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| BUY on AMAZON https://mybook.to/StoriesOfExile (e-book) US paperback link: https://tinyurl.com/yp8q5ylb |
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| graphic by Marian L Thorpe |
Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is a USA celebration, but we all have something to be thankful for, whether it be small or large, personal or wider-spread. For myself, I am thankful for the ability to read - and the abundance of books available from the local library, a bookstore or at the touch of a one-click button.
Fiction and the characters within novels were my friends during the years of growing up, those years when I had few real friends or the confidence to find them. Stories took me to new lands, new adventures, new worlds, new eras - and rarely let me down... they still do these things, of course, except now I am also discovering my own characters and their worlds.
I am thankful for the joy of writing - and reading. Thankful for the readers who delve into the stories I write, and thankful for the expanse of imagination that has been gifted to me me - and to all writers of fiction. Where would we be without stories and wonderful readers or listeners to share them with?
Thank you, therefore, to you all!
Helen Hollick
HISTORICAL STORIES
of
EXILE
A collection of short stories by thirteen (non-superstitious)
award-winning authors
in order of appearance
Annie Whitehead, J.G. Harlond, Helen Hollick, Anna Belfrage, Elizabeth Chadwick, Loretta Livingstone, Elizabeth St.John, Alison Morton, Charlene Newcomb,
Marian L Thorpe, Amy Maroney, Cathie Dunn, Cryssa Bazos
with an introduction by Deborah Swift
Exile: a risky defiance, a perilous journey, a family’s tragic choice – or an individual’s final gamble to live. Exile: voluntary or enforced, a falling-out between friends, a lost first love, a prejudiced betrayal – or the only way to survive persecution?
In this historical fiction anthology thirteen authors (they are not superstitious!) have written exclusive short stories on the theme of exile.
Some are based on true history, others are speculative fiction. All mine the depths of human emotions – fear, hope, love, and the fortitude to survive.
TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
ON SHINING WINGS
by Marian L Thorpe
A grandfather is reminiscing with his grandchildren about his younger days and the time when he found a special falcon...
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| read a snippet: |
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, 1265
“Tell us again,” my oldest grandchild begs. Outside, the snow is falling, but it is tolerably warm close to the hearth. Winters are for stories, and while they’ve heard this one many a time, I’ll do as he asks. He is English, this boy and his brothers and sisters. I am too, I suppose, but once I wasn’t.
“The voyage came first,” I begin. “Cold it was, and dangerous. Waves that drenched us, and wind so strong the oarsmen couldn’t keep us on course.”
“Were there sea monsters?” The middle boy’s eyes are huge in the firelight.
“Ja, of a sort. Hvalir. Whales. Bigger than the ship.” I spread my arms wide. “Enormous! And when they surfaced beside us, ahh, the smell of their breath!”
The children giggle as I pretend to gag. Across the hearth, my son smiles, but at his children’s amusement. He’s heard this story so many times he could tell it himself.
“It took us five days to reach Iceland.” I resume the story. “And more to travel along the coast to the north, where the falcons are.”
In my mind I am there again, seventeen, thinking myself a man. My father chose me to accompany him on this task for King Haakon...
AUTHOR’S NOTE
The title On Shining Wings is taken from the song King of Rome by Dave Sudbury. If you don’t know it, it’s about another working man and the bird he loves – in his case a homing pigeon. A true story, while it didn’t inspire my story here, it shaped how it was told, and it’s well worth listening to.
On Shining Wings - The King of Rome
ABOUT MARIAN L THORPE
Taught to read at the age of three, words have been central to Marian’s life for as long as she can remember. A novelist, poet, and essayist, Marian has several degrees, none of which are related to writing. After two careers as a research scientist and an educator, she retired from salaried work and returned to writing things that weren’t research papers or reports.
Marian’s first published work was poetry, in small journals; her first novel was released in 2015. Her award-winning Empire’s Legacy series is historical fiction of another world, based to some extent on northern Europe after the decline of Rome.
In addition to her novels, Marian has read poetry, short stories, and non-fiction work at writers’ festivals and other juried venues.
Her other two passions in life are birding and landscape history, both of which are reflected in her books. Birding has taken her and her husband to all seven continents, but these days she's mostly content to move between Canada and the UK.
This is (alternative) historical fiction at its best; a credible story, believable characters and a superb consistency of setting and action.' Northern Reader Reviews
Website: https://marianlthorpe.com/
Buy Marian’s books on Amazon: https://relinks.me/MarianLThorpe
(Also available from other online stores or order from any bookshop.)
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| https://marianlthorpe.com |
Lena of Tirvan has a choice to make: in the face of invasion, does she help defend her country, or choose banishment with her lover? Women have never fought in Lena's world: they farm and fish, make cheese and wine, and raise children. All men and boys, from the age of seven, are part of the military. But when the Emperor asks women to defend their villages against the catboats of Leste, Lena must decide where her loyalties lie. A unique blend of historical and speculative fiction, Empire's Daughter can be read as a standalone, or as an introduction to the epic saga of Empire's Legacy.
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| BUY on AMAZON https://mybook.to/StoriesOfExile (e-book) US paperback link: https://tinyurl.com/yp8q5ylb |
A beautiful story, Marian. I love birds and this really captured the spirit of the falcon.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Loretta!
DeleteA wonderfully atmospheric story Marian!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Annie!
DeleteThank you, Helen, for this post and for everything you've done around this anthology!
ReplyDeleteA very evocative story, Marian. I enjoyed it immensely.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alison!
DeleteThank you for the lovely comments - and I hope everyone in the USA had a happy Thanksgiving Day
ReplyDelete