Finding Refuge

Finding Refuge

by Cathi Shaw

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

BLURB:

After successfully escaping Séreméla, Thia, Kiara and Mina agree to meet in the newly created safe haven of The Refuge. As a precaution they take different paths to their destination, only to find that those paths force them even farther away from one another. As one pitfalls and dangers after another emerges, they are once again left to wonder if there is anyone they can trust and if they will ever uncover the secrets of the Prophecy.

EXCERPT:

Kiara’s lungs burned as she ran through the dusty landscape, her arms aching with the weight of the small child she clutched to her chest.

“Shhhh,” Kiara hissed as the child whimpered, the noise carrying over the rocky terrain. She glanced over her shoulder, looking for signs of pursuit. In the distance she could just barely make out the black blur that indicated a Hunter was there. One at least. She kept running. There was no time to see if there were more.

Suddenly the girl in her arms twisted and wriggled violently. Kiara clutched her closer but lost her footing and they both fell hard at the top of the steep incline. The child began to scream and before Kiara could do anything she heard the sibilant voice of the Hunter.

“Give me the child.”

Kiara pushed herself to sitting, tucking the now silent girl behind her. “No,” she said firmly, forcing herself to make eye contact with the vile creature in front of her.

The Hunter’s hood was pulled low but she could still see the eerie glow from its red eyes. She knew that beneath the dark robes lay a creature with skin as translucent as glass, its blue veins clearly visible. The idyll thought that sun would not be kind to such skin floated through her mind.

“Fine,” the creature almost shrugged, “I will take you first.”

It advanced toward Kiara. She reached for her sword before remembering that she’d left it at the camp. A broadsword, even one crafted in Séreméla, was far too heavy to carry on a rescue mission. She reached for the dagger in her boot but it was too late. The Hunter moved with a speed that would have been shocking if Kiara hadn’t seen it before. As its gloved hand closed around her throat, Kiara forced herself to look into its eyes, where she saw all hope for the Marked Ones being devoured.

Spots clouded her vision and Kiara felt a searing heat radiating from where the Hunter grasped her throat. She watched as the blackness reflected in the red eyes turned to pure white energy. As darkness began closing in on the edges of her vision, she could see the Hunter’s eyes, feasting on whatever it saw in her own eyes.

“You never had a chance at saving them. You should have saved yourself,” it hissed softly as the blackness began to overtake her.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Cathi Shaw lives in Summerland, BC with her husband and three children.  She is often found wandering around her home, muttering in a seemingly incoherent manner, particularly when her characters have embarked on new adventure. In addition to writing fiction, she has taught rhetoric and professional writing Okanagan College, The University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. Cathi is the co-author of the textbook Writing Today. Finding Refuge is the second book in her Marked Ones series. You can read more about Cathi on her website (http://cathishaw.com). You can also find her on Twitter (@cathishaw) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TheMarkedOnesSeries).

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Refuge-Marked-Cathi-Shaw/dp/1939156610/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417311451&sr=8-1&keywords=cathi+shaw

 Cathi will be awarding $50 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Use the rafflecopter link below to enter. You can find her schedule at
http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/11/blurb-blitz-tour-finding-refuge-book-2.html

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Five Corners

Researching tips

 

            I am a research junkie. In my other life, I’m an academic and my favourite part of any project is doing the research. Having said that, researching for a fantasy novel (like Five Corners) is a bit different than researching for an academic paper.

            First, I use a lot of Internet resources. So if I’m unsure about something I’ll Google it and spend a bit of time scrolling through various web pages and such. The other thing I do is talk to people who really might know. For example, when I was writing the training scenes between Kiara and Tom and the blacksmith, I had my friend Rochelle read over those scenes careful because I had no experience doing hand to hand combat. Rochelle trains in martial arts so she was able to give feedback as to where those scenes were believable or not (yes, I had to edit significantly).

