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| Welcome to my Blog! Wander through worlds real and fictional, meet interesting people, visit exciting places and find good books to enjoy along the way! |
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| About the Book |
Book Title: Esperanza’s Way
Series: The Seekers Series, Book 2
Author: Cindy Burkart Maynard
Publication Date: June 13, 2023
Publisher: Historium Press
Page Length: 262
Genre: Historical Fiction
Motivated by the memory of her mother dying in her arms, Esperanza resolves that she will one day walk the halls of the Scola Medica at Salerno and train to become a healer. Fate brought Amika, a talented herbalist, into her life and helped Esperanza take her first steps toward gaining the knowledge that would fulfill her dream. Unfortunately, a tragic accident forced Esperanza to flee Amika's home. Her journey toward finding the path to success is littered with stumbling blocks, some more difficult to avoid than she expected.
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| Read An Excerpt |
ESPERANZA’S WAY – EXCERPT #5
The city of Napoli
shimmered in the late season sunshine. The desperate, cloying heat of summer
had abated from a full boil to a subtle simmer. Ships and vessels of all sorts
crowded the harbor, bobbing on the sun-drenched sea. Hulking cogs, like
Ibrahim’s ship, rested their flat bottoms on the harbor’s soft seabed, their
square sales furled tightly against their masts. Sweating men groaned under
heavy loads as they descended the gangway. The sounds of shouting in many
languages were like lyrics of a song in which the creaking boards of ships
provided the bass notes, and seagulls shrieking above sang soprano. The
triangular sails of dhows hung limp after their voyage from the Red Sea and
eastern Arabia to Napoli’s bustling port. . .
A hand on
Esperanza’s shoulder startled her back into reality. A robust man in a short,
royal blue tunic and finely woolen hose loomed over her. Around his neck hung a
thick gold chain with gold fleur de lis pendant. The footman’s firm hand gently
steered her toward an ornate carriage. This can’t be happening, she
thought as it jerked forward, propelled by four strong horses. Curiosity
overcame anxiety as they climbed higher up the slopes of Vesuvius, the sleeping
volcano. Deep green olive groves gave way to aromatic lemon trees and fields of
rye and barley.
The peasant
cottages, though simple, were not hovels, and many of their occupants paused,
leaning on their hoes, to watch them pass by. They looked healthy, with ruddy
complexions and leathery skin from laboring under the powerful Neapolitan sun.
She did not stop gaping at the scenery until they slowed to a halt at an
imposing stone tower that marked the entrance to the small village adjoining
the villa. A lone guard swung open a wrought iron gate and Esperanza’s carriage
rolled into the village.
The carriage
jostled its way over the cobblestones, through the village square, and down a
narrow street to a stone tower, identical to the one through which they just
passed, to the far side of town. As they rumbled along, townspeople called to
the driver.
“Hey, Paolino!
What are you delivering to the Signore today? Is she as beautiful as the last
one?”
“Ciao, Paolino,
your family will expect you at eight bells. Don’t be late like you were the
last time.”
“Paolino, you
devil,” A saucy black-eyed beauty tossed her abundant wavy tresses over her
shoulder as she cast him a provocative sidelong glance. “Later, si?”
Paolino didn’t
respond to any of them, just kept his eyes focused on the tower gate. Once
outside the walls of the village Esperanza caught sight of the villa, perched
on the volcano’s flanks, a short distance above town on a well-traveled trail.
“And this,” he
said, gesturing to the elegant edifice, “is where you will live.” Inside, a
bustling town square, a church, and a scattering of shops, and residences
huddled in the midday sun.
Buy Links:
Universal Link – Esperanza’s Way (Book 2):
Universal Buy Link – Finding the Way (Book 1):
About the author:
Cindy Burkart Maynard is passionate about history, and the natural world, a passion that adds rich detail and context to her historical fiction novels. Her characters come to life on the page as they portray what it was like to live in another time and place. She weaves compelling, dramatic stories based on strong characters facing daunting challenges. She has co-authored two nonfiction works about the Colorado Plateau and the Desert Southwest and contributed articles to Images and Colorado Life Magazines. She has been a Volunteer Naturalist for Boulder County for more than twenty years, and served as a Docent at the Sonora Arizona Desert Museum in Tucson, AZ
Awards:
Colorado Authors League Award Winner for Western Literature
Women Writing the West Award Finalist
WILLA Literary Award finalist for soft cover fiction.
Readers’ Favorite Five Star Author
Winner of the Marie M. Irvine award for Literary Excellence
Professional Affiliations:
Historical Novel Society of North America
Lighthouse Writers
Women’s Fiction Writers Association
Colorado Authors League
Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers
Authors Guild
Social Media Links:
Website:
https://www.cindyburkartmaynard.com/bio
Publisher author page:
https://www.thehistoricalfictioncompany.com/cindy-burkart-maynard
Twitter:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/CindyBurkartMaynardAuthor
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/cmaynardre/
Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Cindy-Maynard/author/B07NLKS41B
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14235001.Cindy_Burkart_Maynard
Twitter Handles: @LgmtBird @cathiedunn
Instagram Handles: @cmaynardre @thecoffeepotbookclub
Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #Spain #womansjourney
#BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub
Blog Tour Page:
https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/06/blog-tour-esperanzas-way.html
You might also like
books written by Helen Hollick
Website: https://helenhollick.net/
Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick
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A prequel novella - how Jesamiah Acorne became a pirate COFFEE POT BOOK CLUB ANNUAL AWARD 2022  |
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Thank you for hosting Cindy Burkart Maynard today, Helen! Much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteCathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club
Thanks Cathy, my pleasure!
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