The Dragon's Dove Chronicles by Kim Iverson Headlee Book Tour and Giveaway :)


Dawnflight 
The Dragon's Dove Chronicles Book 1 
by Kim Iverson Headlee 
Genre: Historical Fantasy


What if King Arthur’s queen was every bit as heroic as he was? Find out by immersing yourself in this epic story of the power couple whose courage and conviction would shape the destiny of a nation.

Gyan is a Caledonian chieftainess by birth, a warrior and leader of warriors by training, and she is betrothed to Urien, a son of her clan’s deadliest enemy, by right of Arthur the Pendragon’s conquest of her people. For the sake of peace, Gyan is willing to sacrifice everything...perhaps even her very life, if her foreboding about Urien proves true.

Roman by his father, Brytoni by his mother, and denied hereditary rulership of his mother's clan because of his mixed blood, Arthur has followed his father's path to become Dux Britanniarum, the Pendragon: supreme commander of the northern Brytoni army. The Caledonians, Scots, Saxons, and Angles keep him too busy to dwell upon his loneliness...most of the time.

When Gyan and Arthur meet, each recognize within the other their soul’s mate. The treaty has preserved Gyan’s ancient right to marry any man, providing he is a Brytoni nobleman—but Arthur does not qualify. And the ambitious Urien, Arthur’s greatest political rival, shall not be so easily denied. If Gyan and Arthur cannot prevent Urien from plunging the Caledonians and Brytons back into war, their love will be doomed to remain unfulfilled forever.

But there is an even greater threat looming. The Laird of the Scots wants their land and will kill all who stand in his way. Gyan, Arthur, and Urien must unite to defeat this merciless enemy who threatens everyone they hold dear. 


“I see her, Ogryvan. The Hag. There…by the fire.” He saw only Cynda, cradling at her breast the wee pink creature that was his infant daughter. The baby fed greedily, obviously unaware of anything save her primal need. Peredur stood at Cynda’s feet, gazing up at his half sister in wide-eyed wonder. Ogryvan beckoned to Cynda. Slowly, to avoid disturbing the bairn, she approached the bed. Little Peredur marched straight to his mother’s side. As Ogryvan drew the boy into the shelter of his arms, Peredur wriggled an arm free to reach for Hymar’s hand. Turning pain-hazed eyes upon him, Hymar summoned a sad smile for her firstborn. “Here is your Hag, Hymar,” Ogryvan replied as Cynda bent down with the baby. “What shall we name her?” Hymar’s face melted into joy as she beheld her daughter. “She is…my rarest song…Gyanhumara.” She raised her hand to touch the child. Gyanhumara’s tiny fist closed around her finger. Hymar sighed, smiling, eyes transfixed upon the infant. Her chest did not rise again.


Morning's Journey 
The Dragon's Dove Chronicles Book 2


“Magnificent.” ~ Kathleen Foley, author of the Faith in Uniform series

In a violent age when enemies besiege Brydein and alliances shift as swiftly as the wind, stand two remarkable leaders: the Caledonian warrior-queen Gyanhumara and her consort, Arthur the Pendragon. Their fiery love is tempered only by their conviction to forge unity between their disparate peoples. Arthur and Gyan must create an impenetrable front to protect Brydein and Caledonia from land-lusting Saxons and the marauding Angli raiders who may be massing forces in the east, near Arthur’s sister and those he has sworn to protect.

But their biggest threat is an enemy within: Urien, Arthur’s rival and the man Gyan was treaty-bound to marry until she broke that promise for Arthur’s love. When Urien becomes chieftain of his clan, his increase in wealth and power is matched only by the magnitude of his hatred of Arthur and Gyan—and his threat to their infant son.

Morning’s Journey, sequel to the critically acclaimed Dawnflight, propels the reader from the heights of triumph to the depths of despair, through the struggles of some of the most fascinating characters in all of Arthurian literature. Those struggles are exacerbated by the characters’ own flawed choices. Gyan and Arthur must learn that while extending forgiveness to others may be difficult, forgiveness of self is the most excruciating—yet ultimately the most healing—step of the entire journey. 



