Scattered Seeds
Julie
Doherty
Genre: Historical fiction, elements
of romance
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing * Date of Publication: April 27, 2016
ISBN: 1-68291-050-4 * ASIN: B01E056H1Q
Number of pages: 339 * Word Count: 100,000 * Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde
Book Description:
In 18th century Ireland, drought
forces Edward and Henry McConnell to assume false names and escape to America
with the one valuable thing they still own–their ancestor’s gold torc.
Edward must leave love behind. Henry finds it in the foul belly of The Charming Hannah, only to lose it when an elusive trader purchases his sweetheart’s indenture.
Edward must leave love behind. Henry finds it in the foul belly of The Charming Hannah, only to lose it when an elusive trader purchases his sweetheart’s indenture.
With nothing but their broken
hearts, a lame ox, and a torc they cannot sell without invoking a centuries-old
curse, they head for the backcountry, where all hope rests upon getting their
seed in the ground. Under constant threat of Indian attack, they endure
crushing toil and hardship. By summer, they have wheat for their reward, and
unexpected news of Henry’s lost love. They emerge from the wilderness and
follow her trail to Philadelphia, unaware her cruel new master awaits them
there, his heart set on obtaining the priceless torc they protect.
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Talking with author Julie Doherty!
What is your
writing environment?
I’m in the middle of moving, so unpacking
our underwear is of paramount importance right now. Here’s a before shot of the room where the magic will happen when things settle down.
It’s the first time I’ve had an office of my own, and I’m pretty excited about
it.
How did you get
the idea for this particular novel?
At the end of my debut novel, SCENT
OF THE SOUL, an American woman shows up at a Scottish gift shop with this gold
torc, which she unearthed at her Pennsylvania farm:
Readers know who the torc belongs
to, but they are left to wonder how it ended up in Pennsylvania. I wanted
SCATTERED SEEDS to tell that story. I decided my own ancestors, Edward and
Henry McConnell, would be the ones to deliver the torc from Ireland to America
in 1755.
Once I had the basic plot, it was
just a matter of fitting the story within known events, which meant lots of
research about the French & Indian War. It also meant studying immigrant
vessels of the day and learning sailing terms. I assure you, my head was
spinning by the time I typed THE END on this one, but I firmly believe it was
worth it.
What is your
favorite scene in your new release?
Probably the one where my hero’s barely
conscious love interest is in a small boat with other sick immigrants being
rowed toward the pesthouse:
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“Hang your arse over the
side,” someone said, “and let it go.”
“Jesus, the stink,” a
muffled voice said. “I hope you learnt your lesson ’bout drinking from a river,
boy.”
“A lesson learnt too
late, looks like. Oy, the girl’s eyes are open.”
A lovely blue sky rocked
above. Something slapped rhythmically at water.
Oars.
“You can’t tell me she
has the yellow jack. Look at her skin, Prentice. White as snow.”
“Yeah, white as snow.
They say she’s a loonie, though. Shame for her, innit?”
“Aye, a shame. She’s a
looker. Bet she’s pretty as an Easter sunrise under that petticoat, too.”
Something nudged her
ankle.
“What are you doing? Get
your grubby hands off her. The leftenant ain’t even gone below yet.”
“He can’t see. Nobody can
but them boys, and they’re too busy worrying about their arses.”
“Well, it just ain’t
right.”
“Aw, hell, Prentice, you
turning Quaker on me? Wait . . . what’s she saying?”
A shadow loomed above her
and erased the sky.
“Calling for someone, I
think. Probably her maw. They always call for their maw.”
“No, it sounded like
‘hell.’ Mayhap she’s calling on the devil for help.”
“It don’t scare me none.
You’re the one who touched her, not me.”
“Wait, there she goes
again. No . . . sounds more like ‘hen’.”
“Maybe she thinks she’s
back in Ireland, feeding the chickens.”
“Irish don’t have no
chickens.”
“Sure they do.”
“Well, by the looks of
’em they don’t never eat ’em. Aw, boy, again? Jesus, get your arse over the
side.”
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About the Author:
Julie Doherty expected to follow in
her artist-father’s footsteps, but words, not oils, became her medium. Her
novels have been called “romance with teeth” and “a sublime mix of history and
suspense.”
Her marriage to a Glasgow-born
Irishman means frequent visits to the Celtic countries, where she studies the
culture that liberally flavors her stories. When not writing, she enjoys
cooking over an open fire at her cabin, gardening, and hiking the ridges and
valleys of rural Pennsylvania, where she lives just a short distance from the
farm carved out of the wilderness by her 18th century “Scotch-Irish” ancestors.
She is a member of Romance Writers
of America, Central Pennsylvania Romance Writers, Perry County Council of the
Arts, and Clan Donald USA.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SquareSails
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Giveaway:
$30 Amazon gift card
5 free Kindle copies of SCATTERED
SEEDS
Great excerpt! Thanks for sharing, I can't wait to check this one out :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by. Good luck in the giveaway.
DeleteCongratulations on your book's release, I enjoyed the excerpt! And thank you for the awesome giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThank you! It's always exciting to release a new book, but a little frightening, too. Good luck in the giveaway.
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