Sisters
of Prophecy
Book
1
Jude
Pittman and Gail Roughton
Genre: Paranormal, Time Travel
Publisher: Books We Love, Ltd.
Date of Publication: September 29,
2014
ISBN: 978-1-77145-310-3
ASIN: B00O2DTE1M
Number of pages: 164
Word Count: 50,0000
Cover Artist: Michelle Lee
Book Description:
What’s a girl to do? Katherine
Shipton has a painting that talks, an ancestor who won’t stay in her own
century, and a former boyfriend with a serious ax to grind against her new fiancé.
She already has a full plate, but when said ancestor sends her tripping back
and forth between the 15th and 21st century without benefit of psychedelic
drugs, the poor girl begins to doubt her own sanity.
Then her best friend, a high
fashion model with more than her own share of psychic energy, and her
troubleshooting aunt show up on her doorstep in response to a psychic SOS
Katherine swears she didn’t send. Life couldn't get more complicated.
At least, that's what she thinks
until her oilman fiancé disappears in the Gulf of Mexico and a DEA agent knocks
on her door.
Available at Books We Love and Amazon
Excerpt
Katherine flitted
restlessly over Ursula’s body. What was going on in that unconscious brain?
Something was. She could feel it, feel a subliminal hum, like voices through
phone wires, like electricity through power lines. Not that any such things
would exist for four hundred or so years.
“Who are you talking to, Ursula? Sylvia, hurry!”
No answer. Not
directly. Only the echo of Mother Shipton’s words.
There’s a crossroad up ahead. Or back in the past.
Depends on how you think on it. If she takes one, well, then her fate—and
yours—is sealed. If she takes another, her fate—and yours—is changed.
The crossroad! Was
this it? The crossroad? Katherine concentrated and power hurled across the
years, out of the past and into the future.
“Grandmother! Can you hear me? This is it, isn’t it?
The place in time where destiny can change. But what do I do? What can I do?”
“You know what to do. Like calls to like and blood to
blood. Show her! Show her where following her heart will lead her, the
treasures she’ll reap! And show her what mindless obedience to the king will
bring her!”
“But I don’t know any of that!”
“I do, child. And the visions of those two paths will
flow from me to thee to her.”
“How the hell do you know? And if you do know, why not
just show her yourself?”
“Child! What’s my name? What’s her name? What’s your
name?”
“Would you please stop talking in those damn riddles
of yours and just tell me what to do?”
“Child! The names! Remember the names!”
“You’re Ursula. Ursula Shipton. She’s Ursula. Ursula
Sontheil—oh my God! Shipton! Toby Shipton! You’re her and she’s you and she’s
Ursula Sontheil now but she’s got to become Ursula Shipton! Or I’ll—I’ll
never—”
“You’ll never be born, child. Ursula Katherine Shipton
will never be born. Nor any of the line before you from whence you sprang.”
“I still don’t understand! If she’s you—if you’re
her—why can’t you just show her yourself?”
“I do! Through you! At this moment! Because you exist,
I exist. Because I exist, you exist. If this moment passes, that chance is lost
and I become that woman in the Tower, the one you saw in your dream. The one
who’ll never live to be an old woman!”
“Oh, God, my head hurts!”
Author Bios
Jude Pittman emigrated from Canada to the United States with her mom and brother when she was 14. Her time there included 12 years in Texas where the genus for her first murder mystery, “Shadows Are Deadly” now part of Jude’s “Murder on My Mind” trilogy first took root. In 1992 Jude returned to British Columbia where she met her husband John. The couple moved to Calgary, Alberta where they continue to live. Descended from the Shipton line, Jude has always been fascinated with the historical and legendary stories about her late and often maligned ancestor, Mother Shipton and her gifts of prophecy. The Sisters of Prophecy series is a fictional account of those Shipton sons and daughters who inherited Mother Shipton’s gifts.
Jude Pittman emigrated from Canada to the United States with her mom and brother when she was 14. Her time there included 12 years in Texas where the genus for her first murder mystery, “Shadows Are Deadly” now part of Jude’s “Murder on My Mind” trilogy first took root. In 1992 Jude returned to British Columbia where she met her husband John. The couple moved to Calgary, Alberta where they continue to live. Descended from the Shipton line, Jude has always been fascinated with the historical and legendary stories about her late and often maligned ancestor, Mother Shipton and her gifts of prophecy. The Sisters of Prophecy series is a fictional account of those Shipton sons and daughters who inherited Mother Shipton’s gifts.
Gail Roughton is a native of small town Georgia whose Deep South heritage features prominently in much of her work. She’s worked in a law office for close to forty years, during which time she’s raised three children and quite a few attorneys. She’s kept herself more or less sane by writing novels and tossing the completed manuscripts into her closet. A cross-genre writer, she’s produced works ranging from humor to romance to thriller to horror, sometimes in the same book. She’s never quite sure herself what to expect when she sits down at the keyboard. Now multi-published by Books We Love, Ltd., her credits include the War-N-Wit, Inc. series, The Color of Seven, Vanished, and Country Justice. Currently, she’s working on Black Turkey Walk, the second in the Country Justice series, as well as the Sisters of Prophecy series, co-written with Jude Pittman.
Guest Post
Please welcome Jude Pittman to Diane’s Book Blog.
Mother Shipton Legend and History
The most compelling story of Mother Shipton begins with the story of an Archbishop, the very same man who was demoted from the lofty office of Cardinal in 1529 for failing to obtain the Pope's dispensation to annul the marriage of Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon.
According to a 1641 account, Mother Shipton was quite magnanimous in welcome, answering the knock at her door with "Come in, Master Besley and those honourable Lords with you." Apparently "this they thought strange, that she should know them and never saw them."
