Sue Perkins Asks the Questions

(Free Book Special January 5th and 6th - See the end of the post for details.)

And I do my best to answer them. Sue is a fantasy writer from one of the most fantastical places on earth: New Zealand. Yeah, her neighbors are definitely hobbits.

Sue (brave woman) is starting a Friday Focus feature on her blog telling the world about authors she's bumped into over the years. Since I was the only person not completely wrapped up in Christmas wrapping, I jumped up waving my hand to let her know I'd be happy to go first just to kick things off.

Visit SUE PERKINS, AUTHOR blog today January 4th, but it's probably already January 5th where she lives.

About Sue

Hi, I'm Sue and I grew up in Devon, England. My husband and I spent some years travelling the world before starting a family. In 1986 we emigrated to New Zealand and subsequently became New Zealand citizens. My children are now the world travellers while my husband and I live at the top of New Zealand’s South Island. My interests include writing, reading, genealogy and aqua jogging.

To check out Sue's books, click to her Amazon Author page for the full list. She writes fantasy stories for kids like I do. I guess that's why we've stayed in contact for so many years. My favorite of Sue's books is the Dragon World series. She's got a handy box set available on Amazon for a bargain price of $3.99 for all three books.

Dragon Flames tells how Talei and Adri rescue the dragons and save her people at the same time.

Dragon Clans is Sie and Byron's story. Together they solve the problem of the fighting dragon clans.

Dragon Ice is the story of Neisha and Tane's rescue of Neisha' people who are being held captive by the Ice Dragons.





BLOOD TIES TESTED FREE ON AMAZON JANUARY 5TH-6TH

Unfortunate events lead a half vampire boy into indulging his vampire side, leaving him with regret and sadness. Can dear old Dad help him forgive himself?

Following the events in the series Witches of Galdorheim, this additional tale relates what happens to Katrina the Witch's younger brother, Rune. Half vampire and half warlock, he faces life with a wisecrack and some powerful magic. Whatever happens, he does not want to be a vampire like his father. Unfortunate events lead him to fatally call on his vampire half. This failure leaves him in anguish. How can he assuage the guilt he feels? His mother thinks he needs to visit dead old dad, a vampire residing in the Tatras Mountains of Slovakia.

Witches of Galdorheim Visit New Zealand

In an exchange program, the Witches of Galdorheim cast and crew are visiting

New Zealander Sue Perkins on her blog today.

Sue is a prolific author of multiple series, mostly for middle-grade and young adult fantasy readers. Right now, you can get a free ebook of Reva's Quest on Amazon. This was the first of Sue's books I read. It made me want to read more, which I have enjoyed over the years.

Here's where to get "Reva's Quest" free.

One of her more recent series is the four-book "Cloud Kingdom." Very worth checking out. Here's a link to the FREE first book in the series.  Aren't these beautiful covers?

Bio: Sue grew up in Devon, England and emigrated to New Zealand with her family.Sue and her husband live at the top of New Zealand’s South Island.

Her interests include writing, reading, genealogy and aqua jogging.

Sue’s first romance novel was released in May 2007, quickly followed by a fantasy trilogy, more romance books, young adult and middle grade novels.

Her aim is to write a full length epic fantasy novel. The outline is complete, and Sue hopes to finish the first draft by the end of 2017.

Sue Perkins Releases ELISETTE (Cloud Kingdom Bk 2)

ELISETTE is the second book in the CloudKingdoms series and is available from Desert Breeze Publishing. There are four books in the series: Caishel is already available; Tazia will be available on 21^st February 2015 and Zaeyen on the 21^st August 2015. All the books are set on the planet Hejmen and concern women from the individual dukedoms, each with its own Duke's castle flying in the sky.

Merchants and ordinary folk live downside. There are also the Eos, the indigenous people of the planet who have evolved to the point of spiritual beings, although their young are solid until they reach adulthood.

