THE MYTH OF MELUSINE, CAUGHT BETWEEN HISTORY AND LEGEND - by Vijaya Schartz

Please join me in welcoming back a returning guest, Vijaya Schartz. Always a nice addition to The Roses of Prose.

It's always bittersweet to write the last book in a long, beloved series. I've been working on the Curse of the Lost Isle medieval fantasy series for twenty years, off and on, including years of intensive research.

The myth of the ondine (siren, mermaid, silken etc.) is widespread in Europe. Melusine the Fae is an immortal, related to Morgane the Fae. Because she abused her supernatural gifts in childhood, she was cursed to become an ondine (water serpent from the waist down) on specific days. If the religious authorities learn what she is, they will hunt her down as an evil monster, and burn her at the stake.

In mythology, she represents the independent, knowledgeable and wise woman, the crone, the witch, the healer. She represents a threat to medieval society, who wants women to remain ignorant, modest, docile, and obedient. The religious order of the time also wants to suppress the influence of women, going as far as denying them a soul. Ignoring the taboos of her time, Melusine fights her oppressors and accomplishes much, despite their opposition and intrigues. She fights for justice, protects women, marries for love, empowers her men, builds mighty castles, forges alliances, and gives birth to powerful rulers.

Book 8 - ANGEL OF LUSIGNAN, scheduled for January 2017, will be the last in the Curse of the Lost Isle series, bringing Melusine's curse to its conclusion. Along the course of this series, Melusine first appears as a child in Book 2 - PAGAN QUEEN. She is then the main character in Book 3 - SEDUCING SIGEFROI, Book 4 - LADY OF LUXEMBOURG, and Book 5 - CHATELAINE OF FOREZ. Books 1 and 2 tell the story of her mother, Books 6 and 7 the story of her sisters. Find this series on  Amazon - Barnes & Noble

Previously, from her Luxembourg family, after marrying Count Sigefroi, Melusine gave birth to a line of powerful rulers who reigned in Germany, Flanders and Austria. Later in Forez, with Count Artaud, her initial success was soon crushed by mounting religious conflicts.

In the historical chronology, Book 8 - ANGEL OF LUSIGNAN actually takes place before Beloved Crusader and Damsel of the Hawk (already published standalones, portraying the other two sisters, and set during the Crusades). This last novel, however depicts the most well known legend of Melusine, the popular myth scholars have been studying for centuries... particularly in Europe.

This last book in the series is set in Lusignan, a town in Aquitaine, created by Melusine, according to legend. Lusignan is also the name of the powerful family she founded there, where she falls in love with Count Raymond, and gives birth to a mighty noble line.

Her descendants Guy and Hugh of Lusignan later became kings of Jerusalem and Cyprus during the Crusades. Another descendant of hers is the famous and infamous Eleanor of Aquitaine, twice queen, in France and in England. King Richard the Lionheart mentions more than once the stain upon his family, his dark ancestress through the centuries, the cursed one. That was Melusine the Fae, whose blood also flowed in Eleanor of Aquitaine.

But as a writer, I wanted to find the truth beyond the myths and the legends. I wanted to discover the heart of these characters. A series of facts does not a story make. Their indomitable passion is what drove them to extraordinary feats and brought their names all the way into this century. Unfortunately, at the time they were judged harshly. Remember that history is always written by the victors, and Paganism was crushed by Christendom. So it made sense that the Pagans of the time would be reviled in the official records, and presented in a negative light, even accused of horrible deeds.

In my intensive research for this series, I peeled off the layers of superstition to find the truth of these fascinating characters, and bring them to life into the light, with all their hopes and struggles.

I hope you will enjoy reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it. 

HAPPY READING!

Vijaya Schartz
Blasters, Swords, Romance with a Kick
http://www.vijayaschartz.com
Amazon - Barnes & Noble - All Romance eBooks -

CAUGHT IN AN ARIZONA MONSOON by Vijaya Schartz

Please join me in welcoming back, Vijaya Schartz with an exciting post!

