Guest Blog: Blythe Gifford

Welcome back one of our own, Blythe Gifford, who has been blogging with Unusual Historicals since 2009. Her new trilogy from the Harlequin Historical line, The Brunson Clan, continues this month with CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD. Set on the Scottish Borders during the early Tudor era, it centers on a family of Border Reivers. This time, the heroine is Bessie Brunson, only sister of the clan. Here's the blurb:

TO MARRY HIM WILL BE TO BETRAY HER FAMILY

Bessie, the selfless sister of the powerful but stubborn Brunson clan, has sacrificed herself for her family’s honor and is at the mercy of the court of King James. Ill-suited to court life, she must confront their mortal enemy, Lord Thomas Carwell, dressed in nothing but borrowed finery and pride.

Underneath the relentless gaze of her captor, she’s enticed not only by him but also by the opulence of a world far removed from her own. When the furious king demands her brother’s head, Carwell is the only one to whom she can turn. But she must pay the ultimate price for his protection….

**Q & A with Blythe Gifford**

Was it easier to write the second book of a series?

“Easy” and “write” never seem to meet in the same sentence for me.  What came more smoothly this time was the historical mindset and events.  I knew the world, many of the key characters, and how they might relate to each other.  But then what did I do?  I took Bessie Brunson away from the valley she – and I – knew so well and plopped her in the middle of new corners of Scotland.  Ones I had to research all over again. 

So where does the story take place?

Like Cinderella, Bessie is whisked away from her work-a-day world, first, to a royal palace, Stirling Castle, and then, to the hero’s castle by the sea, modeled on Caerlaverock, the only triangularly shaped castle in Britain. 

Researching a castle sounds like fun!

It was!  Stirling is one of the most famous in Scotland.  It has now been restored beautifully and there’s a beautiful website that brings the castle, and the people to life.  The only problem is that many of those additions were made by the king AFTER the period of my story, so I was forever checking dates. 

I felt slightly less constrained about my hero’s castle, since he is, I must remind myself, fictional.  But Caerlaverock is well documented and now sits at the edge of a nature preserve, so the muse had lots of fodder!  Floor plans and photographs galore are available online.  

And your heroine gets to meet the king!  Just like Cinderella!

Yes, we meet King James V and see a tournament and dancing at the court.  All very glamorous, but also intimidating for a woman who’s never been so far from home.  We love the Cinderella story, but it seems to me that Cinderella was a fish out of water, just like Bessie Brunson.  That couldn’t be as easy as Walt Disney made it look!

So what about the hero?

Lord Thomas Carwell, hero of CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD, appeared in RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR.  He might (or might not) have betrayed the Brunsons and they certainly did not trust him.  I left the question unresolved.  In fact, I didn’t know the truth myself until I wrote this book, so the uncertainty was genuine.  He is a man of many secrets, as it turns out, prepared to adjust to shifting tides.  That made him the opposite of blunt, plainspoken Bessie Brunson and so, of course, they are perfect for each other. 

Does this book stand alone?

My intention was to make each story complete, however, the stories are tight and sequential and there’s an arc to the series as a whole which climaxes with a confrontation between the Brunsons and the king.  Harlequin scheduled them close together:  November/January/March, so readers who love to gobble up a series in order can do so!  I hope readers enjoy watching the evolving relationships among the Brunson family members, too.  Three siblings and, eventually, three spouses allowed some interesting interactions.

What’s up next?

TAKEN BY THE BORDER REBEL, will be released in print in North America February 19.  Electronic and UK editions will be available March 1.  As a bonus, starting February 25, I’ll have a free, online read available on the Harlequin website.  One of the secondary characters from CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD will get her own happy ending!  (Title TBD.) 

One lucky reader who comments on today’s blog will be randomly selected to win a signed copy of RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR or CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD.  Your choice!  

Blythe Gifford has been known for medieval romances featuring characters born on the wrong side of the royal blanket. Now, she’s written a trilogy set on the turbulent Scottish Borders of the early Tudor era, starting with RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR, November 2012, Harlequin Historical.  CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD will follow in January 2013, and TAKEN BY THE BORDER REBEL in March 2013.  The Chicago Tribune has called her work "the perfect balance between history and romance."  Visit her at www.blythegifford.com, www.facebook.com/BlytheGifford, or on Twitter @BlytheGifford. 

Author photo by Jennifer Girard.  Cover Art Copyright © 2013 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited.  Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. Cover art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved. ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.

