Queen Mary's Daughter
by Emily-Jane
Hills Orford
GENRE: Historical
Fiction Fantasy
BLURB:
There are so many possibilities that affect the course of
history. One change, one small item overlooked, can make a world of difference,
not only in a person's life, but in the history and well-being of an entire
nation. And then there are those multiple scenarios of what if? What if King
James VI of Scotland didn't succeed in amalgamating Scotland with England? What
if there had been another heir to the throne of Scotland? One who would secure
its independence? Would Scotland have remained free and independent and a
nation of its own well into the twenty-first century? And would Scotland, this
independent version, make its own decision to join the European Union when its
southern neighbor was choosing to pull away?
"Queen Mary's Daughter" presents another plausible timeline, one that incorporates both historical fact and fiction with the endless possibilities of time travel.
Excerpt:
As
the wind picked up, blowing her deep red, unruly curls helter-skelter over her
face, Mary Elizabeth’s eyes focused on her hands. She stretched out the left
hand, revealing the old ring that sat on her baby finger. It was a tiny ring
and it only fit on the one finger. At the same time Gran bestowed the heirloom
gift on her granddaughter, she had shared her story of the ring, at least as
much as she was willing to share. The ring had been in the family for
generations and only the firstborn daughter of the firstborn daughter (and so
on and so on) could wear it. The ring was her connection to a past she wasn’t
sure she believed in, a past that had been shared from one generation to the
next. Or was there more? Was there a story her grandmother never managed to
share?
What
would she find at Loch Leven Castle? The clues had to be there. But the boy
said it was mostly ruins, crumbled walls and tumbled stones, except for the
tower. Queen Mary’s tower. What could she possibly unearth to collaborate
Gran’s story? And she only had two weeks to do it. She couldn’t afford more
time away from work. Even though it was a poorly paid entry level job, she
didn’t want to risk losing it.
A
glow emanated from the ring on her outstretched hand. She felt a warmth spread
up her arms. The wind picked up, violently tossing her hair in every direction,
swishing her coat ends like laundry hanging loosely on a clothesline. She faced
into the wind, allowing its vicious impact to draw her forward. She took a
step, then another, until she felt the cold wet of the lapping waves of the
loch splash over her feet. The water was cold; it jolted her back to reality.
What was she doing walking into the loch? What was the strong pulse pulling her
forward? She allowed her eyes to glance out across the loch, now almost
obliterated by the darkened storm that raged all around her.
“Miss.”
She heard a voice from behind her as the power continued to drag her into the loch.
“Miss!”
A hand gripped her arm, yanking her back toward the dry shore. “Miss!” The
hands tightened their hold as she tried to pull away, tried to return to the
loch. A scream pierced the air. She didn’t know where the scream originated. It
sounded like it came from across the water.
It
also sounded like it came from deep within herself.
Another
scream and everything went black.
Interview with Emily-Jane Hills Orford
Can you tell us a little bit
about the characters in “Queen Mary’s Daughter”?
Mary Elizabeth (main character) is sweet,
well educated in the future, grows up totally unaware of her importance in the
past
Marie de Guise – Mary Elizabeth’s
grandmother, very much like my grandmother
Jamie Stuart – a distant cousin in both the
present and the past, a mystery man with a purpose, a real knight in shining
armor
James VI of Scotland – a bit of a wimp (not
because of his sexual preferences, just because he was, probably due to his
unsettled childhood), only interested in power, power and more power
Elizabeth I – vicious, domineering, angry,
loves her power and knows how to use it to her advantage
Mary Queen of Scots – the ill-fated queen,
devoted, religious. She could have been a great queen had she not trusted the
wrong people (mostly men)
Can you tell us a little bit
about your next books or what you have planned for the future?
Several books and stories are in
the works. I also just released a Middle Grade fantasy novel, “Mrs. Murray’s
Ghost” (TellTale Publishing), which is part of a series. It’s based on my
childhood memories, dreams and fantasies growing up in a haunted house. As I
mentioned earlier, “King Henry’s Choice”, the sequel to “Queen Mary’s Daughter”
is also in the works. I like to have several projects on the go so I don’t tire
and grow stale writing about one topic, one plot, one set of characters. I like
to think this process enriches my writing.
I’m always working on something, new and
old. Check out my website for updates: http://emilyjanebooks.ca
How long would you say it takes you to write
a book?
Depends on the book. My first book took me
10 years to write. Now I usually write a book (first draft) in 6-12 months.
Then comes all the editing and re-writes.
What is your favorite childhood book?
Black Beauty
If you could spend the day with one of the characters from “Queen Mary’s Daughter” who would it be? Please tell us why you chose this particular character, where you would go and what you would do.
