BLAST, BLITZ, PROMOS, REVEALS, & TOURS . . . : SPOTLIGHT w/EXCERPT - HISTORICAL FICTION

The Spirit of Fire

Orphans of Tolosa, #2

by Susanne Dunlap

Publication Date: December 6th 2019

Genre: Historical Fiction

Listen to the Wind has been rated 10 out of 10 and was a quarterfinalist in the BookLife Prize, and won a Gold badge from the International Review of Books.

BLURB
The eagerly anticipated sequel to Listen to the Wind, “A complex, absorbing, and dramatic start to a planned series.” -Kirkus Reviews

Azemar—now a knight and Baron of Montpezat—has rescued his childhood friend, Azalais, from the Castel de Belascon, where she was forced to disguise as a noblewoman and become the wife of the baron. But the captivating trobairitz Jordane de la Moux d’Aniort and her damozel Johana have escaped with them, putting them all in grave peril. Will Jordane’s conflicting goal of reuniting with the rebel Raimon de Berenger thwart Azemar and Azalais’s quest to solve the mystery of their origins, which they believe lies within the heretic fortress of Montsegur? When a cryptic note leads them to the Templar stronghold at Mas Deu, Azemar undergoes brutal trials, and discovers that his ultimate purpose could lead him to betray the very people he wants to protect. And their altered route leads Azalais into the path of her old enemy, the Dominican monk, Fraire Martin. Full of surprising twists and turns, dangerous adventures, and true love, The Spirit of Fire continues the Orphans of Tolosa Trilogy.

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Praise for Listen to the Wind

Listen to the Wind has been rated 10 out of 10 in the BookLife Prize and won a Gold badge from the International Review of Books.

“Dunlap breathes life into the distant 13th-century setting... Poetry and music are as essential to the plot as warfare, with engaging glimpses of trobairitz (female troubadours). . . . A complex, absorbing, and dramatic start to a planned series.” - Kirkus Reviews

“Listen to the Wind is in its own league. Completely imaginative, mature and playful all at once, this book doesn’t compete with any other novel for its spot on the bookshelf, as it will outshine many and sit comfortably among the classics." - The BookLife Prize

“Susanne Dunlap... is both a superb storyteller and a rich historian of the period. Its customs and language, castles, troubadours, mountains, thick forests, villages, monasteries, and vineyards come vividly to life as Azemar and Azalaïs find themselves drawn into a path that will shape history.” - Stephanie Cowell, author of Claude and Camille: a novel of Monet

“In its mix of page-turning thriller with well researched historical novel, it draws comparison to the finely crafted work of Kate Mosse and Ariana Franklin.” - Nancy Bilyeau, author of The Blue and the Joanna Stafford trilogy

“Susanne Dunlap’s sweeping saga captivates readers’ imaginations from the first page, plunging them back into the Languedoc region of France in the 13th Century. Her impeccable research allows her three spirited protagonists to live, love, fight and breathe life into the dangerous period of rebellion and inquisition, when the Cathars struggled to hold on to their culture and old faith against the power of the Pope. A compelling read for lovers of adventure and romance.” -Anne Easter Smith, author of A Rose for the Crown, Daughter of York, Royal Mistress

“The fortitude and ingenuity of her characters helps them adapt to all manner of circumstances, and the result is an engaging tale of escape, secrets, and mental toughness. For those looking for a smartly written captivating read, I highly recommend this first book in the Orphans of Tolosa trilogy.” - Amy Hawes, Book Club Babble

“This is an intriguing and complex story with lots of secrets and lies interwoven within the characters personal stories, it is charming, exciting and mesmerising.” - Chicks, Rogues, and Scandals

“I love how vibrant the world is made, how danger really struck fear into my heart, how the pain felt real…everything is beautifully written and I thoroughly enjoyed this.” - Clarissa Reads It All

EXCERPT
From her vantage point, Jordane could clearly see the layout of the castel de Montpezat. It was not large enough to warrant the digging of a moat, but fortified nonetheless with a high stone wall and a portcullis. She noted that this had not been lowered, as if the seneschal had no fear of intruders. At the far end of the courtyard, the residence and the donjon—both smaller than those of the castel at Caunes, where Jordane had grown up, and quite modest compared to Belascon—pressed up against a wall that overlooked the river. Two other sides of the courtyard had wooden structures, one for the kitchens, and one that must house the livestock.

The livestock. Surely the seneschal had a horse? She and Johana could ride together on one horse.