I never used to fear the storm, not in all my years... not even when a micro-burst half-destroyed my house over a decade ago. Of course, I was at work at the time, not inside it. But last summer, I was driving on 59^th Avenue on a sunny Saturday afternoon, when one of those sudden monsoon storms hit. Within minutes the sky darkened, like twilight in the middle of the day, strong winds, dust, zero visibility, then rain.

Thick walls of water like gray sails waved beyond the windshield, gusty side winds carried large objects across the road and knocked them against hard surfaces with loud bangs. Through the water curtain, I could see car lights in front and in back of me. The wind whooshed like a turbine. The electric poles along the street shook wildly. Lightning hit, close by. Light exploded all around, and thunder cracked and boomed, echoing inside the car, inside my body like a deep drum roll.

That’s when fear set in. My heart beat faster than after running a 10K. Still, I couldn’t panic. I had to think... and fast.

Although the cars had slowed, stopping on the main road with traffic would be suicide. Driving in this chaos would also be suicide as the electric poles swayed dangerously, waving their array of thick power lines overhead. The street was flooding fast. What to do?

Eyes riveted to the right curb that quickly disappeared under the rising tide, I spotted a faint driveway to the side, and remembered it must lead to the DMV parking lot. Following the curb, I managed to get my car off the road and into the wide open space... anywhere. I couldn’t see the white lines on the pavement anyway. Other cars followed my tail lights and parked in a line next to me, as if taking comfort in company. I felt their presence somewhat reassuring.

Were we safe? Not really. There was no safe place to hide from the storm. The flagpole overhead shook dangerously under the gusty winds flapping the flag, and the ropes snapped against it with loud metallic knocks. Garbage cans, branches, and large pieces of debris flew and swept across the open area with unprecedented force. I feared at any moment the wind might lift my little car and throw it against a concrete building.

Then, as fast as it had come, although it seemed to last for hours, the storm moved away, leaving me relieved and shaken at the sight of the destruction. In the last spattering of rain, I could see fallen poles across the flooded street, downed power lines sparking in flood water, traffic lights strewn in the middle of the intersection, and fallen trees.

A few hundred yards south of the DMV parking lot on 59^th Avenue, where I would have been if I had not turned, an electric pole had crushed a car, trapping the driver inside, in the middle of a small electrified lake. It was a woman, and I learned later on the news that she was not seriously hurt, but I felt guilty and glad at the same time. I was unscathed, but it could have been me.

In the aftermath of the storm, all the streets in the area were flooded or blocked by debris. People stood on their front porch, staring at their destroyed property, eyes wide, as if wondering how so much destruction could happen in so little time. It was dark, hours later, when I finally reached my small apartment ten blocks away, after many detours and turnarounds, in dangerously flooded streets and bumper to bumper traffic. I was never so glad to hug my cat.

No matter how strong or fearless we are, there is always something or someone stronger than us, and Mother Nature is teaching us lessons at every turn. The memories of this storm will stay with me forever, and I bet they will end up in a book someday.

In the meantime, you can read my latest contemporary romance with a hint of suspense, set in Scottsdale, Arizona, and available in eBook everywhere in all formats:

ASLEEP IN SCOTTSDALE

http://amzn.com/B014SEGD2W 

When Talia runs over billionaire Kyle Dormant with her bicycle in the dog park, she considers their meeting a happy accident. He believes it is destiny, but her physician's mind rebels at such notions. Their budding romance comes to a grinding halt when Kyle won’t wake up from deep sleep... with no medical explanation. Baffled and deeply concerned, Talia digs into his recent past for a plausible cause. Instead, she uncovers dark family secrets. Convinced Kyle's condition was induced, and someone wants him dead, she is anxious to save him, but the closer she gets to the sordid truth… and a possible cure, the greater the risk to both their lives.

http://www.vijayaschartz.com
http://www.amazon.com/author/vijayaschartz
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/vijaya-schartz
https://www.facebook.com/vijaya.schartz
https://twitter.com/Vijayaschartz

Is Your Author Website Up to Snuff? - by Vijaya Schartz

Join me in welcoming our guest, Vijaya Schartz!

