Posts Tagged ‘fantasy romance’

Cliffhangers

Nicole_Luiken | March 19th, 2013

cliff

 

My reviews for Gate to Kandrith all mention the same thing: that darn cliffhanger ending. While the main plot of the book WAS resolved, the main characters did not get a Happily Ever After. (To my steadfast readers of book one, my apologies on the long wait—I wrote as fast as I could. To new readers who’ve been hesitant to buy book one because of the cliffhanger, wait no longer. Book two, Soul of Kandrith, is now available. AND IT’S ON SALE FOR MARCH *throws confetti*)

 

 

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The conclusion of the Kandrith duology

Lance is a healer and wielder of slave magic, a power that demands sacrifice. He gave up his health to gain the ability to heal others, but he’s powerless to cure his beloved Sara, who sacrificed her soul to save Lance and all of Kandrith. Returning her soul would negate her gift, at the cost of his life and the freedom of his homeland.

Now Sara is but a shell of the noble, spirited woman she once was. All that Lance saw and loved in her is gone, but he refuses to give up on her. Charged by his sister, the ruler of Kandrith, with a mission to encourage a budding rebellion within the aggrandizing Republic of Temboria, he leaves with Sara in tow. But not before Wenda’s soulsight detects a spark within her.

Amidst the escalating dangers in hostile territory, Lance will have to risk both his beloved and his homeland in a final gambit to save them both…

Buy Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Carina

As a reader, I have mixed emotions about cliffhangers. On the one hand, they give me an incredible buzz of anticipation for the next book, but it’s down-right frustrating to have to wait a whole year to find out what happens next. Sometimes that frustration spills over onto the author. It’s easy to picture the writer twirling their mustache and laughing evilly: “Mwahaha, now they’ll have to buy book two.”

Not only do I lack a mustache, but I swear there was no evil plot. When I wrote Gate to Kandrith, I didn’t intend to write a cliffhanger. I didn’t even set out to write a two-book series. It just happened that way.

How? At the end of book one, the day is saved when Sara sacrifices her soul. It was the only way to defeat the powerful God of Malice, the perfect answer to the riddle, but it made for a very bitter victory.

I tried to give Gate to Kandrith a happy ending. In the first draft, Lance tricked one of the bad guys into giving Sara his soul, curing her. They professed their love, the end. Unfortunately, there were some problems with this solution. Number one, (as pointed out by my husband/beta reader), the soul Sara got from the bad guy ought to have been evil. Number two, the book ended with a long, boring, anti-climactic section dealing with Sara’s loss of soul. Number three, and most importantly, the ending felt too easy. Sara made a huge sacrifice and to simply be given another soul with no effort felt wrong, as if I had tarnished her victory.

And so I was forced to go with Plan B, the cliffhanger ending. Sara and Lance do get their Happily Ever After in book two, Soul of Kandrith, but only after they truly earn it.

How do you feel about cliffhangers? If book two is available are you more willing to give them a chance?

Nicole Luiken wrote her first book at age 13 and never looked back.  She writes both YA and adult fantasy.  Her website is www.nicoleluiken.com  It is impossible for her to go more than three days in a row without writing.  She lives in Edmonton with her husband and three children. Find her on Facebook

 

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Posted in Carina Press | 3 Comments »

She’s my song, my woman, my everything

Inez_Kelley | February 12th, 2013

When I began writing TIME DANCER, I had a very specific vibe that I wanted for the hero. Darach is fearsome and brave but new to the world around him. So many things are strange to him, from the physical body he now has to the language he must speak. What is familiar is his nature, his magical sense of who he was at his core. He’s designed to be a tracker, a guide. His power comes from the Earth and he has great respect for the land, many times more than he has for people.

This led me to research many Native American myths and stories. But the Land of Eldwyn is a fantasy place with a medieval flavor. How would a Native American inspired character fit into such a world? In some ways, perfectly and in others, not at all.  Which for my purposes was perfect.

The physical parts were easy. He is rugged, rock-hard and stone-solid. Like all of the spells called to Eldwyn, he is beauty personified, this time in a masculine package. His hair is long and his animal-instinct strong. Dressed in a male-version of simple silk, he also carries deadly claws and immense magic.

But unlike any other spell I’ve written about, Darach is homesick. He misses his realm and clings to its memory. Many times, he tries to describe it to Jana, his charge and his love, but there aren’t words to do it justice.

