Guest Post: Tools of Prophecy by Michael A. Rothman

The TOOLS OF PROPHECY is the second volume in an epic saga which describes a prophecy that has placed the Riverton brothers in the lead roles of a struggle to save their world from being overrun by unspeakable horrors. This destiny requires that they face off with the demons that nearly destroyed their world over five centuries ago.

In the first book, the population of wizards had been practically eradicated by the former tyrant. The Rivertons are now charged with creating an Academy of Magic, recruiting qualified students, and furthering their own training with secrets that have long been held by the reclusive elves.

 

Despite their youth, a mysterious spirit has engaged them in an epic struggle to gain mastery of their newfound skills, help raise and train two armies, and stay alive long enough for their final showdown with destiny.

The only things that stand in their way are the assassins hired to destroy them and the Demon Lord’s minion who holds a personal grudge and intends to witness the young boys’ deaths.

I would like to welome Michael back to my Blog.

 Michael this is Book 2 in The Prophecies Series. When you wrote the first one did you know going in it would be a series?  How many books are planned?

Before I wrote my first word on the first book, I had outlined my story.

 

I knew the beginning and I knew the end, and as I started to fill in the outline, I organically learned how the story would evolve.  I quickly realized that I had more than was typically going to be sustained by the single novel most publishers were willing to release to a YA audience.  Let's face it, if I was going to write it, I also wanted to make it sellable. The marketing folks lose their minds when you write 1000+ pages in a single book and gear it to an audience of kids who are used to reading 150-200 page books.

With that in mind, I found natural places where the story transitioned, and this ended up with my outline for a novel that was too big, turning into an outline which created a roadmap for three books.

The one thing that was a surprise for me, was that when I put the finishing touched on TOOLS OF PROPHECY (the second book), I decided to embark on a prequel novel before attacking the third book.

The prequel is called PRINCESS INTERRUPTED, and provides a very unique backstory for some of the events that led up to the scenes that occur in the first book HEIRS OF PROPHECY.  The Princess in question will be very familiar to readers, and I hope folks enjoy it.

 

The final book, currently titled Lords of Prophecy, will be an epic conclusion  to the initial story.  The natural questions would be, "Are there plans for stuff beyond that series?"  Well, of course - but I can't let the secrets out before their time.  Let's race through the story that is before us before I unfold a much wider view of the world of Trimoria.  ;-)

Excerpt:

In this region of the Abyss, the temperatures always bordered on freezing. Even so, the air was thick with wet mist. Malphas stared up at his master, who sat high atop his throne of blackest stone. Singeing waves of heat seemed to emanate from the Demon Lord’s skin. The repentant demon would call out to him, but he did not wish to provoke more of his master’s ire. For the time, Lord Sammael simply stared into the distance, refusing to acknowledge his general’s presence.

Finally, after what seemed like a long wait, Sammael directed his attention to Malphas. “I have learned that a new wizard has entered Trimoria,” he said without speaking. His voice, inky and coarse, erupted as if from within Malphas’s head. “You will find out how such a thing was possible.”

 Malphas strode to the throne and knelt at his lord’s feet. The black scales of his knees rasped against the stone floor. At twenty feet tall, the general usually towered over his minions, but kneeling before the immense black throne made him feel utterly insignificant. Where he would normally cause all who looked upon him to cower, General Malphas found himself cowering at the feet of his master.

“But, my lord,” Malphas said in his gravelly voice, “how can that be? I thought you arranged for the purging of those who followed Seder.”

The temperature in the cold, dank chamber climbed rapidly as the Demon Lord’s rage bubbled to the surface. Lesser demons in the vicinity burst into flame, disappearing into greasy puffs of acrid smoke.

“Don’t ever mention my brother’s name again,” Sammael commanded. “I will not hear it spoken by the likes of you.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 I am an Army brat and the first person in my family to be born in the United States. This heavily influenced my youth by instilling a love of reading and a burning curiosity about the world and all of the things within it. As an adult, my love of travel allowed me to explore many unimaginable locations. I participated in many adventures and documented them in what will be a series of books, the first of which you have just read.

