Choose Your Own Death by Marianna Shek - Virtual tour and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Marianna Shek will be awarding 1 Choose Your Own Death book mark and 4 postcards by the illustrator Tara Brown (can be sent internationally) 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?

I think all writers have a natural ‘voice’. It’s like slipping into a pair of comfy pajamas. I’ve always written in a young adult voice. I worry as I get older, my writer voice will change but so far, this hasn’t happened. Having said that, I always try to challenge myself by writing in other styles. I also love writing speculative fiction and chick lit.

What books were your favorite as a youth and why?

I was the biggest Babysitters Club fan. And my favourite babysitter was Kristy because I thought she was the smartest but I knew it wasn’t cool to like Kristy so I always pretended to like Stacey.

Growing up as a Chinese migrant, I was always encouraged to read. My mum took me down to the bookstore all the time and just let me pick out a new book every week. I’d buy a new babysitter’s club or Sweet Valley High or another of the ongoing series. I read all the Roald Dahl, RL Stine and Robin Klein books. I loved the front cover of Klein’s Hating Alison Ashley and spent many lunch hours drawing it. BRB…

I just drew this from memory!

I also just realized Robin Klein may not be as popular in other countries so your readers may not have a clue what I’m talking about but trust me, growing up in Australia, her books were compulsory reading in every school.

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

I wanted to be a writer or an artist but it mattered because my parents were very traditional Chinese and insisted I could only be a doctor, pharmacist or lawyer. I ended up being a pharmacist. The most fun I had working in pharmacy was when a drug rep left a two metre tall dragon plushie as a marketing gimmick for one of their drugs. I drew the dragon and turned it into a colouring competition for all the kids. The best picture got to keep the dragon plushie. After that, I knew it was time to quit pharmacy and pursue my own dreams.

What superpower would you love to have? Why?

This is possibly not a superpower but I always imagined I was the most amazing sharpshooter. I’d be able to turn three quarter, do that squinty thing with my eye, draw back the bow and drill a five cent piece into a tree from fifty metres away. I would of course look very cool and attractive while doing this.

What book is on your nightstand currently?

Hhhm – I have both physical books and my Kindle on my nightstand table. Ursula LeGuin’s The Earthsea quartet has been gathering dust for about a year now. I’m finding it really difficult to get into despite it being a classic. On my Kindle, I must have over three hundred books but the one I’ve just finished reading is Lois Lowry The Giver. (it was wonderful – I stayed up over two nights to finish reading it)

Hunger Games or Twilight? Why?

Hunger Games, of course! I have a thing for bow and arrow. (See response regarding superpower)

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

Amelia. She’s a zombie orphan. ‘Nuff said.

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

Dobby or any house elf because they would cook and clean.
Anoia, God of things stuck in drawers because I have a few drawers I need help cleaning out.
Inigo Montoya because he’s the coolest character ever written.
Sirius Black but only if he’s in his animagus dog shape because I love dogs.

Goultown. The sort of place where kids could walk down the street in the middle of the night. Or accept sweets from strangers because strangers were just friends you hadn’t met yet. A place where grown-ups got tattoos of smiley faces and if kids graffitied, they were sure to do smiley faces too.

That was before the murders began. After Sally Ellerson drowns at the chocolate factory, you know there’s something weird going on. It’s time to take charge.

Choose Your Own Death is a path-picking adventure where every wrong turn unleashes an eldritch evil. If you don’t solve the mystery soon, the next death could be yours.

Enjoy an excerpt: ‘Wicker witches!’ She rummages through her backpack, pulls out a peg and clamps it over her nose making her sound like she’s blocked up from a cold. ‘I’ve read all about them in Scented Supernatural. They lull you into a sense of dullness and kill you.’

‘Sandalwood and lavender. My favourite.’ Angus seems to have forgotten Tammy lying stiffly at his feet.

The trees are closing in. Shuffling like old people. Dribbling waxy secretions onto the ground with every step. The wax drips and curls into crevices forming eyes, mouths and noses. They look and smell like giant scented figurines from a candle shop.

Jessica pulls out two more pegs and places them on you and Angus. The spell breaks.

‘Wicker witches?’ Angus howls. ‘Let’s get out of here!’ He grabs the torch, scoops up Tammy’s stiffened form and flees.

‘Come on, Drew!’ Jessica takes off. She’s the fastest runner on the track team at school. She used to try and get you to train with her but you always laughed and asked what was so great about being sporty.

You stagger after her but the wax on your jeans has set hard. You hold out your hands to break your fall.

‘Wait for me,’ you cry, but the words come out muffled. The wax has coated your lips shut. You try yelling out some swear words but realise you’re wasting time. You upturn your knapsack looking for a weapon. Rock. Paper. Scissors. What the? You will never let Tammy pack the survival kit again!

Marianna Shek is a writer, reader and ideal eater. She took a ridiculously arduous route to get there, dabbling in pharmacy before switching to animation and finally settling down as a writer. She has a wonderful day job as a researcher and producer. You can follow some of her crazy art and film projects at: www.theunreliablenarrator.com.au She rambles specifically about books and creative writing at: www.rockonkitty.com.au

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13726368.Marianna_Shek
http://www.amazon.com/Marianna-Shek/e/B00VACIMCA
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/marianna-shek
http://www.amazon.com/Choose-Your-Death-Marianna-Shek/dp/099426660X/
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/choose-your-own-death-marianna-shek/1121412493

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Bittersweet by Michele Barrow-Belisle

The author will be awarding a $10 dollar giftcard to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click the tour banner for more stops.

To save the Faery world and her mother’s life, seventeen year old Lorelei sacrificed everything, and the dangerous bargains she made in Nevermore had lasting repercussions. Now safely back in her own world, Lorelei seems the same to her high school friends and her supernatural boyfriend, despite the dark magic growing within her. Love across dimensions is complicated, especially when an invisible veil between the two worlds is sealing, threatening to separate Lorelei and Adrius forever.

Determined to find a solution, Lorelei resorts to exploring her new found powers. But when her friends fall ill, and her healing touch only makes things worse, Lorelei can’t help but wonder if she's responsible.

Nightmares from the Nevermore tighten their icy hold when someone arrives determined to destroy Lorelei’s world, starting with those closest to her. Once again she’s forced to choose between her family... her friends... and a love that was ill-fated from the start.

