Women in fantasy and sci-fi literature have not had, shall we say, the most representative and positive of histories. Slave girls and chain mail clad buxom warriors populated your pulpy Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard books. They are largely non-existent in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and even in a longtime favorite of mine, the Chronicles of Prydain, Princess Eilonwy plays second fiddle to Taran of Caer Dalben as a to-be-mooned-over love interest and scold much of the time.

Thankfully, a lot has changed over the years.

Tonight’s excerpt, A Death in Mummer’s Court, introduces us to a new principal character, nineteen year old Lady Melsera. It is Melsera, more than anyone, who became the focal point for Circle’s Call as I was writing it. That wasn’t the original plan but, to be honest, she didn’t give me a whole lot of choice.