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Monday, May 31, 2010

Special Guest Blogger for June 1st--Welcome Lindsay Townsend

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Today, my special guest blogger is Lindsay Townsend. Lindsay has a brand new book releasing today from Brava. Lindsay, Congratulations on A Knight's Enchantment!



Blurb:

A beautiful alchemist and a valiant knight join forces to free their loved ones - and find an explosive passion...

Desperate to liberate her father who is being held prisoner by the corrupt Bishop Thomas, Joanna of Glastonbury must use her skills as an alchemist to produce an elixir for eternal life. Gold is a key ingredient, and while panning for its rare gleam, Joanna struggles to rescue a boy who is drowning - until a knight comes to her aid. When Joanna lays eyes on the handsome man, a scorching desire is sparked deep within her.

Hugh Manhill is captivated by Joanna's stunning beauty. When he and Joanna discover they share a mutual hatred of the Bishop, they devise a daring plan to save their imprisoned family members. Their common mission strengthens their undeniable bond. Soon, neither can resist their all-consuming passion as they risk all for love...



A KNIGHT’S ENCHANTMENT – excerpt

April 1210, England.



“You come now,” said the steward Richard Parvus, his blue-robed bulk filling the doorway.


Joanna tried to reason with him. “Sir, this distillation is almost complete and I should not leave it. I will come soon.”


“Come now,” the steward repeated, staring at a point in the windowless chamber somewhere above her head and refusing to look at her or the room-full of stills, glass and earthenware vessels, star-charts and burning candles. He could not stop breathing, however, and his wide nose wrinkled in distaste at the heady scent of rose petals.


“My lord loves rose water,” Joanna reminded him, but Parvus merely snapped his fingers at her as if she was a hunting dog.


“Now, girl! Leave this - wreck and make haste! Our lord would have you as a scribe in his audience chamber now and none of your puffer's nonsense will delay him!”


"I am no -" Joanna stopped, refusing to dignify the insult of "puffer" -meaning a fake alchemist - with a reply. As for the rest, she could leave it. The fire and candle light were safe now. It was a small risk and making rose-water was scarcely part of the great work of alchemy, but she disliked obeying the steward, who was forever trying to peer up her skirts and bullied everyone in this grand, unhappy household, even its priests.


And where was her lord's regular scribe?


She slipped round him, closing the door after her and ran down the spiral staircase.

Reaching the landing of the first floor of the tower, she stopped, listening for the slightest sound in the room beyond that strong oak door. To her dread, she could hear nothing.


“Boo!” said Parvus behind her, laughing as she flicked up her skirts and sped on, rushing down the second spiral flight of the great stone donjon. She did not stop to remonstrate with the steward. Knowing always what was at stake she was suddenly desperate for fresh air and natural light, for the freedom to leave her work bench and walk with her father by the river and in the city.
Oh, my father! Will I ever see you delivered from these terrible men?


She ran down the rest of the stairs, deliberately not looking at the weighted trap-door set in the flags of the ground floor. She ran straight past a guard and out into the yard, into a day of misty sun and drizzling rain.


Shouts and catcalls at once assailed her as the rowdy prisoners in the three wooden cages in the center of the yard roared out what they wanted to do to her. After two days of this, their lewd persistence wearied her and their imprisonment was another dread. What if her lord decided to place her father in with these rough rogues? How long would he survive in their company, in cages open to the rain and cold? And what of her lord's other 'special' prisoners, held captive with her father in the stone tower of the donjon? If they were moved to these outdoor cages, how would they fare?


“Good nature, protect them,” Joanna chanted breathlessly, taking the outdoor wooden steps to the great hall two at a time. Inside again, she mounted another stairway leading to the private audience chamber on the second floor and prepared to run again, then stopped.


Ahead of her were five guards surrounding a stranger who topped them all by half a head. Even as they marched away the stranger glanced back, gave her a curt nod and addressed the captain leading him.


“Your men will be returned once I leave through the main gate.”


“As agreed,” the captain replied, “though our lord will not be pleased by your plucking them off the streets of West Sarum like so many fallen apples.”


“That is no grief to me,” said the stranger. “How much further?”


He was a rude fellow, Joanna decided, coming up behind the troop. Trying to slip by again, as she had with the steward, she saw him closer and liked him less.


He looked a thing of fire to her. Dressed in a long red tunic, he was as high-colored and as lean as a single flame, moving with the swift agility of a salamander. His hewn features were as sharp as freshly-forged metal, his charcoal-black hair was ruthlessly hacked short and, even at this early hour of terce, his jaw prickled with fresh black stubble.


He was hot and dangerous, Joanna decided, wishing to be past him. If he had snatched hostages from her lord's entourage before this meeting, that did not bode well. Now she was about to be admitted into her master's presence, she had hoped to plead with him, to ask for more than a month to complete her sublimations. True alchemy was the secret work of years, not days. But her lord was impatient and, thanks to this bad-mannered, fiery stranger, he would be in an ill temper.


Gliding by the first guard, she was making progress overtaking the troop when the door at the top of the staircase crashed open and two of her lord’s unruly hunting dogs bounded toward them, tails up and teeth bared.


Not again! Joanna reached into the purse belted to her waist and plucked out a handful of her hand-made sweets, which the hounds, though bred to attack the boar and stag, adored.

About to cast them to the noisy beasts, she heard the stranger shout “No!” and then whistle: three loud, sharp blasts. At once the great white alaunts became almost comically docile, lowering their heads and whining softly, their claws scratching softly against the floorboards as they milled close to the nervous, stiffened guards and the striding stranger.


