Welcome to my home on the web. You may have noted the mountains in the banner are the misty Blue Ridge of North Carolina. Did you know time traveling Highlanders live there? Read about them in the Highland Gardens series. Curious about the big cat? Florida panther~from the Crimson Storm paranormal novel, Sea Panther.

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Excerpt Wednesday - Pesky Pixies - Just Within a Highland Mist by Dawn Marie Hamilton

 
 
A sneak peek into 'Just Within a Highland Mist', a novella, the next tale in the Highland Gardens series...
 
 


At the garden archway, Gregor slipped her hand into his and entered first to ensure naught was awry. He’d vowed to keep her safe.

“Oh, this is lovely,” Emily said as they traversed the path through the garden beds filled with vegetables and herbs to the rose garden, where he seated her on the turf bench, abloom with small, fragrant white flowers. The gentle scent was heady. As was her beauty.

“I owe you an apology,” she said.

He frowned. “Whatever for?”

“For not believing your story about the pixies.”

“I guess ’tis hard to believe in something you have never seen.”

“I saw one last night.”

Her admission made his brows rise. “You did?”

“Yeah. In my room, while I was bathing. Before you came. She wore a purple gown and had sheer lavender wings. Like that one there.” Emily pointed to a dragonfly-like creature perched on a shiny rose leaf.

He held out a hand and the ebony-haired pixie jounced onto his palm.

Tee teehee hee. Tee teehee hee. Tee teehee hee.

The wee creature’s voice tinkled like the sweetest chimes.

“Here is another!” Emily leapt to her feet and held out a hand. A blonde pixie with green wings landed on an outstretched finger. “This one has iridescent peridot wings.”

Gregor brought his hand closer to his face for a better look at the one he held.

Emily did the same with hers. “Hello,” she murmured.

Tee teehee hee. The pixies giggled again, before blowing dust into their faces. Then with more giggles, they flew away, high over the garden wall.

   
 



Coming April 27, 2017

 

 

 


Hope you enjoyed this wee sneak peek into 'Just Within a Highland Mist', a Highland Gardens Novella.

 
~Dawn Marie  

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Excerpt Wednesday - The Sword Fight - Just Once in a Verra Blue Moon by Dawn Marie Hamilton




This week's except is from the second novel in the Highland Gardens time travel series. Just Once in a Verra Blue Moon. Finn has a sword fight...
 
 

Alexander leapt from the stoop and swirled around into a fighting stance, his claymore extended, pointing toward Finn’s eyes. Their gazes locked. Held. Tension escalated.

Finn ran through his mind the hand and foot positions he’d practiced. Mastered. Move by move.

His right hand under the cross guard, his left just above the pommel, he stepped forward with his lead foot into the on-guard position, holding the cross guard at head level and the blade pointing diagonally upward. As they circled, he dropped the blade to a forward position to ward Alexander’s first cut with the flat of his blade. The impacting vibration sizzled over Finn’s bulging arm muscles, and he twisted his wrists to counterstrike.

The crowd surged as Finn and Alexander fought around small obstacles and avoided a loaded cart.

The dance flowed. Finn’s feet slid over the stone paving in patterned moves. He leapt, swinging his hips, giving power to each strike. The cling and clang of steel against steel reverberated in the small courtyard with chops and cuts and wards. Rolling from one blow to another, the zone possessed Finn, thrilled him, until his arms and legs grew weak.

Too late, he realized Alexander’s tactic. The man held back, pretending ineptitude, allowing Finn to tire, and then swooped in on the offensive. An excessively aggressive cut whistled along the edge of Finn’s sword. He lost his balance and stumbled.

The next cut came from the side. Finn rolled his hips back to avoid getting sliced across the belly. A near miss. He barely warded the next blow.

The crowd roared.

Finn would die. Damn. He hadn’t meant for things to end this way.

Alexander’s next chop arced from above. Finn bounded out of the way, laboring to breathe. The force of the downward momentum imbedded the blade into the wooden frame of a water trough. Alexander struggled to free the sword, his chest heaving, giving Finn time to gulp air, catch his breath.

A flash of light on metal distracted him and he reluctantly flicked his gaze away from his opponent, fearing someone else joined the fray. What the hell? Caitrina stood to the side, at the front of gaping warriors, holding Finn’s claymore, its embedded moonstone glowing. She grinned and tossed the sword.

The blade spiraled in slow motion, end over end, through the air.

He jerked his gaze back to Alexander. The man stared at the whirling sword with lust.

