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Showing posts with label Anna Belfrage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anna Belfrage. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Series Highlight: The Graham Saga by Anna Belfrage

Graham Series Graphic

About The Graham Saga Series

This is the story of Alex and Matthew, two people who should never have met – not when she was born three hundred years after him.

It all began the day Alex Lind got caught in a thunderstorm. Not your ordinary storm, no this was the mother of all storms, causing a most unusual rift in the fabric of time. Alex was dragged three centuries backwards in time, landing more or less at the feet of a very surprised Matthew Graham.

In a series of books we follow the life and adventures of the expanding Graham family, both in Scotland and in the New World – and let me tell you it is quite an exciting life, at times excessively so in Alex’ opinion.

Sometimes people ask me why Alex had to be born in the twentieth century, why not make her a woman born and bred in the seventeenth century where the story is set? The answer to that is I have no idea. Alex Lind is an insistent, vibrant character that sprung into my head one morning and simply wouldn’t let go.

Seductively she whispered about terrible thunderstorms, about a gorgeous man with magic, hazel eyes, about loss and sorrow, about love – always this love, for her man and her children, for the people she lives with. With a throaty chuckle she shared insights into a life very far removed from mine, now and then stopping to shake her head and tell me that it probably hadn’t been easy for Matthew, to have such an outspoken, strange and independent woman at his side.

At this point Matthew groaned into life. Nay, he sighed, this woman of his was at times far too obstinate, with no notion of how a wife should be, meek and dutiful. But, he added with a laugh, he wouldn’t want her any different, for all that she was half heathen and a right hand-full. No, he said, stretching to his full length, if truth be told not a day went by without him offering fervent thanks for his marvelous wife, a gift from God no less, how else to explain the propitious circumstances that had her landing at his feet that long gone August day?

Still, dear reader, it isn’t always easy. At times Alex thinks he’s an overbearing bastard, at others he’s sorely tempted to belt her. But the moment their fingertips graze against each other, the moment their eyes meet, the electrical current that always buzzes between them peaks and surges, it rushes through their veins, it makes their breathing hitch and … She is his woman, he is her man. That’s how it is, that’s how it always will be.


Titles in The Graham Saga Series

a rip in the veil
Book One: A Rip in the Veil
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A Rip in the Veil is the first book in The Graham Saga, Anna Belfrage's time slip series featuring time traveller Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth century husband, Matthew Graham.

On a muggy August day in 2002 Alexandra Lind is inexplicably thrown several centuries backwards in time to 1658. Life will never be the same for Alex. Alex lands at the feet of Matthew Graham - an escaped convict making his way home to Scotland. She gawks at this tall gaunt man with hazel eyes, dressed in what looks like rags. At first she thinks he might be some sort of hermit, an oddball, but she quickly realises that she is the odd one out, not him. Catapulted from a life of modern comfort, Alex grapples with her frightening new existence. Potential compensation for this brutal shift in fate comes in the shape of Matthew - a man she should never have met, not when she was born three centuries after him. But Matthew comes with baggage of his own, and at times it seems his past will see them killed. How will she ever get back? And more importantly, does she want to?

like chaff in the wind
Book Two: Like Chaff in the Wind
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Matthew Graham committed the mistake of his life when he cut off his brother's nose. In revenge, Luke Graham has Matthew abducted and transported to the colony of Virginia to be sold as indentured labour. Matthew arrives in Virginia in May 1661 and any hope he had of finding someone willing to listen to his story of unlawful abduction is quickly extinguished. If anything, Matthew's insistence that he is an innocent man leads him to being singled out for the heaviest tasks. Insufficient food, gruelling days and the humid heat combine to wear him down. With a sinking feeling, he realises no one has ever survived their seven years of service on the plantation Suffolk Rose.

