Book excerpt from "The Cold Elf" by John Garrett

 

About the Author

 I'm John Garrett, an author and artist who loves Comics, Art, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Web and Tech stuff -also I prefer food in sandwich form.  My main site is Hypertransitory.com, where I write about all kinds of stuff and show the latest art I've created. Head on over if you're interested in learning more about me. See you there!    

Author Links

Website: http://thecoldelf.com/

Blog: http://hypertransitory.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hypertransitory

Twitter: http://twitter.com/johngarrettx

Purchase Link (Kindle, iBooks and Nook versions available): http://thecoldelf.com

TITLE: The Cold Elf
AUTHOR: John Garrett
GENRE: Fantasy

PRICE (Standard version): $0.99 - for one device (contains 5-piece art gallery)

PRICE (Premium Package): $2.99 - includes epub and mobi versions, 15 pieces of hi-res art plus the Artist's Diary pdf.

SYNOPSIS: A young, bitter Elf undertakes a solitary journey, in search of a weapon that could be the last hope of his people.    

Excerpt:

Jorr had never seen snow before. It wasn't the kind of weather that Elves traditionally preferred, and so they had little to do with snow.

Stepping shakily out of his boat, Jorr's foot sank deep into a mass of the damp substance. If the wetness of the sea couldn't get through his oiled leather boots, he knew this snow would fare no better. Still, the cold was unpleasant.

He stood and stretched, satisfied that he could do so after three long days on the sea. He looked out over the vastness of icy, dark gray water he had just crossed and frowned. It had taken so long, it was hard to believe that he had sailed across the narrowest part. Crossing that water again was not something to look forward to.

Then another thought - depending on what he found here, maybe he wouldn't have to?

In any event, he was here now. He still had a good distance to travel if the maps were correct.

Jorr grasped the side of the small boat that had been his home for the past three days and pulled it completely onto the shore.

The snow had stopped falling, yet there was plenty of it already on the ground here. The day was overcast, but was beginning to get darker, and the wind wasn't helping with cold or visibility. Waves of snow dust were washing over him. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his bald head. He had waited too late. The hood had collected snow inside of it, and now it fell down past the side of his face and down his neck.

What a vile substance!

He resigned himself to the sensation, then looked around some more. The snow-covered beach was stark white, contrasted with a row of dark, dead trees a short distance away.

A very lonely place.

Jorr dragged the boat through the snow up towards the trees. He was so tired, but he had to get to those trees and start a fire, or he might fall asleep and freeze to death.

If that happened, the hope of the Elven people would die with him.

Grasping the small pouch he carried reminded him of how painfully little food he had been able to bring. The Elves had little enough at all in these dark times, and Jorr had hidden away as much as he could before his trip. It was not mucht. He had hoped for a bountiful forest where he could hunt, but as the island had grown into view bit by bit he had realized the forest was dead.

Just as the Elders had said it would be.

They were right about this, but that didn't mean they were right about everything. In Jorr's opinion, the Elders were wrong about most everything, and were not relevant any longer. Only a little time left, and they would see that he was right. Although he was but fifty years of age, and considered a child, he felt he was the one seeing reality, while the Elders were content to meekly accept their fate.

Shivering, Jorr realized that he was standing around freezing instead of building his fire.

Leaving his boat by the forest edge, he made his way through the trees and found what he considered to be an acceptable spot to make a fire. There was a row of trees grown tightly enough together to block much of the wind and the snow, so beside them the ground was only lightly covered.

Jorr opened his pack and withdrew the Fire Element.

The dull red rock glowed warm in his hands. Powerful guilt came over him. Although snow was new to him, the Elven people were no strangers to cold. They lived in a land that was nearly all desert, and the nights were as mercilessly cold as the days were hot. It seemed every night you would wish for the same burning sun that you cursed during the day.

Fire Elements were precious. They represented the last vestiges of magic the Elves still possessed. Supposedly they were used as children's fireworks back in the Before-Times, but now the few they had left were critical to surviving the cold nights of the ShirraLand Expanse where the Elves resided.

All Elves were now taught to make a fire as soon as they could hold a stick, so Jorr knew he could make one from the wood in these dead trees if necessary, but he couldn't take the chance that there would be no forest here. He had to be sure he could survive his journey, so he had stolen one of the Fire Elements the night he left.

