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Hi Fantasy readers! I love, love, love this unique fantasy series, Wings of War, by Bryce O'Connor! I have just finished reading Book #2 The Warring Son. Action-packed, great fight scenes, dark and heart-wrenching in places, it enthralled me to the last page. I love the character Raz. Looking forward to the next book to see what happens to him. Highly recommended https://www.amazon.com/Warring-Son-Wings-War-Book-ebook/dp/B01N8X6N0X Anthem One single life, however long, A blink of Nature's eye. How many truths are lost and won Before the time to die? Fate holds the power of balance Over savagery and calm, But through the mystery and the chance, Love must endure the harm. A myriad choices in that blink, Mistakes and brilliant deeds. A map appears from those who think To sow the living seeds. Thus charted by courageous art, It frees the captive soul, And sagely mends the broken heart: A thousand pieces, whole. To choose to stay, or choose to go, Or choose a while to rest, It matters not, except to know That what is done . . .is best. Hi Everyone, I am excited to share that LEGACY is live in e book on Amazon! Here is a teaser...enjoy! Prologue
A still, grey mist hung over the forest canopy, a lingering shroud of moisture from the deluge of the previous night. In the quiet of pre-dawn, the only sounds were the dripping leaves and a low chirruping of frogs hiding in the undergrowth. Suddenly, the silence was broken by the clash of steel on steel. The sharp sound echoed through the woodland valley, scaring up wood-pigeons from their roosts and sending forest creatures scurrying for cover. In a small clearing, two combatants circled each other with menacing intent, each assessing the other's next move. The taller one lunged; the other danced away, returning swiftly with an underhand strike. In a masterful counter-move, the smaller warrior rolled and another long sequence began. Similarly matched in skill and speed, they lunged and parried, swords clashing time and again, neither giving quarter. Sparks flew as sword struck sword in a relentless onslaught from both sides. With practised grace and agility, they ducked and lunged, each predicting the other's next move. Seconds became minutes; minutes became an hour but neither gained the advantage. Both adversaries used acrobatic rolls as easily as steps. The taller one advanced. The other retreated, feinting left with a backhand slash. The first counter-cut, withdrew and his thrust was avoided, as the smaller opponent rolled sideways, coming up to a perfect envelopment. They locked blades. Steel rang as they pushed-off to disengage, only to circle and attack again. Pushing past exhaustion, the opponents wielded their weapons with deadly skill, grunting and panting with the effort. At first, Ardientor dealt every blow with confident swagger, his movement calculated, fast. This assurance was slowly eroded by his adversary's skill. Each strike became more desperate. He advanced on his enemy, forcing the fight into the woodland, hoping to gain an advantage there. His overhand arc was deflected and his blade hit a tree trunk. Wood-chips flew and he swore loudly, recovering, but only just in time to meet the other's blade as it almost slashed his exposed side. Suddenly, his adversary feinted right and somersaulted sideways with uncanny speed, whacking Ardientor behind the knees with the flat of the blade. He toppled forward and slammed face-first in the wet leaves. In a heartbeat, the assailant leapt on his back with the blade at his throat. Breathing heavily, the victor demanded, “Do you yield?” Ardi gasped, desperate for air. He was trapped and disarmed. The sharp edge of the sword was a hair's breadth from cutting his throat. Mud and rotten leaves plastered his face. The weight on his upper torso held him prisoner. Livid, he rasped, “No! I will not yield!” He eyed the hilt of his sword. It was almost within reach. He dragged up his remaining strength to buck against his captor and almost dislodged the lighter warrior from his back, but the flat of the enemy blade pressed on his jugular; a quick twist of his captor's wrist would end him. He stilled, gasping with fury. He was not quite prepared to die. With a sigh of disgust, he spat the words, “I . . . yield!” It was over, and admission of defeat was a bitter taste in his mouth. He glared over his shoulder at the face of his captor, his bright emerald stare sparking with hostility. “But, you cheated . . . and you know it!” Over him, strange rainbow-coloured eyes, still glowing with excitement and the heady power of victory, returned his gaze and held it fearlessly. “No! I did not, and you know it, Ardi! And, do not try to lie to Papa, because he will see it straight away!” Espira relaxed her grip slightly. The victory was honestly hers. Still catching her breath, she removed the blade from her brother's throat, and rolled off him. As he sat up, he grinned, but his eyes still held a hint of rebellion. “So, don't even try!” She pressed the warning, with a serious look that held the undeniable truth of their father's perceptive power. Now in their early teens, the siblings had both made that mistake more than once during their childhood. Luminor gave them equal attention throughout their training, but Espira excelled. Highly skilled in all the Powers, their father was the most suitable teacher for these gifted two youngsters, a hard taskmaster, but fair. Deception was severely frowned upon. Mischief was suitably punished. Espira's eyes softened, as she regarded her younger brother. “Be careful, Ardi. Anger clouds judgement.” She