“Palmetto Moon” inspired “The Huffington Post” to rave, It is always nice to discover a new talented author and Kim Boykin is quite a find. Now, she delivers a novel of a woman picking up the pieces of her life with the help of two spirited, elderly sisters in South Carolina.
“Palmetto Moon” inspired “The Huffington Post” to rave, It is always nice to discover a new talented author and Kim Boykin is quite a find. Now, she delivers a novel of a woman picking up the pieces of her life with the help of two spirited, elderly sisters in South Carolina.
April, 1953. Nettie Gilbert has cherished her time studying to be a music teacher at Columbia College in South Carolina, but as graduation approaches, she can’t wait to return to her family and her childhood sweetheart, Brooks, in Alabama. But just days before her senior recital, she gets a letter from her mama telling her that Brooks is getting married . . . to her own sister.
Devastated, Nettie drops out of school and takes a job as live-in help for two old-maid sisters, Emily and Lurleen Eldridge. Emily is fiercely protective of the ailing Lurleen, but their sisterhood has weathered many storms. And as Nettie learns more about their lives on a trip to see a faith healer halfway across the country, she’ll discover that love and forgiveness will one day lead her home.
GUEST POST
AND IT ALL STARTED WITH A BUS TRIP
Last year, I was having a glass of wine with my editor who wanted to know what was next for me. I told her, I’d thought about writing a sequel to The Wisdom of Hair, but I wasn’t thrilled with the storyline that had my protagonist barefoot and pregnant when the first novel had ended when she’d just had her first child. “So, what else do you have?” my editor asked.
I wanted to wow her with another quirky tale and a great original title, so I pitched a story I’d started several years ago about two elderly spinster sisters called A Peach of a Pair. The idea for the story came from my great great aunt who traveled from the bottom of southwest Georgia to Arkansas to see a faith healer in the late 1940’s. Women didn’t travel alone, and there weren’t a lot of women on the busses. So, to be on the safe side, she rode the whole way to Little Rock with her arms crossed and a hatpin under each arm. If a man got too close to her or fell asleep and his head flopped onto her shoulder, she’d jab him with the pin. Unfortunately, when she got to her destination, she found out the faith healer had been run out of the state, and she got back on the bus and went home.
While the hatpin incident isn’t in A Peach of a Pair, the idea of traveling a great distance for healing is. I loved the idea of setting out on an arduous journey full of hope and faith that there is healing on the other end. That’s what happens to poor Lurleen, the eldest sister, who is dying of congestive heart failure, but not because she wants to go on this trip. Her sister Emily, took something from her when they were barely twenty. As Emily says, “What happened to Teddy was Emily’s fault, and she’d paid for it a thousand times over, losing her mother to a broken heart. And the seven years Lurleen lived in the same house as Emily but didn’t speak to her, didn’t take anything from her hand. The shunning wasn’t a religious edict. Goodness no, they were raised Presbyterian. But Lurleen had taken right to the practice. Even with the gravity of events, Emily was sure it couldn’t last, but she’d been wrong.” Even fifty years later, Emily wants to right the scales so badly, she badgers poor Lurleen into getting on a Greyhound bus and riding all the way from Camden, South Carolina to Palestine, Texas to see a faith healer.
My editor loved the title, loved the story so much, I thought she would buy it on the spot, but then she said, “Where’s your young protagonist?” The truth is, when you publish you’re put into a box. All authors are because it’s easier for publishers to sell us that way. We can’t just be storytellers, which is what I wanted to be. I was so excited about my pitch to her, I’d forgotten Penguin put me in the sweet Southern box complete with a young protagonist.So I did what every author does; I made her up on the fly. “Uh. Her name is Nettie Gilbert and she’s a ‘Bama belle in her last semester at Columbia College, and, uh, she receives an invitation to her baby sister’s wedding back home. BUT her own fiancé is the groom. So she quits school and goes to work for two old maids in Camden, South Carolina and the bus trip for healing ensues.”
