There was a moment whilst I was reading ‘The Throne of David’ where I settled inside this beautiful passage of a man finding himself between living and dying – he was cast between the worlds and equally so, caught between letting himself go and fighting to come back to the surface of where he fell below the ocean’s currents. It was a passage that was written with such a clarity of knowing what would happen inside those moments of where the soul takes over the conscience thinking of the man and a will to survive is not the only motivation behind what is happening.
Farnsworth delve into a deeper part of what happens when we are taken out of our ‘life’ and placed in this in-between place between where we are, where we could be going, and where we might honestly end up. It’s a fusion of spirituality and an awareness of what can be felt and seen between the veils of where time and life intersect. I was caught so tightly into her vision of what David Lord was experiencing that I wanted to know more about how this section was written, hence this guest post!
What I hadn’t expected is that the inspiration behind this passage was heart-centered on a personal tragedy and was written after a period of healing on behalf of a Mum who had lost her child. I hadn’t realised I would broach a subject that was so dearly personal to Ms Farnsworth, but it’s how she responded to my enquiry that touched my own heart. Despite the circumstances of her son’s death, it’s how his passing has influenced and inspired his mother that truly stays with you as you read their story.
This new insight into ‘The Throne of David’ provides a beautiful back-story to David Lord’s out of body experience and re-grounds part of his character’s journey in the author’s search for understanding about what happens when this chapter of our lives ends. It’s a beautiful testimony about life and the heart of how each hour we are given with each other is a treasured gift not to be forsaken but cherished and celebrated. I found her response quite uplifting and a lovely open letter from a Mum to her child.
The book begins when a mysterious letter is delivered to the Prince of Wales 32 years after it was posted. Hinting of a secret royal marriage, the letter raises the specter of an unknown heir to the British throne and sets in motion a desperate race for the truth.
The search sets David Lord, an American accountant, against the unlimited resources of the Royal Protection Service (the SO14) who do whatever it takes to protect the King of England.
Critical to settling the issues spawned by the letter is locating the coronation stone, one of the holiest artifacts of the Hebrew nation and a companion to the Ark of the Covenant, of ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ fame. The coronation stone legend originates in ancient Israel and travels, over time, to Ireland, Scotland and London. The revered stone is currently on display in Edinburgh castle.
Or is it?
Mounting evidence indicates that the genuine coronation stone disappeared before it ever reached Westminster Abbey. The sacred stone Mr. Lord uncovers could prove the downfall of the House of Windsor or validate their divine right to rule through the ancient Throne of David.
Proposed Topic:
There is a sequence within The Throne of David where David Lord takes an ethereal journey outside of his body where the journey of his soul is revealled for a brief expanse of the story. The way in which you portrayed this journey was quite beautiful – my question truly is how did you come up with the vacuum of space you’ve explored and painted such a clear picture of what he was thinking and feeling during this moment of being between life, death, and heaven?
You can write any length you’d like on this as it was truly such a curious part of the story — I loved it personally. I was wondering if you did research about near death experiences or it this sequence just came to you as your wrote it?
Before you read this Guest Post, kindly note the author invites you to read the passage from her novel which inspired me to pitch this topic of enquiry on her website.
The story of my novel ‘The Throne of David’ is really a tale of a 50 year old mother who finally saved up enough life experience to write a book. There is a scene in the book that has captured my readers attention in a way I never anticipated. It is a sequence of scenes where David Lord is out of his body, some would say he was dead. But, for me, death is really nothing at all. Read More
Acquired Book By:I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Avelynn” virtual book tour through HFVBT: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary ARC copy of the book direct from the publisher St. Martin’s Press, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
There is something about the Vikings:
Ever since I was a young girl who enjoyed her history lessons in grammar school, you could say I had a healthy fascination with the Vikings. They were painted quite the brogue and rough turnt bunch of warriors of whom you wouldn’t seek to cross if you had any sense of mind about your well being; yet within those whim-some chapters of text about who they were and who they weren’t (as let’s be honest, textbooks rarely were the tell-all place to find truth out of history) a curiosity of mind developed.
