Guest Author Mary A. Adair

Thanks to Peggy for hosting me on her remarkable blog. To show my appreciation to her readers, I’m giving away an e-book of PASSION’S VISION, book one in my Passion series, to one person who leaves a comment today.

The first book in the Passion Series, PASSION'S VISION was inspired by a real person. An ancestor of my husband lived in the mid 1700’s here in America. This man was an agent for the King of England; he was a physician, a spy, an animal skin trader, and the author of a book that became referred to as the first and best information on the American Indians.  The man is James Adair, and his book is HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS.

I was pleased to be able to track down a copy of this book. Difficult to read, I still loved every minute I spent with this man’s writing. Now there are more modern versions in which the old text has been rewritten in easy to understand form. One such version is by Kathryn E. Holland Braund, Auburn University. Delving into an important book written by an ancestor of my husband’s made my research even more fascinating.

Of course, I fictionalized the information I gleaned, but I am pleased to have had this tool as a basis. Adair’s book is somewhat controversial due to his religious and anthropological theories, but I avoided those. What I craved was daily life of the Cherokee plus the struggles and triumphs they shared.

The second book of the series, PASSION'S PRICE, takes place in England. In the second story, Golden Dawn Fitz-Gerald goes to England to save her childhood friend, Raven Cloud. Dawn is the daughter of James Fitz-Gerald and New Moon. In book one New Moon is a warrior in every since of the word. She raised her daughter to stand proud and strong and to honor her birthright as a Cherokee warrior. New Moon taught Golden Dawn to cherish and listen to the gift of vision she inherited from her mother.

Golden Dawn learned her lessons well. When she had a vision that her childhood friend, the man she knew was for her, was in mortal danger she knew what to do. She would go to England and save the man she loves. Dawn is a delightful mix of her mother and father as well as having a personality and temperament all her own. She will go to England, she will face down any obstacle and she will pay any price to save the man she loves. Dawn is not the typical English lady. In appearance she can easily pass as a member of society, but she causes quite a stir as a Cherokee warrior on a mission.

Currently, I’m writing the third book in the series, PASSION'S PROMISE. This is the story of Raven Cloud and Golden Dawn’s son, Johnny Cloud. Johnny returns to the land of his mother’s people in a time of great strife for the Cherokee. This is where he believes he belongs. He marries a beautiful Cherokee woman who is sweet and gentle yet possesses a strength that amazes him. He learns she is pregnant just when they were about to leave to visit his parents in England. She explains she cannot go but he must go without her.  She assures him she will be safe with her people but extracts from him a promise that he will love and protect his expected daughter as much as he would a son. He laughs and promises that he will cherish their child no matter the sex. He also promises to return to America as quickly as he can. He truly believes he will be back before the child is born. He is wrong. PASSION'S PROMISE is the story of a father who will do what he must to keep his child safe in a time of war and violence.

Here’s the blurb for the first in the series, PASSION’S VISION:

Passion's Vision takes place in the mid 1700's in the Carolina’s Cherokee villages. James Fitz-Gerald is an agent for the Court of King George II. James is on an undercover mission from the King when he arrives in the Cherokee village, Chota Town. He knows this mission will be his most difficult with the lives of both white families and Native Americans in the balance. With this responsibility weighing heavily on him, the furthest thought from his mind is a romantic entanglement. That is, until his life is saved by a proud and beautiful Cherokee woman.

New Moon, sister to Chief Dancing Cloud, is a warrior in her own right, but also one who sees visions. She hardly notices the white man whose life she saves in battle. But when James arrives in her village, she is reminded of the troubling visions sent to her by the Great Spirit. She determines within her heart, even after a vision from the Great Spirit telling her otherwise, she will never belong to a white man, and most assuredly not to this one her villagers call Red Panther.

PASSION’S VISION is the story of the love and respect that grows between an agent for the Court of King George II and a Cherokee Princess. Their lives are destined to be filled with adventure and triumph, sometimes with loss and pain, but always with passion.

Here’s an excerpt from PASSION’S VISION:

New Moon stood before the open doorway of her summer lodge and peered into the dark interior. Behind her she could hear the excitement of the village; it crawled over her skin like a thousand ants. She breathed deeply of the scent of wood smoke and roasting meat, but not even the comforting aromas that spoke of the safety of her home could quiet the uneasiness of her spirit.

His hair was the deep rich color of the great river’s clay. Every nerve, every sense, told her he was the one. She could feel him now, drawing closer.

As if in response to her thoughts, the village quieted. Even the dogs that had moments before been yelping suddenly stilled. She did not have to turn around to know they were watching him. He would at this moment be coming through the gate of the tall wooden wall surrounding their community.

The buy links for PASSION’S VISION are

Smashwords http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/238620

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Passions-Vision-Series-ebook/dp/B006QQ0LVA/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1371940548&sr=1-2&keywords=Mary+A+Adair

Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/passions-vision-mary-adair/1102609965?ean=2940045005364

About the author:

Mary A. Adair is an Amazon bestselling author of Native American romance, including the poignant PASSION’S VISION, recipient of the Betty Hendricks Award. Mary did extensive research on several Native American tribes for the 18^th century setting of her books. One of her many sources for learning about the rich Cherokee culture of that period was a book written in the mid 1700s by James Adair, an ancestor of her husband.

Mary is also the author of CAPTIVE SPIRITS, a young adult fantasy. In addition to being an author, she is a registered laboratory technician in radiology and phlebotomy. After spending most of her life as a Texan, she now lives in Southeastern Oklahoma with her husband and their menagerie of animals.

Links:

Website www.maryadair.com

Blog http://authormaryadair.blogspot.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ma.adair.5

Twitter @MaryAdairdotcom

Thanks again to Peggy for hosting me.