reached to remove a couple of leaves still stuck to his muddy face. He swiped her hand away, glaring back as he recalled the countless times Espira's skills outstripped his. In every one of the arts, he rarely had the upper hand, even now that he had recently become a little taller and broader of shoulder—almost a man! It did not help Ardientor's present mood, to be aware that he could only read her emotion when she let him. At the moment, there it was, her air of superiority, pointing out the obvious. He sighed again. “You know, Espira, I sometimes think . . .” There was a weighty pause, his eyes became cold, his emotion shuttered. “I hate you!” He frowned for emphasis. Then he punched her arm and grinned; a playful twinkle in his eyes belied the words, even as he reinforced his mental shield against her. A vague sense of foreboding tickled Espira's awareness. Not for the first time, she felt anxious about her brother's temper. It flared too often like an unruly flame, volatile, dangerous. That he put very little effort into curbing it frightened her sometimes. She pushed the doubt aside. Perhaps he just needed more time. She shook her head in mock reproach. Ardi was incorrigible. A slow smile lightened her expression, as she sensed what would happen next. For a split-second, she thought about refusing to fight again today. As the victor, it was her choice, but something desperate in his eyes demanded another chance. The two rolled to their feet simultaneously. Ardientor retrieved his sword on the way. In less than a heartbeat, they faced each other once again, eager for another bout of swordplay. Ardientor wasn't finished. He never was, no matter how many times Espira bested him. She was a force to be reckoned with. Daily, her skill in all the arts improved and somehow he knew it always would. Nevertheless, one day – perhaps this very day – he would turn the tables! “Again!” he challenged and lunged, with a murderous gleam in his eyes. And Espira countered him with mind and sword, not quite sure why it was so important. Hi Everyone, This is my new favourite! What an original and intriguing story. I love the main character, an artherian named Raz i-Syul Arro, and the people around him. There is plenty of action, an interesting plot and great character development. I could not put it down! I am looking forward to the continuation of Raz's adventures in book Two! *****
Gentle Readers. The Gift: The Chronicles of Tucker Littlefield is a little different than his last works. This one is more high fantasy instead of science fiction.
“Tucker Littlefield is a liar, a thief, a con-man.” I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. I got so caught up in the story I lost complete track of time and was almost late for work one morning. Tucker Littlefield is a classic lazy scoundrel who, when push comes to shove, has a heart of gold and more tenacity than I think he considered himself as having. When the King’s niece is kidnapped right under his nose, Tucker becomes the hero of the hour and rides off to save the day. When the Jonda medicine woman makes Tucker Soul-Bearer for defending the life of Enon, things get out of hand quickly. This story has humor, magic, fighting, and love: everything a good high fantasy story should have. Don’t hesitate and grab your copy of The Gift: The Chronicles of Tucker Littlefield today. Gift: Chronicles Tucker Littlefield by Tegon MausPublisher: Tirgearr Publishing (April 13, 2016) Category: Fantasy, Paranormal, Historical Fiction ASIN: B01C5Q899U Tour Date: May/June, 2016 Available in: ebook, 165 Pages Tucker Littlefield is a lair, a thief, a con-man . In an attempt to take advantage of a party thrown by the King, he becomes involved in a kidnapping – the King’s niece, Elizabeth, to be exact. Because of his fear of the dark as well as heights, and a good many other things, he finds himself stabbed and bleeding to death. To save him, a Shaman for the Jonda – Daneba – turns him into a soul bearer for the Kindred. In an effort to find Lizie, Littlefield finds the Norha instead and their leader Tahki – a cannibalistic tribe the lives under a volcano that will leave no stone unturned to find Lizie. Littlefield is blackmailed into her recovery. Transformed by a primitive magic beyond a civilized man’s understanding, I was given a horrible gift that no man should possess… It held me, twisted me, turning me at its bidding. I was enslaved by its power, compelled to devour the souls of the dead until I became the monster of my fears. I have seen things I wish never to see again. I have done things of which I wish never to speak. Yet I must if I am to find the answers to fulfill my hope. I have walked upon blue ribbons of molten stone to peer into the depth of a man’s soul. I watched as a promise made at birth brought my friend Enon to sacrifice everything to become whole again – all in an effort to save the life of his child. I have cried without shame for the loss of all I hold dear and for fear that the future will hold more than I can bear. I am Tucker Littlefield. Know all that I say now is true-spoken. Praise for Gift: Chronicles Tucker Littlefield by Tegon Maus“Magical, is the first word, which came to my mind when I finished this story. Right from the very first page, I found myself totally captivated by Tucker’s storytelling of this wonderful adventure. Tucker Littlefield is an amazing character, when reading it I immediately thought of John Carpenter’s fisherman storyteller at the beginning of `The Fog’ film, where the children gather round as the scene is set… as, when reading it, I felt as if I too was actually there, sitting in the tavern, listening. I cannot praise this book enough; it truly deserves to become a classic, the stuff of legends. As far as I am concerned, it has a fantastic storyline, the author has created some wonderful characters and I believe it would make a brilliant film! I hope we shall be seeing more Chronicles of Tucker Littlefield in the future.”