Category Archives: Dayna Leigh Cheser

#CoverReveal ~ Logan’s Time by Dayna Leigh Cheser

#CoverReveal

for Logan’s Time by Dayna Leigh Cheser

#coverreveal

Blurb: 

Set in the wilds of the Scottish Highlands, this 19th century historical romance looks at the life and loves of Logan, the Duke of Muileach, beginning when he’s seven years old. Grandson of the old Duke, Logan hides in his mother’s room to witness his brother’s birth. Confused, he watches as his mother, Annella, abandons the newborn, flees to the South Tower, then locks herself and her entourage inside.

After eight self-sequestered years in the South Tower, Annella disappears, leaving a family with too many questions.  Later, Logan and Daniel lose their beloved grandfather, followed too soon by their grandmother.

Logan travels to England to attend school, where he meets Richard Grayson—the youngest son of an English duke. After graduation, a celebratory trip to Paris results in tragedy. Minuet, the love of Logan’s life, may be dead, while his best friend, Richard, leaves Paris without notice.

Peadair, Logan’s father, then the duke, renounces his title and leaves Muileach, to face an uncertain future in southern France with his long-missing wife who hates him. Logan, at age twenty-five, becomes the Duke of Muileach.

Believing Richard had betrayed him with Minuet, Logan needs to square things with his former friend. He learns Richard now lives in America. Setting sail to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, he arrives just in time to crash Richard and Janelle’s wedding. That same day, he meets, and marries Rachel.

Too long absent from Muileach, Logan returns to Muileach with his family to discover Seanna, a childhood friend, and sometimes lover, has birthed his first-born son. Later, Seanna reveals her plans to make sure her son is the next duke.

And now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for…

#coverreveal

Free Chapter: http://bit.ly/DLC-LT-Free

Muileach Castle ~ A Description and History #Logan’s Time by Dayna Leigh Cheser

Muileach Castle

History and Description of Muileach Castle

LOCATION:  Western Islands of Scotland > Isle of Mull > Southern Region > Loch Buie > Muileach Castle on Eilean Mor, just off the shore from the real town of Lochbuie.

The island of Eilean Mor, 750’ x 1000’ (approx.) is at the head end of Loch Buie.  In reality, it’s an island, surrounded by shallow water.  For the purpose of the book, it’s hitched to the mainland from the main gate area by an irregular strip of land, maybe 15’ to 20’ wide, to accommodate walkers, riders, and wagons.

Muileach Castle

History

William I, King of the Scots, ruled from 1165 to 1214. During this time, he was involved in a number of battles and skirmishes (also known as ‘royal expeditions’) that reflected his headstrong tendencies. At the Battle of Alnwick (1174), he charged the English troops himself but was captured by troops loyal to King Henry II of England. In 1175, under the conditions of the Treaty of Falaise, that included his swearing fealty to King Henry, William was allowed to return to his duties as King of the Scots.   (truth)

During the early years of King William’s reign, Daniel mac Conor, a close friend and trusted advisor of Irish descent, stayed by William’s side, even while he was held by the English after the Battle of Alnwick. For his loyalty, Daniel was rewarded with lands that encompassed much of the southern part of the Isle of Mull, including all of the land around Loch Buie. Daniel mac Conor took possession of the lands and immediately started building a castle for his family and followers.    (fiction)

Construction

Muileach Castle

The shape of the castle compound is very roughly rectangular. None of the outside walls, excepting the back wall of the Main House, are straight for any distance. The walls at their base follow the general contour of the landmass of the island under them with straightening of the walls as they increase in height. The approximate center of the northern long side of the island is the back of the keep so that is straight and the house is rectangular, with 3-floors, except where the North Tower sprouts up out of it, adding 2 more floors.

The original construction of the castle began in the 11th century with the keep and the North and South Towers. The main structures were built entirely of stone, with wooden connecting fences that created a reasonably secure small compound, roughly on the center of the largest part of the land, northwest to southeast.  The wood for the walls and other uses were large trees brought in by ship from forested lands to the south. Other buildings within the castle walls were wooden.

