WARRIOR AND THE WANDERER: Adventurous Scottish Time-Travel by Elizabeth Holcombe

“Elizabeth Holcombe’s passion for storytelling shines brightly in this delicious time travel!” - Laurin Wittig, award winning author 

 
An impossible adventure. A fierce, undeniable desire.

Infamous Scottish bad boy, Ian MacLean, takes a road trip to sort out his mess of a life and lands five hundred years in the past. He is taken hostage into what he is certain is a band of extreme Highland role players. The only bright light in this strange situation is his insanely beautiful warrior-princess captor who wields her claymore as well as her fiery feral charms.

To gain a strong ally for her clan, flame-haired Bess Campbell reluctantly married a powerful Highland chief who had no intentions of uniting the clans. After murdering her clan chief, he chains her to a rock condemning her to die in the rising tide, until a strangely dressed but startlingly handsome man emerges from the waves like a mythical selkie and rescues her. Bess learns her most odd savior has the same name as her murdering husband—MacLean—and makes him her prisoner. 

Fearing she may have captured a madman, Bess forces Ian to journey through Scotland chasing down a killer. She finds Ian’s strange ways oddly endearing and uncommonly useful to her quest for revenge. Ian struggles to find a way back to his time, while being pulled deeper into his role in the past and his undeniable attraction for the fiery Highland warrior princess, Bess Campbell.

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Praise for Elizabeth Holcombe

“Heavenly…delightful and delicious! An excellent writer with an exquisite historical voice.”
Teresa Medeiros, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

“Ms. Holcombe has a hit with her debut book. The characters are well-drawn. The description is vivid and evocative. All in all this is a lively and entertaining read.”
Debroah Brent Romantic Times

5 Questions for Elizabeth Holcombe

What are three things people may not know about you?

1. I am a birder. Not a Jane Hathaway type (only those of you of a certain age will get the reference), but the type of birder who doesn’t mind standing under airplanes taking off from the runway of Reagan National Airport just in order to see a Snowy Owl perched on the runway windsock pole.

2. I am afraid of flying. I do it vicariously through the birds and getting jet-blasted at the end of airport runways.

3. I am a junker. I have no problem crawling through a creepy basement or Black-widow infested shed to find the best junk!

What is your favorite movie based on a book, where you preferred the movie?

I can name lots of movies where I preferred the book, but there is one fairly recent movie that I like better than the book: “Silver Linings Playbook.” I read the book and liked it a lot, but I loved the movie. I thought it pushed the original story into more of a romance story. And seriously, I never thought of Bradley Cooper as the main character while reading the book, but when the movie came out I thought the casting was brilliant.

What is your favorite non-writing pastime?

Other than birding and junking, my non-writing favorite pastime is avoiding getting hot glue burns while making creations for my on-line etsy shop, Dime Store Chic. I have crafted all of my life and turning it into a business is pure bliss.

What actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead character from your most recent book?

While writing “Warrior and the Wanderer” I envisioned a very buff Jack Huston as Ian MacLean, and Emma Stone as Bess Campbell. I love movies as much as I do books, and I like to play a game by casting my stories. I keep a Pintrest inspiration board for the very purpose!

What is your favorite film and why?

I love to talk books, birds, junk, and movies so let’s keep this thread going! My favorite film of all time is “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World.” The ensemble cast of brilliant comedic talent from the early 1960’s, the combination of hilarious dialog and slapstick, the effect before CGI, all combined with the great direction of Stanley Kramer makes this a film I will take to that desert island! It’s also three hours long and never a dull minute!

Enjoy an Excerpt

She knelt at his feet and began smoothing the plaid across the cold stone floor, felt him watching her every move.

     “Ye’d best pay close attention,” she said, “because I’m no’ gonnae do this for ye again.”
     “Too humiliating?”
     “Should be humiliating for ye, to have me show ye how to properly dress yourself.”
     “Actually, I find it charming, in a weird sort of way.”
   

  Bess ignored the last comment and folded the bottom third of the plaid into thick pleats. She slipped the rope under them.
     “Lay on the plaid,” she said. “Place yer waist at the rope in case ye’ve forgotten.”
     “Oh, yer sarcasm tears me apart, Blaze.”
     “If it would help to tear down yer arrogance then we’d be better served, and stop calling me Blaze.”
     He grimaced as he folded his body down to kneel beside her.
     “Your wound…,” she began.
     “Is nothing,” he said behind clenched teeth as he lowered his body on top of the plaid.
     He rested supine before her. Bess drew in a deep breath. She hovered over him, grasped the ends on the rope in her fists, tied it about his waist, and then adjusted the pleats under the belt.
     Ian moaned from far back in his throat. Perspiration glistened across his forehead.
     “Ye claim your wound is nothing, d’ye?” she chided, loosening the rope belt.  Ian gave her a small forced smile.
     She continued to dress him. Her fingers smoothed the wool over his hard waist, over his lean hips, and down the ridge of muscle on his thighs. Feigning indifference was the most difficult part of her task.
     “Ye may stand now,” she said. “I’ll help ye.”
     “No thanks,” he said struggling to sit up, “you’ve done quite enough.”
     She ignored his protest.
     “Bursting your stitches is no’ a sign of bravery, ’tis a sign of stupidity.” She took up his left arm and placed it over her shoulders. “Stand with me.”
     “I can do it on my own,” he said.
     “Ye’re just another arrogant bastard, a typical MacLean,” she said helping him anyway.
     “Have you ever thought that all MacLean’s aren’t forged from the same iron as your husband?” he asked.

     “Ye betrayed my trust, so aye, I do think all MacLean’s are alike,” she said.
     “But what sort of man would I be if I didn’t try to escape?” he asked.
     She paused. He had her there. Of course she expected he would try to escape. That was why she had chained and tied him up in the first place.
Ian on his feet, Bess took a step backward. She could not help but allow her gaze to fall down the long length of his body and discovered her task was not complete.
     She bent down, and scooped up the rest of the plaid dangling from his waist and tossed it over his shoulder. He remained silent, a blessing, as she tucked the end of the plaid under the rope belt. Task done, Bess surveyed Ian, and her knees suddenly weakened.
     Dear God, she thought, he’s the Highlander of my dreams, of my heart. He is the one who could make love possible, if he wasnae so arrogant and odd, and I wasnae so bound to my clan. If ‘twas another time….
 

Meet the Author

Elizabeth Holcombe’s background includes Bachelors and Masters degrees in Fine Arts and Art History from Virginia Commonwealth University in her hometown of Richmond. She has taught elementary school and adult education courses on architecture in Rochester, Minnesota, and then worked as a fine arts museum registrar at the Flint Institute of Arts in Michigan.

Although she’s been writing since age ten, it wasn’t until after the birth of her son that she began penning book-length fiction. A past president of Washington Romance Writers, Elizabeth has also organized two highly successful seminars on romance for The Smithsonian Associates.

Elizabeth’s first published Scottish romance novel, Heaven and the Heather (originally published by Berkley/Jove of Penguin Putnam), was a finalist for Best Historical Romance in the Holt Medallion, nominated by Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice for Best First Historical Romance and the Dorothy Parker Reviewer’s Choice Award.

Elizabeth lives in Falls Church, Virginia with her husband and son. She is also the proud owner of Dime Store Chic, ranked in the top 50 for vintage shops on Etsy.com. When not writing or crafting her mixed media creations, Elizabeth frequents local estate sales and flea markets.

Connect with Elizabeth

http://elizabethholcombe.net 

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