Elisette, usually known as Lise, is the stepdaughter of a northside farmer but when her stepbrothers begin to take an interest in her, her mother sends her away to Lan to find a job in one of the merchant's houses. Thanks to Capet Sard she gets employment as a nursemaid to the Duke and Duchess's children in the sky castle. Capet Sard and Lise fall in love, but when Sard is called back to his home in Rak, Lise is left in Lan. Rumours abound regarding Sard not returning and also an arranged marriage. Lise leaves Lan and journeys to Rak but all sorts of unpleasantness cross her path until she believes Sard and she will never be together.

Excerpt

With a sigh Lise closed the door and trudged upward. After a few more steps a white, wispy creature appeared on the stairs above her. The feet of the creature didn't touch the floor as it floated gracefully toward her. Her stepfather had scared her with tales of evil spirits inhabiting the island offshore from Landon. Lise hadn't believed him, but now her assuredness had been shaken and her body shrank back against the bare stone wall.

The spirit came abreast of her and stopped. Large limpid eyes turned in her direction. Her breath caught in her throat. Could her stepfather's tales be true? Would this being take her soul from her leaving her an empty husk?

Hello. The spirit's green eyes smiled at her, although its lips didn't move.

"Hello," Lise gasped in response.

The spirit nodded and continued down the stairs. Lise sagged with relief and hurriedly continued her climb before the full impact of what she'd seen registered in her mind. The being's lips remained still when the eyes smiled, and they had not moved when it spoke. The words had come directly into her brain!

Lise ran up the rest of the stairs and flung herself through the door on the next landing. Relief flooded through her when she recognized the nursery floor. Once through the nursery door she closed it behind her and leaned against the plaswood panels, trying to catch her breath.

"Mercy child, whatever's the matter?" Keva looked at her, concern written all over her face.

"I sa-saw," Lise stuttered, trying to pull her thoughts together. "I saw a spirit on the stairs."

"A spirit?" Keva's face cleared and she smiled. "You must have seen one of the Eos. They regularly come to visit the Duchess."

"Eos?" Lise had never heard of any Eos before.

"Wherever do you come from, child? I thought everyone knew about the Eos. They live on the island over the horizon from the harbor. They're the people who were here before our ancestors arrived on Hejmen."

"You said they were friends of the Duchess."

"Yes. They became friends after the Duke inherited Lan. The Duchess got lost and the Eos found her, but they needed help which the Duchess provided. Ever since, they've been welcome in the castle and the Duke protects their island. Nobody's allowed to land unless they're specifically invited by the Eos."

Lise didn't know whether to trust Keva's explanation or her stepfather's regarding the strange being on the stairs. She wisely remained silent. On her first day as nursemaid Keva didn't need to have any more doubts about her.

Buy Link: http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com/cloud-kingdoms-book-two-elisette-epub/

Author Website: http://www.sueperkinsauthor.com

Author Blog: http://sueperkinsauthor.blogspot.co.nz

RELEASE DAY: A New Fantasy by Sue Perkins

CLOUD KINGDOMS BOOK ONE: CAISHEL
New from Desert Breeze Publishing

Leave a comment to enter to win a free copy of Caishel.

Today Sue Perkins has brought along Caishel, the heroine of the first book in the Cloud Kingdoms series. Good morning ladies. Caishel, I understand you lived your teenage years as a street urchin. Can you tell us about this?

C: My parents died in an epidemic when I was twelve. I had no other family and had nowhere to live, so I took to the streets.

M: You dressed as a boy. Is that correct?

C: Yes, my father always said women didn't survive in Ardville without a male protector. Now I'm older I know what he meant.

M: How did you manage to conceal your body as you grew up?

C: Binding chest and a poor diet kept me looking boyish.

M: How did you meet Sire Ailan?

C: I ran into him, literally. I'd stolen a fruge, that's a sort of apple, and the stallholder chased me. Sire Ailan blocked my way and I didn't see him until it was too late. Later the same day I met him again and he offered me a job as his page up in the castle in the clouds.

M: Did he know you were female?

C: Not right away, but he soon found out. He didn't tell me he knew though. He wanted to keep me safe and letting me continue as his page was the best way to do this.

M: What was life as a page like?

C: I managed. The other pages didn't like me. They were all sons of Sires or minor nobles so they went out of their way to trip me up, get me into trouble with tutors and lots of other things. I soon sorted them out though. To be quite honest I enjoyed getting the better of them.