I yearned to read more about them and to uncover fact from fiction inasmuch as find a way to seek out stories about them that perhaps softened their plight and plunder on history’s fabled chapters. I wouldn’t have minded a romanticised view of their lives but I would have appreciated truism if it wasn’t brokered to be bent towards violent gore nor of brutality for the sake of it rather than for the authenticity. Vikings at mere mention stroke the coals of memories most of us have about what we were taught vs what we might have learnt on our own accords.
Whether or not, I knew enough about them prior to reading Avelynn is not in question but to have a curiosity about a community of people who enticed me to find stories set around their lives is worthwhile because it is something I was wondering if others were curious about too. I know this only my first foray into Viking fiction, as the only other story I can lay thought upon having seen prior to reading this story is How to Train Your Dragon Parts I & II where the Vikings are seen in all their familiar glory! Lest, I mention how wicked awesome those films were!?
One extraordinary Saxon noblewoman and one fearless Viking warrior find passion and danger in this dazzling and sensuous debut.
Marissa Campbell’s debut novel is a winning combination of romance, history, and adventure sure to appeal to fans of Diana Gabaldon.
It is 869. For eighteen years, Avelynn, the beautiful and secretly pagan daughter of the Eadlorman of Somerset has lived in an environment of love and acceptance. She hasn’t yet found a man to make her heart race, but her father has not pressured her to get married. Until now. With whispers of war threatening their land, her father forces Avelynn into a betrothal with Demas, a man who only covets her wealth and status. The dreaded marriage looming, she turns to her faith, searching for answers in an ancient ritual along the coast, only to find Alrik the Blood-Axe and sixty Viking berserkers have landed.
Alrik is unlike any man she has ever known, strong and intriguing. Likewise, he instantly falls for her beauty and courage. The two stumble into a passionate love affair, but it’s more than just a greedy suitor who will try to keep them apart.
As the Saxons and Vikings go to war, Avelynn and Alrik find themselves caught in the throes of fate. Can they be true to their people as well as to each other?
Marissa Campbell is a published freelance author, and co-author of the award-winning, spiritual self-help book Life: Living in Fulfillment Every Day.
Her debut historical fiction AVELYNN, was published through St. Martin’s Press, September 2015. She self-published her sophmore release Avelynn: The Edge of Faith. She is a proud member of the Historical Novel Society, Romance Writers of America, Writer’s Community of Durham Region, and local critique group B7.
When she is not writing, she is busy looking after her wonderful children, spending time with her fantastic husband, hanging out with her awesome friends, teaching yoga, dancing, laughing, and having fun!
Acquired Book By:I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Girl Waits With Gun” virtual book tour through HFVBT: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary ARC copy of the book direct from the publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
On why this book sparked an interest to read:
I must admit, I had regretted not being able to read The Drunken Botanist when I had initially found a copy of it at my local library – mostly, because it stood out to me as being quite altogether different than what I might usually pick up to read. For starters, I love Herbology (plants used for alternative/natural medicines) and I love how you can grow an apothecarist garden. This previous release of hers takes it a step further and dictates how plants can be used in mixology to produce different drinks and a fetching taste whilst you blend together elements you might not have felt worked well together.
When it was announced Girl Waits With Gun was going to be going on tour, I didn’t want to be sidelined again with an author who drew a line of curiosity into my brow to read!
Note on the Cover Art: Cover art by itself never leads me to reading a novel, however, snazzy sharp cover art might implore me to read the synopsis and if within those small ounces of text I find a murmuring of a focus about a story that might yield itself to being warranted to reading, odds are in favour I will do exactly that. Otherwise to me, cover art becomes another medium of art to be admired solely for that purpose. In this instance, it was the combination that intrigued me but to focus on the artwork a moment: how can this not garish interest? It’s quite catching!
From the New York Times best-selling author of The Drunken Botanist comes an enthralling debut novel based on the forgotten true story of one of the nation’s first female deputy sheriffs.
Constance Kopp doesn’t quite fit the mold. She towers over most men, has no interest in marriage or domestic affairs, and has been isolated from the world since a family secret sent her and her sisters into hiding fifteen years ago. One day a belligerent and powerful silk factory owner runs down their buggy, and a dispute over damages turns into a war of bricks, bullets, and threats as he unleashes his gang on their family farm. When the sheriff enlists her help in convicting the men, Constance is forced to confront her past and defend her family — and she does it in a way that few women of 1914 would have dared.
