Setara Visits Katie Carroll's Blog

Katie's new book, Elixir Bound, is running the blog tour rounds. I featured her on this blog on the 7th, so she's returning the favor by hosting my main character, Setara, from Setara's Genie.

Check it out on Katie's Blog by clicking this sentence.

Read about Elixir Bound and world building on my blog.

Setara's Genie, Basit, Visits Barb Ehrentreu

Barbara Ehrentreu plays hostess to Basit the Djinn 

on her blog today.

Barbara, a retired teacher with a Masters degree in Reading and Writing K-12 and seventeen years of teaching experience lives with her family in Stamford, Connecticut. When she received her Masters degree she began writing seriously. If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor, Barbara’s first YA novel, published by MuseItUp Publishing was inspired by Paula Danziger. It won #2 in Preditors & Editors Poll for Best Young Adult Book of 2011. In addition, Barbara has a story in Lavender Dreams, a memorial anthology for which all the proceeds go to cancer research. She has three poems in Prompted: An International Collection of Poems by the Anthologists for which all the proceeds go to Literacy research. Her blog, Barbara’s Meanderings, http://barbaraehrentreu.blogspot.com/, is networked on both Facebook and Blog Catalog. She hosts Red River Writers Live Tales from the Pages on Blog Talk Radio every 4th Thursday. In addition, her children's story, “The Trouble with Follow the Leader” and an adult story, “Out on a Ledge” are published online She has written book reviews for Authorlink.com. and several of her reviews have been on Acewriters and Celebrity Café. She is a member of SCBWI. Writing is her life!

RELEASE DAY!

Today is the official release date for SETARA'S GENIE. Penny Ehrenkranz Q&As me about being a writer and things about the new book. Penny was the line editor for the book, so is pretty familiar with the story. She's probably read it more times than I have (not really).

Penny is not only an editor for MuseItUp Publishing, she's also an author of a number of books of various genres, everything from fantasy to scifi to romance. Be sure to check out her books when you visit her blog, then sign up to follow Penny. She's always posting interesting things.

Comment on all my tour blog stops to win prizes.

FYI: All the main character names in the book are either Arabic or Persian and have a meaning relating to the character's personality or type. Here are the characters in the rough order they are introduced in the tale.

*Abu Nuwas (a real Persian poet in 8th C)
*Najda - courage
*Setara - star
*Basit - one who enlarges
*Azizah - strong, powerful
*Petros - stone
*Kairav - Born from the water
*Hasib - noble
*Habiba - love interest
*Nasreen - wild rose
*Shairan - demon associated with jinns
*Sharif - truthful, virtuous

New Book Release - Dragon Clans by Sue Perkins

Thank you to Marva for her kind invitation to post on her blog.

My latest release is 'Dragon Clans' the second book in the Dragon series. Sie, a human girl, is rescued from the sea by a red dragon. She is welcomed into the dragon clan and makes friends with a young female dragon called Essie. I'm delighted to say Essie has agreed to come along with me today and tell us about her friendship with Sie.

Hi Essie, thank you for coming today.

E: I'm happy to visit. Do you mind if I ask a question? What exactly is a blog tour?

A blog is a series of visits to different blogs usually to talk about book releases or other matters of interest. When did you first meet Sie?

E: I heard her before I saw her. She sent out a plea for help and I heard her in my mind. I convinced our leader Toldar he should go and find her. He rescued her and Benare, our healer, gave her into my care.

Wasn't she scared when she found herself surrounded by huge dragons?

E: I think she was at first, but she soon recovered and we became sisters.

Sisters?

E: Yes. First we became good friends as I showed her how we did things in the Valdra Clan. We decided as neither of us had any family left, we wanted to be sisters. The clan approved and Sie was accepted into the clan.

I understand there was a problem with some of the other clans.

E: Yes, but it was more a misunderstanding. With Sie and Byron's help we were able to sort it all out.

Who's Byron?

E: He's a human who is friends with the Mondra Clan. I think Sie's a bit sweet on him.