Fortunately for Matthew, he has a remarkable wife. Alex  Graham has no intention of letting her husband suffer and die. So she sets off from Scotland on a perilous journey to bring her husband home. Alex is plagued by nightmares in which Matthew is reduced to a wheezing wreck by his tormentors. Sailing to Virginia, she prays for a miracle to carry her swiftly to his side. But fate has other plans, and what should have been a two month crossing turns into a year long adventure - from one side of the Atlantic to the other. Will Alex find Matthew in time? Will she be able to pay the price of setting him free? Like Chaff in the Wind continues on from The Rip in the Veil, taking Alex and Matthew's love story to a new continent.

the prodigal son
Book Three: The Prodigal Son
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'The Prodigal Son' is the third in The Graham Saga, Anna Belfrage’s time slip series featuring time traveller Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth century husband, Matthew Graham.

Safely returned from an involuntary stay in Virginia, Matthew Graham finds the Scottish Lowlands torn asunder by religious strife. His Restored Majesty, Charles II, requires all his subjects to swear fealty to him and the Church of England, riding roughshod over any opposition.

In Ayrshire, people close ranks around their evicted Presbyterian ministers. But disobedience comes at a high price, and Alex becomes increasingly nervous as to what her Matthew is risking by his support of the clandestine ministers – foremost amongst them the charismatic Sandy Peden.

Privately, Alex considers Sandy an enervating fanatic and all this religious fervour is incomprehensible to her. So when Matthew repeatedly sets his faith and ministers before his own safety, he puts their marriage under severe strain.

The situation is further complicated by the presence of Ian, the son Matthew was cruelly duped into disowning several years ago. Now Matthew wants Ian back and Alex isn’t entirely sure this is a good thing. Things are brought to a head when Matthew places all their lives in the balance to save his dear preacher from the dragoons.

How much is Matthew willing to risk? How much will he ultimately lose?

a newfound land
Book Four: A Newfound Land
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It’s 1672, and Matthew Graham and his family have left Scotland. Having taken the drastic decision to leave their homeland due to religious conflicts, Alexandra and Matthew hope for a simpler, if harsher, life in the wilds of the Colony of Maryland.

Unfortunately, things don’t always turn out as you want them to, and the past has a nasty tendency to resurface at the most inappropriate moments. Both Matthew and Alex are forced to cope with the unexpected reappearance of people they had never thought to meet again, and the screw is turned that much tighter when the four rogue Burley brothers enter their lives.

Matters are further complicated by the strained relations between colonists and the Susquehannock Indians. When Matthew intercedes to stop the Burleys from abducting Indian women into slavery he makes lifelong – and deadly – enemies of them all.

Once again Alex is plunged into an existence where death seems to threaten her man wherever he goes.

Will Matthew see himself – and his family – safe in these new circumstances? And will the past finally be laid to rest?

A Newfound Land is the fourth book in Anna Belfrage’s time slip series featuring time traveller Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth century husband, Matthew Graham

serpents in the garden
Book Five: Serpents in the Garden
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'Serpents in the Garden' is the fifth book in Anna Belfrage's time slip series featuring time traveller Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth century husband, Matthew Graham.

After years of hard work, Matthew and Alex Graham have created a thriving home in the Colony of Maryland. About time, in Alex's opinion, after far too many adventures she is really looking forward to some well-deserved peace and quiet. A futile hope, as it turns out. Things start to heat up when Jacob, the third Graham son, absconds from his apprenticeship to see the world - especially as Jacob leaves behind a girl whom he has wed in a most irregular fashion. Then there's the infected matter of the fellow time traveller Alex feels obliged to help - no matter the risk. Worst of all, one day Philip Burley and his brothers resurface after years of absence. As determined as ever to make Matthew pay for every perceived wrong - starting with the death of their youngest brother - the Burleys play out a complicated cat and mouse game, and Alex is thrown back into an existence where her heart is constantly in her mouth, convinced as she is that one day the Burleys will achieve their purpose. Will the Burleys succeed? And if they do, will the Graham family survive the exacted price?

