End the week with ALLISON KNIGHT

Laren raced up the stairs and through the central passage of the keep to the small alcove that held her cot and her clothing. The man hadn't even flinched when the cleric read her name. Did he not know the name of the lass to whom he should have wed? She herself read aloud the initial letter of acceptance to her king's proposal of marriage and it clearly stated the bride was named Nairna. Had this Arthur even seen the letter? Perhaps, he couldna read or write.

Ach, it could not be true. Edward's orders said the man to marry her sister was his trusted knight. Everyone knew the King of England suffered no poorly trained knights in his service, especially not one he named as favored.

She tore off the offending heavy veiling, trying to forget the suffocating sensation and how she stumbled because she couldna see. How could her father think to fool the King of England? Surely, this would bring forth Edward's wrath.

Perhaps the knight himself would be the one to destroy everyone in the keep. And how could she have said the vows, knowing it was all a trick?

She rubbed her upper arm, aware her father's bruises would mar her skin for days. However, his threat to hurt Edyth was more than she could bear. Would he truly have beaten her to death? Laren didna know. What she did know was that her father was a cruel man.

But to kill a faithful servant? He just might. She remembered the bruises she had witnessed on her mother. There was the time her mother claimed her broken arm had come from a fall from a horse, but her mother seldom rode.

Aye, her father could kill, she had no doubt. She clenched her jaw so lightly her jaw hurt.

Her father's plan for this wedding was diabolical. She had no idea how he intended to convince this Arthur ap Brynn Ffryd to leave her here in Scotland, where she could carry on her work. It was the only thing that made sense because no one else here was capable of caring for the keep.

Mayhap, her father knew this Arthur would not want her, for she appeared to be a bairn. She had no curves like Nairna, nor had her courses started yet. Aye, that had to be the scheme. All of this so her father could marry Nairna off to the Laird of the Crawford clan and together fight the English. Ha!

When Edward heard of this deception, there would be nothing left of this keep to fight for and her father's severed head would grace a pike at the gatehouse.

Of course, when the Sassenach below learned of the deceit, she had no idea what his reaction might be. If he had already discovered what transpired in the chapel, mayhap her father's life blood already stained the hall.

This Arthur was not unpleasant to look upon, even though he was big. He was huge compared to her laird, or any of the men of the Blair clan. He arrived yesterday with his friend and he looked capable of inflicting any amount of damage on her person, or on any man of the clan, especially her father. Nay, she would not think about her father after he threatened to beat Edyth.
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You just read an excerpt from:
Battlesong
by
Allison Knight
http://www.champagnebooks.com/
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Today, we’re here with published author, Allison Knight.

Linda Kage: Hi, Allison! Tell us a little about you and what you write please.

Allison: I only write under Allison Knight. A happy ending to a book is essential to me, so of course, I write romance. I also love history, so the logical progression is historical romance. (smiling)

I'm a retired school teacher and no, I didn't teach English. In fact I used to challenge my students. If they caught me misspelling a word when I wrote on the black board, (and in my day they were black and you wrote with white chalk) they got an 'A' for the day. I can't spell well at all. I have four kids, 6 grandchildren, only one of them a boy and all five girls were born either at the end of January, or in February. Okay, not in the same years. Fortunately, my grandson was born in August. Thank goodness. Oh, and I'm a great grandmother. That makes me sound old, but I believe you are as old as you feel, and usually I feel like a spring chicken. (An expression from my Hoosier background)

Kage: What happened to the first book you ever wrote?

Allison: Oh boy, did I make a couple of mistakes with that one, I sent the whole, six hundred pages to the president of Pocket books. He was wonderful. Of course he returned it, but told me to keep writing. I learned how to submit and how to write a romance and it was published three years later by Kensington for their Heartfire series. It was the first of a three book contract. I couldn't believe it when my husband agent called to say they wanted three. That's unheard of for a first time author.

Kage: What’s your backlist and coming soon bookshelf look like?