It would all be worth it. He did this not for himself, but for all the Elven people.

Follow The Tour Here

Enter To Win A Premium Prize Pack

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interview with fantasy romance author Patricia Knight

Today’s interview is with fantasy romance author Patricia A. Knight as she tours her newest novel, book 2 of The Verdantian Series, Hers to Choose.

Patricia has several giveaways to lucky people during her tour, including 20 e-copies of the book and 5 print copies of the book. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, visit other tour stops and enter there, too.

Bio:

Patricia A. Knight is the pen name for an eternal romantic who lives in Dallas, Texas surrounded by her horses, dogs and the best man on the face of the earth – oh yeah, and the most enormous bullfrogs you will ever see. Word to the wise: don’t swim in the pool after dark.

Welcome, Patricia. Please tell us a little bit about Hers to Choose.

Mentally scarred from her years as prisoner to the off-world invaders, Lady Sophillia Glorianna DeLorion, doubts she can be a fit sexual partner for any man – even one whose passionate green eyes make her remember what it is to desire.

Commander of the Queen’s Royal Guard, Eric DeStroia had grown up watching the corrosive, soul-killing effects of arranged, aristocratic marriage and vowed to remain alone. But under his hardened military exterior, Eric has a kind heart. When the second Tetriarch suggests he marry a noble woman rescued from the enemy, Eric reconsiders, consoling himself with visions of sheltering a wounded dove under his mighty arm. Instead, he discovers a fierce falcon that refuses to stoop to his lure.

In the aftermath of their resounding defeat, a survivor from the enemy camp plotted a return to Verdantia to exact retribution. His first objective is the recapture of Lady Sophillia DeLorion. She had been unreachable until she went to the Oshtesh. Now, only Eric DeStroia stands in his way.

Hers to Choose is a sweet love story about two disillusioned people coming together under unlikely circumstances. As a team, they overcome multiple threats and harsh separation. During the process, they realize there is much about the other that is admirable. Hers to Choose is the story of their unfolding love.

What inspired you to write this book?

Lady Sophi was a character in a previous book. I fell in love with her courage and she demanded I tell her story. I don’t know about other authors, but I have very bossy heroes and heroines. They don’t hesitate to demand a book or completely rewrite the plot line if it is not to their liking.

Excerpt from Hers to Choose:

At dusk the next day, Sophi’s flight filtered into Sh’r Un Kree from the surrounding hillsides.

As they gathered in the designated courtyard, she made a small adjustment to Brio’s bridle.

“Are these the legendary wasteland horses we lowlanders hear stories about?” Commander DeStroia’s deep voice caught her attention. I didn’t hear his approach. Taught stealth by my brother, no doubt.

“Yes.” She followed his gaze as he examined her flight’s small, hardy mounts and the equally small, hardy women astride them. “Petrina—she has a fiery temper to match her red hair, but she is my right hand. The brunette beside her is Adonia, our medica. Her knowledge of herbs is indispensable and this is Rhea, our best tracker. Layna, Eudora and Maeve complete our flight. Their precision in hitting their targets is uncanny. We don’t look like much, but we will not burden you, Commander. We are quite self-sufficient.”

 “I never imagined otherwise, Lady DeLorion.”

She stiffened. “I do not use my courtesy title. I am no longer that person. I prefer ‘Flight Leader’.”

His eyes examined her but he nodded agreeably. “Flight Leader. We will leave upon the half-hour. Take position beside me at the front. Your flight can muster behind you.”

“No. It is not our way. We will ride the ridges and shadowed places in twos and threes. We will be there but you will not see us.”

His eyes narrowed. “I don’t like it. I cannot protect you if I cannot see you.”

“I do not ask your permission, Commander. I am in far less danger with my flight than with you who lack experience in the desert wilds. I knew you were coming hours before you arrived. Sound carries great distances in the wastelands—and the dust! Your numbers hang a sign in the desert air, ‘attention—riders approach’.”

She swirled her robes away from her legs and vaulted onto her gelding. A whistled birdcall caught her archers’ attention. “We flank Commander DeStroia. Ride out.”

