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Monday, August 31, 2015

The Dragon Stone Trilogy


Is Elias strong enough to save himself and halt the evil that is spreading across the land?
Publication Date: July 31, 2015
Genre: Epic Fantasy, Young Adult

Sequestered deep in the capital, the tyrannical Emperor Vosper weaves a plan to destroy all the dragons. He succeeds in driving them to the very brink of extinction. Only a handful of dragons and riders remain; living in exile in the desert. When young Elias Dorgumir finds a carved dragon stone in the forest, it brings empire soldiers to his doorstep, and puts Elias on the run with a bounty on his head.

With some help from his friends, Elias must escape the emperor's wrath and try to make it to the safety of the dwarf caverns. Elias holds the key to the salvation of the dragon race. Is Elias strong enough to save himself and halt the evil that is spreading across the land?

* * *

The evil emperor Vosper gathers his troops in the east, poised to conquer the entire continent. His target is the rebel city of Parthos, a constant thorn in his side, and the last sanctuary of the Dragon Riders.

Besieged from all sides, the remaining Dragon Riders come out of hiding. Forced to fight for their lives, they leave the safety of the desert, traveling across the land to gather intelligence and shore up forgotten alliances.At the center of it all is Elias Dorgumir, the key to an ancient prophesy, and Vosper will do anything to get his hands on him. Is it too late for the Dragon Riders to save Elias and stop Vosper from destroying the only refuge they have left?

* * *

As the races of Durn stand on the brink of war, the power-hungry emperor plans his conquest of the entire continent.

The dragon riders are fragmented. They have been scattered across the land; weakened by the discovery of a traitor in their own ranks.

Are the riders strong enough to defeat Vosper before he destroys them all?


Dragon Stone Trilogy Author Interview

This author interview was conducted by Jennifer Teeter-Moore from the book reviewer blog, Just Books for Belongings. The Dragon Stone Trilogy will be free on Amazon at the end of August!

1.     Elias is such an interesting character. He is a healer and has a gentle personality. These are traditionally considered to be very feminine traits. How did you decide to make a character like Elias?

Kristian: It’s funny that you should ask that. Originally, I wanted Elias to be a female character. I changed the character to male on the advice of several editors. I’m glad that I did, because I really like Elias’ personality, and I intend to keep using him throughout the series.

2.     The dragons in the Dragon Stone Trilogy are not just animals that are used by the humans, they are their own race with a history and a culture. The dragons even have a sense of humor! Why are the dragons equal, and, at times superior, to the humans?

Kristian: In some fantasy novels, dragons are portrayed more like dogs or other pets. I didn’t want that—I wanted dragons to be intelligent, with a complex history and culture. I felt that it made the series more interesting.

3.     Elias is the main character, but this trilogy has multiple important characters. Sela and Tallin are important to the plot development and are very different characters compared to Elias. I love that a strong female character is one of the dragon riders, and one of the best. And the bond between Tallin and his dragon, Duskeye, is really beautiful. Why did you decide to have multiple main characters rather than just focusing on Elias?

Kristian: I always intended for Dragon Stones to become a chapterbook series. When I was a young girl, I read the Sweet Valley High series by Francine Pascal, and I enjoyed it a great deal. I wanted to create something similar, but in the fantasy genre. That’s my goal.

4.     I found The Dragon Stone Trilogy interesting because it was not just a fantasy novel with action and mythological creatures, but also a coming-of-age story for Elias. Although Elias does begin to embody some of the traits of his mentors, he still stays true to himself and continues on his own path in the conclusion. Some readers were upset by the ending, do you stand by it?

Kristian: The most common complaint that I received about the ending was that the books seemed “unfinished.” Fans wanted a bigger fight, or a more satisfying conclusion. They wanted to cauterize the ending, somehow. But I always intended the series to continue, so the ending wasn’t as cut-and-dried as some fans wanted. That’s okay, I understand that I can’t please everyone. Elias still has a lot of growing to do, and he will be featured prominently in the next trilogy. It’s not over! That knowledge seems to soothe a lot of my fans’ worries.


Kristian Alva was born into a family of writers and teachers. She worked as a staff writer and a ghostwriter before publishing her own manuscripts. She currently lives in the United States with her family. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading all genres, especially epic fantasy.

Website  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads


Saturday, August 29, 2015

Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors


Welcome to Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors, your chance to sample the work of a talented group of authors. When you finish here you can find more snippets at:

http://www.wewriwa.co,
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

So far in my excerpts from Return Engagement my hero and heroine met on a beach ten years after his father broke them up. They find that all of their old feelings are still there even though she's engaged to another man. They've gone to a carnival together, and now they're walking back down the beach to their cars. He just gave her his jacket to wear and said he liked the idea of her wearing his clothes, like in high school.  They sat down on the sand to watch the moon, and both of them spoke at once. Elizabeth told him to speak first, and he told her she didn't really love her fiancĂ© or she wouldn't have been flirting with and kissing him


Elizabeth moaned and hid her face in her hands. Richard expected this surprise meeting to lead to something more than a hot dog on the beach, a casual meeting between two old...friends. I’ve done enough damage for one evening; I’m going home before I cause any more trouble. I’ve betrayed Alex and given Richard hope for a relationship with me when there is no hope.

She tried to jump up, but Richard grabbed her and held her close. “The wind is cold, and you can think just as well, no better, in my arms.”

Elizabeth gave up the effort to get away from him. There was no way she could argue with those hard, muscled arms. “Yeah, right, being in your arms clarifies everything!"

