about_SD_bannerDear Reader,

As long as I can remember, rocks have intrigued me. It didn’t matter if it was a simple white pebble on the beach or the monolithic stones at Stonehenge. I was equally fascinated. It was the study of stones, their origins and history, and the people who owned them that led me to the discovery of the Stone of Destiny. And once I heard the tale of the Stone and the warrior women who guarded it, I knew it was a tale that had to be told.

Tales about the origin and purpose of the Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone, have been handed down over the centuries. Its influence has spanned two continents— first as a holy relic, then as a national treasure.

Coveted and fought over by the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Spanish, and the English, the Stone originated in the Middle East and was then brought to Egypt, where it was thought to be the pillow upon which Jacob had his famous dream about a ladder to heaven. Eventually, the relic made its way to Greece, where it was placed under the guardianship of a warrior woman and master of martial arts named Scotia.

When her husband died in battle, Scotia decided to lead her people to the Isle of Destiny as foretold by a Hebrew prophet named Moses. After months of travel, they arrived in a remote land just north of present-day Ireland. They named their new country Scotia, after their queen, and the new rulers were called Scoti.

For generations, the Stone of Destiny was used to inaugurate the high kings of Scotland. It came to represent a sense of nationhood to the Scottish people. As long as they pos­sessed the Stone, they held their freedom against English rule.

But when England, under the rule of Edward I, invaded Scottish lands, the task of protecting the Stone grew more and more difficult. Edward’s army would stop at nothing to find and possess the stone, exerting its domination over the Scottish people.

This story intrigued me so much that I had to write about it in The Warrior Trainer. When I finished that book, I knew there had to be other such stones of importance in Scotland. I spent weeks researching, and that’s what led me to discover the Brahan Seerer’s Stone that I wrote about in Warrior’s Bride and the Lee Penny that I used as the Charm Stone in Warrior’s Lady. You can find out more information about these precious stones on the Artifacts page of GerriRussell.net.

I hope you enjoy these stories, the characters, and the magical stones contained within their pages!

As always, with affection,

Gerri Russell

 

Books in the Stones of Destiny Series

Ian MacKinnon (The Warrior Trainer)

Ian is a man on a mission—he needs to learn how to become the best warrior in the land in order to defeat the Four Horsemen who have invaded Scotland and are destroying his people. He’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants from the one woman who has the knowledge he needs.

Scotia of Glenfinnan (The Warrior Trainer)

Scotia was born into a long line of female warriors who are tasked with guarding Scotland’s most precious treasure, the Stone of Destiny. Her skills are legendary, yet she cannot move amongst her people to train them in her ways because of her duty to the Stone.

In The Warrior Trainer Ian and Scotia join forces to protect the people and the country they both love.

Douglas Black, The Black Wolf of Scotland (Warrior’s Bride)

Black Wolf is a pawn to his own father the king, who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. But what he doesn’t realize is that Black Wolf will only follow orders for so long. He’ll commit treason before he will jeopardize the future of Scotland.

Isobel Grange (Warrior’s Bride)

Isobel is abandoned and alone on an island when she is rescued by a stranger and forced into marriage. She might be an unwilling bride, but when it comes to love she knows what she wants and she’s not afraid to reach for it.

In Warrior’s Bride Wolf and Isobel reveal each other’s dark secrets while doing everything they can to protect Scotland from a dark fate.

Rhiannon Ruthven (Warrior’s Lady)

Rhiannon might not be able to change her last name, but she intends to change her future when she meets a young girl whose uncle wants revenge on every member of Rhiannon’s family.

Camden Lockhart (Warrior’s Lady)

Camden is a warrior who only wants to keep his own family safe. When they are threatened by a rival clan, he hires mercenaries to kill them while he struggles to protect his country from invaders…that is until he falls in love with his enemy.

In Warrior’s Lady Camden and Rhiannon must move beyond their hatred of each other’s families to find not only fulfillment for themselves, but also peace for their country.

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