Monday, August 8, 2016

Men in Kilts Guest Blog with Nancy Lee Badger



MEN IN KILTS

Ideas about kilted warriors came to me in several ways, and the easiest was because of the man in my bed. My husband is a giant of a man with Nordic coloring and an ancestry reaching back to the Scottish Highlands. I fell in love with a six-foot four, blond-headed, blue-eyed God while in college in Plymouth, New Hampshire. I enjoyed watching him play lacrosse and he enjoyed driving me around in his ’65 Mustang. The rest is history.

Before we had our two sons, hubby had a wool kilt made-to-order in St. Ann’s, Nova Scotia, while we continued to learn more about the Scottish side of our family. When hubby’s kilt was 30 years old, the time had come to give it a little refurbishing. I like to be ‘green’ and there was no sense throwing out something so beautiful. At a Scottish festival, we met a woman who lovingly restored kilts (all those pleats!). She carefully washed the wool, replaced the satin lining and the leather buckles, and re-stitched the pleats. Better than new!

We are long-time volunteers with the annual New Hampshire Highland Games, and we always want to look well-dressed. He started volunteering back in the 1980’s and, once our boys got older, we all joined in the fun. Time spent at the games—along with people I have met, research books and maps I purchased, photos I snapped, and notes I jotted—morphed into several story lines. While at home, I used YouTube videos to get a feel for the area of Skye where I set Spark, the first book in my Clan of Dragons series. My hubby looks great in his kilt. I call a kilt a plaide in my story, which comes from blanket or mantle, due to the time period.

My experiences, surrounding myself with kilted hunks, bagpipes, and marching bands each fall, has helped me fill my book with a happy ever after ending, and pages filled with spicy romance. Smoke, the second book, is available for pre-order.

Spark
Clan of Dragons
Book One
Nancy Lee Badger

Genre: Scottish Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Nancy Lee Badger

Date of Publication: August 4, 2016

ASIN: B01HV8Y5IG

Number of pages: 207
Word Count: 64,500

Cover Artist: Nancy Lee Badger

Book Description:

Nancy Lee Badger brings you another story filled with Scottish dragons and shape-shifters. Set on the Scottish Island of Skye, she again fills her paranormal fantasy with romance and danger, and with characters you will remember. Some will tug at your heart. Others will make you wish for their demise. SPARK is the first book in a brand new series, Clan of Dragons.

What can a young dragon do to prove to his older brothers that he is their clan’s best chance to save their species? In the Black Cuillin Hills, Evan heads to the village of Morhban to find a way to interact with humans. To learn their language and customs, and to get close enough to a red-haired beauty to mate with her, the brown-winged purple dragon shifts into a copper-colored horse. When his new hooves protect her from Lord Toal MacMorgan’s inappropriate demands with a well-placed kick, she thanks Evan by brushing his silky coat. Things are looking up.

When an unfamiliar horse kicks Toal into the creek, releasing Vika from his roaming hands, her appreciation turns to horror. A sputtering Toal demands that the animal die. Anger makes Vika agree to a wager. A three day hunt will determine the fate of the horse she names Spark. Failure will mean his death, and the loss of her freedom. Pirates, wolves, a wild boar, and a handsome stranger lead her on a wild ride. She discovers her heart is in as much danger as her life.

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PG excerpt from Spark, Clan of Dragons, Book #1

“Me brother Orin dealt with a wolf, today. Our horse, Spark, killed it by stomping on it.”

Evan grinned at Vika, and tightened the cloth around his waist. The air had grown chilly, and blew his hair across his face. Brushing it back, he watched her eyes widen.

“Your hair. ‘Tis the same shade as me horse.”

His laugh echoed through the trees, and he turned away in order to catch his breath.

“I know you!” Vika cried, “I recognize your back. You climbed our fence, several nights ago. Be you following me?”

How could he explain his motives? The truth might be an expedient way to explain his current actions. “Aye, ‘twas me. I was out for a walk. I love moonlight, and when I came to your farm, the fenced paddock was in the way.”

“You did not think to go around it?”

He chuckled, as he thought up a better lie. “I thought I spied an owl, and followed it from fence post to fence post. I thought to capture it, but it eluded me at every turn.”

“You hunted naked?”

“Me plaide slipped off in the dark. I beg your forgiveness for trespassing. I shall avoid your property from this day hence.”

“Not so fast. What be your name?” The wind was picking up, and she had to brush her long tail of hair back over her shoulder. As she waited for his answer, she wiped the dampness from her cheeks.

Her gaze wandered to the woods, probably searching for the horse.

“Your beastie be fine. I can hear him chomping grass just past those trees.” He pointed downstream, and hated to lie.

“I must be getting back to Orin. Your name?”

“I go by Evan.”

“What be your other name? I be Vika MacKinnon, and hail from the village of Morbhan.”

Two names? Must be a human tradition. The color of his wings came to mind. “Evan Brown, lass.”

“Good day to you.” She began to walk away, then turned back. “Would you like to share supper with us?”

He opened his mouth. Aye was on the tip of his tongue, but he could not be Evan and Spark at the same time. “I thank you, but I have somewhere to be this night. Perhaps another time?”




About the 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, Nancy moved to North Carolina where she writes full-time.

Nancy is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, Triangle Association of Freelancers, and the Celtic Heart Romance Writers. Nancy and her family volunteer each fall at the New Hampshire Highland Games surrounded by…kilts!






Amazon Page  http://www.amazon.com/Nancy-Lee-Badger/e/B003UWZJME/


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6 comments:

Nancy Lee Badger said...

Thank you for hosting me!
Nancy Lee Badger

Anonymous said...

Beautiful excerpt. Just finished reading Spark. Never ceases to amaze me the way you develope and write about your characters and their lives. I need to get my preorder in for your next book in this series, Smoke.

Nancy Lee Badger said...

Thank you! Kind words. The second book will be released on October 7th. I hope my readers will enjoy SMOKE just as much!

Nancy Lee Badger said...

Thank you, again, for all the kind words, and congratulations to Renee G, the winner of my Scottish prize package!

Hassan Bhutta said...

Thanks again for your ideas i appreciate you for your this effort. I am also wear a my new kilts for men i buy this from kilt master i fell so good to wear it.

Scottish Kilt Shop said...

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