And do you have any particular dragon you're interested in.

E: [Suddenly shy] I'd rather not say. I think I should go now. Sie will be worried if I'm away too long.

Well thanks for visiting Essie, it was lovely to meet you.

If you want to find out more about Essie and Sie here is the buy link.

Buy Link: http://tinyurl.com/dragonclans

Webpage: http://www.sueperkinsauthor.com

Don't forget to leave a comment and be in to win 

an ebook of Dragon Clans at the end of the blog tour.

Excerpt:

Essi. An orange dragon came forward when Benare called. This is the human you heard call for help. I am making you responsible for her. Find some warm clothing for her and feed her.

With a nod to Sie, the healer turned and moved away.

My name's Essi. The dragon sounded a bit shy. What should I call you?

"I'm Sie. Do you mind if I sit down? I'm feeling a bit dizzy."

Sit over here. Essi indicated a flat rock a short distance away. I'll bring you something to eat.

Visions of raw meat flicked through Sie's mind. What did dragons eat? Essi returned holding a flat rock. Several different fruits and an unusual cake sat on top of the rock, and the young dragon placed it beside Sie, then scrunched down on her back legs.

Eat. We can talk after you have food inside you.

Sie picked up some fruit and bit into it. The juices ran down her throat soothing a path through the soreness caused by swallowing sea water. She took a tentative bite of the cake. It tasted delicious. Made of fruit, it had been compressed and blended to make a cake texture. In moments it vanished.

You have finished? Come, we will find you something warm to wear. Essi led the way to some caves in the rocky walls of the valley. The large opening allowed light into the cave, and Essi began to rummage through piles of hides and skins.

Ah, here we are. The dragon held up a rectangle of thick fur against Sie's body then folded it in half down the narrow edge. With one of her sharp talons she slit the center at the top, leaving a small piece of fur at either end. When Essi offered her the skin, Sie looked at her in bewilderment. What did the dragon want her to do?

Pull it over your head.

"Oh." Sie pushed her head through the slit and found the fur hung from her shoulders to her knees. The flight to the dragon settlement had dried her clothes, and with this extra cover her body warmed up. Essi picked up a bigger fur skin and led the way to a small cave. Near the back Sie could see a heaped pile of animal furs and dried vegetation.

These are my sleeping quarters, Essi explained. You can sleep here for now. I'll be busy outside for a while. Use this as a cover.

The dragon handed Sie the larger fur. Clambering up on the bedding Sie pulled the covering over her and snuggled down.

"Thank you, Essi." A yawn stopped her saying anything further. Her eyelids drooped, and she fell asleep.

* * *

Sue's own personal dragon:

Setara's Genie Blog Tour

Setara's Genie is scheduled for release on August 17th. Pre-order before the 17th to get a 20% discount.

I'm calling on my fellow YA authors and friends to host me for a day in August.

*** Updated 7/29 ***
8/07 Wendy Laharnar - Question and Answer
8/13 J.Q. Rose - Setara Visits
8/14 Teen Word Factory - Promo
8/16 Lorrie Unites-Struiff - Flying Horses
8/17 Penny Ehrenkranz - Question and Answer
8/19 Barbara Ehrentreu - Genies
8/21 Sue Perkins - Abu Nuwas and Scheherazade
8/23 Meradeth Houston - Demonology
8/25 Enita Meadows - The Kazikli Bey
8/20-27 Rebecca Ryals Russell - Poseidon and Amphitrite
8/29 Pat McDermott - Monsters
8/31 Right here on this blog with a wrap party

I'll update this list if anything is added.

Note that there will be free copies of Setara's Genie given to selected commenters on each host's site. I'll also be handing out some MuseItUp spending money to a couple of followers.

