Category Archives: fantasy

announcement, fantasy, Guest Post, novel, offers, stories

A visit from author D.H.Nevins

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This week I am hosting D.H. Nevnes all week, and so Tuesday’s epistode of Davrael and Kimi’s story will appear later in the month.

For those of you who have been waiting for it, I apologise.

 

Cover Reveal Blog Posts—Angel of Shadow by D.H. Nevins
Welcome to the Cover Reveal event for D.H. Nevins’ upcoming release, Angel of Shadow. I’m so excited to be one of the exclusive host blogs for this reveal and giveaway. Here’s why:
First of all, the book cover is STUNNING. You’ll have to trust us on this for now… you’ll know what I mean when you see it!
Secondly, did I mention there’s a giveaway?!?

You can get a copy of the first book in the series, Wormwood, for free right now. I suggest you grab one! Here’s the link: http://amzn.to/2hOcWbq
Each host blog has its own tidbit of unique information, which changes every day. My fun facts will be posted just under the cover fragment, along with the links to the other host blogs. Everyone has a different fact, and each day, ONE of these facts includes a chance to instantly win an ebook Advance Reader Copy (eARC) of Angel of Shadow. Remember to check them out!
Angel of Shadow’s Blurb:
D.H. Nevins hurtles you into a world of half-angels, demons and tormented love in this driving, dystopian sequel to Wormwood.

Half-angels, known as Nephilim, have all but destroyed the surface of the Earth. Yet for Kali Michaels, her life is now much more complicated than simply surviving. Grappling with her own powerful identity, she worries her connection to the world of Shadows could destroy those around her.
And what if she hurts Tiamat Wormwood, the Nephilim outcast who has given everything to save her? Tiamat and Kali know they have no future—not when outside forces and Kali’s own power push both the humans and the Nephilim to the brink of extinction.
As she fights to stop the inevitable, she is led to question who her real enemies are, and whether the ultimate threat may actually be herself.
The Cover Fragment:

Monday

Fun Fact:
The first book in the series, Wormwood, has had two different covers. The first edition had a cover which really didn’t resonate with readers, but because I like the look of old etchings, I didn’t realize this and kept it on there for years. Today, one of the other blogs has more background on this first cover, as well as a picture of it. Check it out! 
Anyway, one day, a highly sought-after cover artist (waiting list, only) picked up a copy of Wormwood and read it. He loved the story so much, he contacted me to tell me that he spontaneously created 3 separate covers for it. For free. Wormwood’s current cover is one of his creations. I use the other two images he created for promotional purposes (such as the close-up of a girl’s face with feathers covering her mouth). Isn’t that awesome? ~D.H.

finalA
Remember to have a peek at some other unique facts about the cover, the series, D.H. or her writing process at these blogs. I bet you’re curious, right?
Bookworm Brandee: https://bookwormbrandee.blogspot.com/
FUONLYKNEW: http://fuonlyknew.com/
*Electively Paige: http://electivelypaige.com/
Book Hooked Nook: https://bookhookednook.wordpress.com/
The Perfect Honeybee: https://theperfecthoneybee.wordpress.com/
*Dragons Rule OK: https://aspholessaria.wordpress.com/
*Carlyle Labuschagne: http://www.carlylelabuschagne.com/

And don’t forget about the giveaway!!! D.H. Nevins will be giving away:
– 2 prizes of a physical copy of Wormwood combined with an Angel of Shadow eARC (Advance Reader Copy), as well as- another 10 Angel of Shadow eARCs. Enter the giveaway here! http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/55157da22/
Thanks for stopping by! Full reveal will be this Saturday, but don’t forget there will be a brand new cover fragment and a new fun fact tomorrow. See you soon!

announcement, fantasy, novel, offers

More Thrilling News.

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newcoverwolfpacksmall

Starting tomorrow, November 29th and continuing until 5th December, you can get The Wolf Pack, Book 1 of The Wolves of Vimar series for only $0.99 or £0.99;
Don’t miss out on this exciting offer.

