Behold the Dawn (Amazon affiliate link)
I’m thrilled to announce that Behold the Dawn is now available for purchase. The road to publication has been a wild (and occasionally bumpy) road, so please join me in celebrating with a happy dance, lots of chocolate, and a squeal or two!
Behold the Dawn Acknowledgements
Many people have been instrumental in helping this project to publication. I am deeply humbled by the time and encouragement they lavished upon me while I was writing and editing this story. Without them, this book might never have made its way into your hands, and it certainly wouldn’t have been anywhere near as good a story. In no particular order, those people are:
My #1 fan, my unfailing encourager, my sister: Amy.
My writing buds, critters, and proofreaders: Adrie Ashford, Linda Yezak, Laiel Upton, April Upton, Molly LoGalbo, Sterling Woomert, Daniel Farnum, Anna Naylor, Michael Snyder, Paul Chernoch—and everyone else who took the time to read any part of Behold and offer their criticism and support.
My family: for putting up with me and all my writerly craziness and for supporting me and my work unswervingly.
Thank you all. May you be blessed as you have blessed me.
Grand Prize Winner
Today marks the finale of the Winning Wednesday drawings. I’ve had so much fun orchestrating the contests and interacting with so many great people as a result. Thank you all so much for participating! Hopefully, you’ve had at least a parcel of the fun I’ve had. The winner of the Grand Prize is Nina Hansen.
In order to win an autographed copy of Behold the Dawn, a poster of the cover art, a mug, a keychain, and a Wordplay pen, she answered the question “What kind of weapon was a misericorde?”
Weapons and Warfare in the Middle Ages
A misericorde was a small dagger with a long, thin blade, used to administer the coup de grâce.
Weapons and warfare were the stock in trade for most men in the Middle Ages. In those days, an “educated” man was one who was well-versed in riding, swordplay, and other arts of war. Book learning and other philosophical pursuits were considered less than important in comparison (as evidenced by the low literacy rates). A few facts about medieval weapons:
- The double-edged sword remained the preeminent weapon of war until the mid-13th century, thanks to its ferocious power, which could tear apart mail links and drive them into a wound.
- The flail, an iron ball (sometimes spiked) attached to a haft by a chain, was used predominately by footmen and unhorsed knights.
- The siege bow, or ballista, was a large, mounted crossbow that shot oversized bolts. It was used predominantly to cover gateways, to prevent castle defenders from mounting a sally.
- In the middle of the twelfth century, one the popes tried to ban the crossbow as inhumane.
- A longbow had an effective range of about 1,000 feet, at which distance it could be used against approaching armies long before they were within striking range themselves. Cavalry horses were especially vulnerable, since some part of the horse was always unprotected
Congratulations, Nina! Your prize is in the mail!
The Winning Wednesday contests are at end (until the next book release anyway!), but I will be offering several book giveaways during my blog tour. You can find the schedule in the sidebar on the left. Guest posts, interviews, and excerpts from Behold are all on the list, so if you see something that piques your interest, please stop by the host site!
