Thursday, November 22, 2012

Virtual Blurb Blitz tour stop for Matthew D. Ryan

Today is a virtual book blurb blitz tour stop for dark fantasy author Matthew Ryan and his novel Drasmyr.

As part of this blitz, Matthew will be awarding a set of metal miniatures: 3 Nosferatu Vampires (US only) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. To be entered to win, please leave your e-mail address with a comment below so you can be contacted if you win.

For more chances to win, you can visit Matthew's other tour stops and leave comments there.

Blurb:
We vampires do not make easy prey. Our weaknesses are few, our strengths many. Fear is something we do not know, and death but a distant memory. So tread softly, pray to your god, and gird yourself with silver when the moons arise and night’s dark prince awakens. We fear not the wizard, nor the warrior, neither rogue, nor priest; our strength is timeless, drawn from darkness and we know no master save the hot lust of our unending hunger. We long for blood, your blood and no blade, nor spell, nor clever artifice, can keep us long from our prize. Feel our teeth at your throat, your life ebb from you, and know as darkness comes to claim you that the price of your folly is your everlasting soul.
***
In Drisdak, the city on the Sea of Sorrows, the citizens have much to dread. Unease and foreboding has always been associated with the local wizards guild; peasants have an innate distrust of magic and those who use it. But now, something else is on the rise. A mysterious fire at the guild has left two men dead and a third missing. A small matter, you say? Well, one of those men was the guild master, and his successor wants to know what happened to him. Enter Coragan of Esperia, the renowned bounty hunter. If anyone can unravel this mess he can. But is even he prepared to challenge the horrible evil that lurks at the heart of the mystery? An ancient vampire by the name of Lucian val Drasmyr.

Excerpt:
Regecon strode purposefully toward the center of the room, the flames dancing around him as he walked. Shortly, he stood before the two burning crates like a devout priest before the sacred statue of his god. Placing his finger on the highest of the two crates he uttered a single word. He retreated three steps, then spread his arms wide and called out in a loud, powerful voice.

With a surprising suddenness, order appeared amidst the chaos. No longer did the flames flicker and blaze in the random fashion accorded by their nature, but rather each began to dance in harmony with the others to a strange and silent tune. While Regecon began to chant, a pulsing light filled the room, like the beating of a gargantuan heart. The fire, caught in his magic, thrashed and convulsed like a living thing filled with rage, bent on consuming everything in its path. Its fiery will locked with Regecon’s forcing the mage to grunt from the strain. But he delved deep. He channeled torrents of magical energy, using his own body as a conduit to guide the fire and direct its movements. Slowly, sluggishly the flames responded. No longer wild and rampant, they became a guided force with purpose. Around and around they crawled, spiraling in toward the two crates beckoning from the center of the room. The flames embracing the crates grew brighter and stronger as their myriad brethren tumbled in to join them. And
as the flames continued to pour in, those which were first to arrive were pushed further and further inward, until at last they were smothered under the continuing onslaught. The outer most edge of the fire diminished, leaving a trail of charred and smoking debris.

Author Bio:
Matthew D. Ryan is a published author living in upstate New York on the shores of Lake Champlain. He has a background in philosophy, mathematics, and computer science. He also has a black belt in the martial arts and studies yoga. He has been deeply involved in the fantasy genre for most of his life as a reader, writer, and game designer. He believes he saw the legendary Lake Champlain Monster (a.k.a Champy) once and he has a cat named Confucius.

Related links:

The book is available on Smashwords, Amazon, BN, and elsewhere for free.

Remember! As part of this blitz, Matthew will be awarding a set of metal miniatures: 3 Nosferatu Vampires (US only) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. To be entered to win, please leave your e-mail address with a comment below so you can be contacted if you win.