But more importantly are the astonishingly helpful and professional people who put up with writers and their strange ways. To that end, I would like to thank the following:
Fawn Neun of Vagabondage Press was kind enough to give my manuscript a look. Then she carefully combed out its many tangles in a couple of major edit passes. She challenged me to see deeper things in the book than I had originally thought about, and I am grateful.
A thousand thanks to my beta readers Joan Druett and Shel Horowitz. Both pushed me to work harder to explore some of my themes, change my approach, or simply do better. Really, sometimes the only thing you can say to someone is, “I think you can try harder,” and let things go.
Lastly, firstly, and in-betweenly, many thanks to my patient husband Robin, who read the million-and-one versions and managed not to become suicidal. I am not sure I am capable of similar fortitude.
About the Author
Jacqueline Church Simonds is an author and publishing consultant. Her first published book was Captain Mary, Buccaneer, a historical adventure novel loosely based on the real pirate women Ann Bonney and Mary Reade.
Simonds has done the usual authorly wanderings in life: she was a lady’s companion, a sound and lights roadie for a small Southern rock band, and managed an antiques shop. She’s sold everything from computers to 1950s pulp magazines to towels and baby clothes. The one constant in her life is a love of words, books and writing. She sold some short stories and poetry early, but didn’t pursue it until later in life.
She has had a life-long love of King Arthur and was always drawn to novels about that great hero. Finally, she sat down and wrote stories from her own point of view.
She lives in Reno, Nevada with her husband and beagle.
Table of Contents
About The Midsumer Wife
Praise for The Midsummer Wife
Dedication
The Midsummer Wife
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Licensing Notes
Licensing Notes
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. This book, and parts thereof, may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without express written permission. For information, e-mail [email protected].
The Midsummer Wife
© 2018 Jacqueline Church Simonds
Strange Fictions Press
An imprint of Vagabondage Press LLC
PO Box 3563
Apollo Beach, Florida 33572
http://www.vagabondagepress.com
First digital edition published in the United States of America and the United Kingdom, June 2018
The Midsummer Wife (The Heirs to Camelot Book 1) Page 28