-Susan Keefe, Author or ‘Fantasy Farm Tales’ “I really enjoyed The Gift. The author is a fantastic world builder. I really felt transported into a new world with a unique magical system, not some kind of Tolkien knock-off. (so many stories these days are all about wizards and elves and dwarves). The main character, Tucker, was likeable and comical–a real person with human frailties and yearnings– and an unlikely hero everyone will root for. If you are looking for a fantasy novel that is not a Lord of the Rings rehash, then I think you’ll enjoy this one.”- Joseph N. Sidari, Amazon Reviewer “This story is a very exciting and fast paced read. You will get wrapped up in the descriptions of the types of people who exist in the world. You will love the uniqueness to the magic. You will also discover that some things are left unknown. I enjoyed it very much..”- Phaedra Seabolt, Author of ‘Imperfection https://andrewmferrell.com/2016/05/27/giftchroniclesoftuckerlittlefield/ 2nd December 2016 #LIFE IS A QUEST Hi Everyone, Holiday time is near! Time for giving, perhaps more than any other. Books make wonderful gifts and I personally still love the print version! Have you seen to all the gifts and rushing around for everyone else? What about giving yourself some time to read, not only fantasy but something inspirational! My guest blogger this week is Ruth Caulkwell, author of an inspirational volume. She is kindly sharing some of her wisdom here in the following article, "The Pursuit of Love and Happiness". The links to her blog and book are below. Thank you Ruth, and happy holidays to all! The pursuit of Love and Happiness…! What are the two ‘feelings’ that are written about more than any other? What are the two ‘feelings’ that people want and therefore pursue for most of their life? Love and happiness! But what is Love...? Love is many things but it changes over time, is unique and different for each of us. Love is the greatest gift that we can have and is the driving force behind so many aspects of life! Love is a feeling but it is also so much more than just a feeling as LOVE is a verb and an ACTION word! Take a moment to consider what love really is then... L = laughter Laughing together, not at each other, in any relationship are smiles, giggles and way of showing love! It opens up the opportunities for joy, fun, and does not need words as it is a mutual and different kind of communication. It is the unspoken sign of love shining through. Laughter is therefore an ACTION word... as is Love! O = openness Openness between two people heralds in honesty, truth, fairness and understanding. It is a complete belief and trust in one another. It is the respect and commitment shown towards each other. Openness is therefore an ACTION word... as is LOVE! V = value Value within any relationship is reflected through kindness, gentleness, understanding and consideration, equality, words, behaviour and respect. It is a way of showing those innermost feelings for one another. Value is therefore an ACTION word... as is LOVE! E = evolving Evolving within a relationship is part of change... Evolving means the passing of time, the dealing with circumstances and events. It is ultimately the growing and deepening of love It is the learning about each other and dealing with that knowledge! Evolving is therefore an ACTION word... as is LOVE! Love is an ACTION word and is so evident in all that you DO, SAY, ACT and how... you show it! Oh... there will be times when you do not feel loved or even want to love especially when life crowds in! But, love is a choice and it is in this very understanding of what love is, and is not, which will determine how we CHOOSE to deal with our relationships in times of hurt, pain, sadness and when circumstances, other people, stress, tiredness and life (in general) gets in the way! Understanding what love is will help your love be strengthened, deepened and continue on forever! The greatest gift in life is LOVE, both for your-self and for another! And what is Happiness…? Happiness is many things but it changes over time, is unique and different for each of us. Happiness allows us to feel hope when we are in despair and gives us peace in a world of turmoil. Happiness allows us to dream and gives us peace. Happiness is one of the most beautiful feelings that we can have so just go out and grab it with both hands! Just go out and grab it for you can attain it! H = Happiness Happiness depends upon YOU and the outlook that you have on life... A = Attitude A positive Attitude is one of the most important aspects you can have as you live and cope each day... P = Passion Passion and a zest for life will make your life AMAZING! So Seek and find yours this year... P = Positive thoughts Positive thoughts make those hard times easier to bare and the happy ones fantastic, so cultivate a positive spirit in your life now... Y = YOU A YOU that is unique, wonderful and talented in your own special way, so realize, find them and use them this year... We can travel the world searching for happiness and maybe we will find it in the end. But because the world is round we will eventually return to where we started and find our happiness right there at our own backdoor! Sometimes we think that a person, a particular place, having possessions and