I recently redesigned my author website http://www.vijayaschartz.com and learned a lot in the process. I’m sure other authors encounter the same challenges. Although we all know our author website is important, it’s often the last thing we tackle. Whether we fumble with our first site, redesign or freshen up an existing one, we usually procrastinate. The task seems daunting. Sometimes money is an issue if you are not a techie. Yet, an author should rethink his/her entire website on a regular basis, and check that the information is up to date, at least once a month.

Is an author website still relevant in today’s social media world?

Although you may spend more time on facebook or twitter, you have a blog, and you guest post on many other blogs, your website should remain the primary source for your readers to find your books. You should have total control of the information your readers get about you and your books. Only you have the correct information and can disseminate it through your official author website. Your website link should be in your signature line, in your bio, on your business cards, on every piece of promotional material concerning your books.

Why is it necessary to redesign and update an author site every other year?

Trends evolve, mobile devices change the way we browse. You write more books and they need to be featured. You want to provide your readers with new information all the time. Keep a current calendar of your appearances, etc. When I visit an author site that lists a book signing coming up two years ago, I wonder whether this author is still writing.

Can you host your website on a blog?

Absolutely. Wordpress and Blogspot can be your official website. It’s preferable to still get your own domain name (yourname.com or soandsoromanceauthor.com) and you can use the blog with its easy templates. If you go that route, you still must have several pages, one about yourself, one about your book (or books), upcoming releases, new releases, one you use as an actual blog, etc. Using your own domain name and having more than one page may cost you a little, but it’s very affordable.

Make your design friendly to the new technology:

While large book covers and fancy backgrounds were the rave a few years ago, along with video clips and moving widgets, these features have gone the way of the dodo, because of the new ways readers access your information. No more small print, book excerpts, either. They become unreadable on the tiny screen. Keep those for the blogs.

Why I redesigned my website:

I’ve had my website since 1999 (my first book came out in 2000) and it went through many incarnations. The last redesign was two years ago, but I have so many books, it had become too cumbersome and a maze to navigate. I use a cheap hosting company (Hostingmatters), and I had used up all the space allocated and couldn’t add anymore book covers (unless I was willing to pay premium hosting prices). Then one of my publishers decided to redesign fresh new covers for my sci-fi romances, and I had more new titles coming this year. Some of my backlist titles are now out of print. To compound the problem, I also had a widget from Photobucket that streamed my book covers in a fancy little show, but Photobucket stopped this feature, and although the widget still worked, I could not change or add any new covers to it... It was time to rethink my entire website situation and take action.

How I did the redesign:

- I had a fancy wallpaper background, which I loved, but mobile devices hate those. Instead, I made a banner by cutting a strip of it and used it as a header, and I matched the dark background in solid color. It has the same feel as the full wallpaper graphic.

- I limited all my book covers to a uniform, and much smaller size (200x300 pixels). They are still big enough to look good on the large screen, and they easily adapt to the small screen of my cell phone. I didn’t go for the stripped down mobile version. I’m a flamboyant girl, and I do like color and graphics, even on my cell.

- I reduced the number of pages to simplify navigation. No more cats and fancy flashing banners. Not every book has a page, now. I have a page for each genre (since I write in several genres), and a page for each series. When you click on the covers, you get to a place on the page with the full book information. If you only have a few books, then you probably want to have an entire page for each book. But with over twenty-five titles, not counting the boxed sets, anthologies and special editions, I had to make a different choice.

- I gave the new pages carefully chosen names and descriptions, as well as fresh metatags and search words (in the file properties section of each page if you design your own site). You want to make sure your site shows up on top of the list when a reader is Googling your name.

- I made the buy links and social media buttons part of the header, so each page has a link to my media pages, and to my author page on Amazon, B&N, ARe, Kobo, Smashwords, etc. Experts are divided on this, but as a small press author, I still think a reader should be able to buy my books in three clicks. That is the golden rule in Internet retailing. If your books are only in brick and mortar bookstores, you do not need all these links front and center, but I do.

