Out Now—Misfortune of Song by Christy Nicholas, Book #5 in The Druid’s Brooch Series (@greendragon9) #histfic #fantasy #ireland #irish #druid #newrelease #fairy #historicalfantasy #historicalfiction #teamtirgearr
Historical fantasy set in 12th century Ireland
~ Even a soldier cannot fight love ~
In 12th century Ireland, all Maelan wants is to do his duty to his Chief and maintain his family’s good name. However, his granddaughter Orlagh, is hell bent on wreaking havoc, with no care for the consequences
When Orlagh falls in love with an itinerant bard, Maelan must rule with an iron fist to keep her from running away. However, her rebellion against his strictures results in disaster and he almost loses her in the same way he lost his beloved wife.
Maelan must make some difficult decisions and bargains with the Fae to save his granddaughter’s life and future. Can he save her happiness as well?
In 12th century Ireland, all Maelan wants is to do his duty to his Chief and maintain his family’s good name. However, his granddaughter Orlagh, is hell bent on wreaking havoc, with no care for the consequences
When Orlagh falls in love with an itinerant bard, Maelan must rule with an iron fist to keep her from running away. However, her rebellion against his strictures results in disaster and he almost loses her in the same way he lost his beloved wife.
Maelan must make some difficult decisions and bargains with the Fae to save his granddaughter’s life and future. Can he save her happiness as well?
Come explore the world of pre-Norman Ireland in this historical fantasy adventure. A combination of adventure, romance, fantasy and historical fiction, Misfortune of Song is book five in The Druid’s Brooch Series. While each book works fine as a stand-alone novel, the series will have, ultimately, three trilogies for a total of nine books.
Some of the challenges I found in researching this book was finding places and details of society in 1155 Ireland. Since the Normans invaded shortly thereafter, many details were obliterated or eclipsed by the new culture. In addition, Viking settlers (called Foreigners, Galls, or Ostmen at the time) had started getting a foothold on coastal towns such as Limerick, Wexford and Waterford.
The Gaelic way of life was beginning to disappear.
Chieftains already straddled a dichotomy in belief between the old, Gaelic pagan ways and the new Christian ways. Traditions such as ancient guest-right, concubinage, and Brehon Law warred with church law and Christian ideals dictated by Rome rather than Celtic Christianity.
Upon this backdrop we meet Orlagh – a young woman full of romantic dreams and little sense. Her best friend, Eolande, could be either help or hindrance to her dreams, depending on her ever-changing mood. Her grandfather, Maelan, was full of duty and honor, and had no idea how to handle his headstrong granddaughter.
Buy links:
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2GXC1vm
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2FJTYy3
Excerpt from Misfortune of Song:
When he closed the door, Orlagh growled. “Eolande, where’s my grandfather?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know, do I? It’s not my day to spy on him. If I were to guess, this time of day, he’d be attending to the chief during court. Today’s petitioners’ day.”
“Petitioners’ day? Excellent. That’s simply perfect. Help me get dressed.”
Eolande backed away, and Tawnith squawked. “Dressed? Absolutely not! You’re to rest.”
Orlagh smiled sweetly at her friend and spoke in a measured tone. “If you don’t help me dress, I shall dress myself, which will tire me out more. I am going whether you help or not. You get to decide how much of my limited strength I use in the mundane tasks.”
Duty and guilt warred on her friend’s face, and finally, guilt won out. With a sigh, Eolande rushed out, presumably to Orlagh’s roundhouse to get some presentable clothing.
It was only a few minutes later when she returned with a simple léine, and they made short work of getting Orlagh presentable. She tied her hair up in a knot rather than arrange it into anything elaborate. It was still damp from washing in the basin this morning, but it would do for now.
Leaning on Eolande, Orlagh slowly made her way to the feast hall. Several farmers and tradesmen milled about outside, awaiting their turn at petition.
Petitioners’ day was when anyone in the túath could come to the chief with a concern, a problem, or a dispute. Orlagh had occasionally had duty helping in the main hall when the different people came for the chief’s justice. Often these were mind-numbing local arguments or issues. Occasionally one grew interesting or dramatic, but very seldom.
Today, she was determined to make the day interesting.
Eolande and Orlagh slipped into the door, shouldering through several layers of onlookers to get to the open space in the center. Chief Diarmait sat on his elaborately carved wooden chair. His head rested on one hand, his elbow propped on the chair arm. His multi-colored brat was around his shoulders, a symbol of his official power.
Her grandfather stood on one side as warchief, and the aging Mícheál on the other as an expert on the law. A scruffy older man complained about the third cow he’d lost in the last moon.
“They just disappear, my chief! The neighbor’s aren’t stealin’ ‘em. I’d see if they had more cows. In fact, Ruari over there lost one himself. I’m tellin’ you, it’s the Fair Folk, no doubt!”
Chief Diarmait raised his head and arched one eyebrow at Maelan. Her grandfather fully decked out in his armor, stepped up. His spine was stiff and his gaze forward.
“My men and I have investigated several such complaints, my chief. We have found no trace of missing kine, either cow or sheep or goat. Not even scraps from a hide. If it’s a predator, they are devouring the creatures whole.”
At a nod, he stepped back into his place, gaze still forward.
Orlagh considered her grandfather’s mood. He hadn’t liked the report he’d just given, that much was clear from his stance and voice. He was ashamed he hadn’t found a reasonable explanation for the missing kine. Good. It meant he was off-balance. This would make her task much easier.
Author Bio:
Celtic Fairies, Fables, and Folklore! Bestselling author (top #100 Amazon Canada, #1 in Paranormal Fantasy, Amazon Canada)
Christy Nicholas, also known as Green Dragon, is an author, artist and accountant. After she failed to become an airline pilot, she quit her ceaseless pursuit of careers that begin with 'A', and decided to concentrate on her writing. Since she has Project Completion Disorder, she is one of the few authors with NO unfinished novels.
Christy has her hands in many crafts, including digital art, beaded jewelry, writing, and photography. In real life, she's a CPA, but having grown up with art all around her (her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother are/were all artists), it sort of infected her, as it were.
She wants to expose the incredible beauty in this world, hidden beneath the everyday grime of familiarity and habit, and share it with others. She uses characters out of time and places infused with magic and myth.
Christy Nicholas, also known as Green Dragon, is an author, artist and accountant. After she failed to become an airline pilot, she quit her ceaseless pursuit of careers that begin with 'A', and decided to concentrate on her writing. Since she has Project Completion Disorder, she is one of the few authors with NO unfinished novels.
Christy has her hands in many crafts, including digital art, beaded jewelry, writing, and photography. In real life, she's a CPA, but having grown up with art all around her (her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother are/were all artists), it sort of infected her, as it were.
She wants to expose the incredible beauty in this world, hidden beneath the everyday grime of familiarity and habit, and share it with others. She uses characters out of time and places infused with magic and myth.
Links:
Website: http://www.greendragonartist.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/greendragon9
Release blitz organized by Writer Marketing Services.
Thank you so much for hosting!
ReplyDelete