Some might put these books in the Fantasy genre, and I never had issues with this label. After all, the adventures were, without any doubt in my mind, fantastic. I simply quibble with the label of “Fiction” that some might put on these tales. These tales should be viewed as historical records, more along the lines of a documentary.

I’ve learned one thing over the years. Magic is real. Keep exploring, and you too will find your magic.

Michael’s Website:  http://michaelarothman.com/

Michael on Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5778499.Michael_A_Rothman

Follow Michael on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/MichaelARothman

Michael on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/MichaelARothman

 ~ Giveaway~

Michael will be awarding a $50 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during his tour.To enter just leave a commet with your email address. For more chances to win follow his tour.

The Tools of Prophecy Goddess Fish Tour

Interview & Giveaway: Destiny Unveiled by Laura DeLuca

I  pleased to have Laura Deluca here today. Lets get to know the person behind the author.

Laura, tell us about yourself.

In addition to being a young adult author, I am also a mom to four great kids, own a restaurant, and run a product review blog called New Age Mama. I live at the Jersey Shore, and I love spending the summer on the beach. It’s the best place to write.

Do you prefer:

 Milk chocolate or Dark? Dark Chocolate

Coke or Pepsi?  Coke, preferably Vanilla and never diet.

 Almond Joy or Mounds?  Mounds—gotta have the dark chocolate!

Romance or a Thriller?  Thriller

Mystery or Horror?  Mystery

Did you always want to be an author?

I was writing poetry in kindergarten and wrote my first play in second grade, so writing has definitely always been in my blood.

What authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult? 

 Christopher Pike was my favorite young adult author when I was a teenager, and he remains my idol to this day. His stories are unique and original. It was his influence that made me decide to stick to the YA genre, even after I “grew up.”

Did anyone in your life influence you or encouraged you to be a writer?

When I was in high school, my English teacher Mr. Waters, read and critiqued my very first novel. He spent hours of his free time doing this, and I never forgot how much that encouragement meant to me at that young age.  I promised him back in 1994 that my first published book would be dedicated to him. If you take a look inside my debut novel, Destiny, you’ll see that I kept that promise.

What is your writing atmosphere like?

 It’s a little insane right now. With four kids, I’ve learned to block out everything around me when I’m writing. When I find a few hours of silence, I like to write with soft new age music playing in the background and sweet smelling incense burning to help clear my mind.

What is your favorite aspect or writing? Your Least Favorite? 

I love the whole process of creating a new story and watching the pile of pages grow, but the best part is actually completing a manuscript. There is no great accomplishment.   My least favorite part are the summaries, blurbs and outlines. Summarizing is not my strong point.

Your current book your promoting is: Destiny Unveiled, which is the second story in a series of four (maybe five) books.

How did you come up with the story line?

The original idea came from a dream that I just couldn’t forget. I had more than half of the story written, but it wasn’t until I started to practice Wicca (over ten years later) that I realized how the story was supposed to end.     

How do you choose your characters names?

Since I started writing the first book in the series in high school, many of the characters are named after old classmates. Though there are always a few characters who name themselves.

 

 Gabriella and Darron thought their magickal battle was over when they defeated the evil warlock, Richard. When her Aunt Donna seeks Gabriella's help in rescuing her catatonic daughter from the Dark Coven, Gabriella discovers that her cousin holds a power within her that would be catastrophic in the hands of the evil witches. Gabriella's coven sets out on a journey that may be their last. Along the way, they meet new allies, face devastating treachery, and battle not only the Dark Coven, but the darkness within themselves. When Gabriella finally comes face to face with the cousin she never knew existed, her true destiny is unveiled, and the fate of the mortal world is in her hands

  Amazon link for Destiny Unveiled

This is a sequel to the book Destiny.  Destiny Amazon Buy link and Destiny Trailer link

Excerpt:

Darron was on the roof of a large building, elevated dizzyingly high over the road below. Other skyscrapers bordered it, but it was by far the largest building in the general area, standing several stories higher than it's neighbors. The few cars that dotted the street below looked like insects. Above him, the moon shone full, round, and red in the night sky. It was an autumn moon, a blood moon. By the light of that moon, Darron was able to see the practiced movements of six black-cloaked figures, who swayed to the steady beat of an invisible drum. Their shapes were obscure in the pale light, and it was impossible to determine if they were men or women because the dark, hooded robes they wore hid their features from view.