Jordane was now wide awake. There was no time to waste in idle fancies and regrets. She whirled and swept into the cave. “Johana! Johana!”

The damozel sat up, but her eyes stared vacantly as if she was still half wrapped in sleep and unsure of where she was. “What? Is it time to dress?”

“We are dressed. We are in a cave, remember?” Jordane shook her and patted her cheek.

“Oh, yes, yes.”

“We shan’t stay here. Will you come with me? I think I can find us a horse.”

Johana stood, now fully awake. “Where? What can you be thinking at this ungodly hour, Ma Domna?”

“He left us here. He owes us a horse.”

Jordane quickly rolled up her blanket and started repacking the provisions. “We are not far. We can carry these down. You’ll wait outside the walls and I’ll go in and get the beast.”

“How do you know they have one?”

“The seneschal must. How else would he oversee the estate?” Even as she said the words Jordane realized her logic might be flawed. “In any case we cannot stay here, don’t you see? I know things, things that will help Raimon. If we don’t find him, all will be lost.” She stopped. “I mean, if I don’t find him, all will be lost. You don’t have to come. I will understand if you choose not to.”

Johana shook her head and gave her a weak smile. “And what else would I do?”

Moments later, they began their careful descent. Jordane meant to steal the horse before matins and be well on their way before the cook’s boy rose to stoke the fire. She stopped from time to time to help Johana over a difficult place, but even with their long tunics they clambered like children over rocks and through dense brush before finally reaching the edge of the wild growth and the beginning of the cultivated fields of Montpezat.

“You wait here. Two of us might be seen.”

“You could be executed for stealing a horse.”

Yes, Jordane thought, but Azemar would not have me arrested. She ignored Johana, tossed her pack of provisions on the ground at the donzella’s feet, and struck out across the vineyard that lay between them and the castel.

No one stirred. It was that hour when even the night birds had gone to sleep, when, she suspected, terrible crimes might be committed with no other witness than the criminal’s own heart.

I am a criminal. The realization brought Jordane up short, and she slowed her pace. But didn’t she already have a price on her head for her part in the attack on the castel de Belascon? That was different, though. That was war. Now, she was about to commit a crime against someone who had helped her.

She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. Doubts at that moment served no purpose. Within sight of the entrance to the castel yard, she dashed forward the last distance and arrived undetected at the manger that housed the domain’s more valuable livestock.

To her surprise, the door of the wooden building was not locked. She had half expected to find it necessary to climb in through a window. But the large door moved easily and quietly on its hinges, and soon she found herself inside the dark, animal-warmed space.

Two milk cows raised their sleepy heads as she approached, but did not low. Likewise, a few sheep of a sort she had never seen before simply followed her with their soft, innocent eyes as she crept toward the place where two horses were tethered, munching thoughtfully on hay they pulled out of a wooden cage attached to the wall.

“Easy there,” she murmured, careful not to startle them by approaching from where they could not see her. One of the horses nickered softly.

“I could get the bayle, and you’d be hung as a horse thief.”

Jordane gasped and whirled around in a circle. How had she not heard someone approach? It was not until a man dressed in homespun clothing, bits of straw stuck to him here and there, stepped out of the shadows with a pitchfork pointed in her direction that she realized why. The man had been there all along. “Forgive me, I was just . . .” The excuse died on her lips. She shrank back, looking for some way to flee, expecting at any moment that the man would lunge at her with the pitchfork, or call for help.

Author Info
Susanne Dunlap is the author of six works of historical fiction. Two are for adults (Emilie's Voice and Liszt's Kiss, both published by Touchstone books of Simon & Schuster). Four are for young adults (The Musician's Daughter, Anastasia's Secret, In the Shadow of the Lamp, and The Academie, published by Bloomsbury). A graduate of Smith College with a PhD in Music History from Yale University, Susanne grew up in Buffalo, New York and has lived in London, Brooklyn and Northampton, MA. She now lives in Northampton with her long-time partner, Charles, has two grown daughters, three granddaughters, a grandson, a stepson and a stepdaughter, four step-grandsons and one step-granddaughter—that's a total of four children and nine grandchildren! In her spare time she cycles in the beautiful Pioneer Valley. For more information, please visit The Orphans of Tolosa website. You can follow author Susanne Dunlap on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram, Pinterest, and BookBub.

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a set of Listen to the Wind & The Spirit of Fire by Susanne Dunlap! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

Listen to the Wind

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