Monday, 31 March 2025

✧ Book Spotlight ✧ The Midnight of Eights by Justin Newland



The Midnight of Eights

By Justin Newland



1580.

Nelan Michaels docks at Plymouth after sailing around the world aboard the Golden Hind. He seeks only to master his mystical powers – the mark of the salamander, that mysterious spirit of fire – and reunite with his beloved Eleanor. 

After delivering a message to Francis Walsingham, he’s recruited into the service of the Queen’s spymaster, where his astral abilities help him to predict and thwart future plots against the realm.

But in 1588, the Spanish Armada threatens England’s shores.

So how could the fledgling navy of a small, misty isle on the edge of mainland Europe repulse the greatest fleet in the world?

Was the Queen right when she claimed it was divine intervention, saying, ‘He blew with His winds, and they were scattered!’?

Or was it an entirely different intervention – the extraordinary conjunction of coincidences that Nelan’s astral powers brought to bear on that fateful Midnight of Eights?



Author Website (where buyer can enter a dedication): https://www.justinnewland.com/the-midnight-of-eights~193 






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JUSTIN NEWLAND’s novels represent an innovative blend of genres from historical adventure to supernatural thriller and magical realism. 

Undeterred by the award of a Maths Doctorate, he conceived his debut novel, The Genes of Isis (ISBN 9781789014860, Matador, 2018), an epic fantasy set under Ancient Egyptian skies. 
His second book, The Old Dragon’s Head (ISBN 9781789015829, Matador, 2018), and is set in Ming Dynasty China in the shadows of the Great Wall. 

Set during the Great Enlightenment, The Coronation (ISBN 9781838591885, Matador, 2019) speculates on the genesis of the most important event in the modern world – the Industrial Revolution. 

The Abdication (ISBN 9781800463950, Matador, 2021) is a mystery thriller in which a young woman confronts her faith in a higher purpose and what it means to abdicate that faith.
The Mark of the Salamander (ISBN 9781915853271, Book Guild, 2023), is the first in a two-book series, The Island of Angels. Set in the Elizabethan era, it tells the epic tale of England’s coming of age. 

The latest is The Midnight of Eights (ISBN 9781835740 330, Book Guild, 2024), the second in The Island of Angels series, which charts the uncanny coincidences of time and tide that culminated in the repulse of the Spanish Armada. 

His work in progress is The Spirit of the Times which explores the events of the 14th Century featuring an unlikely cast of the Silk Road, Genghis Khan, the Black Plague, and a nursery rhyme that begins ‘Ring a-ring a-roses’. 

Author, speaker and broadcaster, Justin gives talks to historical associations and libraries, appears on LitFest panels, and enjoys giving radio interviews. He lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.

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Monday, 24 March 2025

✧ Book Spotlight ✧ Viva Violetta & Verdi by Howard Jay Smith

 



Viva Violetta & Verdi
By Howard Jay Smith

A Love Affair Inspiring the World's Most Unforgettable Operas:

Experience the intense, lifelong love affair between Giuseppe Verdi and Giuseppina Strepponi, the brilliant and seductive soprano who shaped his legacy. As his muse, lover, and wife, Strepponi was the inspiration behind Verdi's most iconic works, including La Traviata and Aida. Her influence was pivotal, as she became the architect of his creative triumphs and the heart of his operatic genius.

Set against the backdrop of Italy's Risorgimento, this sweeping novel intertwines their turbulent relationship with the nation's fierce struggle for independence. Through the heartbreak of three brutal wars, Verdi and Strepponi's passion, betrayal, and artistic ambition come alive, mirroring the era's fiery spirit.

Rich with themes of love, power, food, wine, and unrelenting passion, Viva Violetta & Verdi is an unforgettable exploration of art, resilience, and the enduring bond that transformed both an artist and a nation.


Praise for Violetta & Verdi:

"A stunning, significant book...that is rich, lush and drenched in knowledge. It is nothing less than a gift." - Sheila Weller

"Smith's historic drama embraces universal themes of class and religious persecution, and weaves gorgeous language with an intimate knowledge of Italian food, music, and political hypocrisy that contemporary readers will find irresistible." - Jessica Keener

"Viva Violetta & Verdi is a well-researched love letter to Verdi; fans are sure to love." - Leslie Zemeckis

"Perfection. You are right there, inhaling and breathing in the words, the smell, and each piece of music. Bravo. It is both a love song and a love letter to the irrefutable power of Verdi's muse, Violetta." - Amy Ferris

