Historical Literature at its pure best! .@pruebatten #medieval #historical

Tobias 

Book One of The Triptych Chronicle
by
Prue Batten

Byzantium stretches a weakening grip across Eastern Europe, trying in vain to hold onto all that has made it an empire. Tyrian purple, the unique dye that denotes its power, is held under close guard by the imperial house.

However a Jewish merchant from Venice has sourced an illegal supply and Tobias the dwarf minstrel and his twin brother, Tomas, begin a dangerous journey to retrieve the purple and deliver it into the merchant’s eager hands.

But is this supply as secret as they had hoped?

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Trade is cut throat, men are expendable, money is power and Constantinople provides the exotic backdrop during a time of scimitars and shadows.

This is Tobias – the story of a minstrel and a broken life…

Semi-finalist in 2016 M.m. Bennetts Award for Historical Fiction (UK)

'Authentic characters and a twisting plot move this tale to a gripping end.' Christian Cameron, author of The Chivalry Series

'Although the time and the place of the story is very different, there was something ... that reminded me of the great Patrick O'Brian. For historical fiction, there is really no greater praise.' Matthew Harffy - The Bernicia Chronicles.

‘A powerful tale of violence, treachery, and intrigue, set in the cut-throat world of medieval trade.’ Ann Swinfen, author of The Chronicles of Christoval Alvarez.

‘An atmospheric journey through the seedy underbelly of medieval Europe.’ SJA Turney, author of Marius’s Mules.

Excerpt from

Tobias (The Triptych Chronicle Book 1)

They stopped at the top of the stair. Behind them, the world opened out, tantalising in its vast opportunity. Promising so much, Toby thought. In some monastery chapel close by, men’s voices drifted on the air in a chant, just the one word – Alleluleia, a single voice and then choral responses in tonal rises and falls. Had he come to Constantinople for this? For Divine music and inspirational words? Or for excitement and lust?

But all he could think of as he turned back to the massive doors that made him feel like an ant was, No, I came to buy a lyra.

Dana walked through the south gates and along the narthex, avoiding the imperial gates. He followed like a child, skirting the omphalos, his eyes drifting up to the dome that hung weightless it seemed, above them. Light streamed in through the windows and to anyone who thought God didn’t exist, this sight above all others must change their minds. Toby crossed himself as he spun slowly in a circle, eyes fixed on that sight.

How in Heaven’s name had they created arches strong enough to hold the dome in place?

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His eyes drifted further and what he had thought were smaller buildings, clustered around the skirt of the basilica, were in fact supportive smaller domes. It was a wonder of construction … coloured marbles that reminded him of Dana’s kerkis trees and golden mosaics, a richness that made one question if one was now in Heaven. He stared at the huge silver iconostasis in the distance, but then his glance caught on the most perfect icon – the Pantocrator’s face, placid, wise, all-knowing. He crossed himself again.

‘Tobias,’ hissed Dana. ‘Tobias, pay attention. I have found a priest who can help us…’ She grabbed Toby’s arm and yanked him behind her toward a tall man whose hair flowed luxuriantly and whose beard intermingled with his hair. On his head, a small cloth skoufos balanced precariously and he wore a plain but richly golden pectoral cross. ‘Tobias, this is Father Symeon. He has been within the Church all day and had an enquiry from a small person … did you not, Father?’

‘Indeed. He was … not unlike yourself,’ he nodded at Tobias, a hand reaching for the prayer rope at his wrist and fingering the knots.

He is afraid of me…

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Tired of heriones with perfect figures? Check out Angela Verdenius' #books #bbw #largeladies #austrailian #bookspotlight

The main character is BBW (a big, beautiful woman) and stars in

The Wells Brothers: Aaron

by

Angela Verdenius

Being a whistle-blower takes guts. It can also leave you scarred.

Whistle-blower, Shea Winters bore the consequences of an act of honesty and lost her job and reputation as a nurse. Now, she makes a living conning people as a medium and psychic using her teen brother’s computer skills to help her.

Security expert and ex-cop, Aaron Wells, investigates her and becomes intrigued by her.

Now he can’t deny the attraction he feels for the pretty scammer.

But being a whistle-blower can also have dangerous consequences.

Very dangerous...