The interesting thing about this is, in the original version of the story, Nettie was a young girl on the bus, but she was also a plot device to hear the sister’s stories, to understand the riff, and their complex sisterhood. When I started to write, I was a little concerned that Nettie would be overpowered by Emily and Lurleen’s great big voices, but it turned out Nettie held her own and then some, even though Emily and Lurleen do hijack the story from time to time. But the story worked and turned out to be an examination of an indestructible sisterhood and a wild ride to forgiveness.
About the author:
Kim Boykin was raised in her South Carolina home with two girly sisters and great parents. She had a happy, boring childhood, which sucks if you’re a writer because you have to create your own crazy. PLUS after you’re published and you’re being interviewed, it’s very appealing when the author actually lived in Crazy Town or somewhere in the general vicinity.Almost everything she learned about writing, she learned from her grandpa, an oral storyteller, who was a master teacher of pacing and sensory detail. He held court under an old mimosa tree on the family farm, and people used to come from all around to hear him tell stories about growing up in rural Georgia and share his unique take on the world.
As a stay-at-home mom, Kim started writing, grabbing snip-its of time in the car rider line or on the bleachers at swim practice. After her kids left the nest, she started submitting her work, sold her first novel at 53, and has been writing like crazy ever since.
Thanks to the lessons she learned under that mimosa tree, her books are well reviewed and, according to RT Book Reviews, feel like they’re being told across a kitchen table. She is the author ofA Peach of a Pair, Palmetto Moon and The Wisdom of Hair from Berkley/NAL/Penguin; Flirting with Forever, She’s the One, Just in Time for Christmas, Steal Me, Cowboy and Sweet Home Carolina from Tule. While her heart is always in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, she lives in Charlotte and has a heart for hairstylist, librarians, and book junkies like herself.
Known as the “Rock n’ Roll Doctor” to some of the most famous bands in the world, Dr. Gabrielle Francis shares her unique holistic prescription to achieving health and balance—even when you don’t live like a saint!
Known as the “Rock n’ Roll Doctor” to some of the most famous bands in the world, Dr. Gabrielle Francis shares her unique holistic prescription to achieving health and balance—even when you don’t live like a saint!
As a Holistic Doctor to the music industry’s elite, Dr. Francis has helped rock stars repair, recover, and refuel from the demanding schedules and occasional overindulgences that come along with the rock star lifestyle. Being overscheduled, sleep-deprived, overeating, drinking and managing physical and mental stressors aren’t lifestyle habits unique to the music industry; they are the same challenges faced by all of us, every day.
In The Rockstar Remedy, Dr. Francis shares her unique strategies designed to be incorporated into your hectic lifestyle. Her programs are customized to meet you where you are at, whether an experienced health enthusiast or a beginner. Completing the 21 day detox will give you a renewed sense of energy and enthusiasm for life, while looking and feeling your personal best. She explains how health is not a destination, but exists on a spectrum, and the simple act of making better choices every day—even if they’re not the best choices—helps us achieve balance in both mind and body. With tips for improving energy levels, easy food guidelines and a simple no-starvation detox, Dr. Francis offers a simple, effective plan for staying healthy and happy amid the chaos of our daily lives. Her popular “Harm Reduction Techniques” and “90/10 Rule” make it easy to celebrate life with occasional indulgences while maintaining good health. This is not a temporary fix; this program brings long-lasting, life-changing results.
GUEST POST
The Botox Tour
This tour started out as a big frustration for me. The artists had no interest in any of my wonderful Naturopathic advice or remedies that would improve their health. Well, they liked the passive things such as massage and stretching before going on stage. But changing the diet and using natural remedies was really not their thing. That is not until they realized how well the natural therapies could work to help you heal from plastic surgery.
The tour had convenient breaks for the artists to have the necessary anti-aging cosmetic surgery support. This was the answer to years of self-destruction and the war against gravity. Botox, facelifts, tummy tucks, lip injections and the list goes on…
“Hope I die before I get…old.”