revenge and retribution
Book Six: Revenge & Retribution
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Life in the Colony of Maryland is no sinecure - as Alex and Matthew Graham well know. But nothing in their previous life has prepared them for the mayhem that is about to be unleashed upon them. Being labelled a witch is not a good thing in 1684, so it is no wonder Alex Graham is aghast at having such insinuations thrown at her. Even worse, it's Matthew's brother-in-law, Simon Melville, who points finger at her. Not that the ensuing hearing is her main concern, because nowadays Alex's entire life is tainted by the fear of what Philip Burley will do to them once he gets hold of them. On a sunny May afternoon, Philip finally achieves his aim and over the course of the coming days Alex sees her whole life unravelling, leaving her family permanently maimed. As if all this wasn't enough, Alex also has to cope with the loss of one of her sons. Forcibly adopted by the former Susquehannock, Samuel is dragged from Alex's arms to begin a new life in the wilderness. How is Alex to survive all this? And will she be able to put her damaged family back together? 'Revenge and Retribution' was Historical Novel Society (HNS) 2015 Indie Book of the Year. It has been awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion and was HNS's Indie Editor's Choice in 2015.

wither thou goest
Book Seven: Whither Thou Goest
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Whither Thou Goest is the seventh book in Anna Belfrage’s series featuring time traveller Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth century husband, Matthew Graham.

In their rural home in the Colony of Maryland, Matthew and Alex Graham are still recovering from the awful events of the previous years when Luke Graham, Matthew’s estranged brother, asks them for a favour.

Alex has no problems whatsoever ignoring Luke’s sad plea for help. In her opinion Matthew’s brother is an evil excuse of a man who deserves whatever nasty stuff fate throws at him. Except, as Matthew points out, Luke is begging them to save his son – his misled Charlie, one of the Monmouth rebels – and can Charlie Graham be held responsible for his father’s ill deeds?

So off they go on yet another adventure, this time to the West Indies to find a young man neither of them knows but who faces imminent death on a sugar plantation, condemned to slavery for treason. The journey is hazardous and along the way Alex comes face to face with a most disturbing ghost from her previous life, a man she would much have preferred never to have met.

Time is running out for Charlie Graham, Matthew is haunted by reawakened memories of his days as an indentured servant, and then there’s the eerie Mr Brown, Charlie’s new owner, who will do anything to keep his secrets safe, anything at all.

Will Matthew deliver his nephew from imminent death? And will they ever make it back home?

to catch a falling star
Book Eight: To Catch a Falling Star
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'To Catch a Falling Star' is the eighth book in Anna Belfrage’s series featuring time traveller Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth century husband, Matthew Graham

Some gifts are double-edged swords…

For Matthew Graham, being given the gift of his former Scottish manor is a dream come true. For his wife, Alex, this gift will force her to undertake a perilous sea journey, leaving most of their extensive family in the Colony of Maryland. Alex is torn apart by this, but staying behind while her husband travels to Scotland is no option.
Scotland in 1688 is a divided country, torn between the papist Stuart king and the foreign but Protestant William of Orange. In the Lowlands, popular opinion is with Dutch William, and Matthew’s reluctance to openly support him does not endear him to his former friends and neighbours.

While Matthew struggles to come to terms with the fact that Scotland of 1688 bears little resemblance to his lovingly conserved memories, Alex is forced to confront unresolved issues from her past, including her overly curious brother-in-law, Luke Graham. And then there’s the further complication of the dashing, flamboyant Viscount Dundee, a man who knocks Alex completely off her feet.

All the turmoil that accompanies their return to Scotland pales into insignificance when a letter arrives, detailing the calamities threatening their youngest daughter in Maryland – at the hand of that most obnoxious minister, Richard Campbell. Matthew and Alex have no choice but to hasten back, no matter the heartache this causes.
Will they make it back in time? And what will Richard Campbell do?

there is always a tomorrow
Book Nine: There is Always a Tomorrow
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There is Always a Tomorrow is the ninth book in Anna Belfrage’s time slip series featuring time traveller Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth century husband, Matthew Graham.

It is 1692 and the Colony of Maryland is still adapting to the consequences of Coode’s Rebellion some years previously. Religious tolerance in the colony is now a thing of the past, but safe in their home, Alex and Matthew Graham have no reason to suspect they will become embroiled in the ongoing religious conflicts—until one of their sons betrays their friend Carlos Muñoz to the authorities.
Matthew Graham does not leave his friends to rot—not even if they’re papist priests—so soon enough most of the Graham family is involved in a rescue attempt, desperate to save Carlos from a sentence that may well kill him.

