Video review of THE LIBERTINE from Australia

This is a totally new experience for me, I've had a book promo by video, amazing! Great fun and a great intro to the book for readers.Big thanks go to Harlequin Australia for this!

Witches on Wednesdays - Law and Order in Lowlands Scotland

So what would happen if a person was accused of witchcraft in Lowlands Scotland, under the law of King James IV/I?

First, the local Bailiff (justice keeper/sheriff/magistrate) would be called. The accused individual would be incarcerated in the Tolbooth (ie in a jail cell) until trial. The term Tolbooth describes a town hall or guild hall where tolls would be paid and where a cell/s would house criminals. Witch Hunters (ie specialist magistrates) were called in to examine the accused for signs of the devil – marks or blemishes that indicated they were in league with devil. Often that was enough evidence, without a trial. Bad news if you had a birthmark, ay! The punishment under the law of King James was death, first by hanging and then the body was burned – just to be sure.

This is the Edinburgh Tollbooth on Cannongate. It was built in the late 1500's and the building now houses the People's Story Museum. This collection focuses on the everyday folk of Edinburgh over the centuries. Whilst small in comparison to the main museums in Edinburgh, it's a terrific collection and gives a real sense of life over the centuries. It also houses some items that were used to maintain law and order and an original cell to give visitors an idea what it was like in past times. 


One of the first things you see on entering the museum is this official notice enforcing the law against throwing stones at the executioner and prisoners during an execution. Were the stone throwers in favour of the criminal, or aiding the deliverance of justice by showing their anger at the wrongdoer, or did they enjoy it as a show? A mixture, I suspect. It gives a sense of what the scene might have been like...

In my reading on the Scottish witch trials I learned that in one instance the villagers stoned an accused woman then trampled her body to death beneath a wooden door, such was the fear and persecution surrounding "evil" witchcraft.These factual stories influenced the way I described the death of the Taskill's mother, which was also the moment when the three young siblings (Jessie, Lennox, and Maisie,) were torn apart. The scenes haunt all three of the Taskill Witches, inevitably, and it is Lennox above all who wants justice and battles injustice wherever he sees it--and he often gets a mite hoteheaded when he does.

From THE LIBERTINE:

Lennox swallowed down the shock he felt. She'd hidden herself very cleverly all through their time together. He realized that now. Hiding her shame, keeping the secret. Tracing the scars with his fingers he attempted to hold back the anger he felt when he felt pain there. It was as if he'd been thrashed, not her. It pumped into his fingertips, and it was not just this beating, but more. The anger he felt in response to the images that flared in his mind would not be kept in check—images of Chloris, and images from his childhood, pictures of his mother being stoned.

Chloris flinched at his touch on the raised skin.

That made his anger worsen. Forcing back the images of his own mother, lying on the ground stoned and bloody, frustration bit into him, his ire rising all the while. He voiced his opinion. "You wish to fall pregnant to a man who does that you?"

Her head lifted and she stared over her shoulder at him, dismayed.

"Answer me!" His indignation was making him unreasonable. He could see that fact reflected in her eyes, but he couldn't help being angry.

"It will not happen again," she snapped, "if I fall pregnant."

Lennox cursed aloud. "If you believe that then you are a fool."

Chloris jerked back in astonishment. It was she who looked angry now, the shame that had marked her expression quickly changing as she pulled her clothing into place, covering the scars she had so cleverly concealed during their relationship. "What do you know of me and my situation?"

Lennox felt that old anger and frustration, that which was borne of powerlessness, the mood that turned into white heat in his veins. He saw the men who stoned his mother almost to her last breath, then hauled her bloodied body upright so that she could take the final steps to the gallows where she would be hanged and burned. He'd cursed them all, until they bound and gagged him, but he had never forgotten the looks on their faces. Their fear twisted into glee, that ugly thing that turned them to animals. It disgusted him. "A man who does that to a woman will never change. There will be another cause for him to beat you, another day."

Below are some of the tools of the trade from the 1700s, including shackles and a neck brace. I was particularly freaked out by the pitch fork looking item on the left, which clicks around the neck of a criminal on the run. Yikes!