Excerpt



Vienna

Eventually we arrived in Vienna, the capital of the Hapsburg Empire, where Strepponi was to sing at both the Kärntnertor Theater and the Theater an der Wein. Our stage coach delivered us to the depot and livery stable on Kärtnerstrasse, mere blocks from the theaters. Upstairs was the Wilden Mann Gasthaus, where we took several rooms for our entourage. The Gasthaus was the very same hostel that my cousin, Lorenzo Da Ponte, had stayed at some fifty years earlier. Downstairs, occupying one half of the ground floor, was the Café Venezia where Da Ponte had met his future wife, Celestina, who was also its owner. Da Ponte often took his meals there with Mozart when they were writing The Marriage of Figaro. What could be more inspiring than to dine in their shadows in the very café where the music for that first shot of the revolution was composed? And although that might have seemed like ancient history, it was only a decade before we arrived, that Beethoven, yes, the immortal Beethoven himself premiered one of his very last works, his Opus 132 String Quartet in the Café Venezia. Strepponi and I made a point to dine there with her staff as often as possible during our stay, if only to soak in the history and the food – which was nearly as good as that back home at Ca’ Dario. I also made a pilgrimage to the Theater an der Wein where Beethoven lived while composing his only opera Fidelio – one of the few existing operas until Verdi’s that actually spoke of freedom, democracy and of overthrowing corrupted oppressive regimes. For those of us in Giovine Italy, and for Verdi, the politics of Fidelio was a guide star, a precursor to our own uprising.

Though I had obviously never been to Vienna before, I had read Da Ponte’s secret diaries over and over many times before delivering them to Ceneda. The diaries not only described his decade worth of adventures in the city, they also painted in vivid and at times gory details, a picture of about how horribly Jews were treated and abused under the Austrians. They were our oppressors and would remain so until we broke the harness these aristocrats used to constrain us all.

As a city, and the capital of a vast empire, Vienna was a wonderfully beautiful and fascinating place. Nonetheless, I could never feel comfortable there. That discomfort helped me understand why my cousin had used his identity as Catholic priest, as a costume to hide the fact that he was a Hebrew. To do otherwise simply did not feel safe. If you had read Da Ponte’s accounts of how he, along with Mozart and Baron Wetzler, another Converso, visited the underground site of the Vienna Gesera massacre below the modern city’s Judenplatz where in 1421, fourteen hundred Jews were burnt alive, you would understand why this city of smiling, pleasant Austrians terrified me.

Before Strepponi and I began our run of performances in Vienna, I sought out Bartolomeo Merelli at his offices at the Kärntnertor Theater, only to discover that he had returned to Milan weeks earlier. Any thought of having him read through Verdi’s score for Oberto had vanished. 

On the other hand, Strepponi once more wooed both the musicians and aristocrats of the capital. At one point she dated the concertmaster of the opera orchestra and then later, Donizetti himself when she did a reprise of her role in his Anna Bolena. On more than one evening I dined alone with our staff while Strepponi was out and about. 

There were other times Strepponi would encourage me to date one of her lady friends, typically other singers or chorus members she thought would match up well with me. I’d go out with them, but much like my experiences in America, I considered such affairs a distraction from my goal of finding a true partner to love, marry and have a family with. I appreciated Strepponi looking out for me, but what can I say, these assignations always felt empty.

We performed several operas in Vienna over the next month and though I had great opportunities covering a number of major roles, I was never so glad to leave a city and get back on the road. And so, after Strepponi’s triumph there, our tour resumed at the same breakneck pace across the northern Italian cities. 



Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bxyr2d 



Howard Jay Smith is an award-winning writer from Santa Barbara, California. 

VIVA VIOLETTA & VERDI, is his third novel in his series on great composers, including BEETHOVEN IN LOVE; OPUS 139 and MEETING MOZART: FROM THE SECRET DIARIES OF LORENZO DA PONTE. 

His other books include OPENING THE DOORS TO HOLLYWOOD (Random House) and JOHN GARDNER: AN INTERVIEW (New London Press). He was recently awarded a Profant Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for Excellence in Writing. 

Smith is a former two-time Bread Loaf Scholar and three-time Washington, D.C. Commission for the Arts Fellow, who taught for many years in the UCLA Extension Writer’s Program and has lectured nationally. His articles have appeared in the Washington Post, American Heritage Magazine, the Beethoven Journal, Horizon Magazine, Fig Tree Press, the Journal of the Writers Guild of America, the Ojai Quarterly, and numerous trade publications. While an executive at the ABC Television, Embassy TV, and Academy Home Entertainment he worked on numerous film, television, radio and commercial projects.