M: What was the best thing about being a page?

C: The best thing about being Sire Ailan's page was his nahar. Garlon is such a beautiful animal and gentle, yet fiery when necessary. I got to ride him when the groom was too busy.

M: Now things have changed for the better for you? Would you tell us how?

C: I don't think I should (glances at Sue who shakes her head). No, I'll just say my life now is wonderful, but I can't tell you or I'll spoil the book for you.

M: I see. Well thank you Caishel and Sue for visiting today.

Excerpt

A white, wispy figure flitted through the edge of the trees. The spirits seldom spoke directly to her, but their goodwill came across when they met. Caishel slipped into the forest and headed for the clearing where the Eos were normally found. This would be her last chance to say goodbye. Patiently sitting on a tree stump, she waited until the misty, insubstantial creatures appeared. Their large dark eyes looked depthless against the pure white of their clothes, skin, and hair. Silently they surrounded her, waiting for her to speak.

"I'm going away, so I've come to say goodbye."

In an uncharacteristic gesture, one of the spirits reached toward her and her hand moved in response, but the other's arm quickly withdrew.

"I'm going to live up in the castle," Caishel paused. It could be dangerous to ask about the one who'd pushed the urn, but they might know what had happened. "Have any of you been into the town today?"

The spirits looked at one another and then back at her, slowly one of them shook its head and Caishel sighed.

"Someone who looked like an Eos pushed a heavy urn onto a noble. It appeared out of nowhere, pushed the urn off the overhead bridge, and disappeared as quickly as it had come."

Her words produced an unusual response in the spirits. They looked quickly from one to the other in silent communication, and Caishel guessed they were talking telepathically. The one who had offered her its hand approached her again. Carefully, it placed a hand on her shoulder and Caishel looked up into the beautiful dark eyes.

Please tell us exactly what you saw. No sound came from the creature; the words were in her head.

"I guess it's okay if I speak out loud?" The creature nodded. "I saw a flash of white and looked up in time to see a figure appear on the bridge. It turned solid, pushed the urn off the bridge then disappeared again."

We believe this to be a member of a long lost sister tribe and would like to re-establish contact with them. Would you be able to communicate should you see this being again?

"I'm not sure, but I doubt if I'll have the chance. It's not likely to come up to the castle." A glance through the leaves overhead showed the sun's position and Caishel knew the time had come to leave. "I have to go now, but I'll try and do as you ask."

Bio

Sue Perkins and her family emigrated to New Zealand many years ago. She lives with her husband live on a three acre property at the top of New Zealand’s South Island. Her interests include writing, reading, genealogy, going to the gym and aqua aerobics. Sue’s first writing love is fantasy, and this is for adults, young adults and children. She also writes contemporary romance books. Her aim is to write a full length epic fantasy novel. The outline is complete, and Sue's hope to finish the first draft in 2013 failed, so she is going to try for the end of 2014.

Visit Sue's website for more about her wonderful fantasy books.

Leave a comment to enter to win a copy of Caishel.

Introducing Neisha of Dragon Ice

Today, Sue Perkins is joining me to let you get to know her character, Neisha, from the third book in her Dragon series, DRAGON ICE.

DRAGON ICE
by Sue Perkins

Buy Link: http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com/dragons-book-three-dragon-ice-epub/

Neisha meets Tane in her dreams but finds out he is real when he travels north to rescue her people from the ice dragons. Unfortunately he is injured on the journey and finishes it trapped in the humans' underground home. A discovery regarding the ice dragons requires Tane to mediate between the northern and southern dragons and arrange the possible release of the humans. The weather turns to an icy cold winter while Neisha and Tane grow closer together. Will the humans be able to leave their underground home when the warmer weather arrives, and will they all to leave?



Thank you Marva for inviting me to your blog. I've brought Neisha with me to talk about her life in the frozen north of her planet.

Sue:  Hi Neisha thank you for visiting Marva's blog with me.

Neisha:  Please don't leave me, Sue. This is all so strange to me.

