Talk About My Favorite Authors: Minnette Meador tells all about Centurion Series

Today though I'm very late in posting this I have romance author Minnette Meador is guesting blogging about her Centurion series on TAMFA. Though I interviewed Minnette here on Tuesday, September 1, I also interviewed Minnette live on my second episode of my live podcast show, TAMFA—Phoebe Jordan, hosted on Blog Talk Radio on July 14. Also I'm going to be reading and reviewing the first two books of her Centurion series, The Centurion & the Queen and The Edge of Honor, which you should keep a look out for the review I will post soon. Now on to Minnette's guest blog.

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The Centurion & The Queen came as a dream after seeing a special on Boudicca, the Celtic queen who stood up against the Romans sixteen years after their invasion of Britannia. I started it as a writing class project, but it quickly took on a life of its own. I wrote the first book in about 10 weeks. I sent it to four different publishers, one I already had other books published with, two eBook publisher in romance, and Kensington Zebra. I received offers from two and a request for a full from Kensington. After eighteen weeks, Kensington said they were going to take a pass, so I chose to go with Resplendence Publishing, and have never looked back. It has been an amazing journey. The Edge of Honor is a direct sequel to Centurion about the aftermath of the Boudicca revolt and was a natural. The Romans were brutal to the Celts after the revolt, so I wanted to see how my hero and heroine would handle it. I have several more books planned for the series, but the next one is called The Gladiator Prince. In Edge Delia meets a gladiator who is the last surviving prince of a tribe annihilated by the Romans after the revolt. He was enslaved and trained to be a gladiator in Britannia. When he finds out his two daughters have been taken in a slaver raid, he kidnaps the spoiled daughter of his master and forces her to take him to Rome to find them. I have two additional novels featuring Aelius and Glenys from Centurion and another featuring Evyn and Kuna’s sister. Gladiator is planned for the first part of next year after I get some other deadlines met. Below are blurbs about each book and a small excerpt for the first two. Enjoy! Minnette THE CENTURION SERIES… THE CENTURION & THE QUEEN $ 6.50 (Book 1)(170 Pages):

The Centurion & the Queen by Minnette Meador

Marius is disciplined, precise, as cold as his armor. A twenty-five year veteran, he is dedicated to the principles of Rome. No one had ever dared to challenge his command. Delia is a Briton queen, struggling to save her dying people; fighting to lead in a world dominated by savage men. The last thing she expects was to feel her body craving the touch of an enemy. The revolution sparked their desire, then ripped her from his arms. They found themselves on opposing sides, in love, and unable to stop the future. EXCERPT: The trunk lid cracked opened a half hour later, two eyes peered from the miniscule opening. Delia was grateful the hinges did not squeak when she lifted it the rest of the way. She carefully extracted herself from the cramped space, careful not to make a sound. It took her several minutes to get the feeling back into her legs and arms. She studied the slit she had cut into the leather tent wall with the sharp Roman knife. It was barely discernable. While Delia huddled, she watched the shadow rise and fall from the high bed. She could barely make out his rugged face, the ruffled mane of salt and pepper hair in what little light spilled from the entrance. The wait and the cool air had taken the edge off her resolve, but her head was still spiraling with feelings her rationale was having a hard time grappling with. She did not even consider being caught; the madness making her fearless. The unreasoning fury that dominated every sense was mysterious and frightening. It had become almost an entity in itself, fueled by crushed desires, fear, and exhaustion. The delirium seemed to consume every thought, every feeling, every emotion until it left her empty inside. It had not grown from the confusion that left her sick and disoriented; it was not from the thrill, the longing, the fear—the contempt that this man had touched her. It was not even from the disgust that a Roman had tried to violate her, not once, but twice in as many days. None of those things mattered. Delia rose and crossed in a daze to the bed, lifting the knife to grimace at it, as if the dagger were a friend and yet a stranger. The dichotomy sent her head spinning. The fury inside her came from knowing that she loved him, had completely surrendered her life to his touch, and would do so again—in a pounding heartbeat. That was what she could not forgive. That was what her enraged mind clung to when she raised the knife, and saw not only Marius’ face, but that of her brother, both of them intertwined in the Gods’ sick, twisted joke. They were the same...were they not? Marius had to die. It was the only way to justify what she had done...what she had allowed. As the rage took over her mind, Delia’s felt her face tilt a little to the right and she lifted the long dagger above her head. Whether she meant it to or not, a small moan escaped her lips and she brought the knife down.

