Sara Harris Books . . . Where True Love Stands the Test of Time: January 2020

Out of the Shadow of Count Dracula . . . The Order of The Dragon

Welcome back to this week's edition of Out of the Shadow of Count Dracula.

Today, we're going to delve into The Order of The Dragon.

What was it? How does it have anything to do with Vlad Draculea III?

Let's go see, shall we?

What was The Order of The Dragon?

The Order of The Dragon was founded in 1408 by The King of Hungary, Sigismund von Luxembourg. Interestingly but not surprisingly, von Luxembourg later became The Holy Roman Emperor.

The Crest of The Order of The Dragon

The Order of The Dragon was a monarchical chivalric order made up of knights and fashioned after the Catholic Crusades, which we all know and love. Membership was by strict invitation only, and those invited were only those of noble and Catholic blood.

The sole reason for the establishment of The Order of The Dragon was to protect Christendom, which was solely Catholic and Orthodox in the days before Martin Luther's and King Henry VIII's splitting of the church, from the threat of invading Ottoman's.

What does The Order of The Dragon have to do with Vlad?

Vlad III's country, Wallachia (modern day Transylvania) was one of the handful of countries allowed membership into the noble order, which also included Aragon and Hungary. They were loyal to The Holy See (The Pope) and The Holy Roman Empire.

Vlad's father was the original member of The Order of The Dragon.

The word DRAGON is an Old (medieval) Romanian word that translates Dragon from the word Dragul. Modern Romanian, however, translates Dragul -- the name Vlad's dad took to honor the Pope's holy, chivalric Order -- today translates to DEVIL. Which doesn't do Vlad any favors.

Symbolism in the Crest

The flag of St. George rests on the dragon's curved back. The cross featured here is strikingly similar to the cross commonly associated with The Knights Templar . . . I'll let you draw your own conclusions there.

Only one dragon crest survives in its entirety and that's in the Bavarian National Museum. However, many coins, art, and writings from Vlad's time depict the dragon.

It also boasts a Latin phrase . . . O Quam Misericors est Deus, Pius et Iustus . . . which translates to O how merciful is God, faithful and just.

The ceremonial sword belonging to The Order of The Dragon

Thank you for journeying back to medieval Romania with me today. Until next Thursday . . . <3

Writer Wednesday Featuring Author Ann Swann

Today's featured author for Writer Wednesday is Ann Swann. Her newest release, Yeah, but I Didn't, is hot off the presses and raking in the 5-Star reviews! Come learn a little about this page-turning read and the author behind the words!

WHO IS ANN SWANN?

Ann Swann was born in a small West Texas town. She grew up much like Stevie-girl in The Phantom Pilot, though she never got up the nerve to enter the haunted house. Ann has done everything from answering 911 Emergency calls to scheduling commercials in a rock-n-roll radio station. She even taught reading in elementary school. Ann still lives in Texas with her husband, Dude, two rescue cats, and a host of other critters who only show up at feeding time. When not writing, Ann is reading. Her to-be-read list has grown so large it has taken on a life of its own. She calls it Herman.

HOW CAN I GET IN TOUCH WITH ANN AND FOLLOW HER WORK AND RELEASES?

WHAT IS YEAH, BUT I DIDN'T ABOUT?

The first rung: the betrayal
The second rung: the assault
The third rung: the rumors
The fourth rung: the painting
The final rung: no other way out

Benji Stevens is 14 years old when her world falls apart. Betrayed, bullied, and battered emotionally, physically, and spiritually, her life spirals out of control. She is certain there is nowhere to turn and nothing to live for. Yet in the midst of the darkness there appears an array of hope in the form of her crazy uncle, her single mom, and a host of other characters she never dreamed would be there to help. And when she is forced to join the Yeah, but I Didn't therapy group, she is finally able to confront her inner demons and embrace her own self-worth.

WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING ABOUT YEAH, BUT I DIDN'T?