Sue:  Take a deep breath, Neisha. I'll be with you all the time. Can you tell the readers about your home.

Neisha:  My people live in underground caves, partly due to the coldness above ground. We wouldn't survive for long on the surface. It's covered in several feet of snow all the year round. The other reason is the silver dragons.

Sue:  Do you mean you never go above ground?

Neisha: No, the hunting parties go up in the warmer months to hunt the animals that live on the surface, and I occasionally go up to watch the lights in the sky. They have such wonderful colours and the dragons often dance in and out of them. It's so beautiful.

Sue:  You mentioned dragons. Can you tell us a bit more about them?

Neisha:  Perhaps I'd better start at the beginning. One hundred years ago my ancestors crash landed on the plateau on the surface. They salvaged what they could from their spaceship and searched for a way to a warmer place where they could farm and settle. When they did find the pass off the plateau the colder weather had arrived so they wintered in the underground caves. When spring came they emerged only to find the silver dragons wouldn't let them through the pass.

Sue:  So your people have lived underground for one hundred years?

Neisha:  Yes. We've tried to find a way off the plateau either on the surface or through the caves, but the only way out is through the pass. The trouble is we're running out of space as our population grows. In another generation there will be too many people for the available space. Plus our underground food caves won't be able to sustain us.

Sue:  Is there no hope of escaping?

Neisha:  No - well, maybe. I've been dreaming about a man who says he's coming to rescue us. His name is Tane and he is determined to set my people free. I don't know if it's a dream or he is actually visiting me when I'm asleep. If he's for real and he's coming to rescue us, I'm afraid he'll end up trapped in the caves with us.

Sue: I hope he is real and manages to get through. A fresh view of your situation might help you come up with an answer to your problem.

Neisha: I'm sorry but this strange place is really getting to me. Do you mind if we leave now?

Sue:  That's fine. Hold my hand and I'll take you home. 'Bye Marva.

* * *

Thanks for introducing us to Neisha. Sue would also like my readers to know she'll be giving away a free copy of Dragon Ice to a randomly selected commenter. Please leave sufficient info for contact.

* * * About Sue * * *

Hi, I'm Sue and I grew up in Devon, England. My husband and I spent some years travelling the world before starting a family. In 1986 we emigrated to New Zealand and subsequently became New Zealand citizens. My children are now the world travellers while my husband and I live on a 3 acre property at the top of New Zealand’s South Island. My interests include writing, reading, genealogy and Zumba.

Webpage:  http://www.sueperkinsauthor.com
Blog:  http://sueperkinsauthor.blogspot.com

My Review of Dragon Clans by Sue Perkins

Dragon Clans by Sue Perkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In this second book in the Dragon series, Sue Perkins deftly continues the story of the partnership of dragon and human on a colonized world. "Dragon Flame," book 1, tells how the isolated, agrarian humans discover that a race of sentient beings already occupy the planet. It was not a nice meeting.

"Dragon Clans" takes place five years after the dragons and humans have made peace. However, one of the dragon clans, the Valdra, were not included in the treaty.

But they do have human contact via the clan's adoption of a lost girl, Sie. She becomes part of the clan, which is a fortunate circumstance that will eventually have all the dragon clans together again as they were in the ancient days. Byron, just a boy during the initial wars and reconciliation, takes center stage as he teams with Sie to bring understanding and peace to the dragon clans and the humans.

Sue Perkins has created a wonderful world, using the tactic of isolated terran colonists who are pioneers on a rough, new planet. She makes the years passing before the meeting of dragons and humans plausible due to circumstances beyond the control of either group. To say much more would introduce spoilers.

I recommend this well-written and exciting series. If you love dragons as I do, then the two books are must reads. I'm hoping there will be another coming along soon.


View all my reviews

Abu Nuwas and Scheherazade Visit Sue Perkins

Setara's Genie is primarily the tale of a young girl not satisfied with the cultural requirements of settling down with a husband (probably rich) and being a good wife and mother. She has other ideas which include adventure, with a possible handsome sheik thrown into the mix for the romance angle of her story.

Things don't go as planned, of course. How else should a decent story be? Conflict, adventure, danger, getting into a scrape and out again, only to replaced by something more.