The words intrigued me. I used several Native American languages to craft Darach’s native tongue. Zapotec, Mohican, Navajo and several others. The lyrical yet sharp syllables fit my image of Darach, raw beauty wrapped in harsh lines and muscle.

So how did that translate into the story? For one, he calls Jana his nayeli. Nayeli(Nay-el-ee) is a Zapotec phrase whose translation loosely means ‘I love you’. Darach uses it in another way, with a different stated meaning, but every time he says it, I believe he is telling Jana he loves her.

And if there is any doubt, I think this half-translated passages proves it:

 

A pleading rhythm filled him, half his language, half hers. “Please…kimta…I need her…Wazanna…Oka‘itiumu, oka ehnita, oka muurícha… She’s my sun, my moon, my water…oka ‘atupáma… She’s my smile…Oka chol, oka no’ol, oka nayeli… She’s my song, my woman, my everything… Please…kimta…Konoronkhwua… I love her.”

TIME DANCER

Everyone has a duty in the royal castle—everyone except Jana Haruk. Despite her promising magical bloodline, her gift is weak. As a Reminiscent Seer, she knows only what happened in the past, not what will happen in the future. When the crown prince’s life is threatened, Jana vows to do everything she can to help him—including asking the queen, a powerful sorceress, to lend her some magic.

The queen summons Darach, a spell in human form. The arrogant and mysterious man soon discovers there’s more to Jana than meets the eye: she’s a time dancer, someone with the ability to move backward through time in her dreams. With Darach as her anchor, Jana can explore the past and try to figure out who is behind the attacks on the prince.

Despite her attraction to him, Jana knows little about the handsome warrior. The past is tying them closer to each other with every trip, but Darach is bound to return to his homeland when his mission is complete…and their time together is running out.

Book three of the Eldwyn Chronicles(a stand-alone novel) You can read more of the Land of Eldwyn in Myla by Moonlight and Salome at Sunrise. All stories are separate and stand-alone.

Inez Kelley is a multi-published author of various romance genres. You can visit her at her website http://inezkelley.com/  Follow Inez on twitter at @Inez_Kelley or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/inez.kelley

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Not out to rule the world

Eleri_Stone | January 23rd, 2013

I grew up reading fantasy and have always been particularly drawn to stories that involve magic. Give me a wizard, mage, or sorcerer and I’m pretty happy. Often these books are about conquest where the magic shown is used almost exclusively in warfare. As a writer, I’ve always wanted to explore magic in a fantasy world that was relatively stable.

That was the seed of inspiration for Threads of Desire. In Saria, the borders of the empire are well-established. The Sarians engage in healthy trade with their neighbors. Power within the empire is balanced between the wealthy aristos, the emperor who controls the standing army and the Guild mages.

The practice of dark magic, any aimed at hurting another person, was outlawed centuries ago. The magically gifted of Saria aren’t vying for world domination. They’re rounded up when they’re young and trained by the Guild in a craft—sculpture, painting, architecture, metalwork, glasswork. The power of the Guild comes not from their ability to inflict mass destruction, but from their ability to create unique and magnificent works of art.

The heroine in Threads of Desire is a master weaver who, because of a falling out with the first mage, wants nothing to do with the Guild. Outside of the Guild’s protection, she’s been living on the streets, trying to earn enough money to leave the capital city. When she captures the interest of an aristo at the Southton market and is presented with the opportunity to start a new life, she grabs onto it with both hands.

Here’s the blurb:
Guild-trained weaver Ily is furious her rival Kal, a smug yet wickedly sexy rug merchant, outsells her at every turn. She knows her magically crafted rugs are far superior to anything he can produce, but can’t compete with his charming personality.

When Kal fixes his lusty attentions on Ily, she is reluctantly aroused by his interest. She knows he desires her and against her better judgment, she wants him too. A chance encounter leads her to make him a scandalous offer: her body in exchange for enough money to leave the city. She sees their time together as a temporary erotic adventure…until Kal reveals that what he truly wants from Ily is more personal–and more dangerous–than bed play. And she must choose between taking her chance at a new life or risking it all for a man she never meant to love.

For more information about Threads of Desire or to purchase the book from Carina Press, please click here.

So, what do you think? Is there room in fantasy for magic that’s more domestic than epic? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Eleri Stone was born and raised in New Jersey. She graduated from the University of Iowa, married her college sweetheart, and settled in the Midwest where she still lives with her husband and their three children. A lifelong fan of fantasy, she started reading romance as an adult and was instantly captivated by the strong female protagonists, character-driven storylines and guarantee of a happy-ever-after. You can visit her on her website, like her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.

