When I was a child I climbed trees, played hopscotch, and read a lot of books. Now I rock climb, play with my characters, and still read a lot of books. I write them too. And these are some of the things that you can read about in my blog. Come join the fun!
Forged by Magic: Origins – Cover Reveal And a Giveaway.
It’s finally here – the cover to my next book, Forged by Magic: Origins. And it is stunning, at least in my opinion. My graphic designer, Jeannie Ruesch, has created another masterpiece (*applause*).
Prequel 1 to the Forged series, Forged by Magic. Cover created by Jeannie Ruesch.
Blurb:
Forged by Magic: Origins is a collection of short stories, featuring the characters from the Forged series. This is the first of two prequels to the series. Each story is told from a different character’s point-of-view.
Find out how the Amulet and the Dasht-e Kavir have been created, and how the powers of the Universe opened the gates to other dimensions, inadvertently releasing unworldly supernatural creatures into the Human World.
Publication date:
May 31, 2013
Genre:
Young Adult Fantasy
Series:
The Forged
This is the first out of two prequels to the Forged series. The prequels are the collections of five short stories each, which makes them a fast and fun read. Book two, Forged by Coalescence is scheduled for publishing late summer 2013. Next two full size novels will be released in 2014.
Excerpt:
When the Mages arrived on top of the mountain, they formed a ring, and Acopoth took Dasht-e Kavir out. He handed it to Laintre, who deposited the jewel on the rocky ground. Together, the seven brothers chanted, drawing magic from the sacred land and from the air around them. It swirled in a cacophony of colors, weaving itself between and through them, faster and brighter with every passing moment.
Dasht-e Kavir shone blood-red, the light staining the rock in a perfect circle, raising up, and then enclosing over the gem in a dazzling dome. The spinning magic awoke something ancient, something primal, and the mountain quivered. At first, it was an almost-imperceptible roll, gradually gaining strength, becoming violent, as if demanding some great powers to be set free.
Mages spread their arms to the sides, their faces lifted up, eyes closed. They floated a few inches over the splitting ground, their hair and clothes whipped by a sudden wind. What started as quiet chanting, now turned louder, multiplied by the ancient chorus of voices coming from the stirred past.
Spirits of strange, long-forgotten beings darted around the brothers, their elongated ethereal bodies dull-white against the vividly-colored swirls of the Mages’ powers. Hot lava-like matter burst form the newly-awakened volcano, and gushed down the sides, destroying the serenity that welcomed the brothers back to their world. It washed over Dasht-e Kavir, intensifying the Universe’s powers trapped in it during its creation. The jewel hovered right above the volcanic crater, red light throbbed inside it like a beating heart.
The old magic kept the brothers safe inside the protective sphere that just closed around them. Their chanting, joined by the voices from long ago, lilted in and out over the enraging howling of winds. The Spirits of the past, drawn to the powers brought from a different dimension, floated above, hungrily watching Dasht-e Kavir. Acopoth opened his eyes and watched the ghostly figures. He concentrated even more on his spells and, extending his senses past the sphere around him, connected to three of the oldest Spirits. They willingly shared their ancient powers with him, and he thank them for their help.
Seven tiny, brightly-colored orbs—each in the shade representing one of the brothers’ magic—appeared from nowhere, circling the protective sphere. The Spirits of the past moved away, and watched from a distance. Each orb moved in a blur of motion around the sphere, staying in its own elliptical path. A seven-color globe now enclosed the Mages’ spherical shield over the spewing red and gold substance volcano. The effect was enthralling.
Magic in the same seven hues slowly swirled and crawled inside the sphere, weaving itself around the Mages. It seeped down to Dasht-e Kavir, dripping upon the gem in thick, lazy drops. It cooled the jewel and, spreading itself over the crater, stopped the rush of lava. The wind subsided, and the chanting stopped. The brothers hung their heads and brought their arms down, visibly exhausted.
The protective shield around them gradually dissolved and shimmered down in the glistening rain of jewels. They rolled over the mountain slopes, away from the mending-itself crater. All the beauty in the Mages’ Realm that was destroyed by the volcano was suddenly restored. Seven tiny orbs decelerated their maddening chase and calmly floated toward the brothers, each entering the Mage that possessed the matching color magic.
A short gasp escaped the brothers’ lips. The magic framed their bodies in the dazzling outlines. They collapsed on the ground, their eyes closed, bodies limp, and clothes torn. Slowly, each of them stirred, laboriously pushing himself upright. Their faces bore the signs of pain and exhaustion. Acopoth scooped up Dasht-e Kavir and glanced around from one brother to the next. All of them looked softly at the gem, just like a father would gaze at his newborn child—with unconditional love, pride, and a hint of hope for the future.
