With a passion
for historical romance, history in general, and anything Celtic, B.J. always
has an exciting work in progress. Each story offers a blend of romance,
adventure, suspense, and, where appropriate, a dab of comic relief. Carefully
researched historical facts are woven into each manuscript, providing a
backdrop from which steamy romance, gripping plots, and vivid
characters—dashing alpha heroes and resourceful, beguiling heroines you can’t
help but admire—spring to life. A member of RWA, World Romance Writers, Celtic
Hearts Romance Writers, and Savvy Authors, B.J. also writes contemporary,
paranormal, time travel, and romantic suspense.
C.S. Lewis
first captivated B. J.’s imagination in the fourth grade, and her desire to
write sprang from there. Following a career in nursing and child and youth
work, B.J. married her knight-in-shining-armor, and he whisked her away to his
castle by the sea. In reality, they share their century-old home in a small
Canadian town on the shore of Lake Erie with three dogs and a cat. When she is
not working at her childcare job, on her small business, or writing, you will
find her reading, camping, or antique hunting.
BJ will award gifts of swag (including a canvas tote bag, a mouse pad, a pen, book thong, bookmark, can cooler, magnet, and key chain -- US/Canada only) to randomly drawn commenters from this tour and her Virtual Book Tour, and a grand prize of one $50 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter from this tour and her Super Book Blast.
Second Sight
When the Celtic people emigrated from Ireland to Scotland, along with their Celtic religion, they brought with them a strong belief in, fairies, superstitions, myths and legends. This resulted in a culture that was governed by rituals intended to bring good luck, blessing, to promote prosperity, to help them to select a mate, to influence crop yields, increase fertility, and to protect them from evil and tragedy. Simple day-to-day activities, things like how to plant a field, to lead a cow, the order in which ingredients were added to a pot, and direction it was stirred, the proper way to celebrate feasts and sacred days were all carried out according to legendary practices. Breaking with tradition or going against the myth meant you were inviting trouble. Many a tale was told of those who had done just that and the grave consequences.
Perhaps one
of the most prevalent beliefs of the Celtic people living in the Highlands was
in the “gift of second sight.” The Gaelic name for this form of precognition
was dà shealladh, which translated means two sights, the ability of a person to not only see the
world as all normal humans do, but they also had the skill to see the spirit
world. Called a gift by some, it was often seen by those said to possess these
abilities as a curse.
The shroud, the corpse-candle or spectral illuminations, each held a specific significance. The shroud of death and where it was wrapped around a person’s body indicated how long they had to live. Draped around the middle or below, meant death might not occur for months or even a year, but the higher it was positioned, the sooner the death would occur. Wrapped around a specific part of the body could signify the way they would die. A full funeral procession, the way being lit by corpse-candles and other illuminations was also viewed as a sign of impending demise. If a spark of fire was seen falling upon someone’s arm or breast, this indicated the dead of a child, especially if seen in the arms of that person. Seeing an empty seat when someone was sitting in it was a sign that sudden death was near.
The knowledge of when and where
a person would die, to see the demise of friends and family, or simply being
aware of people’s nature in general was a heavy burden to carry and often
feared. Even though the visions came on
them without warning and was not by choice, the person with second sight often
found themselves living in solitude. Be it by preference or forced upon them.
In Highland
Quest, the heroine, Fallon, has the gift of second sight and while it does not
play a major roll in the book, this is touched upon throughout the story. She
does not consider herself lucky, has been shunned by villagers and most of the
people she has met from the time she was a child, so learned at a young age to
live alone and rely on herself. She has lost everyone she has ever held dear
and while she finds herself drawn to Bryce, she sees his death in a vision and
believes her love is a curse.
No longer
content in the shadows of his older brothers and on a quest to find his
destiny, Bryce Fraser's chosen path is fraught with danger, passion, and
decisions. Can his unspoken love for spirited, beguiling Fallon be triumphant
in a time of war and uncertainty, or will they both fall prey to the devious
plans of a traitorous laird from a rival clan?
Loch Ryan Scotland,
1307
“Wa . . .
water,” Bryce mumbled, but there was no one there to listen.
His throat was parched and he ran his tongue
over dry, cracked lips, but his action offered no relief. An entire loch lay
only a few feet away, but he couldn’t muster the strength to drag himself to
the bank and quench his thirst.
“Cold . . .
so cold.”
Despite the sun beating down on him, he’d
swear he was encased in ice. His life’s blood seeped from his wounds, soaking
the ground beneath him. He tried to raise his head, but the excruciating pain
radiating across his chest stole his breath away.
Was this what
it felt like to die? If so, he prayed the Almighty would be merciful and take
him now.
Bryce moaned,
a shift in his position bringing on another nauseating wave of agony. He sucked
in a short, sharp, gulp of air and stretched his arm out as far as he could,
his fingers grappling in the dirt.
If only I
could reach my sword.
Beads of
perspiration dampened his brow. As the strength slowly drained from his body,
drawing a simple breath became more difficult. The end grew near. No time to
make amends for sins of the past, and he had committed his share.
Regrets? He
had those, too. “Fallon.” He whispered her name then heaved a ragged sigh.
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