Marie de Guise, the mother of Mary Queen of Scots, grandmother of the main character, Mary Elizabeth. I fashioned this grandmotherly figure after my grandmother (Gran): smart, bright, full of life and full of stories. It’s been over twenty years since Gran passed away, but not a day goes by when I don’t think of her and find a way to place her in one of my stories. She always said we’d soon forget her once she passed away. I’ve proven her wrong. But that was the only thing she was wrong about (to my knowledge, anyway). What would we do? If we can’t visit Scotland together, then I’d make a grand Scottish meal: Scotch meat pie, Scotch eggs, and the age-old family recipe for pure Scottish shortbread. Oh yes! And we’d have to have some scones as well, perhaps potato scones. With tea. And we’d chat. Share stories and let our imaginations run wild. I would tell Gran about my novel, “Queen Mary’s Daughter”, and she would probably ask me to read to her.
What was the hardest scene from “Queen Mary’s Daughter” to write?
The death of Marie de Guise, Mary Elizabeth’s grandmother. I don’t like killing people, even if they’re people I don’t like. But Marie de Guise’s death struck a personal note with me, as I had fashioned this character after my own grandmother, creating the same grandmother – granddaughter bond that I was lucky to share with Gran. So, having Mary’s Elizabeth’s grandmother die was like having my own grandmother die all over again. Very hard.
What made you want to become a writer?
A vivid imagination (as my grandmother called it) and the gift of the gab (also my grandmother’s words). My family was full of storytellers. Gran especially. I wanted to carry on that tradition, only I wanted my stories to be written down as well as shared.
Just for fun
(a Favorite song: “The Hills are alive with the Sound of Music” – And to put that into perspective, I grew up in a very musical family. When the local newspaper, The London Free Press, did a full-page story on my family, the journalist titled it “The Hills are alive with the Sound of Music”. My maiden name (and middle name now) is Hills.
(b Favorite book: Black Beauty
(c Favorite movie: Black Beauty
(d Favorite tv show: Numb3rs
(e Favorite Food: chocolate
(f Favorite drink: apple cider
(g Favorite website: http://emilyjanebooks.ca (yes, I have to say that I like my website the best and why not?”
Thanks so much for visiting with us today!
If you could spend the day with one of the characters from “Queen Mary’s Daughter” who would it be? Please tell us why you chose this particular character, where you would go and what you would do.
Marie de Guise, the mother of Mary Queen of Scots, grandmother of the main character, Mary Elizabeth. I fashioned this grandmotherly figure after my grandmother (Gran): smart, bright, full of life and full of stories. It’s been over twenty years since Gran passed away, but not a day goes by when I don’t think of her and find a way to place her in one of my stories. She always said we’d soon forget her once she passed away. I’ve proven her wrong. But that was the only thing she was wrong about (to my knowledge, anyway). What would we do? If we can’t visit Scotland together, then I’d make a grand Scottish meal: Scotch meat pie, Scotch eggs, and the age-old family recipe for pure Scottish shortbread. Oh yes! And we’d have to have some scones as well, perhaps potato scones. With tea. And we’d chat. Share stories and let our imaginations run wild. I would tell Gran about my novel, “Queen Mary’s Daughter”, and she would probably ask me to read to her.
What was the hardest scene from “Queen Mary’s Daughter” to write?
The death of Marie de Guise, Mary Elizabeth’s grandmother. I don’t like killing people, even if they’re people I don’t like. But Marie de Guise’s death struck a personal note with me, as I had fashioned this character after my own grandmother, creating the same grandmother – granddaughter bond that I was lucky to share with Gran. So, having Mary’s Elizabeth’s grandmother die was like having my own grandmother die all over again. Very hard.
What made you want to become a writer?
A vivid imagination (as my grandmother called it) and the gift of the gab (also my grandmother’s words). My family was full of storytellers. Gran especially. I wanted to carry on that tradition, only I wanted my stories to be written down as well as shared.
Just for fun
(a Favorite song: “The Hills are alive with the Sound of Music” – And to put that into perspective, I grew up in a very musical family. When the local newspaper, The London Free Press, did a full-page story on my family, the journalist titled it “The Hills are alive with the Sound of Music”. My maiden name (and middle name now) is Hills.
(b Favorite book: Black Beauty
(c Favorite movie: Black Beauty
(d Favorite tv show: Numb3rs
(e Favorite Food: chocolate
(f Favorite drink: apple cider
(g Favorite website: http://emilyjanebooks.ca (yes, I have to say that I like my website the best and why not?”
Thanks so much for visiting with us today!
AUTHOR
Bio and Links:
Emily-Jane
Hills Orford is an award-winning author of several books, including Gerlinda
(CFA 2016) which received an Honorable Mention in the 2016 Readers’
Favorite Book Awards, To Be a Duke (CFA 2014) which was named Finalist
and Silver Medalist in the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and received
an Honorable Mention in the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards. She writes
about the extra-ordinary in life and her books, short stories, and articles are
receiving considerable attention. For more information on the author, check out
her website at: http://emilyjanebooks.ca
Purchase Link:
Giveaway:
$10 Amazon/BN GC
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2 comments:
Thanks for hosting!
Thanks for hosting me and my book, "Queen Mary's Daughter".
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