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Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Blog Tour: Before the Emerald Crown


 

The Before Series, Book 5


Fantasy

Date Published: 02-28-2024

Publisher: Sword and Thistle LLC


 

In a time nearly ancient, before a brave Scottish princess defied her mother, a young woman has lost everything.

Except for her unexplainable talent for magic.

Now Magda's being hunted, and in her attempt to survive, loneliness and desperation take control.

Until she meets someone who offers her a chance at happiness, at normalcy, at the fullness of life. Then she discovers something wrong, so shockingly wrong with this hopeful future, and she must make a harrowing decision to ensure her survival.

And she will have to draw on all her magic to do it.

Actions have repercussions -- Magda knows this better than anyone else -- and with her magic, she will ensure everyone else learns that lesson as well.

 


Excerpt

I threaded the thong between my fingers and wrapped up my hair while I conjured up images of my mother and how she looked when she opened the door and let the light shine on her pale, freckled face. The smile she wore was truer than the tight one that did not reach her eyes, a smile that showed the concerns of the world, the disease treasure she held onto so tightly, was lifted from her shoulders.

For some reason, my charms seemed to work better outside.

Bring Mother joy and peace, I whispered inside my head.

The buzzing and sensation inside my head told me that my charmed intention might well be fulfilled. It was a sensation I had come to realize when something within my incantation might work.

Might work.

My charms did not work all the time – what in life did? I was still trying to figure out exactly what tingling was and how to use it, but that did not stop me from trying every opportunity I had.

 I was still trying to discern one successful charm from the other sensations, times I did not use my charm correctly. I had noticed sometimes my charm led to other effects. Not bad effects, just not exactly what I had intended.

Over the past two years, ever since I noticed my ability to charm things, and I had to think it just right. Even then, it did not always work. Not on significant things, things that might make a large difference for our family, for the MacCubbins, or for the Highlands. Those were beyond my charming ability, at least right now.

Then, when I messed it up and the charm was a little awkward, to say the least, I usually had to try and undo whatever the charm was.

That did not always work, either.

The fortunate part of those errors was they were usually small, and unnoticeable by everyone but me.

When I used my charms, another thought sprung into my head once the tingling disappeared.

Why could I do these things?

What was wrong with me?

Though this charming appeared useful, why couldn’t I have the engaging smile and character, like Effie did?

Those were more accepted, and apparently consistent, charms.

This time, with my hope for my mother, the tingling sensation felt right, and a wide smile adorned my face as I returned to the hen coop just inside the woven lean-to door.

 More than a half-dozen eggs were tucked into the hay this morning, and that would make my mother happy.



About the Author

Michelle Deerwester-Dalrymple is an award-winning author of historical romance -- Scottish, Highlanders, and Ancient! To Dance in the Glen was recently a bestseller! She also writes contemporary romance as M.D. Dalrymple -- police and campus romances, and as Strawberry Chase, paranormal romance author.

Winner of the Top Ten Author Academy Award for 2018, Best Indie Book 2019, and N.N Night's 2021 Winner for Scottish Romance.

 

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