Saturday, April 21, 2012

Shadows In A Timeless Myth Presents A Six Sentence Sunday Excerpt


The following is an excerpt from A Tryst in Time, my complimentary short story featuring characters from my historical fantasy/paranormal romance, Shadows in a Timeless Myth. You can download the complete complimentary short story here, sample chapters from Shadows here, and a musical jigsaw puzzle of the cover here.

The night was cool, dark and quiet. Looking down at the snug little house in the woods with its cheerful fire casting warmth and light into the night, one might even say peaceful and serene. But that was just an illusion, and they would be wrong. Dank, dreary and fraught with danger and death would better fit.

His rank breath played an eerie game of hide and seek in the fog-laden shadows. The rising moon was full of bright promise—but the night, pregnant with unshed tears, obscured her beauty and dimmed her light. The swollen clouds—black and heavy—transformed the forest beyond the small cottage into a dark haven for those who contemplated evil deeds—concealing him as he watched and waited for his treasured moment to come....


Shadows In A Timeless Myth Excerpt
Teresa Thomas Bohannon
Full Novel Available From Amazon






Smiles & Good Fortune,
Teresa
 ************************************
 It is not wealth one asks for, but just enough to preserve one’s dignity, to work unhampered, to be generous, frank and independent. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) Of Human Bondage, 1915

Monday, April 16, 2012

A Visit From Regency Romance Author Regina Jeffers

Today, as part of the book tour for her newest release The  Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy, I am delighted to welcome Regency author Regina Jeffers.

What is it about Jane Austen-inspired literature that captured your fancy?

I have been in love with Jane Austen’s stories for as long as I can remember. When I was twelve, I read Pride and Prejudice and was hooked. Perhaps, it was being a product of the 1950s and 1960s. Those decades were a male dominated period (Have you ever watched “Mad Men”?). Jane Austen’s works looked at society through a comedic screen while examining issues found in a male dominated world. Charlotte Lucas symbolizes the prevailing attitude toward women, while Elizabeth Bennet does not condemn feminine “virtues,” but rather balances them with a sensible mind. In each of Austen’s novels, the main characters have experiences that create a profound and permanent transformation (Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice; Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility; Emma Woodhouse in Emma; Anne Elliot in Persuasion; Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey; and Edmund in Mansfield Park). Austen’s witty, satirical approach to her subjects resonates across the centuries.

Tell us about your favorite novel that you have written, and why it is your favorite?

The Phantom of Pemberley is my favorite because it was my first attempt at writing a cozy mystery. I have read cozies for years, and I loved the idea of trying to incorporate all the characteristics of the genre into my Pride and Prejudice mystery. Normally, a cozy is set in a village, where all those involved are familiar with each other. There is no graphic violence, no explicit sex scenes, and no profanity. Cozies are considered “genteel” mysteries. Think of “Murder She Wrote” on TV or Agatha Christie, and one has the cozy format. A cozy would never make a good “action” movie: the emphasis is on plot twists and character development. In The Phantom of Pemberley, I used the idea of “The Shadow Man,” which is what Wes Craven reportedly used for his Freddy Krueger. In England, the “shadow man” is a popular legend. Plus, Adam Lawrence becomes an active member of the story line. Lawrence has had “walk throughs” in several of my novels. In “Phantom,” he became an integral part of the cast, and I am so pleased with the outcome. (I have written a novella that tells Lawrence’s story. I hope to publish it soon.) I was rewarded for my attempts by having “Phantom” marked with a third place finish in Romantic Suspense in a RWA (Romance Writers of America) contest in 2010.

What is the most difficult part of writing for you?

I do not write comedic scenes well. With comedy, a person must not only take note of those characteristics that define his subject, but he must exaggerate those qualities in order to achieve a humorous effect. I possess a very refined humor, one generally based on word manipulation (no bathroom humor for me), but I have difficulty bringing the situation to a “ridiculous” conclusion. I do not do exaggeration and distortion well. I suppose that the line between tragedy and comedy does truly run thin and indistinct.

Where is your favorite place to read?

In all honesty, I would say anywhere. I could live in a library or a bookstore and never feel deprived of the outside world. My mother placed a book before me when I was nothing more than an infant, and I have been fascinated by books every since. I read cereal boxes, road signs, recipes, newspapers, etc. Anything is fair game. When I read for pleasure at home, I read either in my favorite chair or sitting on the bench under the weeping willow in my back yard or snuggled under the covers in bed late at night.

What is your favorite (OUT OF YOUR GENRE) book and author? Why?

