Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Read an exclusive excerpt from Heaven's Edge by Jennifer Silverwood


On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Welcome to the book tour for Heaven's Edge by Jennifer Silverwood! This collection contains Novellas 1-3 in the series, all in one boxed set. Please enjoy an exclusive excerpt, follow the tour for more excerpts and reviews, and then enter the giveaway below!


Heaven's Edge Box Set
(Heaven's Edge #1-#3)
By Jennifer Silverwood
YA SciFi, Steampunk
ebook, 290 Pages
July 10, 2018 by JayHenge Publishing

Only by working together will they survive...

A group of refugees from a powerful, sophisticated Core World planet have been on the run for seven years. The mission was to get away and give their children some time to grow up and help them carry on the cause. The cause was to help the rebellion, win the war and go home. But things didn’t quite turn out the way they planned.

QEYA #1

Qeya, the future Queen of Datura, can't do much about her red hair, but she knows how to wield a scythe blade and suck the life out of her enemy, literally. Life seems great, if a little boring on heaven's edge. Until her ship is attacked and nearly everyone on board is murdered. Now, the miner who saved her is the only thing standing between her and the hungry beasts hunting them.

OHRE #2

All Ohre wants is the kind of freedom a life in the sea can give. But he doesn't want to live it alone anymore. He wants the princess and if Qeya won’t come willingly, he’ll make her.

TAMN #3

Tamn has always lived by a code. He doesn't question his duty. Until his crew is stranded on a hostile alien world and he's forced to watch the girl he loves burn in the sky. Stripped of his reason for living, the voices from his past haunt and guide him in a path of endless retribution. Only the strongest will survive the trials ahead and Tamn is determined to keep the family he has left alive.

MEET THE CREW HERE

**Box Set includes first three Heaven's Edge Novellas**


Read an exclusive excerpt:
QEYA

There are moments in time when the axis of the universe shifts, when life as you knew it is irrevocably altered. When the hiss and grind of the gears fell silent, some deeply rooted instinctive part of me knew this was one of those moments.

The constant dull clanging and press of our engine faded into an oppressive silence, where I could hear the beat of our hearts and shaky breaths. I wondered if I was losing my water because I knew the idea of Datura 3 shutting down was impossible. Even though we were still orbiting above the hostile world while Pioneer explored, our ship had not ceased in motion since we stepped on it seven years before. I counted the quiet by the beats of my heart. What took an instant to process in my mind was not much longer than the wait. The ship echoed a pained groan and then the floor beneath our feet began to shift. Ohre’s hand was on my arm instantly, steadying me before I could tip into the pipework lain against the wall.

The intercom blasted over our heads, pounding its way through the decks in one last warning. My father’s voice bled pure terror. “All hands to deck! Lock in and prepare for attack! Enemy ships closing in from—” The speaker fell silent.

The floor trembled with the first blast, knocked me off my feet and into Ohre’s arms. “Qeya!” he called when I twisted and ran for the lift. “Qeya there’s no time!” His boots clunked heavily behind mine on the hard metallic surface.

The second tremor began to tilt the ship and knocked me inside the lift at a harsh angle. Ohre braced himself on either side of the open door, his eyes fear-stricken. “Qeya, you can’t! If this is an attack they’ve already hit Navigation and the—”

“I don’t bleeding care about Navigation! I’m going to second deck!” In my panic, the rush of sudden essence burning in my veins, an eerie present calm coated my emotions. It barely veiled the images of my parents’ faces and what Ohre’s warning truly meant. Instead, I ignored the third tremor, the blast of energy tearing holes through the plasma hull of our ship and allowing the beyond inside.

Datura 3 tilted off its stable axis, making me unable to reach the lift controls. The fourth blast hit below our deck, and behind Ohre a tumbling roar became the screams of the dying miners, the impact of metal crushing metal and gasses exploding in subsequent bursts. I froze with the memory of our escape from home world, the fire and screams from the palace and sudden rapid images of deeper memory, of war and terror and bloodshed…

Ohre crawled inside after me, somehow finding a sure grip with his boots while clutching me by the waist and smashing his hand into the locking key. The moment his fingers pressed against my skin I broke free from the abyss of the past. “SECOND DECK!” he yelled and lights showered over us in a consuming wave, even as the lift shook on its path above.