By the later part of the 13th century, the western end of the compound was complete, including the West Tower, which allowed access to the sea by way of a natural inlet and jetty. The western wooden wall was replaced with stone.

By the 15th century, the eastern end of the compound was added, including new stone outside walls, the Left and Right Towers, and a new main gate between the new towers. The last of the old wooden outside walls were removed. This created a large, open bailey inside the compound.

The outside walls of the castle are approximately twenty feet thick at ground level, tapering to ten feet thick at the sixty-foot high level, and to three feet thick at the eighty feet level at the tops of the five towers.

The ramparts are at the sixty feet level all the way around the compound with arrow slits, but with some openings large enough to utilize other defenses, such as to pouring hot oil onto the attackers, if necessary.  No openings, other than the defensive openings, exist in the smooth outside walls. Where the ramparts meet the towers, there is an eight-foot wide by ten-foot high, enclosed walkway through the outside of the tower, with arrow slits in the outside walls.

The castle walls are trussed every fifty feet around the inside from the ground to a height of forty feet, except in the keep where the inside walls give strength to the outside wall of the compound.

The towers are eighty feet tall and have five levels (floors). They are round and measure about sixty feet across at ground level, tapering to about forty feet across at the fifth floor level.

The entrance to each tower opens into the bailey. Each of the towers has a stairwell located inside the entrance.  The stairwell is round, approximately fifteen feet across, tapering as the tower does, with stairs that are six feet wide attached to the walls of the stairwell that go from the ground level to the uppermost rooms. Access to each floor is by a large, wooden door. Access to the ramparts is by a heavy wooden door on the third floor.

The North Tower is built (as described about the other towers) inside the keep on the approximate center of the back wall, at the back of the house. See the paragraph in the keep section. The first, second and third floors of this tower are secure rooms within the keep. This tower has a secret escape route from the top two floors built into the walls, which exits into a storage area in the scullery.

Description of Interior of Compound – Towers

The Left and Right Towers are on either side of the gate that opens onto the isthmus of land connecting the castle to the mainland (that exists in the book, but not in reality). The first and second floors are living quarters for the castle guards, with or without families. The third floor (the level of the ramparts) is where much of the weaponry is stored. The fourth floor is where new weapons are made, and the fifth floor is the observation post. The view from eighty feet in the air is spectacular.

The West Tower’s ground floor is accessible on the outside to the water with a natural inlet and stone jetty, and a wooden dock that extends out into the water. When under attack, either from the sea or by Mother Nature (wild storms are common, especially in the winter), large, heavy wooden doors are closed and secured from the inside on the outside wall, and from inside the compound on the inside wall of the tower. There is no access to upper floors from the ground floor level. The second floor is accessible from an outside stairwell inside the compound, and stairs above that, to the third, and fourth floors, which are for storage for the needs of the castle. The fifth floor is the west observation post

The South Tower, from the original compound, was abandoned by Logan’s 3-greats-grandfather. This was after much of the original roof was destroyed, and interior badly water-damaged by a severe winter storm. The roof was repaired, using stone tiles laid almost flat on new support beams with enough of a slope to drain adequately (different from the roof construction of the other towers which had pointed roofs with wood shingles), but the internal damage was too extensive, and too expensive to repair. Since that time, the upper floors were deemed unsafe. The ground floor level served as storage for unused and cast off items.

Description of Interior of Compound – General

While glass for windows and other uses was available in other parts of the world much earlier, it didn’t come to the Muileach Castle until the 1830s when Duke Logan did major renovations on the house after his marriage. Before that, wooden shutters were used, opened during the day for the heat and light, weather permitting. The shutters were closed at night against the chill. The shutters did little to stop the wind – the house was very drafty and very cold in the winter. When glass finally arrived at Muileach Castle, it was first installed in the Main House, then, later, in other areas of the compound. Duke Logan also created a ‘solar’ (sitting room) out of a south-east facing room on the second floor, lining both the east and south walls with large windows.

