This weeks Blog Interview and more

~ I changed the layout a bit. I hope you all like it.

~ I have a great interview with Allison Butler, to read the whole interview click link below.

Me: Tell us about yourself 
 
Allison: Hi Everyone. It's lovely to be here!
  I grew up in country New South Wales, Australia, building pretend castles with hay bales and leaping white posts with my army of two older sisters and a younger brother. Many years later, with my mother's influence, I discovered a passion for words and history, read my first historical romance and was inspired to write my own. When I'm not writing Scottish historical romances, I care for the elderly. I live in a small town in New South Wales, Australia, with my very own Scottish hero, two beautiful daughters and a Jack Russell named Wallace. I love to travel, to dance like no-one's watching and to see the sights from the back of my husband's motorcycle..... To read more click here.

Chapter 1

Fenwick Keep

Northern Cumbria, April 1402

‘RUN!’ Lynelle shouted from the far side of the field as the horn signalling danger blasted from the keep.

Men and women grabbed sickles and hoes before fleeing to safety. Lynelle clutched her burden, lifted her skirts and ran as if the devil were at her heels. Her chest burned with every indrawn breath as her leather-clad feet pounded the hard ground. Every footfall jarred her body, distorting the figures running toward the iron-studded gates ahead.

A blood-curdling cry erupted from the pack of mounted men spilling over the grassy ridge to the north. A noose of fear tightened around Lynelle’s throat. Would she make it to the keep before they rode her down? She had to. She must!

Fenwick’s people ran through the gates and were now safe within the stronghold. Cool shadows cast by the curtain wall fell about her as she neared the opening. She stopped at the threshold and searched for stragglers. Seeing none, she hurried inside.

‘I am the last. Close the gates,’ she said, hoping the guards would do her bidding despite who she was.

She pressed her bundle to her side to ease the ache there, as the giant beam was lowered into place. A faint lick of triumph sparked inside her. The barbarians would gain little this day.

Why were they attacking now? Raids usually took place between Lammas in August and Candlemas in February. It was now mid-April. They always came before dawn, or late at night, cloaked in darkness, yet the afternoon’s sun still glowed brightly in the west.

The bailey was crowded. The air filled with tales of people running for their lives. Grasping her skirts, Lynelle raced up the uneven stairs to the battlements.

Straining for breath, knees weak as she reached the top, she forced herself to keep moving. She chose a section along the wall that granted the best view, and slipped between two of the sentries. They shifted away from her, as she expected.

She set her bundle down at her feet, gripped the cold stone before her and peered at the scene beyond the walls.



~ Wednesday I have a special post going up. About Book, Snow in July. I will Review, Excerpt/Spotlight, Character Bio. Please come back and check it out.


~ Don't forget I will also be posting my Thought of my Day Wednesday/Thursday.

~ I have been slow on Reviews because home life is tight right now, also I have been reading books that I cannot post reviews of yet.

~ Halloween this week, PLEASE be careful but have fun. Here is my Haunted Castles and other pictures I like to share.