Quick Characters - Sulawesi

Besides the main characters, there are a few interesting minor characters in Setara's Genie. I'll be posting brief studies of them here and there.

Sulawesi the Eagle

Sulawesi shows up when Setara is setting out to assist Hasib (the Sultan's flying, fire-breathing horse) when his mate, Habiba, is stolen by pirates. Setara and her friends soon learn that Sulawesi is the servant (he says "invaluable assistant) of the Great Vizier. His task is to watch over Hasib to make sure he's safe. When Hasib has left the confines of the Sultan's stables to find Habiba, Sulawesi follows the stallion surreptitiously. If, of course, you think surreptitious means scaring the Hasib into short flying hops accompanied by pitiful sparking flames. We never said that Hasib was a successful flying, fire-breathing, talking horse, only that he had these skills embedded in his DNA. It takes a genie's boot in his behind to force Hasib to fully take charge of his magical skills.

For more on the flying critters in Setara's Genie, click on this line.

Excerpt

Basit held the eagle upside down by his legs and gave it a shake.

“Squawk, skreak, urk!”

The genie shook the eagle one more time. The eagle turned a beady eye upward. “All right. Just put me down, you big lummox.”

Basit inverted the eagle and set it gently on the ground. The eagle ruffled its wings and preened the right one a couple of strokes before turning its attention back to Basit. “You caught me fair and square, I guess. I suppose I can’t complain.”

“So, eagle, why are you following my friends?” Basit asked.

“If you must know,” the eagle replied, glancing around at the group, “I’m supposed to be watching out for Hasib. So far, he hasn’t landed into any bad scrapes, so I just watch. If he gets into trouble, then I will help him get out.”

“And you’re doing this why?” Basit asked with suspicion in his voice.

“The Great Vizier sent me, of course, balloon face. He doesn’t want to see his investment harmed.”

Hasib snorted. “What do you mean investment? The Great Vizier hasn’t paid much attention to my welfare in the past.”

“Not that Great Vizier, jackass, the vizier who created your bloodline.”

“Isn’t he long dead? That was hundreds of years ago,” Hasib exclaimed.

“Oh, viziers come and go, but they seldom really die. They have to move on after so many years with a sultan, or people begin to wonder about them–whether or not they are immortal. Well, they’d be close to right. Only a few viziers exist, and they go to a different sultanate every thirty or so years to keep up appearances.”

“That’s a relief!” exclaimed Hasib. “I thought you were an agent of the thieves attempting to stop me from looking for Habiba.”

“Even so, why would the vizier care about Hasib?” Basit asked.

“Because of his talents, of course. The vizier still hopes that Hasib, the last of his line, will be able to control the fire breathing and flying. The Great One does not give up easily.

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

Lorrie Unites-Struiff - NEW BOOKS!!

The Call on the Dead Club series with BTGN (http://www.bookstogonow.com/).


Story 1&2 will be included in the first book.

Come and meet Winnie Krapski who hugged a cherry tree during a lightning storm. The bolt slammed her, splitting the tree in half. The near-death experience bestowed her with a gift–one she’d rather not have.

Drafted into the C.O.D. Club (Call on the Dead) by Fat Phil Phillips, her mission is to grant the newly deceased’s ghost one last reasonable request. Can Winnie honor her oath?

Well, she tries, but not before she lands in humorous situations that almost get her killed. She’s one spunky broad.

I hope you try a copy and look forward to more of Winnie’s adventures.

Release date coming soon. Just get ready to laff your ass off.

Also coming this fall from MuseItUp Publishing:

A  Heap of Trouble

Cole Walker, Sheriff of Cold Creek, has more woes than he can handle.  He thought chasing rustlers would be the worst of his problems, until the newly arrived, Mattie Wells, jingles his spurs with a smile, and he falls head over heels for her.

Cole's fear of critters comes to light when a runaway monkey named Beggar takes a liking to him. He remembers when his pa's hound dog left teeth marks on his butt when he was just a tyke.

But, Mattie thinks Beggar’s adorable, so what’s a man supposed to do? Now, he’s forced to put up with the little fur ball...uh...ringtail monkey even when the furry thief starts stealing the townsfolk’s trinkets.

The rustlers roaming the hills, stealing the Double J’s cattle are a mighty puzzling crew. JJ blames the farmers and an all out war is in the making.

Trying to keep the peace between the farmers and the cattleman, Cole and his deputies, Wade and Sully, have their hands full. Mayor Farley gives them a month to find the thieves before calling for outside help.

Mattie has a dark secret and vows never to marry. While harboring a secret of his own, Cole pushes to pry out her secret in hopes of changing her mind.

Cole chases Mattie, the rustlers, and Beggar in a town full of fun characters and chaos. 

Can he bring the rustlers to justice, peace and order to Cold Creek, the townsfolk’s loot back to their rightful owners, and win Mattie’s heart?

Yep. Cole has a heap of trouble on his hands.

For more information on my stories, please go to http://struiff.wordpress.com/cod-club-series/

Ya’ll have a great day now and thanks for reading.

Horsefeathers! Flying Horses in Setara's Genie

SETARA’S GENIE

A girl, a genie, a few demons. Would could go wrong?

by Marva Dasef

MuseItUp Buy Link: http://tinyurl.com/SetarasGenie

Amazon Buy Link: coming soon

* * * Leave a comment with contact info to be in the draw for prizes * * *

HORSEFEATHERS

That archaic term means something is unbelievable, nonsense, hogwash, bull puckey.