Bad Spelling First Chapter

D. Renee Bagby's First Chapters blog carries Chapter 1 of "Bad Spelling," Book 1 of the Witches of Galdorheim Series.

Tomorrow (May 14th), the book trailer for "Scotch Broom" (Book 2 of Witches of Galdorheim) will be on top of the You Gotta Read book trailer contest. Voting is the 21st-27th. And, of course, Scotch Broom is my featured book for the Summer Teen Read Party going on all through May (schedule in the right-hand sidebar).

Poor "Midnight Oil" is feeling bereft of attention. To remedy that, here's the Midnight Oil book trailer AND its first chapter.  Okay, it can quit being jealous now.

Chapter One Company’s Coming

Present Day, Galdorheim Island in the Barents Sea

Kat scrambled around her room getting ready for her grandfather’s arrival. More importantly, Andy would be coming, too. She dwelled a moment on their one kiss, and her stomach fluttered. Nearly six months had passed since she’d left him in Siberia, and that was one hundred and eighty days too long.

She took a last glance in the mirror and jerked the childish red ribbon from her hair. The black tresses fell loose down her back. Twisting to check out her jean-clad rear in the mirror, she smiled. Yes! Tight enough to show off, but not so tight Mom’ll flip out.

She searched for her bunny-familiar and found Teddy snoozing under the pillow. Kat nudged him. He blinked and yawned.

“Hey, lazy butt, want to come along?”

“Cold.”

“Not too cold. I’ll carry you.”

Teddy tipped his head. Kat could almost hear the little gears grinding. “Okay.”

She tucked Teddy into the sling and hurried to the parlor where her family waited.

Rune, her half-brother, yawned. “About time.”

“I can’t just throw any old thing on like you do!” Kat stuck out her tongue at him but had to admit he always looked great. If he’d only wear some other color than black.

“Let’s go.” Ardyth, her mother, snapped her fingers. A brown velvet cape leapt from its hook, draping itself around the statuesque blonde’s shoulders. The dragon clasp hissed as it snicked shut at her throat. The tall witch glanced in the mirror hung above the coat hooks and patted her pale hair into place.

Kat’s family left the house and walked together down the main street of the village. Other Wiccans came out of their homes, silently falling into step behind them. They made their way toward the portal, which served as entrance and exit to the magic, bubble-like barrier. Without the protective shield, their village would freeze like the rest of the tiny, icebound island of Galdorheim. When they passed the Council Hall, the head witch joined them.

Kat dipped her head in greeting. “Good morn, Aunt Thordis.”

A tweak of a smile touched Thordis’ upper lip, and she nodded in greeting to her niece. “Ardyth,” Thordis said to Kat’s mother, “I assume you finished preparing the cave for the ceremony?”

“Yes. I put out the black drapery and moved in a small altar. It’s quite charming. If only Boris looked as good.” Ardyth tsked and shook her head. “I do wish he’d been, well, in a more, ah, dignified position when the ice caved in. That broken leg sticking out. The big hole in his head. Terrible.”

Kat patted her mother’s arm. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’m sure Dad doesn’t mind. After being stuck in the ice for fourteen years, that’s the last thing he’d worry about.”

Ardyth raised her voice. “Well, he might!” Nearby witches glanced their way. She leaned toward Kat and whispered, “After all, he’s not dead yet! I don't like people just assuming.”

Thordis stopped and faced her sister. “And he’s not going to die here if I have anything to say about it!”

Ardyth winced. “All right, all right. I won’t thaw him. I’d just like a chance to tell him how much…” Ardyth’s voice hitched.

Thordis shot her sister a look, but said nothing more. The older witch walked through what looked like a simple garden gate, set in a shimmering wall of soap bubble film. The others followed close behind.

The half-siblings looked at each other. Rune shrugged with a questioning look. Kat took his arm, leaning close to his ear.

“Mom wants to say goodbye.”

“I know,” Rune replied. “Don’t you? Like, he is your father.”

“Aunt Thordis said it’d be too painful for him if he thawed. He might live for only a few seconds. It’s not worth it.”

“So, he’ll just be a popsicle forever, eh?”

Kat slugged her younger brother’s bicep and hissed, “That’s awful!”