Enjoy an Excerpt

“One kiss and now you believe you love this creature? Preposterous. I will not have it. She has you hexed. Bewitched from your right mind. That is the only reasonable explanation to account for such impudence. Such lusting can only be derived from dark magic. It seeps from her pores, can you not feel it?” Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness surveyed me with cold disdain before refocusing her wrath on her son.

“I would never do that,” I blurted. “I’d never use magic to force someone into loving me.” Venus and I were very different that way.

Mab snarled. “Do not address me unless I have given you permission to do so,” she said. “I am the queen of this court. And you are nothing more than a whelp on the verge of losing her life.” Her cutting glare flicked back to her son. “I cannot allow this. You traipsing across lands following this...” she waved her hand in my direction. “It is madness. I prayed that after you'd taken a taste you would have been satisfied, satiated of such empty hollow carnal delights and moved on to saner tasks. Like serving your mother.”

“You removed me from your court, Mother. I no longer serve you,” Zanthiel replied evenly.

Mab’s voice lowered, and grew sickly sweet. “My darling, it was but to show you your love for me. Your loyalty lies within you still. It merely needed a subtle reminder.”

“By way of banning me from my home, and resigning me to live among thieves, shadows and the dead. It is an odd way of demonstrating motherly love.”

“There are many expectations of you. You cannot fulfill your duty with your mind blinded by your heart. This unhealthy obsession has you transfixed, Zanthiel. Can you not see? She has you immobilized.” Her voice grew louder and the rafters latterly shook. “And to what end?”

She looked at me, but I wasn’t certain she wanted me to answer, so I remained silent. I studied the chains enclosing Zanthiel’s hands and ankles. Could I break them open, dissolve them?

What if something went wrong, and I hurt him instead? No, it wasn’t the right time. I glanced over at her statuesque guards, their skin blue from decades of cold. Two of them were studying me with a vile mix of curiosity and hunger. One caught my eye and he ran a bloated tongue across his chaffed lips. My stomach turned over.

“I am hers for as long as she requires my assistance. It has always been that way. Fated by prophecy. You know this to be true, Mother.”

He was having trouble speaking and yet his expression held that same icy glare. By looking at him you’d never know what pain he was in. But I knew him on a deeper level. I was beginning to see through his façade, like a smokescreen of glamour, I saw behind the mask. The fear and loathing and the inexplicable suffering as the iron ate into his flesh like acid.

The queen’s eyes narrowed and grew impossibly colder. “Why have you come? Surely you did not expect a grand and hospitable welcome. What purpose drew you into my court to face imminent death? Do speak now, whelp,” she said with sudden impatience. “And know that if you are caught lying I will cut out your tongue and feed it to the trolls.”

I shuddered, having no doubt she actually would. “We have a... request.”

I glanced at Zanthiel, blood seeping from the iron chains binding his wrists and ankles. I couldn’t let him continue to suffer. The poison would eventually seep into his bloodstream and kill him. Then she'd direct her wrath at me.

I took a tentative step forward, not fully convinced I wouldn’t be cut down where I stood, for being so bold.

But she leaned back against her throne and tapped a broken fingernail impatiently. “You have my full attention. Come out with it. What is this request of which you speak?”

About the Author

A dreamer at heart, Michele Barrow-Belisle has always lived with one foot in this reality and one foot in another, one of her own imagining. So it follows that she would grow up to write about the characters from those enchanting worlds she knows and loves so well. A fan of all things romantic, her young adult novels are populated with scintillating witches, vampires and fey. Her bestselling debut book series Fire and Ice (Faerie Song Trilogy) was optioned for a major motion picture this year. Michele resides in southern Canada with her hubby and son who indulge her never-ending obsession with reading, writing and most importantly... chocolate. SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Website: www.michelebarrowbelisle.com  (join my mailing list)
Blog: www.michelebelisle.blogspot.ca
Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/authormichele
Facebook Street Team page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/396189297153826/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3059577.Michele_Barrow_Belisle
Twitter: www.twitter.com/MicheleBelisle Pintrest: www.pinterest.com/micheley26
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/micheley26
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110546512991850441753/posts/p/pub 
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Michele-Barrow-Belisle/e/B00BVRJADY
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Virtual Tour and Giveaway - Elf Hills by S.S.Dudley

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes for the tour are as follows:

• One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
• One randomly chosen host will receive a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

Do you ever read your stories out loud?
Always. And I always catch things I didn’t see. Also, it is important to me that the books read well out-loud because I write them expecting them to be read out loud, shared between an adult and a child.

What have you got coming soon for us to look out for?
The second book of Selara Leda & Burt, titled Wish Upon a Star, in February—tentatively. This depends on my illustrator. This story is set in the California foothills.The second book of the Elf Hills series, titled Fairy Trees, I aim to release in May/June. The plot thickens
a lot in the second book.

What is your least favorite word?
Blog. Or maybe, “boring”. As in, “this is boring.” My 6-year-old is using it more and more...

What is your favorite joke?
A guy walks into a bar. Another guy walks into a bar. The third guy ducks. (Really, I don’t remember jokes.)

What do you do to relax?
Run. Go for a hike. Read. Grill something, preferably with a frothy beverage in hand.

If we were to come to your house for a meal, what would you give us to eat?
My wife would be involved, so either we would grill steaks or have salmon (I have a lot in the freezer
from a fishing trip to Alaska I took in August). Maybe get a little fancy, and have quibbe (a Lebanese meat-loaf) and cucumber sauce.

Something strange, something magical, is going on in the dusty hills behind the small town of Villaloma. Yet each time Linda Peters puts on her running shoes and sets out to find the enchanted kingdom she imagines—full of dancing elves, unicorns, and more—something stops her. And with school starting soon, she only has a few more chances to really search the hills. While Linda’s frustration and doubt grow, her cousin, Nugu, looks for answers in his books and wonders if maybe, just maybe, Linda’s stories are for real.

The day finally arrives when Linda can run far, the day she is sure she will find her magic city. But when she and Nugu feel their goal must lie just beyond the next hill, they only find more hill. Is it all a figment of an over-active imagination; a wistful fantasy?

Or is there truly something magical in those hills that only the strong of heart—and leg—can discover?

 

From the Prologue:

This fairy tale, as you might have guessed already, takes place on a hill. Or, rather, on many hills and a mountain or two in Northern California, near what people call the Great Valley. One hill in particular stands out, though, because that is where everything started. It was a nice hill; well rounded, not too high, not too low. It was distinctly a hill, snuggled up against a mountain like a nursing cub to its resting mother. For the most part this hill was well-dressed with dark green oak trees and tall grasses, usually yellowed and dry except for the four or five wet months of the year. Along one side, a seasonal creek slipped out and down into the plain. Here the vegetation—red-stemmed manzanita, prickly blackberry bushes, and other shrubs—was thick and difficult to move through.