Yeah, But I Didn't is a work of teen fiction in the drama and coming of age genres, and was penned by author Ann Swann. Written with a mild caution for scenes of violence and an attempted sexual assault, the central plot focuses on the harrowing experiences of fourteen-year-old Benji Stevens. Falling into circumstances of emotional and physical trauma, a heart-breaking betrayal and a loss of faith in life, love, herself and everyone around her, it will take a real miracle for her to rise up again and be happy. Fortunately, that comes in the shape of some of her family members and those she is referred to for help.

Author Ann Swann delivers a harrowing emotional tale that offers messages of hope and renewal of spirit despite some of the darkest times that life can throw at us. Suitable for teens and adults alike, one of the most accomplished things about the novel is how authentic teenage Benji is in her thoughts, weaknesses, actions, but also in her strength and growth later on. This is a highly realistic portrayal of the devastating effects that dark interventions can have on young, fragile minds, but also an admiration of the strength and power of regrowth that young people can have too. Overall, it sends a strong, hopeful message through highly relatable characters and a well-constructed narrative of support from all around. Yeah, But I Didn't is an emotionally compelling and genuinely helpful work of fiction to create talking points for teens and adults everywhere. -- KC FINN

***

Yeah, But I Didn't by Ann Swann is a coming of age novel chronicling a disturbing period in the life of a young girl named Benji (Ben) Stevens. At age 14, Ben has been advanced into high school as a result of a high IQ that pushes her beyond the level of classmates her age. While intellectually she is ahead of even her high school classmates, her young age and vulnerability make her an easy target. Once little more than a wallflower, an assault in her own home after artwork she created at school goes viral means the rumor mill begins to spin out of control. Cyberbullying by classmates and a brutal response from her own older sister Janie at home (compounded by another family tragedy) push Ben over the edge, prompting her to attempt the unthinkable. The road to recovery is difficult to navigate, but Ben and her family do their best to bring stability back into their lives. As they nurse a fragile Ben, each grapples with their own personal traumas and work to make themselves whole once more.

Yeah, But I Didn't is a difficult read due to its subject matter, but timely and relevant against the backdrop of what many teenagers and families experience in their real lives. Ann Swann writes Ben's story in a first-person narrative, allowing a reader to understand her struggles from within and experience the subplots, including an unexpected death and a runaway, as a stunned observer. There are multiple issues that are addressed in a short span of time and that keeps the book rolling forward at a sometimes dizzying pace, but it allows a reader to see how a devastating chain of events can snowball and threaten to crush an entire household. One thing that struck me was Ben's age and her positioning as a high school student at a time when she'd be with students her own age in an environment more suited for a younger teen. It's not an issue I've read much about and there's this feeling that Ben's intellect--her superpower, as she describes it--actually puts her at a disadvantage, throwing a kitten to a pack of wolves because there was literally nowhere else for her education to flourish as it needed. This doesn't factor into the central plot but, as a parent, I felt it intensely. This is a tough read but a good one, and an easy five stars. -- JAMIE MICHELLE

WHERE CAN I GET MY COPY?

WeWriWa 1/26 - Defender of the Faith (Draculesti Dynasty #1)

Hello all! In addition to being Sunday, today is also the day Royal Rumble (the 13 year-old requires that we attend every WWE event that comes to the general vicinity) takes place in Houston and the day AFTER five of my six children had their very first flying lesson! Exciting! It seems we've planted the seed of aviation in all of my ~~little daredevils~~ children and will hopefully be getting some pilot lessons underway in the not-too-distant future.

Also, I would like to apologize. I signed up to blog last week, and had full intentions of doing so, until we learned that my aunt passed away from cancer in Odessa, TX. We rented an RV, loaded up the kids, and set out across the Lone Star State, and somewhere between the Brazos and the Pecos Rivers, blogging completely slipped my mind. Thank you for welcoming me back this week!