Excerpt Thursday: Captive of the Border Lord by Blythe Gifford

This week, we’re welcoming author Blythe Gifford, a regular Unusual Historicals contributor, whose Brunson Clan trilogy continues this month with CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD from the Harlequin Historical line.  (The series launched in November with RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR and will conclude with the March 2013 release of TAKEN BY THE BORDER REBEL.)

Blythe will be here Sunday to talk about the series in more detail and offer a copy to one lucky commenter.

The Brunson Clan trilogy is set on the Scottish Borders during the early Tudor era and centers on a family of Border Reivers.  Here’s a glimpse of CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD:

TO MARRY HIM WILL BE TO BETRAY HER FAMILY

Bessie, the selfless sister of the powerful but stubborn Brunson clan, has sacrificed herself for her family’s honor and is at the mercy of the court of King James. Ill-suited to court life, she must confront their mortal enemy, Lord Thomas Carwell, dressed in nothing but borrowed finery and pride.

Underneath the relentless gaze of her captor, she’s enticed not only by him but also by the opulence of a world far removed from her own. When the furious king demands her brother’s head, Carwell is the only one to whom she can turn. But she must pay the ultimate price for his protection….

**An Excerpt from Captive of the Border Lord**

In the excerpt below, the hero has followed the heroine to the kitchen, where she needs to replenish food and drink.  Suspicious of his reason for coming to the celebration uninvited, she has just asked him bluntly why he is there.

Carwell kept a smile clamped on his lips.  He was learning not to underestimate Bessie Brunson, but it was hard to keep that in mind when he looked at the woman.  Red hair tumbled over her shoulders, her brown eyes sparked with suspicion, and her lips were full and soft and ready…

He stopped his thoughts.  “Leave this night for celebration.  I’ll speak to your brothers tomorrow.” 

“Tomorrow?  When Rob’s head is double its size because of the wine he’s drunk this night and Johnnie is comfortably abed enjoying his new bride?”

He swallowed a sour retort.  “They’ll be ready to listen when they hear why I’ve come.  It’s a matter for men’s ears.”

She looked to Heaven before she met his eyes again.  “You’ve no women in your household.”

He blinked.  He hadn’t.  Not for years.  “No.  Not…now.”

The memory cramped his heart.  He would never take a woman for granted again.  A twinge, a weary sigh, these could signal the threat of something worse. 

He set the thought aside.  That was not to be shared with anyone, least of all with this stranger.  Yet for a moment, he had imagined she would understand.

“If you had,” she said, “you would know that we do not need to be protected from the truth.” 

Looking at this woman, he doubted that her family had protected from anything at all.  “Then you’ll know it when they do.  And it will be tomorrow.”  The king had no more patience than that.

Despite his offer of help, she asked for nothing as she moved around the room, effortlessly scooping up oat cakes and putting another batch near the hearth.  When she finished her sweep through the kitchen, she shook the girl awake and told her to watch that the fire did not burn the kitchen down.

Finally, she joined him at the door. 

“You wanted to help.”  She set down her cakes, filled two flagons with ale from the barrel, and shoved them at him, her eyes flashing with anger.  “Carry these.”

Silent, he followed her into the cold, proud that he had refrained from pouring her precious ale into the dirt.  The woman was stubborn as the rest of her kin.  Maybe more so.

But as he watched the sway of her walk, he remembered the way she had leaned toward him in the dance, following his lead through the unfamiliar steps.  For those few moments, there had been nothing but music and movement and the two of them.

Well, her hatred would be back in force tomorrow. 

Just as soon as she discovered he was here to take her brother hostage.

Blythe Gifford has been known for medieval romances featuring characters born on the wrong side of the royal blanket. Now, she’s launching a trilogy set on the turbulent Scottish Borders of the early Tudor era, starting with RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR, November 2012, Harlequin Historical. CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD will follow in January 2013, and TAKEN BY THE BORDER REBEL in March 2013. The Chicago Tribune has called her work "the perfect balance between history and romance.” Visit her at www.blythegifford.com, www.facebook.com/BlytheGifford, or on Twitter @BlytheGifford. 

Author photo by Jennifer Girard.  Excerpt Copyright © 2013 by Wendy B. Gifford.  Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A.  Cover Art Copyright © 2013 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited.  Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. Cover art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved. ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.

Guest Blog: Blythe Gifford

Blythe Gifford introduces The Brunson Clan in RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR!

