Joseph Barnaby by Susan Roebuck - Book Tour + Giveaway
Joseph Barnaby
Stand by your beliefs – even if it means going to the end of the Earth
By standing up for his principles to save the life of a prize racehorse, farrier Joseph Barnaby loses everything. Now, a personal vendetta has become too deep to fight and he escapes to the island of Madeira where he finds work on a small farm at the foot of a cliff, only accessible by boat. The balmy climate and never-ending supply of exotic fruit, vegetables and honey make it sound like paradise but, for Joseph, it’s the ideal place to hide from the world. Can the inhabitants of Quinta da Esperança, who have more grit in them than the pebbled beach that fronts the property, help Joseph find his self-worth again? And can he escape the danger that draws ever nearer?
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Excerpt
Sofia – one of the protagonists is making
her way, like a mountain-goat down a steep escarpment to the farm at the
bottom, by the sea, where she lives:
How a tree, eking out an
existence on this steep, barren, dry escarpment, could produce such wonderful
fruit in such abundance was beyond her. But there were other shrubs, spiky and
dry, that miraculously sent out the sweetest fragrance in the heat as if to say
I might be ugly but I do have a beautiful
inside. Anything can have a certain exterior it shows the world, but also
have a beautiful interior only a select few can appreciate.
Sofia snorted at her
profound thoughts and carried on, deftly stepping around loose boulders.
Another twenty minutes of this and she’d be where she’d called home since she
was eight years old. Way below, the farm stretched to the rocky grey-pebbled
beach where the white veil of surf broke on the grey and black shoreline of the
Fajã. Her uncle’s Quinta dos Françeses sat at sea-level
where he farmed two acres of vineyards, an acre of banana trees and another two
of fruit trees and bushes, not including the vegetable patches, goats, chickens
and a donkey. The red-roofed farmhouse had been built on a small hillock, the
highest point of the Fajã, at the far
western end surrounded by a verdant array of overhanging passion-fruit creepers
and a vegetable garden. Next to the farmhouse was the washhouse, then the
farm-worker’s cottage. Behind them were the fruit orchards, and the wine-cellar
barn. Next in line was the toolshed, flanked by another fruit orchard. And
there, at the far western end, sheltered from the sea by a black stone wall,
were her beehives.
She focussed on her
destination as she picked her way down, sometimes sliding carefully on her
bottom on the very steep parts. All the while during her slow progress, she
tried to ignore her complaining muscles, which now included most of those in
her body, by identifying the different fragrances that wafted over to her – the
giant bell flower shrub, oregano and lemon grass (which her bees visited), as
well as the cool, earthy scent from the cascade of water that dropped from the ribeirinho above into their irrigation
pond, the farm’s essential water supply.
She paused once more to
catch her breath. She was nearly level with the line of canary palms, planted
long before anyone remembered. The palm fronds swayed in the sea breeze, and
tiny golden-and-green birds flitted through the branches. They sang
beautifully, her aunt always said, like canaries, and Sofia believed her.
It was getting warmer
and sweat trickled down her back. Several honeybees passed her, their
destination one of the four hives she’d built. The little creatures had been
busy today, if the large sacs of pollen gathered on their tiny black legs were
anything to go by. She gave them a salute.
A stone hit her on the
back, and then another. The shock made her lose her footing for a moment and
she slipped on the dusty track. When she’d got her balance again she looked
back and up, but saw no movement on the road above her. She’d probably
dislodged some stones on her way down.
The thought of stones
falling on her made her jumpy, and she put a spurt to get to the safety of the
farm. She only had a few more metres to go when she stopped. She was almost at
the rows of vines, which were planted between the escarpment and the barns. Was
there a shadow of a person lurking under one of the long lines? Then she
remembered. Of course, she knew who it was. She exhaled. It must be the
farmhand. Tio Fernando had told her
he’d found a new one to replace the villain who stole from him. Ah well, she
thought, as she stepped off the dirt track onto the flat gravel path that ran the
length of the Fajã. That’s who it
was. But anxiety still tugged in her gut – a new person to deal with.
Author Bio –
I was born and educated in the UK (I am British!) but now live in Portugal. I've been an English teacher for many years with the British Council and also the Portuguese civil service where I developed e-learning courses.
My first love is, of course, my husband, my second writing, and my third painting. And now I have time to be able to indulge in all three.
My debut novel, "Perfect Score" was published by Mundania Press on Sept 21, 2010 and the paperback launched on May 11 2011. It was a finalist in the 2012 EPIC e-book Awards in the Mainstream Category.
My second novel is a dark thriller/fantasy called "Hewhay Hall". It won an EPPIE award in the 2013 EPIC (Electronic Publishing Industry Coalition) e-Book Awards in the Horror Category.
Next comes "Rising Tide", published in 2015. Set in Portugal, published by Mundania Press. It is set in a tiny fishing village that the world, and most of Portugal, has forgotten. Read about the wonders of the ocean and see if Piper from Norfolk UK and Leo from Alaska, USA, can find what they're searching for in the little village of Luminosa.
"Forest Dancer" was published on 20th February 2018 by CrookedCat Books. This is novel number 2 set in Portugal but this time in the forests outside Lisbon, Portugal. Instead of the sea (as in Rising Tide), now find out about the wonders of the forest and whether classical ballerina, Flora, can find what she's searching for in the small village of Aurora.
On 5th October 2018 CrookedCat Books published my newest novel, "Joseph Barnaby", another romance/suspense which is set on the island of Madeira.
My first love is, of course, my husband, my second writing, and my third painting. And now I have time to be able to indulge in all three.
My debut novel, "Perfect Score" was published by Mundania Press on Sept 21, 2010 and the paperback launched on May 11 2011. It was a finalist in the 2012 EPIC e-book Awards in the Mainstream Category.
My second novel is a dark thriller/fantasy called "Hewhay Hall". It won an EPPIE award in the 2013 EPIC (Electronic Publishing Industry Coalition) e-Book Awards in the Horror Category.
Next comes "Rising Tide", published in 2015. Set in Portugal, published by Mundania Press. It is set in a tiny fishing village that the world, and most of Portugal, has forgotten. Read about the wonders of the ocean and see if Piper from Norfolk UK and Leo from Alaska, USA, can find what they're searching for in the little village of Luminosa.
"Forest Dancer" was published on 20th February 2018 by CrookedCat Books. This is novel number 2 set in Portugal but this time in the forests outside Lisbon, Portugal. Instead of the sea (as in Rising Tide), now find out about the wonders of the forest and whether classical ballerina, Flora, can find what she's searching for in the small village of Aurora.
On 5th October 2018 CrookedCat Books published my newest novel, "Joseph Barnaby", another romance/suspense which is set on the island of Madeira.
Social Media Links – blog and website: http://www.susanroebuck.com
General Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuRoebuck
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SusanRoebuckauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sueroebuck
Amazon page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Susan-Roebuck/e/B0050B2O3U/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1526385163&sr=8-1
Giveaway – Win
1. 1st prize an Amazon book token (£10) ,
2. 2nd prize - 2 x signed paperbacks of Joseph Barnaby
3. 3rd prize - 2 x ebooks of Joseph Barnaby
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