The Lure Of Shapinsay Tour: Guest Post & Giveaway!

Today I have the pleasure to host The Lure Of Shapinsay Tour (by Dark Mind Book Tours)!

Welcome to Darkest Sins, Krista!

(Krista Holle)

Krista has been writing since she was nine-years-old when she scribbled out her first adolescent work entitled Merish, the completely illogical but heartfelt story of a girl who was part mermaid, part fish. As a young mother, Krista added to her repertoire some middle grade readers and picture books she’s wary of mentioning. In 2004, Krista began an intensive four year period working part-time as a critical care nurse while homeschooling her four children. During this hectic time, courses of writing were taught and learned, and rules of syntax were scolded to memory. Ironically this period of study equipped Krista with the tools she needed to enter the next phase of her writing experience. Now equipped with the mysteries of the comma, Krista was ready to tackle a much bigger project—a full fledged novel. After the kids were enrolled in public school in 2009, it occurred to Krista that there is an insatiable audience of women and girls who want to read books filled with stories about true love. Convinced that there was an unfulfilled audience waiting for what Krista loves to write—romance, she sat down in the family’s dungeon, a.k.a. the basement, and began to furiously type. In no time, her first novel was drying on crisp white paper. Krista currently resides in Midlothian, Virginia with her husband, four daughters, and an eccentric cat with an attachment to the family’s socks. She continues to write obsessively every chance she can get.
Where you can find Krista: Blog - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads 

Here you can read the book summary: Ever since Kait Swanney could remember, the old crones of the village have been warning her to stay away from the selkies. They claim that like sirens of old, the seal men creep from the inky waters, shed their skins, and entice women to their deaths beneath the North Sea. But avoiding an encounter becomes impossible when Kait is spotted at the water’s edge, moments after the murder of a half-selkie infant.
Kait is woken unexpectedly by a beautiful, naked selkie man seeking revenge. After she declares her innocence, the intruder darts into the night, but not before inadvertently bewitching her with an overpowering lure. She obsesses over a reunion deep beneath the bay and risks her own life to be reunited with her selkie. But when she lands the dangerous lover, the chaos that follows leaves Kait little time to wonder—is it love setting her on fire or has she simply been lured?

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THE WEIRD WORDS IN THE LURE OF SHAPINSAY

The Lure of Shapinsay is a sweet, epic type romance and probably unlike any other paranormal romance you’ve read. What makes it so different? Most importantly, it’s the selkies. They are mythological creatures from Scottish folklore, beautiful men and women who live as seals under the sea but occasionally shed their skins to come on land. The men are notorious for luring women to their deaths deep below the North Sea. Another unique aspect of my book is the setting. It takes place in 1848 on the tiny island of Shapinsay. Yes, it’s a real place. It’s one of the tiny Orkney Islands that spangle Scotland’s northern coasts.

When writing “The Lure”, it was important to me for the reader to feel like he/she was being swept away to this remote little island full of rolling hills and sheep. I wanted my story to have an almost fairy tale feel to it. That meant finding an island with a castle and nixing the use of, “Yo, what’s up, dawg?” and “absofreakinlutely.” Go figure. Instead you may see a few weird words and expressions like, “Dinnae” = “don’t” or “Fit, like?” = “How are you?” In general, it’s a light peppering of the local dialect.

What exactly is the language spoken on the small windy island of Shapinsay? Well, they speak English there, but the dialect is as complex as the island. The islands have been inhabited for thousands of years, but in the ninth century, the Vikings invaded. The language spoken there today is an unusual dialect with Norse and Scottish influences. Here’s a short example of the old Orcaidian dialect:

Sometimes hid wus like a bothy i' terrable pain, makin' meen; an' dan hid wad mak' a lood soond like the root o' a deean' coo. An' dan again de soond wad dee awa' tae a laich an' maist peetiful meen, as gin hid been a bothy ootmucht i' a bought o' the wark.

It’s not intelligible, I know, but not to fear, The Lure of Shapinsay is easy to read without losing its authentic feel. So, savor each “mither”, “lass”, and “peedie”. Each unknown word will bring the reader closer to understanding Eamon, the criminally good looking selkie with a hatred towards all humans, and Kait, the feisty blonde who’s magically lured by the very selkie who wants her dead. The weird words were typed down by me, but they’re not really mine. They belong to the locals Kait and Eamon—they’re the words of Shapinsay.

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And now what about an international giveaway?

Would you like an eBook copy of "The Lure Of Shapinsay" and the awesome T-shirt you see in the picture on the left?

Well, here’s your big chance!

All you have to do is fill the Rafflecopter form below and be patient until February 24th, when 1 lucky winner will be announced!

a Rafflecopter giveaway