-The Who
I supported the post surgery experience with remedies to decrease bruising, decrease inflammation and swelling, and to help the integrity of the connective tissue healing. Natural remedies are quite good for this. I also did lymphatic drainage massage and other soft tissues therapies.
I was elevated to genius status when one of the artist’s plastic surgeon told him that he had never seen someone heal so quickly from plastic surgery before. “What ever you are doing is working brilliantly.” The good news is that this opened him and the others up to the fact that, “Hey, the snake oil really works!”
By the end of the tour I had them on anti-aging diets and supplements. I was also doing acupuncture facelifts for the spots that the Botox had failed. I really didn’t mind how they came around to believing in Natural Medicine. I am just happy they did.
EXCERPT
The year is 1984. I was fresh out of massage school… a ripe 19 years old. My cousin worked for Belkin productions, the company that promoted Rock Concerts in Cleveland. One day she called me and said, “ Cuz, such and such, the biggest name in rock n roll at the time, is coming to Cleveland and they want massages. I volunteered you.” I was in a state of shock, but gladly accepted the offer. Weirdly enough, I was not nervous or overly excited. I felt I would be great for the job.
The first artist I worked on was the Saxophone player. He had the spiritual name, given to him by his Guru, on the dressing room door instead of his real name. When I entered his dressing room, I felt I had entered a Temple. It was lit with candles, incense permeated the air, and a picture of his Guru stared at me throughout the entire massage. I worked with most of the band that night just doing massage to get them ready for the marathon show. There was a medical doctor backstage giving them B12 shots to boost their energy for the big performance. Each artist was so thoughtful and down to earth. I was taken by their humility and realness. It was an ego-free zone.
They put on a super 4-hour show that night. I watched from backstage and I could see what an amazing dynamic a rock concert was. The band gives energy to the audience. The audience gives love and more energy to the band. The band gets high on the energy from the crowd. And it seems like it can go of forever. The only thing that made the band come off the stage was the venue saying that they had to go.
I will never forget that night as I saw the power of music to elevate the energy of a theater to a higher vibration. It is no wonder that some people feel that going to a concert can be like a religious experience. I decided Rock’n’Roll would be one of my religions too! It would blend very well with my Catholic upbringing. Catholics revere saints. So, why not add a few like Jimi Hendrix, Patron Saint of the Wa Wa Pedal; Santana, the Archangel of Long Instrumental Grooves; Keith Richards, Holy Father of the Rhythm Guitar: and of course Our Lady Madonna.
After the show, that band asked me to tour with them as a massage therapist. I had to say no because I was very committed to the idea of finishing medical school.
I regretted that decision for a very long time. Luckily, I had the chance again almost 17 years later…
Read on…. BUY the ROCKSTAR REMEDY
About the author:
She is a Naturopathic Doctor, Chiropractor, Acupuncturist, and Licensed Massage therapist. Dr. Francis currently practices in New York City as The Herban Alchemist. She also operates Backstage Alternative, which is her natural medicine road show that provides chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, nutrition and herbal remedies to performing artists on tour.
Dr. Francis received her formal medical training at National College of Chiropractic and at Bastyr University. She has extensive training in Alternative Cancer Therapies, Environmental Medicine, Functional Medicine, Mind-Body medicine, and Bio-Identical Hormone therapies. Following her formal medical education, Dr. Francis travelled extensively to various parts of the world studying medicine with indigenous healers in countries such as China, India, Thailand, Bali, Brazil, Morocco, Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador, Belize, Mexico, Egypt, and Mali.
Stacy Baker Masand is a health, fitness and lifestyle editor whose work has appeared in magazines such as In Style, Marie Claire, Self, Shape, Fitness, DuJour and Women's Health. She's co-author of New York Times bestseller Your Best Body Now. Stacy is currently developing projects for both small and big screen.
My Sister, Myself (Shelter Valley Stories #2)
White Picket Fences (Shelter Valley Stories #3)
Description:Meet Will and Becca Parsons, who ve lived in Shelter Valley, Arizona, all their lives. Shelter Valley means everything to them. Home. Family. Security. Love. Everything that matters is right there in that town.