Sophi felt the Commander’s eyes on her as she and her flight faded into the desert night.

* * *

When Sophi and her women had faded from sight, Eric strode into the stable yard where his four rides of the Queen’s Royal Guard assembled, preparing for the order to mount. Frustration chewed on his temper. I was prepared for a shy, withdrawn woman, not this—Valkyrie. It is difficult to “escort” a woman when you don’t know where she is, when she doesn’t want or need an escort in the first place.

“Queen’s Guard! Prepare to mount! Mount!” he barked, swinging up onto his horse. “Rides! By twos. Form up!” Cavalrymen paired off and formed orderly lines, broken every eight riders by a colorful pennant bearing the insignia of their unit.

 “Queen’s Guard! At the walk! March!” Eric ordered.

As his horse’s long stride swung through the arches of the village wall, his second-in-command rode up to him.

“Commander?”

“Captain.”

“Do we leave without Lady DeLorion?”

“No.” Eric fumed in silence.

“Commander?”

“What!”

The man cleared his throat nervously. “Where is Lady DeLorion?”

“Good question, Captain Biron. If you see her, let me know.”

What exciting story comes next?

Hers to Cherish and one of my most favorite characters of all. A reviewer dubbed him, “Ramsey the Great.” LOL  Here’s the blurb:

When Ramsey DeKieran, disgraced nobleman and accused murderer, is offered a pardon Ram knows there’ll be a catch. The High Lord of Verdantia offers him a clean slate in exchange for the off-world rescue of a Verdantian noblewoman – a suicide mission that has already cost the lives of good men. The one redeeming feature is the assistance of the stunning captain of Verdantia’s elite mercenary team.

For Captain Steffania Rickard, assisting DeKieran in the rescue of a woman critical to the future of Verdantia will be difficult enough. The rouge trips all her triggers – good and bad. Infinitely worse, to fit into the culture of Vxloncia, she must pose as Ram's sex slave. The sexually dominant Ramsey is nothing if not perceptive and Steffania doubts her carefully disguised and deeply hidden desires will remain concealed.

Their mission takes on new meaning when they unmask a heinous program of enslavement, long cloaked in secrecy. Together they must find a way to overcome their initial animosity and recover a woman vital to the future of their race. Together, they would have to bring a malicious entity to justice. In the maelstrom of sex, savagery, domination and submission, Ram and Steffania will need all their wits and strength to survive.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Oh…I guess when I had a 85,000 word manuscript. I thought that probably qualified to boot me into the, “I am a writer,” column.

Do you write full time? If so, what’s your work day like?

I am so blessed. I write full time. Even so, with social media (vital for promoting and telling people that you exist), doing my share for my critique partners and so on, it sometimes becomes difficult to squeeze in time to write. My workday starts at 7:30 a.m. I stagger into the kitchen, pour a cup of Starbucks’ French Roast, add a spoon of sugar and a blop of 2% milk and then it’s off to my office and the computer. I have been known to plant my buttocks in that chair for upwards of ten hours. Recently, I started setting the alarm on the oven to go off every two hours and making myself get on the treadmill for thirty minutes or go outside and pull weeds. My joints are much happier when I do this.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Probably setting the oven alarm for every two hours to make me get up. I am just guessing, but I doubt may writers do that.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A horse. [laughter] It wasn’t enough to ride one. I wanted to BE one. I had to settle for riding and showing which I have done all my life.

Anything additional you want to share with your readers?

Just an enormous thank you to all of ya’ll who read my books and take the time to let me know how you feel. I walk around in a fuzzy, warm daze when I realize I have entertained and touched someone with the words that flow from my keyboard.

I love to hear from my readers and can be reached at http://www.trollriverpub.com/ or my website.

Check out my latest “Hunk of the Day,” book releases, contests, and other fun stuff on my Facebook page. 

Other ways to connect include:

Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Book trailer

Thanks, Patricia. This has been fun.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book excerpt from "The Cold Elf" by John Garrett

 

About the Author

 I'm John Garrett, an author and artist who loves Comics, Art, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Web and Tech stuff -also I prefer food in sandwich form.  My main site is Hypertransitory.com, where I write about all kinds of stuff and show the latest art I've created. Head on over if you're interested in learning more about me. See you there!    

