The Dark Castle Lords Newsletter

In this months issue:

1. Castle of the Month – Marvão Castle, Portugal was considered for several centuries as the most unconquerable of the kingdom

2. Book Review -   The Saxon Bride by Natasha Smith, Romance Junkies

3. Travel Tips -    Avoid Stress When Planning For Family Vacations by Dan Ayala

4. Author Profile –   Marianne LaCroix

5. News from the Romance Industry –   Meet our Latest Dark Lord - Dominic Spinale

6. Readers Corner –  Photos of Marvão castle by Jose Elias

7. Next Months issue

Getting the name from the 9^th century Arab conqueror Ibn Marwan, this village and castle was re-conquered to Christian possessions in 1160 by D. Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal. Being the castle located in the frontier line between the new born Portuguese kingdom and the enemies of Spain and the Arabs, soon it became a very valuable strategic point. 

With several enhancements along time, it is thought that the current castle is dated from 13^th /14^th century due to some clear Gothic characteristics like a complex three-stage entrance with three doors and several towers. There’s also a cistern which is considered to be the largest in Europe. Due to the wars of the Independence Restoration in the 17^th century, the castle was enhanced to cope with the artillery threat being added star-shaped walls. 

This castle was considered for several centuries as the most unconquerable of the kingdom as it was totally inaccessible except for one side, and the height it was build allowed for the troops to monitor threats from large distances and prepare for battle.

*** written by Jose Elias

Eyreka has been widowed for three years. Never thinking to marry again after the death of her beloved Addison, she knows that if she doesn’t offer herself as wife to the new keep’s lord, she and her family will lose everything. Swiftly traveling to the king and begging an audience, she offers herself as wife to Baron de Chauret. Now if only the king will agree. While Eyreka does not expect love from the baron, she is hoping for companionship. What she gets is so much more than she ever expected to have again.

Augustin, Baron de Chauret is a widower. He misses his dead wife terribly and has vowed to never marry again. So it is with shock and trepidation that he finds himself becoming a husband, by the king’s decree, to Lady Eyreka of Merewood Keep. Though Augustin feels a considerable attraction to the fiery beauty, he fights his feelings every step of the way.

Eyreka and Augustin come to an agreement. In return for Eyreka’s running of the keep, Augustin and his men will protect the holding. While they work to unite their loyal followers, devious forces conspire against them proving that overcoming prejudices is not easy. The biggest challenge the two face however, is their burgeoning feelings for each other.

Historical romances are one of my favorite genres to read. Well-written historical romances send me into a reading nirvana. I reached that and more with THE SAXON BRIDE. Having read The Lord of Merewood Keep, also by C. H. Admirand, I was well acquainted with some of the characters and found myself fully immersed in the story of Eyreka, Garrick’s mother. I loved her tenacity and faithfulness in The Lord of Merewood Keep and I have to say that she came into her own with THE SAXON BRIDE. I found her gentle but strong, and a force to be reckoned with. Augustin was my idea of the definitive warrior. Strong, gruff, and loyal to his dead wife’s memory, his capitulation to loving Eyreka was just magnificent. I couldn’t help but fall in love with Augustin myself.



THE SAXON BRIDE by C. H. Admirand highlights her talent as a writer. As both a reviewer and a fan, I love watching her writing evolve. I anxiously await her next novel in this gripping and emotional series!


Rating  - 5 stars

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                                                       3.   Travel Tips  
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Avoid Stress When Planning For Family Vacations By Dan Ayala

Family vacations can be a fun project to put together especially if you include family

members as part of the planning process when selecting the journey. Sometimes in order to maximize the amount of time we spend with our children, we’ve under the impression that a family vacation requires putting the interests of the parents at bay in order to satisfy the needs of the kids. I have found this to be true at times, but have always tried to find places to vacation that would benefit members of the family. 

Just traveling these days can present a degree of challenges to be sure that all goes well, but traveling abroad introduces far more variables into the mix that will require more planning in the long run. There are so many details that you need to consider when you are planning a trip that you may want to think about including all members with a preparation check list to follow. This method has worked out very well for our family of four. Each member was responsible for the items on the list which included pre-selected ones and items of their choice.

If you’ve been online lately, you will see that family travel deals are plentiful since most of the big companies love to cater to this group, especially those that are already setup to accommodate any size family. Vacations and summertime holiday trips often mean a time of meeting with new and old friends, family that you have not seen in a long time and the exchanging of gifts to show love or appreciation between one another. I would like to point out that sometimes the travel agents themselves really do have some fantastic deals, especially last minute trips that they want to fill because of cancellations or unsold slots. With minimum effort you can find them surfing the net. 

