The Virus of Beauty Series by C.B. Lyall

 

Today we welcome C.B. Lyall back to the blog with further installments of her Virus of Beauty series. Read about all of the books and get a peek inside. Then get to know the author better in a new interview. Be sure to download your own copies and then follow the tour for more. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

The Virus of Beauty - Book 1

Ugliness is power, and the Virus of Beauty is spreading causing panic throughout the witch population.

Wilf Gilvary is a teenage wizard who is terrified of using magic. When his father dies under mysterious circumstances, the same day the Mages Crystal shatters, Wilf is plunged into the middle of a political struggle between the witches and wizards in the Magical Realm. He’d rather play soccer than practice magic, but he’s forced to make a choice between the life of a normal Hong Kong teen and one of wizardry after a powerful virus begins to decimate the witch community. The cure is spellbound in a journal Wilf inherited from his father and when his friend Katryna contracts the virus, Wilf understands that he must overcome his fear of magic to unlock the journal’s secrets – but will it be too late to save her?

Read an excerpt here.

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The Veil of Corruption – The Virus of Beauty Book 2
Witches and magic are taking over Wilf's life.

After being thrust into a long-standing conflict between the witches and wizards that has destabilized the Magical Realm and finding the antidote for the Virus of Beauty, Wilf would like to return to his normal soccer playing teenage life. But he can’t rest until his stepsister, Myra, is caught and brought to justice. It’s been three days since Myra took to the skies above Hong Kong and disappeared. Now Wilf is accused of corrupting the Veil, a defensive barrier between the witch and wizard cities. As the spell expands throughout the magical realm it is attacking witches and wizards. But Wilf would rather embrace his witch friend, Katryna, than his wizard powers. When evil forces have other plans and they kidnap Katryna, Wilf realizes that he’d do anything to save her and the Magical Realm, even if it means risking his own life by connecting to the primary source of all magic.

Read an excerpt:

The Veil of Corruption – The Virus of Beauty Book 2

A green fissure burst open in the gray Hong Kong sky, and a constellation of tiny black stars spilled out. Wilf pushed off the wall and stared at the witches flying in a V configuration as they weaved in between the clouds. The pit in his stomach deepened. A plague of magic was entering this world, and he felt responsible.

The downward-spiraling fighter-plane formation of brooms swept over the Wan Chai sky, above the high-rise buildings and markets. Material from the witches’ robes rustled and flapped overhead as they made their last approach into Tai Wan Street. They peeled off into a single file, whooshing along the dead-end street past the Hung Shing Taoist Temple, until the brooms halted a few feet above the cobblestones. With a wave of her arm, the leader signaled, and the brooms floated down until the witches’ feet touched the ground. Another signal and the black brooms shrank to fit the small, cylindrical containers strapped to the riders’ belts. A thunderclap sounded as the Executrix Squad, the elite guards of the Witch Council, stamped to attention. The squad moved forward. An eerie silence surrounded their marching feet as they moved towards Wilf’s souvenir store, their non-reflective black uniforms absorbing the light.

Wilf leaned against the wall, merging his six-foot frame into the shadows. If only he could be like the locals who were oblivious to the steady stream of witches landing on Tai Wan Street from the Magical Realm.

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The Vassal of Magic – The Virus of Beauty Book 3
Wilf Gilvary is a slave to the magic he hates.

Yet his powers seem a solution for saving the Magical Realm and Katryna, the girl he loves. If only he could figure out how to tap his magic’s full potential.

As factions of witches and wizards vie for control of the Magical Realm, Wilf embarks on a harrowing journey that plunges him into the realm’s ancient secrets. At first, Wilf begins to doubt everything. His affection for Katryna might be the remnants of a broken love spell. And he still struggles to control his magic.

But Wilf risks his life to learn more about his powers and his destiny. It leaves him facing an impossible choice: forever abandon his dreams of life as a Normal in Hong Kong, or allow magic and the Magical Realm to perish from the world.

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Find the whole series on Amazon.

