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The Chronicles of Alcinia - Book Tour and Giveaway

10/12/2020

67 Comments

 
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The King's Daughter
The Chronicles of Alcinia Book 1
by Miriam Newman
Genre: Fantasy Historical Romance 

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Born to a dying queen and an ambitious king, Tarabenthia is heir to the crown of Alcinia.
Yet when the idyll of her childhood ends she will defy her father, tipping the balance in a world poised on the brink of destruction and leaving history to judge whether she is heroine or harlot.
In a time of war, what would you surrender in the name of love?



Goodreads * Amazon ​

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​There was only one direction I could look and that was down the road where we had just come. Now someone else was coming straight up the middle so that people scattered like chickens. A young, unhelmeted Omani trooper was riding down that road on a fine long- legged gray horse, bawling in a voice which did not doubt its own authority. Though I couldn’t hear the words, I knew what he was saying—troops were coming and he wanted the way cleared NOW.
I couldn’t clear the road. I was chained in it and knew my peril. There was a curve in that road and by the time they saw me, it would be too late. My only hope was that Frado would unfasten the manacles and push me off the road and for a fraction of a second I actually thought he might do it, if only to avoid trouble with the Army. He got free of a woman who had been throwing melons at his head when she ran for her life and came back beside me, but he was still in a fury and it was only to punch me in the face.
I heard the gray horse score the cobblestones, launching into a full charge.
Sparks flew where his metal shoes beat on the stones as he came like evil incarnate, bears pinned and teeth bared, head snaking as he went straight for Frado. Fat as he was, Frado could by no means get over the wall on my side of the street and started to trundle to the other side and, with that, the horse was on him. He was obviously a well-trained cavalry mount and I thought the rider meant to let him savage his target.
But at the last moment the trooper swung his horse just enough to clear Frado, jerked his foot from the stirrup and kicked the slaver squarely in the back at a speed just under that of a battle charge. The force was so great that it picked up that mountain of a man like a doll and deposited him face down near the opposite side of the street.
My vision had taken on the preternatural sharpness that precedes seeing nothing and I saw in heart-stopping detail the first of what seemed like a hundred horses coming around the curve at a fast canter. If I had been in better condition, I would have wondered why a number like that was coming at such speed through a country at peace, but just then I was in no condition to care. I lay there like something thrown on the midden heap.
That point man didn’t have the job, though, because he was slow or stupid. I heard the noise of his horse coming back and saw a boy no older than myself with a shining mane of chestnut hair already drop‐ ping from his trotting mount and running towards me with the horse close behind. With no time to spare, he clucked his horse over me in the position a war horse takes to shield a fallen rider, dropped the reins and threw himself on top of me. He was protecting me with his body, arms curled over my head, pulling my face into his chest, so I saw little of what followed, but I heard it: the tremendous din of all those horseshoes, riders cursing, horses snorting in surprise, and the squealing and kicking of the horse over top of us.
That boy was holding me like a lover and I could feel from his involuntary shudders that he was inches from death, but he never moved and neither did his horse. The troopers didn’t want to kill their own man and horses listen to each other better than they do to us, so between the efforts of riders and the violence of the gray horse trying to save his rider the line shifted and passed and I was still alive.



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Heart of the Earth
The Chronicles of Alcinia Book 2

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Robbed of her husband by the arrows of assassins, Tia must flee to the Northern Prince who has always wanted her. But the price of Hilgi’s protection is too high. Separated from her land and her Goddess, can Tia find a way to return to them and to a love that may redeem her?

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Goodreads * Amazon ​


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There is a place between life and death where our loved ones dwell, trapped or perhaps assigned. I know, for I have seen it.

There was much left unsaid between us and perhaps that is why I first saw the shade of my father. What can be said between a King who barters his daughter and a daughter who seeks to overthrow her father? It was the same with us in that place as it had been in life and the ghost of my father did not speak.
Mother was there, too, a pale remnant of the Queen whose poor tortured heart failed her on the night Tumagis defeated the men of Alcinia at Landsfel.
The one person I did not see was Sergius. Of course, my husband had not worshipped the Goddess of Alcinia but his own Omani gods, yet I do not think that was the reason. In my heart, I believe he had gone to Arianya. I was the wife of his middle years and the one who gave him children. She was the wife of his youth...his first love. Even at his graveside, I had whispered to her spirit to care for him, and I think that she came to Sergius Magistri. ​
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Ice Maiden
The Chronicles of Alcinia Book 3

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When a simple farm girl attracts the notice of the King’s half brother, it leads to a dazzling world of privilege, intrigue, war and passion.


