Evensong by Krista Walsh

Back in January, one of my good writer friends, Krista Walsh, released Evensong, the first book in her fantasy trilogy.  I had the pleasure of beta reading this beauty sometime last year, and thoroughly enjoyed the story!  Reading about an author was a very cool experience and I felt like I had a lot in common with the MC.  Haha!  Although ... you don't have to be a writer to enjoy this one. Now, as some of you know, I'm a huge fan of music.  I NEEEEEEED music to write.  In fact, if I don't have the right playlist prepared prior to starting a new book, I often find that I cannot connect to the characters.  So music is very important to me.  And I happen to know Krista is a fan of music as well (we often recommend songs back and forth ... in fact, one of her songs listed below is a favorite of mine) so I asked her to offer up her playlist for Evensong.

Before we get to that though, here's some info about Evensong!  Grab this one while it's only 99 cents!

Blurb:

Author Jeff Powell wakes up to find the impossible has happened. He is within his own novel—summoned into the fictional world of Feldall’s Keep by a spell he didn't write. One the House enchantress hasn't figured out how to reverse.

When the villain he's been struggling to write reveals himself, unleashing waves of terror and chaos, Jeff must use more than his imagination to save the characters he created—and the woman he loves.

Trapped within a world of his own creation, he must step outside the bounds of his narrative to help his characters defeat an evil no one anticipated, even if he must sacrifice his greatest gift. In the end, he has to ask: are novels really fiction, or windows into other worlds?

Grab a copy!

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Now on to the playlist!!

Evensong Musical Inspiration

When Keri asked me to offer my top 10 musical inspiration for Evensong I thought it would be easy! I always create a list of songs to listen to while I write. Trouble is, I wrote the first draft of Evensong for NaNoWriMo 2012, so I had to wrack my brain trying to go back in time.

Like my lovely host, a soundtrack is necessary for my writing process. All day I get distracted by the real world: my morning routine, remembering to take out the garbage, remembering to go to work, work, figuring out what to make for dinner … after all of that, it’s difficult to get grounded in the fictional world again. Music helps drown out everything except the words, the characters, the setting.

There’s pretty much no genre of music I don’t enjoy or derive some kind of inspiration, but with the Meratis series, I found myself leaning heavily on Of Monsters and Men. The tone, the lyrics, the whole feel of their album My Head is an Animal fit so well with Jeff’s situation that the two are permanently associated in my mind.

Each book has an OM&M song attached for it. Because I had to pick only one for Evensong, I opted for “From Finner”

Other songs that come to mind:

Artificial Nocturne – Metric

Stadium Love – Metric (went on a bit of a kick last year)

Angel – Massive Attack

Lux Aeterna – Clint Mansell (because I don’t believe anything I can write can ever NOT be inspired by this song)

If There’s a Rocket Tie Me To It – Snow Patrol

Little Lion Man – Mumford & Sons

Pompeii – ES Posthumus (really, this whole album is fantastic to work to. Can’t praise it enough)

Teardrop – Jose Gonzalez

Stubborn Love – The Lumineers

About the Author

Known for witty, vivid characters, Krista Walsh never has more fun than getting them into trouble and taking her time getting them out. After publishing a few short stories and novellas in various anthologies, she has now released her own anthology, the serial collection Greylands.

When not writing, or working at her day job, she can be found reading, gaming, or watching a film – anything to get lost in a good story.

She currently lives in Ottawa, Ontario.

For first grab at Evensong sale price, other promotions, news & announcements, you can sign up for her Newsletter

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At the local Second Cup coffee shop … but only if you come bearing a White Mocha

COVER REVEAL: Emergence by K.L. Schwengel

Happy Monday!  Today I have a treat!  A writer bud of mine will soon be releasing the second book in her Darkness & Light series and today is the cover reveal!  I had the pleasure of beta reading this beauty and I can tell you, if you're a fan of fantasy, you'll want to nab this one.  The writing is superb, with well-developed characters that you can't help but fall in love with.  *sigh* Bolin .... So, without further delay, here is the cover for EMERGENCE, book two in the Darkness & Light series by K.L. Schwengel:

BLURB:

The battle for Ciara's power has drawn the full attention of the Emperor and the Imperial Mages, forcing Bolin to put duty above safety and take her to Nisair. It won't be an easy trip, even with an Imperial escort and a Galysian elder accompanying them. Especially since Donovan has found himself some new allies, one of who wields a dark magic that has literally gotten under Bolin's skin.

For Ciara, coming to terms with the increasingly tangible manifestation of her power could destroy her. Even if they make it to Nisair--something that grows more unlikely by the day--there is no surety of safety for Ciara, or any of them. Not with Donovan willing to gamble everything to achieve his goals, or Bolin's uncharacteristically reckless behavior, the result of which is the attention of something that has everyone worried.

