Island of Mystery and Exile, by Diane Scott Lewis

 

St. Helena, possibly the remotest place on earth, has many myths besides being the place of final exile and death of Napoleon. Come explore the island's other tales.

A SAVAGE EXILE. If you don't like vampires, don't despair, enjoy the mystery and the unique island in the far South Atlantic. I don't get too graphic. The defeated French Emperor was exiled to St. Helen in 1815, until his death in 1821.

Vampires with Napoleon was a fantastical concept. And fun to write, even with the more 'bloody' aspects, though kept to a minimum. My heroine, Isabelle, is a maid to an arrogant countess whose husband joins Napoleon in his banishment after the battle of Waterloo in 1815. Who in his entourage can be trusted?

And what of the strange tales of a 'beast' who dwells in the mountains? Isabelle fights her attraction to Napoleon's enigmatic valet, Ali, as the secrets, and a few deaths, pile up.

"Isabelle is likable heroine, and I enjoyed watching her make the best of a bad situation. Anyone who enjoys historical romance with a paranormal twist might want to check (A Savage Exile) out."

~ Long and Short Reviews

To purchase my novels and other BWL books: BWL

Instead of beasts, an airport is the latest news from this mysterious rock situated in the far reaches of the South Atlantic Ocean. 

I'd planned to visit St. Helena when I first wrote about Napoleon, but the expense to travel there is outrageous. First, you fly into Cape town, South Africa, then wait for the Royal Mail boat to arrive, schedule iffy, and sail to Jamestown, 2,000 miles away. You must seek permission from the British government, who still owns the island. Now the airport makes it easier to travel.

Napoléon à Sainte-Hélène by François-Joseph Sandmann

Many myths surround this isolated 'volcanic fist' at the bottom of the world. One concerning Napoleon is that a hurricane swept over the island, rattling homes, ripping out trees, on the day of his death, May 5, 1821. This has since been debunked. It was actually a nice day, weather-wise.

Whenever anything goes wrong on St. Helena, people claim it's Napoleon's Curse. Rain on a parade, wind shear at the airport, any misfortune. But this seems a 20th century invention.

One story has the island's ancient tortoise, Jonathon, is so old that he actually met Napoleon. But Jonathon isn't quite that old, and he doesn't make house calls.

But vampires? The mythical creatures of St. Helena are the Moncat, a cat-like critter with pointy ears and a monkey tail. A sea serpent was reported sighted off the island in 1848 by the HMS Daedalus. A frightening beast 60 feet long. 

Of more recent sightings, a blonde mermaid, bathing near the mail ship RMS St. Helena, that serves the island. Wishful thinking. (Okay, that's my granddaughter in her mermaid costume)

The most prevailing story is about a Portuguese soldier, Fernao Lopes, who was abandoned on the deserted island in the sixteenth century for criminal activities. He endured thirty years in complete solitude. His ghost is said to still haunt the hills and caves.

Find out more about me and my writing on my website: Dianescottlewis

Diane Parkinson (Diane Scott Lewis) is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Napoleonic Historical Society. She’s had several historical novels published. Her most recent is the Revolutionary War novel, Her Vanquished Land. 

Her upcoming novel Ghost Point, the 1950s Potomac oyster wars, love and betrayal, will be released in September.

Diane lives with her husband and one naughty dachshund in Western Pennsylvania.

Seven Characteristics of a Writer by J.Q. Rose

 

Dangerous Sanctuary by J.Q. Rose
Romantic suspense

Pastor Christine Hobbs never imagined she would be caring for a flock that includes a pig, a kangaroo, and a murderer.

Dangerous Sanctuary is May's FREE eBook download from BWL Publishing

Click here to get your copy now.

A writer

Seven Characteristics of a Writer

One of the best perks of being a writer is using one's imagination to develop interesting characters. Villains are especially fun to create because they may do things in a story that the writer actually wants to do in real life e.g. kill off the neighbor's dog that barks constantly or bury the ex-boyfriend. 

Romping through a fictional world and having all the choices about what characteristics define the character in his/her world is more like play than work. 

“While we read a novel, we are insane—bonkers. We believe in the existence of people who aren't there, we hear their voices... Sanity returns (in most cases) when the book is closed.”
― Ursula K. Le Gui

But what about the characteristics of a real, live writer? We had fun discussing this topic at my friend's blog, so I decided to share the list of seven real-world characteristics that I believe a writer has. 

