A novelette from the award-winning author of The Fall of Lilith and Son of the Serpent, Vashti Quiroz-Vega.
Who can explain how madness begins?
This is the story of Emma. Reared by a religious fanatic, orphaned at a young age and sent to a mental institution and an orphanage. Molested and betrayed by the people who should be watching over her…
Who can say that madness has no logic?
During a fight, Emma’s best friend punched her in the abdomen. Since then, Emma has believed there’s something damaged inside of her.
Every month… she bleeds. She tries to fight it all her life, but the pain and the blood return twenty-eight days later… and the cycle begins again.
But Emma, even in her madness, knows how to take care of herself. She knows how to make things right…
You may not agree… But, who can reason with insanity?
Read this tragic but fascinating tale and traverse the labyrinthine passages of madness.
This short story is graphically shocking yet justified in the end, in a small way, as Emma is insane. I won’t give out any details, as the story is short and I would give away too much of it. This short story would be appreciated by writers like Stephen King and those who write vivid stories with gore included. Yet that barely touches on the complexity found within these pages. Five stars!
Orange means passion, and for Lily Lawson, that’s writing. In this second relatable, contemporary collection of the Rainbow series, the ‘non poetry-lovers poet’ shares that passion in the way only she can.
‘… to the artist, the poet, the dreamer, the weaver of words, I give thanks.’
I just bought and read this book by Lily Lawson. First of all, poetry has evolved, and poems read back in the day are classic, but Lily takes her words to new heights after listening to a Beatles song and meshing her poetry with music. Poetry should have sometimes they rhyme, and Lily proves that to rhyme is not necessarily in great poetry. I was touched by the poems found within. Some hit me like lightning. Time changes us and our friendships to the point that some friendships end. I’ve been there a few times. I never thought of using colors in my poems and a poem I’m not really. This book hits on the essentials of life. Five shiny golden stars!
In the year of 1782, among the snow-dusted hills of Northumberland, Lady Grace Canterbury of Greyson Hall disappeared.
Rumors abounded. She ran away with her Highland lover, leaving her husband and son behind. Others speculated on her declining health, claiming she’d gone away to die in solitude when the fever and pain overcame her body and mind. Those who knew her never believed the gossip and resolved through the years that ruffians kidnapped her at the command of her jealous husband.
No one ever learned the truth. Lady Canterbury vanished.
She’d left behind an infant son, who had barely found comfort in his mother’s arms. A fair-haired and handsome boy who resembled his mother in coloring, including the eyes, ice blue and startling cold if it had not been for the spray of thick, black lashes.
Before the birth, Lord Spencer Canterbury had shared with her how he longed for a fair-haired daughter who looked like her mother. However, when their son made his first appearance, she saw her husband’s joy in knowing it was a strong and healthy boy who would one day inherit the title and become master of their vast estate.
How does such a lady vanish without leaving a remnant of evidence?
For more than a century, the truth remained a mystery. Lady Canterbury became a faded memory, a story to entertain and bewilder at celebrations and gatherings. For generations, speculation continued. Descendants of the family attempted to unravel the mystery of the eighteenth-century puzzle, alas to no avail. Few took the matter seriously—after all, it was long before their time—and the image of a graceful beauty with hair as pale as the risen moon and eyes the color of waves on the sea faded into history.
Once a year, an ancient secret walks the corridors of Greyson Hall, a place shrouded in mystery and whispered legend.
When Devon Clayton inherited the stately mansion in England’s wild north from his uncle, he never imagined what secrets lurked within its walls, hidden for centuries. When his friends and brothers join him for the holiday, the British Agents and their families discover that their most unusual case will bring new meaning to Christmas spirit.
They must now unravel a century-old mystery if they are to break the curse and save a love that transcends time.
A long novella set in Northumberland in December 1782 and 1892.
Also Available:
Alaina Claiborne
Blackwood Crossing
Clayton’s Honor
Note: The British Agent series books are written to be read as stand-alone novels. However, they each have cross-over characters, meaning characters from each book will appear in the others. The only reading order is chronological, but each title can still be read as stand-alone.
Praise for the British Agent Series:
“Ms. McClintock succeeds in masterfully weaving both genres meticulously together until mystery lovers are sold on romance and romance lovers love the mystery!”
—InD’Tale Magazine on Alaina Claiborne
“This book was perfectly-paced with mystery, romance, adventure, and so much more. I am definitely recommending that everyone who loves historical fiction in general read this book. I cannot wait to start reading the next book in this series.” —Dreams Come True Through Reading on Blackwood Crossing
“MK McClintock has spun an enchanting tale deeply entrenched in the lands of Scotland and England that will leave you riveted to your chair until you turn the last page.” —My Life, One Story at a Time on Blackwood Crossing
“Clayton’s Honor by MK McClintock is a clean historical romance that will keep your heart beating and your palms sweating. This is definitely a novel that is going on my ‘read again’ shelf! A really good and smooth read!” —Readers’ Favorite
MK McClintock is an award-winning author who writes historical romantic fiction about chivalrous men and strong women who appreciate chivalry. Her stories of romance, mystery, and adventure sweep across the American West to the Victorian British Isles with places and times between and beyond.