One could also reasonably surmise that dear Mother Shipton was warned by friends, as noblemen traveling with a magistrate in search of her home could hardly travel without notice, especially if their intent might be to drag her to the stake. It is said Mother Shipton was well-liked by those around her, so friends would no doubt warn her if they could. The wise and hospitable Mother Shipton was said to have "a great fire" going. She "bade them welcome, calling them all by their names", and served the men cakes and ale, such that the men became "very merry".
"Mother Shipton, if you knew what we come about, you would not make us so welcome", Duke Henry Grey was said to remark. Her response, according to the 1641 pamphlet, was "the messenger should not be hang'd".
One can see the wisdom and serenity of Mother Shipton in this response, having the common sense to know that these men were not at fault for whatever fate might befall her. She knew the men were no more than carriers of a message, and given they might fear her as a witch, it is significant that she made it clear she intended them no ill will.
The Duke then mentioned the rumor itself, that "the Cardinal shoulde never see Yorke". To this, Mother Shipton unflinchingly replied, "I said he might see Yorke, but never come at it."
Seemingly astonished that this warm and friendly woman would immediately confirm the dangerous prophecy in question, even expand upon it, the Duke warned Mother Shipton the demoted Cardinal would not hesitate to burn her at the stake if she continued such dangerous utterances.
To this dire warning, Mother Shipton was said to boldly respond "We shall see that", tore the kerchief off her head and tossed it into the fire. It is at this point that the story ventures into legend, and we may never really know what actually happened that day. It is said the kerchief didn't burn at all. Then she took "her staffe" and placed it in the fire, its wood completely untouched by the roaring flames.
Mother Shipton Legend and History
The
kids in my family have always been fascinated with the stories surrounding
Mother Shipton and her reputed connection to our family. We’re all Shiptons, descended from Toby and
Ursula Sontheil (Mother Shipton), and the legends surrounding our ancestor have
alternately fascinated and scared the heck out of generations of Shipton
children since the 1600s.
Oh,
the stories we were told!
Particularly
frightening was the one labeling her a witch who was burned at the stake. More than any other, I believe that story started
my lifelong obsession with someday telling her story in a fictional manner, and
bringing her to life as a character that encompassed so many of the
characteristics from the fascinating Shipton women of my heritage. The Shipton Sisters: Irene, Hazel, Lillian,
Dorothy and Nell and brothers Edwin, William and Shirley.
Of
the stories that began the legend (and my own fascination) the most likely to
be a truthful account comes from the following facts gathered by scholars who
have extensively researched Mother Shipton’s historical origins.
A Witch, an Archbishop and a Fateful
Encounter: The Mother Shipton Legacy Begins
Independent of fantastic stories about her childhood, many
believe that Mother Shipton reached legendary status much later in life -
through an infamous prophecy that spread far and wide.The most compelling story of Mother Shipton begins with the story of an Archbishop, the very same man who was demoted from the lofty office of Cardinal in 1529 for failing to obtain the Pope's dispensation to annul the marriage of Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon.
According to a 1641 account, Mother Shipton was quite magnanimous in welcome, answering the knock at her door with "Come in, Master Besley and those honourable Lords with you." Apparently "this they thought strange, that she should know them and never saw them."
One could also reasonably surmise that dear Mother Shipton was warned by friends, as noblemen traveling with a magistrate in search of her home could hardly travel without notice, especially if their intent might be to drag her to the stake. It is said Mother Shipton was well-liked by those around her, so friends would no doubt warn her if they could. The wise and hospitable Mother Shipton was said to have "a great fire" going. She "bade them welcome, calling them all by their names", and served the men cakes and ale, such that the men became "very merry".
"Mother Shipton, if you knew what we come about, you would not make us so welcome", Duke Henry Grey was said to remark. Her response, according to the 1641 pamphlet, was "the messenger should not be hang'd".
One can see the wisdom and serenity of Mother Shipton in this response, having the common sense to know that these men were not at fault for whatever fate might befall her. She knew the men were no more than carriers of a message, and given they might fear her as a witch, it is significant that she made it clear she intended them no ill will.
The Duke then mentioned the rumor itself, that "the Cardinal shoulde never see Yorke". To this, Mother Shipton unflinchingly replied, "I said he might see Yorke, but never come at it."
Seemingly astonished that this warm and friendly woman would immediately confirm the dangerous prophecy in question, even expand upon it, the Duke warned Mother Shipton the demoted Cardinal would not hesitate to burn her at the stake if she continued such dangerous utterances.
To this dire warning, Mother Shipton was said to boldly respond "We shall see that", tore the kerchief off her head and tossed it into the fire. It is at this point that the story ventures into legend, and we may never really know what actually happened that day. It is said the kerchief didn't burn at all. Then she took "her staffe" and placed it in the fire, its wood completely untouched by the roaring flames.
Sisters
of Prophecy, Ursula, is the first book to tell the stories of the Shipton
descendants, and through the magic of time travel, include Mother Shipton in
their lives. Together Gail and I have
introduced Mother Shipton, and one of the Shipton sisters (Lillian) to our
readers. It is our intention – over the
next few years – to tell the stories of the other sisters. Sisters
of Prophecy, Irene is planned for 2015.
Ursula is our shortest book
because we faced the challenge of including a lot of backstory while still
keeping the reader interested in the present.
So far our reviewers have told us that we succeeded admirably, and we
hope you will agree.
The
future books will take place in contemporary times, but in various locations
and with both paranormal and mysterious elements to challenge our readers and
entertain them with as intriguing a story as Gail and I can share with them.
Jude
Pittman, descendant of Ursula Sontheil Shipton
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