Author Links

Website: http://thecoldelf.com/

Blog: http://hypertransitory.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hypertransitory

Twitter: http://twitter.com/johngarrettx

Purchase Link (Kindle, iBooks and Nook versions available): http://thecoldelf.com

TITLE: The Cold Elf
AUTHOR: John Garrett
GENRE: Fantasy

PRICE (Standard version): $0.99 - for one device (contains 5-piece art gallery)

PRICE (Premium Package): $2.99 - includes epub and mobi versions, 15 pieces of hi-res art plus the Artist's Diary pdf.

SYNOPSIS: A young, bitter Elf undertakes a solitary journey, in search of a weapon that could be the last hope of his people.    

Excerpt:

Jorr had never seen snow before. It wasn't the kind of weather that Elves traditionally preferred, and so they had little to do with snow.

Stepping shakily out of his boat, Jorr's foot sank deep into a mass of the damp substance. If the wetness of the sea couldn't get through his oiled leather boots, he knew this snow would fare no better. Still, the cold was unpleasant.

He stood and stretched, satisfied that he could do so after three long days on the sea. He looked out over the vastness of icy, dark gray water he had just crossed and frowned. It had taken so long, it was hard to believe that he had sailed across the narrowest part. Crossing that water again was not something to look forward to.

Then another thought - depending on what he found here, maybe he wouldn't have to?

In any event, he was here now. He still had a good distance to travel if the maps were correct.

Jorr grasped the side of the small boat that had been his home for the past three days and pulled it completely onto the shore.

The snow had stopped falling, yet there was plenty of it already on the ground here. The day was overcast, but was beginning to get darker, and the wind wasn't helping with cold or visibility. Waves of snow dust were washing over him. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his bald head. He had waited too late. The hood had collected snow inside of it, and now it fell down past the side of his face and down his neck.

What a vile substance!

He resigned himself to the sensation, then looked around some more. The snow-covered beach was stark white, contrasted with a row of dark, dead trees a short distance away.

A very lonely place.

Jorr dragged the boat through the snow up towards the trees. He was so tired, but he had to get to those trees and start a fire, or he might fall asleep and freeze to death.

If that happened, the hope of the Elven people would die with him.

Grasping the small pouch he carried reminded him of how painfully little food he had been able to bring. The Elves had little enough at all in these dark times, and Jorr had hidden away as much as he could before his trip. It was not mucht. He had hoped for a bountiful forest where he could hunt, but as the island had grown into view bit by bit he had realized the forest was dead.

Just as the Elders had said it would be.

They were right about this, but that didn't mean they were right about everything. In Jorr's opinion, the Elders were wrong about most everything, and were not relevant any longer. Only a little time left, and they would see that he was right. Although he was but fifty years of age, and considered a child, he felt he was the one seeing reality, while the Elders were content to meekly accept their fate.

Shivering, Jorr realized that he was standing around freezing instead of building his fire.

Leaving his boat by the forest edge, he made his way through the trees and found what he considered to be an acceptable spot to make a fire. There was a row of trees grown tightly enough together to block much of the wind and the snow, so beside them the ground was only lightly covered.

Jorr opened his pack and withdrew the Fire Element.

The dull red rock glowed warm in his hands. Powerful guilt came over him. Although snow was new to him, the Elven people were no strangers to cold. They lived in a land that was nearly all desert, and the nights were as mercilessly cold as the days were hot. It seemed every night you would wish for the same burning sun that you cursed during the day.

Fire Elements were precious. They represented the last vestiges of magic the Elves still possessed. Supposedly they were used as children's fireworks back in the Before-Times, but now the few they had left were critical to surviving the cold nights of the ShirraLand Expanse where the Elves resided.

All Elves were now taught to make a fire as soon as they could hold a stick, so Jorr knew he could make one from the wood in these dead trees if necessary, but he couldn't take the chance that there would be no forest here. He had to be sure he could survive his journey, so he had stolen one of the Fire Elements the night he left.

It would all be worth it. He did this not for himself, but for all the Elven people.

