During college, I did a study abroad program in England. One of the classes I took was Medieval Literature, which included pouring over Arthurian legends. I still have a soft spot for sparkling metallic knights. So when I had the opportunity to sign up for If Ever I would Leave You‘s blog tour, I jumped on it!
Surfacing by Bronwyn Green
A year after Tabby Nolan’s sister vanished from the Lake Michigan shore with her boyfriend, Liam, Tabby visits the spot where the two were last seen– and finds herself pulled into the crumbling world of Avalon.
Since his disappearance, Liam has been trapped in the mythical land, with no link to the world he knew. Now, their shared memories of Tabby’s missing sister are all they can cling to as Avalon dies around them.
But Tabby doesn’t want to be a replacement for her sister, and her growing attachment to Liam feels like a betrayal. As Avalon fades around them, Liam and Tabby must rely on each other– or be lost with the ancient kingdom forever.
Albion’s Circle: The Deepest Cut by Jessica Jarman
For nineteen years, Anna has been plagued by dreams of lives lived only in legend. Finally free from the family that believed her hopeless and worthless, she’s ready to start her life over—alone.
When Anna meets an enigmatic stranger claiming to be the legendary wizard Merlin, she is forced to question the very reality she’s struggled to accept. With the mythic figures from her dreams intruding on her waking life, Anna learns that she’s been reborn to fight an ancient evil alongside King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.
Caught in an ages old conflict, Anna is the key to stopping a dark magic that will destroy the world—and Merlin wants to make sure that this time, Anna isn’t alone.
A Choice Fit For A Queen by Jenny Trout writing as Abigail Barnette
For perpetual overachiever Madison Lane, a summer studying Arthurian mythology in the Welsh countryside with professor Thomas Evans is a dream come true, and the adventure of a lifetime.
Of course, the enormous crush Madison developed on the professor after a semester of his lectures at U of M has absolutely nothing to do with her desire to learn more about the enduring legend of Camelot. At least, that’s what she’s telling her parents.
When Madison meets fellow student Rhys Crewe, sparks fly, throwing her plans for wild fling with Professor Evans completely out of whack—as do her unexpectedly complicated feelings for Thomas. With tales of Arthur and Lancelot haunting her every waking moment, Madison has to make the most difficult choice of her life.
Jessica kindly consented to answering a few questions for us. Here they are!
- What made you interested in writing a new take on Arthurian lore?
I’ve always loved Arthurian legend, and have read as much as I possibly could based on it, watched whatever movies I could find. Then, not that long ago, I watched BBC’s Merlin, and fell in love with it. It’s not a perfect series, by any means, but I still adore it. Not long after that, Bronwyn and Jenny started watching it. There were many IM conversations along the way. After we’d all finished; we had the idea to do Merlin Club—basically, we live tweet each week as we watch an episode, and later in the week, we write blog posts about the episode.
With this particular story, I had this idea for a book. The heroine was very vivid in my head, and the Arthurian aspects just sort of popped in alongside her one day. I’d always wanted to do an Arthurian story, to be honest, and this one just clicked with me. And it just made sense to do this collection with Jenny and Bronwyn since they share my mad Arthurian love.
- Favorite character in your story and why?
Feisty teenage thief Maeko and her maybe-more-than-friend Chaff have scraped out an existence in Victorian London’s gritty streets, but after a near-disastrous heist leads her to a mysterious clockwork cat and two dead bodies, she’s thrust into a murder mystery that may cost her everything she holds dear.