Part of an old cell in the People's Story Museum is maintained just as it was in the 1770s. The first time I saw this, it inspired me to include a cell scene in one my Taskill witch stories. That became chapter two of THE HARLOT, which is set in Dundee Tolbooth earlier in the 1700s. In the scene Jessie has been incarcerated on a charge of witchcraft, and awaits the arrival of the witch hunter who will examine her for the marks of the devil. She fears she will end her life as her mother did, but a rescuer is nearby... 

Now, whilst the cell inspired the scene, I did take some liberties with my version, and I'm woman/author enough to admit it. ;o) In actuality these cells would have been tiny and airless, with multiple occupants, strong wooden doors and little if any light source. For the purposes of the novel, I described the cell as having iron bars, in order that Jessie Taskill could see her rescuer, Gregor Ramsay, by the candlelight that falls form a sconce in the corridor outside. 

Here's a snippet from the scene in THE HARLOT:

Rising to her feet, Jessie stalked into one corner where she stood with her arms folded across her chest. When the guard rattled his key and shoved it into the lock, she looked at it longingly. She could easily make it drop from his belt as he walked away, but she could not take the risk right at that moment, especially not with two of them watching her.

“Luck is on your side, Jessica Taskill,” the guard said. “The minister has risen from his bed to sit pray with you awhile.” 

Jessie pressed her lips together while she battled the urge to tell them her beliefs did not match theirs. She managed to resist sparring out of bad humor, because she knew that if she kept quiet and acted penitent, he would be gone all the sooner.

The minister stepped into the cell and the guard locked the door behind him. The guard gestured with the candle he held aloft in his hand. “If she gives you any trouble you be sure to call out, Minister. I will hear you.” 

Jessie looked at the Minister for the first time. He wore a wide brimmed hat and his head was lowered, which made it difficult to see him. Squinting in the gloom, she ducked her head a little, trying to catch sight of his face.

Then the guard set his candle in a sconce outside the cell. The light filtered in and she was able to properly assess the build of her caller. He was a large man, tall and bulky around the shoulders, unlike any minister she had ever seen. He wore the long somber cassock of the church, true enough, and it was buttoned from collar to hem, but she spied a fine ring snaked around his little finger, and expensive leather boots on his feet—silver-buckled boots.

“Thank you,” the minister replied. “I will say a few prayers with the sorry lass, and I’ll call you when I am ready to leave.”The guard nodded and lumbered off.The other man kept his head lowered until the sound of the guard’s footsteps scuffing along the hallway faded. What little candlelight fell into the cell from the hallway beyond was not aiding Jessie’s quest to study his face, and she leaned closer, her curiosity lifting by the moment. His jaw was solid and when he turned his head to listen to the guard’s retreat, she saw his mouth. Wide and passionate it was, and scarred from one corner to his cheekbone.

Recognition flared in her. “That guard is a fool,” she whispered. “No minister would wear fancy boots such as those.”

To close today's post I've included a snap of the museum's notes on the actual occupants represented here. So much inspiration in history! Next time I'll post about some of the factual stories around the witch trials in Scotland and England that inspired me.

Say hello to THE LIBERTINE! (Book giveaway)

THE LIBERTINE is in the house! Hurray! I've held my March 1st title in my hands, and it's gorgeous! :)

In fact this book's arrival gave me cause to pause and reflect. I've been working really hard these last few years, concentrating on novel-length and giving my work the best possible attention to justify the editors who loved my ideas and put their trust in me. I was inspired by wonderful characters who wanted me to tell their stories and my output over the last eighteen months exceeded anything I'd ever managed before. Meanwhile 2012 evolved into the biggest year for erotic romance ever. Exciting times!

For me 2012 was relatively quiet because I didn't have a new novel length publication to share with readers. I knew it was coming. I'd done the work and the titles were listed. I wrote through a tough year on the personal front, but I couldn't yet see the results out there when it was such a huge year for the genre. It's one of the oddities of being a writer -- waiting for publication day to roll around -- and it's one of many things that requires patience and tenacity in this business. Back-to-back titles is a terrific way to connect with readers, a wonderful opportunity, but it does mean a longer wait.

Anyway, I was a good girl (no really! ;) and I was as patient as I could be. Then today my author copies for THE LIBERTINE arrived from HQN Books, and..... I had a moment... :) I've had so many different author copies arrive recently that it finally hit me. This is all the work I've done, actualised in print. It was really emotional for me, bearing witness that way. For a lot of last year it seemed so far away. But now I have three titles out back-to-back over the next three months, with foreign editions listed for the UK, Australia and Sweden already, and another 2 book series in the pipeline.