The Wolf Pack

To end his apprenticeship and be admitted to the ranks of the mages is all Carthinal wants, so he is excited to travel from Bluehaven to Hambara, where the tests will take place. He did not expect to end up travelling far beyond Hambara on a quest to find the long lost sword of the legendary King Sauvern.

Along with three strangers he met on his journey, the beautiful but headstrong elven cleric, Asphodel, Fero, a dark foreigner from lands far to the south, and a fearless dwarf, Basalt, Carthinal reluctantly sets out on this seemingly impossible quest.

Followed by Randa, the snooty aristocratic daughter of the Duke of Hambara and a very young runaway thief, known as Thad, Carthinal has to decide whether to send them back or allow them to continue on this dangerous quest. There will certainly be fireworks as Randa will try to take over the leadership of the group.

Faced with wolf attacks and near death in the mountains, Carthinal and his friends have to accept help from the least likely sources and face their innermost fears.

But this is more than a simple adventure. The fate of a nation hangs in the balance.

 

fantasy, Guest Post, interview, Uncategorized

An interview with Kado from Renee Scattergood’s Shadow Stalker books

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Renee Scattergood, the author of the Shadow Stalker books, has agreed to interview one of her characters, Kado, the guardian of Auren.

Welcome, Renee and Kado.

 

 

 

Hello Kado! I want to thank you for joining us all the way from the Dark Isle today. I know it’s just a leap through the shadow world for you, but we’re so glad to have you here.

Kado: I’m honored to be here. Although, I should add that we do not leap through the shadow world. We move through it or more to the point it moves around us. It’s called a shift.

That’s good to know. Leaping through the world of spirits is probably not the best idea. So, the first thing I’m sure everyone is wondering is, were you born on the Dark Isle?

Kado: I was.

What was it like?

Kado: Life on the Dark Isle is difficult. It’s a dangerous place to live with all the venomous plants. The villages are kept safe enough, but outside the villages it is quite treacherous if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Also, there’s life as a shadow stalker which is equally difficult.

How so?

Kado: Training starts pretty much when we are old enough to walk and talk. Learning to shift into the shadow world is scary when you’re young. It’s also risky when learning to deal with the demons that protect the borders of the shadow world. They recognize fear as aggression, so you can see how that might make things tricky at first.

Yes, very much so. Is it true that shadow stalker children live with a foster family who trains and raises them from the time they are born?

Kado: Yes.

Why is that?

Kado: Well, as I mentioned, the training is difficult and often dangerous. Parents form a bond with their children that makes them want to shelter and protect their children from danger. Over time, we learned it’s more effective and less stressful on the parents to let someone else take that responsibility.

That makes sense. So, you didn’t know your real family growing up?

Kado: Oh no. Shadow stalkers value family. We maintain close ties with our families while we are growing up. Most often children remain in the same village as their parents. In some cases, when they are raised in other villages, they visit with their parents several times a year.

So, are you still close with your family now?

Kado: The only surviving member of my family is my daughter, Shai. And yes, (smiles) we are quite close.

Oh, I’m sorry to hear about your family. How did you lose them?

Kado: Most of them died when the Galvadi invaded the Dark Isle over twenty years ago. My niece, Calista, and wife, Raven, were the only survivors. My wife died several years later, on a mission to rescue Auren’s father from the Galvadi. Cali died a couple years ago as a prisoner of the Galvadi.

So basically, the Galvadi killed your entire family. How awful.

Kado: (deep breath) Yes, it is, but things are turning around. At least I hope they are. If Auren is successful, the Galvadi will be no more.

That’s good to hear. Well, that’s all we have time for today. Again, thank you so much for joining us.

Kado: (nods) It was my pleasure.

I hope you enjoyed this interview. You can buy the Shadow Stalker books on Amazon. They are well worth a read.

Here is a link to the first book.

