# 99 Cent Celebration Thru Thursday: A Kingdom's Cost



## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

JUST TO CELEBRATE!!​
*Today I published the third book in this trilogy, so to celebrate A KINGDOM'S COST, first in the trilogy, is only 99 Cents through Thursday!*

​
Eighteen-year-old James Douglas can only watch, helpless, as the Scottish freedom fighter, William Wallace, is hanged, drawn, and quartered. Even under the heel of a brutal English conqueror, James's blood-drenched homeland may still have one hope for freedom, the rightful king of the Scots, Robert the Bruce. James swears fealty to the man he believes can lead the fight against English tyranny.

The Bruce is soon a fugitive, king in name and nothing more. Scotland is occupied, Scottish resistance crushed. The woman James loves is captured and imprisoned. Only James believes their cause is not lost. With driving determination, he blazes a path in blood and violence, in cunning and ruthlessness as he wages a guerrilla war to restore Scotland's freedom. James knows he risks sharing Wallace's fate, but what he truly fears is that he has become as merciless as the conqueror he fights.

*A Kingdom's Cost
Only $2.99 for Kindle*​


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## jabeard (Apr 22, 2011)

Congrats on your new release. I've been looking forward to this one.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Welcome to KindleBoards, JR, and congratulations on your book!

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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Thanks, jabeard. I'm really excited about it!


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Hi, J.R.! This sounds like a wonderful book.  I read a book a few years ago about Robert the Bruce and truly enjoyed.  I may have to put this one my TBR list.
Good luck with your sales!


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Brendan Carroll said:


> Hi, J.R.! This sounds like a wonderful book. I read a book a few years ago about Robert the Bruce and truly enjoyed. I may have to put this one my TBR list.
> Good luck with your sales!


Thanks, Brendan! I hope you enjoy it.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

My new Scottish historical novel. I hope you enjoy it.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

A new Librarything.com review for A Kingdom's Cost: _If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a good book. If you like your characters to feel well-rounded and multi-faceted, you may have to stick through the first couple of chapters before really "feeling the love." Either way, this is a good read._

http://www.librarything.com/work/11164352/reviews/72910669


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

> Anyone seeking an action-packed view into a key period in the First Scottish War of Independence should check out A Kingdom's Cost.


From a review at Good Book Alert.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

This nvel is now to 2 five-star and 3 four-star Amazon reviews.

Here is a recent review from Great Minds Think Aloud:

"A Kingdom's Cost," is a fantastic story about James Douglas' attempt to avenge his father's death as well as that of William Wallace and somehow win back the lands his family once owned. He joins forces with King Robert de Bruce on the continuing fight to overthrow England and claim Scotland's independence. Along the way he meets Isabella, a beauty from the Highlands whose husband and brother have taken up arms with King Longshank's. Now bereft and unable to return to her home she begins to find love with James Douglas.

A wonderfully written historical novel that tosses in just the right amount of romance to appeal to both men and women. J.R. Tomlin is a spectacular writer whose works belong on the same shelf as those of Margaret George and others! A definite must-read for any historical literature lover!

Read more: http://www.greatmindsthinkaloud.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=gmta&action=display&thread=194#ixzz1NgxqOsLQ


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## jabeard (Apr 22, 2011)

J.R.,

I think you meant to say "two five-star" and not "2 two-star".


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

jabeard said:


> J.R.,
> 
> I think you meant to say "two five-star" and not "2 two-star".


EEP!!!

I can't believe I typed that. Thanks for pointing it out. Boy is my face red. Yes, It has 3 FIVE-Star reviews. 

Fixed but I am embarrassed.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

From a new Librarything.com review for _A Kingdom's Cost_:

"The characters were amusing. A whole range of personalities mixed together to keep the reader either chuckling or nail-biting in concern. I loved the military strategies of the time, the way that the author managed to describe them without it becoming a play-by-play, not an easy task."


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

From a recent Librarything.com review (4 1/2 stars):



> A marvelously written historical novel, _A Kingdom's Cost_ is set during the reign of Edward I of England and his final wars in Scotland. Set after the death of William Wallace in the battle for Scottish independence the novel follows young James Douglas, heir to Sir William Douglas, le Hardi, the first noble supporter of Wallace in the campaign for Scotland's war for freedom. As a result of his father's support of Wallace young James come back to Scotland from his school in Paris to find himself landless and his only clear way back to his birthright is through his support of Robert de Bruce, and the continuing struggle for Scotland's right to self rule. ...
> 
> Overall, it was one of the more enjoyable reading experiences I've had lately and I will definitely be looking out for more of this authors works!


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## pentalpha (Apr 9, 2011)

My husband is really interested in Scottish history (being a Scot himself). I'll pass the word on!

The cover is excellent, by the way.