From afar, the hill was not remarkable; it had many siblings stretching to the north and south as far as the eye could see. This hill was special, though. For one, a strange—some said magical—copse of trees stood near the base of the hill where the creek emerged. These trees were short, had long, dark-green leaves, and bore bright yellow fruit that, if eaten, were said to imbue a person with the strength of ten men. For another, the hill was haunted. On certain nights of the year a white light would shine from the very top of the hill. It was brighter than the brightest star; brighter even than a full moon, perhaps, and it cast long shadows across the plain. The first people that lived in the area told many stories about that hill, the light, and the spirits that lived there.

About the Author

S. S. Dudley grew up in Wyoming, USA, an avid reader and lover of the outdoors. He studied at the University of Wyoming and the University of Illinois. He started his first book (an epic fantasy hand-written in with a blue fountain pen...) when he was 13, but never finished it. At some point (as his mother recently reminded him), he decided that he needed to go do something (like get a job) for a while before he could, or should, write. He did, and spent time in Colombia, Panamá, Antarctica and the dark recesses of large science buildings on college campuses. That done, he now writes, lives and runs in Northern California with his wife and two children. He can be found at http://www.ssdudley.com, http://www.facebook.com/author.ssdudley and on twitter at @SS_dudley.

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Henge by Realm Lovejoy - Review Tour and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $20 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.

Inspired by one of the greatest legends of all time…

Modern-day Camelot. Where knights no longer carry swords. Magic is dangerous. And those who seek control are not to be trusted.

Sixteen-year-old Morgan le Fay is a fire user. An ordinary girl with an extraordinary skill, she has the ability to create and command fire at will. Her dream is to become the Maven—the right hand of the future King Arthur. In the chance of a lifetime, Morgan is selected to join Arthur’s Round, an elite group of young magic users from which the new Maven will be chosen.

Along with the other fire, water, and wind users in Arthur’s Round, Morgan is rigorously trained and tested. The handsome Merlin, a brilliant water user, takes a particular interest in her. Is his friendship to be trusted, or is Merlin simply trying to win the position of Maven for himself? Among the many rivals Morgan faces is the current Maven, Mordred, who seems determined to see her fail.

But Morgan has a secret—years ago, her mother was executed for using fire magic, and Morgan’s desire for justice makes her more than ready to take on the challenge before her. Can she prevail in Camelot’s tests of survival and magic? Only time—and Morgan’s powerful fire—will tell.

Realm Lovejoy’s modern Arthurian series features one of literature’s most complicated and powerful female figures. Henge is the first book in the LE FAY series, and—like Morgan le Fay’s magic—it is sure to dazzle and amaze.

My Review:

Henge is a well-written, unique take on a classic story. Playing with the Arthurian legend can be a risky thing, but the author has made it just different enough to make it her own.  In fact, sometimes I'd forget this was about Camelot, and then we'd be introduced to an old friend again: Tristan and Isolde, Merlin (loved how he was introduced!), and so on. 

But don't think you'll have this all figured out just because you know the legend.  It's got its own twist on things.  Morgan is a great protagonist and I really empathized with her.  She's had a rough life so far, and takes risks to put herself where she thinks she's supposed to be.  She wants to be trusting, make friends, etc., but is a relatively untrusting soul (and for good reason).  I love a strong female protagonist, and she fits the bill.

There's nothing her so objectionable or frightening that younger teens couldn't enjoy this as well. Certainly it has a few flaws--it's occasionally rushed, and sometimes I had to go back a reread things to make sure I understood what was happening--but that barely detracted from my enjoyment.

4 stars and recommended to fans of fantasy and urban fantasy of nearly all ages. 

Enjoy an excerpt:

When I go to bed that night, I sink into the goose down, ready to sleep and get my mind off things. I remember Merlin’s eyes—his irises had little gray lines that turned his eyes into a foggy color. When did I look at him closely enough to notice the threading of his irises? I drift into sleep, feeling like I am drowning in feathers that whisper like the ocean. Is Merlin lonely? Does anyone else visit him in prison? Maybe Vivian?

I wake up sporadically throughout the night, a strange energy lurking in the depths of my sleep. In my dream, I’m sinking in water—it seeps into my lungs and strangles my heart. The water is coming from smooth hands. Merlin smiles as he drowns me. I sink into an endless depth of blue, the light flowering and scattering above me. The water the same color as his eyes.

About the Author:

Realm Lovejoy is an American writer and an artist. She grew up in both Washington State and the Japanese Alps of Nagano, Japan.

Currently, she lives in Seattle and works as an artist in the video game industry.

Website: http://www.realmlovejoy.com
Blog: http://realmlovejoy.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorrealmlovejoy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/realmlovejoy
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23151530-henge

Buy Link:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Henge-Fay-Book-Realm-Lovejoy-ebook/dp/B00PBV1HKK/

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Danny Dirks and the Heir of Pendragon by S. A. Mulraney - Spotlight and Giveaway

This spotlight post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner via the rafflecopter at the end of this post during the tour.

Danny Dirks wants nothing more than to play baseball in his father's orchard, but he's finding out that he is no ordinary boy. With the approach of his fifteenth birthday, Danny's begun hearing voices and seeing visions of his dead mother. He's also fairly certain that the cute girl next door is really a shape-shifting dragon. All of these things lead Danny to the discovery that he is the heir of the legendary Arthur Pendragon and the linchpin in a pact established between man and dragon centuries ago. Now, rogue dragons threaten that pact and the peace that comes with it. They aim to reopen the portal through which they originally came to Earth in order to bring back a rebel dragon army. It's up to Danny to learn to channel the power that is Excalibur and, with his new friends, prevent the portal from being opened.

Enjoy an excerpt:

“Dad…”

“Danny…”

“What the hell was that about?”

“Don’t swear, son. Your grandfather and I…we just have differing points of view about something. But, it’s not for me to interfere,” he said.

“I don’t understand…”

“Honestly, neither do I. It’s times like these that I really miss your mother. She would have known what to tell me. She always did.”

“But, what did Grandfather mean when he said all that stuff in your office?”

