We’re at it again! This time 28 great Fantasy Authors have banded together to bring you an awesome prize. What prize? Maybe I should’ve said PRIZES! That’s right, the winner of this giveaway gets a $50 Amazon.com certificate AND an ebook bundle of 28 wonderful flinch free fantasy novels.
Why flinch free? We’re all members of the Clean Indie Reads Site, which means while not all our books are for children, you won’t find anything more graphic than a low PG-13 rating. So if you’re a parent with active teen readers or just enjoy your fiction without a lot of graphic violence, sex, or language, this is a great giveaway for you to enter.
Take a look at our community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fellowshipoffantasy/app/228910107186452/
Join our Facebook event (May 6-7) to meet some of the authors and win even more prizes! https://www.facebook.com/events/968227009920181/
Here’s our website: http://www.fellowshipoffantasy.com/
Also, did I mention these books are fantasy? That’s right! Magical worlds, mythical creatures, and marvelous adventures, at your fingertips. You can enter using the Rafflecopter at the bottom.
I’m excited to be a guest on Ms. Lima’s blog today. I just finished reading The Gladiator and the Guard and loved it!
To celebrate the release of book 2 in the secret keeper series (IN THE DYING LIGHT) we are going to have some fun! In fact, at every stop in the blog tour, you’ll have a chance to enter to win my first two books and we’ll be talking about different people in history that really could have used a secret keeper. Who comes to your mind first? Don’t tell me yet. First I’m going to give you the skinny on Secret Keepers.
Book two of the Secret Keeper series, In The Dying Light recently released letting fans of the series slip deeper into Winter and Liam’s world now that their lives are forever changed by Winter’s deal with her Secret Keeper.
So what is a Secret Keeper? The Short answer, a mystic creature that has the ability to take on your secret, erasing it and the associated consequences.
Sounds pretty sweet, right? After all, everyone makes mistakes, everyone wishes they could erase the things that make them feel shameful—but there’s a catch. When you give away your secret to said enchantress, you agree to certain conditions, the most important, the next time you have a secret you will not be able to tell it—even if you want to. In The Secret Keeper (book 1 of the series) Winter thought she was done having secrets and made the deal with her beautiful but insidious Secret Keeper. Little did she know that she would be the only one to witness the murder of her parents and because the murdering called out to her as she fled, “if you tell anyone, I’ll kill you”. Despite needing to tell her second secret, Winter’s tongue was bound by the curse leaving everyone she loved in imminent danger. Yeah, holy something profane that I would never say…. and this is where the story really picks up steam.
Learn more or purchase the series here:
Also, if you want to take your chances, I’m holding a giveaway for a digital copy of the first two books in the Secret Keeper series. All you have to do is click on this link and enter to win by telling me someone in history that you think really could’ve used a secret keeper or you can choose a different easy-peasy ways to enter, like follow me on twitter or like my Facebook page.
Now that you know a Secret Keeper is, we are going to talk about who could’ve really used one!
I’ll get the ball rolling. On today’s blog tour stop, I picked a former president of the good-ol USA, Bill Clinton as someone that really could’ve used a secret keeper. It may be true that all politicians could use a little help covering up their indiscrections, but I think Mr. Clinton rose above the crowd when he misled a grand jury and then lied to the American people. Just think, if Mr. Clinton had a secret keeper, he could’ve told her about Monica Lewinski instead and whoosh, his secret would disappear forever. The question is, what if his next secret, if not told could bring calamity to the world….hmmm. That could be really bad, even worse than Winter Merrill’s problem. Thank goodness mysterious secret keepers can only be found in the Secret Keeper series!
Now it’s your time, drop on over to my blog and enter to win. I’ll be posting your “people who could’ve used a secret keeper” on twitter all week so favorite the tweet if you see your guy or gal!
Below, I’ve attached lots of ways to connect and an excerpt for Book 2, In The Dying Light. Come and find me. I love my readers even more than I love chocolate!
A little about Angela
Angela Carling was raised in Palm Springs California, but lives Arizona with her husband, three kids and five felines. After years of denial she finally admitted that she is a hopeless romantic which led her to write her first Young Adult book Unbreakable Love. Since then she’s published three more books, Shackled, Becoming Bryn and The Secret Keeper. Shackled won the silver IPGA award in 2012 and has been optioned as a screenplay. She always eats the frosting off her cake and leaves the rest, and can be caught singing in public bathrooms. When she’s not writing YA novels, she’s mentoring teen writers, making pizza with her family or dreaming of taking a nap, not necessarily in that order.
