to walking together, as though their act of unison could hold the town together. Their numbers had dwindled further since last winter.

Braneh and Meraud started towards the town. Cardor behind them talking with Eseld. It would not be long before they wed, Kerensa thought with an all too rare flash of joy. Their mutual adoration was obvious and strong. Next came Derwa, arms full of baby, her fourth, a boy once again. Kenver beside her wrangled their third boy, while Breock dutifully held Bobbie’s small hand and guided his brother. Beside her Rewan offered Kerensa his arm and they turned to follow.

A cry, clear and bright pierced the air. As one the town turned back towards the bay. High atop the cliff stood the Huer, bushels raised and swinging in the morning gloom. “Hevva! Hevva!” he cried, pointing his Semaphore bushes out over the sea. Unconsciously, Rewan stepped forward, muscles tense. The bay’s curve hid the waters beyond, but the call of the gulls as they flew out over the cliffs echoed back to Kerensa’s ears.

Pilchards.

Her breath caught in her throat. It had been weeks since the Huer last cried. The town all but resigned to an early end of a trying and unprofitable run. And now, pilchards.

But it was the Sabbath.

Silence fell like a blanket over the group.

Everyone waited, tense. A silent and collective decision that it was Rewan’s call.

She watched the side of Rewan’s face as he looked out over the bay. His eyes scanned, the muscle of his jaw pulsing as he fought an inner battle no one could hear, nor fully understand. Only Rewan knew the deal he’d made with God last winter.

The world seemed to stop, as if the waves themselves held back in wait.

“We go,” Rewan announced firmly, turning back to the town. “It is a big haul, the gulls prove it. This, this is what we’ve waited for!”

No one moved.

Kerensa gripped his arm, whispered into his ear. “It smells of snow, of storm.”

He looked down into her eyes, “This is it my flower,” he said. “The run to bring us through the winter, the run to save our home.”

“You are my home,” she insisted.

His lopsided grin broke out across his face, a genuine light of mirth shining from his eyes, all too rare these last months. “Do you think I won’t come back for you?” he whispered, then winked at her and kissed her quickly on the mouth.

“We go!” he cried again, raising his fist to the sky, “To fill our barrels and our stomachs, to prepare for winter, for ourselves. For Porth Gwynn!”

“For Porth Gwynn,” Cardor took up the call and stepped forward. 

“For us all,” Kenver said, joining his crewmate. 

A ripple of energy surged through the crowd as all the men stepped forward at once, eyes eager, bodies tense, ready.

“Pray for us, wives, mothers, daughters,” Rewan said solemnly, “and prepare for a long night in the sheds! There will be feasting tonight! Come men, the fish won’t wait.”

With a cry of hope and determination the men raced forward as one, heading for their boats resting on the beach. The women, children and older men watched as their fishermen pulled woollen jumpers over their Sunday shirts, hefted their vessels from the sand and carried them to the rising tide. Arms straining, they rowed against the heavy currents, the waves in the bay already high with the promise of storm, out towards the open ocean.

Kerensa became aware of a presence beside her. She looked up into Braneh’s weathered face, lines deepened by worry. “It smells of storm,” she repeated to the old fisherman.

“Yes,” he said simply, watching the boat that held his remaining two sons as it streaked for the sea beyond. He said no more, there was nothing to say.

Unable to contain the anxious swirling in her gut, Kerensa rushed for the cliff. Hobbling up the steep incline she climbed until she reached the Huer’s hut and walked out to the edge. Down below the waves surged, tipped with white foam. Overhead the gulls flew, circling a spot far out over the waters, on the edge of her vision. She watched as the white canvas of the sailboats bloomed out from the vessels and the boats surged forward, crashing through the heavy swell. Fog was gathering in the north, rolling down the coast across the waves, but the boats sailed on. Hugging herself against the vicious winds that lashed the cliff face and against her own sense of doom, Kerensa watched until the boats disappeared beyond the fog, until the sun tipped over the top of the sky, until the rain began to pelt the earth, until darkness, moonless and deep, fell over the town.