Will and Becca have been married for 20 years. It s a good marriage a contented marriage marred by only one disappointment: their inability to have children. But their dream of a baby has gradually been replaced by other interests, other goals.
In any case, Will and Becca are in their 40s now.
It s too late for babies.
Except it s not. Because Becca is pregnant. And that reality throws their carefully ordered lives into complete disarray.
A baby after all these years.
"a warm humanistic tale that takes the audience inside the head and heart of the title character. The secondary cast including Will augments the tale through their interactions with Becca. However, Becca will charm the audience as she psychologically and emotionally struggles with a radically unexpected change. She owns this novel. " - Amazon, Harriet Klausner
Description:
She's not who she says she is! Tory Evans is living her sister's life. Christine is dead, murdered by Tory's vengeful ex-husband, and now - for her own survival - Tory has taken on Christine's identity. Her name, her job, her new home in Shelter Valley, Arizona.
He's reinventing his life. Ben Sanders is a divorced father who's come to Shelter Valley to resume the education that was interrupted years before. He's intrigued by one of his professors, the woman he knows as Christine Evans. She's smart, she's beautiful - and she's hiding something. She's also off-limits.
Despite that, despite the secrecy and the danger, Tory and Ben are drawn to each other. Second chances really do exist. Especially in a place like Shelter Valley...
"l love her books. I joined harlequin book cliub in 2012 and have read over 479 books so far and still adding to my hobby. [...] Her books keep me intrigued where I must finish it. One of my best authors!" Goodreads, Debra T
Description:
What's missing in Miranda Parson's life? Nothing, she thinks--until she meets handsome, caring veterinarian Zack Foster and discovers an intense desire that shakes her safe and familiar world.
Trouble is, a heart-weary Zack prefers his romances short and sweet and isn't looking for commitment to any woman. Yet the longing that ignited between them couldn't be resisted for long. But for true love there needs to be true risk--so will Zack and Miranda's quiet lives ever be the same again.
"the latest Shelter Valley story, is a warm tale centering on the risk of entering a loving relationship. The story works because the lead charcaters and the secondary cast (including some old friends) feel genuine. Tara Taylor Quinn provides a wonderful tale that enhances a strong series in which love can be found and treasured. Fans will look forward to the next Shelter valley novel, "- Amazon, Harriet Klausner
GUEST POST
Welcome to Shelter Valley! You’ll find that just about everything here is warm—the welcome, the people, the weather…
On this particular visit to Shelter Valley, you’re going to meet Tory Evans. She’s only twenty-six but circumstances, experience and a sharp intelligence make her more aware of some things than she’d like to be. You’ll get to know Tory from the very beginning of this story—but only you and one other person in Shelter Valley know that she’s Tory Evans; everyone else believes she’s her older sister, Christine. Tory is lonely, but because she can’t tell anyone who she really is, making friends is almost impossible. That’s where you come in. I hope you’ll be moved by Tory and that she’ll find a friend in you—an advocate—to see her through the battle for her freedom.
I think we all fight Tory’s battle in one guise or another. Sometimes we’re faced with a wrong that seems right—a decision that looks right but which, on further reflection, we recognize is wrong. And we’re all forced, at some time or other, to confront who we really are, the people life and circumstances have made us—and the possibilities of who we might become…. And ironically, the part that often takes the most courage is being able to see the value that already exists within ourselves.
Luckily, Tory is making her search in Shelter Valley, where life’s most fundamental truths still form the basis of people’s decisions and relationships. In that sense, my home is a mini-Shelter Valley and I find, along with Tory, that knowing what’s important, keeping the heart at the heart of the matter, can and does lead to happiness.
So, welcome to Shelter Valley. Travel the road to happiness!