Finn read the man’s intent, dropped the borrowed sword he held and lunged for his claymore. Before either he or Alexander grabbed hold, a most beautiful blond woman appeared out of thin air and snatched the spinning sword out of their reach.

She glared at Caitrina. “The mortals must finish without magic.”

 
   
 


 

Just Once in a Verra Blue Moon

Amazon : Barnes&Noble : Apple

 

 



Hope you enjoyed this wee snippet from Just Once in a Verra Blue Moon, a Highland Gardens Novel.

 
~Dawn Marie

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Excerpt Wednesday - The Changelings - Just Wait For Me by Dawn Marie Hamilton




This week's except is from my most recent release, the fourth tale (third novel), from the Highland Gardens time travel series. Just Wait For Me. Available as an e-book and in print. Jillian meets the changelings of the wood...
 
 

 

Unnerved by the snap of a twig, Jillian spun around only to stop short and gawk. Four pairs of eyes stared at her from little faces resembling those she’d imagined within the tree. The boys, dressed in tatters, seemed to range in age from eight to twelve.
 
“What the…” she stammered. “Who are you?”
 
The pudgiest and perhaps oldest of the four, with deformed fingers on his right hand, stepped forward; the others huddled behind as if frightened. “We saw you appear from…naught. Be you one of the Sithichean?”
 
The strange little man had asked the same question. Crazy. There were no such beings as faeries.
 
“I’m Jillian O'Donnell. I’m lost.”
 
The child didn’t seem convinced. His bulbous nose scrunched up tight, lips pressed together, and grimaced. “But—”
 
“You dinnae answer his question! Be you one of the Sithichean?” A little girl Jillian hadn’t noticed—a fifth child, no more than six years old—poked a head from behind the others. “You dress funny. Like a lad.”
 
“I’m nothing more than a lost traveler.” Jillian smiled at the little one, trying to hide her shock, hoping not to spook the girl. “I’m dressed for warmth.”
 
The child made a distorted O-shape with a horribly deformed mouth then ducked out of sight. Jillian bit her lip as not to smile at the quick retreat.
 
“Who are you and your friends?” She directed the question to the pudgy fellow who seemed to be the leader of these poor misshapen children.
 
He just stared until he stumbled forward a step. He threw a glare over a shoulder at the other children, who took a tentative step back. “Stop poking me.”
 
The boy with an unusually long nose and wisp of blond hair dangling into rounded hazel eyes raised his chin and pointed at the pudgy lad. “We call him Blaney.”
 
“Yeah, and he’s Cam.” Blaney pointed toward a boy with scars across his forehead and different colored eyes—one bright blue, one dark brown—then to a lad with a head that seemed too large for his child-sized body. “And he’s Mack.” Blaney then nudged the boy who first introduced him. “This daft lad is Duff.”
 
“And what is your name?” Crouching to appear smaller, less threatening, Jillian addressed the little girl.
 
The child lowered her head and scraped a dirty, bare toe in the dirt, muttering into her chest. Though bold with her question before, she now acted shy.
 
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you. I’d like very much to know your name.”
 
A soft moss-green gaze peered at Jillian, melting her heart.
 
“We call her Keita because she is of the wood,” Blaney said.
 
“Keita is a very nice name.” Jillian smiled at the blonde-haired child.
 
The girl giggled and ducked behind one of the boys.
 
This is crazy. Jillian didn’t have time to waste with these ragamuffin children. But the little girl wearing rags on her feet instead of shoes on such a cold morning wrenched her heart. Still… No. She couldn’t get involved. She needed to get unlost, find Kyle, and convince him to forget the rest of the cycling trip and head home.
 
“Do you live nearby?” she asked.
 
The children looked at each other, but didn’t answer.
 
Okay. “Can you direct me to the nearest town?” Jillian posed the question to Blaney.
 
The boy seemed confused. A queasy feeling gnawed at her insides. Perhaps the little man told the truth. Was it possible there were no towns nearby? She hadn’t checked a map before embarking on this vacation. She’d left navigation for the trip up to her brother.
 
“We can take you to someone who can help,” Duff said.
 
“Who?”
 
“The Gray Women.”
 
The other three boys shook their heads vehemently in the negative. Jillian had the feeling meeting the Gray Women wasn’t a good idea.
 
Keita clapped hands in glee. “Aye, aye, let us go to the caves of the Gray Women.”

 
 

    
 
 
 

Just Wait For Me

Amazon : Barnes&Noble 

 

 



Hope you enjoyed this wee snippet from Just Wait For Me, a Highland Gardens Novel.

 
~Dawn Marie