HAND OF THE GODS

February 08, 2024

HAND OF THE GODS

by Miriam Newman

GENRE: Historical Fantasy Romance

Those who survived the Battle of Grandfather Mountain are said to be in the Hand of the Gods. No one will need that more than Sange, sister of Arak clan chieftain Javrik. Drawn to Arman Garimandi, the Omani cavalry officer who saved her people during the siege, she shocks her family by marrying him despite her brother's caution that someday he will break her heart. Blindly in love, she follows Arman to two different forts where he is ordered. At the first, danger comes unexpectedly in the form of another woman And at the second, she finds herself an unwitting pawn--possibly even a prisoner--between two powerful nations.

Enjoy an Excerpt:

“Come on,” he said to Sange. “I think Javrik has nearly gotten that loom done. What do you do next?”

He didn’t care, but he knew she did and it might make ordering her back more palatable.

“Boil the pods,” she replied happily. “That’s when the silk comes out. We’ll pull it with combs and put it on the spinner he built.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Then we put it in hanks and leave it to dry. I’ll dye it later. Muti Ani sent me dye.”

“Dry the pods a little,” Sarai suggested. “I’ll fry them with some fatback.”

That got Arman‟s straying attention. “You what?”

“Fry them,” she said. “With fatback. It makes them crunchy.”

“Aren’t those things worms?”

“Well, yes,” Sarai said, looking at him quizzically. “But they’re dead. We boil them first.”

“But they’re worms.”

“But they’re dead.”

Well, he had heard Araks ate anything and he’d had some exposure to a few of their delicacies. Sheep testicles and muzzle meat came to mind, but he drew the line at worms, in any condition.

“They’re good,” Sange added. “You can put them in stew, but it’s too hot right now. They’ll be better the other way.”

“No thanks,” Arman said.

“Children love them,” she replied. “They will be a treat for Noa.”

“Get’em started young,” he muttered.

“What?”

“I said...yes, I guess he’ll like them.”

“We don’t much like your fish paste, either,” Sarai informed him.

“Well, but that’s fish.”

“It’s rotten. It stinks.”

Oh, the gods. Worms and rotten, stinking fish. He glanced at Noa, riding in front of his mother. She held him in one arm, handling the reins with the other.

Touching one heel to his horse, he put him into a jog, not even trotting. That should be safe enough.

Beside him, both women—riding bareback—cantered their horses past, laughing, horseshoes glittering in the sun.

Some days, it was hard to remember who was in charge.

About the Author:

I fell in love long ago with fantasy poetry driven by myths and legends, as well as stories of heroes and battles. Ancient Celtic writings were my special passion, along with the Roman Empire, Roman Britain, the Norman invasion of England, and tales of the Vikings. My first book emerged when I was an...ahem...youthful 52. Well, I’m not 52 any more and up to 34 books and it’s been a great run.

Retired from many years in social work, now I pass my days writing, researching and living with a pack of highly demanding rescue dogs. I write in every genre I please and you can see my books at www.miriamnewman.com.

Q&A With the Author

What was your inspiration for writing this book?
That is actually an easy question to answer. Hand of the Gods is Book 2 in my historical fantasy series, The Sahra Chronicles. Those, in turn, are a spinoff from my award-winning books The Chronicles of Alcinia. A family saga set in ancient lands with a touch of fantasy, it traces the destiny of descendants of the original characters. All can be read as stand alone books, but in terms of writing them, the continuity made them easy to write.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I quite unexpectedly fell in love with my main characters, Arman and Sange, in Book I, Light of the Gods. I thought I was writing them, but they were writing me.

Do you have any other books you are working on that you can tell us about?
I am now writing Book V in the series, Will of the Gods, which will probably be the conclusion of the series. But since I often write two completely different books at a time—a quirk I can’t explain—I’m also really enjoying a post-WWII historical with strong elements of romance and women’s fiction. I am so enjoying that one because it’s a total change of pace.

Can you tell us about what you have planned for the future?
Well, I sort of gave that one away in the preceding section, didn’t I? LOL. My historical/women’s fiction/romance has no title as yet, I’m still waiting for it to name itself, but that’s the future.

Anything more you would like to say to your readers and fans?
I can only tell you that knowing one of my books carried away a reader is the reason I write. Probably the nicest thing a reviewer ever said was that she got so deep into the book that she was living in it. Frankly, I feel the same way when I’m writing. It’s a joy I think we totally need. I hope I have brought that to readers. Comments and reviews are always welcome and mean a great deal.