URIEN MAP Dumarec of Clan Moray of Dalriada watched the departure of the Argyll cavalry team through narrowed eyes. Overbearing Ogryvan and his pet, Peredur. Rhys the Rat. And youngest and smallest in stature but the biggest troublemaker of the lot, Angusel. To think he might have become kin-by-marriage to those Picti vermin. Well, Arthur could have the whole bloody lot. He rubbed the woad Picti betrothal tattoo encircling his left wrist, one bitter reminder of the woman who had broken that betrothal so she could marry Arthur. The other reminder he didn’t have to see. He felt its shameful sting whenever he wrinkled his brow. Reliving the fight soured his mood. He’d lost more than Gyanhumara at the point of Arthur’s sword. Arthur had removed him from command of the Manx Cohort—a thousand foot and horse—and recalled him here, to Caer Lugubalion, to lead the only all-horse cohort. This amounted to about the same number of soldiers, but the Manx unit because of its diversity had been a more challenging command and a logical stepping-stone to greater power. Now, Urien commanded a unit composed almost entirely of accursed Picts; of the eight alae, only First Ala’s roster contained Brytons. It wouldn’t surprise him to learn that Gyanhumara was agitating for Arthur to put one of her clansmen in command of the Horse Cohort. The bastard probably was itching for such an excuse to discharge Urien altogether. He considered resigning his commission; if he left the army, it damned well would be on his terms, not anyone else’s.


Raging Sea 
The Dragon's Dove Chronicles Book 3


Outcast, clanless, and but a junior officer in Arthur the Pendragon’s army, Angusel struggles to rebuild the life stolen from him through betrayal by the person he had held most dear. His legion allegiance thrusts him onto the campaign trail as one of Arthur’s forward scouts, stalking Angli troops and being among the first to clash with these vicious enemies at every turn. But the odds loom high against him and his sword-brothers, and they will need a miracle just to survive.

Pressured to make the best choice to ensure her clan’s future leadership, Eileann struggles with her feelings for Angusel, whose outcast status makes him forbidden to her as a mate. When Angli treachery threatens everyone she loves, she vows to thwart their violent plan to conquer her clan. But she is no warrior, she has no soldiers to command, and she will need a miracle just to survive.

How can one soldier make a difference? How can one woman save her kin and clan? In the crucible of combat, Angusel must surrender to the will of the gods, and Eileann must invoke divine power to forge the most dangerous warrior the world has ever known. 



Soldier Gawain map Loth,” Gyan said, her lips twitching into the barest of smiles, “front and center!” He squared his shoulders, puffed his chest, lifted his chin, and obeyed. As with the earlier award recipients, Arthur’s aide, Centurion Marcus, passed the ornament to Gyan while Centurion Rhys, Gyan’s clansman and aide, read the citation aloud in his lilting Caledonian accent: Soldier Gawain map Loth of Clan Lothian, Gododdin, Brydein is hereby awarded the Phalera Draconis for conspicuous bravery in battle to save the lives of Prefect Gyanhumara nic Hymar, Clan Argyll, Caledonia, and Optio Aonar, Third Turma, Manx Cohort. Without regard for his own safety, Soldier Gawain led a charge to engage a squad of Saxon royal bodyguards. His actions as a warrior and leader bought time for Optio Aonar to reenter the fray, and for Prefect Gyanhumara to kill Prince Ælferd, the Saxons’ leader, thus reversing the tide of battle.” You have my everlasting gratitude, nephew,” Gyan murmured beneath the troops’ cheers as she pinned the bronze, dragon-embossed disc to the center strap of his harness. One of the highest decorations in the army he swallowed hard. I had help,” he whispered. Angusel—Optio Aonar’s—well-timed leap had prevented Prince Ælferd’s seax from gouging Gyan’s throat. Gawain had only kept a horrible situation from getting worse. Sadness eclipsed her face. “I know.” I don’t deserve this.” Gawain tugged at the disc. She stilled his hand. “Arthur and I disagree with you. And I do hope to bestow that other phalera someday. Perhaps you might assist me?” She must have seen an expression brewing on his face that she didn’t like, for her gaze sharpened to a glare. “We shall discuss this another time.”


Kim Headlee lives on a farm in southwestern Virginia with her family, cats, goats, Great Pyrenees goat guards, and assorted wildlife. People and creatures come and go, but the cave and the 250-year-old house ruins--the latter having been occupied as recently as the mid-twentieth century--seem to be sticking around for a while yet.

Kim has been a published novelist since 1999 with the first edition of Dawnflight (Sonnet Books, Simon & Schuster) and has been studying the Arthurian legends for nigh on half a century. 


Top Ten Writing Tips
The twentieth-century author and playwright Somerset Maugham once was quoted as saying:
There are three universal rules in writing.
Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”
With all due respect to the highest-paid writer of the 1930s, here is what I’ve come up with:
1. Write now. Edit later.
2. Learn the rules that pertain to your genre—and understand them so well that you know when it’s best to break them.
3. Never give up.
I could fill out the list with other recommendations, but nothing else comes remotely close to those top three!

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