“How much did you hear? You know, Danny, it’s not right…”

“Dad! It’s also not right to talk about someone who isn’t there! You guys were talking about me, and you were upset! Why? What’s grandfather…”

“Shhhh…Danny…listen to me. I might not agree with…everything your grandfather has to say, but know this…I still trust him. And so should you. Don’t let my…fears…sway you. Just listen to what he has to say. Do what he asks of you. Your mom wanted it that way. She asked that I not interfere when it was time for all of this to happen.”

“All of what? What’s going to happen? What’s going to happen that has you…you…scared?”

“I…it’s not for me to say, Danny. Your grandfather is the one who needs to explain all of this. I only know what your mother trusted me with…and to be honest, I’m not sure I believed half of it until…recently. Listen…just…just try and roll with it for a bit. Everything will be fine. You’ve got a birthday party to look forward to this weekend and Grandfather will be here for at least another week. Try to enjoy this time with him. Don’t worry about what you heard this afternoon.”

Danny looked hard into his dad’s eyes. His father blinked and looked away.

“Too late,” Danny said.

In second grade, Scott Mulraney wrote a series of comic strips called Peanut (a peanut with arms and legs) and Stickman (self explanatory) because those were the two things he could draw with some consistency. He ripped off every story line from Garfield, but his family thought it was cute. In high school, he wrote a rip-off of Red Dawn, changed the location to his NJ home town, and essentially made himself the lead character. It involved finding a super-secret helicopter with a strategically placed instruction manual. How convenient. During high school, he devoured Stephen King novels, but never pursued writing anything of substance. Then, in an event that would shape the rest of his life, Scott found himself kicked out of college, jobless, and relatively friendless. He turned to writing poetry and eventually short stories followed. Writing had brought him back from the brink and he pursued and eventually earned a degree in Literature with a focus on creative writing.

He completed his first novel (not ripped off from anyone) after five years, in 2010. After waffling about what to do with it, he self-published the suspense thriller under the pen name Andy Rane. A moderate success, for independent standards, Scott then followed with the first draft of Danny Dirks. Completed in about six months, he knew he had something special and wasn't quite prepared to self publish the novel. Fast forward to 2014 and the changing markets convinced him that he could provide everything to his stories that traditional publishers could. Danny Dirks and the Heir of Pendragon is his first full-length young adult novel and one of many stories he hopes to tell.

He currently lives with his wife and son in his home state of New Jersey.

Website: http://samulraney.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/S.A.Mulraney
Twitter: https://twitter.com/samulraney
Book link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MR5ENG8

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Virtual Tour and Giveaway: Elf Hills by S.S. Dudley

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host.

PLEASE NOTE: This book is free on Amazon from Dec 15 – 19, 2014. If you prefer print, the paperback is available through Createspace here. This is a code for a 15% discount off of the retail price ($8.99): 9DSCQ3UU.

Something strange, something magical, is going on in the dusty hills behind the small town of Villaloma. Yet each time Linda Peters puts on her running shoes and sets out to find the enchanted kingdom she imagines—full of dancing elves, unicorns, and more—something stops her. And with school starting soon, she only has a few more chances to really search the hills. While Linda’s frustration and doubt grow, her cousin, Nugu, looks for answers in his books and wonders if maybe, just maybe, Linda’s stories are for real.

The day finally arrives when Linda can run far, the day she is sure she will find her magic city. But when she and Nugu feel their goal must lie just beyond the next hill, they only find more hill. Is it all a figment of an over-active imagination; a wistful fantasy?

Or is there truly something magical in those hills that only the strong of heart—and leg—can discover?

From the Prologue:

This fairy tale, as you might have guessed already, takes place on a hill. Or, rather, on many hills and a mountain or two in Northern California, near what people call the Great Valley. One hill in particular stands out, though, because that is where everything started. It was a nice hill; well rounded, not too high, not too low. It was distinctly a hill, snuggled up against a mountain like a nursing cub to its resting mother. For the most part this hill was well-dressed with dark green oak trees and tall grasses, usually yellowed and dry except for the four or five wet months of the year. Along one side, a seasonal creek slipped out and down into the plain. Here the vegetation—red-stemmed manzanita, prickly blackberry bushes, and other shrubs—was thick and difficult to move through.

From afar, the hill was not remarkable; it had many siblings stretching to the north and south as far as the eye could see. This hill was special, though. For one, a strange—some said magical—copse of trees stood near the base of the hill where the creek emerged. These trees were short, had long, dark-green leaves, and bore bright yellow fruit that, if eaten, were said to imbue a person with the strength of ten men. For another, the hill was haunted. On certain nights of the year a white light would shine from the very top of the hill. It was brighter than the brightest star; brighter even than a full moon, perhaps, and it cast long shadows across the plain. The first people that lived in the area told many stories about that hill, the light, and the spirits that lived there.

About the Author:

S. S. Dudley grew up in Wyoming, USA, an avid reader and lover of the outdoors. He studied at the University of Wyoming and the University of Illinois. He started his first book (an epic fantasy hand-written in with a blue fountain pen...) when he was 13, but never finished it. At some point (as his mother recently reminded him), he decided that he needed to go do something (like get a job) for a while before he could, or should, write. He did, and spent time in Colombia, Panamá, Antarctica and the dark recesses of large science buildings on college campuses. That done, he now writes, lives and runs in Northern California with his wife and two children. He can be found at http://www.ssdudley.com, http://www.facebook.com/author.ssdudley and on twitter at @SS_dudley.

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Finding Refuge by Cathi Shaw

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post to win a $50 Amazon/BN Gift Card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

After successfully escaping Séreméla, Thia, Kiara and Mina agree to meet in the newly created safe haven of The Refuge. As a precaution they take different paths to their destination, only to find that those paths force them even farther away from one another. As one pitfall and danger after another emerges, they are once again left to wonder if there is anyone they can trust and if they will ever uncover the secrets of the Prophecy.

Enjoy an excerpt:

Mina cocked her head and tried to figure out what he was hearing but all she could make out was a light breeze through the trees. Then it occurred to her. That was all she could hear. Earlier the forest was alive with sounds of birds and small animals. Now it was silent except for the wind. A shiver raced down her spine and her hand went for the small dagger that she’d taken to carrying in her belt.

The horses began to grow restless. Mina moved to calm her mare but the animal snorted and rolled her eyes nervously, side stepping as if from an invisible enemy. Mina tried to soothe her but both mounts were seriously spooked.

“Arion?” she asked uncertainly.

“Sshhh.” He put his finger to his lip and was moving toward her when the first black shadow whirled into the clearing.

Mina’s mare screamed and reared, ripping her tether from the ground as she ran into the forest.

