Magical Beasts by Geoffrey Saign

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Geoffrey Saign will be awarding a $30 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.

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

Young people have a fresh perspective on life and are not as jaded as ‘adults’ who have already accumulated a lot of baggage. There is an energy and excitement in discovery, and young people are continually discovering the world as ‘new.’ Relationships are a process of discovery, as is the young person’s place in the world. They are making choices to define who they are. All of that is alive and fun to write about.

4. What’s your favorite sweet treat?

I love maple syrup! I put it in cookies, buckwheat blueberry pancakes, pies, and even a rice dish. That flavor on the tongue is priceless.

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

Since about age 15 I wanted to be wise and clear about life, because I had a lot of confusion when growing up. Doesn’t everyone? Well, I did! Wisdom and clarity were more of a center to my life than pursuing a particular career. I had a wide variety of interests, in self-awareness, wildlife, sailing, and writing. In the end, all those separate interests combined into writing. I always loved reading stories, so it’s not a great stretch to see that I would love creating them too.

6. What would you write in a letter to your teen self?

You are wise, intelligent, and worthy of love. Life will throw challenges at you; learn from them and keep going. Everything will work out for the best. Never doubt that. And never put limits on yourself, listen to everyone, follow no one. Listen to what your heart wants and follow it! Pay attention to intuition and spend time in nature. Love everyone as part of your family, including wildlife, and treat the world as your home. Create the world you want to live in. Love yourself in how you talk to yourself and think about yourself. You are special.

9. What superpower would you love to have? Why?

Super speed, like the Flash. It would allow you to travel worldwide and help many people very quickly. You could change villages, countries, and the world without much effort. You could end all aggression against women and children. You could stop barbaric wars and conflicts easily by overcoming small armies without much effort. You could prevent anyone from beginning a nuclear war. And you can do it all incognito, because no one can see you moving that fast. On a more personal note, I could clean up my living space in seconds!

15. Ideal summer vacation.

I live in Minnesota, so we have 4 seasons. I love all of it. But summertime is priceless. To walk around barefoot in shorts and a T-shirt, and swim 5+ days a week in lakes and rivers is wonderful. Minnesota is called the Land of 10,000 Lakes, so it’s the perfect place for a swimmer. Thus, it’s the best vacation I could imagine. If during the winter or another season I wanted a ‘vacation,’ it would have to involve water—swimming, snorkeling, or sailing—but always being IN the water.

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

I would LOVE to meet the Great Ones in my books. They are giant animals that can morph into humanoids and would be wonderful to meet, to see what they had to say about life. They are immortals, so their perspectives on life would be interesting. Some of the dragons would be fun to talk to as well, to get a different viewpoint. Also Uncle Biggie is another cool character. Gentle, funny, and also immortal. He’s just a kind soul, and you can never have too many of those in your life.

19. Favorite pizza toppings.

Green olives! Something about that salty, tangy flavor is one of my favorites! Green olives in potato salad, sandwiches, salads, lasagna, pasta…you get the idea.

21. 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 some money to a few people I know that could use it. Otherwise I’d spend the rest on the best environmental strategy I could find to help the planet. Environmental and wildlife issues have always been close to my heart.

24. Favorite class in high school. Why?

Creative Writing, for sure! Mrs. Stifter gave us a writing assignment. A week later she said, “A writer like this comes along once every 17 years.” Then she read my piece to the class. I was stunned, and it gave me the confidence I needed to pursue writing.

Samantha and Jake fight to save their poisoned parents, and instead find themselves in a battle to save the parallel magical world of KiraKu. The two teens discover they must defeat the Evil One—a diabolical master of deception—or their own world will fall too. Samantha must master the mysterious supernatural staff, WhipEye, and find out if she has what it takes to fulfill the prophecy of the true guardian. In a final battle, reminiscent of Lord of the Rings, the two teens will have to risk everything, or lose it all. For Fans of Fantastic Beasts, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, The Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings.

Winner Outstanding YA Fiction IAN BOTY

~ Magical Beasts is now in development for a major motion picture. ~

Read an Excerpt

“Watch out, Sam!” yells Jake.

I fling myself sideways onto the grass, pulling WhipEye out of reach of the lizard’s snapping jaws. The beast keeps going, leaping up.

Tarath springs vertically after it, but the Komodo’s flapping wings lift it fifty feet in one beat, inches beyond the caracal’s swinging claws. Tarath falls back to the ground, landing silently on the grass. She snarls up at the Komodo.