Meanwhile, in London little Rachel is going through hell. In a matter of months she loses everything, even her surname, as apparently her father is not Master Cooke but one Jacob Graham. Not that her paternity matters when her entire life implodes.

Will Alex and Matthew be able to help their unknown grandchild? More importantly, will Rachel want their help?

About the Author

03_Anna Belfrage

Anna was raised abroad, on a pungent mix of Latin American culture, English history and Swedish traditions. As a result she’s multilingual and most of her reading is Anna Belfragehistorical- both non-fiction and fiction. Possessed of a lively imagination, she has drawers full of potential stories, all of them set in the past. She was always going to be a writer – or a historian, preferably both. Ideally, Anna aspired to becoming a pioneer time traveller, but science has as yet not advanced to the point of making that possible. Instead she ended up with a degree in Business and Finance, with very little time to spare for her most favourite pursuit. Still, one does as one must, and in between juggling a challenging career Anna raised her four children on a potent combination of invented stories, historical debates and masses of good food and homemade cakes. They seem to thrive…

For years she combined a challenging career with four children and the odd snatched moment of writing. Nowadays Anna spends most of her spare time at her writing desk. The children are half grown, the house is at times eerily silent and she slips away into her imaginary world, with her imaginary characters. Every now and then the one and only man in her life pops his head in to ensure she’s still there.

Find Anna Belfrage: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Tour-Wide Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be a host site for the giveaway of Books #1-8 in paperback to one lucky winner! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.  If you have any questions, please contact the tour coordinator.

Giveaway Rules

  • Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on November 20th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
  • Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
  • Only one entry per household.
  • All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
  • Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

Graham Saga Book Blast


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On HFVBT Website or on Twitter #TheGrahamSagaSeriesBookBlast

Monday, November 6
Pursuing Stacie
The Reading Queen
Locks, Hooks and Books

Tuesday, November 7
T’s Stuff
Susan Heim on Writing

Wednesday, November 8
Bookish
So Many Books, So Little Time

Thursday, November 9
Let Them Read Books

Friday, November 10
History From a Woman’s Perspective
Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots

Saturday, November 11
A Holland Reads

Sunday, November 12
A Chick Who Reads

Monday, November 13
CelticLady’s Reviews
What Is That Book About

Tuesday, November 14
A Literary Vacation
Historical Fiction with Spirit
Mello & June, It’s a Book Thang!

Wednesday, November 15
The Maiden’s Court
Adventures Thru Wonderland

Thursday, November 16
Carole Rae’s Random Ramblings
Ms. Stuart Requests the Pleasure of Your Company

Friday, November 17
Book Nerd

Saturday, November 18
Passages to the Past
The Book Junkie Reads

Sunday, November 19
Books, Dreams, Life

Monday, November 20
The Lit Bitch
Jorie Loves a Story



Copyright © 2017 by The Maiden’s Court

Monday, September 21, 2015

Interview with Matthew Graham, Character from The Graham Saga by Anna Belfrage

 

Together with his wife, Alex, Matthew Graham is the protagonist of The Graham Saga, the story of two people who should never have met – not when she was born three centuries after him. But sometimes impossible things happen, and so Alex Lind ends up at the feet of Matthew Graham. What follows next is sufficient for an eight book series, a fast-paced blend of romance, adventure, high drama and historical accuracy. 

Today, Anna has arranged for Matthew to come and visit. I am a bit nervous – I’ve never met a 17th century man before – but I’m hoping he will like my cake!

Anna Belgrage Banner of books

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Matthew Graham enters the room cautiously, taking on form as he approaches the table and the waiting chair. It’s not very often one gets to chit-chat with fictional characters, and I must admit to being a tad apprehensive. What if he just disintegrates into nothing midway through the interview? After all, writer Anna Belfrage may be distracted by the antics of some other character and then…

Matthew smiles, places his hat on the table and shakes his head. “I’m no piece of fluff to be blown hither and dither,” he says. “In fact, I’d argue I’m almost as real as you are.”

As real as me? Come off it!

He smiles again. “And how many books are there about your life, Mistress Heather?” he asks. 

I decide to not reply. What, just because he exists between the covers of eight books he’s real and I’m not? The smile becomes a grin, and he is dangerously handsome, this tall Scot with eyes that gleam somewhere between green and gold. 