Mina stood paralyzed in front of the creature. She watched in horror as it lifted its hands toward her, preparing to attack her just as had happened the previous year. Mina was powerless to do anything. She vaguely realized the dagger had fallen from her fingertips as she encountered the red gaze of the creature in front of her.

Cathi Shaw lives in Summerland, BC with her husband and three children. She is often found wandering around her home, muttering in a seemingly incoherent manner, particularly when her characters have embarked on new adventure. In addition to writing fiction, she has taught rhetoric and professional writing Okanagan College, The University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. Cathi is the co-author of the textbook Writing Today. Finding Refuge is the second book in her Marked Ones series. You can read more about Cathi on her website (http://cathishaw.com). You can also find her on Twitter (@cathishaw) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TheMarkedOnesSeries).

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Refuge-Marked-Cathi-Shaw/dp/1939156610/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417311451&sr=8-1&keywords=cathi+shaw

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Waiting For Dusk by Nancy Pennick

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Nancy will be awarding a $10 Amazon Gift Card and a PDF or mobi copy of Waiting for Dusk to a randomly drawn winner via the rafflecopter at the end of this post.Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Thanks to Nancy for stopping by to chat with us!

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

Andrew (Drew) Martin. He is from the recent past, growing up in the early 1900s. His perspective on the world would be so much different. Think of all the inventions since his time. Television. Smart phones. Space shuttle. The list goes on and on. The same goes for history. I think he’d be surprised to learn that the War to End All Wars—WWI—wasn’t the last. I’d want to know what he did for fun, where he hung out with friends. He did grow up in NYC so he’s a little more sophisticated than the average teen. What was NYC like in those days? Prohibition was in force so he might have some good stories.

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

So far my young adult novels are the only ones that are published. I like writing in that genre and also reading it, too. Going back to a time in all our lives where we make mistakes, can be self-absorbed and sometimes easily influenced has great potential for story telling. The teen years are the growing up years, shedding childhood and forming new ways of looking at the world.

I have a few Middle Grade/Preteen books in the works and would like to write some New Adult. The fun of writing is that you can let your mind go anywhere you wish. You can stay in reality, time travel in science fiction, have elves battle trolls in fantasy…the world is yours for the taking. I enjoy writing what I like to call fantasy or magical realism. I hope the reader can picture themselves in the every day world I create and then all of the sudden…a fantasy life happens.

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

A teacher. Never changed my mind from third grade on. I was totally in love with my third grade teacher and wanted to be like her. I’ve taught first, second, and third grade in my first career as an elementary school teacher.

Who was your teenaged crush? Why?

Davy Jones of the Monkees. He was cute, he could sing and had a dazzling smile. What’s not to like?

What books were your favorite as a youth and why?

All of them! Lol I remember wanting to read every book in my elementary school’s little library. I started with a row of biographies, working my way through them in order. I loved Little Women and anything written by Beverly Cleary. Her Ramona and Henry Huggins books were the best, very realistic. Dr. Seuss books were fun and clever. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is my all-time favorite.

Favorite hot beverage. Why?

Tea. I think I wrote a whole blog about it! There’s nothing like a hot cup of tea on a cold morning. One of my favorites is English Breakfast and as a flavored tea, nothing can beat Peach Apricot. When I write, I like to have a cup of tea nearby. It helps the thought process. I can lean back, take my cup in hand and think.

Sum up your book for Twitter: 140 characters or less.

Read a book. Fall asleep. Meet a boy. Waiting for Dusk, a romantic fantasy for young adults. #Waitingfordusk

That's intriguing, let's find out more!

Read a book.

Fall asleep.

Meet a boy.

Is it real or just a dream?

Katie's everyday life suddenly turns exciting when she travels back in time and meets the boy of her dreams. Thinking of nothing else, willing to leave the real world behind, she's determined to find out if it's all a dream or not. Returning again and again, Katie almost has her answers until one day her precious book goes missing.

Enjoy an excerpt:

“Drew!” Katie felt butterflies in her stomach.

He held out his hand. “Come on. I won’t let you fall.”

She slowly stepped onto the rock, and inched towards him. Her heart pounded but she felt safe. He put both arms around her, holding her tight as they both faced the canyon.

“There is nothing like it, is there?” He whispered softly in her ear.

Katie could have stayed like that for the rest of the day, but knew she had to get back to work. The magic had to end. “I have to go.”

“Yes, I know.”

They stepped back a few feet until they were on what Katie thought was more solid ground. She knew the rock was just an extension of the land but it felt as if she was miles from El Tovar. She turned to run back to the hotel, then stopped.

“Drew, I…” She looked into his eyes, his sparkling emerald eyes. Her heart flipped. “I hope to see you later.”

“You will. You definitely will. Tomorrow is Saturday.”

Katie ran up to the brush next to the hotel, grabbed the pails and headed to the back of El Tovar. Saturday couldn’t come soon enough. For now, she needed to finish her shift and then head to the boardinghouse and go to sleep. She knew the only way to get back here was through her dreams. How confident am I? Will I be able to return? I’ll just have to believe, like in all good fairytales. 

Born and raised in Northeast Ohio, Nancy currently resides in Mentor, Ohio with her husband and their college-age son, plus a delightfully entertaining lovebird. Her writing is influenced by all the years of working with young people as a teacher and raising her own son. When not writing, Nancy loves to travel with her husband and enjoys a good cup of tea. Waiting for Dusk is the first in her three book series. Call of the Canyon and Stealing Time continue the story of Kate and Drew.

Links:

Twitter- https://twitter.com/npennick @npennick

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/nancypennickauthor

Wordpress blog- http://nancypennick.wordpress.com/

Amazon Author Page- http://www.amazon.com/Nancy-Pennick/e/B00AKX0MZ0/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Buy links:

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Dusk-Nancy-Pennick-ebook/dp/B00AF47ELO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1401300929&sr=1-1&keywords=waiting+for+dusk

Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/waiting-for-dusk-nancy-pennick/1114286882?ean=9781612355238

Publisher: Fire & Ice - http://www.fireandiceya.com/authors/nancypennick/WaitingForDusk.html

Smashwords - http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/351844

Kobo - http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/waiting-for-dusk-waiting-for-dusk-book-one

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Ignifer's Rise by Michael John Grist - Interview and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Michael will be awarding an autographed print copy of Ignifer's Rise to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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

Go to ruins.

It's so hard to think of the right kind of advice to give. I don't have any big regrets, and most anything else I could say would probably end up changing who I am today. Big choices were hard enough at the time, who am I to second-guess that?

