Monday, July 22, 2013

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




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 18th 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:
Twitter @MaryAdairdotcom

Thanks again to Peggy for hosting me.


9 comments:

  1. I love that this is based on your family history! how cool is that? thanks for the giveaway, Claire

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    1. Claire, Thanks. I am so glad you made it by. Good luck with the giveaway.

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  2. Very nice post, Mary. You are a great writer and I look forward to reading this series!

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    1. Carra, I am glad to see you here. Thanks for coming by. I hope you do read the series and enjoy it.

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  3. Hello Mary! I am so glad I chanced upon this blog post today. What a wonderful thing, to read a western romance from the point of view of Native Americans, not white settlers. Some of the things I've read about them in history books really depressed me and brought me to tears at times. I've been quite sure that they were an honorable people who husbanded Mother Earth much better than we have, and that they were treated very poorly by our government and armed forces. I would love to read your series just from the historical standpoint, but with a romance entwined in the story I'm sure it will be wonderful. Thanks so much for your history, research and book blurb today. jdh2690@gmail.com

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    1. Hello Janice! I am glad you found this blog too! I just love Peggy's blog and she is such a talented writer. The history of the Native American is filled with pain and sorrow but it is also filled with bravery, love for people and nature and such a will to survive. I love researching and reading about the trials and triumphs of these remarkable people. They have taught the world a lot and I am sure there is much more they can still teach us. Good luck with the give away!

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  4. Mary, these are wonderful books. Wishing you many sales!

    Peggy, your blog always makes me want to take a trip to Yellowstone.

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  5. Peggy, thank you for having me on your wonderful blog. I love the Yellowstone image at the top of your page and absolutely adore your Yellowstone series.

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    1. I love reading about the Native Americans back in the 1700 and 1800's. How exciting to read about them from a family ancestor.Looking forward to reading about them in you stories.

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