Barb


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

pentalpha said:


> My husband is really interested in Scottish history (being a Scot himself). I'll pass the word on!
> 
> The cover is excellent, by the way.
> 
> Barb


Thanks, Barb. The cover was done by RJ Lindroos and I must admit I love what he did with it.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

_A Kingdom's Cost_ is the second in my series of novels about the Scottish struggle for independence, although it is also a stand-alone novel. One of the early Scottish victories in that struggle was the Battle of Stirling Bridge which took place at the River Firth in Scotland on 11 September 1297. At that battle the Scottish forces, led by Sir Andrew de Moray and Sir William Wallace, defeated an English army and for a brief time freed Scotland from English conquest.

To celebrate that victory, I have announced a giveaway for Amazon gift cards and eBooks. To enter please visit my blog at J. R. Tomlin on Writing and More.

Alba gu bràth


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

A Kingdom's Cost just got a five-star review on Librarything that, well, it speaks for itself:



> Take a journey into the past in A Kingdom's Cost, a captivating tale spun by J.R. Tomlin. We follow young James Douglas, a mere slip of a lad, as he makes his way home to Scotland to join forces with Robert de Bruce, King of the Scots as they wage war against Edward Longshanks, King of England for the freedom of the Scottish people.
> 
> This book was truly a joy to read. It grabbed me yanked me in, made me love the characters, gave me villains to hate, loved ones to mourn passing and a tale that kept me on the edge of my seat turning the pages in titillation. The characters are amazingly formed, each unique in personality and possessing a human quality one can associate with. The story is smooth and moves at a fast clip, the adventures and feats are believable.
> 
> The detail to historical moments is well thought out and interwove throughout the story excellently. You will find yourself cheering with the characters in their victories and crying with them over their losses. I cannot find the words to express how much I truly enjoyed this tale; it is an amazing story that will leave you smiling at the end. I can't wait to read more of Tomlin's work, she is truly an amazing historical fiction writer.


http://www.librarything.com/work/11164352/book/72910669


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

An update on this series, I am currently working on a sequel to this.


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## jabeard (Apr 22, 2011)

I have something to look forward to. ETA probably next year sometime?


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

jabeard said:


> I have something to look forward to. ETA probably next year sometime?


In time for Christmas, if writing goes as planned.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Quote from a Smashwords.com review of _A Kingdom's Cost_:

_I love historical fiction and the UK, so this book was a great fit. This book is about Robert the Bruce and the war for an independent Scotland. I really enjoyed it. Tomlin made the characters and events come alive. The book is well written, and the story has a good pace. I'd recommend it for fans of historical fiction._


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

From a recent review on Goodreads.com:

I


> grew up reading historical novels by Rosemary Sutcliffe, Henry Treece, and then Nigel Trantner after a wonderful teenaged vacation in Scotland. J.R Tomlin's A Kingdom's Cost, reminds me most of Trantner, and is just as enjoyable.
> 
> Continuing a history of Scotland begun in Freedom's Sword, A Kingdom's Cost starts a new trilogy with the story of Robert de Bruce told mostly through the eyes of young James Douglas. Exiled to France when his father was imprisoned by the English King Edward Longshanks, young Jamie is left orphaned and penniless by his father's death. Exciting opening scenes of his flight through a French market lead quickly to his return to England, Scotland and war. A few chapters in, Jamie attends the crowning of a new king and the story takes off. Readers are plunged into treacherous political, religious and physical landscapes, all beautifully drawn together in the mountains and glens of Scotland.


http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12021796-a-kingdom-s-cost


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

This novel has quite a few reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, Smashwords and B&N which I'd love for you to read, but instead of quoting a review, I'd like to give you an idea of what inspired me to write this novel:






All the best,
JR


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

_Scots Wha Hae_ is sung by the Corries in my last post to a tune believed to have been played by the Scots at the Battle of Bannockburn. The poem refers to King Robert the Bruce's victory over England's King Edward at that battle but is really about the spirit of Scottish independence:

Scots, wha hae wi Wallace bled,
Scots wham Bruce has often led,
Welcome to your gory bed,
Or to Victorie!

Now's the day, and now's the hour;
See the front o battle lour,
See approach proud Edward's power
Chains and slaverie!

Wha will be a traitor knave?
Wha can fill a coward's grave?
Wha sae base as be a slave?
Let him turn and flee!

Wha for Scotland's King and Law
Freedom's sword will strongly draw
Freeman stand, or freeman fall.
Let him follow me!

By oppression's woes and pains!
By your sons in servile chains! 
We will drain our dearest veins, 
But they shall be free!

Lay the proud usurper low!
Tyrants fall in every foe!
Liberty's in every blow!
Let us do or die!

