Lord Bellweather's Lady: Three Steps from Reality

Donnell October 30, 2020 4 Comments

Readers, today, I’m happy to bring you the prolific Barbara Monajem who writes historical and paranormal novels, and has an imagination, well, out of this world. I love this woman’s writing and I know you will, too. Please welcome Barbara to Help from My Friends Friday! ~ Donnell

By Barbara Monajem:

I’m not superstitious—or at least not in the usual way. I don’t throw salt over my shoulder, I like black cats, and I’ve always been rather fond of Friday the 13^th. On the other hand, I absolutely refuse to deny the existence of fairies, pixies, ghosts, hobgoblins, and the like. What, I ask you, would be the point in saying they don’t exist? I have no proof either way (alas), but to me it seems unkind (not to mention potentially hazardous) to deny the existence of something just because you’ve never seen it.

Besides, reality as most of us know it can be a bit—or a Have you ever heard of a lot―oppressive at times. Who doesn’t long for escape? I certainly do, and I get that escape through reading—and writing—stories with as much separation from everyday reality as possible. In my latest release, Lord Bellweather’s Lady, I’m three steps away from everyday life. 1) It’s fiction, 2) It takes place two hundred years ago, and 3) There are magical creatures!

Escape doesn’t mean unpleasant or frightening things don’t happen to people in my books—they do—but it means there’s always a happy ending. At the beginning of Lord Bellweather’s Lady, Augusta Furlough is given a really horrible ultimatum by her vile brother: either marry a diseased libertine or be committed to an insane asylum. Not good options, so Augusta decides to run away to the fairies instead—which isn’t an ideal fate, but it’s way better than what her brother tries to force on her.

Even better is being rescued by a rich, handsome lord…or is it? For all is not what it seems, and more important, he’s not quite what he seems, either.

One of the fun things about writing three steps away from reality is that I get to read up on superstitions and decide which ones to use as they are and which to tweak for my own purposes.

For example, angry fairies are believed to inflict revenge by way of plagues of insects, and although they don’t do this in real life, in my story, they actually do. Augusta’s brother richly deserves being tormented by bedbugs (although it’s not fair to his servants, who have a lot of work getting rid of the bugs). On the other hand, fairies were often blamed for illnesses. In the village where Augusta lives, there is an epidemic of infantile paralysis (an old-fashioned name for polio). The superstitious villagers blame the fairies for this, which is completely unfair.

I also got to learn about unusual kinds of fairies. Have you ever heard of a buttery spirit? Such a strange name—it sounds like a creature smeared in butter! But it’s actually the household version of a fairy that originally lived in the buttery of a monastery, which was a cellar for storing food and beverages. These fairies were believed to take food from the idle, the gluttonous, and those who had ill-gotten gains. However, my buttery spirits are merely fairies who expect an ample share of the household food. If they receive it, they are content and often helpful; if not, they can be quite vengeful.

I played with other superstitions, too, but you’ll have to read the story to learn about them. I did my best to be fair to the fairies and hope I didn’t offend any of them along the way. 😉

About the Book: How does a lady escape a fate worse than death? She runs away to the fairies…

When Augusta Furlough flees her vile brother to plead with the fairies to take her in, she’s rescued by a handsome stranger on a huge, dark charger, and whisked away to his home. Grateful but suspicious of his motives, she’s determined to leave and try the fairies once again.

Lord Bellweather, the half-human liaison with the fairies, spent most of his youth in their realm. Now he’s taking his place in the human world and must adapt to its peculiar customs. What better prospect for marriage than a delightful lady who understands human society and also believes in fairies?

But it’s not that simple, for Augusta is branded a madwoman, and Bellweather is also part hellhound, a ferocious otherworldly beast with which not even a desperate madwoman could fall in love.

About the Author: USA Today bestselling author Barbara Monajem wrote her first story at eight years old about apple tree gnomes. After publishing a children’s middle-grade fantasy, she settled on historical mysteries and romances with intrepid heroines and long-suffering heroes (or vice versa). Often there’s bit of fantasy mixed in, because she wants to avoid reality as much as possible.

Barbara used to have two items on her bucket list: to make asparagus pudding and to succeed at knitting socks. She managed the first (don’t ask) but doubts she’ll ever accomplish the second. This is not a bid for immortality but merely the dismal truth. She lives near Atlanta with an ever-shifting population of relatives, friends, and feline strays. Learn more at www.BarbaraMonajem.com.

Social media links:

Website: http://www.BarbaraMonajem.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barbara.monajem

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbaraMonajem

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/barbara-monajem

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3270624.Barbara_Monajem

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbaramonajem/

Buy links:

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Bellweathers-Lady-Magical-Regency-ebook/dp/B08HSHKYBM

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lord-Bellweathers-Lady-Magical-Regency-ebook/dp/B08HSHKYBM

Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/Lord-Bellweathers-Lady-Magical-Regency-ebook/dp/B08HSHKYBM

Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Lord-Bellweathers-Lady-Magical-Regency-ebook/dp/B08HSHKYBM