About the Author

Jennifer Silverwood was raised deep in the heart of Texas and has been spinning yarns a mile high since childhood. In her spare time, she reads and writes and tries to sustain her wanderlust, whether it's the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania, the highlands of Ecuador, or a road trip to the next town. Always on the lookout for her next adventure, in print or reality, she dreams of one day proving to the masses that everything really is better in Texas. She is the author of three series--Heaven's Edge, Wylder Tales and the Borderlands Saga--and the stand-alone titles Stay and She Walks in Moonlight. She recently released her first serialized Urban Fantasy, Angel Blue in August 2018.


Tour Schedule


Tour Giveaway


- 1 winner will receive a $50 Amazon eGift Card
3 winners will receive a digital/print copy (print to US only) of any book of their choosing in Jennifer's backlist
- Open internationally
- Ends May 8, 2019

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Sunday, April 21, 2019

The Spitting Post by Jason R. Barden

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Welcome to the Book Blitz for
The Spitting Post
By Jason R. Barden!

Enjoy an excerpt, sign up to review the book, and enter to win a $10 gift card!


The Spitting Post
By Jason R. Barden
Dark Fantasy
Paperback & ebook, 220 Pages
December 8th 2017 by The Wild Rose Press

Vincent Carpenter’s life is a wreck. He has given up his dreams. He has lost his job after an economic disaster. His ten-year marriage is crumbling. Then he awakens in a maniacal land of frighteningly vivid realism with skull trees, glowing forests, ravenous beasts, and other psychologically haunting adversity.

While traveling through this demented unearthly world, he has a chance encounter with a beautiful maiden dressed in green; before he can start a conversation, she disappears into the unknown. Vincent must try to find her at a fantastical place known as the Spitting Post. But first he must overcome many macabre misfortunes and face nightmares that question his sanity. Will he reach her? What will the Spitting Post reveal? Will he suffer more disappointment and tragedy? Or will he find peace at last?



Read an Excerpt
I was lost in thought when again I heard the violin’s call. It was close this time—too close. I stopped and surveyed the land with terrified eyes, growing more anxious with each passing note. The ambient tune working itself into a manic frenzy. Can’t they shut up? With that racket the beast would find us, and I knew what would happen when it did. There would be no more violin playing for that musician, and I would never find The Green Maiden. 
I scanned the countryside for the insane violinist and spotted him on a small hill just to my right. When I saw his ghastly appearance, I almost wished I hadn’t found him. He was a stout man dressed in total blackness with a red violin resting against his shoulder. His skin was a brilliant white, as white as a bed sheet. On his head was a black top hat, and he wore a twisted grin on his porcelain face. 
“What are you doing?” I yelled. “It will hear us!” 
The man said nothing and kept playing his maddening melody. 
“Are you crazy?” 
The man opened his mouth wide and without moving his lips, he said, “Precisely.” 
Then he began to cry tears of blood, yet still he played. The blood rolled down his face and pooled on the grass. Then I came to a grotesque realization. He was not playing for amusement; he was calling the beast.

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About the Author

Jason R. Barden began writing poetry around the age of thirteen. At age thirty-three, he transitioned into dark fantasy and horror fiction. His first novel The Spitting Post is available at Amazon and other online retailers. In addition to writing, he enjoys hiking and photography.


Blitz Giveaway


1 winner will receive a $10 Amazon eGift Card
Ends April 21, 2019

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Thursday, April 11, 2019

Rachel Clark tells us more about her characters in The Blackfish Prophecy


Welcome to the book tour for The Blackfish Prophecy by Rachel Clark. Today she is telling us a bit more about her main characters Miles and Terra and her dreams of turning their story into a movie. There's also an excerpt for you to enjoy before you download your own copy, as well as a great giveaway. Remember to follow the tour and leave Rachel your questions and comments along the way!


