Indie Authors Appreciation Week on Facebook!

Happy Saturday to you!

I'm heavily involved for one HOUR later today at the Indie Authors Appreciation Week on Facebook. This event has been created by Carmilla Voiez and is super organised. My thanks to her for producing the event for so many authors, like me, who have joined.

I have a ONE HOUR slot between 1 and 2 pm (GMT) to promote me and my writing. Stop past and see what's going on here at FACEBOOK.

On this blog I've posted some other material for you to savour.

There's a Competition to win an ecopy of The Beltane Choice beginning at 1.10pm and finishing at 1.45pm (the slot is neat to run anything like this so I'm going to wing it and close during my slot) 

****Competition 1**** Closes at 1.45 pm

To #WIN an ecopy of The Beltane Choice pop over to my author Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nancy-Jardine-Author-of-Contemporary-and-Historical-Novels/333150470128618?ref=bookmarks

And like it. Make sure you add ‘Liked’ in the thread on the Indie Authors Appreciation Week Facebook event PAGE to be entered into the draw! Good luck! 

There's a short extract on Facebook from After Whorl: Bran Reborn but below here is a slightly longer version of it. Ineda has been taken as a slave by the tribune Gaius Livanus Valerius. For more than a month he has used her only as a house slave, however, things are about to change. Ineda is confused- why now?

“Ineda?”

            Ineda had been asleep for some time.

            Tribune Valerius had left her chamber earlier when called out by his secutore to sort out some incident and had not returned. She had waited for a while, and then had slipped into bed assuming he would not return. Still heavy with sleep she was startled to hear his voice whisper in her ear, his heavy body pinning her down as he climbed onto the narrow cot. The touch of his hands caressing her face was confusing; gentle and feather-light. His lips feathered at her ears as she came to full awareness.

            “I will not hurt you, Ineda, unless you fight me.”

            “What are you doing?”

            Struggling under him, when she realised what was happening, made no difference, he was too strong for her to fight him off. He grasped her hands and pinned them above her head with his forearms, his full weight on top of her. Yelling would do no good, for the only one likely to hear would be the tironis outside her door on overnight guard and he would not dare to intervene. Instead she spat at his face.

            “Let me…go!”

            Subsequent breathy pleas whiffed against his cheek as she continued to squirm away from him.

            “Leave me be. I do not ask for this.”

            His low laugh rumbled at her neck, his lips and teeth nibbling the tender flesh below her chin.

            “I am no Celt to be encouraged or denied, Ineda. The choice is not yours to make.”

            Freeing one hand from his tight grasp she pulled at his hair and scratched any part of him that she could reach but that protest lasted only moments. Her fingers were easily recaptured and her whole arm was tucked under her body, trapping it securely under their combined weight.

            “Do not fight, Ineda. I will not beat you…but I will have you.”

            “Leave me be!”

            Tears leaked and wet both of their faces as he kissed her lips. Just once. When he gained no response he cradled her head in a loose grasp with his free hand, his lips soft at her neck and chest. Though she continued to squirm he pinned her down and continued his soft kisses, his aroused body feeling even heavier than before.

            “There is no need to worry. I will not hurt you.”

            In between unremitting gentle pecks he repeated, “Let me love you, Ineda.”

            Love her?

            The very suggestion was horrible! He was Roman. Her enemy. Those things were dreadful, but most of all he was not her choice. He never would be her choice of lover. Wriggling her face away from him, her thoughts whirled.

            She had not the strength to keep fighting and would never free herself from him. If she did not submit would he kill her? It was a distinct possibility, and no one would dare to stop him. Yet hating what he was doing was not enough for her to want death to visit her. She could not summon the will to do other than lie limp below him.     The man used her body as silently as she silently cursed him.

            And she let him.

Look out on the Facebook event pagfe for more lovely posters that I've prepared, music and other stuff!

Till updates after 2pm GMT...

Slainthe!  

*****Update*****  at 3.30pm . Due to very slow internet connections the above excerpt didn't feature at all on the Fb event. My thanks to loads of people who did the liking and commenting- much appreciated. My WINNER for the ecopy of The Beltane Choice is 'Author Ingrid Hall'. Congratulations and thanks for becoming a new friend on my Facebook Author page.

Slainthe!