He serves on the board of directors of the Santa Barbara Symphony and is a member of the American Beethoven Society.


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Friday, 14 March 2025

✧ Book Spotlight ✧ Muldoon’s Misfortunes by E.V. Sparrow

 




Muldoon’s Misfortunes
By E.V. Sparrow

A cursed widower forsakes his faith to ensure his hope. 

On a verdant island beset by poverty and death, Mick Muldoon dares to escape his misfortunes. Is working a farm and raising a family such an impossible thing to ask? Wasn’t God supposed to answer prayers—not turn a deaf ear?

After surviving the treacherous voyage to America, Mick discovers the rumors of ample opportunity aren't exactly true. His defective body hampers employment and keeps him dependent upon his peculiar sister. However, an unexpected invitation to move to the heartland guarantees his dreams.

Mick’s own dreadful choices hamper his hopes when he accepts work as a widow’s farmhand. Unbeknownst to him, there’s deception afoot. Mick’s inattention to love causes catastrophe as single fatherhood cruelly shatters his family. Will God miraculously hear his prayers this time?

In Book 1 of Those Resilient Muldoons series, this misguided, wayward widower encounters God’s unexpected presence.

Fall 2024, The BookFest Awards, First Place: Historical Fiction, General


Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/m20D6R 
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.


E.V. Sparrow

A short story writer turned novelist Sparrow published a prequel Historical Fiction eBook novella, Muldoon’s Minnesota Darling in May 2023, and Muldoon’s Misfortunes, Historical Fiction Book 1 in Those Resilient Muldoons series in July 2024. Sparrow and enjoys leading readers to Encounter God’s Unexpected Presence through her broken characters.

Before writing, Sparrow travelled extensively overseas and worked in two countries. She married, had a family, and worked for a nonprofit program for older, homeless mentally ill in California. She also volunteered in many community services, including the Divorce Care program. After a divorce, she remarried, and together they have eleven grandchildren that enrich life immensely. 

Author Links:
Website ✧ Twitter ✧ Facebook ✧ LinkedIn ✧ Instagram ✧ Pinterest ✧ BookBub ✧ Amazon Author Page ✧ Goodreads









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Thursday, 13 March 2025

✧ Book Spotlight ✧ The Absolution of Mars by T.F. Troy

 



The Absolution of Mars
By T.F. Troy

Politics, Friendship, or Greed? Which of these was the true author of the Confederate conspiracy to decapitate the Union? 

The Absolution of Mars by T.F. Troy is a masterful blend of historical fiction, human drama and moral exploration. Set against the backdrop of a racially fraught period in American history, the story does not back away from the harsh realities or racial biases of the day. 

The narrative introduces Jemm Pender, a former slave with a superior intellect, who rises to become a key agent in the National Detective Police Force. Jemm is tasked to trace the movements of J. W. Boyd, a Confederate spy working out of Canada.

From its intriguing opening scene, where playful dialogue among children hints at deeper mysteries, the story captivates with a blend of vivid detail and emotional depth. Jemm's quest intertwines with his wife Marnie and Aunt Cordelia, both blessed with remarkable capabilities that are being lost to the scientific thought of the day.

Excerpt

Before the men could even grab Boyd, the sergeant is on him, searching his pockets, pulling out a billfold with more than $1,000 dollars in it, a red journal, and three newspaper clippings. 

The other two soldiers grab Boyd by the armpits, his legs dangling and dragging behind him, unconcerned about favoring the leg in the splint. 

Boyd sees red, then white. As they lift him up, he comes to and feels his neck bend awkwardly to one side. Nothing is working.
 
Boyd sees red then white. As the soldiers pull him up the steps to Garrett’s porch, he comes back once again. He tries to spit up the blood and phlegm gurgling in his throat, but is unsuccessful. He starts to choke. 

Boyd sees red then white. He coughs up blood and wakes. His breath gurgles, as he continues to spit blood and phlegm from his mouth. The lieutenant stands over him. 

“The wound looks fatal,” he says to Boyd. “Do you wish to make a last statement.” 

Boyd looks at him, realizing his situation, and tries to nod head but is not successful. 

“Smith, Smith is, paid...paid companion,” Boyd says, as blood flowed from the corners of his mouth. His eyes roll back in his head. “Not a part of this.” 
Boyd sees red, then white.

One of the two soldiers who had carried him, speaks up. “Corbett grabbed some personal belongings,” he says.

“True,” says the sergeant. “Lookey here, what we got. More than $1,000 in U.S bills, plus some clippings here.” 