Goodreads * Amazon ​

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​THE DAWN CAME, and we lived. When at last we could hear nothing more and our curiosity became unbearable, we unbarred the door. To my great relief, Trygg was there and came back in, unhurt, hunting for his bone. Otherwise, I saw nothing...no one.
Emalda stepped outside, cautiously. By unspoken agreement, she had become our leader. Watching through the partially opened door, I saw her reconnoiter carefully, at no great distance from us. Eventually, she turned and waved us out.
There was not much to see. A couple of bodies with arrows sticking out, not pleasant, but I had seen many dead animals in my time. I did not know whose they were and didn’t seek to know. There was nothing to be done for them, no matter who they were.
Snow lay on the ground. It was only first snow, a taste of winter, but enough to let us follow churned-up prints and splotches of blood down the slope towards the beach. That was where our men had made their stand. I saw that the ships that had brought us supplies had been roped together to make a great floating platform and put out to sea away from the beach to intercept ships coming in. A second line— of men—seemed to have been deployed on the beach. There were bodies there and in the water with more washing up, and a few ships half sunk in the tide, their sails burned. Everything smelled charred.
There were Havacians and Omanis on the beach, helping the injured—ours, at least. If they were Armatican, that was their last dawn. No one would bring them to us for care.
My lord was easy to spot. He was taller even than most Havacians, and he was unhelmeted. I wondered with a sense of exasperation if he had even bothered to shield his head. That man was born for battle. Probably he had enjoyed it. Son of a general indeed. Now I believed it.
Regardless, I went down to him through small hummocks of bodies and battle gear strewn across snow and sand. All of the women were looking for their men, and now I was one of them.
He was flushed with cold and battle fever, still carrying a gory sword that he plunged into the snow as though cleaning it, but he was not. He didn’t want me to see the blood, but I caught his distinct look of victory touching on defiance as he did it. He was what he was, that look said. Take it or leave it.
This now blood-drenched island was not what I had ever envisioned as a home. He was not the man I’d thought of in my dreams. I had never had much time for dreams, anyway, and I wouldn’t now— there was going to be too much work to do. But I thought now I would do it with him.



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Fantasy poetry driven by myths and legends has been my passion for as long as I can remember. I was published in poetry before catching the romance writing bug. I bring that background to my writing along with a lifelong addiction to horses, an 18 year career in various areas of psychiatric social services and many trips to Ireland, where I nurture my muse. My published works range from contemporary fantasy romance to fantasy historical, futuristic, science fiction and historical romance. Currently I live in rural Pennsylvania with a "motley crew" of rescue animals.


Website * Facebook * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads ​

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Behind the Scenes of The Chronicles of Alcinia

Book I of this trilogy, The King’s Daughter, first came in a dream. It was a very persistent dream of a man who resembled a Roman general saving a girl in a slave market. I had literally NO idea where that originated. At the time, I was a busy social worker with a husband and five stepchildren. I wrote and published poetry because it didn’t take as long as writing a book. I didn’t have the time required to write a novel, though somehow I always knew I would.

Then, tragically, I had time. My husband died and the children were on their own. And I kept having that dream. I had life insurance I could have used for some sensible purpose—a down payment, additional education, things most people do. Or, I could buy a plane ticket to Ireland, where I didn’t know a soul, and go over there and write a book.

If you’re reading this, you know what I did. The King’s Daughter was written in bed and breakfast rooms, pubs, on the Cliffs of Moher, in Killarney National Park while feeding the swans, and in one particularly spectacular sheep pasture with a view of the ocean. I wrote longhand on the ubiquitous yellow lined legal pads you can get everywhere—thousands of words in longhand. Ireland reached down into one side of my family roots and dragged that book right out of me. I came back to the States and the first publisher to read the full manuscript took it.

I began the sequel, Heart of the Earth, immediately upon returning. It was only some years later that I wrote Ice Maiden in answer to readers who kept asking me, “What happened to Tia’s son?” Now all three books have reverted to me and I have published them in both print and ebook. They can be purchased individually or as a set. They are dramatic books, set against scenes of war and deprivation but also a truly memorable love. One of my reviewers said it best, “These books are about love, not romance.”


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67 Comments
Mya Murphy
10/12/2020 03:22:02 am

The covers are super stunning!!

