Aloha to Nancy Lee Badger and MY HONORABLE HIGHLANDER

London may be hosting the Olympics this summer, but Scotland will always be home to the Highland Games. Scottish families brought the time honored tradition to the US, where fans such as romance author Nancy Lee Badger have become part of it. Nancy joins us today with a guest post about the Highland Games.

My latest release is not a book I sat down, wrote, then chose to self-publish. No, it made the rounds at two Romance Writers of America conferences where I pitched the concept to several agents and an editor. After rewriting it, I then sent out query letters to other agents and editors. When an editor requested to read the manuscript and then requested a revision, I worked on it for months and then sent it out with high hopes. Alas, after six more months of WAITING, she sent me a lovely rejection letter. Sigh. 

Selling a book takes time; sometimes longer than actually writing and editing your story. What kept me going when the latest rejection letter hit my e-mail in-box? I love all things Scottish. More importantly, I wrote the story to include something near and dear to my heart:  Scottish Highland Games. 

Since the early 1980’s, my husband has volunteered at the New Hampshire Highland Games held every fall in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. His parents had dragged us to the earlier Scottish festival held in Lincoln, NH and hubby was proud to have a local venue where he could wear his kilt and meet with people interested in their Scottish heritage. 

I raised two boys, so I missed out for a few years. When my youngest was about 10 years old and showed interest in his heritage, I joined hubby and son as volunteers at the games. These festivals take place all over the east coast of the United States and need volunteers in order to keep their festivals running. Taking a few days out of the year to help was easy. 


My oldest son has joined in, and has yet to buy a kilt. My youngest son, Eric, made the decision and ordered his. A decision you say? Seems his ancestors can claim affiliation with two different clans; the Gunns and the MacBeans, but Eric came up with an unusual choice after meeting a fellow soldier at the Grandfather Mountain Games in western North Carolina. The soldier proudly wore a kilt in the Army digital camouflage pattern! 

Now, Eric proudly wears this kilt while he assists the organization that runs the New Hampshire games. We are in charge of the Information tent, which is set adjacent to the entrance to the ski area that hosts the games. EVERYONE sees Eric! Also, since we are in charge of the raffle, he carries the huge ticket tumbler across the parade grounds to the stage during the closing ceremonies. He stands proudly in front of thousands of visitors who wonder if they won the trip to Scotland.

We enjoy having Eric around to help at the games. There were a couple of times he had to miss out due to being stationed with B Company, 32D Signal Battalion in Darmstadt, Germany and during deployment to Iraq. He is home, now, and currently in the Army Reserves while attending college. We are fortunate any year he can accompany us to the games. Volunteering, like his brothers, is his choice!

For more information about the New Hampshire Highland Games, check out www.NHScot.org.

Hope to see you there September 21-23, 2012. Look for me under the Info tent next to the Parade Ground. In the meantime, check out my latest Scottish Time travel release that starts and ends at a present day Highland Games. 

MY HONORABLE HIGHLANDER, Book #1 of the Highland Games through Times series.

Book Blurb

Bumbling present day herbalist, Haven MacKay, gets more than she bargains for when her love spell goes awry, is cast back in time, and meets her true love -- Laird Kirkwall Gunn.

Kirk’s plans go slightly off course when he falls in love with a woman wandering through the Scottish Highlands. After all, he has pledged to marry another, from an enemy clan, in order to end a century-old feud.

Amazon http://amzn.to/Knot6H

NOOK http://bit.ly/K4TqzH

All Romance EBooks http://bit.ly/JmqjXJ

Smashwords http://bit.ly/KxBBbT

ISBN 9781476417400 

AUTHOR BIO

After growing up in Huntington, New York, and raising two handsome sons in New Hampshire, Nancy moved to North Carolina where she writes full-time. Due to a Scottish heritage, she and her family volunteer at the New Hampshire Highland Games each fall. Nancy is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Fantasy Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, and the Celtic Heart Romance Writers. Nancy also writes romantic suspense as Nancy Lennea and is a proud Army Mom.

Website www.nancyleebadger.com

Blog www.RescuingRomance.nancyleebadger.com

Twitter @NLBadger

On Facebook as Nancy Lee Badger

CONTEST! Win a free e-book of Nancy’s latest release, MY HONORABLE HIGHLANDER, simply by leaving a comment about how YOU volunteer your time (past or present).

Kim's children pose with the piper
at Huntington Castle.

Mahalo, Nancy, for sharing about the Highland Games!  Like Nancy, I have two boys and I've tried to expose them to the Scottish culture!  Nancy's contest is open through Saturday, June 16, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, June 17.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

Kim volunteers at the base library.
Above is the librarian with the Jane Austen project.