“Eight and some,” he says. “Anna is presently busy writing more about me.”

“And your wife?”

Matthew extends his long legs and crosses them at the ankles. “Aye, about her too. But some of it is only about me. When I was but a stripling of a lad, fighting for the Commonwealth against the Malignants.”

Well, he’s lost me there, although I suspect he’s talking about the English Civil War, and those Malignants are not a band of evil beings, they’re just Royalists. Anyway, we’re here to talk about what already has been published, so after serving him some tea and cake – and I like a man who lights up like a beacon at the sight of cake – I settle down to do the interview properly.

It’s great to have you stopping by – I’ve looked forward to meeting you in person for ages.

“Ah.” Matthew studies his worn boots. “As much in person as I can be, I reckon. And it’s a pleasure to be here.”

Is it? Anna says you’re uncomfortable with this sort of stuff

“I am. But Anna also tells me it is something that has to be done. And whiling away some time whilst in the company of a lady, is none too bad.”

Lady? No one’s ever called me a lady before

“Do you mind?” He helps himself to another piece of cake.

No, not at all. Would Alex mind?

“That I call you a lady? No.”

I get the impression she’s jealous – on occasion, I bet she’d gladly scratch whatshername’s eyes out.

“You mean Kate.” Matthew shifts on his rump. “Aye, Alex is a wee bit over-sensitive when it comes to Kate. Not so strange, when one considers I did..err…well…”

Sleep with her?

A dull red washes up his face. “Aye. But it wasn’t like that. I thought I was about to die, and Kate, she saved me. Nursed me and cared for me, helped me eat when I was as weak as a newborn babe. She was there, she was warm, and I despaired of ever seeing Alex again.”

But you did. She came after you and saved you, didn’t she?

That long mobile mouth curves into the sweetest of smiles. “That she did, my marvellous wife.”

And since then, whenever you’ve met Kate, you’ve made eyes at her.

“I have not! Kate Jones is a bonny woman, so aye, I look. But more than that…”

Oh? So when you danced all evening with her, what was that?

Matthew gives me a crooked smile. “That was me being a fool of a man, wanting to prove myself cock over a dung heap that wasn’t mine to begin with.”

And Alex was humiliated – and hurt.

“Aye.” He exhales softly. “Not my finest moment, that.”

I think you like it, that she’s jealous. Look at all that business with Nan.

“Nothing happened with that wee baggage! Nothing! And Kate – it’s more about the past we share than anything else.” He looks away. “Whenever I see her, I am reminded just how close I came to dying, and so there’s an element of gratitude, I suppose, liberally mixed up with guilt. Guilt for not holding to my marriage vows, guilt for allowing Kate to hope that there could be more between us than those hasty couplings that served to help me forget where I was and what I was – a slave.” His right hand curls into a fist. “A slave,” he repeats in a hoarse whisper. “And all because my miscreant of a brother.”

Ah, yes. Your brother. Not the closest of relationships, is it?

“No.”

Could you perhaps elaborate?

Bright eyes bore into mine. “He cuckolded me, accused me of treason, had me rotting in jail for three years, and then some years later he abducted me and sold me as indentured labour in Virginia. He did more than that, mind, but I dare say it suffices to give you some insight into his character.”

But you forgot one thing, didn’t you? His nose

“His nose.” Matthew laughs darkly. “Aye, I swiped off his nose when I came upon him threatening my Alex. But what’s a nose when compared to years of stolen life?”

So why all the bad blood between you?

“Because of Margaret.” He frowns. “Beautiful, she was, all black hair and eyes like shards of an April sky. Luke loved her, she loved him – but she married me.”

Luke says you forced her.

“Luke lies. Our father banished Luke – a heartless thing to do, when your son is only a laddie of fifteen – and told him never to come back. Margaret despaired, and with her true love gone, she set her eyes on me. Unfortunately, some years later Da died and Luke came back.”

Unfortunately? So you’d have preferred for that not to happen? To have stayed married to Margaret instead of meeting Alex?