Again, this is a difficult question for me for I have several favorites that I read and reread for different reasons.

My mother and I often shared reading choices. Together, we read a series based on a family dynasty in the mid 1850s to current times. The first book in the trilogy by Ronald S. Joseph is called The Kingdom. Once we had read that title, we made it our mission to continue the story of Anne Trevor and the Scotsman Alex Cameron. It was a guilty pleasure we shared. The others in the series are The Power and The Glory. When I am missing my mother’s presence in my life, I pull out my copies and reread this series.

Homer Hickman’s October Sky takes place in my native West Virginia. Set in 1957, the story speaks of people and places of which I am familiar. It also addresses the uncertain future many of my fellow West Virginians faced as the prospects of coal as our state’s salvation began to dwindle.

I absolutely love Broadway and the theatre districts. When I need a good laugh, I seek out my copy of The Collected Plays of Neil Simon. I absolutely love God’s Favorite, a parody of the story of Job from the Bible. I can repeat many of the lines by heart from this one.

From the classics (other than Austen’s works), I love Jane Eyre. The first time I read it, I was blown away with Mr. Rochester’s transformation and the revealing of his wife’s insanity.

I taught high school and young adult literature for years. One of my favorites is a series written by Ellen Emerson White (using the pseudonym of Zack Emerson). It is the Echo Company series and deals with the Vietnam War. I have read and reread the series, but I never tire of it. Another of those I like is Julius Lester’s novelized version of Shakespeare’s Othello. Lester uses many of the original lines while creating a unique tale that brings tears to ones’ eyes. I would also include Adeline Yen Mah’s Chinese Cinderella. It is the true story of a childhood forgotten.

What is your favorite quote?

Optime positum est beneficium ubi meminit qui accipit. – Syrus, Maxims
“It is best to do favours for people with good memories.”

What subjects, themes and dilemmas of the Regency period do you return to time and again?  What subjects have you introduced?

The true Regency Period lasted only nine years, from 1811 to 1820. Most writers of the period place their stories somewhere between 1800 and 1820; however, a few feature everything from the French Revolution to the Reform. When I am creating a Jane Austen adaptation, my setting is defined by Austen’s original story line. In my original Regencies, I tend to place my characters in situations that occur between 1810 and 1815. It is the time period of which I am most familiar.

The Regency is characterized by both elegance and vulgarity. Social norms and interactions were carefully scripted. Society’s tone was set by the ever-decadent Prince Regent. George IV was a man of intelligence and impeccable manners, when the situation so suited him, but he was also notorious for his appalling extravagances. Society in the early nineteenth century had become more egalitarian, and the nouveaux riche had loosened the standards of acceptance. It was a time of great transition. Yet, it was still a time when a pauper with a title had more influence than the richest tradesman. Women’s lack of choices remains a consistent theme.

I like to discover unusual facts and incorporate them into my story lines. The events of Peterloo appear in “His Irish Eve”; the efforts of Lord Cochrane to bring “chemical warfare” to the Napoleonic Wars can be found in Captain Wentworth’s Persuasion; the legend of the Shadow Man is a central part of The Phantom of Pemberley; well dressing ceremonies play out in Darcy’s Temptation; and the “rebirth” of St. Cuthbert in Vampire Darcy’s Desire; I also like to add what we think of as “modern” issues to the past: dissociative identity disorder; sexual abuse; OCD; and the infamous generation gap.

My latest book, The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy, includes the Scottish legend of Sawney Bean, the weather conditions at Waterloo, and the first railroad system in Scotland.


Book Blurb:

Shackled in the dungeon of a macabre castle with no recollection of her past, a young woman finds herself falling in love with her captor – the estate’s master. Yet, placing her trust in him before she regains her memory and unravels the castle’s wicked truths would be a catastrophe.

Far away at Pemberley, the Darcys happily gather to celebrate the marriage of Kitty Bennet. But a dark cloud sweeps through the festivities: Georgiana Darcy has disappeared without a trace. Upon receiving word of his sister’s likely demise, Darcy and wife, Elizabeth, set off across the English countryside, seeking answers in the unfamiliar and menacing Scottish moors.

How can Darcy keep his sister safe from the most sinister threat she has ever faced when he doesn’t even know if she’s alive? True to Austen’s style and rife with malicious villains, dramatic revelations and heroic gestures, this suspense-packed mystery places Darcy and Elizabeth in the most harrowing situation they have ever faced – finding Georgiana before it is too late.