Amazon.UK | Amazon.com | Amazon.Au | Goodreads | Angela Verdenius Website

Just a few of the excellent reviews received on Amazon for The Wells Brothers - Aaron:

Just loved this book! A very good romance, humor and suspense. Aaron and Shea are perfect for each other. Loved other characters too. And the bantering between siblings and other friends, that's so hilarious. I would love to be friends with these people.

Well folks shes done it again, this book has you pulled in with the first paragraph. There was times where I was laughing out loud, so excited I could hardly set still, and just so entranced I didn't want to put it down.

I fell in love with Angela Verdenius' stories after I read the first BBW (Big Beautiful Women) book of hers. The stories are filled with great fun banter, friends for life, Aussie customs and humor, scorching hot romance between women with curves, sass, and vigor, and alpha men who adore their women, love their curves and take protectiveness to a new level of intense.

Five Facts about A Fair Exchange

This month, Monique McDonell is the first author to reveal FIVE FACTS about her latest release (she is also offering prizes. Scroll down for details). During the FIVE FACTS month we'll  be discovering facts about books that their author would rather not be known.

Over to Monique...

 
1. Just like the main character in my novel, A Fair Exchange, I was an exchange student in Massachusetts as a teenager.

2. Of all my novels this one had the longest gestation period.

3. I had lots of fun researching this book doing road trips in Australia and eating out at places in the book.

4. The character of Stacey in the book is an amalgam of a few of my friends when I live in America. (Stacey is a very American name and was not common in Australia in the 1980s and yet I had several American friends by that name – all my Australian friends were called Jennifer, Emma or Kylie).

5. Of all the male characters I’ve written Matt is my favourite so far. If I wasn’t happily married he’d be welcome on my door-step anytime!

Amazon author page | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog| Goodreads

A Fair Exchange

Who hasn’t wondered about their first love? What happened? What went wrong? Where are they now?

What if you got a second chance?

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Amelia Armstrong is about to find out!

It's just a shame her long-lost love, Matt, has returned (looking way too good and acting way too sweet) when her life is a shambles and she has finally decided once and for all to put herself, and not whichever man is currently in her life, first.

How do you balance that desire to recapture that loving feeling with the need to finally be the best version of yourself? What if this really is the one, how do you choose when to stand your ground and when to cut your losses? Amelia takes a journey from Sydney to New York and back again trying to find the answers while negotiating with pop-divas, ex-lovers, crazy teenagers, a well-meaning cousin and the tabloids.

A Fair Exchange is a story about being a grown up when, maybe, you’d much rather be sixteen again.

 Excerpt  

It was not as if he was the first one to mention it. In the past week everyone who had entered my apartment had commented on the shiny new Vespa parked in the middle of the otherwise empty living room. In fact, each and every one of them had imaginatively said “Amelia you have a red Vespa parked in your living room!”  And they all said it in a tone that implied I might not have noticed, as if it may have magically appeared there.How could I not notice a vehicle parked in what was otherwise an empty room?What amazed me was that the Vespa was what they chose to comment on.
 Not that Nick had dumped me, after ten years, for a twenty-one year-old. Nor that he had moved out, taking basically all the furniture and leaving me with a great view over the beach and an enormous mortgage.
 No one even commented about the fact that I, in turn, had quit the fabulous job that had always meant way too much to me. No, they commented on the Vespa. What I could not understand though was why it hadn’t bothered me until right then, when Matthew Blue commented. And when he did comment, why had I collapsed into this embarrassing sea of tears? How had this happened? How had I become this sobbing pathetic figure of womanhood?  And more importantly how had I ended up thirty-six and alone? Didn’t I used to have so much potential? Everyone had said so, hadn’t they?  “Amelia Armstrong is something special.”
 I was one of those shiny young girls who took risks and dreamed big. I was one of the smart ones who knew what she wanted and went after it. I was one to watch. If I hadn’t been that kind of a girl I would never have met Matthew all those years ago. A different girl would not have found herself, on the other side of the world, at sixteen, staring into his dark and dreamy eyes. So where was that girl right now, I wanted to know? And how had a girl with so much potential gotten it so horribly wrong?

About the author – Monique McDonell:

'I am an Australian author who writes contemporary women's fiction including chick lit and romance. I live on Sydney's Northern Beaches with my husband and daughter, and despite my dog phobia, with a dog called Skip.