Without breaking step he bent, scratched both their ears and throats, and scolded her, “Sweets spoil them, girl, do you not know that yet?”



© Lindsay Townsend 2010

I asked Lindsay to include an article as well. Take a look:

THE POWER AND ROMANCE OF NAMES

Today, as well as shamelessly promoting my latest historical romance, 'A Knight's Enchantment,' I'm talking about the power and romance of names.

In Ursula le Guin's 'Earthsea' Trilogy, names are part of the magic and being of characters, and to discover someone's true name is to gain power over that person. Names do have power. I wonder how many sons will be called Obama in future years?

Names have power and significance in romance, too. If a hero has a bulky, awkward name, do readers empathise with him? If a heroine has an 'old-fashioned' name, does she lose credibility?

I write medieval historical romance and ancient world historical romance, and I find how I name my people vitally important. For instance, in the Anglo-Saxon period, there are many names beginning with E or AE - EDGAR, EDITH, EGBERT, ELDRED, ALFRED. These names have power and meaning - EGBERT means 'Gleaming Sword' - yet they possibly have fallen out of favour. How many heroes are called EGBERT now? ARTHUR is another name that may look old-fashioned to some. The meaning of ARTOS, 'bear' is wonderful to me, though, and made me fall utterly in love with the name again.

I always try to discover if names have meanings and bear those meanings in mind as I write. For example, my heroine in 'A Knight's Captive' is called Sunniva, which means Sun Gift. It's a Viking name, still used in parts of Britain. AVERIL is another name I would love to use sometime - it's meaning is 'Wild boar battle maid'. The hero of my third 'knight' book is called Hugh, which means 'Great-hearted' - a perfect match for my passionate knight! The heroine sometimes calls him by the Latin version of his name, Hugo, as a nick-name. This matches him, too, and fits her own learned background. Her name, Joanna, means 'whom God favours'.

As a historical romance writer I try to use names I feel are appropriate to the period in which I'm writing. Sarmatia is a real name, taken from a Kretan Linear B writing tablet of the time when 'Bronze Lightning' is set. Ahhotpe in 'Blue Gold' means 'The Moon is Content', which is nicely ironic, given that my Egyptian princess is very ambitious! Sometimes names cetainly can deceive. I had an anti-heroine in one of my modern romantic suspenses 'Night of the Storm,' and I called her Katherine, which means 'Pure'.


So names do matter, as a clue to a character's background and nature or as a key to period. I am always filled with admiration for fantasy and science fiction romance writers who devise names. Of course, sometimes names cannot be avoided: I read a good historical war-and-romance novel 'The Assyrian' by Nicholas Guild) and the names there - all authentic - were very difficult to me: very long and multi-syllabled.

For me, at least, some names are to be avoided!


Lindsay (it means 'Linden Tree')

9 comments:

Lindsay Townsend said...

Thanks so much for having me here, Destiny!

Linda Banche said...

Hi Lindsay, congratulations on your release day! Nice blurb and excerpt. I hope you sell lots. I already have my copy--those pre-orders are great.

Names are difficult. You have to be true to the period, and yet the name has to sound somewhat familiar to modern ears. One way you may get around the name problem is to use the more modern-sounding names for the main characters, and the unfamiliar names for the secondary characters. I don't think anyone would mind a villain named Egbert. *grins*

Linda -- have no idea what it means. My mother liked names that couldn't become nicknames.

Destiny Blaine said...

(((Waving to Lindsay)))

I'm so glad to have you as a guest today, Lindsay. Wishing you a ton of success with your latest
historical!

Hugs,
Destiny

Unknown said...

LINDSAY--congratulations on a wonderful release. I read the excerpt--as usual, your wirint keeps me reading, which shows true talent. I especially liked the article on names. Knowing the maning of names is so important. One heroine I have is Adalita--meaning woman warrior. My grandsons have biblical names and I've looked all of them up to see if they fit the child. the baby, Nathan, was the throw-away infant our son and DIL and Nathan means "a gift from God." Nice article--Celia Ann (Heavenly Grace)

Bekki Lynn said...

I'm so excited for you, Lindsay. I love this series and can't wait to read this one.

I owe you for introducing me to this period.

Linda Acaster said...

Great article, Lindsay. I used to know all these meanings of pre Norman names by heart. Oh, the memory dims. However, I do know the meanings of Linda: depending on where you look, in Spanish it means "pretty" and is often used in conjunction with other names. However, in Old High German (or Germanic)it means "serpent", which I much prefer. Don't think apples & Eden, but wingless dragons. Oh yes!

Best of luck with the book. Great excerpt.

Anonymous said...

LOVE the Cover, Lindsay! And the book sounds great; its on my TBB list now!

Like you, I am picky about the character names I choose for my books. It tells alot about the character.

Wishing you GREAT Sales!

hugs, Kari Thomas, www.authorkari.com

Lindsay Townsend said...

Linda - I love the idea of a baddie being called Egbert!
(Linda, according to my little book of names 'Linda' is from the early German and means 'Lithe as a serpent.')
Destiny - thanks! I love your name: so empowering!
Celia - love the meanings of your names!
Thanks Kari!!(if you name is similar to Katherine, then it means pure)
Linda - just seen your answer re names. Love the idea of wingles serpent!
Thanks Bekki! - Rebecca according to my little book, means heifer - a most valuable animal in the ancient world.

Linda Banche said...

Hey, LindaA, thanks. I'd be happy with either meaning. Gee, me a pretty dragon. I love it!

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An award-winning, international bestselling erotic romance author, Destiny Blaine writes under several pen names. She lives in East Tennessee and spends a lot of time in Connecticut and Virginia, where her granddoll resides.