Goodreads ** Amazon ** Barnes&Noble ** Harlequin
About the author:
The author of more than 70 original novels, in twenty languages, Tara Taylor Quinn is a USA Today bestseller with over six million copies sold. She is known for delivering deeply emotional and psychologically astute novels of suspense and romance. Tara is a recipient of the Reader’s Choice Award, a five time finalist for the RWA Rita Award, the Reviewer’s Choice Award, the Bookseller’s Best Award and appears frequently on bestseller lists, including #1 placement on Amazon lists. Tara is the past-president of Romance Writers of America and served eight years on that board of directors. She has appeared on national and local TV across the country, including CBS Sunday Morning and is a frequent guest speaker. In her spare time Tara likes to travel, climb Arizona mountains, and inline skate.Tara is a supporter of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. If you or someone you know might be a victim of domestic violence in the United States, please contact 1-800-799-7233.
Author's Giveaway
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Eric has weeks before his final battle when he's in an accident. Forced to face his human side, he knows he can't survive if he fights alone. But he doesn't want to surrender, even if he becomes the sacrifice for war.
Two nightmares. One memory.
"Chaos within destiny. It was the definition of our love."
Eric has weeks before his final battle when he's in an accident. Forced to face his human side, he knows he can't survive if he fights alone. But he doesn't want to surrender, even if he becomes the sacrifice for war.
Jessica's memory isn't the only thing she's lost. Her desire to find her parents is gone and so is her confidence. But when fate leaves nightmares behind, she decides to find the boy she sees in them, even if it risks her sanity.
Seconds Before Sunrise is the exciting sequel to Minutes Before Sunset by Shannon A. Thompson. Find out why readers are enthralled with the Timely Death Trilogy.
GUEST POST
Not Just A Romance Story
Recently, I read an article Meg Cabot tweeted that covered the judgment surrounding romance novels in today’s reading society. The writer, Kristan Higgins, made some great points, the main one being that a “romance” novel is a lot more than a romance, and I think this holds true for every genre. A “mystery” holds more than just a mystery, and a “thriller” has moments that are beyond thrilling. In every story, we have themes and characters and emotions and elements that go beyond whatever genre a publisher decided to label the story with (because, if we were to be perfectly honest, genres are a marketing tool and not necessarily accurate).
That aside, I’ve learned a lot by having my latest trilogy, The Timely Death Trilogy, release as a paranormal romance. The main question I’ve been asked isn’t a surprise at all. “Is it like Twilight?” And, while yes, it is in the same genre, The Timely Death Trilogy has no vampires, no love triangles, and certainly no werewolves. Not that there is anything wrong with that! But books in the same genre can vary from topic to topic. I think the main variation comes from your voice and the layers of themes scattered throughout the work.
While romance is certainly relevant in The Timely Death Trilogy, romance, to me, is not the central factor. Understanding identity was the main theme I set out to explore. Considering each character has two identities—one shade or light form (the paranormal form) and a human form—I knew I’d be working with the complexities of human psychology. What I never expected was for my characters to create one of my favorite world-building aspects of The Timely Death Trilogy. Whenever they change forms, their personalities shifted too. Take the side character, Jonathon Stone, for example. As a human, he’s a half-blind, borderline genius painter who remains quiet and studious, but as a shade, he can see with both eyes and reveals he can’t paint. He’s also stronger and able to fight. This is only an example, but the shifting characters—from one identity to the next—was ultimately what brought out the focus and voice of the story. It also created the chaos. Considering a war is coming up between the two sects, and no one knows who the other is, secrets are bound to destroy people. (Secrets that make up who a person is.) So, while The Timely Death Trilogy has some star-crossed moments, the trilogy is far from just a romance. We’re at war with our human selves and our paranormal selves. We’re at war not knowing who the person in front of us is. We’re at war with the lies and secrets we’ve been told. But, mainly, we’re at war with ourselves.
Whether love is found through family, friendship, or romance, love just might help them win.
That’s why the tagline for the sequel, Seconds Before Sunrise, is so important.
“Chaos within destiny. It was the definition of our love.”
A romance can be chaotic too. In fact, it can be everything.
~SAT
Book One in the Timely Death Trilogy, currently FREE on Amazon!