And the books look amazing! The jpg didn't prepare me for the beautiful end product.

This one is due out March 1st. Who wants one now? :)
 

If you're a reviewer and you would like an ARC to review please get in touch with me via the email link in the right hand column. I'm also giving three copies away to readers who leave me a comment on this post. I'll keep the giveaway open until Monday morning 8 am GMT.

His powers could save her from ruin, or guide her swiftly to it..

Lennox Taskill is a dissolute rogue, a powerful witch who some say even trades his enchantments for profit when it pleases him. His only loyalty is to his coven, his disdain for humanity sealed by the searing memory of his mother burning at the stake. So when the wife of a wealthy landlord comes seeking his help, the beguiling Chloris Keavey unwittingly presents Lennox with his greatest opportunity for distraction...and retribution.

By failing to produce an heir, Chloris faces a terrible threat: being turned out by her heartless husband. Now, she vows to get with child, even if it means surrendering her body—and soul—to Lennox’s seductive magic. But with a witch hunt brewing, Lennox and Chloris are soon risking everything for their forbidden nights of ecstasy…and to protect the secret that could cost them their lives.

"Walker deftly spins a captivating tale that will have readers holding their collective breath until the last page is turned." Publishers Weekly review.

Here's the UK print version of THE HARLOT, due out in WHSmiths and supermarkets Feb 1st.

And here's the Australian version of THE HARLOT. In Australia all three Taskill books are coming out in print, bi-monthly, 1st Feb, 1st April and 1st June.

Leave me a comment for a chance to win a copy of THE LIBERTINE.
Have a great weekend!

Three month countdown to THE LIBERTINE! Good Reads giveaway

Here it is folks, part two of my Taskill Witches giveaway at Good Reads.  :)

 
 

    Goodreads Book Giveaway
 

   

       
   

   

     

          The Libertine
     

     

          by Saskia Walker
     

     

         
            Giveaway ends February 18, 2013.
         

         
            See the giveaway details
            at Goodreads.
         

     

   

   

      Enter to win

A taster from THE LIBERTINE...

I'm gradually crawling back to the real world, with the jet lag on the run. I've almost got the upper hand on the post-convention-lurgi too. The jet lag was particularly tenacious this time around. It took me all 6 days to pull myself anywhere near Central Standard Time in the US. Then I came home... It took over a week to reverse the process and make up for the entire missed night sleep on the return journey. What can I say, my body likes routine.

So I'm not coughing as much and I was finally able to work again today. I'm making slow progress, but it's great to be back working on THE JEZEBEL.

When I visited Good Reads I noticed that a few readers have already marked THE LIBERTINE to read and that made my day! That book is with my editor now, and I should have her feedback any day. Meanwhile I've put the (unedited) opening scene up on Good Reads to give a taster of what is to come from book two, Lennox Taskill's story.

If you'd like to take a look, go here!

Some photos from our most recent Edinburgh visit

Hey folks, we're back from a short research trip to Edinburgh. Here are a few photos, together with some notes about how the images tie in to my Taskill Witches books (the first is out now, and all three are coming in mass market paperback in 2013 on the HQN line.)

One of the main places I wanted to revisit was the Tollbooth on Cannongate. This is a jail that was built in the late 1500's and part of it now serves as a pub while the bulk of the building houses the People's Story Museum. This collection focuses on the everyday folk of Edinburgh over the centuries. Whilst small in comparison to the main museums in Edinburgh, it's a terrific collection and gives a real sense of life over the centuries.

Cannongate Tollbooth from the outside.

An inner spiral staircase. (Thankfully they have regular stairs and disabled access as well as the pretties. ;)

Part of an old cell is maintained just as it was in the 1770s. The first time I saw this, it inspired me to include a cell scene in one my Taskill witch stories. That became chapter two of THE HARLOT, which is set in Dundee Tollbooth earlier in the 1700s. Check these piccies out!

Objects from law and order in the 1700s are shown below, including shackles, a neck brace, and the rather disturbing thing that looks like a pitch fork with a closure was used to capture criminals on the run, presumably around the neck from behind. Eeek.

Here we have an official notice enforcing the law against throwing stones at the executioner and prisoners during an execution.