Loyalties will be tested, lives will be lost, and no one will emerge unchanged as they find things are not always so clear on the line dividing Darkness and Light.

About the Author:

K. L. Schwengel lives in southeast Wisconsin on a small farm with her husband, a handful of Australian Shepherds, Her Royal Highness Princess Fiona the Cat, and assorted livestock. Growing up as the youngest of nine children, and the daughter of a librarian, Kathi spent many hours between stacks of books, and secluded away in dusty archives, drawn to tales of medieval heroes and conquering knights. With so many characters and ideas spinning in her head, she had to get them onto paper or risk what little sanity she possessed. She has been penning wild tales of magic and mayhem as long as she can remember, but opted to follow her artistic muse first. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts and spending many years working as a freelance artist, grocery clerk, art teacher, graphic designer, stable hand, advertising account coordinator, dog trainer, and process technician (among other things) she answered the call of her writing muse. When not writing, Kathi trains and trials working Australian Shepherds, still paints, dabbles in photography, graphic design, and anything else creative her assorted muses send her way.

Kathi's work is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and other on-line retailers in both paperback and e-book versions. Signed copies are available via her blog.

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Blog Tour: Eye of the Soul by Terri Rochenski

Happy Humpday! To celebrate the mid-week marker, I have the absolute pleasure of introducing one of my writer buds, Terri Rochenski, whose fantasy series, Pool of Souls, just kicked off this past Monday with the release of Eye of the Soul!

Congrats Terri! 

This baby is next up on my Kindle.  Over the last couple of months, I managed to catch little snippets here and there, and I am hooked ... hooked, I tell you!  So I'm very much looking forward to grabbing something warm to drink, curling up in a blanket and immersing myself in this world.

Now on to the deets so you can do the same!  AND BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE AWESOME GIVEAWAY!

Series:  Pool of Souls #1

Genre:  Fantasy

Publisher:  J. Taylor Publishing

Release Date:  October 7, 2013

ADD IT TO YOUR GOODREADS SHELF!

Book Blurb:

Escape. 

That should be Hyla’s first thought as her people are chained and imprisoned for no imaginable reason. 

Instead, Hyla finds herself traveling through a land void of Natives, with human soldiers pillaging in desperate pursuit of her, and in search of the mystical Pool of Souls—home to the one man who can save her people. 

Or so she believes. 

Led by her faith in the deity Fadir, Hyla is met along her journey by Jadon—a human male and fierce King’s warrior, and his childhood best friend Conlin—one of the few Natives aware of his Fadir-given Talents. 

Protected by Jadon, guided by Conlin, and with an unfailing belief in the purpose of her pilgrimage, Hyla carries on. 

Like her, though, another searches for the Pool, and should he gain access first, everyone she loves, and everything she knows, could be lost. 

Forever.

CHARACTER GUEST POST

While the world may not be massive in size, the one I live in is quite small and sheltered. Born a Native-blooded Derlunder, my 18^th birth passings have been spent upon the island of Taran, just off Derlund’s southeastern shore.

The only times humans visit our secluded land is when they’re sick or dying and in need of our gifted healers. Yes, they have simplers and healers of their own kind, but my people have a special understanding of herbs and how they can heal. I’ve been an apprentice for my last three birth passings learning from many of our elders, but mostly from our sect leader and my guardian, Soroca.

She has never been especially fond of me, but not knowing who my mother was or where she had hailed from before arriving on Taran to deliver me, I have no other place to go.

A handful of Natives still live upon the mainland among the humans, but I cannot fathom why they would choose to do so. The three times I’ve been ashore to collect wild herbs and roots from the Wolverwood, I have been met with nothing but prejudice and wary glances. We aren’t so very different. Shorter than humans, yes, but unless one notices the green hues of our eyes and our slightly pointed ears we could easily pass for their kind.

Our hearts beat the same. Our minds work as theirs do. The medicines which heal their bodies does the same for us.

So why are we disliked—distrusted by most?

If anything, the humans should be thankful we allowed them to live among us when volcanic eruptions and earthquakes tore their lands apart before the first age. We welcomed them with open arms, fed and clothed them, and healed the illness which threatened to wipe their race from our world.

The histories speak of many such things, but one issue never addressed is how the fertility of our people began to diminish with every human bloodline introduced into ours. No full-blooded Native remains, only a few score of beings still carry the blood which causes our appearances to be different. Of those few, none have conceived in over eight birth passings.

It seems our people will soon be gone from Derlund’s shores just as our Talents of old have disappeared. Well, almost disappeared. For some reason, I retain what has been lost. A curse of my forefathers, a secret one that I loathe. An involuntary one that keeps me even more secluded from those I dwell among.