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THE EDGE OF HONOR: $ 6.50 (Sequel to The Centurion & The Queen)(Book 2)(189 Pages)

The Boudicca revolt has been squelched, the tribes of the Iceni and the Trinovantes have been exterminated by the Roman Governor of Britannia, Suetonius. He has sworn his revenge on the remaining tribes for the Celtic insolence. Marius gave up his allegiance to Rome for the woman he loves, but now must fight to save her dying people. In the end, it may be more than their love or their lives they lose. EXCERPT: The ex-centurion knew if the Romans caught him, he was dead. Marius felt the horse strain under his thighs. The animal’s head split the air in front of them. Wind roared, mingling with the pounding of Marius’ heart and the jolting rumble of hooves against the forest floor. Blood flowed from a throbbing wound on his shoulder and spattered behind him, staining the horse’s rump. He tightened his grip on the reins, bowing his head low over the animal’s neck. The smell of horseflesh was stringent in his nose. A grim thought flashed through his mind. He may never hold Delia again. Marius’ throat tightened. He dug his heels into Brutus and forced him to move faster. He would make it up to the horse later, if he survived. The forest blurred around him. Brown, green, branches growing like twisted mirages charging at him out of the foggy morning. He dodged them, sometimes successfully–sometimes not. His head and good shoulder ached where they sliced him. The movement of the horse’s massive leg muscles deadened his thighs, making it difficult to manipulate the beast. Despite the speed, Brutus knew his master well and needed little guidance. Marius missed the Roman armor he had worn for twenty-five years, but the Celtic clothes gave him more freedom to manage the animal. He was slowly adjusting to being a citizen—very slowly. Risking another glimpse over his shoulder, Marius saw nothing but the trees receding. The sound of jangling Roman horse tack, the shouts of Latin curses, and the frustrated bellows of General Suetonius had also faded. If he was lucky, the soldiers followed him into the woods, giving the refugees a chance to escape the blades or manacles of the governor’s revenge. A wave of satisfaction sent a bemused smile across his face knowing they had once again out maneuvered the general. Except for the unexpected pila that grazed his arm, he had done well. If they did not catch him, he would count this a success. When it was safe, Marius stopped and examined the wound, wincing when the gap opened a little wider beneath his fingers. It would need a surgeon’s needle to close it properly. Delia was going to be furious. He could almost hear her voice: Not ONLY have your ruined the shirt I made for you, but they could have killed you. You have to be more careful! I will not raise this child on my own. Do you understand me? Even seven months pregnant, Delia was still a fortune of fire, a passion of untamed spirit. Marius sighed. This would not improve her mood and another fight was inevitable. He some-times forgot Delia was a Briton queen and leader of the Corieltauvi tribe. This always made their relationship interesting. “You are going to have to be faster than that, liberatio.” Marius drew his sword, forcing Brutus to rear onto his back legs when the voice bounced against the trees to his right. The armored figure emerged from the forest with seven Roman soldiers at his back. Marius swore.

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UPCOMING RELEASES IN THE SERIES (2010): The Gladiator Prince (Book 3) Thane is the last Trinovantes’ Celtic Prince. He fought for Celtic Britannia at the side of Queen Boudicca against the Romans, but in the devastating failure that followed, he surrendered to the manacles of a common gladiator to save his two young daughters from slavery. Marched as a prize trophy before Nero and a shouting throng of thousands in Rome, Thane swore he would win his freedom to see his daughters again. Now back in Britannia and fighting in the arena for the Roman elite, Thane receives news that his daughters have been taken in a slaver’s raid and transported to Rome. In the dead of night, he escapes the gladiator compound and kidnaps his master’s beautiful daughter Lilith to guide him to Rome to find them. What they find instead will change the course of their lives…and the history of Britannia forever. You can find out more about me by going to my website, blog , Myspace, Facebook, Bebo Site, Coffeetime Romance, Manic Readers Author Site, The Romance Studio, Gather, Redroom, Author Nation and Rome-antics Yahoo! Group .

2 comments:

Sheila DeethFriday, September 4, 2009 at 1:55:00 AM EDT
I'm looking forward to the Gladiator Prince. I was hooked on Boudicca right from when I first heard of her. What English schoolgirl could fail to be?
Minnette MeadorFriday, September 4, 2009 at 9:55:00 AM EDT
Thanks, Shiela. I think Gladiator is going to be a lot of fun to write and I'm looking forward to it. I love to write about ancient Rome! M:o)

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