 

fantasy, Halloween, Poetry, Uncategorized

Samhain. A Poem

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Samhain is the pagan pre-curser to what we now call Hallowe’en. It was thought that on the nights of the equinox the veil separating the world of the dead from our own world thinned, and the dead could come through.

Not all the dead were consindered scary, though. The people thought that their recent dead visited them, and they put out food, or set an extra place at the table to accommodate them. These dead came to see their loved ones were going on alright.

Evil spirits, though, could come through, too, and so bonfires were lit to keep them at bay. The home fires were put out, too, to be relit the following day from the bonfires.

Pope Gregory decided that some of the pagan dates should be incorporated into the Christian calendar as psople were used to celebrating on those days. Samhain was one of these. The Pope designated it to be All Saint’s Day, hence the night before became All Hallow’s Eve. (Hallows being another word for ‘holy’ or ‘saint’.)

Pope Gregory also fixed the date of Christmas to co-incide with the pagan festival of Yule, and turned some of the pagan gods into saints. He also used pagan worshiping sites to build Christian churches, on the same principal. People were used to going there to worship.

Here is a poem I wrote for Samhain. I hope you like it.

ghost-50055_1280

SAMHAIN

Don’t go near the graveyard, darling,
Samain is tonight.
Don’t go near the graveyard, darling,
The dead will walk this night.

Keep your candle burning, darling,
Keep it glowing bright.
Keep your candle burning, darling,
Be sure it gives you light.

The bonfires have been lit, darling,
To fill the dark with light.
The bonfires have been lit, darling,
Their flames reach such a height.

Put your home fires out, darling.
Be sure to do it right.
Put your home fires out, darling.
From bonfires we’ll relight.

Put food by the door, darling.
Leave it in plain sight.
Put food by the door, darling.
For our own to have a bite.

Do not be afraid, darling,
They see that we’re alright.
Do not be afraid, darling,
No harm from them tonight.

But evil spirits come, darling.
We must put them to flight.
But evil spirits come, darling;
Them we must try to fight.

Go and watch the bonfires, darling.
Stand in their bright light.
Go and watch the bonfires, darling,
They keep us safe this night.

I hope you enjoyed my poem. Please leave a comment.

fantasy, novel, Uncategorized

Time on the world of Vimar

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For some reason, this post got posted as a page, not a post. Twice! I’ve removed it as the 2 pages, and just in case anyone didn’t see it, I’m re-posting it as this week’s blog. If you’ve already seen it, my apologies.

 

The time of Vimar, the planet on which the continent of Khalram stands, is calculated differently from that of Earth. Here is a little about it.

From early times, it was known that the planet Vimar took almost exactly three hundred and sixty days to travel around its sun, the people divided this into twelve months of thirty days each. This number, and the three hundred and sixty days in the year meant that the number six took on a significance, and so they further divided each month into five ‘weeks’ of six days each. This was called a ‘sixday’.

The months were unrelated to moon phases as the planet has two moons, Lyndor and Ullin, each with a different cycle, but the study of the moon phases became important as they were believed to indicate something of the future, both for individuals and the world as a whole.

The year was deemed to begin at the Vernal Equinox when life was beginning to spring anew, and each of the twelve months was named after one of the gods of Vimar. (See Appendix 2)  the first month of Grilldar was called after the god Grillon, god of nature.

The months are as follows:

Spring                            Remit of God               Ruling God

Grilldar                              Nature                           Grillon

Kassidar                             All                                 Kassilla

Zoldar                                Knowledge                      Zol

Summer

Candar                               Weather and Sea          Candello

Sylissdar                            Life and Healing           Sylissa

Allendrindar                 Persuasion and deceit        Allandrina

Autumn

Pardar                               Agriculture                    Parador

Rothdar                             Mining and                     Roth

metalworking

Bardar                                   War                           Barnat

Winter

Bramadar                     Marriage and the family    Bramara

Majordar                            Magic                          Majora

Khaldar                      Death and the underworld    Khalhera

Days used to begin at dawn whatever the season or place in the world, but eventually it was seen fit to begin them at the time of dawn at the Vernal Equinox in all parts of the world, which was the equivalent of 6 am on Earth. Each day was about the same length as that of Earth, and because of the importance of the number six and its multiples, each day was divided, as on Earth, into twenty four hours and hours into sixty minutes. Seconds not usually considered on the planet as timing to that accuracy was neither needed nor for most people possible. Thus the second hour of the day would be equivalent to 8 am on Earth. Noon on Earth corresponds to the sixth hour on Vimar etc.

