The year is 1348. Haunted by the blood on his hands, an archer named Edmund returns home from the French wars to a life of serfdom.
His brutal elder brother doesn’t want a hero of Crécy on his doorstep. The woman he loves yearns for a wider world, the ambitious wise-woman challenges him in ways he deplores, and an abused servant-girl is a thorn to his flesh. The priest denounces his mercy killings. Yet, as the days pass, Edmund is impelled to fight for the impossible: love and redemption.
Then plague arrives in the village and everything changes.
“…Richly imagined and compellingly realized, The Arrows of Mercy draws the reader into a story of the past that is imbued with the urgency and immediacy of our own time.”
Anne Simpson, award-winning author of Speechless
“…Gripping, immersive, and penned with wisdom and a fiery prescience, The Arrows of Mercy is a story of human desire that pushes the boundaries of language to make a powerful statement on the passions and impulses that shape morality itself. A story for the ages.”
Carol Bruneau, award-winning author of Brighten the Corner Where You Are
The Arrows of Mercy was one of three finalists in the fiction category for the nation-wide Whistler Independent Book Awards (2023), sponsored by The Writers’ Union of Canada “to recognize excellence in Canadian self-publishing.” It was also among The Miramichi Reader’s Best Books of 2023.
The Miramichi Reader has a stellar review of the novel:
“Engaging, thought-provoking and thoroughly satisfying, it is one of those books you can’t put down and yet wants to savour for its beautiful prose, compelling story and rich characters.”
Heather McBriarty, The Mirimichi Reader
The Historical Novel Society (US and UK) selected The Arrows of Mercy as an Editors’ Choice, “Highly recommended.”
How to Purchase The Arrows of Mercy
The Arrows of Mercy can be purchased through any of the following channels:
Bookmark Halifax (my closest independent bookstore)
Also The Dartmouth Book Exchange (Dartmouth NS), On the Same Page Books (Sydney NS), Block Shop Books (Lunenburg NS), The 5 Cents to 1 Dollar Store (Antigonish NS), Bookmark Charlottetown (PEI) and Woozles (Halifax NS, in the adult section).
Amazon.ca, Amazon.ca Prime, Amazon.com, Amazon.com Prime, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com.au
Barnes & Noble, Chapters Indigo (online only), Bookshop.org
eBook listing: Kindle, Indigo Chapters, Smashwords, Apple Books
The Arrows of Mercy
Book Launch
Sunday April 16, 2023 | 4:00 -5:30pm
at the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (1113 Marginal Road, Halifax)
Bookmark will have copies of The Arrows of Mercy available for sale at the launch.
Thank you to everyone who was able to attend; you were a wonderfully responsive audience.
I loved the spontaneous burst of applause for our Halifax independent bookstore, Bookmark, whose manager Mike Hamm was on hand to sell books (many books, as it turned out, and thank you for that, too).
When Edmund’s stand-in as a medieval archer, Cavan, was speaking about the role of the peasant’s bow and arrow at the battle of Crécy, utter silence.
When Brian Bartlett introduced the novel (an introduction that blew me away), and when I read a section from the novel, I could feel how attentive you all were.
So Edmund is now launched into today’s world. If you enjoy reading the book, I’d be most appreciative if you’d pass the word along, online or in person.
Again, a heartfelt thank you.
Cavan (as medieval archer) & Jill MacLean reading at the Book Launch