I have written all my life especially as a child when I loved to write short stories and poetry. At University I studied Creative Writing as part of my Communication degree. Afterwards I was busy working in public relations I didn't write for pleasure for quite a few years although I wrote many media releases, brochures and newsletters. (And I still do in my day-job!)

When I began to write again I noticed a trend - writing dark unhappy stories made me unhappy. So I made a decision to write a novel with a happy ending and I have been writing happy stories ever since.

I have been a member of the writing group The Writer’s Dozen for eight years. Our anthology Better Than Chocolate raised over $10,000 for the charity Room to Read and helped build a library in South East Asia. I am also a member of the Romance Writers of Australia.

A Fair Exchange is the fifth novel I have released in the last two years.'

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Grumpy Wombat Tania McCartney...

Riley and the Grumpy Wombat Blog Tour

Children and Travel

by 

Tania McCartney

I have a quiet obsession with travel. Of course, like most of us, I never do it often enough but I still feel grateful to have devoured some large and delicious slices of the world. One curious thing about travel is that its beauty and life-changing experiences are only heightened and intensified through sharing (a bit like slices of cake)… most especially when it comes to children.

In 2005, our young family was posted for Beijing for four years. My children were only aged two and four, and although I’d already lived and worked overseas, I must admit, I was daunted about taking my babies to live in Asia. China had always been an unknown entity to me – it had sort of slipped to the lower end of a very long Must-Visit list – and this is why it surprised no one more than me how quickly we stumbled and fell head-over-heels in love with this ancient and diverse country.

We simply adored our time in China, and it was truly some of the most enriching years of my life, not to mention that of my children. Our life in the capital inspired my very first children’s picture book – Riley and the Sleeping Dragon: A journey around Beijing. This book was originally a ‘project’ I wanted to create as a memento for our life in Beijing, but it soon grew into something more than that. After self-publishing and selling out of two print runs in bookstores across China, I was surprised and delighted when the book did so well upon our return home to Australia. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised – we are a nation of voyagers, after all.

For me, travelling with children is a priceless way to hone a vital psychological skillset in youngsters. Tolerance, understanding, openness, acceptance, courage, curiosity, self-confidence, awareness, a hunger for adventure – these are just some of the benefits of opening the world to kids.

My children, Ella and Riley (now 11 and 8) have travelled to eight different countries in their short years on earth, and never have I seen faster and deeper development in my children than both during- and post-travel. From the subconscious absorption of language and culture to the wide-eyed fascination of life so different to their own, through the mind-boggling flavours, scents and sounds experienced each time we voyage abroad… the educational and soul-stretching benefits of travel cannot be underestimated.

 

I have also noticed greater independence, less fear and more curiosity in my children since taking them abroad – and, most unexpectedly, a deeper love of both home and coming home. Travel most certainly instills a sense of self- and national-pride in our kids, and allows them to [so vitally] see just how good they have things here in Australia.

But travelling overseas is not the only way to broaden your children through travel. Voyaging interstate, to country towns or even to the other side of your city are ways we can embrace the concept of travel in children. Setting out on an adventure, whether it be to Paris or the local park, is not only exciting and great fun, it enhances spatial awareness and learning, invites problem-solving and planning, stretches mental and physical boundaries and – importantly – allows that priceless (and increasingly rare) one-on-one time between parent and child.

I never expected to morph Riley and the Sleeping Dragon into a series of books. It sort of happened naturally, especially when I witnessed the delight children experienced when reading the book out loud – whether it was in recognition of their home town of Beijing, revisiting the Beijing they once knew, or visiting Beijing for the very first time through the pages of a book.

The Riley series may be serious armchair travel in itself but it was important for me to embrace and encourage cultural and traditional elements in each book, to enhance the obvious visual elements. Not only can kids experience new places through black and white photos, they can also learn more about the unique idiosyncrasies of each destination in the Riley series through iconic words and images, metaphors and of course – the local faunal element each book introduces – a dragon for Beijing, a wombat for Melbourne, etc.

Not all children have the opportunity to travel far and wide but I feel passionately about offering every child the chance to travel through the pages of a book. If my Riley series can ignite the barest flicker of interest in foreign places… that will be enough for me.

As long as children love to explore, the Riley series will continue. And if I have to keep travelling to research each exciting new destination for Riley and his travelling team of critters, then I guess that’s just what I’ll have to do. Sigh. It’s a tough job. Paris, anyone?