Spooky Legends & Giveaway: Shona Husk’s Roan on The Black Shuck “THE GOBLIN KING”

Shona Husk gives a new spin on the Beauty and the Beast romance in THE GOBLIN KING and fulfilled all of Abigail’s daydreams about David Bowie’s Goblin King from Labyrinth.  Either one of those alone would be enough to move THE GOBLIN KING to the top of my TBR pile and the combination makes me wish we were allowed to join our own giveaways!  Shona is offering two copies of THE GOBLIN KING, so two lucky winners will get a chance to read the book that Abigail said has “Fresh mythology, wonderful character redemption, and the power of true love.” See details below.

Click to see the Spooky Legends Master List with links to all the previous posts and giveaways

Roan on The Black Shuck 
by
Shona Husk

I’ve been an urban legend for some time, and I could tell you stories of the goblin’s Wild Ride through your word each winter solstice and the havoc they create while you think it’s a storm and little else—but I’m tired of talking about gold and goblins after so many centuries.

In fact there is something much scarier out there. Something that roams your world without restriction and if you see it say a prayer to your God as it will be the last thing you do.

I’m talking about the death heralding dog, not the song by The Darkness, although they did sum up one of the tales quiet well if a little explicitly.

The Black Shuck is its most common name along the east coast of England, but it is also known as the Barghest in Yorkshire and the Gwyllgi (the dog of darkness) in Wales. And there are many other names and as many different stories.

The black ghost dogs with glowing red eyes have roamed the British Isles since before I was a babe, given that I was born around the time the Roman’s started invading Britain that’s quite a while. Some believe that the dog is fairy bred and feeds on souls—which sounds about right for a fairy. Other’s that it was once a real dog, or even a person who stayed around to haunt. Although why anyone would want to waste an afterlife lingering around a cross-road or haunting the place where they died I don’t know. Eternity is a very long time.

Some Black Shucks are tied to specific locations, others wander. Either way it prowls and if you see it your death is on its way to greet you. Those that have seen it have described as a large dog with glowing red eyes it, some merely feel its icy breath on their flesh, or hear the soft padding of its paws.

Like all good stories it is unpredictable, because while most sighting result in death there are a few people—usually women—who claim to have been protected by a ghostly black dog as they walked through a dangerous area.

And if you thought you were safe because you don’t live in Britain there have been sightings in Europe, Old Red Eyes, and South America, Perro Negro, all with the same reputation of being large and scary and bringing death with them.

Of all the things I’ve seen the Black Shuck is one I’m glad to have avoided.

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About the author:

A civil designer by day and an author by night, Shona Husk lives in Australia at the edge of the Indian Ocean. Blessed with a lively imagination she spent most of her childhood making up stories. As an adult she discovered romance novels and hasn't looked back. Drawing on history and myth, she writes about heroes who are armed and dangerous but have a heart of gold--sometimes literally. With stories ranging from sensual to scorching, she is published with Ellora's Cave, Samhain Publishing, Carina Press and Sourcebooks.

Visit Shona Husk online: Website|Blog|Twitter|Facebook Want to read more from Shona Husk

Giveaway provided by the author

Two copies of THE GOBLIN KING by Shona Husk

 

Available now from Sourcebooks Casablanca

Description:

Cursed by a Druid millennia ago, Roan lives a bleak existence in the Shadowlands, desperately trying to retain his soul and not succumb to the goblin horde. When a beautiful human summons him to grant a wish, he sees a glimmer of hope. But will she ever agree to be his queen?

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**Don’t forget to visit Dark Faerie Tales today for her Spooky Legends guest blog with Amanda Stevens and a chance to win THE RESTORER**