 

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Posted in Carina Press | 6 Comments »

An Amazon by any other name

Sandy James | September 4th, 2012

One of the most enjoyable things I do when I start writing a novel is to choose names for my characters. I say “choose” although sometimes I have no choice—the characters name themselves despite the identities I try to give them. (I’m sure most authors understand what I mean. Our characters tend to develop lives of their own and take us down paths we never saw coming.)

In the case of my Alliance of the Amazon series, the names of my women warriors were given much more consideration than whether I liked the name. I decided to make their names truly mean something, and I wanted that “something” to be a part of that Amazon’s role.Cover

The heroine in book 1, The Reluctant Amazon, is Rebecca Massee. She’s the Earth Amazon, so I decided to find a name to truly fit her and her powers. One origin of “Rebecca” is the Hebrew culture, and the name means “to tie.” Earth has the power to send vines hurtling from the ground to tie up her enemies. In addition, the Rebecca who appears in the Bible was considered kind and beautiful, qualities I wanted for my Rebecca. Her last name—Massee—is a variation on “earth” or “land” in several different languages.

Her hero is Artair MacKay. Since Rhiannon is also known as the Lady of the Lake from the legend of King Arthur, I chose “Artair” as a Gaelic version of Arthur and also because it translates as “rock.” That gives him a tie to Earth.

(I chose the rest of the heroes names to be significant as well, but should I explain them now, I’d be giving away some of the twist and turns of the Alliance of the Amazons. So you’ll simply have to be patient to find out about these special men for my special ladies as their books release.)

Megan Feurer is the Fire Amazon. I chose “Megan” because it means “child of light” in Greek. What better name for a character whose essence is fire? Her surname is German for “fire.” You can read Megan’s story when The Impetuous Amazon releases on January 13th.

The Air Amazon is Gina Himmel. Gina comes from several cultures, most of the time referring to royalty or being well-born. At the time I wrote the first book in the series, I had plans for a twist in her book that involved her being a princess. Alas, I am a pantser—an author who writes by the seat of her pants. I might have plans for a book, but oftentimes the characters lead me down another path as Gina did when I wrote her story—The Brazen Amazon. “Himmel” translates as “the heavens.” A good fit since the sky is her domain. You can read Gina’s story in May of 2013.

I racked my brain for the proper name for my Indian Water Amazon. I turned to a former student (thanks, Deepika!) for some help in both naming Water and in developing her character. I wanted her to properly reflect her culture. After a few of my student’s suggestions, I settled on Sarita Neeraj. “Sarita” means “river,” which is perfect since Sarita’s patron goddess is Ganga (as in the Ganges River). “Neeraj” is a Hindi name that means “born in water.” What better name for a Water Amazon? Sarita’s book—The Volatile Amazon—will be the finale of the Alliance of the Amazons and will be published in September of 2013.

***

The Reluctant Amazon is on sale now!

The last thing Rebecca Massee expects on her wedding day is to go from jilted kindergarten teacher to Amazonian Earth warrior. But when she causes an earthquake after her groom says I don’t, she discovers that not only does she possess incredible powers, she is one of four lost chosen sisters who must fight to keep humanity safe from rogue gods and demons. Luckily she has help: ruggedly handsome Scottish warrior Artair MacKay, her protector and teacher.

An immortal, Artair has trained countless warriors for more than four hundred years. He understands Rebecca’s confusion at the new world she’s been thrust into and worries she is too emotionally vulnerable, but that doesn’t stop his growing feelings for the beautiful and fearless woman.

When an evil force threatens to destroy the Amazons, Rebecca must claim her full powers–but they come at a cost. Can she sacrifice the man she loves if it means saving the world?

Buy The Reluctant Amazon at:

Carina  Amazon  B&N

Sandy James lives in a quiet suburb of Indianapolis with her husband of thirty years. She’s a high school social studies teacher who especially loves psychology and United States history. Since she and her husband own a small stable of harness racehorses, they often spend time together at the two Indiana racetracks.

You can find Sandy on her website, on Facebook or on Twitter.

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Posted in Authors, Behind the Scenes, Books, Carina Press | 6 Comments »

Fantasy Writing for the Description Impaired

Nicole_Luiken | March 27th, 2012

I have a confession to make: I’m not good at description. At least not in my first drafts. The movie-in-my-head plays an extreme close-up of the main characters. I get caught up in the dialogue and often end up with two talking heads in a white room.

