Is Your Life Whispering to You?
Cheryl Shireman invited me to join her in the Indie Chicks Anthology. What an amazing group of inspiring women! Cheryl is here today to talk about the book. Welcome Cheryl! _____________ I believe life whispers to you and provides direction. I call that life force God. You can call it whatever you want, but there is no escaping it. If we are open, and brave enough to say yes, life will take us in directions we never expected, and you will live a life beyond your wildest dreams. Those whisperings often come in the form of a “crazy” idea or a nudge to move into a certain direction that seems odd or silly or daring. Then there is that moment when you think, Well, that’s weird. Where in the world did that come from? And then there’s the second moment, Read more…
Free Giveaway! Indie Chicks Anthology
I’m one of 25 women involved in this anthology and I’m gifting 10 free copies via Amazon when the book comes out on Nov. 1. If you’d like a free ebook, leave a comment below for the drawing. We also have a facebook page … come ‘like’ us 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/IndieChicksAnthology _______ As women, one of our most powerful “gifts” is the ability to encourage one another. This book is our effort to encourage women across the world. Twenty-five women share stories that will make you laugh, inspire you, and maybe even make you cry. It is our hope that our stories will inspire your independent spirit and allow you to live the life you were meant to live. All proceeds from this book will go to the Susan G. Komen Foudantion which fights breast cancer – a disease all too Read more…
Razing Castles in the 14th Century
Welcome today to N. Gemini Sasson, talking about the Scottish practice of razing their own castles in the 14th century, as well as her new book, The Honor Due a King, the third book in her Bruce Trilogy. Welcome Gemini! _____________ It’s impossible to write a historical novel without delving into the ‘why’ of certain events and how they unfolded the way they did. When I began to write about Robert the Bruce what amazed me was how he secured his kingdom’s independence despite the fact that he was fighting an army that was far bigger and better armed than his. To do so, he adopted some rather unorthodox tactics for his time. When Robert the Bruce claimed Scotland’s crown in 1306, he knew that if he could not outnumber the English in battle, the only way he could defeat Read more…
Excalibur (Caledfwlch)
“Excalibur” was first used for King Arthur’s sword in the embellishment of the King Arthur legend by the French. Contrary to present-day myth, Excalibur was not the famous “Sword in the Stone” (which broke in battle), but a second sword acquired by the King through the intercession of Myrddin (Merlin). Worried that Arthur would fall in battle, “Merlin took the King to a magical lake where a mysterious hand thrust itself up from the water, holding aloft a magnificent sword. It was the Lady of the Lake, offering Arthur a magic unbreakable blade, fashioned by an Avalonian elf smith, along with a scabbard which would protect him as long as he wore it . . .” http://www.britannia.com/history/arthur/excalibur.html The Welsh name for King Arthur’s sword was ‘Caledfwlch’, which means ‘cleaving what is hard’. (from Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia). It later Read more…
Rewriting the Dark Ages
A new theory has been working it’s way through the archaeological literature that there was no Saxon ‘invasion’ of Britain after the fall of Rome. The theory states that “9th century Anglo-Saxon propaganda distort [ed] the records for the turbulent 5th and 6th centuries. . . . Rather than Briton versus Anglo-Saxon – as in the myth of Arthur – was it simply a murderous struggle between rival British warlords?” http://www.archaeology.co.uk/articles/rewriting-the-age-of-arthur.htm The theory, at least in this article, is based on a lack of primary sources of the era. This is an interesting argument, but there are a number of sources that suggest it isn’t accurate. First: written evidence, which the article claims to be scarce, is far more prevalent than at first appears–it’s just that the sources are not necessarily British. This site on the ruin and conquest of Britain, details, Read more…
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