At the British Museum

An older American couple stood in line ahead of them. “You have a beautiful child,” the lady said, turning toward them.”

Sarah smiled. “Thank you. Right now, I’m thankful he’s chosen to cooperate and just stare at all the pictures.”

The lady smiled and then looked at Michael. “I suppose people have told you how much you look like King Michael.”

Michael laughed. “I think I’ve heard that a few times.”

-      From Dancing Prophet. 

Photograph by Grant Ritchie via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Reality Sinks In

I try to remember when the reality of what had happened to us finally sunk in. I had a glimpse when I saw thousands camped out at the hospital, praying for Mike’s survival. And on the plane to London, I saw the looks of deference as we walked through the cabin to greet passengers. But I knew for sure when we walked into the terminal at Heathrow, with the archbishop and the prime minister waiting for us, almost surrounded by television, flash cameras, and mobiles held high to get a shot of the new royal family.

Us.

- Sarah Kent-Hughes, Dancing King

Photo: British Airways plane at Heathrow Airport.

Crisis at the Hospital

Scott knelt before Sarah in the emergency room.

“Sarah,” he said, “Michael’s going into surgery. It’s likely to take a long time. His injuries are serious but he’s hanging on. And I’m not going to mislead you. It’s bad. He’s been shot near his heart and in his shoulder, near where it joins with his arm. His left lung collapsed, and they almost caught it too late. But they caught it. He’s lost a lot of blood.”

“Scott,” Sarah said to her brother, “please save Mike.” She began to cry in great sobbing breaths.

-      FromA Light Shining

Photograph by Piron Guillaume via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Joining the Family

That evening at dinner, Michael raised the issue. “We have a sixth family, Jason.”

“Yes?” he said, his eyes hopeful but wary.

“Sarah, why don’t you tell him?” Michael said.

“I’ll tell him,” said Jim. “It’s us. We want you to live with use.”

Jason looked at the three of them. “Are you doing this because no one else will?”

“No,” said Michael, “we’re doing this because it took God this long to make us open our eyes and see the obvious. You’re already part of our family. We want you to stay part of our family, if you’re willing to have us.”

     - From A Light Shining 

Photograph by Warren Wong via Unsplash. Used with permission.

A Soldier Dreams: A Story

He remembered the light, then the roaring. A silence followed, succeeded by screams.

Then nothing.

People gathered around him, doing things, barking instructions. He tasted blood. The pain came suddenly, a blinding, screaming pain tearing him in half. He heard the screaming again. 

“Morphine! Now!” someone shouted. And he knew the screaming was his own.

He opened his eyes and saw white. And light. 

A man’s voice. “We’ve got this, Peter. Soon you’ll be dreaming.” 

To continue reading, please see my post today at Dancing Priest.

Dancing King Stories: Sarah Kent-Hughes

The story of Michael Kent and Sarah Hughes begins in Dancing Priest, the first novel in the Dancing Priest series. And while other narratives will stream through the series, the love story of Michael and Sarah remains the core.

They meet at the University of Edinburgh. She’s an art student at the University of Southern California, studying a year abroad with her brother David Hughes. She and Michael share a class in medieval church history; he sees her sitting a few rows away and is instantly smitten. He introduces himself after the class, she thinks she’s been hit on for the fourth time that day; and she dismisses him with an Anglo-Saxon profanity, believing his statement about studying for the priesthood to be a come-on line.

But they both get passed that, and at a school festival, dance what comes to be known as the “last tango in Edinburgh.” And it’s during that dance that the dancing priest of the title is born.

To continue reading, please see my post today at Dancing Priest.

"Dancing King" available on Amazon

As of this afternoon, "Dancing King" - the third novel in my Dancing Priest series - is available on Amazon, both the paperback and the Kindle editions. They both went live today (and they're temporarily on separate pages).

The paperback is here: https://www.amazon.com/Dancing-King-Book-Priest/…/ref=sr_1_2 and the Kindle version is here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077Y6MPWY/ref=sr_1_1

The book’s description: “Michael and Sarah Kent-Hughes arrive in Britain, to live permanently and prepare for the coronation. But forces are at work to frustrate Michael’s every move, with the aim of stopping him from being crowned king. As Michael assembles his staff and begins to find his way, he learns what it means to depend upon people and his faith.”

An Interview with Sarah Kent-Hughes

Last week, we talked with Michael Kent-Hughes, the hero of the novel Dancing Priest and recently published sequel, A Light Shining. We also had a chance to talk with his wife, Sarah Kent-Hughes, who plays a significant role in the developing story.

Sarah, some readers have said that A Light Shining is more your novel than Michael’s. Do you feel that way?

I suppose I understand why people might say that, but I don’t think I agree. Certainly, my role changes from it was in Dancing Priest. And for at least a portion of A Light Shining, it assumes an importance and prominence that’s greater than Michael’s, for rather obvious reasons. But the story is still our story.

Some significant things happen to you in A Light Shining – you’re now married to Michael, you’re settling down as a young wife to a minister, you have your art career, your family is unusual for young marrieds, with a young boy to care for soon joined by a teenager, there’s your pregnancy, and then, of course, comes the Violence.

Ah, yes, the Violence (pause). All of those things aren’t terrible unusual, with the exception of the Violence. It is the event where Michael’s life and my life diverge, at least for a significant part of the novel. There’s a lot I could say, I suppose, but I don’t think I’m ready yet to talk about it. It is still too raw, too right there in front of me. I still have dreams about it. Nightmares, sometimes.

Can you talk about how you emotionally got through it?

My faith in God, for one thing. I simply kept holding on to it. At times it was all I could do. And then I had some terrific people who helped me more than they’ll ever know. My sister-in-law Barbara, for one; Scott’s wife. I don’t know how I would have made it through that weekend without her. Our boys, too, Jason and Jim. They risked their lives to save mine. And other people, too, Father John Stevens at the church, his wife Eileen, Michael’s cycling team. Paul Finley, our head elder. My in-laws the McLarens, and my dad. And so many more. All of them gave much of themselves for me and the boys and for Michael.

That last night before the Violence; can you recall it?

Vividly. Michael and Jason had gone to the youth coffeehouse at the church; Jim and I had stayed at the loft with Toby Phillips, our so-called intern. Toby told jokes and make shakes, smoothies, I think, even helping me forget how pregnant I was. And then, just a few hours later, it started. (Voice trails off) It was our last normal night. And it may have been our last normal night forever.

So what’s next for Sarah Kent-Hughes? Another book, perhaps?

What’s next is trying to rest while trying to raise a family. And I don’t even want to think about another book. At least not for some time. I know Michael is actively considering it, but we’ve only talked once about it, and he knows where my head is right now. But later on, I don’t know, we’ll have to see.

Related:

An Interview with Michael Kent-Hughes

Note: Through tomorrow, Dancing Priest is a free download on Amazon Kindle.