Links to connect with Angela
Website http://www.angelacarling.com/
Facebook https://twitter.com/angelacarling
A book excerpt from Winter’s perspective
Chapter 1
I knew he had a secret. After six months as a secret keeper, I could always tell. Usually their eyes gave them away. This time it was his body language: his shoulders slumped and his hands hung low, barely touching the sides of his pressed business suit. I wasn’t fooled by his expensive clothes. Rich people do stupid things, too, and this was going to bad one—one that would break hearts and destroy lives. It might be infidelity or a business deal gone wrong. Whatever it was, his confession was going to be painful to me. He was the cocky type, bound to do something stupid again. He might even come back to me. I could entice him to make a final deal, and I would be free of the secret keeper curse. I pushed aside my own despicable thoughts.
He prodded along, inching ever closer to me. He knew I was his savior. I didn’t know who’d told him, but he was sure I could make his secret go away. I leapt up from the park bench and ran. My bare feet made almost no noise on the long sidewalk that pushed me deeper into the city. “Wait!” he called, his footsteps pounding overly-loud like angry blood coursing through my veins. I ducked behind a one-story building and slid my body against the scratchy stucco wall. My shirt snagged and tore, leaving my tender skin vulnerable.
He kept in pursuit. “I have to tell you my secret,” he screamed into the long alley that bridged the distance between us. “You have to fix it!”
The word it reverberated off the walls like an odd, taunting echo. I turned, and the man behind me was inexplicably next to me. He grabbed me, pinning me to the wall with his whole body. He smelled of rot, stinky wet forest rot, of life breaking down and disappearing forever. I hated that smell. It was the scent of the secret keeper before me. Now, because I bore her curse, it would become my stench. I thrashed against him, but he held me firm. Every muscle in my body tensed. I closed my eyes and braced myself.
“I killed my partner so I could have control of everything,” he confessed.
Words sank through my porous skin and into my defenseless soul. I arched my back in pain as I absorbed and erased his unthinkable crime. A scream tore through me and out into my dark apartment.
He prodded along, inching ever closer to me. He knew I was his savior. I didn’t know who’d told him, but he was sure I could make his secret go away. I leapt up from the park bench and ran. My bare feet made almost no noise on the long sidewalk that pushed me deeper into the city. “Wait!” he called, his footsteps pounding overly-loud like angry blood coursing through my veins. I ducked behind a one-story building and slid my body against the scratchy stucco wall. My shirt snagged and tore, leaving my tender skin vulnerable.
He kept in pursuit. “I have to tell you my secret,” he screamed into the long alley that bridged the distance between us. “You have to fix it!”
The word it reverberated off the walls like an odd, taunting echo. I turned, and the man behind me was inexplicably next to me. He grabbed me, pinning me to the wall with his whole body. He smelled of rot, stinky wet forest rot, of life breaking down and disappearing forever. I hated that smell. It was the scent of the secret keeper before me. Now, because I bore her curse, it would become my stench. I thrashed against him, but he held me firm. Every muscle in my body tensed. I closed my eyes and braced myself.
“I killed my partner so I could have control of everything,” he confessed.
Words sank through my porous skin and into my defenseless soul. I arched my back in pain as I absorbed and erased his unthinkable crime. A scream tore through me and out into my dark apartment.
I sat up, abruptly woken from my nightmare, gasping for air. My hand went to my face to find it sticky with sweat, and my heart raced as if I’d actually been attacked.
The dreams were getting worse. The longer I was a secret keeper, the more real they felt. Now I wasn’t just taking on secrets during the day, I was reliving them at night with unforgiving clarity. Is this what my secret keeper experienced? No wonder she hid herself in a forest so no one could find her. No wonder she was willing to let me suffer so she could be released.
I blinked my burning eyes and tried to focus. With fumbling fingers, I reached for my phone. It was a gift from my boyfriend Liam so that I’d never have to feel alone. Once I’d become a secret keeper, no one, not even my parents remembered me.
My heart rate was slowing down, but I still struggled to push the right buttons. I hit send, and my eyes darted to the clock. I’d been in such a fog, I hadn’t considered the time. It was 3:00 a.m. Liam would be sleeping, exhausted from his classes and work. I quickly mashed the glowing rectangle with the words End Call. The screen went blank, and then a picture of Liam and I standing in front of a sign that read Welcome to ASU filled the dark space.
I ran my hands down my face as if I could wipe away not just the bad dream but the last six months of my life. I let myself fall back on the bed. On my unclad arms I felt the dampness left by my sweat. I’d have to wash my sheets again tomorrow. I’d do it after I met Liam tomorrow night.
The dreams were getting worse. The longer I was a secret keeper, the more real they felt. Now I wasn’t just taking on secrets during the day, I was reliving them at night with unforgiving clarity. Is this what my secret keeper experienced? No wonder she hid herself in a forest so no one could find her. No wonder she was willing to let me suffer so she could be released.
I blinked my burning eyes and tried to focus. With fumbling fingers, I reached for my phone. It was a gift from my boyfriend Liam so that I’d never have to feel alone. Once I’d become a secret keeper, no one, not even my parents remembered me.
