BLOG TOUR! Sound of the Heart by Genevieve Graham Guest Post + GIVEAWAY!

Sound of the Heart by Genevieve Graham
Published by Berkeley Trade
Publish Date: May 1, 2012
336 Pages
Source: Author/Publisher

I’m thrilled that Genevieve Graham has stopped by the blog today to share some of her favorite quotes from Sound of the Heart and to offer you all a chance to win a copy of the book!

A book is the culmination of so many things: characters, settings, adventures … but sometimes it’s just a good line or two that grab you, that make the book memorable. It’s hard for me to find specific quotes in my books, because I prefer to think in scenes, but I do have a few favourites.

Near the beginning, Dougal and his new friends are chatting. Dougal has just come to the rescue of two young drummer boys who are being threatened by soldiers. 

1. “Very gallant,” John said. “Oh aye. I’m a real hero.” “Right. Well, then I’ll stay by you. They’ll hit ye first, I reckon.” “Ye’re a smarter fellow than ye let on, sir,” Dougal replied.

After Culloden, Dougal and hundreds of others were taken as P.O.W.s. A law was passed which made tartan, bagpipes, Scottish dancing—most of the things which identified the Scottish culture as being unique—illegal. The purpose was to take away any possibility of the Scots rising up again. Defeating them mentally and emotionally as well as physically. Dougal and John spoke briefly after they heard of the new law.

2. “So Scotland is gone,” John muttered under his breath. “No, John. She is only in hiding.”

There’s the moment when Dougal and Glenna finally cross the friendship/lover boundary. Glenna’s giving him a lecture on not trying to be someone he’s not.

3. “Do something, Dougal. Do something!” So he kissed her.

… oh, I SO want to share more of that scene, but that’d take the magic away from when you read the book!
Okay. Moving on. When Dougal was arrested halfway through the book, he is offered the unpleasant choice of hanging or joining the English army. The question is asked of him by someone he’d thought he’d never seen again.

4. Dougal frowned. “I ken that voice,” he said softly, trying to remember. Shapes and shadows swirled in his head as he fought to match voice with face. Then the answer came, and Dougal shook his head. “But it belongs to a dead man.” “My friends would argue that,” came the response.

I loved that scene! Now I’ll skip ahead to a couple of scenes with Glenna.

One of the women Glenna gets to know later on in the story is named Aline. She’s a wise but quiet friend. One day, when she sees Glenna can barely handle all the grief within her, she tells her a horrible secret about her own past. Glenna hardly knows what to say. But Aline stops her.

5. A tear slid down Glenna’s cheek. Aline glanced at her, then away, back toward the sea. “I dinna tell ye this to make ye sorry for me, Glenna. But when we are in the black o’ that ship and all the folk around us are sick an’ dyin’ an’ moanin’ for death, I want ye to keep my thought in yer head. Yer man was killed, but ye were not. There is a reason, an’ if ye let them take yer fight from ye, ye’ve let them win, an’ ye’ve lost yer reason.”

Glenna is eventually purchased as a slave by a German family looking for an English teacher for  their brood of eight children. Glenna had to thank Dougal for his endless hours of teaching, the lessons she had pestered him for. Otherwise she would doubtless have lived a much rougher life. So this is just after she’s learned what she’s supposed to do.

6. Once again, Glenna changed identities. To these children, she wasn’t Glenna the Scot or Glenna the prisoner. She was Miss Glenna, the teacher. To their parents, she was Glenna the Servant. All strange new costumes for her to wear, but Glenna had always been a chameleon. Stepping into roles had shaped her life.

This last quote will mean SO much more after you’ve read the book!

Considering the pages and pages of books people read, it is a rare moment when they can remember one particular quote in a book that really “got” them. Can you remember one? If you can, quote it as best you can in your comment below, and fill out the form be entered to win a signed copy of SOUND OF THE HEART!

“I’ll give you a little insight into why I chose these cds as my prize – I’m NOT saying Sound of the Heart is about relaxing … considering the wild adventures Dougal’s in for, I doubt he was too relaxed! But Dougal has a gift, similar to his brother’s gift. He can relax his mind and hear the thoughts of other men, but he can also sink into his thoughts and hear the sounds and voices of his loved ones as if they were right there with him. These cds were created to help you escape the stress and craziness of your days. Grab a cup of tea or glass of wine (your preference!), light a candle, maybe slip in to a bubblebath, and listen to the sound of your heart.”

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