Amy Stewart is the author of seven books. Her latest, Girl Waits With Gun, is a novel based on a true story. She has also written six nonfiction books on the perils and pleasures of the natural world, including four New York Times bestsellers: The Drunken Botanist, Wicked Bugs, Wicked Plants, and Flower Confidential. She lives in Eureka, California, with her husband Scott Brown, who is a rare book dealer. They own a bookstore called Eureka Books. The store is housed in a classic nineteenth-century Victorian building that Amy very much hopes is haunted.
Stewart has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and many other newspapers and magazines, and has appeared frequently on National Public Radio, CBS Sunday Morning, and–just once–on TLC’s Cake Boss. She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, the American Horticulture Society’s Book Award, and an International Association of Culinary Professionals Food Writing Award.
I was selected to be a stop on the “Darkness with a Chance of Whimsy” blog tour from Seventh Star Press. The tour is hosted by Tomorrow Comes Media who does the publicity and blog tours for Seventh Star Press and other Indie and/or Self Published authors. I am a regular blog tour host with Tomorrow Comes Media, however, when I reviewed “Virtual Blue” my path originally crossed with Mr Sullivan’s. We’ve kept in touch and he asked if I would be keen on being involved in his blog tour for “Darkness with a Chance of Whimsy” to which I was happy to respond positively with a ‘yes’! As I have been wanting to expand my readings of his collective works past ‘Virtual Blue’.
I received a complimentary copy of “Darkness with a Chance of Whimsy” direct from the publisher Seventh Star Press in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why I wanted to read …Chance of Whimsy:
Part of me half-smirked when I realised how similar in name this title was to “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” as although not the demographic who would normally find herself inclined to see the film (as it’s that brand of anime that tends to grate on my last nerve rather than humours me) – I must contend, the airing I caught on cable left me pensive and laughing. It had more heart than I shrugged off being possible and it had a nice heaping of cheeky humour to keep me entertained.
Titling aside, I’ve been keeping an eye on Mr Sullivan’s writings for awhile now, as I previously explored his darker side of knitting inside an Urban Fantasy quite the dark fate circling around a character within the pages of Virtual Blue! One of his characters I enjoyed getting to meet through that novel was Rebecca Burton, of whom is featured in two of the shorts within this collection: Inner Strength & Backstage Pass.
I positively adore reading anthologies for Science Fiction & Fantasy, in fact, I tend to get quite giddy about finding them! I’ve been focusing on the Indie Press side of the ledger for the past two years, as I’ve happily devoured titles by Seventh Star Press (by which this title is published!), World Weaver Press and Xchyler Publishing. I have an exciting anthology I am going to be reading for this years upcoming Sci Fi November + the Sci-Fi Experience (December-January) where I will be exploring Space Opera; a section of SF I haven’t been reading nearly as much as I should in the recent past! (mentioned on No.7!)
What appealed to me about Sullivan’s current anthology is how it’s a curated collection spanning a decade of characters, life experiences (as you know those are always at the back of a writer’s mind as they write their stories!), and stories evolving out of where Sullivan was in his writerly pursuits per each story included inside. My curiosity for continuing to read his stories hasn’t faltered, as I was waiting for a moment where his stories would re-tempt me to read his new works (or his past works; truly nothing is ever truly ‘old’ if it’s new to the reader!) as I knew the basis of Virtual Blue was going to be a bit trickier to follow as it’s such a soul-gutting story-line for me to consume.
The fact he put ‘whimsy’ and ‘darkness’ together in a title won me over but it’s his dedication to share his journey with his readers which endeared me the most.
Darkness with a Chance of Whimsy Subtitle: Ten Years, Ten Stories by R.J. Sullivan
Collected for the first time since their initial publications, Darkness with a Chance of Whimsy presents ten tales from the imagination of R.J. Sullivan. Thrills and chills await you, but you may also get blindsided by the absurd. This volume includes a pair of stories featuring Rebecca Burton, the mysterious investigator of R.J.’s acclaimed paranormal thriller series. Among the ten stories, you’ll find:
“The Assurance Salesman” shows five strangers more about themselves than they ever guessed.