My heart rate was slowing down, but I still struggled to push the right buttons. I hit send, and my eyes darted to the clock. I’d been in such a fog, I hadn’t considered the time. It was 3:00 a.m. Liam would be sleeping, exhausted from his classes and work. I quickly mashed the glowing rectangle with the words End Call. The screen went blank, and then a picture of Liam and I standing in front of a sign that read Welcome to ASU filled the dark space.
I ran my hands down my face as if I could wipe away not just the bad dream but the last six months of my life. I let myself fall back on the bed. On my unclad arms I felt the dampness left by my sweat. I’d have to wash my sheets again tomorrow. I’d do it after I met Liam tomorrow night.
Thanks for stopping by, and may you never need a Secret Keeper!
Welcome to Realm Explorers! In this weekly series, we visit a variety of unique worlds created by talented science fiction and fantasy authors. Enjoy your travels! And don’t forget to read to the bottom of the post to find out more about each author and see how to purchase the featured book.
Author’s name:
Shaun Stevenson
Title of book and/or series:
Thrones
Book 1: Secret of the Lost King
Book 2: Sword of the Broken Son (Coming Fall 2016)
Book 3: Skin of the Dragon Lord (Coming Winter 2017)
Tale 1: Betrayal of the Green Archer
Brief summary of the story:
Long ago, the Emperor Morogh stole the throne of Tanniyn from the rightful king. Ruling from the Dark Castle, Morogh seeks three lost children spoken of in a prophecy from the night he took over the kingdom. Those three children are the only ones who may be able to end Morogh’s reign forever.
With the Emperor’s soldiers on their tail, Jack, Maggie, and Molly must escape and find a traitor, restore a lost king, and discover the secret memory the three of them share. Hidden away in the depths of their minds is knowledge – knowledge Morogh wants very badly. And once Morogh gains that knowledge? He will remain Emperor for all eternity.
Brief description of the world or location you created for this story:
Tanniyn is a kingdom built by the Northern Kings long ago before those same kings abandoned everything and disappeared. From the eastern mountains to the swamps of the south, the people live in fear of the Emperor Morogh and the ancient evil some believe still exists beneath the ground.
If we were to visit Tanniyn as tourists, what would you recommend that we see or do there?
Visiting some of the local villages would give a great flavor of the daily life, and there are some magnificent views in the Eastern Mountains from the Star Castles, hidden above the clouds. There are also the Star Tropics to the east of the mountains, one of the last beautiful oases left in the kingdom. Palm trees, and long, white beaches stretch for miles along inland seas.
Some have found the stained glass windows of the Dark Castle where the Emperor Morogh rules to be quite enchanting. Some say the windows depict the ancient legends of the kingdom, but others say there is more truth in two specks of glass than any book.
What dangers should we avoid in Tanniyn?
Watch out for quicksand pits in the swamps. Creatures lurk beneath the muck, waiting for helpless travelers who wander a little too close. Also, I would generally recommend avoiding the Library of Secrets located beneath an active volcano. Every quarter hour the volcano erupts rock and ash, changing the landscape dramatically. When visiting the Library of Secrets, be sure to avoid the catacombs as they are filled with ancient prisoners and hungry arachnids. And never, ever, drink the water of any fountain. Its effects could be… hazardous to your health and wellbeing.
Is there a distinct or unusual type of food or meal that we might be served in Tanniyn?
Once a paradise, food of all kinds grow throughout the kingdom wildly. You may find some berries growing along the path through the woods, or you may find some beautiful rainbow trout hopping its way upstream. Generally, grains are the meal of the land, and every farmer is worth their weight in wheat.
What types of weaponry or fighting styles are common in Tanniyn?
Scrapy fighters abound in Tanniyn, trained long ago by the Grand Weapons Master of the Star Tropics. However, since Emperor Morogh took over and murdered the Grand Weapons Master, true training in swordplay and archery have gone by the wayside – at least for the common people.
What types of vehicles, animals, technology, etc. are used to travel in or to Tanniyn?
Most travel by foot or horseback, but the elite have elaborate carriages that will take them throughout the kingdom. However, why anyone would leave the safety of their home is beyond even the wisest of Tanniyn.
What types of plants, animals, or sentient races might we encounter in Tanniyn that we don’t see on Earth?
Everything wants to eat you. From the deadly plant pods of the Star Castles to the quicksand lurkers to the large arachnid living away its years in the Library of Secrets, the best plan is to lock your doors at night and hope nothing has crawled in while you weren’t watching.
What role, if any, does magic or the supernatural play in the lives of people in Tanniyn? If there is magic, please give some examples of what it involves or how it’s used.
