Sabbie Dare and Friends

WHAT A GRAND LAUNCH:

IT ROCKED AND BUZZED!

BENEATH THE TOR by NINA MILTON

Saturday 27th February, I launched the third in my Shaman Mystery Series, Beneath the Tor, at The Avalon Room in Glastonbury.

I’m please to tell you that it was a blast; everyone had a great time, there was standing room only, and as one attendee said on facebook…Ronald Hutton – and chocolates!

Here are some memories of the event:

Sam: Was great fun. Really enjoyed it. Congratulations. Downloaded the book to my kindle last night. Now just waiting for some peace and quiet to start reading... It may be a while but can't wait!!

Judy: A lovely mix of a fascinating talk, brilliant snatches of reading and a great end with that great singer who entertained us as you were signing your books

Jean: We had a wonderful time. You are amazing.

John: Well done Nina

Lu: Lovely day out in Glastonbury at Nina Milton's fab book launch. 

Claire: Enjoyed seeing you and Jim and the lecture and reading were great.

Sarah: Avalon calling. Just returned from a weekend at magical, mystical Glastonbury. Plugging myself into the spiritual mains, so to speak. A bit of a whirlwind weekend actually, it was great to be at the fab Nina Milton’s book launch on the Saturday afternoon, an excellent talk by Prof Ronald Hutton with acoustic guitar and song by Arthur 'ZZ Birmingham' Billington..

I managed to have an hour of contemplative practice in Chalice Well gardens which reminded me of times gone by ... both joyful and not so joyful. Mixed feelings really. The whole experience served to remind me that wherever we are, the Land is sacred. We do not need to travel to another place to appreciate it. Honour Mother Earth and experience Her delights everywhere!

Steve: Hi we had a great time 

Charlotte: Thanks for making [my children] so welcome - I only hope they left some buffet for everyone else and didn't completely decimate the Ferrero Rochet...Anyway I've already read the book and I blame you entirely for my lack of sleep due to not being able to put it down.

David and Cathryn: had a wonderful time, and I thought the book launch went exceptionally well. I really enjoyed being back in Glastonbury, and I have started 'Beneath the Tor'

Aravis:  That was such a lovely week-end, everything went perfectly, as far as I could see.   I hope you were happy with it.  Thank you very much for inviting me!!  I'm enjoying Beneath the Tor so much I would like more of my friends to get to read it

Vicky and Bob: had a most memorable Glastonbury Experience! Thank you too.

Sue: Arthur ZZ Birmingham rocked the crowd! I thought the roof was gonna lift right off.

If you were there, I hope you are now enjoying Beneath the Tor, or other books from the Shaman Mystery Series. Please remember to write up your review for Amazon, Booklikes or Goodreads.com. And why not ask your local library to stock them? Finally, having finished with the book, why not pass it on or lend it to a friend? 

But if you weren’t there, you can indulge now in some of what went on during the afternoon. 

Introducing Beneath The Tor…

Nina explained how she’d wanted to write ever since her reception class teacher told the class to write a story and she realized that the lovely books her daddy had been reading her hadn’t just arrived from ‘book heaven’ but were actually written by people!

Ronald Hutton on Shamanism…

Ronald Hutton is professor of history at Bristol University and a world authority on paganism. He gave a talk on the history of shamanism, concentrating on how it arrived in the West and was taken up and made obtainable by the great exponents in this country and the US especially. He then very cleverly (well, he is clever!) explained how my books tapped this seam. Readers nowadays like two particular genres of novel; crime fiction and fantastic fiction. By entering Sabbie Dare’s two worlds…as a 30 year old woman faced with dilemmas, worries and, sometimes, danger – and her journeys into the spirit world as a shaman…I have successfully blended the two.  (thank you, Ronald...)

Nina's Readings:

From In the Moors…

“It was awful,” said Cliff. I’d given him a glass of water and he was holding on to it as if it was a healing elixir. The pulps of his fingertips were crushed around it, until the surface of the water trembled and slopped onto his cords jeans.

“Perhaps it will help to describe what happened to you.”

Cliff downed the rest of the water and spent time examining the tumbler, turning it round and round and gazing into it as if it were a crystal ball. His hands were bony at the knuckles, the fingers long and pale… to read more from the book, click here

From Unraveled Visions…

The retrieval was unceremonious and without dignity. The woman’s body was winched from Dunball Wharf at 17.13, dripping with sluice-slime. The hip bones shone white against the sun and there were fish swimming in her belly… To read more from this book click here

From  Beneath the Tor…

 “A chivalric slaying,” said Morgan. “It was promised.”

The acolyte had brought them here. It was his plan to find Sabbie Dare. He didn’t expect to witness such distress.

Such magic.

For there he is. Ready for the taking. The Black Knight.

The man in black hurtles down the stairwell. He goes straight past them. A door bangs below.

He can do this. He wants it. First time. A line of cold steel straightens his back. His hands are steady; rock-hard fists…to read more from the book click here

Arthur ‘ZZ Birmingham’

This is where the party really began! Arthur, blues guitarist extraordinaire, knocked the crowd’s socks off with his wonderful music. Everyone had their foot tapping as he played and sang. Thank you so much Arthur for making the afternoon complete and filled with a great buZZing atmosphere!