Alba gu bràth
JR


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

This snippet of a review of A Kingdom's Cost by J. A Beard mentions a point that is occasionally brought up by readers:



> A Kingdom's Cost includes several appendices discussing some of the major plot elements and their historicity, in addition to the direct sources the author used in her background research for the novel. This is something I would like to see in all historical fiction works, particularly historical fiction that focuses on actual historical personages as main characters.


While the "fiction" and story part is important, of course, I try to never forget that the "historical" part is also essential to historical fiction.

JR


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

There have been times when I referred to Scottish freedom when someone said, "Oh, you're just copying Braveheart... blah, blah, blah..."

I am impelled to quote the Declaration of Arbroath written in 1320 in Arbroath, Scotland:



> Yet if he [King Robert the Bruce] should give up what he has begun, and agree to make us or our kingdom subject to the King of England or the English, we should exert ourselves at once to drive him out as our enemy and a subverter of his own rights and ours, and make some other man who was well able to defend us our King; for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule.
> 
> It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.


Saor Alba.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

This week was the anniversary of the death of Good Sir James, the Black Douglas. Some would say it is odd that he is nearly as famous amongst Scots for his death as he was for his life.

On his deathbed in 1329, King Robert the Bruce called Sir James to him and bade him to carry his heart into battle against "God's enemies" in fulfilment of the king's pledge to go on Crusade. The king's heart was embalmed and placed in a silver casket for Sir James to wear. In great estate, with seven knights and twenty-eight squires and gentlemen, Sir James sailed from Berwick-upon-Tweed. Because there was no Crusade in the Holy Land, he went to the kingdom of Granada where Alfonso XI of Castile was fighting a campaign against the Muslims.

According to John Barbour's account of the battle, when the enemy broke Sir James and his men pursued them so hotly that they outstripped their allies. Sir James and his companions turned back, but Sir James spotted James St. Clair trapped by counterattacking enemies. He turned aside to rescue his fellow Scot.

Badly outnumbered they were over run. In popular legend, Douglas threw the king's heart before him, shouting, "Lead on, Braveheart, and Douglas will follow as ever he was wont."

Only one of Douglas's companions, who missed the battle because of an injury, survived. He recovered the body and it was returned to Scotland and interred at St. Bride's Kirk at Douglasdale.

The king's heart is interred at Melrose Abbey with a marker above it with a quote from John Barbour:

_A noble heart will have no ease if freedom fail_.

Saor Alba


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Snippet of a LibraryThing.com review:



> We are lectured daily about this, that or the other freedom. Freedom of speech, freedom of assembly. Freedom to consume ridiculously-priced coffees with silly names. Sometimes historical fiction provides a reminder that our liberties are only words, and that they can be whisked away in a moment at the whim of the powerful.
> 
> A Kingdom's Cost is set at the beginning of the 14th Century, during the long-drawn-out wars of Scottish independence. It follows the exploits of the squire James Douglas. Homeless and landless at the beginning of the novel, his father dead at the hands of Edward Longshanks, he makes his way back from hiding in France to throw in his lot with Robert the Bruce. By the end of the story he has become a battle-hardened veteran, "Black Douglas" to his English enemies, brutal and ruthless in the service of his king.
> 
> ...


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

A song by The Corries about the Scottish hero called "The Black Douglas" by his English enemies:

"He wore the cross our Andrew bore by the steps o' calvary
He won the sword our Robert wore by the field o' Balvennie.
Gan shear the chains o' slavery, gan dance my leige man lee,
Gan ring the bell o' Liberty shod wi' the metal free."


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

A new LibraryThing.com 4-star review of _A Kingdom's Cost_:



> Although much of the book is about battle, I did not feel it was overwhelming, simply necessary because of the plot. In addition, the characters have a depth to them, especially Jamie. Jamie has feelings, yearnings, regrets, fears...yet is unswervingly loyal. He is a character that the reader cannot help but cheer for. It truly is fascinating to read about historical events through the characters' eyes, to have these events come to life with the author's imagination. A good read for anyone who likes medieval historical fiction!


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

The song most Scots consider their nation anthem:






Saor Alba


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Please pop over to my blog and sample the prologue and first chapter of _A Kingdom's Cost _on my blog at Writing and More.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

I am working on the sequel to this which some people have asked about. Although _A Kingdom's Cost_ works as a stand-alone novel, there is much, much more of James Douglas's struggle for his nation's freedom.

Here is a snippet of the beginning of the next novel (tentatively) entitled _Countenance of War_ to be released in February.

Sir James de Douglas pushed aside a thick branch heavy with leaves to peer up the long slope. Draped in wisps of mist, Douglas Castle made a hulking shape against the the golden coin of the early morning sun. In the quiet, a lark trilled. James watched as it soared, reached a peak and plummeted towards earth. He waved away midges buzzing about his neck. In the dense woods behind him, another lark answered.