And yet, I love reading fantasy. I love learning new magic systems and being transported to enchanting new places. Who can forget the haunted ruined city of Shadar Logoth in Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time, or the monstrous wall of ice in George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones? Wouldn’t you love to vacation in Tolkien’s Shire?

When I started the second draft of Gate to Kandrith, I knew I had to add more description, but I found myself dragging my feet and, okay, whining about it. It had to be done, but it felt painful. Dull. Boring.

And if I, the writer, was bored, how was my poor reader going to feel?

Finally, I realized my setting felt tired because I’d read hundreds of novels with those same descriptions of grimy medieval taverns and giant golden gates. My solution? To really take advantage of writing about a fantasy world and devise settings that felt fresh and new. Instead of my heroine being chased down a clichéd alleyway, she’s pursued through a statuary mouth into the courtyard of the Temple of Malice, which oozes with black mud and is full of sharpened stakes to wound the unwary. Instead of being attacked on the road, Sara and Lance are standing on a stone slab in the middle of a waterfall when unfriendly Qiph tribesmen show up with swords. The Gate to Kandrith became a claustrophobic narrow gorge passing between two mountains. Even the inn they stayed at became a Temple of Jut, God of Travellers.

Sure, it was more work, but it was worth it.

What settings are you tired of? What fantasy novels have you read with great scenery?

Click here to buy Gate to Kandrith:

RT Book Reviews 4 1/2 stars: “Filled with plotlines that range from political to fantastical, the adventure is what truly keeps readers engrossed…”

Nicole Luiken wrote her first novel at age 13. She is the author of eight YA novels, this is her first adult fantasy. She is hard at work on the sequel to Gate to Kandrith.

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Posted in Authors, Books, Carina Press, Writing/Submissions Advice | 11 Comments »

Piping Hot Embarrassment Coming Right Up

Shirin Dubbin | October 4th, 2011

I have embarrassed myself in a slew of creative ways over my lifetime. This one time at band camp– Just kidding. Years ago I worked on a branding project for one of my restaurant clients. They had a contract with Whole Foods, <—apparently the nexus of my WTF stories, and they needed a name with packaging design for their sushi-to-go line.

My business partner and I did extensive research to find graphical elements for the labels along with a memorable, action oriented Japanese word for the name. What we neglected to do was consult a native Japanese speaker. (That sense of foreboding you’re feeling is well founded.) The word we came up with was three letters long, catchy and as far as we knew meant “to go.”

We put together a beautiful presentation but upon seeing it the wife of our client turned every shade of red possible, which progressed into purple before she covered her face. You see, the word we’d chosen (and subsequently plastered all over our proposed campaign) didn’t mean to go so much as to come…in a sexual manner.

Ahem. “Well, itadakimasu!” <—Japanese for “let’s eat” or “I happily receive.”

Color me horrified (which I’ve always believed was the color puce. Doesn’t puce sound horrific? BTW it’s the shade our client’s wife had turned, so there was mortification all around.) I’m not sure how we kept our client on board afterward.

Shakespeare’s quip about names wasn’t meant to apply to branding. Sushi by any other name wouldn’t sound as sweet.

In my latest Carina Press release my heroine, Ariana Golde, turns into a giant goof-bucket whenever she’s near the hero, Maks. It makes for some embarrassing although entertaining moments.

Check out Chaos Tryst if you’re looking for an escape filled with modern fantasy, humor and madcap romance.

—
NOTE: The moral to the story above is to always use a human translator. For Chaos Tryst I had the help of Joe Bearden. If Maks and his brothers don’t quite capture Russian flair it’s NOT because Joe didn’t do his best with me. He named the magical Roma, came up with the endearment vorovka, and was all around amazing. Thanks, Joe!

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Posted in Carina Press | 7 Comments »

D’em bones gonna rise again!

Inez_Kelley | May 24th, 2010

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Everyone has something that strikes a note of fear in them. Some people are afraid of spiders, others of sharks. Some people cannot look out a window above ground level, others refuse to open a closet door. Things from our childhood often shape what we fear. The monster under the bed still can make a 50-year-old man’s heart pound.

For me, somewhere, a single image must have been branded so deeply in my subconscious that I don’t recall it. I do now though. My twins are six and fascinated with the TV shows I grew up with: Andy Griffith, Scooby Doo, Happy Days and the Banana Splits. One day last week, I accidently hit my DVR button and an episode of Banana Splits popped up. The segment was Danger Island. I stopped and stared.