Abu Nuwas, the Teller of Tales, weaves these tales for the poor spice seller. Like Scheherazade before him, he leaves each tale hanging to entice the spice seller back again the next day. While the coins he collects in his cup are nice, there's nothing a story teller likes more than an audience.

Abu Nuwas visits Sue Perkins today (the 21st day of the eighth month) to lay out his rhyme and reason.

Click here to fly the magic internet carpet to Sue's blog.

Statue of the real Abu Nuwas,
one of the most important poets of Arabia and Persia.

Sue Perkins writes a variety of genres, primarily YA fantasy. She's in the midst of a new book release, the second book in her Dragon series: Dragon Clans. Give her a little love for her accomplishments when you visit her blog. Read an interview with Essie the dragon right here on this blog.

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:

Quick Review - Dragon Flame by Sue Perkins

Note: Sue Perkins visits this blog tomorrow (Aug. 9th) to talk about the next book in the Dragon series.

Dragon Flame by Sue Perkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The colonists go off course and end up on a planet suitable to survive in small communities. Talei is the first child born on the new planet. It's a rough, frontier life, but things have been going well until the dragons come.

On the celebratory ship landing day, Talei watches helplessly as dragons burn her parents and neighbors alive. She and her brother manage to escape the devastation and join up with others who survived. The small band find some caves to hide in and send out scouts to see if the other communities have also been attacked. They have, except for Boon, situated on the western coast. Talei and her friends warn the settlers of the dragon attacks and are laughed at. There is no such thing as dragons after all.

The Boon townsfolk learn differently when they're attacked as well. They, however, have a defense not available to the other towns--the space ship on which they arrived on the planet. It provides a shelter to protect them.

During the attack, Talei makes mental contact with one of the dragons. She soon learns that the dragons are not at fault, but are being forced to attack the human colonies by an alien race called the Pundras. With that knowledge, Talei leads a small group to the western continent--the home of the dragons--to help the dragons overcome the Pundra slavers.

Any more and I'd have to hide this review for spoilers.

Talei and Adri are likable, brave, and worthy. The dragons turn out to be noble and willing to partner with the humans to help both races survive.

This is a wonderful adventure story. Dragons and aliens are a great combination, and Sue Perkins does a good job combining the fantasy with the scifi. The second book in the series, Dragon Clans, is already available and I'm going to get my copy soon.

Great, fun read. I recommend the book (and most likely the entire series) to all the YA fantasy/sf readers who like an inventive and gripping adventure story.


View all my reviews

Sue Perkins - Two New Releases!

REVA'S QUEST
Reva fights evil in Fey with the help of a garden gnome, elves, griffins and a knight in shining armour.
by Sue Perkins: http://www.sueperkinsauthor.com/
Blogsite: http://sueperkinsauthor.blogspot.com/
Buy Reva's Quest at MuseItUp Publishing

Sue's last book, "Spirit Stealer," is now available at MuseItUp, Amazon, and other on-line bookstores. Now, let's hear from Sue.

Thank you Marva for inviting me to your blog.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year and are not feeling too down about returning to school or work.

My break has been very relaxed. I live in New Zealand so we get Christmas in the sun and I have to say the sun really did its best for us. Very hot days with blue skies. The rain set in for New Year though.

My New Year began for on the 30th December when MuseItUp Publishing released my Middle Grade novel "Reva's Quest". This is my second Middle Grade novel, the first one being "Spirit Stealer" which was released by MuseItUp in October 2011. Both are fantasies.

DRAGON FLAME

On the 1st January Desert Breeze Publishing released a Young Adult novel "Dragon Flame" so 2012 has definitely started with all things wonderful.

I have to admit my favorite genre is fantasy. Sometimes on Earth with spirits, ghosts and other scary things. I also visit alternate worlds with magical beings both animals and humanoids.

"Reva's Quest" starts on Earth but rapidly moves to the magical world of Fey. Reva's garden gnome demands she accompany him Fey to rid the magical world of evil which he states is all her fault.