Hissing, the lizard hovers above us. His eyes bore into mine. “If you want to save your elders, bring the staff to Gorgon. Today. Alone. Or they die.” Shifting his gaze to Tarath, he says, “We’ll meet again, Great One.”

Tarath yowls while the Komodo quickly flies away, giving a faint roar before it fades in the distance.

“Mom.” Jake rests his hand on his mother’s shoulder. She appears unconscious.

Scrambling over the lawn to Dad, I press trembling fingers against his neck. He has a pulse. Jagged cuts on his thighs have darkened his jeans with blood. The same ugly slashes mark Cynthia’s legs. The wounds appear serious enough for stitches, but not life-threatening. In fact, when I examine Dad’s cuts closer, they’ve already stopped bleeding. Komodo bites can be deadly due to venom, but I’m not sure about claw wounds.

Jake looks bewildered. “Why didn’t you give the staff to the Komodo, Sam?”

My throat thickens. “I couldn’t.” It sounds lame, even to me. With one decision everything in my life is in shambles. And I have no one to blame but myself.

Tarath surprises me when she shrinks to five feet tall while padding toward us. Lowering her head between our parents, she sniffs the air. “Poison,” she spits.

About the Author:

 

Geoffrey Saign’s love of wildlife led him to write the award-winning fantasy series, Magical Beasts. He often experiences the magic of nature and wildlife while hiking and swimming. He has a degree in biology and has assisted in field research on hummingbirds and humpback whales. Geoff loves to sail big boats, hike, and cook—and he infuses all of his writing with his passion for nature. As a swimmer he considers himself fortunate to live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Minnesota. See what he’s up to at https://geoffreysaign.net/magical-beasts

Kindle/KU/Paperback Series page

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZR6VDJ8

Audible

https://www.audible.com/pd/Guardian-The-Choice-Audiobook/B081PVPNLN

Bookbub

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/geoffrey-saign 

Goodreads—Magical Beasts Book 1—Guardian The Choice

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50094484-guardian

Website

https://geoffreysaign.net/magical-beasts-fantasy-book-series/

 

 

 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

He'll Be Waiting by Liz Alterman

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Liz Alterman will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

What would you do to remember? What would you give to forget?

When Tess Porter agrees to pick up her boyfriend’s college pal at the airport on a snowy December night, she has no idea she’s about to embark on the most dangerous ride of her life.

Two days later, the 17-year-old wakes up in a hospital with broken bones, unable to remember how she got there. Her parents are acting strange, and neither James, her boyfriend, nor her best friend, Izzy, has visited.

As she struggles to physically recover, Tess wrestles with haunting questions: What happened? Will her memory ever return? And what if she’s better off not recalling any of it?

Read an Excerpt

A blast of heat smacks my face as I walk through the automatic doors. I look at the monitors. If someone gave me a dime for every time the word “canceled” appears beside a flight, I could buy a private jet.

Stranded holiday travelers sleep on the floor using their suitcases for pillows. Families eat dinner slumped against garbage cans. The stale air smells like French fries and feet. It’s chaos, and though I don’t want to drive again anytime soon, I’m jumpy to get out of here as fast as possible.

Circling the baggage carousels like a shark, I’m bursting with adrenaline after that hell ride. My shirt, damp with sweat, sticks to my skin. I feel chilled beneath Mom’s coat. I’m wondering how I’ll ever find Nick Lawrence in this sea of people when a guy walks up to me. At first, I think he’s going to ask me for money or a ride, but then I take a closer look. Dark hair, dark eyes, empty-looking duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He’s wearing a lightweight hoodie over a t-shirt. The neck is stretched out and wavy. He looks sloppy, not like a guy who attends a top university, but maybe he’s shot from finals too. His eyes, vaguely familiar, meet mine. He holds out a thick, clammy hand. When our palms touch, an electric shock passes between us. He holds my hand a beat too long and smiles, a weird, goofy grin. I have the sudden urge to pull away, turn around, leave him standing there. He doesn’t look like the kind of guy James would befriend, but James always reminds me: Don’t judge a book by its cover.

About the Author:

Liz Alterman lives in New Jersey with her husband and three sons. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Parents, McSweeney's, and other publications. She spends most days microwaving the same cup of coffee and looking up synonyms.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LizAlterman
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21164511.Liz_Alterman
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/liz-alterman
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liz.alterman
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethalterman
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizalterman

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Y7HKQYB/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Virus of Beauty by C.B. Lyall

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Ugliness is power, and the Virus of Beauty is spreading causing panic throughout the witch population.