money will bring us happiness but often when we get the things that we desire we find flaws instead. This is when we must find within ourselves, tolerance, forgiveness and love to have happiness attainable for all of us. There is only one person that can bring you happiness and THAT is YOU YOURSELF - no one else can do it for you! By changing your thoughts YOU can change your world so CHOOSE to take a chance to make a change to not only love truly but be happy! ---------------------------------- My inspirational book - 'Musings of a Blogger - Inspirational Thoughts for Your Life's Journey' will open a doorway for you and 'set' you onto a path of self-discovery. The inspirational words... the connecting workbook and the reader’s group questions are all written in love for you so... Choose to take the Journey of self-discovery with me and you will find a new you! Available through Balboa Press:- http://bookstore.balboapress.com/Products/SKU-001040507/Musings-of-a-Blogger.aspx and on all on-line book stores including Amazon:- https://www.amazon.com/Ruth-Anne-Caukwell/e/B00QWHA4FG ----------------------------- - Chapter four - 'Embrace change' and chapter 14 of the workbook - Chapter six - 'Challenging your though patterns' and chapter 16 of the workbook - Chapter seven - 'The Masks We Wear' and chapter 17 of workbook - Chapter nine – ‘We can all have happiness – so just go out and grab it!’ and chapter 19 and, - Chapter ten – ‘Choices, chances and changes’ and chapter 20 of the workbook. Kindest regards Ruth Anne Caukwell -------------------------------- I also write an inspirational blog – RuAnCa http://ruanca.blogspot.co.nz Member of the New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA): http://authors.org.nz/ and have the following:- My webpage – http://ruanca.caukwell.com/ My twitter - https://twitter.com/ruancaRuth My Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ruancaruth/ My Tumblr page - http://ruanca.tumblr.com/ My inspirational facebook page - www.facebook.com/ruthannecaukwell My Gmail - https://plus.google.com/+RuthCaukwellRuAnCa/posts My LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-caukwell-846a3391 My ebooks – https://amazon.com/Ruth-Anne-Caukwell/e/ World Wide Branding – VIP member - http://www.worldwidebranding.com/Ruth%20Anne-Caukwell Top Female Executives, Professionals & Entrepreneurs 5th November 2016 'A Question of Power' The Lord of Fire's adventures continue, as he tries to steer the Alliance in the right direction. It all leads to an epic battle for birthright. The question must be settled by fire..... PROLOGUE The plaintive hoot of a forest owlet broke the still darkness of the woodland glade, the only sound in an otherwise eerie silence. It was as if the surrounding forest and all its nocturnal inhabitants had suspended their activities, had been hiding quietly, holding tense and motionless, listening for something, perhaps a rustle of a leaf or the snap of a twig, a breath. . .but hearing nothing. It was ominously quiet, unnaturally so, and it should have served as a warning, if anyone had been awake to notice. . . The remnant curl of smoke from the stone chimney, snaking lazily up into the night sky was the only movement through the heavy mist that hovered like a protective blanket over the thatch and down to the ground. Nestled in the foggy clearing, the small log cabin was in darkness. This deep into the night, the hearth inside contained only embers now. This deep asleep beside it, the small family of three were oblivious, and completely vulnerable to the present danger that stalked them in this remote forest. With lethal stealth, born of years of practice, movement silent as a cat, the hooded figure slipped from behind one tree to another, circling the cabin, advancing slowly, stopping only briefly at the hoot of the owl. Then again, the dark shape moved like a wraith across the clearing towards it's goal. Followed by another. . .and another, just as ghost-like, just as deadly, two more cloaked figures, daggers glinting in the muted moonlight, converged from the circle of trees, surrounding the cabin. The owl hooted a second time. Still nothing else moved. Silent fingers lifted the wood-hatch, the dark figure slipping lithely inside, not even the sound of breathing giving the intruder away, though the man fast asleep on his pallet next to the hearth was snoring peacefully. In seconds the door-bar was lifted just as quietly, allowing entry to the others. Once inside, two of them quickly dispatched the man and his wife, in deadly silence, slitting their throats before they even stirred. It seemed as if the couple continued sleeping, mercifully unaware, cradled in pools of their own blood. They still lay on the pallets where they had slept safely every night for the last fifteen years, in the isolated cabin they had built to find a peaceful life, away from the horrors of war, or anyone who might cause them harm. It had been safe... . .up until this night. They had been happy together for the last decade, but longed for a family. All those years they had tried unsuccessfully to have a child, until this year, six months ago, when they had finally been blessed with a babe. Unfortunately, deep in slumber, the Ancient arts long forgotten and secure in their remote cabin, they had not sensed the danger, no glimpse of evil intent. It was just as well. They would not want to know what was about to happen to their child A Question of Power is available now on AMAZON |
AuthorAuthor of the The Fire Chronicles Series, Susi pens her fantasy worlds for others to explore. Archives
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