About the Book
by Hunter S. Jones, Tara S. Wood, Livia Ellis, Laura DeLuca, Elodie Parkes, Elle J Rossi, Miranda Stork, & Carolyn Wolfe.
Pages : 429
Publisher : Moon Rose Publishing
Release date : March 21st 2013
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Book Description
The wheel of the year turns, bringing the joy of spring, the warmth of summer, the richness of autumn, and the merriment of winter. But eight Celtic festivals link these seasons together, bringing with them romance, lust, danger, and even magic. From a city under threat from night-time creatures at Ostara, to a selkie caught by the light of the Lughnasadh moon, to a writer caught in the flames of a fiery goddess at Imbolc.
Eight authors have come together to give their own twist on these festivals, weaving each story with a blend of myth, magic, and contemporary telling…to create A Celtic Tapestry.
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Excerpt (Shore’s Edge, Tara S. Wood)
The pervasive scent of smoke and the sound of shouting jolted Saoirse upright, her hands flinging back the bedcovers in one swift move. Her feet slapped against the cold floor as she tore open the door to stick her head into the hallway. Harsh male voices, along with the noise of booted feet on stone, assaulted her ears. Saoirse tilted her head around the door frame to get a better look at the bodies rushing by in a flurry of panic. She blinked sleepy eyelids and focused as a familiar figure rounded the corner into her view.
"Fergal? What's going on?"
"The damned MacCrohan are at it again!" her brother yelled, jerking to a halt mid-run. "The south pastures are burning, and the crofter's huts have gone up in flames as well! They've taken swords to the cattle, Saoirse! Gods help us, it's a bloodbath!"
Saoirse's jaw set in a hard clench at the rage in her brother's eyes, an angry hiss escaping unbidden through her teeth. "I'm coming."
"No!" Fergal shook his head. "You stay here where you'll be safe. Donal's bringing the women and children into the house. Áthair will not be pleased if he sees you. This is a man's fight, little sister."
"Fergal!"
Her brother's eyes narrowed. "Do as you're told, Saoirse. I'll not be burying you along with the cattle." He didn't stay to listen to her retort and ran off downstairs to join the fight.
Saoirse whirled back into the room, pulling off the linen nightshirt and tossing it to the floor. She dressed in seconds, tugging on a tunic, a pair of soft leather breeches, and lace up boots. A sharp curse slipped past her lips when her fingers caught in the snarls of long blonde hair as she secured it back with a leather tie. Dropping to her hands and knees beside the bed, she reached underneath to pull out a wrapped woolen bundle. She opened the folds with a careful hand and pulled out the longsword, secretly pleased that it was about to have its first taste of battle. Her father would object when he saw it, but what was done was done. She only hoped the smith would not incur too much of her father's wrath for forging it.
She scrambled to her feet and secured the sheath to her body, belting the tunic. Saoirse blew out a calming breath and breached the doorway, ready to earn her place among her brothers and the other Ó'Laighin warriors. If she happened to kill one or two of the bastard MacCrohans in the process, well…that was all the better. Lughnasadh was approaching; it was a good day to spill MacCrohan blood in offering.
*Copyright of Tara S. Wood*
Guest Post from
Tara S. Wood
Tara S. Wood
A dear friend of mine just referred to me as an “established author”. I had to do a double take. Me? Established? Really?
I certainly don’t feel like an established author, I mean, I’m just getting started. Currently, I’ve got one full length title available, and have two novellas out. Come the end of March, that will be three. April 1st marks the debut of a second full length novel that I co-authored. So…that makes five. Five titles. Does that make me “established”? I don’t know. With each project that I finish, I feel like I’m gaining ground on this journey of authorhood.
I’m learning something new every day, and my craft is expanding. That can only be good, right? The one big thing I have learned as a newcomer is that you need friends. I’m not talking about the kind of friends who ooh and ahh over every word you put forth. I’m talking about friends who aren’t afraid to give you the sort of constructive criticism every author needs to grow.
Facebook was instrumental in developing my little inner circle. Sure, I have made loads of new contacts and acquaintances, but I have also gained a core group of people (writers and non-writers, respectively) whose goal is to see me succeed by honing my talent to the best of my ability. Without them, I would still be sitting in front of a computer screen twiddling my thumbs and hoping to get words on a page.
I have stories to tell. Loads of them. This brain won’t be finished anytime soon. So as I notch each new work on my belt, I am moving steadily closer to that elusive place of “established”. It’s a good feeling. And when I get stuck, or can’t quite wrap my head around something, I am privileged to have people I can connect with to get it all out.
I have moved from being a completely independent self-published author to signing on with a small indie press. This has made a huge difference in my ability to start and finish a project. After all, when you’re setting your own deadline, the impetus to meet it is greatly reduced. I have the luxury of picking and choosing which titles I want to self-publish, and which I want to turn over to someone else. I have gotten extremely lucky to have found Miranda Stork and Moon Rose Publishing. She has treated me like no other publishing house I have come across. Gracious and obliging, she allows me freedoms in my work, yet isn’t afraid to crack the whip and keep me on track. Working with her has made my writing better. FACT.
It would be erroneous of me to say that I know what I’m doing. At this point, I still don’t. However, I know more than I did this time last year. I have gained a readership and a following of individuals with whom I have no personal ties. What does that mean? It means complete strangers are reading my work, and to my utter delight, are wanting more. Hmmm…established. Yes, this is a trend I would like to continue to ride into the sunset with my hair billowing in the breeze. Waving the flags of good reading high. On my unicorn. You know, my established one.
About the Author
Tara S. Wood
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Giveaway
And now for the giveaway! Well, what IS the free stuff? Moon Rose Publishing, as part of the A CELTIC TAPESTRY tour, is giving away a ton of good stuff. You could win a print copy of A CELTIC TAPESTRY, a sticker pack, bookmarks, a beautiful necklace and jeweled bookmark from Tara S Wood, or an e-book of the anthology!