But go to ruins is good advice. I grew up on Indiana Jones and the Goonies. As a kid I adventured with friends in abandoned mills and factories in the North of England. Then I grew up, went to university, and it stopped. Subsequently I was bored for a lot of my university days. I should have gone to ruins then, modern ruins, overgrown by nature, not ruins on the tourist trail. I ended up doing it anyway, 6 years after uni, in Japan. I went to over a hundred ruins, took photos, stayed overnight, 'adventuring.' It was great fun and helped me through some difficulties.

Also, I'd tell myself: it's OK to not like doing stuff. I used to see people having such a great time in pubs and nightclubs, so kept putting myself into those environments, thinking I'd eventually get it. It took many years more to understand, those things may not be for me. I don't have to do them to have a good life. If I'd realized that a lot earlier, maybe I'd have focused on going to ruins more!

Sorry, so long and only the first question.

What book is on your nightstand currently?

I'm reading Neptune's Brood by Charles Stross. He counts every bit of time in seconds, which is a disorienting bit of fun. How long is a million seconds? It's about 11 days. Also he has slow, medium, and fast dollars. He says sixteen as hexteen. I love that stuff, reframing the world through new language. I try to do it myself too.

Hunger Games or Twilight? Why?

Hunger Games! Twilight, having only seen the movies, seems to be quite a passive story. We follow the heroine, who principally spends most of each movie pining for a vampire, trying to choose between a vampire and a werewolf, or being rescued by a vampire or a werewolf. Though it's a modern book and the target audience (I don't know if it's mostly teen girls, but maybe?) may be very 'girl-power', I'm not convinced Twilight shows that. Instead it seems to be saying- which man you choose to love is the most important decision you'll ever make.

That may be very important. But it is a really traditional value, far divorced from the recent spate of Disney and Pixar films that show the importance of women's choices irrespective of men (Frozen, Brave). Of course Katniss too. I dig that.

Girl power, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

What reality show would you love to be on? Why?

Ha, not Survivor. For a long time I thought that show was about outdoorsy cool stuff, like reality LOST, then I actually watched it and was pretty disgusted. It's this horrible, backstabbing, high-school manipulation popularity thing, whcih makes me feel queasy to watch. The slimiest people win. Gross.

Rather, I'd like to try The Amazing Race. There is a little room for slime and manipulation in that, but mostly you're out there running a race, seeing the world. Though I expect it's very stressful, and frustrating at times. Hmm.

Sum up your book for Twitter: 140 characters or less.

In a brutal city splintered by caste, a condemned boy must confront the fate written in his scars, before the jaws of apocalypse descend.

You’re stranded on a desert island—which character from your book do you want with you? Why?

This is such a great question, and it totally depends on what I want:

Escape from the island: The main character Sen. He is ingenious and resourceful, takes unexpected paths to solve a problem, and would make it his mission to get off the island.

To survive on the island: Mare, a street-waif halfhead girl who dragged herself up in a slum, knows everything there is about how to survive. She's city smart and not island smart, but she'd figure it out fast.

To get busy living and have fun: Alam, a loyal, fierce, sarcastic friend, who'd make every day more interesting, or Gellick, a rockman with a silly sense of humor. I'd have a fun time with either.

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

Babagasloosh - It's eggplant flavor ice cream. It just came into my head.

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

Houses, ha, I win! Then I can basically save the money in real estate and sell whenever I want.

But if I can't do that, then probably whatever stuff I need, and that anyone in my family or circle of friends need. When the train comes in, everybody rides.

The fate of the world is written in scars. In a bleak industrial city where marks in skin are a sentence to death, Sen is a child condemned. Cursed with mysterious scars carved by his own mother's hand, he leads a fearful hidden life in the city's last abbey.

Then the King's brutal Adjunc attack, and Sen barely escapes with his life. Lost and alone in the city's dark hinterlands, he begins an exhilarating race to find the truth behind his scars. In stinking black sewers and the lava-buried ruins of an ancient civilization, he uncovers a truth far stranger than he ever imagined, laid out by his long-dead mother: an apocalypse god is rising, and only the legendary hero Saint Ignifer can stop it.

But Saint Ignifer is dead.

Revolution rocks the city. The blood of all castes runs in the streets. With a storm of new faith raging out from the barricades, Sen must embrace the terrible fate his mother wrote in his scars- in the volcano's caldera, at the end of the world- before the black jaws of the apocalypse descend. For the Rot is coming, and the Saint must rise.

Enjoy an excerpt:

Sen bolted into action.

His shoulder took the Spindle in the gut before he even knew he was moving. It drove a grunt from the taller boy and knocked him from his feet, sending them both tumbling across the dry spring grass. More images sparked through Sen's mind, hands stretching through a fence that were his father's hands, but not, a long and shameful walk led by bloodless Molemen, an overwhelming anger rising up.

Sen fought the images back even as he scrabbled in the grass, reaching instinctively for the weapon. He'd never fought before, but while the Spindle wheezed from the blow he managed to grasp the hard metal tool, wet with blood, and pried it away with both hands. Then the Spindle's elbow found the back of his head.

It drove Sen face-first into the grass, head spinning. He felt the weapon snatched back out of his hand and rolled away, expecting another blow to fall, but none came. Looking up he saw the Spindle running away back down the path for the gates.

Sen lurched up, catching a glimpse of Sister Henderson closing in. There was no time. He started after the Spindle at a ragged sprint, down through the trail of white chalk dust the boy had left. His vision was blurry from the blow to the head, the world was turning, and his mind reeled from the strange images and anger, but he could still just pick the taller boy out. He was nearly at the gate, and all Sen wanted to do was hurt him. He pumped his elbows hard, thumped his feet down on the chalk, and reached the gates just as the Spindle was about to straddle the top.

He leapt, snagged the boy's ankle with one hand, and wrenched him off the metal. The boy windmilled down with a thud into the chalk, and Sen threw himself on top, batting away the Spindle's efforts to lash out, throwing his own wild fists at the boy's long thin face.

About the Author: Michael John Grist is a 34-year old British writer and ruins photographer who lives in Tokyo, Japan. He writes dark and surreal science fiction and fantasy, inspired by authors such as David Gemmell and Orson Scott Card.

In his free time he explores and photographs abandoned places around the world, such as ruined theme parks, military bases, underground bunkers, and ghost towns. These explores have drawn millions of visitors to his website: MichaelJohnGrist.com, and often provide inspiration for his fiction.

