Guinevere: Bright Shadow
by Sarah Provost
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Arthurian Fiction, Fantasy
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“My loyalty to the Goddess was supreme. But as the new religion took hold, the pagan way was threatened with extinction. There were those on both sides who would use me as a pawn in that battle, even if it meant taking my life.
“Yes, I bear my portion of blame. I loved Arthur, and I loved Lancelot, will I or no. But that was only one element in the impending chaos. Britain was divided, my love was divided, and such divisions cannot endure. I did everything in my power – and learned new powers – to prevent an all-out war. But would it be enough?”
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EXCERPT:
I worried at the glove, getting exasperated. Lancelot noticed and came to my aid. He smiled at me, his eyes sweet and affectionate, then bent his head and began to work the buckle free.
At last it let go. Lancelot drew the gauntlet from my hand and let it fall. But he still kept my wrist, and held his face averted. I should have moved away, but something in his utter stillness held me as if I were glamoured. When he raised his head to look me full in the eyes, there was no smile. His face was taut and deathly pale. He pulled me toward him, and I did not resist.
When his mouth met mine, it was with such tenderness that I could do nothing except meld into it. What we were saying to each other with that kiss had little to do with lust. Only our lips touched, and our hands where he still held mine.
In that instant my life was changed forever. There was no sense of urgency. Instead, it felt like coming home after a lifetime spent wandering. Had it really always been this simple, this pristine? The miracle of his lips on mine could only have lasted a moment, but in that instant I understood all I had been missing in my life. And then, as I was about to vanish completely into the ecstasy of it, I understood what the future held as well. And it was dire, agonizing. It was utterly impossible.
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Sarah Provost is a poet, playwright, screenwriter and novelist, currently living and working in upstate New York. A collection of poems, Inland, Thinking of Waves, was published by the Cleveland State University Press. Her stage plays have been produced off-Broadway, in London, Los Angeles, and states beginning with K. No screenplays have been produced, but she made a decent living writing for Paramount, Disney, HBO and others until Hollywood broke her heart. After a period of recuperation and relocation to a place with much worse weather, she began writing Guinevere: Bright Shadow, her first novel. A second novel, The Real Girl, is in progress.
https://twitter.com/Sarahwriter17
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1675305.Sarah_Provost
https://www.facebook.com/sarah.provost.18
https://btwnthelines.com/product/gbs/
https://www.amazon.com/Guinevere-Bright-Shadow-Sarah-Provost-ebook/dp/B0BM5YHDST
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GIVEAWAY
The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Hello, friends! Thank you for stopping by, and a big THANK YOU to Becky for hosting. I look forward to seeing your questions and comments.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rita. I certainly enjoyed writing it!
DeleteTime for my daily writing. I have a writing partner. Though we're on opposite coasts, six days a week we text each other at a set time, write, then call each other to talk about what we accomplished. It really helps me to have this accountability. What's your writing routine?
ReplyDeleteAccountability is key! I'm also working on a reading routine: screens off at 8 pm, light a candle, wrap myself in a really nice blanket, chamomile tea latte at my elbow, book in hand. Yours is my current read -- I can definitely tell you're a poet; it's a beautiful read. xo
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lily! That sounds like an absolutely perfect way to read. I did start my writing career as a poet; then I was a playwright and screenwriter. I try to use everything I've learned along the way: language from poetry, character from plays, visuals and action from screenwriting. Have any of you writers worked in multiple genres? How do you think it has affected your writing process?
ReplyDeleteSounds like such a good book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sherry. I certainly put a lot into it, and I'm very proud of it.
DeleteThanks to everyone who visited, and again, thanks to Becky for hosting. Happy New Year, everyone!
ReplyDeleteIt’s about time women of legend told their own stories. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteSounds so good. Thank you for the excerpt ! :)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post!! I have added this book to my Goodreads TBR List and look forward to checking it out!!
ReplyDelete