- After the new site went live, I received rave comments from marketers and friendly suggestions from author website experts, and I quickly implemented the suggested changes I deemed useful. And voila!

As a result:

My site is now five times lighter than it was before, and I don’t have to worry about increased hosting costs. The pictures load fast, even if you have a slow Internet connection. It’s easy to navigate, and user friendly. It contains all my books and has room for many more. It looks fabulous on a cell phone. I can now send my readers there with the utmost confidence.

5 important basic tips to keep in mind:

            1 - Get your authorname.com or soandsoauthor.com domain name. No one ever checks .net .biz or .tv

2 - Be weary of website designers who are not familiar with specific author business. Authors have different needs. Visit the websites of the most successful authors in your genre for inspiration. It’s all right to copy their ideas. They know the business and instructed their website designer accordingly. They have teams of experts keeping their site up to the new media and market demands.

3 - Always have at least one book cover (latest release) on your front page if you are published. The reader should know at first glance they’ve landed on the right author website.

4 - keep it simple, easy to navigate. Links, links, links.

            5 - Use precise tags and search words, so your site shows up on top of search list results.

I hope this helps. This said, good luck redesigning your author website.

Vijaya Schartz

Blasters, Swords, Romance with a Kick

Author Bio:

Born in France, award-winning author Vijaya Schartz never conformed to anything and could never refuse a challenge. She likes action and exotic settings, in life and on the page. She traveled the world and claims to also travel through time, as she writes without boundaries about the future and the far away past. Her love of cats transpires in many of her books... and she has more than twenty-five novels published. Her stories collected numerous five star reviews and a few literary awards. Find her and her books at http://www.vijayaschartz.com

Latest release from Vijaya Schartz:

BELOVED CRUSADER, Curse of the Lost Isle Book 6 (standalone)

http://amzn.com/B00W3T24PK

1096 AD ‑ To redeem a Pagan curse, Palatina the Fae braves the Christian world to embark on an expedition to free the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem from the Turks. Pierre de Belfort, Christian Knight of Lorraine, swore never to let a woman rule his life, and doesn't believe in love. Thrown together into the turmoil of the First Crusade, on a sacred journey to a land of fables, they must learn to trust each other. For in this war, the true enemy is not human... and discovery could mean burning at the stake.

Is Your History Up To Snuff by Vijaya Schartz

Please welcome Vijaya Schartz to The Roses of Prose today!

 

HISTORICAL FICTION is a well defined genre. The stories often involve fictitious characters, living in a specific historical time, in a specific place, where specific things happened. The history of the place and time serves as a frame or backdrop for the drama, the romance, the adventure, defining the fate of these fictional characters. That is the covenant of writing historical fiction.

It came to my attention recently that some historical authors think it’s all right to take liberties with history, saying writers should have artistic license. While I do agree with artistic license, it makes me cringe to think that authors would falsify well known historical facts to fit their fictional story. I say, if your novel is not historically accurate, it’s okay, but don’t call it historical fiction, call it fantasy, alternative history, Steampunk, or speculative fiction.

My medieval series is based on authentic legends. Like King Arthur’s stories, these novels involve ancient rulers and nobles throughout the middle ages. But their true story is a handful of recorded deeds, and they are better known through the legends than from historical records. I also call my Curse of the Lost Isle series MEDIEVAL FANTASY ROMANCE, not historical fiction, although I did intensive historical research.

The latest Steampunk version of Alexandre Dumas’s Three Musketeers shocked me at first. Not only they take liberties with the original work, but the battles portrayed include flying ships made of wood looking like galleons with large sails. Louis XIII is portrayed as a popinjay, and they did strange things with the cardinal and the queen... But at least, they didn’t call it historical fiction, just pure entertainment. I call it STEAMPUNK or HISTORICAL FANTASY.