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Do you ever wish you were someone else? Who?

I can honestly say that I don’t wish to be anyone else. There are a number of people I admire, but I don’t want to be them.

What did you do on your last birthday?

On my last I had brunch with my family and then attended an Arthur Miller play with my husband. “The Price” was performed in the picture gallery at a local historical mansion. The mansion is also currently being used as a filming location for “The Gilded Age”.

What part of the writing process do you dread?

Starting a first draft because it’s daunting knowing you have to produce 80,000 words and a compelling storyline with relatable characters. Once I put that thought out of my mind it becomes easier. I use Scrivener to write in and love the project target feature. I can set the word count for the project and for the session. That way I can see the pages growing as the story unfolds.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

I like to plot my stories, so I have a road map. Some days the words don’t come as easily and I feel I have to drag them out and onto the page, but I always manage to produce something when I sit down. I also have a list of prompts from my writing instructors which I keep for those times when inspiration needs a helping hand. Plus, I like to interview my characters. I’ll sit them down for a chat. They often surprise me.

Tell us about your latest release.

The Vassal of Magic is the last book in The Virus of Beauty trilogy.

Wilf Gilvary is a slave to the magic he hates.

Yet his powers seem a solution for saving the Magical Realm and Katryna, the girl he loves. If only he could figure out how to tap his magic’s full potential.

As factions of witches and wizards vie for control of the Magical Realm, Wilf embarks on a harrowing journey that plunges him into the realm’s ancient secrets. At first, Wilf begins to doubt everything. His affection for Katryna might be the remnants of a broken love spell. And he still struggles to control his magic.

 
But Wilf risks his life to learn more about his powers and his destiny. It leaves him facing an impossible choice: forever abandon his dreams of life as a Normal in Hong Kong or allow magic and the Magical Realm to perish from the world.



About the author:

Carolyn Lyall was born in Stockton-On-Tees, United Kingdom. As a child Carolyn growing up in Northern England in the sixties Carolyn loved sports, reading and amateur dramatics. She joined a renaissance group, practiced the broadsword and dreamed of visiting other worlds. Her passion for what could be drove her forward when faced with everyday struggles. Her first memorable skirmish with gender inequality came at nine-years old when she was told that only boys were allowed to play soccer. In response, she simply refused to do any classwork until they changed their old-fashioned policies. She won that battle.

At the age of 18, she took a role as typist for a nursing school in Middlesbrough. She then moved to London and enrolled in night school. She was quickly recognized for her ability to fit in anywhere and for not being afraid to push back on the predominantly male leadership. She eventually became a project manager in software development and micro-computers, bridging the gap between computer programmers and management.

Her dream to travel was finally realized in 1990 when she moved to New York City, USA with her husband and the first of three sons. This was the steppingstone to a lifelong adventure that has taken her and her family to India, Belgium and Hong Kong.

Raising her family in multiple countries around the world, she saw that each move, while a shock, was an opportunity for her sons to redefine themselves against new challenges and different cultural norms. Now, that her sons have left home, Carolyn has used her passion for the fantastic to create a world where every day gender inequalities are at the forefront of a world ending conflict. She shares this story through the eyes of a young man who is suddenly thrust into this new world along with all of his own woes and prejudices. The introduction to this world is in Carolyn’s debut YA fantasy novel, “The Virus of Beauty,” due to be released July 31, 2019 under C B Lyall.

Carolyn has published two short stories in an annual anthology by 25 Servings of Soop. She wrote a number of articles for the American Women’s Associates Magazine. Fueled by her love of the works of Terry Pratchett, Sarah J Maas, Cassandra Clare, Brandon Sanderson and others, Carolyn has completed a number of writing courses, which included a Master Fantasy/Science Fiction writers course with Gotham Writers’ Workshop, a YA Voice class and Advance Novel Writing course at Sarah Lawrence College’s Writing Institute.


Website: cblyall.com

Facebook: @CarolynBLyall

Twitter: @cblyall

Instagram: @carolynlyall

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