I see within the eyes of souls.

EXCERPT:

Cursing her arthritic fingers, Miri squeezed out a rag and draped it over the human man’s hot forehead.

“I’ve seen a lot more harvests than you, old goat,” she muttered, lifting his eyelids. “I’m thinking you’ll never catch up either. Doubt you last another half-moon’s phase.”

Miri pushed to her feet and stretched her hunched back. A heavy sigh slipped past her wrinkled lips as she glanced around the sick house. Keeping the night watch wasn’t too bad—she’d volunteered often since her old bones wouldn’t allow much sleep.

“Joints wasted, hearing all but gone …” Miri yanked on the long white braid lying over her shoulder. “I’m the old goat.”

She shuffled down the aisle, woolen kirtle swishing in the silence. A cool, autumn breeze rustled the crimson leaves of the magnolia and palm fronds overhead, drawing her gaze upward. Violet streaks lit the pre-dawn sky.A dog barked, yipped, and fell silent.

Miri peered across the village green to the thatched buildings beyond. A shadow passed between two cottages. Another three hurried toward the neighboring dwelling.

“Sight fading or my mind, too?” Miri rubbed her watery eyes, blinked, and leaned forward. Light flickered through the palm trees behind the outlying homes.

Torches?

The flames drew closer, weaving between the trunks.

Humans from the mainland? Miri’s hand clutched at her throat. Soldiers. Fadir have mercy.

The men crept through the village, taking up positions at every doorway. Two brutes, more horse-like in size than human, approached the sick house.

Sputtering torch held high, the first strode forward, dark eyes intent upon Miri. A green surcoat covered broad shoulders and fell to his thighs. The golden wheat sheaf of the city of Varosh adorned his chest.

Cold sweat beaded upon Miri’s brow. Breath burst from her lungs, and she moved back, clutching the door jam.

The second soldier stepped closer, chains and shackles clanking in his hand. He stopped two paces away from Miri, and a smile stretched his stubbled cheeks, revealing rotted teeth. “Good morning pointy-ears.”

Miri stared, heartbeat thundering in her ears. She’d been called worse in her eighty-three birth passings but never with such malice.

A single cry rang out across the village, and doors crashed inward. Screams rent the air.

“Don’t fight Native woman,” rotten-teeth sneered, shackles outstretched.

“W-why?” Miri whispered, taking a step backward.

A scowl narrowed his gaze, and his fist shot forward.

Bursts of light and pain exploded through Miri as she crumpled to the floor.

#

Miri’s people huddled on the village green as fall’s pale sun crested the trees. Cold metal had been clasped around their necks and ankles. Many trembled in the cool air, little more than night clothes covering their nakedness. Miri held to her braid with a white-knuckled grip, her head and its egg-sized bump throbbing in time with her pulse.

A handful of other battered Natives who had attempted flight were the last to join them, the soldiers tossing them forward like sacks of potatoes.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR ...

Terri started writing stories in the 8th grade, when a little gnome whispered in her brain. Gundi’s Great Adventure never hit the best seller list, but it started a long love affair with the fantasy genre.

Today she enjoys an escape to Middle Earth during the rare ‘me’ moments her two young daughters allow. When not potty training or kissing boo-boos, she can be found on her back patio in the boondocks of New Hampshire, book or pencil in hand

Social Links:

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AND NOW ... IT'S GIVEAWAY TIME!!

TWO winners will be chosen to win a signed paperback, notebook, pen and signed bookmark!!  All you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter form below:

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Be sure to follow Terri's blog tour for fun posts and information about the book!

First of Her Kind by K.L. Schwengel

Happy Monday morning!  *inserts coffee IV*  Today it's my pleasure to introduce my co-author for the Witch Hunt: Of the Blood Anthology, K.L. Schwengel!  She just released First of Her Kind, book one of Darkness and Light. Having collaborated with her, I can tell you she is one talented wordsmith.  I love her writing and this novel has already won top spot on my TBR list! She's here today to talk about why she does what she does.  But before I get to her guest post, let's take a look at the cover and blurb for First of Her Kind:

It seems everyone wants to dictate what Ciara does with her life:  Serve the Goddess, destroy the Goddess, do as you promised your aunt -- all Ciara really wants is to keep the two magics she possesses from ripping her apart.

And that's not going to be easy.

Not only is her earth magic in complete opposition to her other power, blood ties pull her in divergent directions as well.  And then there's Bolin, the man sworn to protect her.  There's no denying the growing attraction between them, but is it Ciara he wants, or her power?

None of which will matter if Ciara can't overcome her fear and learn how to use her gifts.  No one knows the depths of the ancient power she possesses, or what will happen if it manages to escape her control.  Will she lose herself entirely?  Or be forever caught between darkness and light?