ALTERNATIVE HISTORY is another genre that was popular a few decades ago, featuring alternate universes where, for instance, the South won the Civil War, the Nazis won WWII, or Napoleon defeated the English and conquered the British Empire. This also comes under SPECULATIVE FICTION, or ALTERNATIVE HISTORY, and is not considered historical.

I can have fun with pure fantasy stories portraying Lincoln as a vampire, or Game of Thrones, but that is in no way historical fiction.

When I watch THE TUDORS, or THE BORGIAS or REIGN, however, or when I read a book involving famous historical characters, whether true history or historical fiction, I expect the authors to do their research and feed me accurate dates, information, and historical facts.

Sometimes, during research, you may stumble upon a little know fact, or a small slice of forgotten history that was suppressed by the victors of the time, or an aspect of some historical feat too long ignored. The purely academic historians may not agree, but if you have the research to back up your claim, I’d say more power to you. Bringing this obscure part of history to light in a historical fiction novel is a great way to have it more easily accepted by the public at large.

Best examples of HISTORICAL FICTION are the works of British author Bernard Cornwell, whose historical research is intensive... as it should be. Other famous examples: LES MISERABLES by Victor Hugo.

Before starting to write the CURSE OF THE LOST ISLE series, I spent a decade researching the history, the legends, the local records throughout Europe, and it feels wonderful when readers and reviewers make comments about how accurately I portray the life of each particular time and place in my novels. I take pride in my intensive historical research, and I believe all true historical authors do.

So, please, when writing historical fiction, make sure your research is accurate and you have your facts right. More readers than you think are educated, especially in this genre, and you might lose your credibility as an author if you take liberties with historical facts... even when you are writing fiction.

2014 release from Vijaya Schartz:

Chatelaine of Forez

Curse of the Lost Isle Book 5

Medieval Fantasy Romance

from Books We Love Limited

in kindle:

http://amzn.com/B00I3T9VYG

1028 AD - Afflicted by the ondine curse, Melusine seeks the soul of her lost beloved in the young Artaud of Forez, who reigns over the verdant hills south of Burgundy, on the road of pilgrims, troubadours and merchants. But this dark and brooding Pagan lord is not at all what she expected or even hoped. He knows nothing of their past love, her Fae nature, or her secret curse. Must Melusine seduce and betroth this cold stranger to satisfy the Goddess and redeem her curse?

The gold in the rivers instills greed in the powerful, and many envy the rich Lord of Forez, including his most trusted vassals... even the Bishop of Lyon. When Artaud’s attraction to Melusine makes them the target of a holy hunt, will she find redemption from the curse, or will they burn at the stake?

Each book in the series can be read individually, but if you are like me, you'll want to read them in the right order. Here it is:

Book 1 - Princess of Bretagne http://amzn.com/B007K1EGAM

Book 2 - Pagan Queen http://amzn.com/B007Z8F7IA

Book 3 - Seducing Sigefroi http://amzn.com/B008LW18EG

Book 4 - Lady of Luxembourg http://amzn.com/B00BO0MYX6

Book 5 - Chatelaine of Forez http://amzn.com/B00I3T9VYG

Special edition box set of the first three novels (Curse of the Lost Isle) also available for a bargain price. http://amzn.com/B0091HX7EE

"Well written and factual, the book weaves history with fantasy and magic into a story that I could not put down." 5-stars on Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born in France, award-winning author Vijaya Schartz never conformed to anything and could never refuse a challenge. She likes action and exotic settings, in life and on the page. She traveled the world and claims to also travel through time, as she writes without boundaries about the future and the far away past. Her love of cats transpires in most of her books. Her stories collected many five star reviews and literary awards. She makes you believe you actually lived these extraordinary adventures among her characters. Reviewers compared her fast-paced, action-packed stories to Indiana Jones with sizzling romance, and she takes that as a compliment anytime.

Vijaya Schartz

Blasters, Swords, Romance with a Kick

http://www.vijayaschartz.com

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/vijayaschartz 

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/vijaya-schartz
FB: https://www.facebook.com/vijaya.schartz
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Vijayaschartz