Showing results by author "J. P. Reedman" in All Categories

SACRED KING, a historical fantasy novella about King Richard III, the battle of Bosworth, and its aftermath. In August, 1485, King Richard III rides on the hunt in Bestwood Park, near Nottingham, and sees a disturbing vision, a man being killed in ritualistic manner, his blood given to the hungry Land. Riding into Leicester with his army several days later, eager to face the invading Henry Tudor and defend his crown, he encounters yet more disturbing omens…the old woman Agnes Black upon Bow Bridge, who prophecies his head will strike the stone upon his return from the field. On the day of...

ANCESTORS. Maire Kennedy has never felt comfortable in her own skin; she feels the tug of the past, of distant ancestors whose blood runs through her veins, drawing her from the the New World back to the Old. Ireland is her goal, and she has the DNA results to prove her worthy place in the land of her distant forebears. One of her aims is to explore a particular prehistoric cairn, glowering on the the hilltop above a remote village, since the DNA company she used has told her she has a match to a burial archaeologists found within...but when she arrives on the hilltop, it all begins to go ...

The vampire Mircea had become discarnate through the treachery of his brother Gaspar. He retakes a mortal form in the dark woods of Rumania, his ancient homeland, and is taken in by two other vampires, Mihail and Ruxandra, who dwell in a remote ruined fortress. All three have sworn never to drink blood again, their need for sustenance being replenished by a magical relic known as the Bloodstone. But when the Bloodstone is stolen and Mihail and Ruxandra are taken prisoner by the Witch of the Iron Woods and her son, the monstrous Radu, Mircea must strike out to save them--with the aid of a ...

Twelfth Night has come to Minster Lovell Hall. Francis Lovell and his wife Nan Fitz Hugh have arranged a fabulous celebration to entertain their friends, Richard Plantagenet and Anne Neville, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. The feast is served in splendour, the Mummers arrive to perform the traditional play with much jollity and hi-jinks, and the Lord of Misrule is crowned. But when a strange, mysterious storyteller arrives calling himself Jack Rhymer, the evening takes on a darker tone...as he tells the haunting tale of the Mistletoe Bride, a maiden who vanished at the old hall upon ...

In the depths of winter, Sir Ralph Percy holds the castles of Dunstanburgh and Bamburgh for the Lancastrians. Queen Margaret of Anjou has fled into Scotland, and no one knows if or when she will return with another army. Supplies are low and the snow is falling. Richard Neville, earl of Warwick, brings his forces to Dunstanburgh first, circling the fortress in a ring of steel. He attempts to cajole Ralph into a surrender with the promise of a second pardon from King Edward. Ralph is not certain...and he is not ready to surrender just yet... A short story 10,000 words long, based on true ...

Ring of White Roses: Two Short Stories Featuring King Richard III. PORT IN A STORM. A stranded modern-day traveller in the little town of Bridport encounters what she thinks is a film crew in action. She's wrong. The strands of time have unwoven and King Richard is in town, enjoying a relaxing banquet after dealing with the Duke of Buckingham's rebellion. MERCY JESU-- A story based on the legend that during the Scottish wars of the early 1480's, Richard Duke of Gloucester took a Scottish mistress and gave her a ring with the inscription Mercy Jesu. (The ring does in fact exist but its ...

In the enchanting Middle Lands, nestled between the majestic Mountains of the Horns, life dances to the rhythm of the seasons. Once plagued by battles, the towns now thrive in friendly rivalry. But danger lurks in the shadows—trolls, goblins, and child-eating witches test the courage of the brave young adventurers who live there. As the Great Mother Pumpkin watches over haunted pumpkin patches, and wicked Krampus prowls for winter mischief, the call to adventure grows ever louder. Join these bold girls and boys as they navigate a world where magic and mischief intertwine, and every day ...

When King Melyan of Cornwall is murdered by his brother Rhivod, only a young boy, Prince Melor, stands between Rhivod and the throne. Rhivod smites off the boy's hand and foot to make him unfit to rule according to ancient Celtic law and claims the crown for himself. The wounded Melor is carried away by a kindly bishop--but he is saved not by the old man's prayers, but by a shining figure who descends from the heart of the Milky Way. A figure out of ancient myth, who has a hand wrought of silver--and who gifts a similar magical hand to the wounded Prince. Healed, Melor goes to live quietly ...

Feast of the Innocents : A Christmas Tale of Richard III and his Son - It is Bleak Midwinter, and a snowstorm engulfs Middleham Castle. Young Edward finds himself spirited away by a mysterious old woman. What could she possibly want with the young heir of the Duke of Gloucester? A short Winter story, featuring a heart warming tale of father & son, and a woman's grief for her long dead child from the best-selling author of I,RICHARD PLANTAGENET. Approximately 45 pages

Ilmarinen-wanderer, adventurer, journeyman, thief. Swordsman, archer, rescuer of those in need. A pale, grey-eyed youth with an unknown past, who was raised in a humble village but has the bearing of a king and the heart of a lion. Essarnadon-A land of beauty and terror--and the terror is gradually overcoming beauty. Villages are besieged by the Unseelie Court--mound-dwellers, cannibal giants, winter witches, serpent-maids and Bloodcaps who dye their hats in human blood. Ilmarinen son of Ilmatar will battle them all and win with prowess and with wit as he seeks his destiny in a land which ...

Robyn o' the Hood, the Greenwood King, is growing older along with his band of Wolfsheads. King John has signed Magna Carta, but England still groans beneath his oppression--and now the French are invading. Robyn is offered a pardon for his entire band if he will join the infamous archer, Wilikin of the Weald, to stop the progress of Prince Louis' army. Although he has misgivings, he agrees... But King John is devious and when Robyn is away, he takes personal revenge out on Robyn's wife Clarimonde--in secret Matilda Fitzwalter, daughter of the rebel baron, Robert Fitzwalter. Now it is ...

Robin of Locksley, Lord of the Hood, continues his mission to help the people of Sherwood against the oppression of the Sheriff of Nottingham, even though his wife Marian, wounded in body and soul, has left him for the safety of Kirklees Priory. Mourning her loss, Robin has become hard and embittered—the Summer Lord has turned into a Winter King. At the Merlin Stone, deep in Sherwood, San Tan the guardian fire speaks of one who is coming, who will shake the foundations of the young outlaw’s life. Change arrives in the form of Clarimonde, Queen of the Shepherdesses, a mysterious girl who...

Esmerelda Midnight, a 12-year-old girl, is destined to serve the wealthy Snows and Midwinters, devotees of Our Lady of the Snows. She lives in a decaying orphanage run by the cruel Sestren Agrippa, where a creature called Bloody Bones lurks. Her life seems bleak until she meets Reynard the Fox, a wizard searching for his lost daughter, Rosamunda, the last wizard's child with immense, untapped powers. As the Sestren plan a Great Feast to destroy humankind, Esme is tasked with finding a new Rose to renew Rosamunda's powers. She must climb the Tree of Life and seek the Whale-King's help to ...