Website – www.rjeffers.com
Blog – http://reginajeffers.wordpress.com
Twitter - @reginajeffers
Publisher – Ulysses Press http://ulyssespress.com/

Bio

Regina Jeffers, an English teacher for thirty-nine years, considers herself a Jane Austen enthusiast. She is the author of 13 novels, including Darcy’s Passions, Darcy’s Temptation, The Phantom of Pemberley, Christmas at Pemberley, The Scandal of Lady Eleanor, A Touch of Velvet, and A Touch of Cashémere. A Time Warner Star Teacher and Martha Holden Jennings Scholar, as well as a Smithsonian presenter, Jeffers often serves as a media literacy consultant. She resides outside of Charlotte, NC, where she spends time teaching her new grandson the joys of being a child.


Smiles & Good Reading,
Teresa
************************************
 It is not wealth one asks for, but just enough to preserve one’s dignity, to work unhampered, to be generous, frank and independent. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) Of Human Bondage, 1915

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Shadows In A Timeless Myth Presents Six Sentence Sunday Excerpt Ten

 Shadows In A Timeless Myth
Six Sentence Sunday Excerpt 



For the barest of moments silence ruled as completely as if the house itself held its breath in anticipation.
The housekeeper had once been a tall, full-masted sailing ship of a big woman. Born of the large-boned peasant stock produced by generations of hard labor; she now stood stoop-shouldered and withered, heavily beset with a myriad frailties of old age. Her faded blue eyes were brightly lit with courage, and her bearing spoke of all the will in the world; but still her hands trembled with the weight of the Weatherby Express she held braced against her shoulder and trained on the etched glass panels of the French doors.
Bellina moved quickly to take the gun—but not quickly enough. Glistening shards of glass imploded into the room, driven before the body of a horrifying beast as he crashed through the doors with a raging force that shattered both lock and hinges. 
 
 
Shadows In A Timeless Myth Excerpt
Teresa Thomas Bohannon
Full Novel Available From Amazon




Smiles & Good Fortune, 
Teresa
************************************ 
It is not wealth one asks for, but just enough to preserve one’s dignity, to work unhampered, to be generous, frank and independent. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) Of Human Bondage, 1915

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Shadows In A Timeless Myth Presents - Autism Awareness Giveaway

Hello and Welcome! 

What does Women's History & Women Authors 
Have to do with Autism Awareness ?
Very Little....
However, I have always been a firm believer in the philosophy
that reading to a child--any child--is the one gift you can give that will last a lifetime. So I present to you a selection of books and activities that you can share and enjoy with a child--plus a few books and musical jigsaw puzzles just for you.


If you would like to say Thank You In Return... 
 
Please Like Shadows In A Timeless Myth On Amazon
Or
Our Book Trailer Video On You Tube


Gift Books In PDF format
(Please be patient, they take a moment to load.)
 A Little Book Of Fairy Lore 
Athena Queen of Storm and Air 

Before There Were Ewoks, There Was: H. Beam Piper's Little Fuzzy 

 Hand Shadows: A Sweet, Old-Fashioned Activity To Share With Children
Fifty Four Stories To Tell Children 
Georgette Heyer's The Black Moth
(Her First Book Written To Entertain Her Brother Who Was Bedridden.)
Crock Pot Magic: 475 Recipes To Help You Find Time To Read & Play


Gift Musical Jigsaw Puzzles

 A Hand Shadows Musical Jigsaw Puzzle 
Fairy Flight Musical Jigsaw Puzzle 

 Happy In Fairyland Musical Jigsaw Puzzle
A Knight and His Lady Musical Jigsaw Puzzle
 Shadows In A Timeless Myth Musical Jigsaw Puzzle

The Gifts Are All Free

However, If you would like to enter to win a 
PDF copy of my old-fashioned Regency Romance
A Very Merry Chase 

with a personalized inscription, 
please leave a comment below telling me what number you were when you
Liked  
Shadows In A Timeless Myth 

On Amazon 

Or your number when you liked our
 Video Trailer
or our  
Shadows In A Timeless Myth Facebook Page


There are also lots of free gifts available at 
LadySilk's Regency Romance Revival 
On Our Complimentary Bookshelf
Or In The Photo Gallery On Our Facebook Page 
So be sure to bookmark us so you can come back after
The Autism Awareness Giveaway Hop Is Over.