“Garrett, I need some brandy, a sponge,” the lieutenant says. “I want a final confession.” 

Richard Garrett dutifully steps inside the house, his frightened family and man servant still on the porch as the first pink and grey slivers of dawn can be seen on the horizon. 

Boyd sees red, then white. 

“Anything else?” the lieutenant asks the sergeant as Garrett steps inside, but the sergeant ignores him.
 
“I said anything else sergeant!” lieutenant shouts louder, bringing Boyd back to consciousness. 

“Journal. My journal,” Boyd says, passing out again. He comes to as Garrett applied the brandy to his lips. “Journal explains,” he says, as his eyes rolled back in his head. “Bell, Bell.” 

“Ask Not for Whom the Bell tolls,” the lieutenant says, quoting John Donne’s immortal poem and hoping to give a man he saw as an actor a great last line.
 
“He musta dropped that journal in the barn,” the sergeant says.
 
Boyd tries to shake his head and coughs. Blood begins flowing freely from the corners of both lips.
 
Boyd sees red, then white. 

His brother comes down the steps of his home in Maryland and smiles at him. His mother comes out from the kitchen, a concerned look on her face. “Why?” she asks, as Boyd is jolted back to consciousness. 

Boyd sees red, then white. A sharp pain comes from the base of his neck, as he opens his eyes and sees the lieutenant. 

“Tell my mother I died for my country,” Boyd says. “Raise my hands. Please raise my hands, that I may see them one last time” he pleads. 

The soldier that helped carry him to the porch raises his hands up to Boyd’s gaze, and Boyd shakes his head slightly. 

“Other, other side,” he gasps.
 
The soldier turns Boyd’s palms toward him, and the man known to the Garrett family as Captain Boyd whispers his last words on earth. Words that would be later used to confirm his identity. 

Universal Buy Links:

 T.F. Troy


A student of the American Civil War, T.F. Troy has an award-winning journalism career spanning more than 40 years. He currently serves as Executive Editor of Cleveland Magazine’s Community Leader as well as the Editor of Ohio Business Magazine. He also writes features for Northern Kentucky Magazine and Dayton Magazine, among other regional publications. His work with those publications has won him numerous awards, taking first, second and third place in Ohio for Magazine Feature Writing. Troy’s work has appeared in major metropolitan daily newspapers including the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 

In addition to the previously mentioned publications, Troy also held positions as a Senior Editor for both ABC/Capital Cities and ICD Publications in New York. His work has appeared in numerous national consumer and trade periodicals throughout his career. In his first book Cleveland Classics: Great Tales from the North Coast, Troy interviewed local and national Cleveland celebrities such as: Jim Brown, Bob Feller, Patricia Heaton and Arsenio Hall among others. The Absolution of Mars, set just after the Civil War, is his first novel, but third book. 

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Thursday, 6 March 2025

✧ Book Spotlight ✧ The Welsh Warrior’s Inheritance by Arianwen Nunn

 




The Welsh Warrior’s Inheritance 
By Arianwen Nunn

It is 1109 and the Welsh warrior and firebrand, Owain ap Cadwgan abducts Princess Nest from the castle she shares with her children and her husband, Gerald of Windsor. King Henry of England, furious that Nest, who is also his lover and mother of his son, begins a manhunt to find Owain and return Nest to her husband. In Gwynydd King Gruffydd ap Cynan and his wife risk everything to hide them and get them to safety in Ireland despite the efforts of Gronwy ap Owain, Angharad's vicious brother who would like to see Gruffydd and Owain dead.

King Henry uses Bishop Richard to start kinship warfare in Wales then declares war against the Welsh determining to exterminate them all. Can Gruffydd and his family survive the greatest army ever led against Wales?


Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bWkZq7 

Arianwen Nunn


Arianwen Nunn was born in Wales but now lives in Australia and writes historical fiction based on the Welsh kingdoms in the Middle Ages. 

Arianwen has written a series of three books, 'The Welsh Traitor's Daughter', 'The Welsh Warrior's Inheritance' and 'Bards Sing of Love and War' which follow the lives of King Gruffydd ap Cynan and his wife Angharad and their family. 

She has also written two children's books, 'The Welsh Warrior's Wonder' and 'Where Dragons Still Roar'.


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✧ Book Excerpt ✧ The Tudor Queens’ Midwife by Brigitte Barnard

The Tudor Queens’ Midwife By Brigitte Barnard In the glittering, glamorous, and deadly court of King Henry VIII and his Queen Katherine of A...