He actually pales, mouth tightening into a gash. “No,” he finally says. “A life without Alex would have been a wasted life. She was meant for me, and I for her, no matter that we were born three centuries apart.” He scowls. “Maybe you shouldn’t include that in your interview.”

What? That you were meant for each other? I find it sort of sweet.

“Sweet?” Matthew looks embarrassed. “I’m a grown man, not some lovelorn lad. But I meant what I said about Alex being from the future – I’d prefer it if you didn’t include it. It’s too much magic, and in the here and now such things can lead to accusations of witchery.”

Ah. Too late. Besides, it adds quite the twist to your story, doesn’t it?

“Too many twists if you ask me,” he says darkly. “Too many times I’ve near on lost her to the tug of time.” He looks away. “If I were to lose her, I’d die. She lives in my blood, and without her…” He makes a face. “Maybe I am lovelorn, after all.”

You think? (I smile and pat his hand before nudging the plate in his direction. I then allow him some time to regain his composure, mainly by stuffing his face with the last of the cake) So, what is she like, your wife?

“Stubborn. Opinionated. Brave – a lioness when she needs to be. Something of a handful, and she hasn’t mellowed much with the years. A good mother, an even better wife.” He shakes his head. “My very own personal miracle, that’s what she is.”

A miracle? Seriously?

“How else to describe it? The good Lord made sure she plummeted through time to land at my feet.”

And why would He do that?

“Why?” Matthew sits back and regards me for a long time. “Well, that’s obvious, isn’t it?”

Not to me – not to my readers.

He snorts softly. “I reckon it’s because He knew I needed her – just as much as she needed me.”

 

After this, Matthew decides he is done, clapping his hat on his head as he makes for the door. A swirl of dust, an instant of seeing his tall, broad frame outlined in the sun and he is gone, leaving but an impression of a dark-haired man clad in a worn linen shirt and breeches. One could almost think I’ve imagined it all – if it hadn’t been for the very, very empty cake plate. 

Anna Belfrage 2015

Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a professional time-traveller. As such a profession does as yet not exists, she settled for second best and became a financial professional with two absorbing interests, namely history and writing. These days, Anna combines an exciting day-job with a large family and her writing endeavours.

When Anna fell in love with her future husband, she got Scotland as an extra, not because her husband is Scottish or has a predilection for kilts, but because his family fled Scotland due to religious persecution in the 17th century – and were related to the Stuarts. For a history buff like Anna, these little details made Future Husband all the more desirable, and sparked a permanent interest in the Scottish Covenanters, which is how Matthew Graham, protagonist of the acclaimed The Graham Saga, began to take shape.

Set in 17th century Scotland and Virginia/Maryland, the series tells the story of Matthew and Alex, two people who should never have met – not when she was born three hundred years after him. With this heady blend of romance, adventure, high drama and historical accuracy, Anna hopes to entertain and captivate, and is more than thrilled when readers tell her just how much they love her books and her characters.

Presently, Anna is hard at work with her next project, a series set in the 1320s featuring Adam de Guirande, his wife Kit, and their adventures and misfortunes in connection with Roger Mortimer’s rise to power. The King’s Greatest Enemy is a series where passion and drama play out against a complex political situation, where today’s traitor may be tomorrow’s hero, and the Wheel of Life never stops rolling.
The first instalment in the Adam and Kit story, In the Shadow of the Storm, will be published in the autumn of 2015.

Find Anna Belfrage: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon


Follow the Tour!

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This wonderful tour has been put together by IndieBRAG, here are the stops:

September 21- The Maiden's Court

September 22- Of History and Kings

September 23- everyday happy foods

September 24-  Just One More Chapter

September 25- Layered Pages

September 25 – The Many Worlds of Charlene Newcomb

September 26th- Stuart S. Laing

 


Copyright © 2015 by The Maiden’s Court

Friday, July 12, 2013

Interview with Anna Belfrage & Giveaway

Today I have the opportunity to welcome author Anna Belfrage to The Maiden’s Court.  I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing book 2 in this series, Like Chaff in the Wind, earlier this year and very much enjoyed it.  While this time around I didn’t have the time to commit to reviewing The Prodigal Son, I had several questions I wanted to ask the author.  So here is the interview and stay tuned at the end for a giveaway!