The Keep

Built as the main part of the original compound, the keep, at that time, housed everyone in the community. By Logan’s time, the keep was for family, extended family, some staff, and guests/visitors, as everyone else had other living arrangements in the area outside the castle.

The bottom three floors of the North Tower are part of the house, while, in the tower, the fourth floor is for the Duke and Duchess’s children and their attendants. The fifth floor is apartments for the Duke and Duchess and their attendants plus a private sitting room for the family.

The main hall takes up half of the first floor on the eastern side of the building, with the rest of the space being the scullery, and storage areas.

The second floor consists of bedrooms and suites, schoolrooms, parlors, the estate office, and more. The third floor consists largely of bedrooms and suites.

Most of the female house staff have rooms on the western end of the third floor, along with most of the female staff of extended family, and attendants of guests. The rest of the third floor is storage.

The Community

Outside the castle, in Logan’s time, dozens of families live on small farms or in groups of cottages, but remain part of the community, coming to the castle often, especially for the many celebrations.

With its location, Muileach has a rich and diverse life with farmers, herders, fishermen, and tradespeople counted among the residents.

Come live in Victorian Scotland while you read the
fourth book of Dayna Leigh Cheser’s TIME Series.

Free Chapter: http://bit.ly/DLC-LT-Free

Logan’s Time – A History of Logan’s Time by Dayna Leigh Cheser

Logan’s Time by Dayna Leigh Cheser

‘Logan’s Time’, A Minor Character Becomes a Big Challenge

After I finished Janelle’s Time, a minor character in the book, Logan Conor, the Scots Duke of Muileach, came to me, demanding I write HIS book, because readers and reviewers liked him.

Now, picture Fabio (remember him?) but with red hair and blue eyes, add a dash of attitude, and that’s Logan. He crashed Richard and Janelle’s wedding in June of 1831 in New Hampshire.

I didn’t know what to do. This was new to me, communicating with a character. Was I losing my mind? Well, I ignored him. But, he was relentless. He was in my dreams, and in my face.

I wondered if I could develop a minor character into a main character and write a whole book about him, so I gave it some thought. Will I be able to do justice to a book set in Scotland (a place I’ve never been) and about a Scots Duke?

Before I agreed to do the book, I needed to sketch out Logan’s life. At that point in the thought process, I had him as a part-time pirate (that didn’t work out ultimately). In order for him to be a pirate, his castle had to be close to the water.  I spent hours with maps, looking for the perfect location. I didn’t know it then, but there are a lot of islands of every size in the western Highlands of Scotland, but I finally found the perfect location.  It’s a small island, Eilean Mor, at the head end of Loch Buie, a salt-water lake on the southern end of the Isle of Mull.  In the book, it’s a peninsula, but otherwise, that’s the locale.

Logan's Time

As time went on, bits and pieces fell into place, and I finally agreed to write the book. At the time, Logan’s Time was slated to be Book 2, but then, Janelle’s twin daughters came along with stories of their own, Moria’s Time and Adelle’s Time. Logan wasn’t happy when I bumped him to Book 4, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. It’s a spinoff (rather than a sequel), and, as it turns out, I believe it is the best book in the series.  With a lead character like Logan, it HAS to be great!

I submitted Janelle’s Time to a publisher in August of 2011, and signed a contract (big mistake) in October. The book was released in July of 2012.

The day I submitted Janelle’s Time, I started Logan’s Time, getting about 50,000 words done before I had to stop to do NaNoWriMo (Moria’s Time), followed by edits in Janelle’s Time, then the release.  I also worked in a switch from my old blog to my new website/blog – a hefty undertaking. Then, work on Moria’s Time, followed by another NaNoWriMo (Adelle’s Time),  Moria’s Time released in August of 2013. As soon as Moria’s Time was complete, I started working on Adelle’s Time, followed by a third NaNoWriMo (Clarissa’s Time). I barely got Adelle’s Time launched when we decided to move from Naples to Lake Placid which took about 6 weeks. By then, I was so far behind on everything, I took several months off to catch up.

I didn’t get back to Logan’s Time full time until September of 2014, and have been working on it ever since.