How did you come up with Miles and Terra’s characters for your book, The Blackfish Prophecy? Who are they and who would you cast to play these two characters if your book was made into a movie?

What a great question! Wow, it’s funny. I always knew Terra’s character. I had the idea for the book about 20 years ago, and Terra’s character was there from the beginning. She is probably a lot like me, and lives in a childhood setting that I – as a biologist- would have loved to grow up in. Writing Terra’s character is a little like writing about myself.

Miles is another story. He arrived out of nowhere as I began the book. He surprised me at every turn. And yet I felt like I knew him so well already. Miles is and was completely unpredictable but with a huge heart willing to take risks to do the right thing for those he loves. He does not give his heart easily but when he does, it’s for good. I adore Miles, and my sense is he came from somewhere ancient.

If The Blackfish Prophecy was made into a movie, I’d love to see it animated – my dream studio would absolutely be Pixar, for so many reasons!

I will have to think about who I would cast as human actors for these two! I’m not sure yet… But If I could choose someone to play Tiluk it would be Xiuhtezcatl Martinez of Earth Guardians. Xiuhtezcatl is an incredible, powerful indigenous climate and Earth activist who looks (and lives!) almost exactly the way I have always imagined Tiluk.

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez



The Blackfish Prophecy


Best friends Terra and Tiluk live alongside the wild orcas of Washington State. On the other side of the continent, Miles wallows in anger and self-pity fueled by his parents' divorce. In a moment of harrowing fate, their lives converge when Miles witnesses a captive orca brutally kill his trainer at a marine amusement park.

When Miles contacts Terra and her family of whale biologists to better understand the "killer" whale, the three teens soon realize they are more linked to each other - and the whales - than they ever imagined. Driven by a primal urge to connect with the highly-evolved consciousness of the orca, the teens take extraordinary risks to challenge big business and renew lost traditions.

Their journey is set to restore an ancient mystical bond between humans and whales that ultimately reveals The Blackfish Prophecy…a revelation about Terra - and those like her - that's about to change everything.

Read an excerpt:
He wasn’t sure whether the fence was supposed to keep people out of the swamp, or keep the swamp away from the people. The snakes were seriously getting out of control. You couldn’t live in Florida and not know about the yellow anacondas, Burmese pythons and boa constrictors. They were a huge problem since they’d been accidentally introduced. The snakes loved it here, and they didn’t have anybody to eat them, so they were pretty much everywhere. He’d heard rumors at school about snakes that had even eaten little kids. Sometimes he’d just come here and stare over the fence, peering from the concrete stronghold of their subdivision into the dank, vegetation choked, black‐watered quagmire. The swamp creeped him out but, at the same time, it pulled at him, beckoning somehow.

The sidewalk was much smoother than the pavement, and he rocketed past all the backyards, blipping from fence to fence at high speed. He veered into the swamp on the fenced walkway that linked the back edge of his massive development to the business district on the other side of the swamp.

There was trash everywhere in here; soda bottles, needles, plastic bags, broken glass. This pathway smelled even worse than plain old swamp; like exhaust and beer mixed with the smell of a dead body rotting in mud. He raced past a couple of sleeping old homeless guys on benches, relieved it was getting lighter outside. He never came here in the dark.

Once he hit the business district, everything clicked. I’m going to OceanLand. He hadn’t realized it until that very moment. He slowed for a fraction of a second, Seriously Frost? Umm, Duh! YES! It was only a couple of miles from their house, which was one reason their mom took them so often—she’d bought a family membership after the divorce. Broken family membership, more like. He whipped through the back parking lots of the Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Wendy’s and Exxon. When he got to Wal‐Mart, he knew he was close. Slowing, he narrowed his eyes and scanned the OceanLand perimeter. First was the gigantic parking area, which is what people saw when they pulled in. It was so big you could plunk down a freaking small town on that lot with room to spare. Behind that was the park itself, which was enclosed by a huge 12‐foot‐tall solid wood fence that snaked back into thick vegetation. Miles’ gaze fell against the trees back there, and instinctively he pushed his board toward them. But this time his foot came down carefully, gently. He’d gone on high alert. He was pretty sure that OceanLand wouldn’t want people sneaking around back there, especially after that Harvey Mott guy managed to get himself killed. Not to mention Dusky yesterday. The hair on the back of Miles’ neck went up as he realized what he was about to do. He pressed his mouth tight in resolve. I am doing this.