Supernatural forces are definitely afoot in Tanniyn. Whenever the kingdom’s fate is threatened, there is always one chosen to bear the weight of visions. Once selected, this person will fall asleep in Tanniyn and wake up elsewhere. Whether they actually arrive in other lands through their dreams is a mystery, but ancient legends come to life once the waking world fades away.
Once, a prophet lived in the Dark Castle, and his prophecy about the Three Lost Heroes still haunts the kingdom. Alas, he was killed during the coup that allowed the Emperor Morogh to take the Dark Castle, and his prophetic skills died with him.
There are also many supernatural items throughout the kingdom. Most of these have been hidden away, but some remain known. The Book of Secrets mysteriously contains knowledge of every known act and secret within the kingdom, but written in a strange language only Caretakers of the book will understand. The Golden Sword is rumored to grant unspeakable strength to anyone who holds it, but it was lost long, long ago in the Star Castle Wars. Other secrets lurk within the depths of the kingdom, waiting for the right person to come along and unleash them.
What holidays or special events are celebrated regularly there?
The people of Tanniyn celebrate few precious holidays, but the Week of Grains is most definitely the one event everyone looks forward to. Celebrated secretly in recent years, the Week of Grains is a time when villages band together and dance away the weeks after harvest, hoping for another bountiful year. Many villages perform special songs, and orators share the stories of legends long told.
Is there a particular religion practiced in Tanniyn? Please describe what it involves.
There are some who believe in God, and read the stories of the ancient Bible, but most typically fear an ancient power – spoken of in hushed whispers but never spoken outside the safety of homes. Some say this power ruled the land long ago, but others say it doesn’t exist. No one truly knows, not even the Caretaker of Secrets in the Library of Secrets. Those pages went missing from The Book of Secrets a thousand years ago…
What is the political or government structure in Tanniyn? Who is in charge there at the moment, and what kind of leader is he/she?
Tanniyn is a monarchy, ruled from the Dark Castle by one King. In the past, a group of kings from the north ruled the land from the Star Castles in the Eastern Mountains, but they were driven north ages ago. Currently, the Emperor Morogh rules from the Dark Castle, and he rules with a spiked fist, plowing over any who would dare stand in his way.
Has anything in your actual life inspired the locations, cultures, etc. in your book?
I have always loved world travel, and so far I only have two continents left to visit: Antartica and Australia. I don’t know if I’ll ever make it to the South Pole, but Australia is on my bucket list. From riding camels through the deserts of northern Africa and exploring the snowy woods in Heidelberg, Germany, to watching the sun rise on the eastern coast of Russia to the overgrown mountains of Ecuador, I love seeing everything this world has to offer. I would definitely not be surprised if those real life locations have sneaked their way into Tanniyn. I’ve only begun exploring this world, and can’t wait to see what else is hiding away in the corners of this enchanted kingdom.
What, if any, “hot-button” or controversial topics do you touch on in your book?
** SLIGHT SPOILER WARNING **
Family is a complicated topic. So often in middle grade fiction, parents are portrayed in two ways: extremely aloof and useless, or they are generally good people who care about their kids.
But my experience in life is that there are many kids growing up without a parent. Or with parents who are dangerous. Or who watch their parents do awful things. It’s a scary idea to wrestle with them. For Secret of the Lost King, I wanted to tackle the question: What if someone discovered their parents were not good people? What if someone who wanted a family became part of a family that wasn’t good?
While the book doesn’t go anywhere near some of the horrors children today face, it does look at the concept of parents who are not good people.
Author Autobiography:I have always loved a good story. Ever since I picked up my great-grandmother’s copy of THE WIZARD OF OZ as a second grade reader, I’ve always known that stories, writing, and adventures on the written page were in my future. I love to read, and some of the my favorite authors to follow are Travis Thrasher, Brandon Mull, Wayne Thomas Batson, and Robert Liparulo. I’m also a movie fanatic, and more than once I have heard that some of my books read like 1980’s adventure films. When I’m not writing, I spend my time as a Children’s Pastor, telling stories and sharing hope.
Where, and in what formats, can we purchase your books? Please include links.
Where can readers connect with you online?
Visit my website: shaunstevensonbooks.com for info on all of my books, as well as blog posting and exclusive behind the scenes content. You can also sign up for my email newsletter and receive a bonus short story for free: Thrones: Betrayal of the Green Archer.
I hope you all enjoyed the trip to Tanniyn. Questions about the world or the book? Ask them in the comments and the author will get back to you!
Click here to read other posts in the Realm Explorers series.
Please join us again next Monday for a trip to the steampunk world of Ticswyk, in Realm Explorers Part XCIX!
Click here to read other posts in the Realm Explorers series.
Please join us again next Monday for a trip to the steampunk world of Ticswyk, in Realm Explorers Part XCIX!
-Annie Douglass Lima