If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.
-Rudyard Kipling
J.C. Wade’s completed historical fiction, action/adventure, slow burn romance trilogy is set during the first wars for Scottish independence.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 6, 2022
I absolutely loved reading this book! The action and romance had me hooked. The integration of the historical context alongside the fictional storyline was quite impressive and made the book all the more exciting to read. I highly recommend! —sdsad
“A country without a past has the emptiness of a barren continent, and a city without old buildings is like a man without a memory.”
Winter’s Handmaiden
Publication Date: May 7, 2024
Q: What is Winter’s Handmaiden about?
A: This story is a high fantasy epic adventure focused on Celtic Mythology.
Maryn, a modern-day archeologist, finds a bog body during a routine dig. On this body is an artifact of the most curious workmanship. On her way back to the mainland, artifact in tow, Maryn is suddenly and terrifyingly pulled back in time. She wakes to find herself under a Fairy Dun belonging to none other than the Goddess of Winter, Cailleach.
What follows is a fast paced, action packed, epic adventure wherein our plucky heroine must solve a mystery if she has any hope of being returned to her own time.
Q: How do I order Winter’s Handmaiden?
A: Winter’s Handmaiden is LIVE. You can order copies (both ebook and physical copies from any book provider.
There is no such thing as a secret kept, so long as the bearers live and breathe.
--England 1296-- Losing her mother to the witch’s noose -and her father to those who placed her there- Lady Edyth DeVries flees for her life into the wilds of Scotland. With all her hopes pinned upon reuniting with the only family left to her, Edyth is tormented as a keeper of a dangerous secret -one that she is only just beginning to unravel. As King Edward I of England dismantles loyalties and spills innocent blood, Edyth traverses the deadly landscape with little hope of success. On all sides bitter conflict looms yet help comes from an unlikely source. But can Edyth trust Ewan, the heroic, young Scots knight with her secret -or with her heart?
The Fate of Our Sorrows
This prequel novella is now available through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing.
“I had a dream,” said Edyth, staring at the dust motes floating in the sun-drenched room. “There was a great fire. The ash floated in the air and blanketed the ground like snow.”
Carlisle, England
-1287-
Nine year old Edyth De Vries does not know she’s different. She does not yet understand what fate has in store for her. But after a terrifying nightmare becomes a reality, she questions who she is, and what her visions could mean.
Join Edyth in this prequel novella to its companion piece, The White Witch’s Daughter, as she navigates the complexities of self-discovery, only nine short years before her life takes a most devastating turn.
BOOK 2: A Conjuring of Valor
Scotland 1296:
In the village of Perthshire, Edyth Ruthven finds that life as the new mistress of the household is not as comfortable as she’d hoped. Rejected by her husband’s peole as an outside with a dangerous reputation, Edyth struggles to make a place for herself amid the rampant rumors of her past.
What’s more, Edyth struggles to make sense of her nightmares, forewarning of a deadly event fast aproaching. When her only friend and good sister Caitriona is forced into an arranged marriage, the full weight of a divided and prejudiced people falls upon her shoulders.
Ewan, meanwhile, walks along the edge of a twin blade, forced to choose between loyalty to his own peole or to embrace the English King. When a nefarious sheriff is apppointed to their lands, the life of the Ruthvens had hoped for unravels before their very eyes, leaving them in a tangle of terrible machinations set forth by the wicked sheriff.
A Storm Summoned, Book 3
From twice nominated Whitney Award finalist, J.C. Wade, the thrilling true history of Scotland’s first fight for independence comes to life in this, the final installment of The White Witch’s Daughter trilogy.
1297 Scotland
A Storm is coming.
While England’s king conscripts Scotland’s sons for a war not of their making and his sheriffs tax and repress a burdened people, the seer Edyth Ruthven foretells of an uneasy future. Even as King Edward’s fist tightens around Scotland’s nobles, a whisper of rebellion spreads.
The world holds its breath as the very fabric of a divided kingdom is held together by conspiring men. Men who know well at what cost freedom is won. For Ewan and Edyth, life has taken a difficult and uncertain turn. But political machinations would be nothing if Edyth was not also navigating a difficult pregnancy.
Iain, meanwhile, is thrust into the midst of a treasonous act all while traversing a new and unwanted relationship. As Iain and his betrothed, Alice Stewart, work toward mutual compromise, their burgeoning relationship is put to the test.
Last, Cait, who has always craved action, learns that getting what you wish for is not always so sweet. With the escaped fugitive, Andrew Moray, in her new home, Cait no longer must listen at doors, but is she ready for what is surely to come?
With new alliances comes unfamiliar territory, thrusting the Ruthvens into treacherous waters. Can Ewan navigate his scattered family through the clashing swords and scheming hearts that pervade the political landscape? Can Edyth’s efforts keep her men alive and free?
Get lost in a time gone by.
FAQ
The following are frequently asked questions put to the author since the publication process began:
Q: Why Scotland?
A: Well, for starters, I’ve felt drawn to Scotland for as long as I can remember, most likely due to the fact that many, many of my ancestors lived and died there. My great-great grandparents immigrated from Scotland, in fact. One of their children is named Edith, which is one of the characters in the book. But aside from family ties, there’s something romantic about Scotland, isn’t there? I don’t know if it’s the kinship I feel for my own western heritage (gritty mountaineers and “do it for myselfers”), or if it’s Scottish people’s sheer tenacity. The country, as a whole, has been beaten to its knees so many times, and yet their fighting spirit lives on today. It’s very endearing.
Q: Where can I purchase this series?
A: Books 1- 3 are currently available anywhere you buy books online (Amazon, KOBO, Barnes & Noble, etc.). You can also request signed hard copies here. The Fate of our Sorrows is currently only available on Amazon or from me personally.
Q: Where did you get the idea for the story/why did you decide to write a book?
A: About 5 years ago, my husband and I moved to Atlanta, GA, where he took a civilian job, which he ended up hating. We were building a house with the expectation that I would find a teaching job quickly. Well, I didn’t. I was doing all I could to make ends meet (teaching two painting classes each week, running a preschool out of my home, and working part time at a local school. I was stressed and worried and felt like I should be doing more, but I didn’t know what.
At one point in this stressful time, I awoke in the middle of the night with the thought that I should try my hand at writing a book. I was a voracious reader, and I’d written for pleasure often in years past, but never had I thought to write an entire novel. The story premise came quickly (and the title), but over the next 5 years, the story took on a new shape entirely, which is bound to happen as life interferes. Job changes, babies, moving, medical issues, deaths…they all forced me to put the story on the back burner, to be picked up when life allowed, so it’s not unusual that my story changed along with me.
Q: What are you currently working on?
A: Winter’s Handmaiden is complete! It is currently sitting at 118k words. Publication for this high fantasy is set for May 7th, 2024. If you’re interested in being an ARC reader for this WIP, please shoot me an email.
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