This week, we’re talking to one of our own, Blythe Gifford, who has been blogging with Unusual Historicals since 2009. Her new trilogy, The Brunson Clan, launches this month with RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR. Set on the Scottish Borders during the early Tudor era, it centers on the Brunsons, a family of Border Reivers. Blythe is here to talk about the trilogy and offer a copy of the launch title to a lucky winner. Here's the blurb:

WORD IN THE ROYAL COURT HAS SPREAD THAT THE WILD SCOTTISH BORDERS ARE TOO UNRULY. UPON THE KING'S COMMAND, JOHN BRUNSON MUST RETURN HOME...

Once part of a powerful border clan, John has not set sight on the Brunson stone tower in years. With failure never an option, he must persuade his family to honour the King’s call for peace.

To succeed, John knows winning over the daughter of an allied family, Cate Gilnock, holds the key. But this intriguing beauty is beyond the powers of flattery and seduction. Instead, the painful vulnerability hidden behind her spirited eyes calls out to John as he is inexorably drawn back into the warrior Brunson clan…

**Q & A with Blythe Gifford**

What’s so unusual about the setting of this series?

First, let me say how glad I am to be here at “home,” talking about this series. What’s unusual? Well, when it comes to historical romance, which is what I write, Scottish Highlanders get all the glory. I find the Borders much more interesting. Whether there was a formal war or an uneasy peace, the Borders were, in effect, a war zone for 300 years. They operated almost like a “third country,” with their own “Border Laws.” Wardens, think of them as sheriffs or governors, were appointed for each governmental district, or March. The wardens of the Western Scottish March and the Western English March, for example, were supposed to work together to keep the peace and punish those who broke it. Their success was marginal at best.

So do the Borders have anything in common with the more popular Highlands?

We’re familiar with the importance of family in the Scottish Highlands, but it was equally important, if not more so, on the Borders. Family was more important than king of either Scotland or England and family feuds and alliances were stronger than national loyalty. One family might be allied with another across the border, or enemies with a family on its own side. The Border laws forbade marriage across the border, in a futile attempt to keep family loyalty aligned with national interest.

So how does that family loyalty influence RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR?

Loyalty to family and the family’s loyalty to another member of the clan really drives the first book. John, the youngest son, returns home after years of serving as a “big brother” to the young Scottish king. John is a man with something to prove, both to himself and to his family. As the only blue-eyed Brunson, he’s always felt as if he didn’t belong. Now, he no longer wants to. As soon as he enforces the king’s command for peace, he plans to return to his life at court and leave the valley of his birth for the last time.

But first, he must persuade Cate Gilnock to release his family from their promise to avenge her father’s death. Such a promise is like a sacred oath. Cate is a woman fierce as a warrior, but behind her eyes, John senses vulnerability and secrets she refuses to share. Bit by bit, he falls in love with her, and with each step, he is drawn back into the life he thought he had left behind forever. Because of Cate, he discovers he is more like the rest of his family than he thought until, finally, he must decide:  Is he truly a Brunson? Or is he the King’s man after all? Which promise will he keep?

You’ve worked real history into the story as well, right?

I seem to be unable to write a story that’s not somehow tied to actual history. In this case, James V of Scotland is a character and his own ascension to power plays an important role in the story. James himself is one of the more “unusual” Scottish kings. He’s typically been overlooked while most of the attention goes to his daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots.

It’s been awhile between books for you, hasn’t it? And this represents a change in several ways.

My last release, HIS BORDER BRIDE, was out more than two years ago. It, too, was set on the Scottish side of the border, but almost two hundred years earlier. There were raids then, yes, but the heyday of the reiving era was the sixteenth century, when RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR is set.

My previous books were set in the fourteenth century and featured a main character born on the wrong side of the (usually) royal blanket. So I changed time periods, as well as emphasis. Everyone in this series knows who their parents are. Of course, that is part of the problem! I enjoyed writing about the relationships between the two Brunson brothers and their sister, too.

You’ve already given regular readers of this blog a preview of the world of the Brunsons, haven’t you?

I’ve blogged about a typical night of raiding, about one of the deadliest Border feuds, and in October, wrote about the historic incident that was the inspiration for the entire series. In addition, I told readers about King James V’s illegitimate children. So if readers want more background, they can revisit those posts.

One lucky reader who comments on today’s blog will be randomly selected to win a signed copy of RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR.