There was an altar erected in the center of a circle that was outlined in black charcoal. On that altar sat the normal tools of ritual: a black tipped dagger, a silver chalice, an incense burner, and multiple black candles. Darron owned similar items. They weren't frightening in themselves. But the altar, like the people who lingered around it, was outlined by a shimmering black aura. The vibrations they relayed were no less than evil. Their presence made Darron shudder. He watched in horror, as a silent and unwelcome spectator to the forbidden rights.

Four of the cloaked figures took up the elemental corners, preparing to call the Guardians. The Guardians answered their call, unable to ignore the summons because magick can't be divided into good and evil. It's both because nature is both, harsh and devastating yet beautiful and gentle as the need arises. It was just as easy for the dark witches to harness the destructive forces of nature as it was for Darron and his coven to call upon its life giving magick. Good or evil was in the heart of its master, not in the magick that was wielded.

A fifth cloaked figure, the apparent leader of the group, stood in the center of the circle with the dagger raised high above his head. The sixth and final coven member groveled at the feet of the leader, his head lowered in acquiescence. The hood of his cloak hid his face though he was no more than a few feet away from Darron.

"Brother and sisters," the leader proclaimed, his accented voice heavy with his foreboding presence. "Tonight in the wake of the blood moon, we come together to bring a new brother into our fold. He has completed the required tasks and proven himself worthy to join us in our work."

"So mote it be!"

The four other cloaked figures cried out in perfect unison. Their hands were raised to the sky in honor of the blood moon.

The leader picked up the chalice from the altar. He followed the path of the circle to all of the elemental corners, stopping at each of the robed coven members in turn. Each offered their willing hands to their leader, palm outward. Each welcomed the point of the black edged dagger as it dug into their open palms without so much as a gasp of pain. The high priest cut a clean line down the centers of the palms of his disciples, and they all squeezed their fingers against the open wound to allow the blood to drip into the waiting chalice.

After collecting the offering from his followers, the leader returned to the center of the circle and the waiting initiate. With one quick motion, he sliced open his own palm. He held his hand over the cup, letting his blood drip slowly into the chalice, until the wound miraculously healed before Darron's startled eyes. When the chalice was full, he carried it to the eager initiate who took the cup firmly into his hands and tilted it towards his lips.

"As this blood makes you one with our flesh, so your soul follows to become one with the darkness," the English voice intoned.

As the initiate drained the last of the liquid in the chalice, his hood fell away, revealing a blonde ponytail pulled back over a pale white face, made even paler by the outline of bright red blood around his lips. Darron watched in stunned, horrified silence as his own face turned to meet his gaze. Eyes turned as black as coals stared back at Darron with a grim smile of satisfaction.

"Rise Darron," the leader commanded. And as he spoke, he lifted the hood from his head. Rise brother of the Dark Coven."

Author Bio:

Laura "Luna" DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and three children. She has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. Old high school friends would tell you she was always scratching in her notebook instead of paying attention in class and the children she used to babysit for always loved to hear her scary stories at bedtime. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the sole author of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years.  She loves writing young adult novels, because it keeps her young at heart. She is the author of three published works including Destiny, Destiny Unveiled, and Phantom, and has several more projects in the works.

Author Links:    Site        Twitter      Facebook      Goodreads

~Giveaway~

Laura is giving away an amazing Prize Package during her Tour!

 It inlcludes everything you see below.

 

To eneter to win the Prize Pack just fill out the Raffelcopter below!

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Guest Post: Mind Secrets by Chris Reynolds

On the run and without his memories, Michael escapes from a man called Carter onto the unfamiliar streets of London. There, he meets a gang of teenagers with the power to sense the thoughts and feelings of others. They live in fear of ‘the cure’, a mysterious process which takes away their power and, some believe, destroys their personality. Suspecting the cure caused his memory loss, Michael goes undercover to investigate the truth behind the doctors of the cure clinic. What he discovers leads him to a conspiracy that runs to the heart of government and reveals the shocking reality of his own past.

