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About

Kelli Jae Baeli began writing as a child, exploring poetry and journaling, and eventually moving on to short stories. After a romantic fling in the military with another female soldier, she decided to write a book based on the experience. The story that evolved took on a life of it's own, but it became her first novel, As You Were. This was followed quickly by Armchair Detective, a book she said she wrote because she couldn’t find other lesbian fiction she liked and so wanted to write something she would want to read. She's been doing that ever since.

There is nothing like experience to craft a character. Baeli has plenty to spare-from a stint in the military to late nights spent delivering newspapers or waiting tables, to office and restaurant management, to a reporter for a local newspaper, to a technical writer for a corporate jet company. Some of Baeli's fondest endeavors were fronting an all female band for seven years and as a managing editor for a women's press. Each job was one that Baeli turned into a study in human nature.

She pursued eight years of higher education, in the curriculum for a B.A. in Professional Writing & Editing, founded Kindred Ink Writer's Initiative and Kind Red Ink Editing Services, and maintains an author site, the blog Synaptic Circus and three forums. She is an also an independent publisher, editor, webmaster, blogger, artist, and singer-songwriter, with over 200 songwriting credits. Not shackled to one genre, she has authored (at last count) 33 books both fiction and nonfiction, and numerous stories and articles. She makes her home in Southland region of New Zealand, now, with her partner, author Kate Genet, and together they founded Lesbian Literati Press.

Description

Emerging from the long shadow cast by his formidable father, Harold Godwineson showed himself to be a worthy successor to the Earldom of Wessex. In the following twelve years, he became the King's most trusted advisor, practically taking the reins of government into his own hands. And on Edward the Confessor's death, Harold Godwineson mounted the throne—the first king of England not of royal blood. Yet Harold was only a man, and his rise in fortune was not blameless. Like any person aspiring to power, he made choices he wasn't particularly proud of. Unfortunately, those closest to him sometimes paid the price of his fame. This is a story of Godwine's family as told from the viewpoint of Harold and his younger brothers. Queen Editha, known for her Vita Ædwardi Regis, originally commissioned a work to memorialize the deeds of her family, but after the Conquest historians tell us she abandoned this project and concentrated on her husband, the less dangerous subject. In THE SONS OF GODWINE and FATAL RIVALRY, I am telling the story as it might have survived had she collected and passed on the memoirs of her tragic brothers. This book is part two of The Last Great Saxon Earls series. Book one, GODWINE KINGMAKER, depicted the rise and fall of the first Earl of Wessex who came to power under Canute and rose to preeminence at the beginning of Edward the Confessor's reign. Unfortunately, Godwine's misguided efforts to champion his eldest son Swegn recoiled on the whole family, contributing to their outlawry and Queen Editha's disgrace. Their exile only lasted one year and they returned victorious to London, though it was obvious that Harold's career was just beginning as his father's journey was coming to an end. Harold's siblings were all overshadowed by their famous brother; in their memoirs we see remarks tinged sometimes with admiration, sometimes with skepticism, and in Tostig's case, with jealousy. We see a Harold who is ambitious, self-assured, sometimes egocentric, imperfect, yet heroic. His own story is all about Harold, but his brothers see things a little differently. Throughout, their observations are purely subjective, and witnessing events through their eyes gives us an insider’s perspective. Harold was his mother's favorite, confident enough to rise above petty sibling rivalry but Tostig, next in line, was not so lucky. Harold would have been surprised by Tostig's vindictiveness, if he had ever given his brother a second thought. And that was the problem. Tostig's love/hate relationship with Harold would eventually destroy everything they worked for, leaving the country open to foreign conquest. This subplot comes to a crisis in book three of the series, FATAL RIVALRY.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R1GX8ZCG0EPXBQ/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1450599109&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=283155&store=books">Smart, Clever, Riveting - Everything You Want in a Book</a> August 27, 2012 By <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1O8ZM0ARQ9Z9Q/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp">Vix Reader</a> Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase Simply put, this book was one of the best reads I've had in a while. The phrase, "I couldn't put it down" has lost its significance due to over use, but I'll say that I couldn't wait to get into bed at night and get my Baeli fix before falling asleep. This book was a blessing and a curse. -A blessing because it was so satisfying, but a curse because I was sad for it to end. So...I read it once, went back and read "Armchair Detective" again and then read it again. It is a sequel to "Armchair Detective, but it could be read as a stand-alone. I would recommend reading "Armchair Detective" because the character development in that first book really helps cement the reader's understanding of Jobeth and Phoebe's remarkable relationship. The book is written in both the first person and the objective third person. Baeli moves deftly between the two conventions. Jobeth's (and everyone for that matter) sense of humor is both smart and funny and she is a charming lead character. The author writes wonderful dialog that is keen, witty and original. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R3AKO04SWSZR5Y/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1450599109&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=283155&store=books">Unpredictable action packed mystery. A must read series!</a> May 15, 2012 By <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A346XDSVVA3TBN/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp">Tessa</a> Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase This book was even more gripping than the first! I feel like i've known the characters for a long time and hated to come to the end of the book. This is the first time in reading a book, that i purposely took breaks from the reading to digest all that had happened before continuing on. It was just one shocker after another and amazingly engaging. Izzy's character was so well done that it seemed like i knew her better than the other protagonists. Absolutely LOVE her! Like the first book, you will experience a wide range of emotions while reading this. It's intelligent, hot, and witty and will have you laughing with the characters, angry, sad, and in love right along with them. I am still amazed at this author's ability to break the mold of the predictable lesfic genre. She is in my top two of all times and you are missing a gem by not catching up on her work... definitely read this book, and read Armchair Detective first. Both are well worth the time and money and better than most of the other books of this genre. "The humor, the drama, the dialogue, the plotting, the characterization--all expertly rendered. It's another can't-put-downer. What a delightful sequel to an already outstanding book (Armchair Detective). We love Baeli's stories and characters, and will never tire of reading her offerings!"~KIWI Club Reviews

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The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls

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