The girl smiled, her kiss safe on its journey. It hovered 'round the Mamma's cheek, a coward kiss, fearful to brush the flesh. The Mamma swatted the air. The kiss sighed, falling lifeless on the ground. The girl wiped her eyes and took in a breath. "Mamma," she whispered, "when I kill the one with Nelson blood, you'll hold tight to all my kisses."
Nelson's Castle: A Bronte Fairy Tale
ISBN-13-978-0-9894711-0-7
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Set in 1877, on the western slopes of Mt. Etna in the medieval town of Bronte, Nelson's Castle: A Bronte Fairy Tale is the story of a Sicilian peasant girl with red hair and golden eyes who sees the world through the polarizing eyes of two women: her revenge-driven mother and her godmother, an herbalist and worm-charmer. To gain her mother's love, the girl sets off to Nelson's Castle to kill the son of the Duke of Bronte, the English ruler of the town. However, at the Castle, the vulnerability of the Duke's son, the jealousy of his cousin, the schemes of a disgraced surgeon and the sudden realization of her own magical powers are but a few of the obstacles she must overcome to accomplish her task.
The Chaucer Awards for Historical Fiction:
2014 Finalist
Shelf Unbound: Notable Indie Book of 2013