Her works include the following series: Montana Gallaghers, Crooked Creek, British Agents, Whitcomb Springs, and the stand-alone collection, A Home for Christmas. She is also the co-author of the McKenzie Sisters Mysteries.
MK enjoys a quiet life in the northern Rocky Mountains. Visit her online home at www.mkmcclintock.com, where you can learn more about her books, explore extras, and subscribe to receive news.
16 year old Lidie Brunier has everything; looks, wealth, health and a charming suitor but there are dark clouds on the horizon. Lidie and her family are committed Huguenots and Louis XIV has sworn to stamp out this ‘false religion’ and make France a wholly Catholic country. Gradually Lidie’s comfortable life starts to disintegrate as Huguenots are stripped of all rights and the King sends his brutal soldiers into their homes to force them to become Catholics. Others around her break under pressure but Lidie and her family refuse to convert. With spies everywhere and the ever present threat of violence, they struggle on. Then a shocking betrayal forces Lidie’s hand and her only option is to try and flee the country. A decision that brings unimaginable hardship, terror and tragedy and changes her life for ever.
‘One of the very best historical novels I have ever read’
Sandra Robinson, Huguenot Ancestry Expert
Buy Links:
This title is available to read with #KindleUnlimited.
I’d always known that I had Huguenot ancestors but had not given it much thought until a chance remark by a cousin – “you know they fled persecution” – sparked my interest and I decided to find out more.
The facts
Many of those who try to trace their Huguenot roots find the process laborious and frustrating, coming across contradictions and going down blind alleys, but I was lucky. A lot is known about my Huguenot forebears, Lydia and Samuel La Fargue. They feature in the Annals of the Huguenot Society and some meticulous research was done on them by an Edwardian ancestor of mine, so I had a head start.
I knew where they lived in France; in a small town in Gascony, not far from Bordeaux, originally called Castillon-sur-Dordogne and now called Castillon-la-Bataille. I knew what they did (they were predominately lawyers, physicians and minor nobles) and that they were friends with other prominent Protestant families in the region. The Edwardian ancestor states that they lived just outside the town centre in ‘the pleasant faubourg’ and, although I found no evidence of this, it seems likely to be true. They also owned land in the plains South of the town.
So, they came from the bourgeoisie, were committed Huguenots, following the teachings of Calvin, and their own ancestors had fought against the Catholics in the sixteenth century Wars of Religion.
I also knew that Lydia, Samuel, their surviving children and Lydia’s widowed mother left Castillon and fled to Geneva in 1690. And also, intriguingly, that Samuel returned alone to Castillon in 1692 where he died, aged 32, on the very day on which he converted to Catholicism. He may, of course, have died from natural causes, but these were turbulent times, so who knows? I did discover from local documents that he had returned to try and reclaim forfeited property.
After his death Lydia, her children and her mother then left Geneva for London and settled in the pleasant village of Hammersmith where there was a small Huguenot community. Lydia’s only surviving child, Elias, became a Church of England vicar in Lincolnshire and is my direct ancestor.
Why did the Huguenots flee France?
The wars of religion between Protestants and Catholics raged in France during the second half of the 16th century where hatred ran deep, armies were raised and atrocities committed by both sides. These wars were finally brought to an end through the actions of King Henry IV. Henry, originally a Protestant, was a pragmatist. In a bid to unite the country he converted to Catholicism, reportedly saying “Paris is well worth a mass” and promulgated the Edict of Nantes (1598) which granted official tolerance to Protestantism, and for eighty years or so the Huguenots thrived.
Henry’s successors, however, were far less tolerant of the Huguenots, destroying their strongholds and breaking up their military organisation and when the young Louis XIV finally took control of his throne in 1661, he vowed to make France a wholly Catholic country and wipe out the ‘false religion’ of Protestantism once and for all. During his reign, the Edict of Nantes, which had protected Huguenots for so long, was revoked and their lives became impossible.
Unless they denied their faith, they would forfeit their property, be unable to practise their professions or trades and their children would be forcibly removed from them to be brought up as Catholics. They were banned from holding gatherings, even in private, and their temples were destroyed. Yet they were not allowed to leave the country; the King did not want to lose the skills of these hardworking and successful people.
Hardly surprising then, that many converted and many fled despite the penalties if they were caught.
