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Guiding a Young Catalina of Aragon - a Blog Tour and Book Excerpt for "The Duty of Daughters"
BOOK EXCERPT The queen dropped her spindle onto her lap, now swinging her approval to her third daughter. “My Joy,” she said, using María’s nickname. Queen Isabel used it so often her siblings had taken to using it, too. “You’re right to remember well the teachings of the church. But God places us in a peculiar position – a position where we serve Him by offering up ourselves. That is the duty of our royal blood.” “But will not our husbands be our heads, Mother?” Infanta Marí
DK Marley
Jul 233 min read
No Ordinary Pawn - an Editorial Review of "The Queen Among Kings"
Book Blurb: She came to England expecting chivalry and courtly grace. What she found was betrayal, corruption, and a king more interested in favorites than his crown... Isabella of France, once the daughter of kings, became a queen stripped of lands, wealth, and influence—left to navigate a treacherous court and a husband whose obsession with Hugh Despenser threatened to ruin the kingdom. But Isabella is no ordinary pawn. With intelligence, courage, and a heart tempered by lo
DK Marley
Jul 184 min read
DK Marley
Jul 160 min read
A Land Torn by Crusade and Rebellion - Blog Tour and Book Excerpt for "Soldiers of Christ"
BOOK EXCERPT Gorodische, Novgorod Republic, June 1242 Prince Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky was angry. He paced around the hall ranting at the dozen or so assembled courtiers and aides who shuffled uncomfortably, staring at the ground in an attempt to evade his ire. At one of the tables the monk Miroslav rebandaged my wounded shoulder, which seared like hot coals, fresh blood coursing down my arm. I clenched my teeth together, watching the prince to distract my mind from the sh
DK Marley
Jul 104 min read
Blog Tour and Book Excerpt for "The Spirit of the Times"
BOOK EXCERPT CHAPTER 1 The Mirror of Fate The town of Balasagun in Moghulistan district, Central Orient 4th of October 1336 in the Year of the Rat The soft rays of the autumnal afternoon sun shone through the crown of the ger onto the Mirror of Fate. There it was, facing Karia on the table, a lit candle on either side of it. A short time ago, as custom dictated, the newlyweds had stared into it, revealing their future. She had yearned to gaze into the oval-shaped mirror and h
DK Marley
Jul 63 min read
The Complex Moral Struggles of WWII German Women - Blog Tour and Book Excerpt for "Fables and Lies"
BOOK EXCERPT Chapter Five Berlin, Sunday, 27 August 1939 The Adlon’s lobby was vast, with vaulted ornamental ceilings and a gigantic chandelier. The bannisters of the sweeping staircase were inset with bronze reliefs. Potted palms and Persian rugs added an exotic atmosphere. Well-heeled people bustled past, greeting friends, or headed for the reception desk. Freyja felt like an impostor. The Silesian girl masquerading as a society woman. Voigt was sitting on a leather Chester
DK Marley
Jul 33 min read
For Fans of Kristin Hannah and Kate Quinn - a Blog Tour and Book Excerpt for "The Making of Marigold McGrath"
BOOK EXCERPT “Mr. Murrow?” “Yes Marigold.” “Before I came here, I worked for a relief agency at Woburn House. Uh, in light of the news last week, I was hoping sir, you might give me this Friday.” Ed Murrow leant forward and put out his cigarette. “What do you have in mind?” “I’d like to photograph the children’s arrival, sir. I could photograph it, sir.” He studied her for a moment and then smiled. “We work in radio, Marigold. Radio.” Marigold straightened her back. “Well, th
DK Marley
Jul 14 min read
Where No One is Quite Sure Where They Belong - a Blog Tour and Book Excerpt for "Unbelonging"
BOOK EXCERPT To help clear the way, Frank Sasaki obtained permission to return to Seattle in April to check on the status of their restaurant and their home on Fourteenth and Yesler. He was relieved to learn about a drop-off in violence against Japanese. But with war still raging in Asia at that time, anti-Japanese sentiment was ever present. At the invitation of his pastor at the Japanese Congregational Church, he’d attended a public hearing at Seattle City Hall on resettlem
DK Marley
Jun 293 min read
She Yearned for the Sun - Blog Tour and Book Excerpt for "Queen of Shadows"
BOOK EXCERPT Alma felt safer the moment she entered her city. One of the guards at the city gate recognised her and asked her to give his regards to her mother. She slowed her pace along the familiar streets, passed by the huge cathedral just as the bells in the Giralda rang out the noon hour, and came to an abrupt stop at the sight of her childhood home. The gates stood wide open, people spilling out from the courtyard within to stand in the street. She pushed her way throug
DK Marley
Jun 243 min read
The Most Dangerous Weapons Are the People - an Editorial Review of "The Hazard Trade"
Book Blurb: In British-occupied Newport, Rhode Island, the most dangerous weapons are the people the enemy refuses to see. Newport, Rhode Island is the crown jewel of the colonies—one of the most beautiful cities, one of the wealthiest, with the finest natural harbor in the new world. Rhode Island is a hotbed of rebellion, and the British have made an example of it: brutally occupying the city, blockading the harbor, and cutting off trade. More than half the population has fl
DK Marley
Jun 165 min read
The Legend of the First Named Author - a Blog Tour and Book Excerpt for "Enhudanna's Song"
BOOK EXCERPT Inanna, supreme in Heaven and Earth, ruler over all gods, I beg of you: restore me to my temple, bring me home! In the ancient city of Ur, I no longer breathe the salty air, lift myself from the sacred bed, or unravel Ningal’s dreams for my followers. The southern stars have slipped away from me; now I walk the thorny brush of the northern mountainside. As I sing your blessed song, I am dying. Lugalanne made me fly from Ur like a swallow swept from its home. He r
DK Marley
Jun 121 min read
Behind the Scenes of a Tudor Life - a Blog Tour and Book Excerpt for "The Queen's Sister"
BOOK EXCERPT Accompanied by Madeleine, wearing large cloaks and carrying baskets so we look like a merchant’s wife and her servant, we hasten to the Cathedral to pray for Queen Anne’s soul and for the souls of the men who were accused with her and died. Their heads brutally struck from their bodies, those handsome proud courtiers once gorgeously clothed in colourful velvets and silks are no more. Often people gather in the Cathedral to discuss news as well as pray. The column
DK Marley
Jun 102 min read
Every Good Folktale Reveals Both Heroes and Villains - an Editorial Review of "The Fern Flower"
Book Blurb: Russia 1908-1917 Every good folktale reveals villains and heroes. Mila Belova’s world is overflowing with both. Born into privilege as the daughter of the Tsar’s favored vodka maker, Mila appears to have everything: wealth, status, and a household devoted to her happiness. But behind the gilded doors of her family estate, she is trapped by the cruelty of a stepmother whose greatest wish is to give birth to her own child. Each summer on Ivan Kupala Eve, Russia turn
DK Marley
Jun 35 min read
One Small Island in the Crossfire - an Editorial Review of "Voices on the Wind"
Book Blurb: Early 1942: the fate of the Suez Canal and access to Middle East oil hangs on the fate of an island just 17 miles long by 9 miles wide: Malta. Determined to destroy the British forces threatening Rommel’s supply lines, the Axis powers drop more bombs on Malta than London endured throughout the Blitz. The population is forced underground, while the RAF struggles with inadequate resources to fend off defeat. Meanwhile, Britain’s Atlantic lifeline is fraying…. Voices
DK Marley
Jun 24 min read