Seneschal

Greetings all, this is author Bill Powers taking over jay Whale's blog for today, the 15th of July. Read more about me and my latest release at the bottom of this post.

Seneschal

Part of the fun in writing fiction is creating new characters and the worlds in which they live. In doing so, we often find and use words that have fallen out of favor, like “seneschal.” Seneschal comes from Middle English and was derived from the Medieval Latin “seniscalus.” It was initially used to describe "a governor or other administrative or judicial officer," but came to mean "the steward or major-domo of a medieval great house; one in charge of all domestic arrangements and the administration of servants; a protector." He is the highest person of a household who can speak and act on behalf of an absent owner.

Deirdre Southington is a new character introduced in The Torch is Passed who assists Andrea Harding in a dire time of need. Deirdre is an eccentric former National Security Agency agent and lives with her grandmother, Cordelia Southington, on her plantation-style estate on the Cape Fear River near Wilmington, North Carolina.

Deirdre lives in the expanded carriage house on the estate with an antique weapons-of-war collection and her seneschal, Elihu, who had previously served as seneschal for Deirdre’s father before his death. One of Elihu’s duties is to manage the Liburnia.

The Liburnia is modified Pullman railcar that was commissioned in 1947 as a private club car for Deirdre’s great grandfather, who was a director on the Weldon Rail Line in Wilmington, North Carolina. She has four full bedrooms with baths and showers, a parlor and library, dining room, kitchen, room for staff, and a state-of-the-art communications and entertainment room. Deirdre owns a small engine that can pull the Liburnia to the central track where, by lease, it hooks onto a freight or Amtrak train. Deirdre Southington is closely in touch with her dark side and comfortable in the shadowy, secretive, dangerous world of espionage with Elihu.

About Bill:

Bill Powers worked in pharmaceutical Research & Development (Johnson & Johnson) for 26 years, rising to the position of Vice President of Global Preclinical Development. Bill has a Ph.D. in Toxicology from the University of Cincinnati and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology.

Bill’s love of words and books started in childhood, stimulated by parents who were both teachers. A voracious reader, he enjoys both fiction and biographies. Now that he has moved away from his industrial career, he plans to aggressively pursue his passion of being a fictional author. Bill’s first novel, The Pharm House: A Harding Family Story, was named a Finalist in the Medical Thriller category of the 2014 National Indie Excellence Awards. Bill’s second novel, The Torch is Passed: A Harding Family Story, was named Best Book in the Category of Thriller of the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award for Winter 2016

Connect with Bill Powers on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Goodreads and at www.authorbillpowers.com

The Torch is Passed is available in both paperback and e-book formats via Amazon and Barnes and Noble

REVIEW COPIES OF THE TORCH IS PASSED AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

The next stop on Bills Blog Tour is tomorrow, 16 July at:

It's Postcard Reviews: https://tracyshephard.wordpress.com/.