Mind Secrets is a compelling thriller set in a contemporary world and will appeal to anyone who's ever wondered what it's like to have mind powers.

Chris, how did the story ida for Mind Secrets come about?

Stories about teenagers with special powers have always captured my imagination. There was a television series when I was growing up called The Tomorrow People, which was about youngsters with telepathy who could move objects with their minds and teleport across vast distances. I loved it. And I searched out books on similar themes — I remember reading John Wydham’s The Chrysalids several times. Even as I got older, my interest didn’t wane. I knew, at some point in my writing career, I would have to sit down and write a teenagers with special powers story.

But I needed to update it. When I was at school, the thought of having telepathy was amazing — I could talk to my friends secretly in class without the teacher knowing. But in a modern world of texting and skype, it didn’t have the allure it once had. I also wanted to give the teenagers special powers which I felt could have evolved in the human population. It seemed to me that our thoughts and feelings are so loud in our heads, that it wasn’t outside the realms of possibility that other people could sense them. And that’s when I realised I had the key element that would give my characters their power. It was an eavesdropping power, a power that would scare people who didn’t have it — especially if those people were adults.

The other thing which was central to the idea of Mind Secrets was the desire to make it a Fugitive-type story. The Fugitive was a 1960s television series (adapted into an excellent movie in 1993 starring Harrison Ford) where the main character, Dr Kimble, is on the run for murder and has to avoid being captured if he is to track down the real killer. He is therefore both running towards something and running away from something and I loved the urgency that format gave a story. So, the main character in Mind Secrets — Michael — is running away from a man called Cater, while he endeavours to solve the mystery of his own past.

Michael’s memories have been wiped and he doesn’t know where he is from or why he is on the run. When he meets a group of teenagers with mind powers — called Perceivers — he believes what has happened to him has something to do with the adults’ attempt to ‘cure’ teenage perception. So he joins their fight against the cure and, in the process, uncovers the secret of his own past and why Carter wants, so badly, to capture him.

Excerpt: 

Her stare was intense. She looked into his eyes. Deep. Penetrating. Probing. Through the cornea, past the iris and beyond the pupil. Until she was inside his mind. He couldn’t feel her, but he knew she had to be in there. The subtlety in her stare showed she was thinking about everything she perceived. Like a tiny flashing light on a computer, each bite of information sent a flicker across her eyes. Her breath shallow in concentration. Body absorbed in stillness. Her singular perception, sharp and focussed, stretching out the seconds into minutes.

 

Until her eyes softened and she withdrew. Back through the pupil, the iris, the cornea. Her breathing deepened. She blinked her mascaraed eyelids and their connection was severed. She leant back against the door and her body relaxed.

A mixture of nerves and excitement trembled inside him. ‘Well?’ said Michael.

 

‘Strange,’ said Jennifer. She seemed distracted, not quite there. Like a person emerging from a dream. ‘There’s so little of you. Like ‘ceiving a baby.’

‘But did you see my memories? Do you know who I am? Where I live?’

 

‘No.’

Michael deflated. His legs hardly had the strength to keep him upright any more. He staggered backwards and felt his bum hit the rim of a sink. He perched on it. ‘God!’ he cursed. He turned and kicked at the wall. Plaster came away from the brickwork and scattered to the floor in pieces. He kicked them to the other side of the room. ‘God! God! God!’

His face was hot with frustration. He turned on the cold tap with such force that it sent water spraying onto his trousers. He cupped his hands and splashed it onto his face until his skin, his hair, sleeves and jumper were dripping wet.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Jennifer. ‘There’s a nothingness inside of you. Like someone sucked out your memories.’

~Giveaway~

Chris will be awarding a $10 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter. Just leave you name and email addres in a comment.

For more chances to win follow her tour!

Mind Secrets Godess Fish Virtual Tour

Guest Post : Subversive: The Warrior Book 3 by Rebecca Royce

Rachel Clancy has been through a lot. She’s been sent to fight vampires, lost two boyfriends—one to a vampire and one because of his daddy issues—and now she is trying to lead a secret revolution that could change Genesis, her home, forever. Her confidence is shot, her hands are shaking, and she hasn’t felt a real emotion, except for anger, in a long time.