“I know,” Rune shot back with a grin, exposing the longer than normal canines he’d inherited from his vampire father.

Kat pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. She elbowed him lightly in the ribs. “If you act like such a child, Nadia won’t be interested in you.” The comment stopped him in his tracks.

Rune hissed out a breath and looked at his feet. “Okay, you win this one. I hope she came along like she promised.”

“Oh, she’s probably forgotten all about you.” Kat suppressed a smirk. “I think it’ll just be Grandfather Ivansi and Andy. Maybe a few of the Sami hunters to help.”

With an evil grin, he sang in a whispering lilt, “Katrina loves Andy. Katrina loves Andy.” Kat envied her little brother’s knack for flying below the older witches’ radar. The elders never seemed to see his mischievous side when he pulled some stunt. They all thought him the perfect little warlock-slash-vampire.

Kat sighed. Maybe she was in love. At almost fifteen, she’d never had a boyfriend before. When Andy kissed her, it felt…totally awesome. Now he was almost here, she felt her palms getting damp. She dried first one then the other on Teddy’s fur, trying to look like she was simply petting her rabbit.

While her mind wandered to thoughts of Andy, the family reached the portal leading to the ice-bound part of the island. The glacier that encased the body of Kat’s father hulked above them a hundred feet to the right of the gate. They continued down a barely visible path leading to the edge of the water. Eight months of the year, solid ice surrounded the island, plus another two months of floe ice. Only during a brief summer period did the water clear, opening the way for boats to reach them. During the winter months, the jetty was only a jutting piece of ice. Now, with it melted, she could see the tiny wooden pier the Wiccans built to provide a place to tie boats.

Kat searched the horizon. Wondering if her grandfather would come by kayak, she decided a paddleboat wouldn’t work if he planned to take back the block of ice containing her father. No, he would need to bring something bigger.

Rewarding her vigil, two black dots appeared far out to sea. The older witches waited patiently as the boats approached, but Kat stood on tiptoe, leaning forward as if it would help her see better. Did he come? She pressed her lips tightly together. No use sweating over it. He would either be with them, or he wouldn’t.

The two boats finally neared enough to make out their general outlines, but not close enough for her to see if Andy was present. Rune’s sharper vampire vision could pick out details better than Kat’s.

She elbowed him. “What kind of boats? How many people?”

“Don’t get all worked up,” he replied. When Kat frowned at him, he relented. “It looks like a motorboat, maybe a thirty-footer, and a three-man kayak. The motorboat must be pulling the kayak ‘cause I don’t think even Sami fishermen can paddle that fast.”

Once Rune told her what he saw, she could also make out the two boats. “I see them,” she called out, pointing and bouncing on the balls of her feet. Teddy almost fell out of the sling.

“Yes, dear,” Aunt Thordis answered, patting her shoulder. “We all see the boat. Now calm down.”

Kat’s cheeks reddened, and she planted her feet flat on the ground. She didn’t want to look too eager. Andy might have thought the kiss was just between friends. Maybe she had read too much into it. She jammed her hands into her pockets to hide their trembling.

Finally, the motorboat eased up to the little pier. Kat’s grandfather moved to the bow and bent to pick up a coil of rope lying on the deck. Before he could grasp it, the free end sprang away from him, tying itself around a piling. Kat glanced back to see her mother’s upraised hand, directing the rope with a flick of her wrist. Startled, Ivansi straightened and smiled. He waved at Ardyth and moved to the back of the motorboat. At the stern, he picked up the thick cord, holding it up and away from his body. Ardyth gestured again, and it performed the same trick as the bow mooring line.

“That’s a neat spell with the rope. I’d like to learn it,” Kat commented.

“‘Line,’ sis,” Rune replied. “If it’s on a boat, it’s called a ‘line.’”

Kat shrugged and mumbled, “Whatever.”

She forgot Rune when she saw a head of black hair through the windshield of the small pilot’s cabin. She raised her hand halfway but stopped and pressed it to her chest. Her heart pounded, and cold little fish swam up and down her spine.