📕 Devotion A writer must love what she is doing. If not, the book or essay will never get written because the first draft is always junk. If a writer is not devoted, she will tear up the pages and give up. Rejections will knock her off her feet, and she will never try again. But when devoted to creating her piece, her desire and determination may be challenged, but she will keep writing.

📕 Organization  Writers must organize their research for a story, save the manuscript files to choose the correct one for editing, keep track of promotions, prepare posts for a blog, email and/or social media, keep up with the bookkeeping. Thank goodness spreadsheets can help with these many tasks.

📕 Imagination Remember when you were a kid, and you would act out stories with your friends or make up poems for your mom? Fiction writers never lose that creativity. Non-fiction writers need imagination too to send the clear solution for a problem to readers in an interesting and new way.

📕 Intelligence Smart people can write! I know it sounds like bragging, but it is the truth.

📕 Discipline If a writer cannot set aside time when penning a project and keep that appointment, the writing will never be finished.  Carving out a time in her schedule for creating a project and sitting down consistently to do it will develop the habit of writing.  

📕 Strong vocabulary Writers need to know a variety of words to clearly describe places, characters and emotions. Reading enlarges vocabulary. Become a wordsmith using Thesaurus.com. 

📕 Sense of Humor  Mark Twain and Janet Evanovich are masters when it comes to including humor in their stories. Even a horror story or murder mystery can use a light touch within the pages. 

What are your thoughts on the list? Please add more characteristics in the comment section below.

 Click here to connect online with JQ.

Author JQ Rose

Click here to discover more books by JQ Rose 

on her author page at BWL Publishing.

Research is Fun and Games by Helen Henderson

 

Windmaster by Helen Henderson
Click the cover for purchase information.

Long before my first published novel or byline in a magazine, history held a special fascination. Now I admit while there is a convenience to the Internet, it comes with challenges. One is validating the accuracy of the information. Another is the time sink. One fact leads to another of even more interest. Open another site while you're there and that single click becomes two or three or four and more hours lost.

Then there is the information itself. Is the source knowledgeable? Is the information from the era or written many years later? When teaching seminars on research techniques I also recommend noting whether the material is primary material that is newly available such as a recent transcription making it available on the internet or is the information simply a rehash of a rehash. Diaries written as events happen provide a unique insight into the world and perceptions of the time.

Since I admit a fondness for books, you might think libraries are a favorite research site. And while I have spent hours (actually days) at the New York City Public Library, the Alexander Library of Rutgers University, and the Library of Congress, my favorite means of gathering information for settings or characters is in-person. Over the years I've ridden on horseback with a saddle, bareback, or with a blanket. Summers were passed with target practice with bow and arrow, rifle,and hatchet. No, I am not one of those firing the cannon. My firearm experience is with more contemporary weapons, not those that use black powder.

 

I have donned period garb and mingled with Revolutionary War and Civil War reenactors to immerse myself in those times. To help stay in tune with the events, a wicker basket concealed my notebook and contemporary camera. For a different perspective I've participated in archaeological digs at  Revolutionary War battlefields and a Civil War Training Ground.

Wearing fatigues and combat boots, I rode a jeep as a journalist embedded with a column of restored World War II military vehicles. The trip started when I reported to the airfield. The guard on duty telephoned "headquarters." A few minutes later, a soldier rode up on a restored WW II bicycle with my "orders." At that point I knew things were going to be interesting as I was told to muster in uniform  and report to a jeep in the middle of the column. I was in essence transported to the 1940s.

That was not the only time I felt I was in another era. Now to set the scene. You are standing beneath the wing of a B-17 bomber, surrounded by men and women in uniform. The swing and big band music being broadcast over the loudspeakers stops mid-note. “Pearl Harbor has just been bombed,” echoes over the tarmac. Even after the crowd of thousands realized it was a replay of a broadcast from December 7th, 1941, they remained in attentive silence, many rubbing goose bumps from their arms. As a side note, I had a similar reaction years later when I stood on the boardwalk near where I lived and saw the twin towers shrouded in smoke.

<

The storyline and setting for one  short story came from walking a reenactor camp after the public had left for the day. The eerie notes of "Taps" floating over a fog-filled field that just hours before had the sounds of battle created the impression that an ethereal bugler is summoning the souls of those who died on that hallowed ground centuries before.

~ Off to research a new work. Until next month, stay safe and read. Helen

To purchase the Windmaster Novels: BWL

Find out more about me and my novels at Journey to Worlds of Imagination. Follow me online at Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter.
 

Helen Henderson lives in western Tennessee with her husband. While she doesn’t have any pets in residence at the moment, she often visits a husky and a feisty who have adopted her as one of their pack.