Allison: I've been busy lately,

Heartsong, a medieval romance,

A Treasure For Sara, a historical set in Alaska just before the gold rush,

The Haunting At Hastings Hall, a short gothic romance, and

Battlesong, the second 'song' book.

In February I have a Valentine novella coming, Roses For My Lady,

and I'm just finishing a romance set in the 1600's during the great fire of London.

Kage: Wow, you have been busy. What story are we going to talk about today?

Allison: Battlesong was released in August from Champagne Books. It's the second of the 'song' books and is a medieval romance based on the youngest brother, who is one of the main characters in Heartsong.

This is what happens when you like the characters so much you can't let go. It's about Arthur, the brother, and his Scots bride. They do not like each other - at first - or it wouldn't be a romance. He thinks she's trying to take over, and she thinks he's a horrible lord and perhaps as cruel as her father. They finally settle their differences, but I sure had fun with them.

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Battlesong
by
Allison Knight

Their marriage begins with a lie. Tricked into wedding young Laren Blair, the daughter of a Scottish laird, Arthur ap Brynn Ffrydd, an English baron, abandons her at his keep. When he finally returns six years later she has won the affection of his people but all he sees are the changes she has made. Their battles begin.

She fears her life will be as miserable with Arthur as it was with her cruel father. He envisions losing his property to her Scottish clan. As they learn to tolerate each other, desire draws them together. When Laren is kidnaped and Arthur is wounded in battle they realize they love each other. Reunited, can their love withstand the strain of another lie?

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Kage: What would the story be rated if it were a movie?

Allison: With today's rating system, probably PG 13, There's graphic sex, but more emotional than descriptive..

Kage: If you HAD to fit this story into a cliché, which one would it be?

Allison: A fight to the finish!

Kage: Okay, now that we have a general idea which class to fit Battlesong under, what makes this book so unique from every other book out there?

Allison: Definitely the characters. Arthur is the perfect typical male, or so I've been told, and Laren, my heroine is extremely independent for a medieval wife.

A bit about the writing. I had to tear up the last two chapters because I didn't like Arthur's attitude. I sat him down, had a talk with him and made him see the error of his ways. He straightened up and I now love the end. (Isn't it awful when they become almost real people to you? My friends of course, think I'm nuts.)

Kage: I think all writer's must be nuts then; I know I've have to scold a few misbehaving characters before! For you, what's the easiest part of a story to write?

Allison: I love the first parts, putting the plot together, letting the characters be discovered, how they talk, live, and interact with each other. It's the editing I can't stand. I'm so lucky, because I have a supportive husband, who reads everything, edits, discusses, critiques. He's a tremendous help.

Kage: Wow, what an awesome, supportive husband. What do you like most about the main characters and what do you like least? Did you learn anything from them?

Allison: I love Laren's independence. She's a modern lady - most of the time. Arthur is a typical male - never wrong and a lousy patient. As I said, I didn't like Arthur's attitude toward the end of the book. We had to change that. And yes I learn from each book I write. In this case, it was how I take from my own experiences and superimpose them on my characters.

Kage: Allison, Thank you so much for stopping by today and gracing us with your presence. Before we go, is there anything else you’d like to say to wrap things up?

Allison: Oh, yes. Thank you so much Linda, for having me today. I love to talk about writing, my books and how lucky I am with my absolutely fabulous husband. It's really no wonder I write romance. We been married for fifty years now, and he's still my best friend. How's that for a romance.

Sounds like a perfect romance to me!!

Now that Allison has totally made us want to buy her book, she was kind enough to provide us with a a buy link to Battlesong : LINK HERE

If you're still curious about Allison, here are other places to find ******** on the web: http://www.allisonknight.com/index.html

Blog: www.AllisonKnight.blogspot.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorAllisonKnight

Twitter: www.twitter.com/historicalAllie

Bebo: www.bebo.com/aboutromance

Publisher: www.champagnebooks.com