In April of 2014, I was going through the list of Tweeps who wanted me to follow them. I came across a Scots writer who listed his town so I went to Google Maps and found him and all but freaked out. He lives a scant 50 miles (the way the crow flies) from the locale of Logan’s Time. I followed him, then sent a tweet: “Have you ever been to Eilean Mor?” His response was, “No. Are you from there?” We’ve been friends ever since.

In the summer, Bob and his brother took a trip to Lochbuie, the tiny town near Eilean Mor. Up to that point, the only view I’d had of the island was via satellite maps. Between pictures Bob found for me locally, and the pictures he took while he and his brother were there, I know a lot more about what we’ve come to call ‘my island’.

After his visit, Bob said he’d found no indication that anyone had ever lived on the island. I was thrilled.  Logan’s castle was built in the 1200s, followed by two rounds of expansions and renovations over the years to become the castle in the story in the 1800s.

I learned that Moy Castle was within sight of Muileach Castle, so I had to come up with a scenario to explain that fact.  Also in Lochbuie is a very old small circle of stones – think a tiny Stonehenge.  It’s smaller than Craig na Dun (Outlander’s infamous circle of stones).

***

Set in the wilds of the Scottish Highlands, this 19th century historical romance looks at the life and loves of Logan, the Duke of Muileach, beginning when he’s seven years old. Grandson of the old Duke, Logan hides in his mother’s room to witness his brother’s birth. Confused, he watches as his mother, Annella, abandons the newborn, flees to the South Tower, then locks herself and her entourage inside.

Logan's Time

After eight self-sequestered years in the South Tower, Annella disappears, leaving a family with too many questions. Later, Logan and Daniel lose their beloved grandfather, followed too soon by their grandmother.

Logan travels to England to attend school, where he meets Richard Grayson—the youngest son of an English duke. After graduation, a celebratory trip to Paris results in tragedy. Minuet, the love of Logan’s life, may be dead, while his best friend, Richard, leaves Paris without notice.

Peadair, Logan’s father, then the duke, renounces his title and leaves Muileach, to face an uncertain future in southern France with his long-missing wife who hates him. Logan, at age twenty-five, becomes the Duke of Muileach.

Believing Richard had betrayed him with Minuet, Logan needs to square things with his former friend. He learns Richard now lives in America. Setting sail to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, he arrives just in time to crash Richard and Janelle’s wedding. That same day, he meets, and marries Rachel.

Too long absent from Muileach, Logan returns to Muileach with his family to discover Seanna, a childhood friend, and sometimes lover, has birthed his first-born son. Later, Seanna reveals her plans to make sure her son is the next duke.

Come live in Victorian Scotland while you read the fourth book of Dayna Leigh Cheser’s TIME Series.

Free Chapter: http://bit.ly/DLC-LT-Free

Cover Reveal – ADELLE’S TIME by Dayna Leigh Cheser

Adelle's TimeDayna Leigh Cheser
is proud to present the
Cover Reveal
for her newest
Historical Romance novel,
Adelle’s Time
book three (of five) of her TIME Series.
The Grayson Family Saga continues.

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Prologue

The first time she appeared was during the Hargrove’s ball.

Like a dream, the specter floated from the shadows.

Conversation ceased. All eyes looked her way.

Her slim body emphasized the simple, yet elegant, cloth-of-gold gown. The white silk cloak emanated a soft, subtle glow in the flickering candlelight. Concealed under the cloak’s hood, and the veil that shrouded her face, she teased the imagination with her sensuous movements.

Ladies’ fans labored furiously; the gentlemen smiled their approval.

She floated slowly around the room, as if on air, with the cloak drifting behind her.

Then, as suddenly as she’d appeared, she slipped into the shadows and was gone.

Motionless, the Lords and Ladies stared at each other in silent amazement.

Questions bubbled to the surface. Who was she? Where had she come from? Where did she go?

Several men jumped into action, racing out into the night, but soon returned. They’d found no trace of the mystical entity, ‘Lady Mysterious’.

