Glimmer by Rayna Noire

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Rayna Noire will be awarding a Kindle Fire (US only) or $50 Amazon GC (international) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

What books were your favorite as a youth and why?

I usually enjoyed adventure books as a child such as The Black Stallion.

What did you want to be when you grew up? Why?

A forest ranger because I love being out in nature What would you write in a letter to your teen self? Enjoy your current time. Accept yourself. You’re okay just the way you are.

What candy do you give out at Halloween?

Chocolate candy bars because I always hated it when I got the cheap stuff as a kid.

What superpower would you love to have? Why?

I would like to be able to speak and understand all languages. It would allow me to communicate with people all around the world.

Favorite TV show from your childhood?

The Jetsons

Which of your characters would you most like to meet IRL? Why?

Nana because she is so opinionated and colorful.

What four literary characters would you most like to have over for dinner?

I would invite Sherlock Holmes, Scarlett O’Hara, Count Dracula, and Bilbo Baggins.

Create an ice cream flavor. What’s it called?

Peanut butter, pecan and dark chocolate. I’d call it Perfection.

You’ve just won a million dollars and you’re not allowed to save any of it. What do you spend it on?

I would give part of it to the animal rescue shelter. The rest of it, I would make into college scholarships for average students.

Favorite class in high school. Why?

English class because I was able to read all these great stories.

For seventeen years, the convent walls kept Meara Cleary from the secret of her own parentage. A bearded stranger claims she’s his niece and promises to take her home. Before he can, a cataclysmic event thrusts her into a war-torn world.

Meara vows to journey to Ireland to find her uncle, unaware of how perilous a journey it will be. Her Druidic father guides her through dreams, explaining her magical heritage. Her dead parent can’t help her with the intricacies of village life, especially when she catches the eye of the very engaged Braeden.

A whirlwind composed of equal parts menace, romance, and revelation sweep Meara across the continent while gathering allies and enemies with equal speed. Her intent to return to her family turns into a fight to survive her own destiny.

Read an Excerpt:

Meara glanced back the way she had come realizing nothing looked familiar. How far had she’d wandered from the path. The rustle of movement and the snapping of nearby sticks sped up her heartbeat. A week ago, she’d panicked, sure, someone had followed her only to have a deer wander into the clearing, but this time two large shadows grew out of a nearby underbrush. People. She hadn’t expected this. Could they see her? One gestured in her direction and said something in a guttural language she couldn’t comprehend. The other answered in the same tongue. By the time, it took her to realize the men were after her, one had slipped behind her and grabbed her arm, pinning it painfully behind her back.

He spoke, as his companion reached out for her hair. "Kriegsbeute“

Meara twisted, knowing at an instinctual level she needed to get away from these strangers. The man holding her captive laughed, then muttered something before releasing her arm. She stumbled away recognizing an opportunity. A quick glance back showed the two of them being attacked by the bobbing lights. An occasional yelp assured her the attack was painful. They must be some type of glowing bees.

One hovered in front of her. Follow me. The musical voice sounded in her head. Besides the strangers behind her, there was no one else here. Certainly, no one with a voice as clear and bell-like that it reminded her of a raindrop or dew glistening on a flower. Somehow, this bobbing light placed the voice inside her own head. Her impulsive foray into the woods had landed her into a situation she didn‘t know how to handle. The shimmering light blinked, indicating a need to hurry.

About the Author:

Rayna Noire is an author and a historian. The desire to uncover the truth behind the original fear of witches led her to the surprising discovery that people believed in magick in some form up to 150 years ago. A world that believed the impossible could happen and often did must have been amazing. With this in mind, Ms. Noire taps into this dimension, shapes it into stories about Pagan families who really aren’t that different from most people. They do go on the occasional adventures and magick happens.

www.facebook.com/AuthorRaynaNoire
www.twitter.com/raynanoire
www.raynanoire.weebly.com

Buy the book at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.

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Age of Order by Julian North

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Julian North will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Why do you write juvenile fiction? What draws you to it?

Actually, I didn’t set out write juvenile fiction, young adult, new adult, whatever label people give it. Age of Order was born out of the raw frustration I encountered trying to get my children into school in my adopted home of New York City. I began writing dialogue, things I wanted to say, and the characters formed around those words. I didn’t write any differently than I would have for an “adult” novel—it just so happened that the characters in Age of Order were in high school, and therefore had to face certain issues typical for young adults of their age

Pretend your protagonist is at school and opens his/her locker – what will we see inside?