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Miriam Newman link
10/12/2020 07:04:56 am

Thanks so much, Mya. That means a lot, because these books are literally my creations. I chose the cover models and backgrounds, then a designer chosen by my web designer put them together for me. I was thrilled.

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Bea LaRocca
10/12/2020 03:59:18 am

The book covers are lovely and the excerpts intriguing, this sounds like an epic series! Thank you for sharing your guest post and book details and for offering a giveaway, I am looking forward to reading your stories

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Miriam Newman link
10/12/2020 07:06:58 am

It truly is an epic, probably my favorite of the books I have written--my heart book. It is set against a background of war and political intrigue, so it is not a typical romance but actually a bit of women's fiction, in a sense, since it chronicles the entirety of a woman's life. I felt this character, to my bones.

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Miriam Newman link
10/12/2020 07:07:49 am

Thank you, Silver Dagger, for hosting. You have done a wonderful job!

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zarah
10/12/2020 08:13:16 am

The last cover is my personal favorite.

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Miriam Newman link
10/12/2020 10:49:06 am

Thank you! Another of my friends really loves that one.

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James Robert
10/12/2020 08:31:39 am

Another great book to discover. Thanks so much for sharing this with us.

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Wendy Jensen
10/12/2020 10:57:37 am

Great book covers.

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Rita Wray
10/12/2020 12:04:10 pm

The books sound great.

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Victoria Alexander
10/12/2020 01:33:24 pm

Sounds like a great series!

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Elaine G
10/12/2020 02:43:44 pm

These sound really good. Thanks for sharing the excerpts.

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wendy hutton
10/12/2020 03:17:57 pm

great covers, these sounds like interesting book

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Amy F
10/12/2020 03:30:41 pm

Sounds like a great romance read.

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Miriam Newman link
10/12/2020 04:34:36 pm

Thank you, Amy. This one has a track record. It has received coveted awards from Romance Junkies and Coffee Times Romance, was a top-five finisher in the Preditors and Editors poll for its year of publication, and has many reviews on the internet. This will be its last appearance.

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Sherry
10/12/2020 05:20:43 pm

The books sound very good.

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Calvin
10/12/2020 07:07:01 pm

Sounds like an exciting romance book!

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Debbie P
10/12/2020 11:08:09 pm

This sounds like a really good read.

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Michele Soyer
10/13/2020 06:43:02 am

Love all the covers but Ice Maiden is my favorite..Best of luck and thank you...

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Miriam Newma link
10/13/2020 11:04:46 am

Wow, the votes seem to be in and Ice Maiden is it. Thanks!

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Jon Heil
10/13/2020 01:45:03 pm

Looks good and winter is coming!

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Miriam Newman link
10/13/2020 02:33:10 pm

Yes, it is! A good time to curl up with a good long book and this is one.

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Bernie Wallace
10/13/2020 03:48:09 pm

How long did it take you to write your book?

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Miriam Newman link
10/13/2020 05:39:41 pm

Bernie, it took about three months for each of the first two books and probably somewhat less for Ice Maiden, which is the shortest book. Those first two came out like something on fire.

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Susan Smith
10/13/2020 05:32:33 pm

Sounds like a great book. I like the cover.

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Marcy Meyer
10/14/2020 09:44:20 am

The covers look great.

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Julie Lundstrom
10/14/2020 04:22:46 pm

I like the cover of this book.

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Julie Waldron
10/15/2020 02:52:14 pm

Great covers! My favorite it Ice Maiden.

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Terri Quick
10/15/2020 07:43:54 pm

Pretty cover. I love her hair color.

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Miriam Newman link
10/16/2020 01:27:07 am

Me, too! It's the hair I always wanted. LOL

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athena graeme
10/16/2020 10:14:21 am

I love the cover, she's got great eyes.

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Miriam Newman link
10/16/2020 12:30:24 pm

I agree. She's very intense. This book is as much epic fantasy as it is romance and she really fit the bill of the character, a young girl initially caught up in the brutality of war in Book I.

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Laura Rubenstein
10/16/2020 02:53:58 pm

I really like this cover

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Erin Madigan
10/16/2020 03:24:51 pm

What a great cover! The book sounds interesting!

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Lisa Ellison
10/16/2020 03:44:19 pm

I like the cover and the book sounds interesting!