You don’t want to venture into Daddy’s basement in “Fade.”
Rebecca Burton tries to talk someone out of a bad idea in “Backstage Pass.”
A bullied police detective finally defeats his rival in “Able-Bodied.”
A desperate father finds the “Inner Strength” to save his young daughter, “Becky” Burton.
A child seeds his aquarium with a most unusual “Starter Kit.”
A brilliant robotics engineer creates a “Robot Vampire.”
R.J. Sullivan’s novel Haunting Blue is an edgy paranormal thriller and the first book of the adventures of punk girl Fiona “Blue” Shaefer and her boyfriend Chip Farren. Seventh Star Press also released Haunting Obsession, a Rebecca Burton Novella, and Virtual Blue, the second part of Fiona’s tale. The short stories in this collection have been featured in such acclaimed anthologies as Dark Faith Invocations by Apex Books and Vampires Don’t Sparkle. His next book due out very soon will be Commanding the Red Lotus, which collects the series of science fiction novelettes in the tradition of Andre Norton and Gene Roddenberry.
R.J. resides with his family in Heartland Crossing, Indiana. He drinks regularly from a Little Mermaid coffee mug and is man enough to admit it.
Acquired Book By: I was contacted by Kelsey @ Book Publicity Services in regards to a non-fiction journal account of a sister duo in country music who journalled their experiences on the road whilst touring. I received a complimentary copy of “Recipes and Road Stories” direct from the publicist via Book Publicity Services in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Inspired to Read:
I love fiddles and folk music – I am a champion of bluegrass and outlaw country, and I tend to have my own mind about where I ‘fit’ inside Country music where I most likely am on the fringes rather than being on the ‘inside edge’; however, this personally suits my fancy! I love cross-over artists (Country to Pop) and I love the originality of musicians who can belt out a ballard and write the lyrics which resonate on a heart-pulse the beauty of their message.
When I first learnt about this memoir by a duo of bluegrass who were traditionally trained and who have a natural rhythm of joy surrounding them as they play, I couldn’t find a reason not to accept this book for review! I’m a foodie girl at heart, if you follow my exploits under my #TheBookishFoodie featured cookbook reviews, you’d know how seeing a fusion of home-spun stories of family life, faith-centered journalling of life experiences, and the quirky addition of recipes woven together into a memoir of a rising duo of bluegrass – truly, what isn’t to love?
Recipes and Road Stories: Life on the Road with sisters Hannah and Caroline Melby of the duo HanaLena blends touching and rollicking road stories with an assortment of tasty recipes, and then tops everything off with plenty of exciting photographs.
Also contributing recipes are friends they made on the road, including Rhonda Vincent, a 5-time Grammy nominee who has been called the "Queen of Bluegrass", and Clarie Lynch, who is the reigning Female Vocalist of the Year for the International Bluegrass Association.
On the road they have opened for stars such as Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and performed with Grand Ole Opry member Charlie Louvin and the "King of Bluegrass" Jimmy Martin, who was a frequent performer at the Opry before his death in 2005.
In their off-hours, the sisters focused on the business end of music, with Hannah receiving a degree in public relations from Mississippi State University and Caroline receiving a degree in music business from Belmont University in Nashville.
By the time Hannah was in the 11th grade and Caroline was in the 7th grade, the Melby sisters were touring the country in bluegrass bands, with Hannah on fiddle and Caroline on mandolin. Today the sisters are front persons of a very popular Nashville-based country music touring band named HanaLena.
The sisters, who grew up in Starkville, Mississippi, performed from an early age - Hannah is now 28, Caroline is 24 - evolving from bluegrass to progressive country as they perfected their songwriting and performance skills out on the road. In 2008 they won the "Best New Act in Country Music" competition at the Colgate Country Showdown in the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville - and took home a check for a cool $100,000 presented by country music star LeAnn Rimes.
Avelynn
Girl Waits With Gun
Darkness with a Chance of Whimsy
Recipes and Road Stories: Life on the Road with sisters Hannah and Caroline Melby of the Duo HanaLena