The Sanctum

Please help me welcome Madhuri Blaylockto the blog. Madhuri is the author of the Sanctum Trilogy.

1.Madhuri, What are you working on now?

Currently I’m working on the finale of The Sanctum Trilogy, Book III: The Prophecy. It’s coming along really well but I’m getting a bit concerned about the possible length of it when all is said and done.

Can you make a trilogy four books?!

2.What’s the hardest part of writing for you?  The easiest?

The hardest part of writing, in the sense of being an Indie author, for me is marketing myself. It’s draining, takes a lot of time and sometimes it all feels so futile. But I’m getting better at it, some aspects of it I have even grown to love, like working on my blog, but overall, it’s tough. A total grind on your soul.

The easiest is writing dialogue. It really seems to flow quite naturally for me and I love doing it. Sex scenes are a lot of fun, too.

3.Would you dare to tell us five things that no one would know about you?

I love Allen Iverson, like love. My husband just told a bunch of our friends a story of how, for one Valentine’s Day, when the 76ers were in town to play the Knicks, he bought me tickets that were $300 each just so I could see my boy, Allen. (My husband kind of rocks)

I taught my brother how to walk. He was born bow-legged and back then they would break a kid’s legs and then re-set them, first in casts and then in a special brace. Or maybe vice-versa. Anyway, I taught him to walk on those casts. I also taught him how to ride a bike.

As a kid I had a rabbit named Kukumundo, who grew so big and was so freaking coo-coo that he chewed his way out of his wire cage and escaped. One morning I came down to feed him, only to find the wire busted and my rabbit long gone. I felt bad but also kind of relieved. He had gotten so huge and out of control, it was kind of nice to be rid of his insanity. A few days later, some of the kids from the block behind us came running over to say a dog had gotten hit by a car and let’s go check it out (I know, I know, kids do gross things. Get over it. It happens.). So we all ran over to the accident site and lo and behold, that was no dog lying on that pavement. It was Kukumundo! My dog-sized rabbit. (And don’t worry, I gathered him up off that pavement and gave him a proper burial, joining my many other gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs and rabbits.)

That album Kenny Rogers did with Dolly Parton brings the joy. I love it.

I worked on the Mumia Abu-Jamal case for two years, assisting his lead defense counsel, Leonard Weinstein. It was some of the most fulfilling work I’ve done as an attorney.

4.  What's your favorite book in your genre?

Besides mine, easily Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy. Her writing moves me, her characters and worlds are so well-developed, and each book in the trilogy is excellent.

The Boy (The Sanctum Trilogy, #2)

by Madhuri Blaylock

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

“Every now and again an excellent novel will come forth dealing with fantasy and magic that will just grab and hold my attention from beginning to end. That is exactly what THE GIRL did.” -- OOSA Online Book Club

In THE GIRL, Madhuri Blaylock introduced readers to the world of The Sanctum, one corrupted by greed and savagery and hellbent on achieving a single goal: destroying the prophesied hybrid. When one of its most celebrated warriors questioned his allegiances, age-old secrets were unveiled and violence erupted. The journey becomes more perilous and intense as the trilogy surges forward with

THE BOY

Can you cross the plains of death, collect every piece of your soul and make it back to the land of the living?

And if you complete the journey, will your loved ones welcome your return?

The Ramyan have been answering such questions since the creation of The Sanctum. A mysterious sect of Magicals, haunting the blank spaces of time and memory, they serve no one but themselves and their higher purpose. They exist on a plane removed from earthly matters, shifting easily between the living and the dead, moving in time to the beat of their own drummer.

At least they did. Dev and Wyatt change all of that when the prophesied hybrid lands on the steps of Rinshun Palace, seeking help for the wounded Class A Warrior. That decision alters lives and sets old agendas back on course. But at what cost to Dev and Wyatt? And does that really even matter?

“The characters in Madhuri Blaylock's novel...are well written and unique, and the story is just fantastic...I just loved every page of the story!” - Readers' Favorite

EXCERPT:

“We’re Sanctum, Ryker,” Dot replied as she began a sun salutation, “we do not become emotionally tied. To anything or anyone.”

Ryker remained silent.

Moving into a warrior pose, Dot continued.

“But I suppose you and Wyatt did not get that memo.”

Rather than engage Dot in conversation, Ryker joined her in a warrior II pose.

“Sam and Josiah should have never allowed you boys to become so dependent upon one another. Very few Sanctum have been so intertwined and when they have, the results have been disastrous. Now that he’s gone, you’re incapable of functioning and fulfilling your duties as a warrior.”

“He’s not gone,” Ryker insisted.

Dot heard the pain in her son’s voice and relented a bit.

“I don’t mean it like that, Ryker. I know you know Wyatt is still alive. What troubles me is how you’re handling his absence.”

Ryker broke his pose and sat on the floor, watching his mom go through her routine. He knew Dot was tough, but sometimes that toughness came across as plain, cold-heartedness. She didn’t mean it that way; she loved him and was just worried, Ryker simply wished her mode of conveying that concern was a bit warmer. He couldn’t remember the last time she hugged him, touched him affectionately.

“I’m handling his absence by helping Jools stave off a Sanctum-wide revolution, ma,” Ryker explained quietly, “I’m investigating violations of The Book of Peace by the Breslins, looking into Ava’s murder of Jasper and Kalinda Edwards at the last meeting of The Circle of Ten and speaking to other Founding Family members. So I think I am handling Wyatt’s temporary absence just fine.”

Dot looked down on her elder son and softened, despite the voice inside her head telling her to beware. That was The Sanctum speaking to her, always reaching out and cutting off the ties to her children. First taking them at such a young age and now, telling her to shut them out. But she had always been stronger than The Sanctum, and today was no different.

She reached down and caressed Ryker’s face, a gesture she couldn’t remember indulging in since he was small. He closed his eyes and bowed his head, as if ashamed by his need for her affection. Dot’s heart broke as she watched him, wondering over the years how many times he had craved her touch, needed her arms around him. He was a grown man now but Ryker would always be her baby, so she bent down and did what she hadn’t done in almost a decade: pulled her son into her arms and held him as he cried.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Madhuri is a Jersey City Heights girl via Snellville, Georgia, who writes paranormal fiction and is slightly infatuated with tattoos, four-inch heels, ice cream, Matt Damon, scotch, Doc Martens, Laini Taylor, photo booths and dancing like a fool.

She's currently working on The Sanctum trilogy and hopes one day soon, everyone is walking around with copies of The Girl and The Boy in their pocket or on their Kindle.

She wants to get a goat and a burro, but since she lives in the city, will settle for some chickens.

To learn more about her, you can follow her blog at madhuriblaylock.wordpress.com, follow her on Twitter at @madhuriblaylock or like her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thesanctumtr...

She's totally chatty so drop her a line any time.

Madhuri is giving away a $25 gift certificate so use the following link to enter.

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