You can buy Ignifer's Rise at Amazon or Amazon UK. Sign up for his releases newsletter and friend him on Facebook

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The Eye-Dancers by Michael S. Fedison - Book Tour and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Michael will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so leave a comment or ask him a question. You can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Seventh-grader Mitchell Brant and three of his classmates inexplicably wake up at the back edge of a softball field to the sounds of a game, the cheering of the crowd. None of them remembers coming here. And as they soon learn, “here” is like no place they’ve ever seen. Cars resemble antiques from the 1950s. There are no cell phones, no PCs. Even the spelling of words is slightly off.

A compulsive liar, constantly telling fantastic stories to garner attention and approval, Mitchell can only wish this were just one more of his tall tales. But it isn’t. It’s all too real. Together, as they confront unexpected and life-threatening dangers, Mitchell and his friends must overcome their bickering and insecurities to learn what happened, where they are, and how to get back home.

The answers can be found only in the mysterious little girl with the blue, hypnotic eyes. The one they had each dreamed of three nights in a row before arriving here. She is their only hope. And, as they eventually discover, they are her only hope.

And time is running out.

Enjoy an excerpt:

He heard the others, still talking behind them. Ryan was telling another of his dumb-blonde jokes. Crickets played their fiddles from hidden places in the grass. A hoot owl called out, and another, farther away, answered. Duss, now a vague form in the dark, still stood at the fence, looking through the gap at the now dormant grill. And he knew, he was certain, that he could talk to Heather, this beautiful girl from a place so far away. She would understand the way he felt about his parents. Maybe she would understand the way he felt about a lot of things.

But it didn’t matter. Because he didn’t want to stumble over his words, his tongue like sandpaper, tripping over syllables. He didn’t need to. Just being with her was enough. He sat there, holding her hand. He no longer felt rushed, no longer desired to leave. Joe would end up making that decision for them, anyway. For right now, he just enjoyed the sensation of her fingers laced through his, the heady fragrance of her perfume, the easy, comfortable silence that hung between them.

He looked up, at the infinite black canvas of the sky, at the stars, which shimmered like precious jewels. She had said that maybe our dreams lived up there, among those stars. All we needed to do was believe, and remember.

And reach.

Michael S. Fedison was born in Rochester, New York, and now lives with his wife, Sarah, and regal cat, Luke, in the green hills of central Vermont. Michael has been writing creatively for as long as he can remember, and has had short fiction published in several literary magazines, including Iconoclast and The Written Word. He works as a full-time technical writer and also is a freelance proofreader and copy editor.

Michael has been a lover of imaginative stories his entire life. He enjoys any story that takes you by the hand, lifts you up, and transports you to another place, a new and creative way of looking at the world around us.

Buy the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, or Kobo

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books I Almost Put Down But Didn't

Ten Books I Almost Put Down But Didn't

 

10. Generation Dead by Daniel Waters - I was having a hard time getting through these supposedly "dead" teenagers...it was confusing and a little overwhelming.

 

9. Allegiant by Veronica Roth - I had the end somewhat spoiled, and I was uncertain if I wanted to keep on reading...but I did. Then I cried.

 

8. Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake - I was really sad when *insert spoiler here* happened...I had to stop reading for a while because I was just like....no....not okay.

 

7. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - I love classics (to some extent) and I wanted to read them, but the way that they were written is very difficult to get through, and I had a hard time actually understanding what they were talking about.

 

6. The War Inside by M. Kircher - the beginning was draggy, so I basically read a chapter and then I was like....Okay, I'm done for the day. BUT, the story line picked up considerably, and I was hooked until the end.

 

5. The City of Bones by Cassandra Clare - I turned this book down three times before I actually read it because I was so hooked on another book series, I didn't want to get distracted. BUT, I did end up reading them (after my best friend spoiled the whole series for me :P )

 

4. Boys Like You by Juliana Stone - I'm sensitive to swearing, and there was a lot of it in here (enough to make me annoyed) that I had a very difficult time finishing.

 

3. Goddess Legacy by M.W. Muse - It was just never super amazingly awesome,  but the plot never slowed (nor did it pick up)

 

2. Hidden by M. Lathan - The story was good, the editing was really bad. I read it, but the process of doing so was very slow. And painful. But somewhat enjoyable.

 

1. The Fault in our Star by John Green - if there was one word to sum up this book, it was (actually, four words) Feels, heartbreak, and most of all, NOT OKAY.

The Aerenden Series by Kristin Taber - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Kristen will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn grand prize winner via the Rafflecopter at the end of this post, and audiobook will be issued to 10 runner-up winners. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Book One: The Child Returns

Seventeen-year-old Meaghan has no idea her perfect life has been a lie — until she witnesses her parents’ brutal murders at the hands of red-eyed creatures.

After nearly sharing their fate, she escapes with her best friend, Nick, who tells her the creatures are called Mardróch. They come from another world, and so does she. Now that the Mardróch have found her, she must return to her homeland of Ærenden or face death.

Left with little choice, she follows Nick into a strange world both similar to Earth and drastically different. Vines have the ability to attack. Monkeys freeze their victims with a glare. Men create bombs from thin air. Even Meaghan’s newly discovered empath power turns into a danger she cannot control.

But control becomes the least of her worries once the Mardróch begin targeting her. When Nick confesses he knows the reason they want her, she learns the truth behind the kingdom's fifteen-year civil war — a long-buried secret that could cost Meaghan her life.

Enjoy an excerpt:

THE WALLS fell in first. A flash of light and smoke came next. Or could it have been the other way around? It happened so fast, she could not remember. The air smelled funny, like when Papa put out the fire before bed. It filled her mouth and her nose. It stuffed her lungs and clogged her breathing. Then it turned thick and black so she could not see. She coughed. She tried to stand, to run, but her legs sagged beneath her. Tugging on a curtain, she pulled three times before she grew tired of toppling over, and crawled toward her bedroom. She called for her mama, but heard only the sound of distant screams through the smoke. None of them was Mama.

“Mama? Mama?” she cried again, feeling her way along the floor. Her fingers brushed a rug, soft and cool compared to the stone floor. A glowing fire consumed part of the room, heating the stone. It crept toward her. Fires hurt. Papa had told her she should not touch them. Sometimes she thought about trying to see if he was right, but she did not want to try with this one. It seemed angry. Its flames popped and snarled.

The couch began to glow, and then disappeared as the fire swept over it. It folded in half, crashing to the floor with a loud bang. She yelped. Tears stung her eyes and wet her cheeks. Her arms shook. Her legs trembled. She backed away, and found the table that usually stood in the middle of the living room. It must have toppled over too. It lay on its side next to a body that looked like Mama.