The Prodigal Son

Has writing always been something that you have wanted to do or was it a bug that bit you recently?

I began writing books the moment I figured out how to put pen to paper. Initially I spent more time illustrating than writing (mostly horses, knights, dragons, bloody swords and faraway castles. Not a princess in sight… At times my mother despaired, sighing that it would have been better had I been a boy) but over time words took over.

Mostly I wrote because I didn’t like how some of my favourite books ended, and so I decided to take over and improve on the author’s original idea. It became a bit complicated when I decided The Lord of the Rings needed a re-write…

So, the bug bit me ages ago, it still bites me, it still makes me itch all over and fills my life with so much pleasure!  

Do you have a set writing routine, or do you write whenever you find time?

I write when I can find the time. Working full time sort of makes it difficult to do otherwise. But I do have routines, like in the initial phase I will generally write quite a lot by hand, odd scenes, key words, etc. Once I have the story clear in my head I start writing for real – and halfway through I discover my characters have totally derailed the original plotline, forcing me to take a break and read up on cheese making in Holland in the 17th century, or on how best to travel from Copenhagen to Paris on 18th century roads.  

What has the writing and publication experience been like for you?  Have there been difficulties?

The writing experience is a delight – all the way from conception to editing. I am somewhat more ambivalent to the publication process – at times I find things quite daunting. I do, however, think that I made the right choice when I decided to self-publish as this allows the control freak in me to have a major say in everything from cover to font. That said, I have learnt a LOT from the professional team that has helped me with the actual pre-press and publication.

Why did you choose the time period that you did for your novels – beginning in 1658?

I am fascinated by the17th century, a final breaking point between the “old times” and the modern era. By the end of the century, the first Bill of Rights had been published, and most European states were leaving feudalism behind. It is also a period rife with religious conflicts, and as I find this a very interesting subject it made sense to set my book when I did.

Your books in The Graham Saga feature an element of time travel – why choose to tell the story with time travel and not as a straight historical?

I get that question from time to time, and while I don’t feel I had a choice – Alex is a very modern woman in how she thinks and speaks, has been that way since her inception – I also like the fact that by having her as my “representative” in the 17th century I can include the odd comment here and there as to what she perceives as totally unbelievable in this new life of hers. Plus I am genuinely interested in how people adapt to changed circumstances and yanking my main character three centuries backwards in time creates quite the challenging environment for Alex. I find it somewhat amusing that people will very often express that they are reluctant to change, that they prefer things to remain as they’ve always been. And yet all of us change – constantly – due to circumstances. We have to, in order to stay ahead. Alex has to cope with a more extreme situation than most of us do, and I must say she gets an A in change management. Luckily – as otherwise she would probably have been dead.

Your website indicates that there will be more books in the Saga.  Do you have a sense at this time of how many are planned to tell their story?  What are you currently working on?

In total The Graham Saga consists of eight books. My intention is to publish one more this year, three next year and the last one in the spring of 2015. The story is committed to paper – well, to computer – and while I have a lot of joyful editing and rewriting to do (I LOVE rewriting my books. I can immerse myself for hours in further polishing a crucial scene or tweaking dialogue or adding a new plotline, or… you get the picture, right?) I know how things will end and what adventures Matthew and Alex will live through before getting to that point. At times, Alex finds her life excessively exciting and rather exhausting. Tough, I say; that’s the price you pay for being lucky enough to fall through time and land at Matthew’s feet. For some strange reason she doesn’t always agree Smile.

Anna Belfrage

Anna was raised abroad, on a pungent mix of Latin American culture, English history and Swedish traditions. As a result she is multilingual and most of her reading is historical -  both non-fiction and fiction.
She was always going to be a writer - or a historian, preferably both. Instead she ended up with a degree in Business and Finance, with very little time to spare for her most favourite pursuit. Still, one does as one must, and in between juggling a challenging career she raised her four children on a potent combination of invented stories, historical debates and masses of good food and homemade cakes. They seem to thrive … Nowadays she spends most of her spare time at her writing desk. The children are half grown, the house is at times eerily silent and she slips away into her imaginary world, with her imaginary characters. Every now and then the one and only man in her life pops his head in to ensure she’s still there.