The adventure begins when they start their quest accompanied by two elves and a griffin. The evil has infiltrated most of the land and sometimes the beings of Fey are not as they seem.

Excerpt from Reva's Quest

They walked through the trees for most of the day, but eventually the forest thinned out. Through the trunks she could see rolling meadows with another wooded area in the distance. Distant snow-topped mountains broke the horizon. The creatures of Fey might not be the same as her imagination, but the scenery certainly looked similar. Eager to leave the lurking leprechauns behind, she hurried out onto the lush grassy surface.

“Come back you silly girl.”

Reva ignored Maura. With her arms stretched out to either side and her face turned upward, she spun slowly, enjoying the warm sunshine of late afternoon.

“What does she think she’s doing?” Maura’s voice held astonishment.

“Enjoying the warmth and light I think,” Jarin's words were thoughtful. “I thought she knew about Fey. Doesn’t she know how dangerous it is to rush out in the open?”

“Apparently not,” the female elf replied.

Reva heard their voices, but ignored the actual words. Eyes closed, she tilted her head back even more and lifted her face to the sky, enjoying the warm rays bathing her face. The sunshine wiped away the sense of menace and replaced it with a feeling of ease and contentment.

For several moments, she stood delighting in the sun before something passed across the sky, throwing a shadow on her face. Reva looked up, expecting to see a cloud crossing the sun. Her eyes widened in horror. A huge avian dived toward her at an amazing speed. The beak opened in a challenging scream which went right through her. Sharp talons on its feet stretched toward her as it swooped in for the kill.

The bird zoomed closer and closer. Reva stood open-mouthed, staring. Fear and disbelief pinned her feet to the ground.

Buy Link Reva's Quest: http://tinyurl.com/revasquest

"Dragon Flame" occurs on an alternate planet. Eighteen year old Talei is the eldest survivor of an attack of fire breathing dragons. Talei links telepathically with a dragon, and discovers their goblin riders are holding the female dragons hostage. Talei and her friend Adri lead a group of teenagers to free the beasts. Failure means the end of both dragons and humans.

Excerpt from Dragon Flame

Darth stirred beside her, and thinking he moved to comfort her, she turned toward him. To her horror she saw him crawl from beneath the wagon and move toward a laser gun which had fallen from the hand of a dead defender.

"Darth, no," she hissed. "Don't be stupid."

He picked up the laser, and still lying on the ground he looked toward her, pride glowing in his eyes.

"I'm not stupid, Talei. I'm going to protect my home and people in the only way I know." Without another word he wriggled forward until he reached the dance floor. Talei watched helplessly as he stood. Alone in the center of the dance floor, he fired at a dragon strafing the tents along the eastern side of the open space.

The beast turned. Without appearing to aim, it launched a stream of fire at Darth. He didn't even have time to cry out as his body burst into flames. When the blaze subsided only a blackened husk remained. Talei watched in horror as the residue of her childhood friend fell lifeless to the ground.

The dragon hovered over its kill. Talei screamed in terror, and the huge, triangular head turned in her direction. She stared helplessly into the dragon's brilliant green, cat-like eyes. She froze as the maw opened, and waited for the searing heat to destroy her, too. Somewhere in the back of her mind her brain chanted a litany. Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me.

Buy Link Dragon Flame: http://tinyurl.com/dragonflame
Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI44FEElYmg

Sue Perkins - Spirit Stealer

SPIRIT STEALER

Today, I interview Sue Perkins about her upcoming release from MuseItUp Publishing.

INTERVIEW

Thank you for inviting me to your blog, Marva. I'm having great fun with the MuseItUp MG/YA blog tour.

(Q) Thank you for joining us today. Before we begin, please tell our readers where they can find you.

I can be found mainly on my blog http://sueperkinsauthor.blogspot.com/ but information for individual books are on my website http://www.sueperkinsauthor.com/.

(Q) Tell everyone a bit about your books including buy links.

Links to my books can be found on my website. Unfortunately the link for my MuseItUp Publishing release Spirit Stealer isn't up yet. Spirit Stealer will be released in October and is for Middle Grade readers.

