Please help me welcome Margaret Izard with 10 Moments that changed her life…
1 – Dancing to records in the living room. I started this shortly after my first dance classes at a young age. Someone had to put the music on early on, but soon, I learned how to work the record player myself. I danced a lot outside of dance class, and the music was always Broadway musicals or movies.
2 – Attending The High School for Performing and Visual Arts. As a budding artist and turned serious dancer, I applied for the Arts Magnet School, The High School for Performing and Visual Arts, Houston, Texas. I went into the experience young and naive but open to all the inspiration and education my young mind could soak up. While it wasn’t the start of my creative journey (That occurred at three in my first dance class), it was an awakening that great art exists everywhere in all shapes, colors, and sizes. My experiences in those two short years shaped my view of art today.
3 – Having Triplets. If that doesn’t change your life, I don’t know what will! From the moment the ultrasound technician exclaimed, “Oh my God, there’s a third one!” Our lives changed. Three, everything came in threes, whether you liked it or not. Each stage provided its challenge, so I can’t say the “terrible twos” are the worst or the best. Even now, as they grow into adulthood, it’s a journey for us all. As I watch each of them grow, I can’t help but be proud.
4 – Going away for summers at a young age. Starting at eight years old for seven years, I went away to summer camp in NE, New Mexico, every summer for eight weeks. It didn’t bother me to be away. I wanted to go! I learned to ride horses, vaulting, camp crafts, camping, archery, riflery, acting, dance, and arts and crafts. It was summers filled with an overabundance of enjoyment and education. I got excited about going every year and cried when I had to come home. During my first year away, I didn’t write to my parents until my sister chased me down and sat on me till I scribbled one note that said, Dear Mom and Dad, love Margaret.
5 – Gymnastics had me unloading the dishwasher at an early age. Along with my love for dance. Every Christmas, my mother made these bourbon chocolate candies. Powdered sugar, butter, and bourbon made the inside, topped with a toasted pecan and covered in dark chocolate. I bet the chocolate tempted me, but she would store these in old film canisters on the refrigerator until she wrapped them to give to neighbors. I learned to climb the cabinet and reach to the top of the frig for treats. Once she discovered my newfound talent, she put it to good use, unloading the dishwasher.
6 – Allowing a cute guy to kiss me after he politely asked my permission when we first met. This led to my wonderful marriage, which celebrated our 31st year together.
7 – Finishing twenty-four years of tutoring the triplets. After, I put my foot down, saying, “I’m gonna write that book I’ve always wanted to write.” I did and signed my first contract with Wild Rose Press two and a half years later. I signed my fifth contract in June 2024 and plan more.
8 – Traveling to Scotland. After drafting the first three books in the series, a trip to Scotland in June 2023 provided an inspiring view of Scotland and her people. I feel even more connected to the characters and their stories after visiting the locations featured in the series… Dunstaffnage Castle, Chapel in the Woods, Iona Isle and Abbey, and Dunollie Castle. Traveling, in general, is inspiring and relaxing. I have many other book ideas from my travels.
9 – William Shakespeare’s gravestone rubbing inspired me from a very early age.
I grew up with his gravestone rubbing hanging in our bar. A copy now hangs in my bedroom.
In old English text it says…
Good friend for Jesus sake forebear
to dig the dust enclosed here.
Bless be ye man who spares the stones
and curst be he who moves my bones.
Someone recently asked what I would talk about if I met him.
Shakespeare’s mastery of language, character development, and storytelling is unparalleled. I would love to gain insight into his creative process and understand how he crafted enduring works that continue to resonate centuries later. I’d ask how he mastered conveying complex human emotions and themes through poetic language. Or about his plays that explore profound philosophical questions about human nature, morality, and existence. Something I’ve worked hard to incorporate into my writing voice. Beyond his work, understanding the man behind the genius. His thoughts, struggles, and motivations would provide a richer, more personal connection to the craft of writing and the art of storytelling.
10 – My sense of humor has kept me sane. I get it from my father, this cynical view of the world that helps me find humor in the ups and downs. From a one-liner at the perfect point in a conversation to a comical view of a challenging time, humor has seen me through it all. I will always look at it this way: Laugh with life! We celebrate the ups, laugh at the irony of the lows, and when life gives you lemons… make electric lemonade.
Book Blurb
She’d give everything to keep his love. He’d chase her through time to save her soul.
Marie Murray, a spunky expert on spiritual buildings, jumps at the opportunity to renovate the chapel mosaic floor at Dunstaffnage Castle, where she falls hard for the dashing John MacArthur. From their first kiss, sparks fly.
Believing her religious renovation creates magic, a fanatical priest kidnaps Marie. Obsessed with obtaining a powerful magic Stone of Iona, he drags her to 15th-century Scotland.
With his love kidnapped, John must tackle his hereditary duty and locate a magic Fae stone while chasing his love across time. Her memories of their passion keep her sane. His fuel his will to find her.
Will John get to Marie in time to save her soul?
Excerpt:
Hands closed over her eyes and startled her. At first, she grew concerned, but the familiar scent of clean male musk with an undercurrent of light aftershave wafted to her, and she recognized who held her.
A breath blew gently against her ear as he whispered, “How do ye get a geologist girlfriend?”
Marie giggled and shrugged as she leaned back against John’s muscular chest. Her head fit perfectly under his chin. John removed his hands, but she kept her eyes closed as he turned her in his arms, then kissed her lips. She returned his kiss and rose on her toes as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
He lifted his head. “Well, how do ye get a geologist girlfriend?”
Another of John’s corny rock jokes, she opened her eyes to his expectant stare. “I don’t know. How?”
He smiled and replied. “Ye best esker out!” He paused. “Get it? Esker is a long, winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel…”
She giggled and kissed him quickly as she stopped his speech. “Are ye asking me to be yer girlfriend or asking me out?”
John hugged her and replied, “Both, be my girlfriend and have lunch later today. But first, I need to exercise.”
John took her hand as they strolled toward the Chapel in the Woods. “Woman of the rocks, were ye examining the excavation site ye and Bree believed to be a small village during the eighteenth century? Yer project starts today, right?”
She smiled at his endearment. He called her “Woman of the rocks” in their emails and phone conversations when they first spoke about Bree’s chapel renovation project, over a year ago.
Buy Links
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Stone of Fear (Stones of Iona Book 2) by Margaret Izard – BookBub
Stone of Fear by Margaret Izard | Goodreads
The Stone of Iona Series
Stone of Love, book 1 released March 4th Stone of Fear, book 2 June 12th. Stone of Lust, book 3, releases October 21st. The first Christmas Companion book, Thistle in the Mistletoe, comes November 4th. Stone of Hope, book 4 is in production now with a release date in 2025. There are seven books in the series with three Christmas companion books.
Author Biography
Margaret Izard is a multi-award-winning author of historical fantasy and paranormal romance novels. She spent her early years through college to adulthood dedicated to dance, theater, and performing. Over the years, she developed a love for great storytelling in different mediums. She does not waste a good story, be it movement, the spoken, or the written word. She discovered historical romance novels in middle school, which combined her passion for romance, drama, and fantasy. She writes exciting plot lines, steamy love scenes and always falls for a strong male with a soft heart. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and adult triplets and loves to hear from readers.
Readers can email me at: info@margaretizardauthor.com
Check out my website – www.margaretizardauthor.com
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