Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Court of the Hawk by Debbie Peterson (VNBtM, guest post, excerpt and GIVEAWAY)



I have the pleasure of having a guest post by author Debbie Peterson...

For this exciting tour stop, my lovely hostess asked me an interesting question. She wanted to know if any of my hobbies has in one way or another, enriched my writing. Now there’s a loaded question if I ever saw one!

Let me answer it like this…

For those who know me--have followed any of my previous book tours, or read my bio on the back of any one of my books--know that I have a PASSION for genealogy and family history. This passion goes way beyond looking for the names, dates, and locations one might find on a grave stone in an old cemetery, creepy or otherwise. No, I have to have so much more than just that. Way more. I want to know who they were! I want to know everything about their lives and their families. What did they do for a living? Farmer? Merchant? Fisherman? Sailor? Inventor? What historical events were taking place while they lived? Did they participate in those events or merely witness them? As far as my colonial ancestors go, what made them leave everything they knew behind, cross a temperamental ocean and settle themselves in an unknown land, the dangers of which they couldn’t even begin to comprehend?

After years and years of research, I’ve been able to answer some of those questions for many of my ancestors. Each tidbit I discovered along the way was like winning the lottery! Especially if I could find a recorded history about them personally in a dusty old library or courthouse.

In turn, I used some of that knowledge in my books. Spirit of the Rebellion, I took a page pertaining to America’s Civil War from my own family history. My great-great granduncle, William Confer, met his death at the age of nineteen during the battle of Chickamauga. You’ll find parts of his life intertwined in the characters of both Beau and Chauncey. I also patterned a letter that Shae (the heroine) reads to Tristan (my ghostly hero), from several letters that a civil war ancestor penned to his wife.


In my novel Spirit of the Revolution, Jolena uses her knowledge of the “how-to’s” of genealogical research to help Mathias solve the enigma of his last earthly mission. A mission that involves a mysterious letter written to General George Washington.


The castles spoken of in both Spirit of the Knightand Court of the Hawk are based on real castles that a couple of my ancestors (bearing the title of “Sir Knight”) occupied or fought to defend. Also included in Spirit of the Knight, are the genuine steps one must take to obtain knighthood. Steps all of these ancestors had to have taken.


So, at least in my way of thinking, this particular hobby of mine has definitely enriched and will continue to enrich, my writing!



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by Debbie Peterson



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BLURB:



Epigraphist Dr. Essie DeSpencer travels to an ancient Welsh castle in order to decipher an Ogham inscription discovered by the handsome and enigmatic, Garreth ap Daffyd. But the journey is not what she expects. She doesn’t plan to fall for the Lord of the castle, or to find herself deeply entrenched in legends, myths, and magic. Real legends, and real magic, that have devastating consequences.



Garreth didn’t plan for Essie to stay any longer than it took her to decipher the pictograph. Instead, he finds himself falling in love for the first time in his very long life. Now the Lord of

Llys y Gwalch must find a way to attain the heart of his soul mate and keep her safe from the dangers that threaten them both.





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EXCERPT


“How old are you?” She held her breath and waited. In fact, she waited so long she wondered if he’d answer the question at all.

Finally, he dropped his gaze and returned a slow nod. He made the gesture more in response to an inner resignation than directing it toward her. “First, if I might ask, what gave rise to your curiosity?”

She combed the windblown hair away from her face and shrugged. “Does it make any difference as to how you’ll respond?”

He considered that for a time before he spoke. “No, I suppose it doesn’t. Still, I’d like to know.”

“All right, I don’t have a problem giving you the answer.” She cleared her throat. “The quake disturbed several portraits hanging along the hallways. I found one of them on the floor after leaving my room. So, I picked the antiquated thing up with every intention of replacing it, but the subject stole my attention. You see, if asked under oath in a court of law, I would swear you posed for the portrait at least two, maybe even three centuries ago.”

“And you didn’t stop to consider whether or not the man in the painting might be a distant ancestor to whom I bear a great resemblance?” he asked.

She extended a finger to his face, gently traced the scar that did naught but enhance his looks, and shook her head. “Not when the artist painted him with this.”



Buy Links:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
All Romance EBooks
Bookstrand
Kobo
Itunes

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:



Debbie is an author of paranormal and fantasy romance because she has a soft spot for fairy tales, the joy of falling in love, making an impossible love possible, and happily ever after endings. She loves music, art, beautiful sunrises, sunsets, and thunder storms.



When she is not busy conjuring her latest novel, Debbie spends time with the members of her very large family within the lovely, arid deserts of southern Nevada. She also pursues her interests in family history, which she also teaches, mythology, and history.



