Shawn Lamb
Author of The Huguenot Sword
Ever played Three Musketeers with your brother using rulers or wooden spoons? Today I'm introducing Shawn Lamb, author of The Huguenot Sword. Shawn is an award-winning screenwriter and author of historical fiction. She lives in Nashville, TN with her husband and
daughter, and a history of en guarde moments. Here's the blurb for The Huguenot Sword.
For Faith. For Friendship. For Freedom. In the time of Louis XIII, when being a Protestant could mean death, The Huguenot Sword roamed the streets of Paris by night, defending those faithful to the young heretical religion. The nobility scorned them as ruffians, to the oppressed Protestants they were saviors, but to the Cardinal Guards they were a pestilence needing to be terminated. The situation becomes desperate when those in power launched a bold plan to destroy the group. One wrong move can be fatal. But the ordeal of Paris pales in comparison to the possible annihilation of their faith and people at the battle of La Rochelle.
Welcome Shawn. Tell
us about your family. I’ve
been married to my best friend and most wonderful husband for 27
years. God blessed us with fantastic daughter, Briana. Rob
and I used to work in children’s animation in Los Angeles. Rob also worked
on Fat Albert and The Cosby Kids. Wow, that's really cool! Fat Albert was one of my favourite TV shows.
How
did you come to write this book? The
Huguenot Sword
began as a tribute to the swashbuckling movies I adored as a kid and
historical fiction books I devoured. I wasn’t the typical girl
playing with dolls or house. No, I ran about with a stick pretending
to be D’Artagnan or Scaramouche. In fact, I studied fencing and was even cast as the fencing stunt-double for Bo Derek
in a pirate movie in the early 1980s. A stunt double for Bo Derek! Now that's not a detail you read about every day!
What’s
the most fascinating thing you discovered in your research for this
book? One
character, who made the most impact on me is Rohan. In a time when political and religious allegiances changed
as easy as set of clothes, Rohan could not be bought or cajoled or
threatened. He embraced his beliefs
and, though not perfect, was a man of integrity in the time where
switching sides for advancement in station and political expediency
was commonplace. He sounds like a great hero.
I can tell you love interesting locations. Have you been to Australia? No, my only travel outside the U.S. was to England, Scotland and Wales. I’d like to visit Australia. Only they would have to sedate me – I have a fear of flying, and 13 to 14 hours over mostly water would make me a wreck! I hear you. I'm no fan of long haul flights either.
I can tell you love interesting locations. Have you been to Australia? No, my only travel outside the U.S. was to England, Scotland and Wales. I’d like to visit Australia. Only they would have to sedate me – I have a fear of flying, and 13 to 14 hours over mostly water would make me a wreck! I hear you. I'm no fan of long haul flights either.
What's on the horizon for Shawn Lamb? I
continue to write. I’m not just the author of historical fiction,
but also the YA fantasy series, Allon. I began writing it at the
request of my daughter when she was in high school. She doesn’t
like anything too dark, more along the lines of old fashion fantasies
like Lewis and Tolkien, so that’s what I did. Two
of the Allon series are scheduled for release this year, along with a
new historical fiction. Congratulations! What a busy writer.
Where
can we find you on the internet? My
website's http://www.allonbooks.com. There, you'll find my daughter Briana, as one of my characters, Shannon. She designed her costume, and featured in the photo shoot with Shannon's companion, a real wolf. A real wolf! That's some photo shoot!
For your chance to win a free Kindle version of Shawn's book, please leave a comment below. The winner will be announced on Friday, but in the meantime, here's a peek at The Huguenot Sword.
Chapter One
A
large man of twenty-three years, dressed in black doublet, breeches
and cloak stood by the door. He peeked out the small opening of the
door into the dark night. Standing several inches over six feet, he
had to peer down through the opening. He shrugged the cloak over his
shoulder to move for a better view. The black gloves he wore were
stretched to the brink of ripping in an attempt to cover his massive
hands. Thick sable hair hung like a wavy mane about his face. On the
table in the center of the room were a large black hat and mask.
Beside
the table stood a young man of roughly the same age, only a head
shorter and thirty pounds lighter. His black outfit was almost
identical to his companion and he wore the black mask. He held his
hat, fingers nervous in clenching the brim. Even with the mask, his
blonde hair and mustache were in marked contrast to his dark
disguise. The lamp on the table burned low, yet danced in his hazel
eyes, which changed shades with his mood. His focus shifted from a
hallway leading further into the house to the door.
“Dominic,”
he hissed to get the attention of the other. “Any sign of the
Cardinal’s men?”
“No.”
Dominic turned from his vigil to glance down the hall. “What of
Arsène?”
“Nothing
yet, and they should be ready to leave.”
Both
became alert at hearing running feet coming down the hall and a harsh
call, “Make ready!”
Dominic slammed the opening shut
and moved to stand beside his companion.
“Arsène,”
he said to Dominic upon recognizing the voice.
A
third young man dressed in identical clothes appeared, only with
black hair, clean-shaven, handsome features and blue eyes illuminated
by the candlelight. He removed his hat, tossed it onto the table and
withdrew a mask from his doublet pocket to put on.
They
mimicked Arsène in donning the masks and placing their hats securely
on their heads.
“De
Lacy?” Arsène asked Dominic.
“No.
Maybe we succeeded in thwarting the traitor.”
“Whether
we did or didn’t, does not change what must be done. Philipe, the
west route,” he said to the blond man then held out his right arm.
“For faith.”
“For
friendship,” said Philipe, taking hold of Arsène’s arm.
“For
freedom,” said Dominic, adding his hand to make a triangle of
clasped arms.