Book excerpt: Acclaim for "Behold the Dawn" "Enough action to satisfy the adventure lover; enough impossible awakening love to satisfy the romantic; enough research to satisfy the historian, enough intrigue, betrayal and murder to satisfy the mystery lover, and enough mercy and forgiveness to satisfy the Christ-follower."-Jeannie Campbell, The Character Therapist "I consider literary-induced insomnia, inspiring writing, and mild fictional character obsession the marks of a great story. K.M. Weiland's thrilling historical fiction novel, "Behold the Dawn," provides all of the above."-Kerry Johnson "Meticulously researched and so beautifully written, it reads like poetry."-S.L. Coelho About the Book The vengeance of a monk. The love of a countess. The secrets of a knight. Marcus Annan, a knight famed for his prowess in the deadly tourney competitions, thought he could keep the bloody secrets of his past buried forever. But when a mysterious crippled monk demands Annan help him wreak vengeance on a corrupt bishop, Annan is forced to leave the tourneys and join the Third Crusade in the Holy Land. Wounded in battle and hunted on every side, he agrees to marry-in name only-the traumatized widow of an old friend, in order to protect her from the obsessive pursuit of a mutual enemy. Together, they escape an infidel prison camp and flee the Holy Land. But, try as he might, he cannot elude the past-or his growing feelings for the Lady Mairead. Amidst the pain and grief of a war he doesn't even believe in, he is forced at last to face long-hidden secrets and sins and to bare his soul to the mercy of a God he thought he had abandoned years ago. More Praise for "Behold the Dawn" ..".there is a beauty in the way her theme emerges naturally and powerfully from within the story. Really, the story has much of the gut-wrenching drama and emotional roller-coaster ride of a Shakespearean play."-William Polm "Marcus Annan is a compelling, tragic character, struggling against dark knights, darker men of the cloth, and darkest still, his own inner demons."-Joseph M. Fraser "I found myself returning to several passages even before completing the book-not to remind myself of events, but to savor them. O]ne of the few historical novels ... so beautifully written."-B. Howard