To get back to the other amazing WeWriWa participants, click here.

Now . . . onward to my newest and most exciting project yet! Dracula! To get this proverbial party started, I'll begin with an excerpt from my reader letter. So without further ado, let's step out of the shadow of Count Dracula . . .

Back in 2009 when I began writing historical romance, on its own accord my work seemed to take an inspirational shift, which led (naturally) into more faith-based works, including my first Amish novel, Rebekah’s Quilt. Like the never-ending laundry pile produced by my family of eight, Rebekah’s Quilt morphed and multiplied with reckless abandon until it became book number one of a four-book series titled Rebekah’s Keepsakes. Suffice it to say, my work tends to take on a mind of its own and does as it pleases. Which pretty much describes in a nutshell how this book about Vlad came to be.

As a gal with a Bachelor’s degree in Medieval European History, I have an extreme fascination with the people of yesteryear and was thrilled when I learned that the infamous, bloodsucking Count Dracula was based on Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, also known as Vlad Ţepeş, or Vlad the Impaler. Once I started research into Vlad and his life, I began to see him as a person instead of as a fictional character, and he was nothing like what legends described.

Vlad Drăculea III was fiercely Catholic, a third-generation Defender of the Faith, and a member of the Order of the Dragon, declared so by the Pope. His grandfather took their surname, Drăculea, to honor the Order of the Dragon since, in old Romanian, drăcul translates to dragon. Today, it translates to devil, which does no favors to Vlad’s legacy.

As a child, Vlad and his younger brother Radu were handed over by his father Vlad II, ruler of Wallachia, to be a prisoner of the Turks, whose practice of taking sexual liberties with little boys and young men was common knowledge of the time. This was a selfish move on King Vlad’s behalf, as he traded his sons into Ottoman hands to ensure himself a peaceful reign without Ottoman harassment and, worse yet, this practice of trading of little boys to the Ottomans in exchange for peace with the Turks was a common practice between many European countries and the Ottomans - not just Wallachia. . .

There we have it. Ten sentences yanked from the first portion of my reader letter, thus setting the scene for this first-of-its-kind Dracula story. I hope you'll subscribe for updates for more behind-the-scenes Vlad drama which I uncovered while researching this series - and of course another excerpt from the untold story of Vlad next week! In the meantime . . . why not check out some of my fresh, new Amish romance releases? Because Vlad and Amish . . . they go together like . . . pickles and ice cream? Maybe . . . ?

The Old Order Amish life offered in her hometown of Gasthof Village, Indiana is too restricting for spunky Katie Knepp after her return from Rumspringa. But is she really ready to turn her back on her devoted fiance Peter Wagler, on her twin sister Annie, and even her beloved parents? Katie has a tendency to act first and think later, and this time, she may pay for this with her life . . .

Katie's Plain Regret (Amish Journeys #1)

Rebekah Stoll has everything an Amish girl in 1888 could ask for . . . loving parents, a handsome sweetheart, and a mess of little brothers who think the world of her. However, when an English stranger arrives at her simple homestead and sets her world - and that of everyone she loves - on end, everything Rebekah thought she knew is called into question. Even her faith.

Who can Rebekah trust when the line between the Amish and the English becomes blurred?

Rebekah's Quilt (Rebekah's Keepsakes #1)

Out of the Shadow of Count Dracula

I have been researching a new book- well, let me rephrase that. If you know me I don't research just one book at a time, so in all fairness I can say that I have been researching a new series of books- about the medieval Romanian who inspired Count Dracula. Vlad Draculea III, also known as Vlad the Impaler.

In my research, I have uncovered (many, many, many) interesting facts that have changed the mental portrait I have of Vlad III, from one of a bloodthirsty, mindless heathen to . . . well, journey with me on this blog back to medieval Romania and see for yourself. (Clicking this link will take you to my Dracula page on this blog.)

Next up . . . Vlad Draculea, Defender of the Faith.