About the author

Lelita Baldock is an author of historical fiction and crime fiction.
She has a passion for dark stories, with an unexpected twist.

It was during her years studying English Literature at University that Lelita discovered her love of all things reading and writing. But it would be another 15 years before she would take up the challenge and write her own novel.

Her debut novel, the historical fiction Widow's Lace, is an Amazon best-seller.

Her follow up, The Unsound Sister, saw her take a different direction in her writing, trying her hand at crime fiction and has been warmly received globally.

Her third novel, Where the Gulls Fall Silent, a traditional historical fiction set in mid-1800s Cornwall, is out now.

Lelita also runs a blog and newsletter featuring fellow authors and other creatives.

Social Media Links:

Amazon Author Page: 



About the Book

Book Title:  Where the Gulls Fall Silent
Author: Lelita Baldock
Publication Date: 28th October 2021
Publisher: Independently Published
Page Length:  231 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

A small fishing village, a shunned healer, her daughter, tradition, superstition and a world set to change.

Kerensa lives with her mother, the healer Meliora, on the edge of a small fishing community on the Cornish Coast.

The townsfolk, who work the fish runs of pilchard and mackerel that make their way up the Atlantic coast, call on her mother for help with their ailments, but never for her company.

Kerensa does not know why.

Curses and superstitions whisper around her as she grows into a competent young woman, fighting for her place amongst the people of Porth Gwynn.

But what has caused the rift between her and the town?

And can their traditional way of life survive in the face of changing winds?

Where the Gulls Fall Silent is an historical fiction that explores the lives of the fishermen and women who made their living from the rough Atlantic Ocean; the hardship they faced; the secrets that divided them; and the community spirit that pulled them through.

A story of love, loss, hope and second chances.


Trigger Warnings:
Adult themes, mentioned sexual assault

Buy Links:

Available on #KindleUnlimited



Follow the Tour
Twitter Handles: @LelitaBaldock @maryanneyarde
Instagram Handles: @LelitaBaldockWrites @coffeepotbookclub
Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #WheretheGullsFallSilent 
#BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub
Tour Schedule Page: 



note: Helen has not yet read this title - it is on her TBR list though!

*** *** 

You might also like 

books written by Helen Hollick 

Website: https://helenhollick.net/

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick 

 
The Jan Christopher Cosy Mysteries
set in the 1970s


~~ ~ ~ ~ 

A prequel novella - how Jesamiah Acorne became a pirate 
new edition with new additional scenes
and now in paperback and e-book on Amazon

* * *

ANTHOLOGIES

Amazon: FREE ebook!


NON-FICTION


Amazon: https://mybook.to/Smugglers
e-book only


Plus many more...
fiction, non-fiction


~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Discovering Diamonds

For readers and writers of Historical Fiction 

Writers... Are you seeking good reviews for your novels? 

Readers... Are you looking for good Historical Fiction to enjoy?

Discovering Diamonds offers the opportunity to have genuine reviews FOR FREE. Our reviewers are a mixture of experienced authors, librarians and editors. While we do not guarantee to review every book submitted we will post 4 or 5 star reviews on our website, Amazon UK and Goodreads. 

We do not post negative reviews and we are not a critique service - just genuine reviewers keen to promote quality historical fiction. 

We only accept e-files (mobi or PDF) more information here:

https://discoveringdiamonds.blogspot.com/p/submissions.html

https://discoveringdiamonds.blogspot.com/


Thursday 21 April 2022

My Coffee Pot Guest: A Ha’penny Will Do by Alison Huntingford


Welcome to my Blog!
Wander through wonderful worlds
real and fictional,
meet interesting people,
visit exciting places
and find a few good books
to enjoy along the way!


A spotlight on...


A Ha’penny Will Do by Alison Huntingford
Publication Date: 31st January 2022     Publisher: Austin Macauley
Page Length: 368 Pages      Genre: Historical Fiction

About the Book

Love, dreams and destitution.