Easy—because it happens in the book! Daniela’s locker has a Tuck “skin,” which is the school uniform. Of course, Tuck being the elite highborn school that it is, their uniforms only look traditional. A skin can grow or shrink to fit anyone and it can regulate the temperature of the wearer. It can also change colors… if you hack the school network that controls it. She’s also got a Tuck track outfit, and a digiBook, which is essentially the best of both words—a paperback that can change its pages.

What books were your favorite as a youth and why?

I had a lot of favorites, since I generally preferred books to people. Sometimes I still do… One of the first books I remember reading was Privateers by Ben Bova. Looking back, it was a bit of a clunky, cold-war era adventure, but it made science-fiction seem very real to me. I also loved Shogun by James Cavell. I remember how thick that book was. I couldn’t even hold it property. But I ate it up in one weekend. It was like living in a different world. That one started my love of Asia. What else? Bridge to Terabethia—I was in sixth grade when I read it and it was the first book that made me cry, although I certainly denied that ever happened at the time!

What did you want to be when you grew up? Why?

I wanted to be an author! I loved creating worlds—being an author is a bit like being a god. But I didn’t get a chance. Like Daniela in Age of Order, I had responsibilities. My family’s situation simply wasn’t one where I could pursue a career with such uncertain prospects. But I promised that one day I’d write a book. It took me a while, but I never gave up the dream.

What book is on your nightstand currently?

The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, which I recently finished. It was recommended by one of my beta readers. Actually, he insisted. Told me I need to learn to use Spanish like a real person, use the language to covey atmosphere, character, and personality. Diaz such did that. I’m no Junot Diaz though.

Ideal summer vacation.

Anyplace where my wife and I can spend a couple of days without our kids. Not too long. And we want to know where they are, what they are doing, and that they are happy. But, yeah, a couple of days without our kids would be great. If they served alcohol too, I wouldn’t complain…

Favorite class in high school. Why?

European History taught by Phillip Beasley. I am a nerd, and I love history. But that class was special, because the teacher was special. Mr. Beasley was one of those rare teachers who made the subject come alive. History became a story, but one that spoke about something grand—about the growth of civilization, of culture, of humanity. Like many authors, many of my best plots are really just rips offs of events that have actually happened.

What if the people who thought they were better than you… really were?

In this world, inequality is a science. Giant machines maintain order. And all people are not created equal.

Daniela Machado is offered a chance to escape the deprivation of Bronx City through a coveted slot at the elite Tuck School. There, among the highborn of Manhattan, she discovers an unimaginable world of splendor and greed. But her opportunity is part of a darker plan, and Daniela soon learns that those at society’s apex will stop at nothing to keep power for themselves. She may have a chance to change the world, if it doesn’t change her first.

Age of Order is a novel that explores the meaning of merit and inequality. Fans of the Hunger Games, Red Rising, and Divergent will enjoy this world of deception and intrigue, where the downtrodden must fight for a better future.

Read an Excerpt:

The scene around the Tuck School reminded me of an anthill consisting entirely of the best-fed ants in the world. Students ranging from five to eighteen years old streamed towards the opposing entrances of the illustrious school—my school—in a navy and white parade of controlled chaos. The kids compensated for the monotony of their clothing with a dazzling array of hair colors: gold, platinum, silver, copper, chrome, and several I couldn’t guess. You could’ve mined their skulls for precious metals, but not much else. Younger students clustered on the south side of the street, upper-school students stayed on the north side, while hulking vehicles, their exteriors colored in hostile shades of black, human drivers at the wheel, traversed the street to deposit their pampered cargo at Tuck’s doorstep. Familiars ruled the skies like air cover for an invasion.

I turned onto the street atop humble feet, the only school-aged person not attired in a standard uniform, although I had chosen dark colors. Not that I expected to blend in. In addition to not being in uniform, I lacked the obligatory mechanized crown floating above my head. There was also the matter of my skin color. And I walked alone.

About the Author: I’ve been writing since I could grab a pencil (remember those?). Then I had kids. Not much time for writing anymore. Until they started school… in New York City. I’m not from here, and the tumult of that experience inspired me. AGE OF ORDER grew from a diary of injustice. Now I write what I’m feeling, and let the rest flow from there. I hope you enjoy it.

Please visit my website at www.juliannorth.com and join my book club to receive a free short story set in the same world as AGE OF ORDER.

http:// www.juliannorth.com
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/539032.Julian_North

The book is on sale for only $0.99 at Amazon.

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