Month: July 2014

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Minstrel’s Serenade by Aubrie Dionne

 

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He’s sworn to protect her, but can he save her from himself?

Danika Rubystone has hated the minstrels ever since her mother ran away with one. As Princess, she’s duty bound to marry Valorian, a minstrel from the House of Song. But problems in the kingdom are mounting. With her father dead she’s the sole heir to an imperiled throne, and wyverns attack Ebonvale’s southern shores. But after Danika finds a lone survivor of a wyvern’s attack who holds the key to protecting the kingdom and she finally meets the enchantingly sly Valorian, everything changes.

As Ebonvale’s Royal Guard sails with the minstrels to smite the uprising of wyverns, Danika dances a line between sticking by duty like her father, or following her wild heart like her mother.

Buy Links:

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Minstrels-Serenade-Aubrie-Dionne-ebook/dp/B00KH7ZK56/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404313893&sr=1-1&keywords=minstrel%27s+serenade

Barnes and Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/minstrels-serenade-aubrie-dionne/1119584969?ean=9781616505509&itm=1&usri=9781616505509

 

Aubrie Dionne

Aubrie Dionne is an author and flutist in New England. Her books have received the highest ratings from Romance Times Magazine and BTS Magazine, as well as Night Owl Reviews and Two Lips Reviews. She has guest blogged on the USA Today Happy Ever After Blog and the Dear Teen Me blog and signed books at the Boston Book Festival, Barnes and Noble, and the Romance Writers of America conference. Her books are published by HarperImpulse, Entangled Publishing, Astraea Press, Spencer Hill Press, Inkspell Publishing, and Lyrical Press. When she’s not writing, Aubrie teaches flute and plays in orchestras.

 

Author Links:

Website:  www.authoraubrie.net

Blog:   http//:authoraubrie.blogspot.com

Twitter:  @authoraubrie

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A Summer Night and Shakespeare

Can one desire too much of a good thing?  ~As You Like It, Shakespeare

Shakespeare.  Just the name conjures memories of wading through at least one play in high school for most of us.  Depending on the teacher it could be a wince producing experience or the start of a lifelong love affair with his work.  I fall somewhere in the middle.  In high school reading Romeo and Juliet out loud was torturous, but seeing the movie directed by Franco Zeffirelli was magical and suddenly the words made sense.  Besides, all the eye candy on screen didn’t hurt either 🙂

I’ve had opportunities to see other plays over the years and most recently I saw Richard III at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.  The venue was wonderful and the play…well, Shakespeare – what more needs to be said.  It was fun laughing at the sly humor throughout  and to hear the clashing of swords in the final battle.  The Bard certainly had a way with the written word that resonates even today.  It is amazing how many lines from his plays are used in everyday conversation!

Truthfully, I know just enough about Richard III to speculate about the figure Shakespeare depicted, but not enough to argue its accuracy.  I do know Richard III was a warrior, commanding armies while still very young.  To me that means he had to have been physically able and strong bodied, not the limping, twisted wreck of a man Shakespeare led us to believe he was.  Although the recent discovery of his remains verifies his spine was twisted, I don’t think it was enough to give him the deformities represented on stage.  As for the evil deeds attributed to him, I haven’t a clue whether they are factual or exaggerated.  What I can tell you is I was absorbed from the opening line.

I understand people from all over the world travel to Ashland, Oregon each year to attend the summer long festival and catch as many plays as they can pack in during their visit.  I don’t blame them.  It was quite an experience.

 

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Star Light, Star Bright

For my part I know nothing with any certainty but the sight of the stars makes me dream.      ~ Vincent Van Gogh

What do you see when  you look up at the night sky?

It’s no secret I write about characters that inhabit a universe where space travel is commonplace.  Visiting strange worlds and looking up to see stars twinkling in a unfamiliar night sky is nothing out of the ordinary for them. But,  it wasn’t until I was mulling over a scene for my newest book that I realized I was missing an opportunity with my main character.  What did he feel as he stood beneath that glorious canopy on a world not his own.  Did he long for his home world and the familiarity of stars he would never see again? Find a measure of comfort that the stars remained when all else was gone? Or was he exhilarated by the vast mystery, ready to leap into the void and escape the past?

It was a bit of a jolt when I realized I couldn’t recall the last time I actually stepped outdoors and looked up.  How could I possibly tap into Wulf’s feelings if I couldn’t remember how I felt as a stargazer?  I’ve lived in many places over the course of my life, some where the stars are narrow strips between buildings and in others where the sky is so big I can almost see the curve of the world.  I’ve felt lost in the vastness, small and insignificant, but I have always yearned to explore.  Who knew what adventures were waiting for me.

As I stood outside I was struck anew by the beauty of the night. I took a deep breath of the cool night air and let the worries of the day drift away. I could almost imagine Wulf standing beside me whispering in my ear and I began to understand what he saw and what he was feeling.  I will never stand on a strange planet and look at its night sky, but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand what it means to be in a strange place and yearn for what was lost.  Can I capture that part of him in words?  I hope so.

When you get a chance take a moment and step outside.  Look up at the night sky and dare to reach beyond yourself into that velvet darkness.  You might be surprised what you discover.