The Damask Rose takes readers to the mystical, magical Isle of Skye, in Scotland of 1430, where two clans, MacKay and MacDougald, have been engaged in a blood feud for years. As the story opens, it seems as though the MacDougalds have been defeated and young Tynan MacDougald, only eight years old, has been taken as a slave. But as the years pass the seeds of revenge are planted in his mind. When the laird of the clan discovers that he has a long-lost granddaughter, he offers a reward for anyone who can deliver her safely to him. Tynan will find this woman, Nara. But instead of delivering her to safety, he will kill her and get his revenge. What he doesn't count on is falling in love with her, and becoming torn between his newfound love and his blood oath to avenge his clan.
New York Times best-selling author Haywood Smith did not start writing till she was forty. Seven years of learning, writing, and rewriting later, St. Martins Press published the first of six critically acclaimed, best-selling historical novels about "strong women, hunky heroes, accurate history, and upbeat endings."
After a devastating divorce left her financially destitute, she switched to writing humorous Southern women's fiction about Baby Boomer women who help each other through their various trials with creativity, loyalty, and lots of fun, earning Haywood a place on the New York Times best seller list. ("I sent my ex a thank-you note.")
Haywood adored her mother-in-law, who lived across the street for twenty-five years, then moved in at Haywood's invitation after the divorce. In her mother-in-law's memory, Haywood wrote a fun, helpful handbook titled THE TWELVE SACRED TRADITIONS OF MAGNIFICENT MOTHERS-IN-LAW.
Haywood loves to do stand-up comedy about her life (It's been wild.) and waives her speaker's fee for women's charity fundraisers, Red Hat regional meetings, and Friends of the Library groups. Contact her at haywood100@aol.com with EVENT in the subject line for particulars.
She also loves to hear from her fans at haywood100@aol.com and personally answers all her e-mails.