Guest Post

Why Do I Do What I Do?

One question a lot of creative types get is, "Why do you _________." Fill in the blank with paint, draw, dance, act, write . . . or anything that is a passion.

In terms of writing, my quick answer has always been, "For the same reason I breathe." It sounds rather flippant and so very grandiose, but it hits pretty close to the truth. Obviously if I stop breathing there's going to be a mad scramble to find a suitable boat and some flaming arrows for my Viking Funeral

and some of you will be getting three days funeral leave.

If I stop writing – and, for the record, I did try once – the only Viking funeral will be for that bit of my psyche that needs to put words down on paper, regardless of whether or not anyone will ever read them. I have always had muses pestering me. Always felt that drive, the need, the desire to create the images in my head. They've manifested themselves in drawing, painting, photography, and writing. Way too many muses for one person but, well, who am I to argue.

It's something I can't not do.

Which takes us back to that line above where I admit I did try to stop. Why? Partly, life interfered. Partly, self-doubt. That pesky, niggling, black-hearted little beast that likes to sit on our shoulders and tell us we suck and shouldn't be wasting our time on such a fruitless pursuit. But even during that period, my muses would not back off. I have file folders full of handwritten notes, scenes, character descriptions, and other assorted snippets that I had to get out of my head.

Yes, we writers have whole worlds buzzing around in our heads. The need to get them out of there is what drives us to spend hours in seclusion, neglecting our friends and families for sake of our sanity.

Stop laughing. I am too, sane. Well, sort of.

And no, writing is not easy. Not for this author, anyhow. Stories don't come to me fully formed. Often they come as a single character in a situation, or the vague hint of an idea that flitters by like a will-o-wisp on the wind. My current book First of Her Kind  came to me in the line, "There was nothing for it, in another turn of the glass, Meriol would be dead." Yeah. Thanks, muse. You want me to do what with that? Let's not forget how characters take on lives of their own. They fight the direction I want them to go. They argue. They do things I didn't expect. Sometimes they abandon me and I sit, staring at the page feeling lost and unsure. Sometimes, as in my current WIP, a minor character demands more of a role. Yep, goes out, gets himself some big shot musely agent, next thing I know he's got more page time and his own point of view!

Of course, I have a way of dealing with those types. Mwahahahahahaaha!

*ahem*

So, there you have it. I write because I have to. Plain and simple. And heck, it's sometimes even fun. When that scene finally comes together, when a reader tells you how much they enjoyed your book – yeah, take that self-doubt.

Author Bio

K. L. Schwengel lives in southeast Wisconsin on a small farm with her husband, more than a handful of Australian Shepherds, Her Royal Highness Princess Fiona (the cat) and assorted livestock. Growing up as the youngest daughter of a librarian, she spent more time between stacks of books and secluded away in the dusty archives than was even remotely normal. With so many characters and ideas spinning in her head, she had to get them out onto paper or risk what little sanity she possessed. (Try being the youngest of nine children and see how sane you stay.) When not sitting in front of a keyboard, or scribbling furiously in a notebook, K. L. spends her time training and trialing her dogs, finding ways to avoid housework by doing anything else, spending quality time with friends and family, and sorting out arguments between various creative muses. Though she has published a few poems and non-fiction articles, her real passion is fantasy and urban fantasy.

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Born of Hatred by Steve McHugh

Have you met Nathan Garrett? Well, let me tell you, you're missing out!  I had the pleasure of reading the first book in the Hellequin Chronicles, titled Crimes Against Magic, and author Steve McHugh is back with the sequel to his best-selling novel!

There was a time when Nathan Garrett was feared. When the mention of his name was enough to stop his enemies in their tracks. That time has long since passed.

When Nathan’s friend asks for help investigating a pattern of horrific crimes, he reluctantly agrees. But his investigation leads to a serial killer who is something more, or less, than human, a creature of pure malevolence and hatred.

There are some things that even a 1600-year-old sorcerer hesitates to challenge. But when evil targets those Nathan cares about, his enemies will discover exactly who Nathan used to be. And why they will learn to fear him once more.

Born of Hatred is an action-packed, Urban Fantasy set in modern-day England with historical flashbacks to late nineteenth century Montana. It’s the second book of the Hellequin Chronicles, following the widely praised Crimes Against Magic, which introduced sorcerer Nathan Garrett.

You can pick up a copy of Born of Hatred on Amazon and Amazon UK.

Steve McHugh is the author of the popular Urban Fantasy series, Hellequin Chronicles. The first book of which, Crimes Against Magic, was published in April 2012 and followed by the sequel, Born of Hatred in December 2012.

To learn more about Steve and his work, you can find him lurking around Twitter and Facebook.