Book Links:

http://www.rachelclarkauthor.com/

https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781945419003

https://www.amazon.com/Blackfish-Prophecy-Terra-Incognita-Transition/dp/1945419008/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27227443-the-blackfish-prophecy

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-blackfish-prophecy-rachel-clark/1123608352

https://shop.whales.org/the-blackfish-prophecy.ir

https://twitter.com/BlckfshProphecy


About Rachel Clark


Rachel is a writer and biologist. As a kid she got hooked on all things animal, vegetable, and mineral. To complicate matters, she was hatching up stories before she could hold a crayon. Once she discovered biology it was all over. Ever since her first class in 7th grade when she refused to dissect a frog, a little voice in her head said: You gotta share this amazing stuff about how nature works, and ask if we really need to harm it. The little voice only got fiercer once she went to college and worked with captive dolphins and Beluga whales, then got to see wild killer whales only a few weeks later. From then on it was an all-out quest to convey the wonders of nature, while pointing out the serious problems of our very bad habit of dominating others and the Earth. She’s been a card-carrying science writer for twenty years. The Blackfish Prophecy is Rachel’s first book.

These days when Rachel is not writing, reading, dreaming, or speaking, you can find her sculpting an unruly assortment of moose-pruned orchard trees & berry bushes, gathering veggies & eggs in her micro-farmyard, foraging for mushrooms, and feasting on local food with friends.

She is a lifelong yogini, devoted pack mate to her free-spirited Canid, and mama bear who's sustained by treks deep into the Pacific Northwest with her increasingly feral family. Rachel drives a 100% electric zero-emission car, and her family's home is powered by renewable energy. Their little house is nestled on an urban lot they tend for kids' play, territory Animalia, sequestering carbon, and a food forest to augment the bounty of local growers.

Her work is fiercely aligned with the science of Life, harmony & justice for all: the enduring dream of Earth.



Rachel Clark will be awarding 1 signed paperback of the Blackfish Prophecy 1 bookmark for The Blackfish Prophecy, 1 Orca-themed or book-themed mug to one randomly drawn US winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, April 1, 2019

Soul Dark: Chosen by E.L. Reedy & A.M. Wade


Are you a fan of YA fantasy? Then you need to check out this book. I have an excerpt for you to enjoy before you download your own copy. And then of course, please leave comments and questions for the author as you follow the tour. You'll get bonus chances to enter the great giveaway!


Soul Dark: Chosen

War is coming between Lukas’ Goddess and an ancient Demon Lord. But the death of his parents shakes his faith, and with the loss of his remaining family it is shattered. Blinded by rage, Lukas turns away from his friends and trains under a deceptive, yet formidable master to hone his magic and prevent the demon’s final objective--obliteration of all life on earth.

War begins! A forged weapon, Lukas rejoins his friends and sets after the Demon King. From a hidden crypt, where evil lies waiting, to the Iowa countryside, they battle to prevent the end of all they know. Lukas must overcome his doubts and allow the Light to work through him--to defeat both the foe of his Goddess and a new more familiar one.

Soul Dark: Chosen is a coming-of-age tale in the modern-day world when a war between ancient deities and demons culminates in a winner-takes-all battle that could determine the fate of all mankind.


Read an excerpt:
Lukas stopped and faced his grandmother. He rarely questioned her judgment, but in every person’s life, there comes a first time for everything. “Grandma? Why? Why now?” he asked. “My friends are on the way. They’ll be here any minute now. And here we are, out back, telling ghost stories in the cold, moonlit snow.”