*****

Book Two: The Gildonae Alliance

Several months after Meaghan’s return to Ærenden, the kingdom’s war has taken a turn for the worse. The Mardróch army hunts the new King and Queen, destroying villages in its wake. And Meaghan and Nick, training for battle in their remote section of wilderness, are far from safe. Danger hides in shadows and behind innocent faces. Allies become foes. Each day is a fight to survive. But in the end, only one threat matters. And it’s a threat they never see coming.

Enjoy an excerpt:

THE WORLD streaked past, brown bark and evergreen mixed with the dirty sludge of winter. Meaghan leaped over the remains of a fallen spruce, and then dodged around a thorn bush. Her stride never broke. An ice patch appeared in front of her, pressing red and orange leaves into the ground, and she veered left to avoid it. She had almost missed this one, though heightened adrenaline had saved her at the last moment. She could not fall. She could not slow. Her life depended on it.

Wind burned her cheeks and whipped her hair behind her. She ignored it. She also ignored the way her breath seared her lungs. She pushed harder, further than she had before. And she focused, straining her ears and eyes. An attack would come soon. She expected it, though she wished she had Nick’s sensing power to warn her when it neared. Without it, she had to rely on her training alone. She hoped it would be enough.

Up ahead, vines hung motionless across her path. They could be harmless, but she could not take the chance. Without changing her pace, she grabbed a stick from the ground and threw it into the curtain of green stretching in front of her. The vines reacted, snapping and curling around the branch until it crumbled into splinters. She swerved off the path, circled around the creeper vines, and then hurdled when she realized a log blocked her path. An inch shy of clearing it, she caught her foot on a protruding branch.

She hit the ground and rolled before springing back to her feet and pushing forward once more. Her ankle ached where she had broken it months before. Cold weather often brought a familiar pang to her old injury and tripping had increased that ache, but she could not allow it to stop her. She tightened her arms at her sides, increased her speed, and set her eyes on her goal—a white flag. Safety.

*****

Book Three: The Zeiihbu Master

Separated and on opposite sides of the kingdom, Nick and Meaghan face different pursuits which could change the balance of power in Ærenden forever.

While Nick trains the villagers to be soldiers, Meaghan and a small rescue party venture into Zeiihbu to find Faillen's young son, before Garon can use the boy's power to destroy those still fighting against his rule.

Everyone knows Meaghan could be on a suicide mission, but when Nick stumbles upon a secret concealed in one of the southern villages, he realizes that Garon might not be Meaghan's greatest foe. The enemy most likely to kill her is someone who has also promised to keep her safe.

Kristen spent her childhood at the feet of an Irish storytelling grandfather, learning to blend fact with fiction and imagination with reality. She lived within the realm of the tales that captivated her, breathing life into characters and crafting stories even before she could read. Those stories have since turned into over a hundred poems, several short tales, and five manuscripts in both the Young Adult and Adult genres. Currently, Kristen is completing the five-part Ærenden series from her home office in the suburbs of Washington D.C.

Website ~ Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Google+ ~ Pinterest

Buy Links for Book 1

Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Buy Links for Book 2

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
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The Riddle of Prague by Laura DeBruce: Virtural Tour, Review, and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Prizes for the tour are as follows: • One randomly chosen commenter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. • Two randomly chosen hosts will each receive a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Please enter using the Rafflecopter below.

Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The Riddle of Prauge by Laura DeBruce
Contemporary, Fantasy
204 pages
4.5 stars

When 18-year-old Hana Silna travels to Prague to reclaim her family’s home, she discovers a riddle that may lead to a long-last flask.

The contents of that flask could change the fate of the world. When a ruthless enemy kidnaps her family Hana has to find the flask to rescue them. On her quest she meets a mysterious man with a penchant for poetry, a Gypsy girl with a haunting past, and Alex, an all-American boy who’s trying to save his sister from a crippling disease. It’s hard to trust anyone when the stakes are this high — especially when surrounded by experts in deception.

There’s only one flask, and Hana desperately needs to find it.

My Review:

Overall, I thought the book was exceptional. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, which never slowed. It posed interesting questions and had you begging for answers while you flipped pages. The *main* characters, Hana, Alex, and his little sister, Thaila, along with David and a few others were easy to like.

Hana was my favorite character, because she is good to imitate; her stout heart and courage always point her in the right direction. Putting her both in the situation of finding the flask to save her family and watching out for the friends at her side simply shows how excellent and well-developed she is. Her emotions mirror that of what I would have felt, and though her actions can sometimes be impulsive, she's doing the right thing.

I found myself getting annoyed with the villain...I wanted him to be gone, but every time he disappeared, there he was again. Taking advantage of people, tricking, killing, and getting what he wanted was irking me beyond belief. I was about ready to reach into the pages and strangle him for Hana and Alex, but unfortunately, my hand wouldn't go through the pages.

An amazing read for anyone who enjoys learning about Prague. Laura DeBruce captured the historical values and the beauty of the land in her book, which is something to marvel at. It's an excellent fantasy piece, and contains suspense and a little bit of a thriller idea.

Now, enjoy an excerpt:

The Nomad

The American girl arrives in Prague today. Finally! Finally things will happen. Everything will change.

I possess secrets—old and valuable secrets. Never mind, for now, who I am or what my name is. Those things have never mattered much. I am history’s silent witness and its victim. And I confess, here in the dark, that I am also a perpetrator of crimes. Ruthless, bloody crimes. Straw into gold, water into wine, blood into life! I have long witnessed Prague’s obsession with alchemy. Now it is my turn! I shall become like quicksilver. I shall transform secrets into power and power into money.

The American girl arrives today, and soon terrible things will happen. At the end of it all, I will be free.

About the Author

Laura DeBruce is a documentary filmmaker and writer. She grew up traveling all over the world thanks to her father’s work with the U.S. Embassy. She and her husband spent twelve years living in Europe including Prague, Paris, Amsterdam and London where she found inspiration to write The Quicksilver Legacy Series. In Prague, she worked as a lawyer for the first private nationwide television station in the former Communist bloc. It was there that she fell in love with the ancient city of Prague and its legends.

She lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband and son and an unruly Golden Retriever.

Website with blog and trailer: http://theriddleofprague.com/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Riddle-Prague-QuickSilver-Legacy-ebook/dp/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRiddleofPrague
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LauraDeBruce

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