Smiles & Good Fortune,
Teresa
************************************
It is not wealth one asks for, but just enough to preserve one’s dignity, to work unhampered, to be generous, frank and independent. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) Of Human Bondage, 1915

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Shadows In A Timeless Myth Presents Six Sentence Sunday Excerpt Nine

 Shadows In A Timeless Myth
Six Sentence Sunday Excerpt 


Mark held his ground without so much as a flinch, but before he could reply, Bellina stepped quickly forward and cut between them like a seasoned diplomat.
The blonde towered over her, but Bellina managed by perching on lifted toe-tips to clasp the newcomer’s swan-like neck in a warm bear-hug greeting. “Thank you for coming so quickly. I knew my AraBestla would never let me down.”
A thousand memories of past rescues flitted across AraBestla’s mind with all the combined frenzy of a low-budget slasher film and punk rock video combined—rescues where more often than not, she had been on the receiving end. “Just so you understand, I’m here because I owe you more than I can ever repay; but Bellina, I do not believe any,” she emphasized the word with a disdainful glance at Mark, “of your assumptions are true.”
You owe me nothing, Bestla—least of all belief, so believe as you will...I’m still delighted, you’re here.”


 
Shadows In A Timeless Myth Excerpt
Teresa Thomas Bohannon
Full Novel Available From Amazon




Smiles & Good Fortune, 
Teresa
************************************ 
It is not wealth one asks for, but just enough to preserve one’s dignity, to work unhampered, to be generous, frank and independent. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) Of Human Bondage, 1915

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Shadows In A Timeless Myth Presents - Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza

Hello and Welcome! 
My Brand New Paranormal Romance


 Has Just Been Released

And To Celebrate

I am providing several gifts just to thank everyone for stopping by... 
If you would like to say Thank You In Return... 
Please Like Shadows In A Timeless Myth On Amazon
Or
Our Book Trailer Video On You Tube

Gift Books In PDF format
 A Little Book Of Fairy Lore 
Athena Queen of Storm and Air 

Before There Were Ewoks, There Was: H. Beam Piper's Little Fuzzy 

 Hand Shadows: A Sweet, Old-Fashioned Activity To Share With Children
Georgette Heyer's The Black Moth 
Shadows In A Timeless Myth Complimentary Short Story 

Gift Musical Jigsaw Puzzles

 A Hand Shadows Musical Jigsaw Puzzle 
Fairy Flight Musical Jigsaw Puzzle 

 Happy In Fairyland Musical Jigsaw Puzzle
A Knight and His Lady Musical Jigsaw Puzzle
 Shadows In A Timeless Myth Musical Jigsaw Puzzle

The Gifts Are All Free

However, If you would like to enter to win a 
PDF copy of my old-fashioned Regency Romance
A Very Merry Chase 

with a personalized inscription, 
please leave a comment below telling me what number you were when you
Liked  
Shadows In A Timeless Myth 

On Amazon 

Or your number when you liked our
 Video Trailer
or our  
Shadows In A Timeless Myth Facebook Page


There are also lots of free gifts available at 
LadySilk's Regency Romance Revival 
On Our Complimentary Bookshelf
Or In The Photo Gallery On Our Facebook Page 
So be sure to bookmark us so you can come back after
The Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop Is Over.


Smiles & Good Fortune,
Teresa
************************************
It is not wealth one asks for, but just enough to preserve one’s dignity, to work unhampered, to be generous, frank and independent. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) Of Human Bondage, 1915

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Shadows In A Timeless Myth Presents Six Sentence Sunday Excerpt Eight

 Shadows In A Timeless Myth
Six Sentence Sunday Excerpt 


"They dragged me—cursing them, resisting every inch of the way—before their roving court of mock justice, condemning me, with all ceremony, to burn as a witch.
A witch! I prayed that the Sorceri High Council would choke on the knowledge that one of their own divine race was to be burned as a common witch—burned alive at the hand of the mortal race they so disdain.

I remember...the trees at the forest’s edge, wavering in the chill breeze like skeletal warriors drawn from the very pits of hell. The air around me was gorged with fear, and the night writhed with the wailing of the condemned: a young peasant girl who suffered with nightmares, a guildsman more talented than his neighbor, a small family of Jews—father, mother and bright-eyed son—whose riches tempted priestly coffers, an adulterous wife, a sodomite grave robber and his idiot apprentice, a midwife, who failed to deliver a healthy child for a vindictive nobleman, a peddler of love charms, and two outspoken heretics. They were twelve in number, all mere mortals, most no more than innocent victims of ignorance, false witness, or greed. 


 
Shadows In A Timeless Myth Excerpt
Teresa Thomas Bohannon
Full Novel Available From Amazon




Smiles & Good Fortune, 
Teresa
************************************ 
It is not wealth one asks for, but just enough to preserve one’s dignity, to work unhampered, to be generous, frank and independent. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) Of Human Bondage, 1915