This raises all sorts of questions. Were the stone throwers in favour of the criminal, or aiding the deliverance of justice by showing their anger at the wrongdoer, or did they enjoy it as empowering entertainment? A mixture of all of the above, I suspect! In my reading on the Scottish witch trials I discovered that in one instance the villagers stoned an accused woman then trampled her body to death beneath a wooden door, such was the fear and persecution surrounding "evil" witchcraft. I used these images in part to describe the death of the Taskill's mother, which was also the moment when the three siblings (Jessie, Lennox, and Maisie,) were torn apart.

In the upper galleries at the People's Story there are many flags and banners that show how important the workmen's guilds were. In order to gain a voice and rights, different tradesman gathered together. Here is a flag from the brush makers of Edinburgh, for example. In THE LIBERTINE, one of the sub plots follows the hero, Lennox Taskill, trying to establish his men as the official cart and carriage makers of Saint Andrews. Many of the local townsmen are against his application because of the rumours that Lennox and his people practice witchcraft.

Here I am caught studying a display of a Cooper's workshop - coopers are the barrel makers. A very important part of Scotland's heritage, having barrels to put the whisky in. ;)

This whisky shop is opposite the tollbooth and the little black terrier stands up and greets anyone who looks in. So cute!

So much of Edinburgh's past is visible to the casual visitor, it's an incredible city. So many doorways caught my eye. This is the doorway of the Museum of Edinburgh, also on Cannongate. The museum is an old and authentic building, giving you a direct feeling of life in the 16th to 18th centuries, with lots of great stuff to see. Of particular interest was a display relating to fire in the city, and the incredible bustling population there. In the 1770's it was one of the most crowded cities in Europe, and the threat of fire was devastating. Given the witch burnings, it makes you think! I've got a scene involving fire and the fear it evoked in crowded Edinburgh streets towards the end of THE LIBERTINE.

Culture is everywhere in Edinburgh. This is the statue of poet, Robert Ferguson, and a photo of me hoping his talent will rub off if I walk in his footsteps. Well, you have to, don't you. :) Go here to read more about Ferguson.

This signpost is outside the Writer's Museum, a museum I hadn't visited before. It's an amazing manor house just off the Royal Mile and exhibits items from three Scottish writers, Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. The Stevenson collection was particularly extensive and fascinating. It was also lovely to see a lock of "Chloris's" white blonde hair in the Burns' collection. Chloris was the poetic name for Jean Lorimer, (she of the "lintwhite locks" in many of the songs he wrote) and it is the name I used for my heroine in THE LIBERTINE. It was a popular 18th century name and I fell in love with it so my gentle, blonde haired heroine had to be Chloris.

We also made time to taxi over to visit the National Portrait Museum, which houses another terrific collection. It's been extensively refurbished since my last visit and really is a masterpiece museum. I always find looking at costume and setting from art done during the period I'm writing about resonates with me much more than a written account of a historian.

Lots of good places to eat in the city, but I had to share this one which we visit every time we go. Pancho Villas serves gorgeous Mexican food. Here's the shared veggie starter and a main course of Albondigas en Chipotle (spiced meatball with mexican rice and salad) for me. Highly recommended!

This view of the rooftops going up the Royal Mile was snapped from our hotel base.

If you want to check out more of my research photos you can find them here on my Scotland gallery on my website. This latest batch will be added there soon.

Sales news! Two new novels in the pipeline...

Okay, it's official now, & my agent has given me the go ahead to share my exciting news. I'm giddy! :)

I have a new two book deal with Harlequin, and I'll be writing the next two for the HQN line. This means that they will be available in mass market format. Wooohooo!!!

The books are linked to THE HARLOT (which is coming soon) & the titles are THE JEZEBEL, and THE LIBERTINE. More adventures, hot romance & forbidden magic in the time of the witch trials in Scotland. :)

Here's the official Publisher's Marketplace announcement:

Saskia Walker's THE LIBERTINE, and THE JEZEBEL, continuing her historical series about magical siblings during the time of the witch trials in Scotland, to Susan Swinwood at HQN, in a two-book deal, by Roberta Brown of the Brown Literary Agency.

Once I've pulled myself together and partied myself dizzy, I'll post about the new books and how they fit with THE HARLOT's story. Right now this has to be done...