GENRE: Fantasy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Celtic
mythology, medieval history, and modern-day mystery blend in this story where
past and present collide.
Kay,
a professor of ancient languages, finds herself drawn into a hidden realm of
magic and danger. Transported to a medieval world on Halloween night, she meets
Baird, an enchanging stranger who claims to know her spirit, and Duff, a burly
silversmith who welcomes her as Kyna, long-lost kin. Kay joins them in a
festive celebration where she discovers she can understand their arcane tongue,
as ghostly figures haunt the night.
When
dawn comes, she is in her own time, still holding a silver pendant that
connects her to Baird and his world. She struggles to return to that time even
as Baird is endeavoring to find her and unravel the secret of their connection.
Follow Kay and Baird on their journey across dimensions in this novel of
intrigue, adventure, and magic.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
Halfway down Partridge Street, moonlight filtered through
the lofty branches of old oak tree, revealing a man in a long dark cape leaning
against its trunk. Half in shadow, he studied her.
She considered crossing, unnerved by his sudden appearance.
But she stopped and took in what appeared to be his costume: under the open
cape, he wore an archaic tunic over breeches and worn slouching boots of a
bygone era. A light breeze ruffled his long, dark hair streaked with silver.
Dim half-moon rays etched his lightly bearded face.
They stared at each other, the only sound a breeze rustling
in dry oak leaves above. The smell of wood fires wafted on the wind.
Fluidly, he pushed himself from the tree trunk and closed
the distance between them. She thought she should run. Yet, something emanated
from him—almost…a familiarity.
He looked down at her, eyes warm and intense. He smelled of
the woods and wild winds. She breathed in deep.
“Why d’ ye dress yerself so, sister?” His voice, deep and
sonorous, sent shivers through her. Something from the past hovered out of
reach, a chaos of elusive images. A cottage. Herbs hanging from rafters. Faint
voices. A smell—was it peat smoke?
Deep longing filled her. “It’s just…” Her voice came out a
squeak. She tried again. “It’s my Halloween costume. You know.” She indicated
her monk’s robe, bulging with pillows.
There was a somber deliberateness about his every breath as
he waited, seemingly for a different answer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Marie Judson is a schoolteacher on the wild coast of Northern
California. Language and the mind are her passions. An ardent fantasy reader
since childhood, she also loves singing, dream work, and crashing waves. Follow
her blog at https://mariejudson.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marie.judson.writer
Website: https://mariejudson.com/
Book Video: https://youtu.be/50AdR_Ib4KQ?si=QQHZCHobmTm-okML
https://www.amazon.com/Braided-Dimensions-Book-Marie-Judson/dp/1726614913
Guest Post:
What is your writing routine like?
I’m a full-time teacher so most of my writing
happens at home on the weekends. My desk faces a view of an ocean cove to one
side; that sounds fancy but I live in a mobile home! My desk is in a rustic
built-on enclosed sun porch full of windows. One weekday evening, I meet with
my writing group (currently one other person – a wonderful writer) and edit as
I read aloud. I’ve had a writing group for the past fifteen years and love it.
It means I have direct feedback from readers the same week I write. Reading
aloud is amazing for hearing changes one wants to make. The weekend after
writing group, I sit down with all the notes—mine and my writing partner’s—and
use them to revise the manuscript. Then I write the next pages, about a chapter.
Sometimes during a vacation, I’ll do writing sprints to get a full first draft
of a novel pounded out. I belong to a Discord group where I can pop on and set
up a sprint-bot to run a timed session. Others in the group can jump in. There
are members from many parts of the world. We cheer each other on, joke, discuss what
happened in our writing: what we’re researching, challenges, a funny scene. So
though I have a writing routine, writing is never rote, especially fantasy.
When I started writing fiction, I lived on the
coast (the setting of Braided Dimensions) as I do now but could walk
from home onto the beach. During my work day, I’d imagine myself as Kay,
stepping through portals to medieval time. In the evenings, I’d walk on the
beach at sunset and let my mind slip into a recently written scene, expanding
it into the next. I loved doing that and it seemed like walking brought the
idea. With years of writing behind me, I find I can write any time. The ideas
come to me. It took me ten years to finish the first two books of my first
series. I write a book more quickly now, sometimes in less than a year. I love
to have a collaborative team: editor for the final draft, formatter, and cover
artist. The overall process has become a system I’m relatively relaxed with.
That means less mental energy going into worrying about the moving pieces and more
creative energy for other aspects involved with the writing: creating book club
guides, designing newsletters, working with audio book narrators, doing guest
spots on public radio, and so on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Marie
Judson will award an epub copy of one of her books to a randomly drawn winner.
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