But Rachel should never be counted out. She sees things others can’t, even if her ideas are considered downright traitorous. There is an important life for Rachel to lead in the world, even if its filed with vampires and werewolves instead of romance and flowers. Rachel has always had to fight, she’s good at it, and the evil that has stalked her hasn’t forgotten her name.

Rebecca, how did you come up with the plot for Subversive and create your leading roles?

This is actually a question I get asked pretty regularly and I know that it’s frustrating that I pretty much have to go…I don’t know. Ideas come to me. Some of them go the second they enter my head and they’re never heard from again. Some of them hang around for a while.

In this case, although I can’t tell you, because I really don’t know, where the idea for Subversive or The Warrior series came from, I can tell you a little bit about the path I travelled to write this book and it will at least answer your question about the leading roles.

For most of career, I have been writing very Adult fiction. I say this because its hot stuff. I would never want a Young Adult reader to check it out. I first thought The Warrior stories would be Adult in nature.

 I tried and tried to write it. First, as an adult 3rd person Romance novel where both Rachel and her love interest (just one at the time) both got point of view chapters. There were lots of other Warriors and I thought, for a time, that they’d all get their own books. 

But, I couldn’t seem to finish the book. That’s weird for me. One of the things I’ve been able to do that has allowed me to have this incredible career that I just love is that I can finish the books I start. I know a lot of writers struggle with finishing a story they’re working on. I generally do not. So it frustrated me that I could not make it work.

Okay, after a time, I decided to see if I could rework the story. I did a massive rewrite. I took the book, eliminated the love interest’s point of view, and wrote adult Rachel in first person. Well, that seemed to work better. Sort of. Something still felt off.

Then it occurred to me. The problem was…Rachel was not a grown up. She was a teenager. Then her story worked. Wow. Boy did she work. She wouldn’t stop talking to me. Very anxious to have her story told, very frustrated that I had taken so long to get her.

And it turned out she didn’t have only one interest. She had many guys wanting her attention. But, her original love is still there. I’m just not going to tell you which one he is…or if he is who she will actually end up with.

Is he Jason? Is he Deacon? Is he….? I’m not telling. But that’s where they came from.

Thanks so much for having me today.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

As a teenager, Rebecca Royce would hide in her room to read her favorite romance novels when she was supposed to be doing her homework. She hopes, these days, that her parents think it was well worth it.

Rebecca is the mother of three adorable boys and is fortunate to be married to her best friend. They live in northern New Jersey and try not to freeze too badly during the winter months.

 She's in love with science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal and tries to use all of these elements in her writing. She's been told she's a little bloodthirsty so she hopes that when you read her work you'll enjoy the action packed ride that always ends in romance. Rebecca loves to write series because she loves to see characters develop over time and it always makes her happy to see her favorite characters make guest appearances in other books.

 In Rebecca Royce's world anything is possible, anything can happen, and you should suspect that it will.

Rebecc'a Site: www.rebeccaroyce.com

~Giveaway~ 

Rebecca will be awarding a $50 Amazon Gift Card to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour and a digital copy of Initiation: The Warrior Book 1 to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. 

For a chance to win just leave a comment with your email address!

Follow her tour for more chances to win!

Subversive Goddessfish Tour Scedule

Spotlight: Soul Mates: Scents by Elizabeth A. Lance

When the girl of his dreams walks into his homeroom class one October morning, Max Fergus, a seventeen year old quarterback and star student,  has his world turned upside down; everything he has ever thought about himself and his life is changed in that instant and nothing will ever be the same again, because once you know you aren’t human, there’s no going back, no pretending you are less than you are.

Anna Lissa Felidae, a pure blooded shifter has been searching for her soul mate, the one guy that was meant for her, and just when she is sure she is about to run out of time, Diana, goddess of the hunt, appears to her and sends her in the right direction. With another shifter on her trail, one who is determined to have her no matter what the cost, Anna has just three short weeks to convince Max he is a pure blooded shifter, among other things,  and teach him to fight so they can be together. With the help of a few Fae friends, a motley crew of shifters and Max’s best friend Tony, they are sure to win.

