HOUSE OF RUIN
by Miriam
Newman
GENRE: SciFi
Romance
BLURB:
When the beleaguered citizens of the capitol city of Thelona are
swept by plague in the absence of their ruling class, which has fled it en
masse, desperation finally pushes them to take to the streets. With their city
burning, the Lords of Thelona have no choice but to shoulder the burden of
responsibility. In the absence of their Highest, they turn to Caius, Scion of
the House of Bardin. He has unwittingly placed himself in the path of his
ruler’s ambitions and also endangered his human slave, Lela.
Excerpt:
Lela hoped for a peaceful day next
day, since many of their guests had departed, but at mid-morning she heard Gracchu’s
mutter from the front doorway. “Well,
here comes trouble.”
The women were once more scrubbing
down the sooty entryway that seemed like it would never be clean. One by one, though, they stood to crane their
necks and peer out the door. It was so unusual
for Gracchu to comment upon any visitor that she and the others feared some
catastrophe, but the tears Lela felt start in her eyes were those of mirth and
she looked at Dinitra helplessly. The dignified housekeeper was red in the face
and took a moment to collect herself.
“Oh, go on then,” Dinitra said,
giving their mountainous house guard an ineffectual shove. “Go help her!”
Shooting her an evil look, Gracchu
stomped ungraciously down the circular drive and through Caius’s iron gate
towards which an apparition struggled
Vena had not lost a single pound
since Lela had seen her before Solstice.
If anything, the dressmaker had increased in girth, and the sight of her
unequal battle with gravity as she hauled herself up Camini Hill threw the
watching women into gales of laughter.
If they had not known her vanity, they would have had more sympathy.
But Vena, who had just survived
conflagration, was gowned in a vast expanse of priceless silver brocade. The jewels encasing rolls of fat at her neck
should have guaranteed her death; how she had made it through the citizenry
alive was a question no one would ever be able to answer. Her towering mountain of jet-dyed hair was
seriously askew, but it too was threaded with real silver. Teetering on heeled footwear, she could not
have outrun anyone. Lela suspected sheer
bravado and the stunned disbelief of onlookers had preserved her dressmaker’s
life. Probably by the time footpads had
stopped speculating on whether her jewels could possibly be real Vena had
tottered past them and down some bolt hole known only to her.
“Bring wine,” Dinitra instructed one
of the young slave girls. “Plenty.”
Interview with Miriam Newman
What
was the hardest scene from your book to write?
I think, for me, the hardest scene for me
to write was the one where Lela, Caius’s human slave, meets his mother. This woman holds the power of life and death
over her and Lela has heard terrible things about her. According to all reports from the other
slaves, the Lady was a negligent mother who gave birth to Caius only under
duress and cared nothing for him afterwards.
Lela discovers to her consternation that this patrician lady she hated
on sight actually loves her son and is risking a great deal, possibly her own
life, to save his. And that was not an
easy thing to convey while still maintaining the mother’s noble arrogance.
Why
did you choose to write in your particular field or genre?
I have chosen to write romance because of
its ability to reach across subjects and link them with the common theme of
love underlying every other sub-genre.
If
you write in more than one genre, how do you balance them?
This speaks direction to question 2. I don’t limit myself, because whether I am
writing history, fantasy or science fiction the thread that ties them together
is love and commitment. I balance that
strictly as the Muse moves me. I am not
consulted.
What
did you enjoy most about writing this book?
Oh, gosh, I love Caius. I love all my heroes—that is what makes
writing them fun. He is so conflicted
between arrogant nobility and basic decency, and he’s a hunk.
What
book that you have read has most influenced your life?
The book I can most remember actually is
fantasy—The Once and Future King by T. H. White. I was very young when I first read it, and I
have re-read it many times, always finding something new. But the sheer power of imagination in that
book is timeless. It taught me to dream.
Tell
us a little about yourself? Perhaps something not many people know?
Well, I’ve had a checkered career,
professionally speaking. Starting out as
a secretary, I attended two different colleges all the way through my 40s,
working in various areas of social service as I went. I have always been attracted to service
careers for an income, and to writing as my avocation. Following my husband’s death, the writing
demon was finally loosed while I worked part-time in anything that would
support it--health care, a dairy brokerage and I even ran a house cleaning
service. Now I work part-time in
municipal government, writing mostly at night and on weekends.
Can
you tell us something about your book that is not in the summary?
What underlies the book is my never-ending
quest to educate people while entertaining them. People may see a reflection of our own world
history in this series. It is not an
accident. Book I: House of Bardin is still available. Book III:
House of the 12th Planet, should be out within the month.
AUTHOR Bio
and Links:
Fantasy poetry driven by myths
and legends has been my passion for as long as I can remember. I was published
in poetry before catching the romance writing bug. I bring that background to
my writing along with a lifelong addiction to horses, an 18-year career in
various areas of psychiatric social services and many trips to Ireland, where I
nurture my muse. My published works range from contemporary fantasy romance to
fantasy historical, futuristic, science fiction and historical romance.
Currently I live in rural Pennsylvania with a “motley crew” of rescue animals.
You can see my books at www.miriamnewman.com.
Available now in print and ebook:
Giveaway:
$20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC
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5 comments:
Hello, Avid Reader, and thank you for hosting~
Sounds like a book I'll enjoy reading!
Thank you for hosting such an amazing DCL author like Lady Miriam Newman!
Thanks, Victoria. I hope so, too, and the sequel will be out in March.
I hope your book is a success. It sounds interesting.
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