Fader, an orphan, takes refuge from the weather and sleeps in the library. As the weeks pass he begins to hear noises. Playful phantoms emerge from the bookshelves, but then the Spirit Stealer takes over the nighttime library, stealing the spirits of all who stay after the library has closed.

(Q) Where did the concept for the book (or books) come about?

On a way to a friend who lived in the country, I got lost. The night was pitch black, no streetlights out in the wilds of New Zealand. I began to think of what the darkness could hide. By the time I reached my friend's house I had the first chapter of the book worked out in my mind.

(Q) How long did it take you to finish, from concept to final product?

Some years. I wrote the middle part and sent it off to a competition. The response came back - too short. Other projects took up my time but eventually I came back to Spirit Stealer and wrote a beginning and an end. I looked around for a publisher and found MuseItUp. I knew from the start it was the home for my book. Lucky for me the submissions editor agreed with me.

(Q) Which authors have most influenced your own writing?

Several fantasy authors have influenced me. I love books about dragons so Anne McCaffrey is definitely a favorite. Others are David Eddings and Terry Pratchett. I do like the Harry Potter books but more as an enjoyable read rather than an influence.

(Q) What do you do for fun other than writing?

I love Zumba. Fitness and fun has got to be good, right? Other hobbies are reading and family history. My family history research has had to take a back seat this year due to writing commitments.


Sue Perkins

 (Q) Do you have any favorite place where you feel your Muse is more apt to come and play while you write? Or perhaps you listen to music? If so, what do you listen to?

I have a Stressless chair which is my place to write. I can write without being distracted by the things around me. I don't particularly like music playing in the background. The only thing that irritates me when I'm writing is when someone talks to me, usually when the words are flowing. Trouble is they expect an answer.

(Q)  Do you secretly want to write another genre, but don't think you can do it?

I'd love to write Regency, but there's a lot of research involved and that isn't my strong point. I like to get on with the story, not keep stopping to check things. That's why I think I can't write this genre.

(Q) Plotter or pantser?

Oh definitely a pantser. I find if I plot a story it loses it's sparkle. Plus I'm never sure where the story is going. My characters usually take over and steer the direction of the story.

(Q) Coffee or tea?

Coffee. I cannot stand tea which is strange as I come originally from England where tea is the main drink. I don't drink a lot of coffee, maybe one or two cups a day, plus it's usually decaffeinated so I believe that's not too bad.

(Q) Do you have any new projects that you are working on? If so, what are they? (optional if you don't have a WIP to talk about)

I have several at the moment. Two adult fantasies, a Middle Grade fantasy and a Young Adult fantasy. The YA is about dragons and is a sequel to a novel that's being released in January 2012. The Middle Grade is a similar style to Spirit Stealer but a different setting. The two adult fantasies are set in worlds of my own making.
(Q) What do you do to market your work? How did you start and where do you learn to market?

I find marketing difficult. Not the actual process, but the time it takes. My writing has taken a back seat over the last few months due to editing and marketing. I try to get my name recognized by taking part in blog tours, and several writing lists on Yahoo. My blog stats reflect when I've done a promotion. I recently did an advert in the trade paper I work for and people visiting my blog trebled for about a week. Advertising seems to work for me.

(Q) How about an excerpt to tantalize the readers?

Fader ran. Panic lent speed to his feet, but a glance over his shoulder showed the spirit stealer reaching for him. Could he outrun the phantom now it had become so strong?

He slowed down as he felt a touch on his back. A pain began in his chest, and he knew the phantom pulled at his spirit. He tried to tear himself away. The harder he struggled, the stronger the pain. Fader closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He gathered all his strength and lunged forward. A loud snap echoed in his head as he shot forward, released at last.

Praying the spirit stealer still couldn’t get to the front of the library, Fader fled. He arrived at the storeroom and hid, not daring to move or sleep. Hunched up in a corner, he stayed there for the rest of the night.

Next morning, Fader stretched up to the window. He’d made up his mind. Books or no books, he couldn’t face the danger of the library. He wouldn’t be back. His calmness transformed into horror as he groped for the latch. His hand went straight through the metal!

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Here are links to Sue's books on Amazon.