Covid Tired by Nancy M Bell

To learn more about Nancy and her books click on the flyer above.

I'm Covid tired, are you? I really, really want to go somewhere, do something, but nope, can't. Infection numbers are rising like crazy in Alberta. So....I have turned my frustrations to good use. Chance's Way, which I blogged about last month, is coming along. The above flyer is a mock up, the final cover will have Chance in place of Laurel, but this gives you an idea of the concept.

It's kinda cool to see all the covers in the Laurel series together. Particularly, the two Arabella covers. For those unfamiliar with the series, Laurel's Gramma Bella, while she's not in the Cornwall Adventures until the last book, has set a number of things in motion before the first book in the series. Arabella's Secret  series explores how some things came to be and how Gramma Bella ended up in southern Alberta married to a rancher instead of staying close to home in Cornwall.

I'm still working on Chance's story as he grapples with his demons and struggles with the financial difficulties of keeping the family ranch going. His pride won't let him ask for help, but the boy is floundering. Colt Rowan watches with concern, but doesn't want to stick his nose in where it might not be wanted. Laurel and Chance seem to be mending the rifts in their relationship, at least as far as friendship is concerned. Her heart is still with Coll in Cornwall, but that's a long way away. 

Stay tuned for more updates next month!

www.nancymbell.ca

authornancymbell at Facebook

https://www.bookswelove.com/bell-nancy/     
 

New Book and other news _BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Pre-release #Sale

 

Haunted Dreams – On Pre-Order plus other news

For some reason I can't get the picture of the cover to copy

 

 

Haunted Dreams is available for pre-order. Plus M&MT is now free on Amazon which will hopefully give us a bunch of sales for the other books in the series.  Be sure to promote it on your blog posts.   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071DMVYN5

 

Haunted Dreams – Blurb:

Rachel Lange is a Cancer and a student in a Master’s program in Child Psychology. Her dreams are haunted by an abusive relationship and by an estrangement from her father, her only close relative.

Zach Majors is an attorney and a Libra. His dreams are haunted by his experience in Afghanistan and by the problems of his young sons, one who has nightmares nearly every night. He has come to Fern Lake to try to help his sons grow and to feel safe.

Between Rachel and Zach, the attraction is instant but they each have problems to overcome before they can think about the future. She has formed a rapport with the angriest of Zach’s sons. Together this pair must find peace within themselves and bring healing to their families.

 

A BIT FROM THE STORY

“They’re here.” Davey pointed and ran toward the blue sedan.

Rachel turned. Beside her friends, she saw a tall man with blonde hair. He must be Nate’s new partner. She closed her car door and followed Davey.

 

* * *

 

Zach walked to where Janine and Nate waited. He watched Davey running toward them. A dark-haired woman followed. Who? He reached the couple. “Where are the trees?”

Nate laughed. “Open your eyes.”

Zach saw rows of trees in the distance. There were none cut for him to choose one.

Davey grasped his hand. “Mr. Majors, see all those rows. You walk to the ones that the trees as tall as you want and pick one. Then a man comes and cuts it down. Didn’t you ever do that?”

Zach nodded. “The only Christmas trees I ever saw for sale were already cut and standing in a lot. How do they know which one you want?”

Nate cocked his head. “The rows are marked by heights.”

“That tells me nothing.”

“I believe you need an eight to nine footer. That’s the size I want. I’ll point them out.”

The dark-haired woman reached them. “Sorry bit I couldn’t keep the impatient one at home. He locked himself in my car. When I tried to program my GPS he read the directions."

“How did he know?” Janine asked.

Davey’s grin widened. “I looked on the internet and printed the directions. I used my little flashlight to read them.” He waved the paper.

“Clever,” Zach said.

Nate groaned. “My fault, I showed him the site.” He turned to his son. “While I admire your cleverness I think there’ll be no computer tomorrow.”

Davey nodded. “That’s fair.” He clasped his father’s hand. “Rachel had to come. She needed a tree so she bought one in a pot. When we come home from Disney I’ll keep it until spring. Then we can plant it.”

Janine turned to her friend. “Good thought. She indicated Zach. “Rachel Lange, meet Zach Majors.”

Zach reached for Rachel’s hand. “Good to meet you.” The moment their fingers touched he felt a jolt that made him catch his breath. He studied her. What had just happened? He forced himself to release her hand. He wasn’t ready for an attraction to any woman.

Rachel stepped back. A few snowflakes sprinkled her dark brown hair. “Have fun finding a tree. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

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