“I had to wait for you to ask. She is always most insistent upon that—the sign of readiness,” she said, “Lukas… Your name itself is a great power. It means Light Bringer. Open yourself now to our Mother Goddess and you’ll wield a power you can’t even imagine. Far more than this tired old lady could ever muster.”

He bit back his rising anger—a pubescent force within him he found increasingly difficult to control in times of stress and some of it spilled free. “Don’t ask me that,” he shouted, kicking at a snowbank. “I’m no one’s pawn, Grandma! Yours, God’s, Goddess’s, or otherwise! You love Her so much, you wield her damned light! And please… Just make Her leave me alone!”

“Lukas. As you well know, the night your parents passed,” she said, touching her amulet, “something attacked me at the farm. This helped to protect me, and it will defend you or any who wield it in Her name.” She removed the necklace chain from which the amulet hung and held it forth in both shaking hands, offering it to him as both a gift and a curse. “Resume your training, son—take up this ancient mantle—you know I won’t last forever.”

Before the first coherent thought passed through his mind, Lukas took a step back. “I remember now. I was talking to Elliot and then the deer ran out in front of the car. There were so many. All at once. Driven by… By something in the dark.” He paused, reflecting, his face revealing the roused rage he could no longer hold back. An undirected burst of power from within him knocked snow loose from every tree and branch around them. “That was my price for serving the Goddess?” He screamed. “The lives of my parents? It was them or us—me and Elliot?” He heard branches snap and twist in the windless night and the ground shook around them. Three snow-devils raced away from him at thought speed chasing each other in a game of tag that flung snow in every direction.

***

As I mentioned earlier, for druids, or any wielders of magic it is as important to control ourselves, our rampant emotions, as it is to control our otherworldly gifts. If left to themselves, either could become catastrophic to the world and everyone within it.

***

Undeterred, Grandma Helen stood firm. “Lukas, no,” she cried. “You know better and you’re much better than this.”

“The pain I see so much in my brother,” Lukas screamed. “Did you know he cries every night?” He turned away to hide his shameful tears and to bring his powers back in check. “Tell Her to find someone else,” he complained. He wiped his eyes then took Grandma Helen’s arm, indicating silence. “Your Goddess—She asks too much.”

Though there were countless questions left unanswered between them, neither spoke as they returned to the house. The grove had become colder somehow, darker, and uninviting. Lukas did however, hear the murmur of his grandmother’s unspoken thoughts. “Dearest Lukas, acknowledge Her or not, love Her or not, She’s your goddess too.”

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About E.L. Reedy and A.M. Wade

E. L. Reedy was born and raised in Iowa, where he devoured tomes of fantasy, sci-fi, and young adult novels as a child. In his free time, he is an avid gamer (D&D and Pathfinder). He has traveled the world as a soldier in the U.S. Army, and now lives in Iowa, where with his writing partner, he continues to pen works in the realms of Fantasy and Horror in the Young Adult Universe.

A. M. Wade was born the only girl in a family with five boys, she readily escaped into fantasy, sci-fi, and other fiction novels. Having traveled through most of the US, she enjoys using scenery and characteristics of the different states in the story adventures she created for the little ones in her family. Now, she writes sci-fi, fantasy and horror with a lifelong co-conspirator.

Together: Having lost many friends, associates, and even children from our home town over the years to suicide, they wrote their first novel, Upon Broken Wings. Told from the point-of-view of a young witness, the story teaches that suicide is not an end to suffering, but rather the beginning of unimaginable pain for those left behind and that there is always hope if we choose the path of life.

Twitter
@AuthorELR @keysmomma

Amazon
ELR– Amazon Author Page http://amazon.com/author/elreedy
AMW– Amazon Author Page http://amazon.com/author/amwade

Bookbub
ELR- Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/e-l-reedy
AMW- Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/a-m-wade

Facebook
Reedy & Wade's oflightandshadow FB Page
https://www.facebook.com/oflightandshadow/

Reedy & Wade's light and shadows FB Fan-Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LightShadows/


Other Sites

Allauthor 


The authors will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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