Return Engagement is available at Amazon.com and at http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com 

Friday, August 28, 2015

Saturday Sample: Blue 52

Welcome to Saturday Sample. For the past few weeks I've been sharing samples from Blue 52. So far we've learned that President Richard Lovinggood was murdered by his wife who then committed suicide. Their son Hank was raised by his grandfather Senator Henry Lovinggood. A new high speed train is coming through the cemetery where President Lovinggood is buried, and Hank has made plans to open the coffins once they are disinterred so he can see his parents. He was only 3 when they died, and he doesn't really remember them.

My heroine Kathryn Sinclair learned about this plan from her uncle who is the director of the funeral home where the president's body will go. Her employer tells her to set up a meeting with Hank after he sees his parents. Last week she said she hoped it went well so she could be in the history books and have the satisfaction of righting a terrible wrong. We're picking up where I left off last week.


God, I’ve had an awful day. Hank slung his briefcase into the backseat and ripped off his tie. From the moment he’d gotten out of bed this morning, things had gone wrong. At times like this he wondered why he had ever wanted to be a lawyer anyway, especially a prosecutor. He had felt confident of a conviction, but at the last minute the defense blindsided him, and the slime ball had walked. Some lawyer I turned out to be.

He entered the flow of late afternoon traffic and turned his car toward home. I hope I’ll have time for a good, long soak in the tub before dinner. I need it to get the kinks out of my shoulders and back.

Hank knew he’d have to wait for his bath the minute he opened the front door. His grandmother and grandfather shouted so loudly at each other that the pictures almost danced on the walls. He heard his own name mentioned more than once. His shoulders knotted again. He had a good idea why.

“I heard the two of you yelling several blocks from here,” he reproached as he entered the living room. 

Blue 52 is available at http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com and at Amazon.com.

Fashionista Friday

Untitled #2917


Paul Andrew high heels stiletto
$1,305 - stylebop.com


Gold handbag
$14 - colettehayman.com.au



Cabochon ring
gilt.com


Charlotte Tilbury bronze lipstick
$35 - harveynichols.com


Stila mascara
revolveclothing.com


Calvin Klein heart perfume
$52 - nelly.com

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Hell in the ChoirStand


Book Title: HELL IN THE CHOIRSTAND
Genre: Christian Fiction; Mystery
Paperback: 298 pages
ISBN-10: 0692214968
ISBN-13: 978-0692214961

About The Author


Titus Pollard is a critically acclaimed Classical, Jazz & Gospel musician, educator, clinician, playwright, and actor.

He is personally responsible for teaching some of the most renowned artisans of contemporary music. Some of his former students have been in the employ of Dr. Bobby Jones, Maynard Ferguson, the New York Repertory Theatre, Kelly Price, The Clark Sisters, The O’Jays, and the Morehouse Glee Club.

His most recent projects include the novels Hell In The Choirstand and Living Right On Wrong Street. In addition to his writing, his most recent projects include his role as Rev. Cole in the film A Black Woman’s Guide to Getting Married (2008), the Gospel music CD Conversation with a Psalmist (2007), and the musical director of the stage play The Whole House (2008). He is probably best known for his world-renowned video instruction series Learn to Play Gospel Piano (1989 - Present). He has been featured in three editions of Jet magazine and BET television. He is currently the minister of music for Springfield Baptist Church, Raleigh NC.

About the Book.

There’s no battle like a spiritual one! In HELL IN THE CHOIRSTAND, Jeremiah David Day moves to the spiritually desolate city of Olds, Michigan. Jeremiah, an anointed Gospel musician, receives an invitation from Rev. Daniel Trantham, the pastor of Ezekiel Baptist Church, to become their minister of music. Ezekiel’s congregation welcomes Jeremiah as he goes to work establishing the music department as an army of worshippers, but Renard Singleton, the church organist, feels that Jeremiah is unnecessarily disturbing the natural order of things.

Renard resents being overlooked for the music minister position, and enters into a spree of revenge against Jeremiah through botched choir rehearsals and petty squabbles with individual singers. Renard concentrates the majority of his activities, however, in the spiritual realm.

Unbeknownst to Jeremiah, Renard is a member of the Society of Tyrus; a secretive, demonic cult of musicians with chapters (The Pentagrammatory) that span across the country. Renard prepares a series of musical spells and incantations; prescribed from their secret book (Codified Manual of Tyrus) whose origin dates back to the 9th century and believed to be inspired by Heaven’s (excommunicated) original chief musician, Lucifer. Renard’s intention – use music to erect confusion among God’s people through the worship services.

Renard’s father, Adrian, attempts to dissuade his son’s scheme with the admission of a thirty year old family secret, but it’s to no avail. Equipped with the new information, Renard heightens his damnable acts – the planting of arcane devices in Bibles, morbid musical arrangements, and secular compositions that call for the eradication of the people of God. As the story progresses, the Tyrus Society’s annual DOA – a nationwide strategic confusion of church worship - is fast approaching, and Renard wants to be at the forefront of the movement.

But God has sharpened Jeremiah’s weapon.

A battle ensues as the two musicians take up arms; Jeremiah embraces the Lord while Renard clutches the Ras el-Ain. The result is a musical showdown amidst a worship service where human and instrumental voices unite to summon the ear of God and mobilize an angelic host.
The Heavens are telling! HELL IN THE CHOIRSTAND is a revelation of the power that music possesses and how faith in God restores and upholds a people, a city, and the world.

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Tour hosted by Write Now Literary     www.wnlbooktours.com