Blythe Gifford has been known for medieval romances featuring characters born on the wrong side of the royal blanket. Now, she’s launching a trilogy set on the turbulent Scottish Borders of the early Tudor era, starting with RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR, November 2012, Harlequin Historical. CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD will follow in January 2013, and TAKEN BY THE BORDER REBEL in March 2013. The Chicago Tribune has called her work “the perfect balance between history and romance.”

Visit her at www.blythegifford.com, www.facebook.com/BlytheGifford, or on Twitter @BlytheGifford. 

Photo credits. Cover used with permission. Author photo by Jennifer Girard 

Excerpt Thursday: Return of the Border Warrior by Blythe Gifford

This week, we’re welcoming author Blythe Gifford,  a regular Unusual Historicals contributor, whose Brunson Clan trilogy launches this month with RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR. The series will continue with CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD, January 2013 and TAKEN BY THE BORDER REBEL, March 2013. Blythe will be here Sunday to talk about the series in more detail and offer a copy to one lucky commenter.

RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR is set on the Scottish Borders during the early Tudor era and centers on a family of Border Reivers. Here’s a glimpse of the story, along with an excerpt:

WORD IN THE ROYAL COURT HAS SPREAD THAT THE WILD SCOTTISH BORDERS ARE TOO UNRULY. UPON THE KING'S COMMAND, JOHN BRUNSON MUST RETURN HOME...

Once part of a powerful border clan, John has not set sight on the Brunson stone tower in years. With failure never an option, he must persuade his family to honour the King’s call for peace.

To succeed, John knows winning over the daughter of an allied family, Cate Gilnock, holds the key. But this intriguing beauty is beyond the powers of flattery and seduction. Instead, the painful vulnerability hidden behind her spirited eyes calls out to John as he is inexorably drawn back into the warrior Brunson clan…

In this excerpt from Chapter One, John has come across Cate, practicing her sword fighting against her own shadow. He thinks to play with her, easily besting her sword with his dagger, but the woman proves more capable than he imagined…

He jumped just in time to escape a touch. Now was not the time for distractions. He had expected a playful joust. Instead, he faced a warrior.

He swung high, but she held up her sword, turned sideways, to block his stroke. A clever move, but lifting the two-handed sword had strained her strength and when she lowered it, her arms shook.

Seizing on her weakness, he attacked and they crossed blades again.  Prepared now, he leveraged his strength against her sword. Though she kept her grip, he pushed the blade away, coming close enough to feel her chest rise and fall, nearly touching his. 

Close enough that his mind wandered, careless of the blades, thinking that under her tunic and vest, she had breasts. Now he could see her face, the angles of it, sharp and cleanly sculpted as her sword. Yet thick lashes edged her brown eyes, disguising some of the hatred there. 

“Surrender now?”

Panting, she shook her head. Yet her lips parted, tempting him to take them. She was, after all, a woman. A kiss would be mightier than a sword.

He pushed her sword arm down, pulled her to him, and took her lips.

She yielded for a breath, no more. 

But it was long enough for him to lose his thoughts, to forget she held a sword and remember only that she was a woman, breasts soft against his chest, smelling of heather…

In a flash, she turned stiff as a sword and leaned away, though her lips did not leave his, so he thought she only teased.

When he felt the point of a dirk at his throat, he knew she did not. 

“Let me go,” she said, her lips still close that they moved over his. “Or you’ll be bleeding and I’ll leave you to it, I swear.”

He eased his arms from her back and she pushed him away, wiped her mouth, and spat into the dirt. 

He touched the scratch she’d left on his neck, grateful she had not drawn blood. 

Her eyes, which he had thought to turn soft with pleasure, narrowed, hard with fury.

“It’s a Brunson you’re facing,” he said, trying a smile. “Not a Storwick.”

She raised both sword and dirk, the larger wobbling in her grip. “It’s a man I’m facing who thinks what I want is of no consequence if it interferes with his privileges and pleasures.” 

Had he imagined the echo of the bedchamber in her voice? No more.

He raised his eyebrows, opened his arms and made a slight bow. “A thousand pardons.” Words as insincere as the feelings behind them.

She frowned. “You are a stranger here, so you know no better. And because you are a Brunson, I’ll let you keep your head, but I’ll warn you just once. You will not do that again. Ever.” 

She lowered her sword, slowly.

You are a stranger. She was the Brunson, besting him with a sword, displacing him at the family table. His temper rose. “And what if I do?”