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Adelle's TimeAbout the Cover

Before I gave any thought to the cover design, I had written into the book Adelle’s favorite get-away location, a large willow tree near the confluence of two gentle streams, not far from her home. There, she could find some peace and quiet … away from the hustle and bustle of her world which included a home, children, and a charity – bringing London orphans out of the city during the dangerous, disease ridden summers. While not exactly ‘summer camp,’ she hit on the idea when, as a new resident of London herself, she was advised to get out of town during the summers. It didn’t seem right to her, leaving those children behind. Then, she named her first child Willow. So the willow tree theme was there. All I needed was a model with black hair, dark eyes and at least quasi-Victorian garb. That was not an easy task. It took month’s of searching.

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In Chapter Nine, Adelle meets Lord Hastings

… I looked up at him, and again, he winked, his light blue eyes, dancing in the candlelight.

“So, have you heard the gossip about ‘Lady Mysterious’?” My breath caught in my throat. He knew. Somehow, he knew.

Deanna saw my distress and took over the conversation. “Only what we’ve heard through the grapevine, or read in the papers. A woman shows up at the balls, dressed scandalously, unannounced and uninvited, walks about the room, then leaves, without a trace.”

“It’s not quite that simple,” Lord Hastings said. “‘Lady Mysterious’ arrives, and waits until all eyes are on her.” He glanced at me, then continued. “Then, she wanders about, taking care to not get too close, and, as you said, she leaves. And, you’re right, even in light snow one evening, no trace of her was found outside the ballroom. But, I must tell you, she’s quite lovely. Her gown is quite scandalous, as you said, Lady Deanna, but many of the ladies have copied it, to one degree or another. I’ve gotten close to her a couple of times. I almost had her in my arms when she disappeared.”

I had to know. “Disappeared?”

“Hmm. She didn’t run or walk away, she … vanished. I haven’t figured it out yet, but I know she’s not a figment of my imagination. Too many other people have seen her, including Lord Grenfell who saw her disappear, too. There have been many fine inventions in recent years, but we know of no machine capable of doing such a thing.”

I relaxed a bit. He’d seen us disappear, but he didn’t understand how it could happen. And, from his conversation, he didn’t know who ‘Lady Mysterious’ was, but was interested in finding out because he thought she was lovely. And he had yet to see an inch of her skin.
I must have had a puzzled look on my face because Lord Hastings said, “What do you find so puzzling, my dear?”

Think fast. My mind raced to answer his question.
“Why would someone do this? She spent a considerable amount of time on this, between the gown you mentioned, and her overall plan, if there is one, but to what end?”

“Lord Grenfell and I have discussed this at length but can come up with no reason to put on such an elaborate show. Perhaps you ladies can assist us, give us a woman’s point of view. Why would a woman go to such lengths for no apparent reason?”

I took a deep breath and glanced at Deanna. She was leaving this question for me.
“I’m sure I don’t know, Lord Hastings. I’m afraid I don’t understand how the mind of a common trollop works.”

He raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “A common trollop? What makes you say that?”

“Well, she’s parading around in a scandalous gown, showing up unescorted, and uninvited. No real lady would do such things, am I right?”

“Well, yes, that’s true, but what if she were, in fact, a lady?”

“Then, we’ve come full circle to the ‘why’ again. Why would any lady risk her reputation like this? There’s also her family’s reputation, not to mention her husband’s, if she’s married.” Lessons learned.

Lord Hastings summed up the assumptions so far. “So, we’ve pretty much agreed, then, that the lady in question isn’t a lady. We can also rule out someone using this as a ploy to get inside the big houses of London to see what they might steal since she’s only inside the ballroom, which is a public room in most houses. Besides, if someone were looking to find things to steal, getting themselves hired as house staff would give them better access and opportunity.”

“You have given this a lot of thought.” I was impressed.

“I have, ma’am, and will continue to do so. We don’t know when or where she’ll turn up next, but I plan to be prepared.”

“For what?”

“I must know who she is. She reminds me of my late wife. It’s quite maddening.”