My friends at Bawaka’s Book Fair are running a Giveaway with some fantastic prizes, including a digital copy of Forged by Magic: Origins. Click below to enter for a chance to win!
Plus to celebrate the upcoming release of Forged by Magic: Origins, book one in the series, Forged by Greed is on sale for only $0.99 on Amazon for three days, May 24-26!
Indie Inked Mother’s Day Giveaway!
The authors of Indie Inked think mothers (in fact, all women) are extremely special and we want to celebrate this fact by giving them a chance to win some pampering and a little time to relax.
We’ve put together two prize packs stuffed fill of goodies. There is hours worth of reading, swag and a gift voucher… so you can treat yourself to something nice.
The giveaway ends on Mother’s Day – Sunday, May 12th.
Here are the prize packs…
Losing Francesca Cover Reveal and a Giveaway.
Publication date: July 1st 2013
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Showers of Books Giveaway Hop. Almost 200 Blogs!
Great news! Forged by Greed is offered as one of the prizes during an awesome giveaway hop organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. This giveaway hop runs until April 30th and it is called Showers of Books. There are over 200 blogs participating. Which means… yes! A LOT of books to choose from.
There are FIVE copies of the Forged by Greed ebook offered in either of these formats: mobi, ePub, or PDF.
A Shard of Ice by Alivia Anders
A Gigantic Ebook Giveaway, PLUS Kiss Off and Over It by Sarah Billington.
Sarah Billington, the author of The Kiss Off is releasing the second book in the series, Over It. Book one, The Kiss Off has a brand new cover too.
Coming July 2013
Synopsis:
But it’s Summer now, and the best thing just happened: Poppy’s royalties for writing the hit song The Kiss Off just came in. She’s minted, and she knows just what she’s going to blow it on.Ty’s band Academy of Lies are headlining a summer music festival, and Poppy is taking her girlfriends along for the best weekend of their lives.It’s all organized: the weekend is going to be full of camping under the stars, backstage passes, VIP rooms and partying like rock stars, not to mention some long awaited one-on-one time with America’s favorite front man.
Except, when someone drops out of the trip and Poppy takes the opportunity to mend a broken friendship, it doesn’t quite go according to plan. And when she meets her boyfriend’s BFF from another band, the paparazzi form their own totally wrong conclusions. (more…)
Frailties of The Bond by Angela Brown.
My very first post on this blog included a shoutout to my buddy, Angela Brown who was then getting very close to publishing her first YA novel, Neverlove.
Today, I am very excited to announce that Angela is about to release her second book – a novella Frailties of The Bond.
The Story Behind The Shrilugh Trees.
When I saw my friend and a fellow YA author, Myndi Shaffer’s first published novel, Shrilugh, I fell in love with the cover. It’s simple, yet sophisticated; it’s interesting and grabs attention; it promises a good read and it is somehow different from many of the YA book covers. Maybe because the artwork is done in black-and-white. Or maybe because the image of the tree is intriguing like a well-kept secret. And now Myndi’s second book, The Darkening (see the cover reveal post HERE) is finished and will be published very soon. There is another tree on the cover of The Darkening, which made me wonder about the significance of the image.
I am pleased to have Myndi visit my blog today and talk about the story behind the Shrilugh trees. Go ahead, Myndi.
Glad to be here, Angela. I’m excited to share about what has inspired the design I have used for The Shrilugh Saga. Both Shrilugh and The Darkening take place in two different worlds: a fictional version of ours, and another world accessed through a mystical Door atop an old abandoned silo. Originally, both books began as one and were called The Silo Door because I went into writing that first draft with the mindset of the story centering around the Door. Soon, however, the story grew, the plot thickened, and the Door itself became secondary. Which meant (a) there was going to be more than one book, and (b) I needed to find another name for the first book, and the series as a whole.
Young Adult Paranormal Giveaway Hop
It’s time for a giveaway! Forged by Greed is one of the books participating in the YA Paranormal Giveaway Hop organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and by [YA] Between the Lines. The giveaway runs from February 21st to February 27th and features Young Adult books with Paranormal elements. Some of the authors featured in the giveaway are: Alexia Purdy, Lizzy Ford, Cameo Renae, J. Anne Huss, Alivia Anders, Brina Courtney, Tara West, and several others.
There are three copies of the Forged by Greed ebook offered in either of these formats: mobi, ePub, or PDF. (more…)
