Eliza Knight | Five Things You Might Not Know About Archery
GIVEAWAY: win ebook copy of The Highlander's Gift
In my new book, THE
HIGHLANDER'S GIFT, I had to do a lot of research about archery. The various
bows, the parts of an arrow, and whether or not someone can use a longbow if
they are without the use of one of their arms. In my story, the heroine, Lady
Bella Sutherland, meets the hero, Sir Niall Oliphant, for the first time when
they are children, at a skills tournament. She beats him at archery, but not by
much! They are both extremely skilled. In fact, as an adult, Bella often
practices with a blindfold on, or shooting apples and such off of her maid's
head (who is perfectly confident in this activity!) When Niall and Bella meet up
again as adults, where our romance story begins, Niall has recently lost an arm
in battle. He no longer uses his bow because of the injury, thinking it
impossible. Bella is determined to help him regain that skill, which she knows
was a vast source of pleasure to him, and hopes it will build up his confidence,
too.
How about a few facts I learned while doing research for this story?
A bow and arrow can absolutely be used by someone who has one armβor none at
all. The bow simply has to be modified so that the archer can use either their
mouth or their feet to pull back the string. Acrobats have been dazzling their
audiences with foot archer for hundreds of years! I did a mock trial of the
arrow I "built" for my hero in the story, and though it was hard to use, it
wasn't impossible.
A skilled archer in the medieval era could release up to a dozen arrows a
minuteβand hit the mark accurately. That's like one every five seconds!
Archery has been around since the late Stone Age.
Archery was mostly wiped out of warfare by the end of the 17th
century, replaced by firearms. However, it did continue to be used as a
recreational activity.
Bowis and dorlochis is the old Scots way of saying bows and
quivers.
I've been lucky to have had a few lessons in archery when I was a child, and
more recently, when I went on a trip to Ireland, the archery trainer for the
first season of Game of Thrones gave me and my family a lesson (not kidding!).
I'm not very good, lol. He teased me mercilessly. More so when my phone alarm
went off, playing a Skrillex song at high volume⦠Anyways⦠I am considering
getting my own target and bow/arrows to start practicing at home, though my
family has expressed concerns for their safety and my aim. Sigh⦠Maybe I'll have
to channel my inner Bella another way.
The bestselling Stolen Bride Series continues in this fun, new spin-off
following the children of our original heroes and
heroines!
Betrothed to a princess until she declares his battle
wound has incapacitated him as a man, Sir Niall Oliphant is glad to step aside
and let the spoiled royal marry his brother. Heβs more than content to fade into
the background with his injuries and remain a bachelor forever, until he meets
the Earl of Sutherlandβs daughter, a lass more beautiful than any other, a lass
who makes him want to stand up and fight again.
As daughter of one of the
most powerful earls and Highland chieftains in Scotland, Bella Sutherland can
marry anyone she wantsβbut she doesnβt want a husband. When she spies an injured
warrior at the Yule festival who has been shunned by the Bruceβs own daughter,
she decides a husband in name only might be her best solution.
They both
think theyβre agreeing to a marriage of convenience, but love and fate has other
plansβ¦
Romance Historical
[Knight Media, On Sale: March 27, 2018, e-Book,
ISBN: 9781540109132]
Eliza Knight is the multi-published author of sizzling historical
romance and erotic romance. While not reading, writing or researching for her
latest book, she chases after her three children. In her spare time (if there is
such a thingβ¦) she likes daydreaming, wine-tasting, traveling, hiking, staring
at the stars, watching movies, shopping and visiting with family and friends.
She lives atop a small mountain, and enjoys cold winter nights when she can curl
up in front of a roaring fire with her own knight in shining armor.
I took an archery class for P.E. in college. It was fun, and I was fairly good. (Cheryl Castings 11:36am March 28, 2018)
I took archery when I went to camp many years ago... enjoyed it. (Colleen Conklin 7:35pm March 28, 2018)
I had archery in secondary school when I was 15 years old. I ended up with bruises. (Susan Jang 9:33pm March 29, 2018)
I have used a bow and arrow, but not often. I am not very good. I discovered I am rather good with a blow gun, however. I like the theme of this book. I can imagine how useless someone would feel when their skill and position were how they identified themselves and their place in and value to the world (Patricia Barraclough 1:44am March 30, 2018)
Way back in the dark ages, long, long ago, I found it exiting when I used a bow and arrow, but unfortunately, I was not very good at it. (Anna Speed 1:17pm March 30, 2018)
I took a archery class in P.E. Had a lot of fun. (Tamara Thomas 10:24pm March 30, 2018)
I tried one once, when I was visiting someone who loved archery. (Sharon Mitchell 3:40am March 31, 2018)
Many years ago I used a bow and arrow a few times. It was fun but I was in to other things at the time and had other things to do. (Sharon Extine 2:08pm March 31, 2018)
I've tried it, enjoyed it, and wasn't very good at it. It would be interesting to try it again now to see if I could improve. (Lynn Rettig 4:54pm March 31, 2018)
I have tried a bow and it was fun because my son was in an archery group. (Darci Paice 6:26pm March 31, 2018)
Never tried it, always have been interested in it. (Jean Patton 7:41pm March 31, 2018)
I have never used a bow but I might like it if I tried! (Rita Spratlen 10:07pm March 31, 2018)
I failed archery in camp, but I'd like to try it again. (Charlotte Litton 10:23pm March 31, 2018)
Yes in PE. I like it but I am not good at aiming. I was the only one to hit the center of the target. There was one problem. It was not the one that I was suppose to hit. (Cynthia Cook 11:38pm March 31, 2018)
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