The blade rose, this time, not pointed at his throat, but between his legs. “If you do, you won’t have to worry about bedding a woman ever again.”

He swallowed, gingerly, his body on fire. Only because she had challenged him. Nothing more. No man could desire such a woman. 

“Then have no worries on that score, Catie Gilnock,” he said, flush with anger. “When next I bed a woman, it most certainly will not be you.”

Blythe Gifford has been known for medieval romances featuring characters born on the wrong side of the royal blanket. Now, she’s launching a trilogy set on the turbulent Scottish Borders of the early Tudor era, starting with RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR, November 2012, Harlequin Historical. CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD will follow in January 2013, and TAKEN BY THE BORDER REBEL in March 2013. The Chicago Tribune has called her work “the perfect balance between history and romance.”

Visit her at www.blythegifford.com, www.facebook.com/BlytheGifford, or on Twitter @BlytheGifford. 

Photo credits. Cover used with permission. Author photo by Jennifer Girard

Executed: Johnnie Armstrong, King of the Borders

by Blythe Gifford

Today, RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR, the first book of my new trilogy, is scheduled to hit the shelves.  Set on the Scottish-English Borders in the early Tudor era, it was actually inspired by the story of an execution of a famous Border Reiver.

The story is told, or sung, more accurately, in “The Ballad of Johnnie Armstrong.”  Now Johnnie Armstrong, or Johnnie of Gilnocke, as he was also called, was one of the most notorious reivers on the Borders.  Reivers basically stole for a living – cattle, sheep, whatever they needed.  And there were plenty of tales of arson and murder, too.  Despite the presence of special Wardens of the Borders, lawmen assigned to keep the peace, for nearly three hundred years, the only law on the Borders was that made by a sword, a dirk, or a crossbow.

Finally, King James V of Scotland came to the Borders in a desperate attempt to restore order to what was the most lawless ground on the island.  Some suggest he did it because he had something to prove to his uncle, King Henry VIII of England.  At the top of King James’ list was Johnnie Armstrong, also called the “King of the Borders.”

Of course, history is written, or rewritten, by the storytellers.  To the king and the people he preyed on, Johnnie Armstrong might be a despicable man.  But to the songwriter who penned the “Ballad of Johnnie Armstrong,” his hero was a gallant thief, protecting Scotland from the English, and just trying to make his way in the world. 



Johnnie's Gilnockie Tower, with reivers returning from a raid.

According to the balladeer, Johnnie was not lawfully tried and convicted, but basely murdered when he was lured to a meeting with the king by a “loving letter” that insisted he come unarmed.

He did exactly that, along with forty retainers, dressed in their finest splendor to honor the king, expecting to be welcomed with open arms and royal hospitality.

Instead, he and his crew were seized by the king’s men labeled traitors, and fitted with hanging nooses.  Armstrong bargained for his life, and that of his men, with everything he could think of. 

He offered the king all manner of gifts, including “four and twenty milk white steeds” if he were spared.  His final offer was that the king should receive yearly rent, more accurately, the “blackmail” from all dwellers in the area of the Borders where Johnnie held sway, from “Gilnockie to Newcastleton.”

The king had no sympathy and was not open to a bribe. 

Facing death, Johnnie made an impassioned speech, claiming he had never harmed a Scot, but only the English.  The truth of this claim might be open to dispute.  To the local people he had preyed upon, Johnnie’s death might have been a welcome relief.  Indeed, a few years after, Sir David Lindsay, King James’ in house playwright, made mention of it in one of his productions. 

But it is also hard to summon sympathy for the king in the ballad, so deceitful that he tricks his subject into a trap.  The song also suggests the king was jealous of Johnnie’s fine clothes, another less than admirable trait, and perhaps even his title of “King of the Border.” 

Finally, as he realizes he is to die, Johnnie says

“I have asked grace at a graceless face,

But there is none for my men and me.

...

I would have kept the Border side

In spite of thy peers and thee.”

So poor Johnnie and his men were hanged and lived no more.  Neither, legend has it, did the trees from which they swung.

I wanted to rewrite the story.  I wanted Johnnie Armstrong to have a happy ending.

And so began the story of the Brunson Clan.

I’ll be talking about that more, and sharing an excerpt, November 1 and 4.

Blythe Gifford has been known for medieval romances featuring characters born on the wrong side of the royal blanket. Now, she’s launching a new series set on the turbulent Scottish Borders.  The Chicago Tribune has called her work "thee perfect balance between history and romance."