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Miriam Newman link
10/16/2020 06:09:46 pm

Oh, goodness. Someone on another thread just took me back to my childhood reminding me of my Russian grandmother's story of Baba Yaga. I had not thought of that one in years. What a great memory. Baba Yaga is pretty much the Russian version of Hansel and Gretel about a wicked witch who lives in a house that spins around on chicken legs, trapping its victims inside. I must have had nerves of steel even then, because in the other ear my mother--her daughter--was reading me the poem "The Skeleton in Armor," and should I even mention my Irish Nana reading me "Deirdre of the Sorrows?" You will get happier endings in my books...eventually. LOL. I am still chuckling at the memories.

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Dave Gibb
10/16/2020 08:10:22 pm

wow the cover looks great .

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Heather Mahley
10/18/2020 03:52:39 pm

wonderful cover

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Miriam Newman link
10/18/2020 04:47:13 pm

Thank you, Dave and Heather. Interestingly, The King's Daughter and my book about the Norman invasion of England, The Comet, have been the ones men liked.

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jan
10/18/2020 06:29:50 pm

And the 'eyes' have it!

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Miriam Newman link
10/18/2020 10:32:17 pm

LOL.

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Mary Cloud
10/20/2020 05:25:18 pm

The covers are nice - thanks for sharing

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Miriam Newman link
10/20/2020 06:59:54 pm

Thank you, Mary.

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Robin Abrams
10/21/2020 11:30:32 am

I think this cover looks great

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bn100
10/21/2020 04:56:44 pm

nice excerpt

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Brandi Dawn
10/21/2020 05:37:28 pm

I like the covers. Her eyes are intriguing.

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Miriam Newman link
10/21/2020 09:10:16 pm

Thanks, everyone. It's interesting that so many people like the first cover. My first beta reader thought maybe it was not sufficiently "romance," but I stayed with it because this isn't a traditional romance but rather a historic setting (even if fantasy) and my character experiences some tragic moments early on. They help to make her the woman she becomes.

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Kelly D
10/22/2020 03:35:53 pm

I like the covers, they are pretty.

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Dawn Keenan
10/29/2020 02:54:30 pm

I love the expression on her face on the cover.

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Miriam Newman link
10/29/2020 06:20:35 pm

Thanks, Dawn. I do, too. It portrayed very well what was happening in her life in Book I.

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Laurie Nykaza
11/1/2020 01:04:35 am

Love the cover and would like to read it too.

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sam m
11/3/2020 03:21:54 pm

I think the people on the cover are looking at me 0.0 I love it! Its already connected me to these books.

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Miriam Newman link
11/3/2020 03:32:12 pm

What a great thought!

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Daniel M
11/5/2020 06:10:57 pm

like the covers

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Elizabeth H.
11/8/2020 08:56:41 pm

The covers are beautiful. I think it's so cool that the idea for Book 1 came to you in a dream!

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Miriam Newman link
11/9/2020 01:12:29 am

Thank you, Elizabeth. It was pretty cool, actually. I think my brain just works overtime! It has happened again since then, too.

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Nina
11/9/2020 01:26:29 pm

Great covers. Sounds awesome! :)

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Miriam Newman link
11/9/2020 07:59:03 pm

Thank you, Nina. I loved designing these covers with a cover artist. Basically I selected the models and background, then the artist produced them with the appropriate font and spacing. You can do that when you self publish and it was a lot of fun. They did a really nice job.

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latisha depoortere
11/9/2020 04:11:54 pm

This sounds like a great book!

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Stephanie Liske
11/9/2020 11:29:56 pm

I like the covers.

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Sarah L
11/10/2020 01:31:56 am

Looks like interesting books.
Thanks for the contest. 

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Francine Anchondo
11/12/2020 10:46:48 am

I love the cover

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jose rosado
11/12/2020 12:37:20 pm

What do you think of the books or the covers?

all 3 covers are very cool

THX

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Miriam Newman link
11/12/2020 01:07:27 pm

Thanks, Jose. Since these books are self published now, I was able to choose the models and background, then a cover designer put them together. Since all are first person books told by the female character, I thought it was appropriate to show them, but the books are also the stories of the men they loved. This is my favorite of all my series, now being made available for the last time, and I will miss them. I truly love these books.

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Stacey A Smith
11/12/2020 09:15:41 pm

the covers are cool looking.

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Jerry Marquardt
11/12/2020 11:03:31 pm

I would like to give thanks for all your really great writings, including The Chronicles of Alcinia, and wishing the best in keeping up the good work in the future.

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Miriam Newman link
11/13/2020 01:56:38 am

Thank you, Stacey and Jerry. Next year I'll be returning to one of my favorite historical periods, the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, for two books--Flame of Normandy and Clothilde. I hope to see some of you again then.

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