About the author:Shannon A. Thompson is a twenty-three-year-old author, avid reader, and habitual chatterbox. She was merely sixteen when she was first published, and a lot has happened since then.
Thompson's work has appeared in numerous poetry collections and anthologies, and her first installment of The Timely Death Trilogy became Goodreads' Book of the Month.
Continuing the adventure that began in Egypt a few months prior in The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, cousins Adam and Justin Sinclair are hot on the trail of the second Stone of Power, one of seven ancient stones lost centuries ago.
Continuing the adventure that began in Egypt a few months prior in The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, cousins Adam and Justin Sinclair are hot on the trail of the second Stone of Power, one of seven ancient stones lost centuries ago. This stone might be embedded in the hilt of a newly discovered sword that archaeologists believe belonged to King Arthur: Excalibur. However, their long-standing enemy, Dr. Khalid, is following them as they travel to Scotland to investigate an old castle. Little do they know there is another deadly force, the Eaters of Poison, who have their own mission to complete. Time is running out as the confluence of the planets draws closer. Can Justin and Adam find the second Stone of Power and survive? And why did Aunt Isabel send a girl with them?
Join Justin and Adam as they search not only for the second Stone of Power, but also for the Scroll of the Ancients, a mysterious document that holds important clues to the Seven Stones of Power. As their adventure unfolds, they learn many things and face dangers that make even their perils in Egypt look tame. And how annoying for them that their tag-along companion, Kim, seems to have such good ideas when they are stumped. Book extras include some historical background on King Arthur, the Dark Ages, warfare and weaponry during Arthur’s time, and details on Excalibur. A fascinating peek into the life and times of the real King Arthur, perfect for young time travelers and budding archaeologists.
GUEST POST
Researching King Arthur and the Dark Ages
What a treat for me to include the story of King Arthur in Book 2 of The Chronicles of the Stone, The Search for the Stone of Excalibur. King Arthur is, without doubt, the greatest legendary figure in the western world. A mighty king, brave in battle, with a seemingly magical sword: Excalibur. Even death cannot touch him since legend says he is not dead, but sleeping in a cave on the isle of Avalon, waiting to be awakened in time of his country’s direst need. It’s the very stuff of heroism and adventure. However, research was not as easy as I thought it would be. Countless poems, books, screenplays, and material have been written about him, speculating on his birth, his exploits, his legacy, and what he has come to represent to the world. But what are the true facts about the life and death of Arthur, King of the Britons? 
After 400 years of Roman rule, the Romans withdrew from Britain in AD 410. This heralded the beginning of the Dark Ages, a period of chaos and warfare that lasted from AD 500 to approximately AD 1000. It is appropriately called the Dark Ages, not only because it was a time when civilization collapsed, but very few records survived. That’s why so little is known about when Arthur is said to have lived and why there is such debate concerning his historical existence. There was a real Arthur, a great and skilled war leader who performed many brave and epic deeds. It is thought he came from an area called the kingdom of Powys which is now West Midlands and central Wales. He most likely was a nobleman of British-Roman ancestry. Arthur was believed to have had extensive knowledge of Roman military strategies and warfare which he successfully used against the Saxons during the late 5th and early 6th Centuries. His possible birth date was around AD 478/488. 
History is an ever-changing subject where what is thought to be fact today can be considered fiction tomorrow! A modern interpretation of an historical event is surely based on fact, one would assume. Medieval historians did not think that way at all. They would ‘adjust’ historical facts for one reason or other so modern historians can’t rely completely on them. They would sometimes report something told as a factual account, even if it did not actually happen. Or else they would place a story in a context familiar to the listeners/readers, thus causing much confusion. Names of places, people, and rivers would also change according to an era or the writer’s interpretation of events.Despite the abundance of material written on Arthur, much of it, especially from the 12th Century onwards, is embellishment of existing legends to suit the trend at the time for romantic stories and songs, and the resurgence of popularity of Celtic mythology. To glean any real facts about Arthur, one has to delve further back into more prosaic (and possibly more accurate) references, such as writings by various monks (who did stick more or less to the facts), collections of old stories, battle poems and sagas, calendar calculations, records of historical events, and battle descriptions. Luckily, I was able to find books with detailed analyses of these relatively accurate accounts. Yet, each expert had their own opinions as to what was correct. I had to make my own decisions based on the material available. Researching Arthur was quite a monumental task, given the experts’ varying opinions, but it was one of the most gratifying projects I have ever undertaken. I hope you enjoy the book!