You can buy books 1 and 2, The Wolf Pack and The Never Dying Man by following the links below.

http://myBook.to/thewolfpack

http://myBook.to/NeverDying

entertainment, fantasy, novel, stories, Uncategorized

Time on the World of Vimar

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The time of Vimar, the planet on which the continent of Khalram stands, is calculated differently from that of Earth. Here is a little about it.

From early times, it was known that the planet Vimar took almost exactly three hundred and sixty days to travel around its sun, the people divided this into twelve months of thirty days each. This number, and the three hundred and sixty days in the year meant that the number six took on a significance, and so they further divided each month into five ‘weeks’ of six days each. This was called a ‘sixday’.

The months were unrelated to moon phases as the planet has two moons, Lyndor and Ullin, each with a different cycle, but the study of the moon phases became important as they were believed to indicate something of the future, both for individuals and the world as a whole.

The year was deemed to begin at the Vernal Equinox when life was beginning to spring anew, and each of the twelve months was named after one of the gods of Vimar. (See Appendix 2)  the first month of Grilldar was called after the god Grillon, god of nature.

The months are as follows:

Spring                            Remit of God               Ruling God

Grilldar                              Nature                           Grillon

Kassidar                             All                                 Kassilla

Zoldar                                Knowledge                      Zol

Summer

Candar                               Weather and Sea          Candello

Sylissdar                            Life and Healing           Sylissa

Allendrindar                 Persuasion and deceit        Allandrina

Autumn

Pardar                               Agriculture                    Parador

Rothdar                             Mining and                     Roth

metalworking

Bardar                                   War                           Barnat

Winter

Bramadar                     Marriage and the family    Bramara

Majordar                            Magic                          Majora

Khaldar                      Death and the underworld    Khalhera

Days used to begin at dawn whatever the season or place in the world, but eventually it was seen fit to begin them at the time of dawn at the Vernal Equinox in all parts of the world, which was the equivalent of 6 am on Earth. Each day was about the same length as that of Earth, and because of the importance of the number six and its multiples, each day was divided, as on Earth, into twenty four hours and hours into sixty minutes. Seconds not usually considered on the planet as timing to that accuracy was neither needed nor for most people possible. Thus the second hour of the day would be equivalent to 8 am on Earth. Noon on Earth corresponds to the sixth hour on Vimar etc.

You can buy books 1 and 2, The Wolf Pack and The Never Dying Man by following the links below.

http://myBook.to/thewolfpack

http://myBook.to/NeverDying

announcement, fantasy, Give Away, novel, offers, stories, Uncategorized

A freebie

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From today, The Stones of Earth and Air will be free on Amazon until 18th September.

Don’t miss this chance to get your free copy of book 1 of Elemental Worlds.

http://www.mybook.to/EarthAndAir

fantasy, interview, Uncategorized

An Interview with Magister Robiam, the chief Mage in the land of Grosmer. From The Wolf Pack–a fantasy adventure.

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This month I have managed to prize an interview out of
Magister Robiam, the chief mage in the Mage Tower in tower-2410961_1280
Hambara.

Me: Thank you very much for allowing me this time in what must be a very busy schedule.

Robiam: Not at all, my dear. We must keep the press happy. Magic is still not fully trusted you know.

Me: After the Mage War and the Forbidding I suppose you mean. Arch-Mage Yssalithisandra told me about that.

Robiam: Yes. I can’t understand why it is taking so long for people to realise that
magic isn’t evil. It’s just a tool, and the users can equally put it to good or bad use. Just as a knife can be used to cut up food for the preparation of a meal, and also to kill or injure someone. The knife isn’t evil, just the user.