The fiction
It has been an intriguing journey finding out about my ancestors and, more generally, about the circumstances which forced Huguenots like them to flee France. My book ‘The King’s Command’ is based, very loosely, on their experience. I have set the story in Castillon, called the main character Lydia (or Lidie, as she was known by her family) and her husband Samuel, but a lot of the other characters are fictional, as is the account of Samuel’s death and Lidie’s escape. I know nothing of the family’s actual escape to Geneva but night travelling was common. There were ‘Huguenot Trails’ known only to those within a trusted network, safe houses along the escape routes, false identities adopted and bribes paid. There were also plenty of financial rewards offered to those betraying Huguenots and to soldiers finding stowaways, with spies and informers everywhere, so any escape would have been fraught with danger.
In my story, I have made Lidie stay in Castillon and then escape not from nearby Bordeaux, which was heavily guarded, but from a little port called La Tremblade a good way up the West coast. Many Huguenots did escape from here and I used, as background, a contemporary account of one such escape, cranking up the tension as the family tried to avoid detection.
To add to the tension, I made the King’s dragoons visit Castillon to try and force unconverted Huguenot households to abjure. I don’t know if this is true, but certainly there were plenty of reports of this happening in the region.
I also made Samuel die a violent death as a direct result of his association with Claude Brousson, a Protestant lawyer and preacher who fought tirelessly for justice for the Huguenots. Brousson had to flee for his life to Switzerland and then, very bravely, returned in secret to become part of the Church of the Desert, in the wild and mountainous region of the Cevennes, where he preached and gave succour to his fellow Protestants. He died a martyr and hero but he is largely forgotten now and I felt he merited some recognition.
In reality, once Lidie reached London, it seems that she led a very quiet and worthy life, centred on the French church in Hammersmith, but I decided to make her lively and vivacious with a strong character and a love of fashion and of the new silks being made in Spitalfields. I also invented for her a naughty surviving daughter, a new romance and another child from a (fictitious) second marriage.
In her will, Lidie left the bulk of her estate to her son Elias and the rest to the French church in Hammersmith and the French poor of London. It seems that she was still relatively well off and it is known that she brought with her from France some family portraits (presumably taken out of their frames and rolled up), some small pieces of family silver and the La Fargue seal.
The Huguenots were hardworking and talented people and they integrated so seamlessly into their adopted countries that, generations on, it is easy to forget the circumstances which forced them to flee their native France in the 17th century.
Rosemary Hayes is the author of The King’s Command
“One of the very best historical novels I have ever read”
Sandra Robinson, Huguenot Ancestry Expert
Author Bio:
Rosemary Hayes has written over fifty books for children and young adults. She writes in different genres, from edgy teenage fiction (The Mark),historical fiction (The Blue Eyed Aborigineand Forgotten Footprints),middle grade fantasy (Loose Connections, The Stonekeeper’s Childand Break Out) to chapter books for early readers and texts for picture books. Many of her books have won or been shortlisted for awards and several have been translated into different languages.
Rosemary has travelled widely but now lives in South Cambridgeshire. She has a background in publishing, having worked for Cambridge University Press before setting up her own company Anglia Young Books which she ran for some years. She has been a reader for a well-known authors’ advisory service and runs creative writing workshops for both children and adults.
Rosemary has recently turned her hand to adult fiction and her historical novel ‘The King’s Command’ is about the terror and tragedy suffered by the French Huguenots during the reign of Louis XIV.
This is a magical journey through a year in the life of a poet, presented in the format of haiku. Be entertained,and enlightened as you enjoy the worlds of reality and imagination are combined artfully. Dreamers will love this book. Writers will enjoy this book. Readers will enjoy this book. Even those who think they could never appreciate poetry, will enjoy this book. Come and be enchanted by the verbal imagery of A Haiku Perspective 2018.
My Review:
This book is chock full of poetry from chocolate to soft skin, from a new dad to the wonders of life itself, and in every way. She has included or covered most aspects of human life, including cancer and “they got it all” to young love. Five shiny gold stars!
Brady and the Bombii Bumblebee is an endearing account of one of nature’s creatures,presently,on the endangered list. It is an environmentally based story that,not only, illustrates the need for Bumblebee preservation,but also, encourages children of ways, in which, they too can help protect it.
My Review:
I just finished this book, and I found it sweet and endearing for children. Some kids can read it on their and younger kids need it read to them. Children learns about different Bees and the flowers they need for pollination and nectar. The illustrations show kids how Bees build their homes, and encourages plating of flowers to help the Bees so they don’t die out.
Encouraging words raise the spirit and provide strength. Find some encouragement when you need it in this book. You ARE SPECIAL! You ARE WONDERFUL! You ARE A TERRIFIC PERSON! So, GO YOU!!
