Whistle Down the Wing Tour ~ Guest Post, Review and Giveaway ~ Sibelle Stone

Today, we are joined by Sibelle Stone, she is out and about promoting her her book, Whistle Down the Wind. If you want to see the rest of the stops on her tour, click on this link.

Visiting the Past in Jamestown 

Sibelle Stone

What writer hasn’t dreamed of having their own personal time machine? When you’re reseaching an era, you simply step into the machine, twist the dial and spend a few days visiting the time period you’re writing about. You eat the food, wear the clothes, and converse with the locals. Easy research.

Unless of course you’re injured, get arrested, get sick or encounter all the various horrible things that could happen.So, how do you experience the past while still keeping your feet planted firmly in the 21st century?

You visit historical sites that have been recreated. On a visit back east a few years ago, my Uncle invited me to take the train from Washington DC to Richmond. Since I planned to stay with him and my Aunt for a few days, I suggested a trip to Jamestown would be fun.

I’d actually visited Jamestown once before -- in 1968. Things had certainly changed. There was a celebration of 500 years of the founding of the colony in 2007, and many renovations were made to the site.

New buildings were constructed to show how the town would have looked a few years after settlement. Remember, Jamestown predates the Plymouth Bay Colony of Massachusets by thirteen years. And the Tidewater settlements were not populated by Puritans.

Jamestown and the surrounding environs were settled by many members of the aristocracy who were escaping from the rule of Cromwell. There were artisans, tradespeople and the gentry mixed together in the settlement. Religious persecution was not a key element of the Tidewater settlements. The search for land, wealth (including gold) escape from poverty and new opportunities were the main reasons that settlers came to the region.



Successful tobacco plantations thrived in the area, and with the growing demand for tobacco, as the habit of smoking swept through Europe, a wealthy class of gentlemen farmers developed. Cheap labor was intially provided by those willing to sell their services as “bondsmen” for seven years in order to get transport to the new colonies.

As I wandered through the exhibits at Jamestown, I felt as if I’d opened the door to history. Living history renactors are all around the park, and you can converse with them to discover small tidbits of history. When I inquired about the proper undergarments for a colonial Miss, I was informed, “they didn’t wear any”. When I asked about the difference between swords and rapiers, I wasn’t just shown the objects, I was invited to take a few practice swings.

The day was filled with research opportunites and I returned home with a treasure-trove of photos, some great research books and a better understanding of the time period I was writing about in my work-in-progress. The setting for Whistle Down the Wind became more real to me because I had the rare opportunity to walk in historical footsteps.

An austure office in Jamestown

In the Armory at Jamestown

Whistle Down the Wind

Book One The Mystic Moon Series - Featuring the Glyndwr sisters
Elemental witches!

Genre: Historical romance with paranormal elements

Publisher: Moon Valley Publishing

ISBN: 978-0-9839103-2-9

Escaping from the persecution of the European witch hunts, a beautiful witch with the power to control the wind joins forces with a handsome Cavalier on a mission to save the King of England and the colony of Virginia.Catlin Glyndwr is a tenth generation Mistress of Elements -- a hereditary witch who can call upon her elemental spirits for assistance in casting spells.Accused of witchcraft in seventeenth century England, she faces the hangman. Even though she took a vow never to hurt anyone with her magic, if her true powers are revealed, she’ll be executed.Sir Griffin Reynolds is on his way to the colony of Virginia, on a secret mission to locate Puritan rebels intent upon seizing the throne of King Charles II. When his best friend becomes deathly ill while interrogating a beautiful Welsh maiden accused of using magic to attack a local official – Griffin is forced to strike a bargain with her in order to save his friend’s life.
When Catlin and Griffin travel together on a voyage to the American colonies, they try to resist the pull of erotic sensuality that flares between them. It is a temptation they both soon crave. But danger lurks aboard ship and evil haunts Catlin. She must learn how her destiny is linked with that of the man who has vowed to protect her.In a dangerous and unexplored world, where superstition exists along side the new discoveries of science, powerful elemental spirits are capable of assisting the magical adepts. But there is always danger in harnessing magic and a price to pay when one calls to the spirit world for help.
While Griffin tries to deny his attraction to Catlin, she works her own special magic on his heart and he discovers he cannot resist falling under her sensual spell.Together, Catlin and Griffin learn that a journey of the heart requires courage, trust and the ability to believe in the astonishing gift of love.A beautiful witch discovers there’s more then one way to be wicked!

The book blurb had a lot of promise, I love to read a good romance and it is has paranormal all the better. I have to say for me, this book was better than I had anticipated. Now, don't get me wrong I love reading new authors, that is one reason I love hosting blog tours, but for some reason I didn't think I would connect, but suffice to say, I did enjoy this book.

The author did a great job in setting the stage and giving you a wonderful depiction of what trials and tribulations a woman faced if accused of witchcraft. The heroine has the gift of the weather elements, she can bring about a windstorm in seconds flat, she can command the lightning and thunder.  I don't know about you, but I secretly wished that I had magically powers such as Caitlin, but what little girl didn't.

Whistle Down the Wind is a good read for those who love to escape into the mystically time, filled with romance and intrigue.                                          

Sibelle Stone is the pseudonym for award winning historical romance author Deborah Schneider. Sibelle writes sexy steampunk and paranormal stories, filled with magic, mad scientists, dirigibles, automatons, and creatures that would scare the panties off Deborah. In her spare time Sibelle enjoys dressing up in Victorian ensembles, modding play guns into something that looks a bit more sinister and wearing hats.

Author Bio: Deborah Schneider

A lifelong love of American history led Deborah Schneider from teaching high school to writing novels. Her first book, Beneath A Silver Moon won the Molly award for “Most Unsinkable Heroine” from the Heart of Denver chapter of RWA and was later a finalist in the New Historical Voice Contest in 2000. Her most recent release Promise Me won the 2011 EPIC Award for Best Western Romance. Her first steampunk story, No Ordinary Love was published in fall 2011. Deborah is employed by the busiest and best library system in the U.S. She’s received the “Open Book Award” from Pacific Northwest Writers and was named “Librarian of the Year” by Romance Writers of America in 2009.

Sibelle is giving away a copy of  Beneath a Silver Moon -winner’s choice of format -either a free Ebook or a print copy- and a One $10 Starbucks Gift Card open to US Shipping.  Sibelle is giving away one copy of Beneath A Silver Moon in winner's choice of format, digital or print, and a $10 gift card to Starbucks. Print book and gift card is only open to US residents but the digital copy is open world wide. To enter, just leave a comment on this post  answering the question found in the  RaffleCopter below. Good luck!

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