The head rose higher, and Kat recognized Nadia, the girl Rune had become friends with at the Sami village. Rune trotted forward. Nadia left the cabin and came out on the open deck. Rune was ready to take her hand. She emitted a startled squeak and then giggled as he levitated her from boat to pier.

Meanwhile, the kayak pulled up to the other side of the pier, and three Sami men hopped out, tying it to another piling. Kat scanned the small group, but the boy she couldn’t wait to see wasn’t among them. Shoulders slumping, she turned back and walked over to her grandfather. He put his hands on her arms and smiled, showing strong, white teeth in his brown, weather-beaten face.

“Granddaughter, I greet you,” he said in heavily accented English and kissed her on both cheeks.

She pecked his cheeks in return. “Grandfather, I greet you as well.” She stood back, and Ardyth came forward to meet her father-in-law for the first time. Kat glanced at the boat, but Andy didn’t appear.

She suppressed a sigh. “My mother, Ardyth.” She kept it simple. English was one of the few languages the Samis and the Wiccans had in common, but she knew Ivansi spoke very little of it. He had probably made a special effort to learn the greeting.

“Daughter, I greet you.” The older man kissed Ardyth on each cheek. Ardyth surprised Ivansi by throwing her arms around him. She’d only been Boris’s wife for a few months before the tragic cave-in, but the old man looked much like her deceased husband. Kat could almost feel the wave of love and sorrow flow between the two. They both lost the same person.

The group gathered to walk back to the village portal. Tonight, a banquet for the visitors, and then, tomorrow morning, everyone would gather in the ice cave to say a final goodbye to Boris.

Kat looked back at the empty boat. She bowed her head, blinking back tears. Andy obviously wasn’t interested in seeing her, so that was that. She’d get over it…sometime.

A School for Villains - Ardyth De Bruyn

A SCHOOL FOR VILLAINS

by Ardyth DeBruyn

Available Now on Amazon Kindle

If there's one thing Danny's not, it's evil.  But when it's good to be bad, it's nearly impossible to get kicked out of villain school.

Thirteen-year-old Danny is astounded when his father decides to send him to Dark Lord Academy to learn to be a villain. Pa claims it will make him stand out and fulfill his own lost childhood dreams. Being evil doesn’t appeal to Danny, but he’s always been a good and obedient son, so he goes.

Dark Lord Academy’s not just unappealing, it’s downright terrible. His advisor dyes Danny’s blond hair black and changes his name to the unpronounceable Zxygrth. He can’t get the hang of maniacal laughter, his second-in-command servant is a puke-colored monkey, and the cafeteria lady enjoys serving stewed cockroaches or fried bat wings. A run in with a hero results in hate mail and he gets caught up in a rivalry with the school bully. The only way for Danny to stay alive is to find his inner villain.

Bio:  Ardyth DeBruyn is a native Oregonian with a restless nature and a degree in Anthropology. After hiking over 1500 miles across Europe and living on the Mexican border for a year, she settled back in the Pacific Northwest (for now) to write fantasy stories. She has decided she can type herself into adventures faster than walk. She has fiction published in a number of webzines and a novel, “Chosen Sister,” available as an e-book. Her second novel, “A School for Villains,” is now available at Amazon, and coming soon to other e-book outlets.

* * * * *

Note from the blogger: I had the pleasure of reading this book in critiques. That was quite awhile ago. I knew that Ardyth's first published book, "Chosen Sister," had been released through WildChild Publishing. I guessed this book would also go through the same publisher. Instead, Ardyth decided to do her own thing based on the success of other Indie authors. One thing Ardyth has is an Ace in the Hole. Her brilliant artist brother, Leo, created not only a stunning cover, but black and white interior illustrations.

This is such a fun book to read. I'm very happy Ardyth is doing it right along with her own way. This is definitely a book that should belong to your read over and over collection of YA fantasy.

