Aloha to Nancy Lee Badger and MY HUNTED HIGHLANDER - Guest post

 

Warriors, Weapons, and Pirates. Oh my!

My Hunted Highlander, released June 16th, is the third and final book in the Kilted Athletes Through Time series. This book has taken a twist to include pirates of the North Sea. Before I had written the first line, I had already decided to have my hero, Niall Sinclair, use a longbow when he traveled forward in time. He also proves adept at the sheaf toss, and in wooing a special woman…the captain of The Black Thistle. The book blurb sets the tone:

Plucked naked from the North Sea, bruised and nearly drowned, Niall Sinclair wakes bound to the mast of the pirate ship, The Black Thistle. Hiding his identity, and brutalized by the first mate and other seamen, their captain comes to his aid. Her identity, and gender, are a surprise, and his physical reaction to her makes him nearly forget his need to escape, and return to his clan. When kidnapped from her shipbuilding business in modern day Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the last place Blair MacIan figured to end up, was at the helm of a pirate ship in 1603 Scotland. With her abusive husband dead, and the ship, the crew, and their people under her care, the last thing she needed was to fish a naked man from the sea. His ravaged face and ragged sandy hair could not detract from his magnificence, and she sensed in him, a means for her own escape. 

I dug out my husband’s ancient longbow to use for inspiration and to place prominently on my book cover. Creating book covers is an art, and I was able to find a hunk in a kilt, a rocky shore, and a tall ship to bring my story to light. In Scotland of old, the longbow was used primarily for hunting, but it proved a fearless weapon on the battlefield. In this excerpt, the power behind the longbow is evident:

“Blair!” She didn’t answer. Concerned for her safety, Niall raced toward Wynda’s cart. Shouts from the other archery competitors made him wonder if his last shot had won the match. Once he captured his sire, he would have no need for coin. Unfortunately, if Blair truly meant to stay in this world, she might have use for it, but he saw no reason for her to remain. Could he persuade her to return to Scotland with him? If she did, what could he offer her?

If he managed to capture his sire, and their surviving clan members deemed Angus Sinclair unfit to rule, could Niall accept his place as clan chieftain? Would his brother, Gavin, relinquish his current position as laird? In the Scottish Highlands, rules were not hewn in stone. The best man to rule, would rule.

When they had traveled forward in time, winter was nearly upon them. Heavy snows were not far behind. Many would starve, if Gavin had not had the forethought to prepare their people.

Battle-weary, Niall notched an arrow as he searched for his sire, aware that the older man was similarly armed.

The whisper of an approaching arrow made him duck behind the corner of a small out-building. “Too close.”

He moved stealthily around the opposite side of the building, ducking behind a small pen holding several sheep. They bleated softly, and moved to the opposite side of the small enclosure. In the next corral, a pair of Highland cows were more curious, than fearful.

As Niall crouched, crawling along the fencing, the smaller cow headed in his direction. When it settled its chin on the top rail of the odd fence, Niall glanced up at its great span of horns. He slowly stood, and patted the tuft of shaggy red hair on its forehead, until the bull approached. As the beast swung its horns toward him, Niall fell to his knees. At the same moment, another arrow flew past his head, and imbedded in a tree that provided shade to the penned animals. Upper branches trembled at the contact, and showered him and the beasties with dead leaves.

“Bloody Hell!”

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Award-winning author, Nancy Lee Badger, loves chocolate-chip shortbread, wool plaids wrapped around the trim waist of a Scottish Highlander, the clang of broadswords, and the sound of bagpipes in the air. After growing up in Huntington, New York, and raising two handsome sons in New Hampshire, she moved to North Carolina where she writes full-time. A former EMT, volunteer firefighter, and 911 Dispatcher, Nancy writes about kilted Highlanders, heart-broken dragons, and romantic thrillers and is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, Triangle Area Freelancers, and the Celtic Heart Romance Writers.

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