“Lord Hastings, correct me if I’m wrong, but is not the costume this ‘Lady Mysterious’ wears covering every inch of her body?”

“That’s true, but there’s something about the way she walks … the way she holds her head.”

Mixed emotions flowed through me. Of course, his wife walked the way ‘Lady Mysterious’ walks. It’s why I practiced the walk for days, so it looked like ‘Lady Mysterious’ was an aristocratic woman. But he wasn’t interested in me. He was enthralled by my alter-ego, and only because she walks like his dead wife. I wiped the beginnings of a smile off my face when I saw him looking at me.

“You, my lady, are an enigma. I look at you, and see the look on your face. I’m sure, at that moment, you know something about ‘Lady Mysterious’. But, the next time I look at you, it’s clear you know nothing.” He shook his head.

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I’m so glad to be a part of your cover reveal for Adelle’s Time, Dayna. I’ve just made a pitcher of iced tea so since we’ve got some lovely May weather, let’s sit outside in the sunshine and chat. I’m dying to know more about you and what makes you… shall we say, tick.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I can’t remember NOT wanting to write. I can’t remember not loving to read, and the two go hand-in-hand.

How long does it take you to write a book?

‘Janelle’s Time’ was 10 years in the making, but ‘Moria’s Time’ was released about 13 months later. ‘Adelle’s Time’ will be released in June, about 9 months after ‘Moria’s Time.’ The last 2 books in the series will, I think, both be in 2015 – ‘Logan’s Time’ early in the year and ‘Clarissa’s Time’ later in the year.

What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

When I get up in the morning, usually plus or minus 7:30 AM, I tend to do stuff around the house, or go shopping. I’m usually done with that before noon. Then, I spend the afternoons and often into the evening, if there’s noting else on the agenda, on the computer where I’m not always writing, but I almost always doing something writing-related.

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

Plot and story lines come from my head, mostly, but I research a lot, too. With the first book, I sat down to a blank screen and started writing. I knew the time-frame, and the locale, but not much else. The rest of the series was based on and expanded upon the earlier book(s).

When did you write your first book and how old were you?

I wrote ‘Janelle’s Time’ in 2002-2003. I was 54-55. When I finished the book, I put it on the shelf for a number of reasons, and didn’t bring it out again until 2009 when I more-or-less retired and finally had time to devote to the publishing process.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Oh, all sorts of things. My husband and I are restoring an old motor home right now, with hopes of using it to trade in on a newer and bigger one so we can ‘hit the road’ for a while, now that we’re both officially retired. Right now, I’m squeezing in time to sew the curtains for the motor home. We take in RV shows all over south Florida. I love to read, but haven’t done a whole lot of it lately, mostly a time problem.

What does your family think of your writing?

Actually, not a lot. It’s not that big a deal. Most of us are writers in one way or another so there’s nothing particularly remarkable. I’m the only published novel writer, though.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

I’ve written two books that have been published, with a third coming out very soon. There are 2 more in the series before I move on to another project. My favorite book is usually the one I’m working on at the moment, but the next one I’ll be working on, ‘Logan’s Time,’ will probably be my favorite-favorite. I also have a published short story, too.

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

Like most kids, when I was little, I wanted to be something different every week. But, as I got older, more and more focus was on writing in some way. I’m happiest when I’m writing.

On the non-writing side:
Do you go out of your way to kill bugs? Are there any that make you screech and hide?

I am not freaked out by bugs – or any critter – if I seen it/them first. If it/they surprise me, I might make some sort of remark (not printable here), but I don’t screech, hide, climb on chairs, and/or run, nor do I kill, if I can help it. I’m more apt to capture and release (outdoors).

Do you get road rage? What pisses you off the most about other drivers?

Sometimes I get upset or frustrated with traffic in general and some drivers in particular, especially if I’m in a hurry, and might make a remark – to myself – about the bad drivers. I do not, however, get ‘road rage.’ That doesn’t usually end well.

Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your cover reveal for Adelle’s Time with everyone here at Celtic Connexions. I wish you much success with it and all your other novels, too.