Three members of one family are linked by their struggle to survive poverty and war at the turn of the century. Kate, a homesick, lonely Irish immigrant, dreams of being a writer.  After difficult times in Liverpool she comes to London looking for a better life.  Hoping to escape from a life of domestic service into marriage and motherhood, she meets charming rogue William Duffield.  Despite her worries about his uncertain temperament, she becomes involved with him. Will it be an escape or a prison?

Fred is a restless elder son, devoted to his mother yet locked in a tempestuous relationship with his father.  War intervenes and he secretly signs up to serve abroad. Is his bad reputation deserved?  What will become of him?

Joe, too young to sign up for WW1, is left to endure the hardships of war on the home front and deal with his own guilt at not being able to serve.  He starts an innocent friendship with his sister-in-law which sustains him through hard times.  Will he survive the bombs, the riots, the rationing and find true love in the end?

These are their intertwined and interlocking stories recreated through the medium of diaries, letters and personal recollections, based on the author’s family history covering the period of 1879 – 1920. The truth is never plain and rarely simple. This novel is a fresh and compelling look at life for the working-class poor in England at the end of the Victorian era.  Covering issues such as the struggle for home rule in Ireland, the hardships of domestic service, marital strife, the suffragettes and the horrors of World War 1 on the home front and abroad, this is a realistic and gripping tale which keeps the reader involved in their human plight all the way.

Buy:
Universal Amazon Link: https://books2read.com/u/bo8A81
About the Author

Alison Huntingford has a degree in humanities with literature, and has always enjoyed reading, especially, the great writers of the 19th century. She is an only child of two only children and so has always felt a distinct lack of family. This has inspired her to research her family history and most of her writing is based on this. Her debut novel, The Glass Bulldog, was published in 2019, and was nominated for the Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction. This is her second full length novel, although, she has also written several short stories.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their pets, listening to music, going to the cinema, and gardening.  She lives in Devon, on the edge of Dartmoor.

Social Media Links

Website: https://alisonhuntingford.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ahuntingford9

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ahuntingford9/

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-huntingford-792a5829/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahuntingford9/

Amazon Author Page: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B09D8JDJ49

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19175307.Alison_Huntingford

Follow The Tour:

Twitter Handle: @ahuntingford9 @maryanneyarde

Instagram Handles: @ahuntingford9 @coffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub





note: Helen has not yet read this title - it is on her TBR list 

*** *** 

You might also like 

books written by Helen Hollick 

Website: https://helenhollick.net/

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick 

 
The Jan Christopher Cosy Mysteries
set in the 1970s

buy from Amazon
https://getbook.at/MirrorMurder

~~ ~ ~ ~ 

The SEA WITCH VOYAGES
nautical adventures set during the Golden Age of Piracy

If you liked Pirates Of The Caribbean?
then you'll love the Sea Witch Voyages!
Amazon:
 https://viewbook.at/SeaWitch


A prequel novella - how Jesamiah Acorne became a pirate 
new edition with new additional scenes
and now in paperback and e-book on Amazon

* * *

With RICHARD TEARLE


ANTHOLOGIES

Amazon: FREE ebook!


Plus many more...
fiction, non-fiction


~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Discovering Diamonds

For readers and writers of Historical Fiction 

Writers... Are you seeking good reviews for your novels? 

Readers... Are you looking for good Historical Fiction to enjoy?

Discovering Diamonds offers the opportunity to have genuine reviews FOR FREE. Our reviewers are a mixture of experienced authors, librarians and editors. While we do not guarantee to review every book submitted we will post 4 or 5 star reviews on our website, Amazon UK and Goodreads. 

We do not post negative reviews and we are not a critique service - just genuine reviewers keen to promote quality historical fiction. 

We only accept e-files (mobi or PDF) more information here:

https://discoveringdiamonds.blogspot.com/p/submissions.html

https://discoveringdiamonds.blogspot.com/