Excerpt:

Chapter 2

The Dark Chariot Pays a Visit

Danny woke with a sense of impending doom. The large black envelope, primly propped up against the candlestick on his bedside table, did not suggest today was going to go any better than yesterday. The silver seal, shaped like a devil’s head, seemed to grin mockingly at him. Underneath, in lacy silver lettering, read: Dark Lord Academy—pro peiore potestate. Danny rubbed his eyes and looked again. Nope, still there. He swallowed hard and reached out to poke it with a finger.

The envelope fell flat.

Danny sat up and groaned. It was much too early to deal with something like this. Should he open it? Could he not open it? Danny glowered. He’d let Pa do the honors. That way if it was cursed, it would be justice for Pa to get it. He dragged himself out of bed, carefully picked up the letter, and pinched Dicky’s foot as he passed him on the way out.

“Get up, lazybones.”

“Oww,” Dicky mumbled and buried his head in the blankets.

Danny rolled his eyes and headed into the main room. Amos stood by the fire, stirring the pot of porridge. Pa lounged in his usual chair, discussing horseshoe orders. Resisting the desire to glare at Pa, as it would only get him angry and insistent, Danny shoved the letter at him.

“What’s that?” Pa asked.

“Didn’t you put it by my bed?”

“No.” Pa frowned. “But then, those Dark Lords are uncanny fellows. I suppose they magicked it here.” He handed the envelope back to Danny. “Go ahead, son.”

That was distinctly not reassuring. They’d responded that fast? Danny needed time to think this through, a plan to prove he wasn’t fit for villain school. “What if it’s dangerous?”

Pa laughed. “Oh, come on, it’s not like they’d hurt one of their well-paying students. Open it.”

Danny hid a grimace. Taking a deep breath, he broke the seal. A column of black smoke burst from the envelope. He dropped it and jumped backwards. High-pitched laughter came from inside.

Muahahahahahahahaha!”

The smoke condensed into a squat and contorted creature. Danny squinted. It was pond-slime green, had pointy ears that stuck out sideways, and a nasty leer on its face. Danny had never seen a goblin before, but this had to be what they looked like.

If that doesn't tempt you, then you just aren't a fan of YA fantasy.

Identity Crisis

I bounce around the various websites, social media outlets, and other authors' blogs as much as I can. That's what you do to sell your books.

Romance writers go to the romance sites. Science fiction writers go to the SF sites. Paranormal writers flit about between fantasy and romance. There are most likely Yahoo groups and blogs dedicated to historical fiction (also flitting toward the romance), military (maybe with the scifi?), women's fiction (back to romance), LGBT (they're all over the place too), erotica (romance, etc.), YA, etc.

At least I don't have to cover every single one of those genres or I'd have to...

Uh, yeah, I do have to cover all those genres. The result is that I'm having to cover too much thereby making my attempts to be that flukey best-selling indie ebook writer, or at least sell a few books.

This is freaking wearing me out and yet I'm getting nowhere really fast and wasting huge amounts of time doing it. Write something new? Big fat chance of that. I'm on this freaking computer from first cup of coffee on until dinner prep time. What am I doing? Visiting blogs, groups, tweeting, facebooking, kindleboarding, etc. Oh, then I'm also supposed to write a brilliant blog post every day. Yeah, like that's going to happen.

I think I will drop out for awhile. Just to regroup, decide what I want to do when I grow up, and maybe not spend all freaking day with butt in chair.

MuseItUp Publishing (bless their dear little hearts) is releasing one of my books in July. I figure I can get back into the promo action again a month or so before that release. By the way, it's a murder mystery. F**K! Another genre to group, face, tweet, blog, board, blab. Why can't I leave well enough alone? Why did I have to add yet another genre to my burden.

ARRGGHHH!!!!!

Interviewed on A Work In Progress Blog

Up and coming writer, James Conway, just started blogging. He invited me to promo my latest Middle-grade fantasy on his blog. I appreciate his support!

Read the interview at A Work In Progress.