Memories that last a lifetime are often created on family vacations.  Ultimately, it's important to remember that there is no such thing as a perfect family vacation, but you can come very close to one. Treat every family trip as an opportunity to connect with your children and loved ones.  I have found that many years later, my children still talk about places we visited and relatives we shared time with. It’s not always about where you go as it is about who you share that time with and the memories you create. Try not to take this fact for granted. 

 Recording your trip is extremely important and can take many routes. You can journalize it, video tape it, photograph it, purchase souvenirs or any other way you want. Don’t put yourself in the position that once you return home you find yourself regretting that you did not take a certain picture or record where you’ve been. 

Please do yourself a big favor and take your share of scenery shots, but always take 3 to 4 times more family member photographs. If I had even two times the amount of photos of my family while I was growing up as opposed to scenery shots of obscure places, I would now have a more prominent collection of family genealogy to pass on to my children. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very appreciative of the photos I do have and treasure each one. 

With the price of digital cameras, both photo and video, there is no excuse for not being prepared to take as many pictures of you family vacation as needed. It's a good idea to buy extra film or memory sticks before traveling in order to save money and to be sure you are able to photograph that special moment in time. Remember that film can easily be destroyed by the increased security devices that are in use now, so consider buying a special case made especially for carrying film when you travel.  If you give some advance thought to packing your luggage, it can go a long way toward making your trip easier and more trouble-free.

 Finally, if you plan your family vacation well in advance you have a better chance of being prepared for obstacles that can surface and cause you stress and anxiety. One of the biggest causes of stress when going on a family vacation, or any trip, usually surrounds the monetary factor. Nothing is much worst than having to cut your vacation short because you’ve underestimated how much money you needed for the trip and you find that you can’t afford to stay as planned. 

 It is always better and wiser to plan a vacation that will not place you and your family in financial burden. So before you write that first check or reserve that hotel and airline ticket, put all your cards on the table and realistically plan what you can afford so it won’t come back to haunt you in the long run. Just these few tips can help to guarantee that you have done what is needed to get your family vacation on the right track. With all the stress that life sends our way, this is definitely one that we want to avoid so all family members can remember years later..those special times shared by all.

  Dan and Janet Ayala are passionate about travel and it shows in their writing. For more information about vacation traveling or smart traveler tips, visit The Vacation Traveler at www.TheVacationTraveler.com Here you will find valuable travel information, tips and related stories. Go now and join our free newsletter community at www.SmartTravelerTips.com and keep up with current trends in the industry.

Marianne LaCroix

This 6' , hazel eyed, black haired fantasy hero was born October 23rd under the sign of Scorpio.

This 6’, hazel eyed, black haired fantasy hero was born October 23rd under the sign of Scorpio.  Dominic Spinale is a New York based model and entertainer. His first appearance in the romance industry was at a Romantic Times Pageant in Nashville, Tennessee. 

 He has been in several issues of Romantic Times Magazine with an interview article in the October 2001 issue of The Romantic Times Magazine. He made an appearance on the Sally Jesse Raphael Show entitled "Romance Novel Hunks". He did an interview with CJ Hollenback called" Hero in the Making" 

Dominic has been featured on the Dream Guys, Jocks and Wrecking Crew calendars for Zebra Productions in 2003 and 2004. He was also featured on the Men of Romance Calendar for 2005. 

Dominic portrayed a pirate for a TV commercial for a Renaissance Faire. ( imagine that, a Dark Castle Lord portraying a pirate). He did a special project for a Bradford Hamilton Wedding vessel which can be seen on his website. 

Dominic works out at the gym six days a week for a minimum of 90 minutes per session and has been on over 50 romance novel covers some of which include:

Addie's Knight by Ginny Reyes

Damsel by Debra Hamilton

Dark Desire by Christine Feehan

Heart of the Dragon by Sharon Schulze

Swan Maiden by Susan King

The Knight by Juliana Garnett

Dominic's Home on the Web

http://viking50.tripod.com/dominicbio.html

 Vital Statistics:

Height: 6'

Weight: 218 lbs

Eyes: Hazel

Hair: Black

Arms: 18"

Chest: 48"

Favored color of clothing: Black

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                                                     7.  Next Months Issue  
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2. Book Review -   How to Ruin A Season by Linda L, Fallen Angles

 3. Travel Tips -  A Paris Vacation Beyond the Ordinary by Jennifer Weiss 

 4. Author Profile –   Meet our latest author, Raquel Taylor

 5. News from the Romance Industry –   Pamela Seres interviews Actor and Screen writer Paul Sampson about his up and coming movie NIGHT OF THE TEMPLAR 

6. Readers Corner – 

We hope you have enjoyed reading June's edition and if you have any suggestions or comments about any part of the newsletter then please feel free to contact us.