Wilf Gilvary is a teenage wizard who is terrified of using magic. When his father dies under mysterious circumstances, Wilf is plunged into the middle of a political struggle between the witches and wizards in the Magical Realm. He’d rather play soccer than practice magic, but he’s forced to make a choice between the life of a normal Hong Kong teen and one of wizardry after a powerful virus begins to decimate the witch community. The cure is spellbound in a journal Wilf inherited from his father and when his friend Katryna contracts the virus, Wilf understands that he must overcome his fear of magic to unlock the journal’s secrets – but will it be too late to save her?

Read an Excerpt

Katryna hurried along the dimly lit corridor. Its dark, stained carpet and peeling paint reflected the building’s location. This wasn’t a part of town she usually visited. The balconies and entrance might have a view of the market square, but at the back of the building pulsed the Veil. The swirling gray mist had separated and protected the witches of Mathowytch from the citizens of Kureyamage for over fourteen years.

She unlocked the door of a studio apartment crowded with chintzy, overstuffed furniture. A cat lay sprawled along the back of the sofa in the sunlight, licking his paws. Katryna wrinkled her nose at the smell of cat and decay. Flies buzzed around the cat’s dirty food bowl, and she zapped them, hoping the frail old witch wouldn’t be upset with her use of magic.

Griselda lay on the bed in a fetal position, whimpering. Katryna sat down next to her in a wooden, high-backed chair. She reached to rub Griselda’s back, but then pulled back. It might not be safe to touch the old witch.

“Can I get you something to eat?”

Griselda shook her head and remained facing the wall.

There seemed to be very little Katryna could do. Perhaps that was why Ermentrude had forgotten to add Griselda’s name to the list of new cases to visit. However, her mother had been distracted before she left. Ermentrude might be among the city’s most powerful witches, but she made time to visit the sick whenever she could. Her mother’s hard outer shell hid a soft center of community spirit. The problem was, Ermentrude expected her daughter to pick up the slack whenever she disappeared on a new, urgent assignment for the Witch Council.

About the Author:

Carolyn Lyall was born in Stockton-On-Tees, United Kingdom. As a child growing up in Northern England in the sixties Carolyn loved sports, reading and amateur dramatics. She joined a renaissance group, practiced the broadsword and dreamed of visiting other worlds. Her passion for what could be drove her forward when faced with everyday struggles. Her first memorable skirmish with gender inequality came at nine-years old when she was told that only boys were allowed to play soccer. In response, she simply refused to do any classwork until they changed their old-fashioned policies. She won that battle.

At the age of 18, she took a role as typist for a nursing school in Middlesbrough. She then moved to London and enrolled in night school. She was quickly recognized for her ability to fit in anywhere and for not being afraid to push back on the predominantly male leadership. She eventually became a project manager in software development and micro-computers, bridging the gap between computer programmers and management.

Her dream to travel was finally realized in 1990 when she moved to New York City, USA with her husband and the first of three sons. This was the steppingstone to a lifelong adventure that has taken her and her family to India, Belgium and Hong Kong.

Raising her family in multiple countries around the world, she saw that each move, while a shock, was an opportunity for her sons to redefine themselves against new challenges and different cultural norms. Now, that her sons have left home, Carolyn has used her passion for the fantastic to create a world where every day gender inequalities are at the forefront of a world ending conflict. She shares this story through the eyes of a young man who is suddenly thrust into this new world along with all of his own woes and prejudices. The introduction to this world is in Carolyn’s debut YA fantasy novel, “The Virus of Beauty,” released July 31, 2019 under C B Lyall.

Carolyn has published two short stories in an annual anthology by 25 Servings of Soop. She wrote a number of articles for the American Women’s Associates Magazine. Fueled by her love of the works of Terry Pratchett, Sarah J Maas, Cassandra Clare, Brandon Sanderson and others, Carolyn has completed a number of writing courses, which included a Master Fantasy/Science Fiction writers course with Gotham Writers’ Workshop, a YA Voice class and Advance Novel Writing course at Sarah Lawrence College’s Writing Institute.

Website: http://www.cblyall.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CarolynBLyall
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cblyall
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/carolynlyall

Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Virus-Beauty-Book-1-ebook/dp/B08NF1L94T/ref=sr_1_1

a Rafflecopter giveaway