You can find Anna at her website for more information.

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You can follow along with the rest of the blog tour by either visiting the Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tour site or on Twitter with the following hashtag: #ProdigalSonTour.

And now for your giveaway opportunity!  There is one paperback copy up for grabs and is open internationally.  The last day to enter is July 28th.  Entries are through the Rafflecopter below.  Good luck.

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Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court

Monday, March 25, 2013

Book Review: Like Chaff in the Wind by Anna Belfrage & Giveaway

Like-Chaff-in-the-Wind

Like Chaff in the Wind by Anna Belfrage
Book 2 in the Graham Saga
Paperback, 392 pages
Troubador Publishing Ltd
December 17, 2012
★★★★☆

Genre: Historical Fiction, Time-Slip

Source: Received from the author for review

“Matthew Graham committed the mistake of his life when he cut off his brother's nose. In revenge, Luke Graham has Matthew abducted and transported to the colony of Virginia to be sold as indentured labor. Matthew arrives in Virginia in May 1661 and any hope he had of finding someone willing to listen to his story of unlawful abduction is quickly extinguished. If anything, Matthew's insistence that he is an innocent man leads him to being singled out for the heaviest tasks. Insufficient food, grueling days and the humid heat combine to wear him down. With a sinking feeling, he realizes no one has ever survived their seven years of service on the plantation Suffolk Rose.

Fortunately for Matthew, he has a remarkable wife. Alex Graham has no intention of letting her husband suffer and die. So she sets off from Scotland on a perilous journey to bring her husband home. Alex is plagued by nightmares in which Matthew is reduced to a wheezing wreck by his tormentors. Sailing to Virginia, she prays for a miracle to carry her swiftly to his side. But fate has other plans, and what should have been a two month crossing turns into a yearlong adventure - from one side of the Atlantic to the other. Will Alex find Matthew in time? Will she be able to pay the price of setting him free? Like Chaff in the Wind continues on from The Rip in the Veil, taking Alex and Matthew's love story to a new continent.”

First, a note: I have not yet read book 1 in this series, The Rip in the Veil, so I can’t comment on how the second book builds from the first. I can, however, tell you that you probably should read the books in order. That being said, if for some reason you decide to read them out of order, say for a tour and ran out of time to read the first, you won’t be totally lost. The author includes enough information so that you can piece together the major events that have occurred, however it isn’t necessarily right at the start of the book – so there were periods of confusion until I got those tidbits.

The majority of the novel takes place on ships headed to the American Colonies and in Jamestown, Virginia. A shorter amount of time is spent in Scotland. Jamestown was a refreshing setting in that not many stories take place here – but it wasn’t the Jamestown that I expected or experienced upon visiting the historical site. When the book opens we are in 1661, so approximately 50 years after the Jamestown most of us think about with the starving settlers, Pocahontas and John Smith, and various interactions with the natives. It was nice to see this growing Jamestown – even if it was still a somewhat lawless land.

The time travel element was strong, but not so much in terms of people time traveling throughout the book. Alex, our heroine, previously traveled to this time and place from the present. So while she isn’t currently traveling you still have her dealing with outcomes, mindset, and trying to fit in with the ways of women in the 17th century. I think that the time travel element was probably more present in the first book.

While I struggled a little bit with the beginning – mostly due to not having read the first book – it was a quick read and quite enjoyable. The characters were entertaining, the plot moved right along, and I felt like the characters grew quite a bit throughout it. The main focus of the book really is the relationship between the characters.

Author Anna Belfrage also has written book 1 in the series, The Rip in the Veil and is currently working on the rest of the Graham Saga. You can visit Belfrage website or blog for additional information about the book.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

Here are some choices for purchasing the book: Amazon, B&N, RJ Julia (my fav indie bookstore).  


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You can follow the rest of the blog tour on the Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours site or on Twitter with the following hashtag: #ChaffInTheWindVirtualTour.

I have a giveaway to offer today – for one copy of Like Chaff in the Wind and it is open INTERNATIONALLY!  The giveaway will be open until April 7th.  Entry is through the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court