First, this live-action segment always seemed out of place and too frightening for children who had just watched cartoon versions of Arabian Knights and The Three Musketeers and watched costumed muppet characters named Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper and Snorky. The premise of Danger Island was a little dorky, there was the token girl, the token hot guy and the token monkey-chattering idiot who did all the dangerous stuff. The island was beautiful but treacherous. The villains were a tribe of native cannibalistic headhunters named the Skeleton Men.

*lightbulb*

The villains in SALOME AT SUNRISE are the Skullmen, a band of wrongly-freed murderers with some really nasty habits. Like Danger Island, my bad guys have painted skeletons on their skin (mine are tattoos actually). I have no conscious memory of ever being afraid of this show, barely have any memory of it at all, but there I sat, staring at the dumbed-down version of my villains.Image and video hosting by TinyPic

I guess it makes sense. Richard Donner directed it and went on to direct such classics as Superman, Goonies, and Lethal Weapon. He knew how to tap into those primal things in everyone, whether it is hope or fear. I almost felt ashamed but then realized, nope, not gonna happen. I created my bad guys in a way that I find horrifying and evil.

Still, I will give credit where credit is due, even if it was because of an unconscious influence. I tip my hat to Sid and Marty Krofft and Richard Donner for your vision of the Skeleton men. Yours are entertaining children to this day. Mine are more adult, slightly sexual and completely evil. My Skullmen would eat the Skeleton Men for lunch with a pickle…literally.

**reminder: Commenting on an author’s blog entry/entries for the day will enter you to win a digital copy of their Carina Press title. One winner daily. Commenting on any of the Countdown entries will enter you into the big giveaway for a Carina Press promo prize pack. One winner at end of Countdown.**

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Posted in Authors, Behind the Scenes, Books, Carina Press | 20 Comments »

I AM THE CHEESE!

Inez_Kelley | May 24th, 2010

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The cheese stands alone

The cheese stands alone

Hi-Ho, the derry-o

The cheese stands alone

Every schoolchild in America has sung those words but I can honestly say that I am the cheese. I stand alone. Or rather, SALOME AT SUNRISE does. Last year, I wrote and sold a fantasy romance titled Myla by Moonlight. Readers loved the world I created, the characters that lived there and asked for more. I resisted. I was not a series writer, had no intentions of becoming a series writer.

Ate those words with a fork, yes I did. Apparently Bryton, a secondary in that story, heard these requests and ‘lo and behold started whispering in my ear. “No,” I said. “No way. The story is finished.”

“Oh yeah?” he replied (because he is a smart ass who has to have the last word ALWAYS) “Then why did you leave that big open minefield waiting to explode?”

Say what? I went back to the story and damned if that little turd wasn’t right. Everything I needed for a second story was right there! Ground work, plot beginnings, set up, the whole kit and caboodle. Fine, so I wrote his story, Salome’s story. But I wanted to be very sure that ANYONE who read it didn’t feel cheated or lost if they hadn’t read the first story.

Salome at Sunrise is a completely stand alone book. It doesn’t need to stand on the shoulders of a previous story. The world is completely contained in that one book. I even made sure I closed it out with no hidden landmines, no dangling threads. This was it.

I am not a series writer.

I am the CHEESE!Image and video hosting by TinyPic

I stand alone!

I mean, Salome at Sunrise does.

And uhm *looks around sheepishly* I may or may not be writing the third book now. But that is it, I swear! A trilogy is not a series. I am NOT a series writer.