Me: Quite. You are a magister, sir. Tell me what that means.

Robiam: It is the highest rank that a mage can reach. When an apprentice passes
his or her tests, they are welcomed into the ranks of mages and go by the title
of simply ‘Mage’. The first year of their ‘mageship’ if you wish to call it that, is a
probationary year. They cannot ‘fail’ this year though. It is mainly to let people know
that this person is very newly qualified. Thus, folk know that their experience is limited
and not expect too much of them. The probation can be extended or shortened.
depending on the mage in question.

Me: What happens after the probation is finished?

Robiam: The mage continues to be a simple mage until, or if, they reach a certain
standard when they will become an Arch-Mage. Many do not progress beyond
being a simple Mage of course.

Me: And to progress to Magister an Arch-Mage must reach another, much higher
standard?

Robiam: You’ve got it; but the level for Magister is extremly high and few manage
to make it.

Me: So there are only 3 ‘levels’ in the magic profession?

Robiam: Yes. Of course, once there were many more. Newly-qualified mages were
known as a Conjurors, then they would progress to Magicians, Sorcerors, Wizards etc.

Me: Why was this scrapped?

Robiam: It was too cumbersome, and mages are rather fond of their independence. They are free spirits, if you like. They do not like to be regimented, and so it was simplified.

Me: Why not do away with ranks completely then?

Robiam: It was suggested, but the Magister in charge of the Tower at the time thought
that the general public should have at least some idea of the power of the mage they
were dealing with, and so it was decided to retain 3 ranks. (Although if you consider it,
there are really 4, including the probationary mages.)

Me: Thank you for making that clear, Magister. I was wondering, however, ahout those
who fail their mage tests. What happens to them?

Robiam: Unfortunately there are always a few who have a little magic but insufficient to pass the tests. We do not turn them out into the world to create havoc, which they could easily do. We make them associates of the Tower and they become entertainers, keep shops selling magic items, become adventurers etc.

Me: Thank you very much, Magister for your time.

If you would like to know more about the magic on Vimar, the world in which Magister Robiam and the other people I’ve interviewed live, you can buy the first two books in the Wolves of Vimar Series, available from Amazon in ebook ot paperback formats. They are The Wolf Pack and The Never-Dying Man. Follow these links.

http://mybook.to/thewolfpack/

http://mybook.to/NeverDying/

If you have read either or both of these books I would be most grateful if you would post a review, Reviews are important to authors because it is the main way that other people find their books. If you have done so, or are going to do so, Thank you very much.

announcement, fantasy, novel, stories, Uncategorized

Book Release

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The Stones of Earth and Air will be released next week. It’s book 1 in Elemental Worlds. Here’s a bit about it.

earth-and-air

Pettic is the best friend of Torren, the Crown Prince of Ponderia. When Torric starts behaving out of character, Pettic sets about trying to find out why. He discovers that Torren has been kidnapped and a doppleganger put in his place.

He decides he cannot let his friend remain a prisoner, nor allow the cruel impostor to remain as Crown Prince and ultimately King as he would no doubt become a tyrant. Pettic therefore sets about rescuing his friend.
He discovers that Torren is imprisoned in a mini-plane created by a magician. The only way in is using four gems associated with the four elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water.

There is a problem, though. Each gem has been hidden on one of the four Elemental Worlds. Pettic resolves to enter each of these worlds and find the gem. How can he find a single gem in a whole world, though? And he can’t return without the gem.

On each world, he has to perform a task to help the inhabitants.

Can he discover the gems, or will he remain trapped on one of the worlds? What are the tasks he has to perform, and can he get back and then enter the mini-plane and rescue Torren before the false prince becomes king?

announcement, fantasy, novel, Uncategorized

Cover Reveal

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I’ve just received the covers for Book 1 of Elemental Worlds. Here it is.

 

earth-and-air(1)

Let me know what you think of it.