EXCERPT
Adam shivered in the chilly air. It was hard to tell if it was early morning or late evening because the moon was still visible, a pale disc hanging in a dark gray sky. Ragged shreds of cloudsscudded across the moon’s face, casting strange shadows on the ground in front of him. Mist floated around his ankles and swirled in soft eddies when he moved his feet. In front of him lay an open field, grayish green in the dim light. Farther away, he saw the mound of a huge hill. Adam got the feeling he had fallen through a hole in time—back to the Dark Ages, back to Arthur’s era.
He heard a faint howling noise in the distance. Wolves? Adam froze with fear. He desperately tried to remember whether there had still been wolves in England during the Dark Ages. There must have been because there was no other sound quite like the howl of a wolf. The hairs on his arms rose as he heard the howl again. Although he pinched himself to wake up, it was no good; he remained in the dream. At the sound of distant hoof beats, he shrank back against a large tree trunk. There was no time to run away because suddenly the drumming hooves were all around him. Then came the faint melancholy wail of a battle horn and the tinny sound of chinking metal. He could hear the crisp snap-snapof fluttering pennants and when he turned, he glimpsed banners waving among the trees. The surge of spectral riders halted and one man, seated on a white horse, appeared at the head of the cavalcade.
The eerie figure came closer, the horse lifting its feet carefully, clip-clopping right up to the trembling boy. The horse was huge, its trappings gleaming with pinpoints of metal rosettes, its long tail and mane hanging like ghostly cobwebs in the pale moonlight. The beast snorted and stamped restlessly. Adam saw the burnished glint of a helmet with a dragon-shaped crest topped by a red plume. Although the cheek pieces of the helmet obscured the man’s features, the shadowy figure was looking right at him. A red cloak swirled around the warrior’s body and, as the fabric swung aside, Adam saw the gleam of chain mail and the dark shape of a breastplate on the man’s chest. The warrior’s armor seemed more Roman than he expected. A banner flapped from the spear of a man behind the warrior: a red dragon on a white background. The warrior raised one arm, and a roar erupted as the sounds of cheering burst from what seemed to be thousands of throats. Although Adam heard strange words in another language, somehow he understood what the voices said.
“Hail the Pendragon!”
Adam was so close that he could have reached out and touched the rider. The spectral figure drew his sword from its scabbard and held it aloft. It seemed to Adam that he saw every detail with strangely magnified clarity. It was the same sword from the museum, but it looked so different now. The metal gleamed with a peculiar bluish sheen. Curious characters embossed the length of the blade. At the top, just under the crossguard, was a small circle with a seven-pointed star inside it. Sparkling gems decorated the hilt and pommel, with two dragons’ heads facing inward on the crossguard. The stone between the dragons’ open mouths glowed brilliant red. Suddenly, a fiery, almost blinding light shot from the stone, dazzling him. The white horse reared on its hindquarters. The radiant beam lit up the forest as the warrior whirled the blade around his head several times. Adam fell to his knees, shaking with a mixture of terror and excitement as he realized the second Stone of Power was embedded in the sword of Arthur. But the stone in the museum sword was nothing like this one.
About the author:
Fiona Ingram was born and educated in South Africa, and has worked as a full-time journalist and editor.Her interest in ancient history, mystery, and legends, and her enjoyment of travel has resulted in the multi award winning The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, the first in her exciting children’s adventure series—Chronicles of the Stone.
Fiona has just published the second book entitled The Search for the Stone of Excalibur, a treat for young King Arthur fans. She is busy with Book 3 entitled The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper.