            I also do much of my research by paying attention to the world around me. I’m not a teenager but I am surrounded by teens. In fact, I often prefer to spend time with them than people my own age – sssh, don’t tell anyone! And I listen to what they are talking about rather than what the media would have us believe. I think that the media is so focused on sensationalism that we need to be careful what we take away from it. By talking to young people and really listening to them, I find I get a great insight into what is important to them in the world.

            The other huge research tip I would give would be to read lots of books in your genre. Young Adult Fantasy novels are my favourite (and, yes, I get completely addicted to series just like everyone else). I write in that genre because it’s my favourite genre to read.

            Finally, use life as your library (not to discount actually doing library research as well). Keep your eyes open as to what is happening right outside your front door and use that to inform your writing. By doing every day research you’ll find your story rings with sincerity. And that is what we, as readers, adore.

 

 

Five Corners: The Marked Ones

By

Cathi Shaw

 

BLURB:  

 

Growing up in a sleepy village untouched by distant wars and political conflicts, it was easy for Thia, Mina and Kiara to forget such horrors existed in the Five Corners. That is until the dead child is found; a child that bears the same strange birthmark that all three sisters possess. A Mark their mother had always told them was unique to the girls.

Kiara’s suspicions grow as their Inn is soon overrun with outsiders from all walks of life. Strangers, soldiers and Elders who all seem to know more about what is happening than the girls do.

After Mina barely survives an attack in the forest, the sisters are faced with a shattering secret their mother has kept from them for years. As danger closes in around them, the sisters are forced from their home and must put their trust in the hands of strangers.  With more questions than answers, Kiara finds herself separated from everyone she loves and reliant on an Outlander who has spent too much time in army. She doesn’t trust Caedmon but she needs him if she has any hope of being reunited with her sisters and learning what the Mark might mean.

 

 

Excerpt:

"It's not a dream this time, Thia."

 

"I know," she admitted in a whisper. "But how is this happening?"

 

Teague shook his head at her, his hair falling forward over his forehead. "I know you're shocked. I was, too, when I first saw you. Then I realized that what we thought were only dreams, were just forays into a different reality." Excitement lit up his features. "A reality that, at times, feels more real than this one, don't you agree?"

 

Thia opened her mouth to deny what he was saying, even as a dozen memories burst to life in her head.

 

For the first time Thia noticed he was taller than in her dreams. Not as tall as her sisters but certainly taller than she.

 

He looked down at her, his eyes unreadable in the fading afternoon light.

 

And yet the essence of him was so familiar. Before she could stop herself Thia instinctively reached out to touch his forearm, wanted to feel the warm muscles above his gloves, to reassure herself that he was real.

 

Teague jerked away before she could reach him and Thia felt an inexplicable sense of hurt flood through her.

 

"I'm real, Thia," he whispered aloud, his breath stirring the hair on her forehead. "But you can't touch me. I can't explain right now but please don't try."

 

 

Author Information

 

Cathi Shaw lives in Summerland, BC with her husband and three children.  She is often found wandering around her home, muttering in a seemingly incoherent manner, particularly when her characters have embarked on new adventure. In addition to writing fiction, she teaches rhetoric and professional writing in the Department of Communications at Okanagan College and is the co-author of the textbook Writing Today.

 

Twitter: @CathiShaw

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMarkedOnesSeries

 

Tumblr: http://themarkedones.tumblr.com/

 

Buy links for book:

PUBLISHER:   http://ink-smith.com/product/five-corners-the-marked-one/

AMAZON:   http://www.amazon.com/Five-Corners-The-Marked-Ones/dp/1939156246/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391810627&sr=8-1&keywords=FIVE+CORNERS+CATHI+SHAW

BARNES AND NOBLE:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/five-corners-cathi-shaw/1117922571?ean=9781939156242

 

Readers, the author is giving away a $50 gift certificate from Amazon/B&N. You can enter at the following address. http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e43482  You can find the tour schedule at  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/01/virtual-book-tour-five-corners-marked.html