I met Nancy
S. Brandt a long time ago when she was a member of the New Jersey Romance Writers, but then she moved. :-( She now has a terrific new book with an awesome cover and I am thrilled to present her as my guest today. Please welcome her to my blog!
Nancy S. Brandt is a stay-at-home mother of two children, a daughter, 25, who is an
appointment's clerk at an orthopedic clinic and an editor and book reviewer;
and a son, 12, who studies karate, and wants to be either an historian or an
artist. Nancy's husband, Steven, is also an author and an adjunct professor of
computer science at Louisiana State University.
In about sixth grade, an English teacher gave an assignment to write a
descriptive essay. Nancy's was all about a wonderful cave filled with diamonds,
emeralds and other precious gems. From that experience, she walked into every
English class hoping to get to write something, and she learned three things:
1. The difference between stalactite and stalagmite,
2. That fantasy was probably the genre she should concentrate on, and
3. Never end a story with "It was all a dream."
Nancy is a kidney transplant recipient (her husband was her living donor), a
thyroid cancer survivor, and an Army veteran. She is currently working on the
sequel to Pigsty Princess, called Questionable Queen.
The Back Cover Blurb for Pigsty Princess
In a country where Elemental Sensitivities determine
a person's place in society, Mariana, fourth child of King Jonathan and Queen
Alexandria, was born an Insensitive. She is given the made up title of
Progenna, because she can't be in line for the throne and therefore, can't be a
Princess. All her life, she is reminded that she isn't quite good enough. When
her father decides she is to marry Pir Leo Valentine, an eighty-four year old
man with a scar across his face that took his eye and only one hand, she runs
away from the palace.
Orlando of Talla is a pig farmer and former soldier who served the King until
he watched his Sovereign burn an entire harbor town rather than lose a battle.
Now he tries to live a quiet life while leading a band of rebels who steal from
the nobility to bring prisoners home from that war.
Orlando is also the bastard son of a nobleman, and therefore, he has a
Sensitivity, one of Blood that allows him to feel the Sensitivities of others.
He finds the injured Progenna in the forest and immediately realizes that the
stories about Mariana aren't true. Rather than being an Insensitive, Mariana
may be the most powerful Sensitive in Valborough.
Excerpt:
Mariana
sniffled. “He said I was a commoner, and that I’m not Father’s daughter by
blood.”
Ramone
sighed and shook his head. “Gossip only. Not even worthy of the servants, and
for it to come out of the mouth of a Rieravo and a Presumptive…I am surprised
he would suggest that out
loud to you.”
She
adjusted herself so she was off her brother’s lap and faced him. “Ramone, what
if what Darius said is right? What if Father isn’t…my father? No nobleman will
ever want to marry me if
that’s true.”
“First
of all, it’s not true, and second, even if it were, Father has claimed you as
his daughter. He will take care of you.”
It
didn’t make her feel any better.
“You
mean he’ll force someone into marrying me.” She got off the loveseat and went
over to sit at her mother’s writing desk. Picking up one of the quills, she
glanced at her brother in the mirror.
“It
might not be like that,” he said after a moment of silence. “There must be some
man who doesn’t care about bonding. Someone who will be content with having
only his own magic.”
She
spun around to stare at him. “Name one person you have ever heard of, male or
female, who was willing to throw away the potential power of their
Sensitivities to bond to someone with nothing. What do your history and peerage
books say about that?”
He
said nothing, but he didn’t meet her eyes.
Mariana
nodded. “Just as I thought. I was stupid to think being a Proge…the daughter of
the King would be enough. No one with any Sensitivities wants to wed someone
they can’t bond with. I
wish Mother and Father would have prepared me for this.”
“What
could they have done, Mariana?” He walked over to her and, taking her hands,
brought her to her feet. “You are special, one of a kind. You are my beautiful
baby sister.”
“But
I’m not like the rest of you. Father and Mother are strong Sensitives. By
definition, Father is the strongest in the kingdom. You, Liliana, and Ursula
have sensitivities in three areas. Me? You know what the Abilities Master said
when I finished my testing.”
“It
doesn’t matter.”
“Do
you remember? Father came out of his meeting with Kylan and said, ‘It is as we
thought.’ Mother cried.”
He
took her in his arms. “She loves you. She was crying because she knew your life
would be harder because of this.”
“Was
that it?” she asked. “Did Mother cry because I don’t have any Sensitivities or
because Father found out about my true parentage? I have to know if I am a
Princess in truth or just the result
of some mistake Mother made."
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
You can find out more about Nancy if you visit her Social
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