He stepped to the edge of the forest, under the gnarled limb of a big oak and turned in a circle to look over the field. The ground was broken and rolling before him, soft and muddy from the spring rains, towards the castle road, stony beyond it. A few trees dotted the hill near the castle, but most had been cleared past the forest's edge to permit a watch for approaching enemies.

Cattle lowed, deep and protesting in the distance. They cleared the rise and a man bent over his horse's withers to smack the lead cow, urging it to a faster pace. The herd was a mass of shaggy red hides and wide swinging horns. At the rear, two riders waved their arms, shouting.

A horn blew in the castle. Shouts drifted on the sweet morning air.

The herd thundered past the castle. The rumbling mass gained the rocky road. James's heart pounded in his chest in time to the hoofbeats, and under his steel half helm sweat dripped down his brow.

The castle gate thudded open. Horsemen trailed over the drawbridge. Squinting, James counted. Twenty in all, armor glinting where it caught the rays of the sun.

The English had swallowed the bait.

James grabbed his reins and swung into the saddle. He jerked his horses into a turn further to edge into the dense forest. Dew-damp leaves slapped his face as he rode. He brushed them aside. It was dark amongst the trees, but he made out the shapes of his men. "Wat! Get set. They're moving." He swung his small kite shield from his back, and flexed his shoulder as he set his hand into the leather straps. Thanks be to St. Bride, it had been his shield arm that had been injured at the Battle of Loudoun Hill.

A horse snorted. Metal scraped as one of his score of men on small rough-coated horses pulled his sword free.

Wat said, "Steady, men. Let the thieving English get past us."

James bent to pat one of his archer's shoulder. Beyond the man ten more in the green of Ettrick foresters stood, well screened by the heavy oaks clothed in the light green of spring from the oncoming cattle and their pursuers. "Nock and hold," James said. "Easy, now."

He heard a rumble of cattle hooves, still distant but growing closer.

"Hoi! Move you!" a voice shouted.

The rumble grew louder. Shouts came from further behind. James nudged his horse into the dense leafy branches and shoved them aside. The cattle, at a dead run urged by the shouting waving riders, surged past.

James eased his sword from his scabbard. "Hold," he said softly.

The riders from the castle had strung out in a line. A bareheaded knight, blond hair streaming, galloped on a heavy bay in the front. James grinned. Thirwell.

"A Douglas!" James shouted.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

_A Kingdom's Cost_ just got a really nice review over on Librarything.com:



> I enjoyed this first installment of the Douglas trilogy quite a lot. The "Black Douglas" is a very intriguing character set in the most dramatic time period for Scotland. J.R. Tomlins portrayal of Robert de Bruce as a strong king, who never gave up his quest for freedom for his people, is wonderful. The moral dilemma that faces James Douglas, and the heart wrenching decision he has to make; it makes you want to cry.


Does it make me a bad person that I love it when my stories make someone want to cry?


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

I think this is called bragging rights. The current Amazon rankings for _A Kingdom's Cost_:

#5 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Genre Fiction > War
#10 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > War
#27 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

*LAST TIME FREE!*​
​
Scotland is occupied; Scottish resistance is crushed.

Eighteen-year-old James Douglas can only watch as the Scottish freedom fighter, William Wallace, is hanged, drawn, and quartered. But even under the heel of a brutal English conqueror, the Scots may still have one hope for freedom: the rightful King of the Scots, Robert the Bruce. James swears fealty to the man he believes can lead the fight against English tyranny.

The Bruce is soon a fugitive, king only in name. The woman James loves is captured and imprisoned. Yet James believes their cause is not lost. He blazes a path in blood and violence, cunning and ruthlessness as he leads a guerrilla war to restore Scotland's freedom. James knows if he is captured he will share Wallace's fate, but what he truly fears is that he has become as merciless as the conqueror he fights.

(I am removing my novels from the Amazon's "Select" program that allows them to be free, so this is the very last time it will be offered free)


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

A Kingdom's Cost now has 28 Amazon reviews and a star rating of 4.0. The sequel, Countenance of War, is also available on Amazon!


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

99 Cent Promotion!​
The final book in The Black Douglas Trilogy, _Not for Glory_, will be out February 14, so I'm celebrating with a promotion for the first book in the trilogy: _A Kingdom's Cost_. It now has 69 reviews and a 4.0 star average on Amazon.

Here is a comment from blogger Bookworm the Hippie's review:



> Overall this was a great story and J.R. Tomlin has a gift for descriptive language that makes you feel like you're sitting behind a tree in the Scottish forest observing the action first-hand.


​


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

JUST TO CELEBRATE!!​
*Today, I published the third book in this trilogy, so to celebrate A KINGDOM'S COST is only 99 Cents through tomorrw!*

​


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