Connect with Debbie:

Website
Blog
Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest


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GIVEAWAY







a Rafflecopter giveaway


Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here







43 comments:

  1. What would you say are the main advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing against being published or the other way around?

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    1. I think we could be here for hours discussing that topic. I have only self-published one novel and the advantage is that I had complete control over the story, the cover and the pricing. The disadvantage is that you won't find it in a publisher's catalog and the only marketing comes from my own efforts, so...

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    2. Great question, Mai. As Debbie points out, there are definitely positive and negative aspects to each. Thanks for dropping by!

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  2. I love how you've woven your family genealogy into your novels, Debbie, and I applaud you for the amount of research you've done. What a thrill it must be to discover those secrets about your ancestors. I've been fascinated by genealogy but never had the time to devote it. I keep telling myself when I retire it's something I will explore in more detail. Like you, I want to know not only names and dates but the people behind those names and dates and the events that shaped their lives.

    Bravo on all you've accomplished, including your wonderful novels. Each one is enriched by the historical details you provide in your stories. I've read them all and look forward to more!

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    1. Thanks Mae! Time is sometimes a hard commodity to come by, but somehow, I just can't leave the family history alone! Every time I find something, I want more! :D I'm so happy you stopped by and your comments have really made my day!

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    2. Thank you for taking the time to visit and comment, maeclair!

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  3. Thank you so much for inviting me to your wonderful blog today!

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    1. Happy to have you visit, Debbie. My apologies for taking so long to greet you and I wish you a satisfying tour! Thank you for the compliment on the blog and thank you for taking the time to interact with my visitors, it is greatly appreciated!

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  4. Sounds intriguing and entertaining, will have to read soon. Thanks for the giveaway.

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    1. Hope you'll enjoy it Patrick! Thanks for stopping by!

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    2. Glad you were intrigued, patrick, great to see you!

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  5. I've done a little bit of research on Ancestry.com of my grandparents and great grandparents. I fund a few pictures of them that others have added which was really interesting. My dad's family were Mormon missionaries so I have a feeling that I might be able to find more about that side of the family in the Mormon archives. Your book sounds really interesting. Thanks for the excerpt.

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    1. Ancestry.com is a great resource and so is familysearch.org! Hopefully you can find out all kinds of interesting things about your family! Thanks so much for stopping by!

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    2. Great that you have found some of the leaves on your family tree, Mary! Thank you for visiting, hope you are continuing to heal from your broken bone!

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  6. I enjoyed the excerpt, sounds like a great book, thanks for sharing!

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    1. Hello Eva! Thank you and thank you for stopping by!

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    2. Glad you liked it, Eva. Thanks for dropping by!

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  7. What a Fascinating story about your ancestors. I love that you have woven their history into your books. So is Hellion one of your Ancestors.lol

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    1. I'm going to claim him anyway! Thanks Tammy for stopping by! You always have such fun comments!

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    2. Cute question, Tammy! Thank you for visiting (and I deleted your duplicate comment since I figure Blogger was giving you difficulties!).

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    1. Thanks Rita! I'm happy you stopped by!

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    2. Glad you think so, Rita! Thanks for taking the time to visit.

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  10. Love the title! Great ecerpt~thank you for sharing!

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    1. Glad you like it, Betty. Great to see you!

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    2. Thanks Betty! Titles are always so hard to choose. I'm happy you stopped by!

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  11. Enjoyed the excerpt and reading about the author. I liked that the author employed her interest in genealogy in the writing of the book.

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    1. Thanks Glenda! I'm happy you enjoyed the excerpt. Thanks so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments!

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    2. Glad you liked it, Glenda, thank you for taking the time to visit!

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  12. I know for myself that tracing the family's past is a lot of fun. A great post thank you.

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    1. I love family history Mary! The things they believed, the experiences they had have echoed through the centuries and made me part of who I am. Thanks so much for stopping by!

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    2. You are welcome, Mary. Thanks for visiting!

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    1. You're welcome Victoria and thanks for stopping by!

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    2. Happy to share, Victoria. Great to see you!

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  14. I do recall in your past posts mentioning your love for genealogy and family history. I did like reading where you entwined it in each of your books. It was a fun tidbit to read about. I am looking forward to what the next stop of the tour holds for us. :-)

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    1. Awww... you're just too sweet! Thanks for your comments, they are truly appreciated--and far more than you might think!

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  15. I loved reading about your PASSION for genealogy and family history has aided in your writing. I am awe struck! Thank you for the post and the giveaway!

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    1. Awww....thanks Ree! I am so happy you are following the tour and that I am getting to know you!

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  16. Great post! I liked reading the excerpt and the guest post. Looking forward to reading this book!

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