My Review:
I loved this book! Each poem/phrase is full of positivity which we all need every day. Encouraging others gives positivity to each and, in turn, HOPE! I trulu believe that giving that HOPE, support, and confidence. in turn makes any day a successful day! Essentially, GO YOU! Five shiny gold stars.
“Housie Mousie and Ratty Rat, two adventurous rodents living in a barn boot, embark on a thrilling journey to participate in The Big Cheese Race, a prestigious event in the Cotswolds. Along the way, they befriend a cast of animal characters, including beavers and a mischievous dog, while uncovering a plot to steal the coveted Big Cheese. With courage and teamwork, they thwart the thieves and share their winnings with their newfound friends, ensuring a happy ending filled with friendship and cheese.”
My Review:
I read this book, and it’s a sweet book for kids, whether they read it or it is read to them. The story is entertaining, and kids learn all about animals, rodents, and people at the time of The Big Cheese roll down a hill. From the beginning, adventures start with one mouse and a rat. They figure out a way to make a raft for them to take down the river so they can be at the cheese roll. Ingenious ideas are used for paddling, a ship sail, and so much more in each chapter. A happy ending does happen, even with potential thieves planning to steal the cheese ball and make more cheese balls with chefs in France. Those would be crooks found a way to turn their evil into good, and that’s important as a concept for kids.
For centuries, the fae folk and spae women of Scotland were feared – and persecuted.
Life in the 1800s countryside, with its unforgiving climate, was both magnificent and harsh – testing cultures, beliefs and the loyalties of crofters.
The first in this series, The Sight of Heather, begins a journey of allegiance, sacrifice, and fortitude in a land of bold, resilient women.
Jessie’s ideal life spirals when she learns she is a first daughter in a biological line of ‘spaes’ endowed with unique gifts of spiritual sight and healing, aided by powerful ancestral stones.
Backed by a vindictive priest intent on charging Jessie with murder and witchcraft, the new owner of the Cruachan Manor plots to rout the spaes and destroy their beloved forest.
Despite grave warnings and family conflict, Jessie determinedly pursues her skills and powers, plunging her family and village into danger.
Resolute in uplifting her fellow women, Jessie consults her stones.
Faced with those who deem her evil, she must choose to relinquish her craft, or sacrifice herself to protect her culture and kin – and Lily, the next first daughter – the future of the spaes.
Snippet 2:
Charles folded his arms and a smirk crept out from under his moustache. He cocked his head. “Why do people live here if they struggle to make a living?”
The vice returned, squeezing the strength from Angus’s voice. “We’ve lived here for centuries … we have no desire to live anywhere else, this is our home.”
The words floated over Charles’s head, missing his ears by a country mile. “Why would the previous owners be happy with such an unprofitable arrangement?”
The words escaped from Angus’s mouth before he could arrest them. “Because they were Scottish.”
Ally Stirling is a Fiction writer of Scottish origin, currently living in Cape Town with her Braveheart husband, awesome children, the happiest dog in the world, and her menacing cat (aka ‘Devil Cat’).
An unexpected gift resulting in a prophetic message prompted Ally to give her passion for writing the time it demanded, and in 2018 she joined Cathy Eden’s Working with Words writers group. She credits the love, support, and inspiration of this group of talented women, her ‘writing tribe’ for encouraging her to put words on paper. She also joined (ROSA,) and while Romance is not her genre, this association has been an invaluable source of knowledge and insight into the indie publishing world.
Allowing her imagination freedom to roam resulted in various short stories, before one in particular rooted itself, evolving into her first full-length novel. This book has now become first in a series, with the second and third ready to follow, four and five in the planning stage. Who knew her characters would be so demanding.
Her love of writing fiction stems from her belief that it transports us to magical places when life gets too real.
Addicted to her friends, coffee, every colour of wine, and any type of chocolate, she describes her clan as the family and friends who have built her castle and keep her sane, without whom she’d be short on humour and drinking games.
Life has been rough for Abby. Then, just as her bills start to pile up, she finds a diamond necklace on the floor of her local market. What seems to be a solution only adds to her troubles as Abby struggles with doing what she thinks is right or doing what she needs.
My Review:
Bravo! In my opinion, this short story is a perfect read for anyone age 12 and up, especially women. Not only is book about great love and great loss, it’s chock full of wonderful sentimental moments and memories, and more. The ending came aa a truly pleasant surprise. Five shiny gold stars!
Life on Molly is a travel and lifestyle blog. I am a normal girl with many passions. I am an explorer of new places, a learner of new languages, creator of my ambitions, blogger, and a good pal. This blog is my little corner of the world where I am able to share my adventures with you and inspire you to live a life full of purpose.
When Angels Fly 