Follow The Tour Here

Enter To Win A Premium Prize Pack

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book blurb blitz for Island Shifters by Valerie Zambito

Today is a book blurb blitz tour stop for the fantasy novel Island Shifters: An Oath of the Blood by Valerie Zambito.

Valerie will be awarding several print copies of her book to randomly drawn commentors during her tour (US only) and a grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card to one randomly drawn commentor during the tour. Many chances to win, so make sure to leave an e-mail address with your comment if you want a chance at the prizes. And if you'd like to increase your chances, visit other stops and leave comments there.

Blurb:

When your family, your home, and the very land you stand on are destroyed, what do you do? If you are a shifter of Massa, you turn around and fight. You fight, because the blood oath will have it no other way.

The idyllic lives of four elemental shifters living in the exiled land of Pyraan are shattered when a tour of legion duty gives witness to a brutal enemy invasion. Despite the heroic efforts of the shifters, the land falls to the invaders. As the only survivors, the four friends are forced to flee south into the lands from which they were banished to warn of the invasion. Heartbroken and weary, the shifters soon learn that the safe haven they hoped to find is cloaked in danger. Throughout a journey fraught with prophesy, betrayal and peril, an enduring friendship prevails, love blossoms, and a riveting saga unravels.

Excerpt:

The three Dwarves pushed their way back into the pitch-blackness of the palace.

“Dillon, where is the torch?” asked Janin, and Rogan could hear her fumbling around.

Dillon sounded panicked. “I left one right here and it is gone!”

Now that his eyes were adjusting to the gloom, Rogan could see the outline of the two Dwarves feeling around in the dark for the torch. He called forth a flame of light. “Does this help?”

They both looked up at him with a gasp, a mixture of both surprise and anger on their faces. “Do not do that!” snarled Janin.

Shaking his head in confusion, Rogan said, “We need light, do we not? This is light.”

“It is light created from magic which, in case you have not heard, is outlawed on this island,” retorted Dillon.

“Yes, well, the world has changed, Dillon. The Magical Kingdom of Pyraan has been destroyed, we are under threat of slavery at best and annihilation at worse by a rogue Mage, and we are running for our lives from a King who wants to murder me. Against that, you are worried about a flame to light our way?”

“Good point,” murmured Dillon with a shrug.

Rogan turned away from them in frustration. “I do not understand this fear of magic. Please tell me so I understand!”

Dillon shuffled his feet, at a loss as to how to answer his question. Janin had no such qualms. “Have you forgotten that you were exiled in Pyraan for a reason, shifter? Did they not teach you anything about the legacy of magic use?”

“As a matter of fact, yes, and the legacy of magic before three evil Mages decided to destroy the world was inspiring. Magic was used to heal the dying, to create cures for the sick, to defend the weak. Does having magic automatically make you an evil person? If a Dwarf kills another, does it make all Dwarves murderers? If a dog bites a child, does it mean all dogs bite people?” He shook his head in frustration. “You cannot confine the legacy of magic to the Mage War, you just cannot.”

Janin gazed at him with a look he could not identify. “No, and I will admit that there are valuable uses to magic. But, there is also the ability to cause great harm on a very large scale. If one Dwarf kills another, it is one person. If a dog bites a child, it is one child. If an evil Mage decides to use magic for sinister purpose, he can destroy the world. That, my friend, is why we are afraid.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Fantasy author, Valerie Zambito, lives in York, New York with her husband and three sons. After having been involved in a busy sales career for twenty years, a passionate love for great storytelling, world building, character creation, and all things magic have led to the release of her epic fantasy series, Island Shifters, and young adult, paranormal romance series, Angels of the Knights.

Books:

Book One: Island Shifters - An Oath of the Blood

Book Two: Island Shifters - An Oath of the Mage

Book Three: Island Shifters - An Oath of the Children

Book Four: Island Shifters - An Oath of the Kings

Angels of the Knights - Fallon

Angels of the Knights - Blane

Classroom Heroes

Website: http://www.valeriezambito.com/

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Island-Shifters-Fantasy-Series-ebook/dp/B0063EONHS

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/island-shifters-an-oath-of-the-blood-valerie-zambito/1107956340

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/island-shifters-oath-blood/id489783195?mt=11

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/107230