*hanging my head* I am sooooooo screwed.

~~~~

Bryton Haruk sets out on a suicide mission to stop the bloodthirsty Skullmen from terrorizing the war-weary Land of Eldwyn. Consumed by guilt over the death of his wife, Bryton seeks revenge and reunion in the afterlife with his lost love. His purpose is determined, his bravery unmatched, until the queen casts a spell to save Bryton from himself.

Salome is that spell. A bird-shifter, she can harness the earth’s breeze and take the form of a beautiful, innocent woman. Her challenge is to harness Bryton’s pain and guide him to peace. She entrances and irritates him, tempting Bryton from his mission. Even as he gives in to the passion between them, Bryton insists on mounting a solo attack on the brigands’ compound, and Salome fears her love won’t be enough to save him…

**reminder: Commenting on an author’s blog entry/entries for the day will enter you to win a digital copy of their Carina Press title. One winner daily. Commenting on any of the Countdown entries will enter you into the big giveaway for a Carina Press promo prize pack. One winner at end of Countdown.**

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Posted in Authors, Books, Carina Press | 16 Comments »

It’s not nice to piss-off Mother Nature

Inez_Kelley | May 24th, 2010

The weather is one thing humans have longed to control since the dawn of time and guess what? No dice. We just can’t do it. We can send a man to the moon, switch vital human organs and invent the World Wide Web but Mother Nature? No way. She is her own boss.

I love what other people call bad weather. I love the electric fizzle in the air before a storm, the thunder that echoes deep in your chest, the crackle of lightning that raises the hair on your nape. I love it all. From the icy needle sting of a blizzard to the heavy weight of the furious wind, nature loves to remind us poor humans that no matter how advanced we get, she still has the final word.

In Salome at Sunrise, Bryton is used to being in charge. He is the right hand of King Taric, his bodyguard and the Land of Eldwyn’s military’s leader. The buck stops with him, if you will. His official title is High Captain, The Might and The Law. He’s killed more than he can count and delivers justice for the entire kingdom. One does not say ‘no’ to an order Bryton has given.

One little bird is going to mess up his entire plan… and rock his world. After all, it’s not nice to piss off Mother Nature.

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Excerpt- Salome at Sunrise

“And I am bound to you.”

“She had to obey him even when she didn’t want to. Does this mean you have to obey me?” The idea held innumerable possibilities and each one appealed in wicked ways that tickled the jokester in him. Buried deep, another part of him responded to more sensual possibilities.

A pink tongue flicked out to her upper lip. “Not quite. They must have been blood bound, we are not. We are honor bound.”

A snort burst from him. “Figures. You’d be too easy to get rid of any other way. So, I’m stuck with a peacemaker-falcon-owl-windsinging magic spell who plays with snakes. Wonderful.”

Her giggle surprised him and he looked at her quickly. Happiness sparkled in her smoky eyes and a dimple twitched with the laugh. “I am not only a falcon or an owl. I chose those for their talents but could be a hummingbird or a pheasant.”

She linked her arm through his, casually, as any woman might do to a man she walks with, but her touch scorched him. His shoulders stiffened as he fought not to pull away. A long time ago, he’d had any number of women slide their arms into his. Then he’d claimed one and one alone. The familiar and strange sensation rattled him.

“So anything with feathers…like a duster or pillow stuffing.”

Her arm slipped from his and her eyes narrowed, shifting from stormy gray to stony granite. “Or a buzzard to pluck the flesh from your bones.”

A grin tugged at his mouth and he wasn’t strong enough to fight it. “You have a temper.”

“I do not.” Her sharp little chin thrust into the air and she stepped ahead of him.

“Yes, you do.” Devilment stirred in his belly. How long had it been since he felt this niggling urge to tease? A battle he could win rose before him and he grasped it. He was a born smart-ass. “If I make you angry enough, will you molt and drop feathers like snow?”

Salome slammed to a stop and whirled, small fists knotted at her sides and thinned brows pinched tight together. “You’re being mean.”

“Oh, now I’ve done it. You’re shortening your words.” He shuddered exaggeratedly. “I’m scared. The big bad bird lady is mad at me.”

“Stop that!”

“Careful, birdie, I wouldn’t want your mood to get any more fowl than it is.” Dust puffed as she stamped her tiny foot in indignation. Bryton cocked his hip and crossed his arms. This was fun. “If I really piss you off, will you crow like a rooster?”

Her jaw dropped then firmed. She stooped to grab a rock and hurled it at him. Only jerking his arm up prevented it from crashing into his face. He laughed. “If you get mad enough, will you lay an egg?”

Salome’s eyes flashed molten silver, her hands jammed straight out and a gust of lilac wind slapped into him. Not a brisk breeze or a dim draft, this wind was a furious funnel that lifted him from his feet and threw him through the air. His back crashed into the hard dirt, knocking the breath from his lungs and spinning stars into his vision. He lay there and let his body thump for one long second before groaning.

“You are one hell of a peacemaker, Salome.”

~~~~~~~

Mother Nature is coming, mark your calendars! SALOME AT SUNRISE – coming June 21st from Carina Press

Check out this awesome panoramic book trailer!

**reminder: Commenting on an author’s blog entry/entries for the day will enter you to win a digital copy of their Carina Press title. One winner daily. Commenting on any of the Countdown entries will enter you into the big giveaway for a Carina Press promo prize pack. One winner at end of Countdown.**

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Posted in Authors, Books, Carina Press, Countdown, Excerpt | 19 Comments »