           

Excerpt:

It wasn’t the first time I’d seen her. The girl with the shiny black hair and distinctive blue eyes that seemed to see right down to my very soul. No, the first time I’d seen her was as she stood across the street from my house staring at me as I pulled my ’69 classic Vette out of the garage. It had been the cause of my first real fight with Jenny.

Jenny was my girlfriend. I say was because we broke up that day. She didn’t believe me when I said I didn’t know the girl. The next time I saw her was a week later, just standing outside of my school, watching. I only saw her for a second because when I blinked she was gone. For a while I thought I might have been imagining her. Jenny and I tried working things out, we were tentatively dating again, when the girl appeared again. This time though, I knew I wasn’t imagining things when she walked into my homeroom class, her gorgeous black hair hanging loosely down her back, grazing the pockets of  her designer jeans. Okay, I didn’t know at the time they were designer, I just figured with a body like hers it would be a sin to put it in anything else.

She was talking with Mr. Jackson when her deep blue gaze connected with mine. It was as if we had both been waiting for this exact moment in time. I couldn’t breath, for fear that she would disappear again. A slow sensuous smile curved her rose colored lips, lips that I was suddenly dying to kiss. I was so enthralled I nearly took my former best friend’s head off when he commented “Dude, check out the hot chick!”

“Shut the hell up Steve,” I growled under my breath as I glanced back at her, but she was back to listening to Mr. Jackson.

“Whoa Dude! I see fireworks coming! Jenny is gonna be pissed!”

I’d forgotten Jenny in those fifteen magical seconds. Steve was right. Jenny wasn’t going to be happy to see the girl we’d fought about weeks ago. But there was something about her that drew me to her. It was cosmic, or fate or something and I knew she felt it too as she walked down the aisle toward me.

“Class this is Anna Lissa Felidae, from Quebec, please make her feel welcome.”

Her name suited her, she moved in a feline kind of way. Her hips swayed just a bit as she got closer to me and I started breathing hard as I realized she was headed straight toward me. I didn’t have the foggiest idea of what to say, me, president of the student council, captain of the debate team and star athlete, was for once at a loss for words.

“Bonjour,” she said as she took the seat directly behind me, her eyes never leaving my face. Her soft French accent sent chills down my back.

I felt like a brain dead geek. I tried concentrating on just breathing, but her scent was all around me, she smelled dangerous and delicious at that same time. I cleared my throat trying to form words that would make sense. “Ummm, er… Hi. I’m Max. Max Fergus.”

“Max,” she smiled this wicked little smile that made my heart beat even faster. “I’m Anna.”

“Anna,” I breathed her name like a prayer. I felt something inside me shift as I gazed at her and I knew I had just met someone that was going to change my life. I heard nothing for the remainder of homeroom. It was all I could do to stay in my seat and face forward when all I really wanted to do was turn around and take in every ounce of her.

So you can imagine my surprise when I felt her hand on my shoulder and her soft words whispering in my ear. “Max, would you show me to my next class?”

“Uh, sure. What, er… what’s your next class?” I asked still feeling like that brain dead geek I mentioned.

She glanced down at her schedule, her impossibly long black lashes grazed her cheeks for a moment and then she met my gaze again with another smile that made me wonder what she was thinking. “I am supposed to go to Madame Lancaster’s class, Anglaise.”

“English?”

“Oui, Anglaise.” She smiled and my heart melted.

“Yeah… yeah, I can… um… yeah,” I said blinking like an idiot and nodding. “I’ve got old Mrs. Lancaster first period too.”

“Magnifique!” she replied, her blue eyes twinkling brightly.

I held my breath as she slipped her arm through mine and we stepped out of homeroom together. I scanned the hall and faltered for a moment. A feeling of guilt washed over me. Jenny stood across the hall, waiting on me to walk her to class. She looked… pissed.

About the Author:

Elizabeth A. Lance lives with her husband, Brandon, their two tweens, three sassy cats that think they own the house and two crazy German Sheppard-Husky mix puppies. She is the author of the Agents for the Crown Regency series as well as the Young Adult series, Soul Mates. She loves to hear from her fans and can be reached at

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