What does that have to do with myth and legend? Flying horses, of courses. In legend, Pegasus is a gorgeous black horse with ebony wings. Feathered wings. This has been the tried and true formula since Grecian myth. From the Encyclopedia Mythica:

Pegasus

In Greek mythology, Pegasus is the winged horse that was fathered by Poseidon* with Medusa. When her head was cut off by the Greek hero Perseus, the horse sprang forth from her pregnant body. Percy Jackson’s father does get around. A lot.

I’ve never been convinced that a winged horse would also have feathers. In “Setara’s Genie” I introduce not one, but two! flying horses.

Flying Creatures in Setara’s Genie (other than the genie, of course)

Hasib the Sultan’s Horse

Setara finds a talking, flying, fire-breathing horse named Hasib hiding in her father’s stable. He’s trying to look casual, but Setara notices that he’s whistling and hiding his head in the corner of the stall. Highly suspicious behavior. When Setara approaches, an eagle flies through the stable at head height scaring the horses, including Hasib. He levitates a foot into the air and spits fire out of his mouth, setting the hay on fire.

Setara rushes to the rescue and beats out the flames. She and Hasib have a little chat while he explains that he’s a cross-blood horse, mostly horse, but just a wee touch of dragon blood. This means he can fly (without wings) and breathe fire. However, he’s not very good at either talent. Setara helps Hasib gain control over his magic.

Azhi Dahaka the Dragon Demon

After Hasib has headed back to the Sultan’s Palace (where he lives), Setara and her genie run across Azhi Dahaka, the dragon-demon which provided (unwillingly) the blood to make Hasib a flying fire-breather.

Trapped high atop a mountain, they watch while the dragon heads for the palace. From what he’d said before escaping from the caves (just stick with me here; I don’t want to give away every plot element), Setara and Basit believe the dragon wants to harm their friend, Hasib.

Not exactly Nasreen, but a flying
horse from 1001 Arabian Nights.

Nasreen the Non-Feathered Wings Flying Mare

With the dragon attacking the Sultan of Semidor’s palace, Setara and Basit have got to get off that mountain fast. Basit gives wings to Setara’s mare, Nasreen. But we all know that horses don’t have feathers, so Nasreen’s beautiful wings are covered with the same lovely hair as the rest of her body. The little mare takes to her new appliances immediately, carrying Setara to the Sultan’s Palace to save Hasib.

There we have it. Two flying horses, one dragon demon, but not a one with feathers. Azhi looks like he has feathers, but, c'mon, he's a dragon!

BLURB:

Abu Nuwas sits in the bazaar telling stories to the passersby he can tempt to pay. He relates the adventures of the bored daughter of a rich merchant, Setara, and her genie, Basit, as they encounter the creatures of legend and folklore: a lonely cave demon seeking a home; a flying, fire-breathing horse who has lost his mate; a dragon searching for his family; an evil genie hunting for the man who bottled him; and a merboy prince cast out of his undersea kingdom.

Abu Nuwas sits in the bazaar on his threadbare rug; a cup and sign proclaim him a teller of tales. For one small coin, he bids passers by to listen. A poor girl, Najda, sells spices from a tray. Would he, she asks, trade a tale for a packet of spice? Abu Nuwas agrees and begins the epic adventures of a girl and her genie.

As did Scheherazade before him, Abu leaves Najda hanging in the middle of each yarn to keep her coming back. Between stories, he questions the girl about her life. He discovers that she’s been promised in marriage to an old man whom she hates, but she must wed him to save her sick mother’s life. The rich bridegroom will pay for the doctors the mother needs. Meanwhile, Najda sells spices in the market to earn enough money to keep her mother alive.

He relates the adventures of the bored daughter of a rich merchant, Setara, and her genie, Basit, as they encounter the creatures of legend and folklore: a lonely cave demon seeking a home; a flying, fire-breathing horse who has lost his mate; a dragon searching for his family; an evil genie hunting for the man who put him in a lamp; and a merboy prince cast out of his undersea kingdom.

EXCERPT

At the far end of the corridor, she saw Hasib with his head stretched as far as he could through the stall window.

“Here. I’m here!” Hasib slammed his front hooves against his stall door. Basit was within reach of the stall. “The groom locked me in and then ran off. I have to get out. I’ve heard Azhi Dahaka is here, and he’s burning people!”

Not taking time to use magic, Basit fumbled with the latch and swung the stall door open. Hasib stepped out, immediately turned left and trotted down the long corridor to the outside door. Basit, Setara, and Sheik kept pace with him.

“What will you do?” Basit asked.

“I’ll have to fight him, I’m afraid. I’m the only one who can. The blood of Azhi Dahaka runs in my veins.”

The four reached the door and stood looking up at the awesome figure of the dragon demon spouting flame. People ran screaming in all directions. The soldiers were having no luck with their arrows. Trying to shoot straight up to Azhi’s perch on the tower slowed the arrows too much to do any good. The barbs bounced off the dragon’s tough scales with no effect.

Setara saw a crossbow lying on the ground, probably discarded by an escaping soldier. She picked it up. A few feet further on, she saw a quiver with bolts. She grabbed it, too. “Let me on your back. I’ll go with you!”

Basit reached for her arm. “No! I cannot allow you to come to harm.”

She twisted away and jumped on Hasib’s back. “Let’s go, Hasib!”

The flying horse sprang into the air. He needed no wings since he flew by magic. To Setara’s surprise, Nasreen took flight beside Hasib. Setara admired the mare’s bravery but wished she could tell her to go back.

Basit also took flight. Setara knew he wouldn’t let her face Azhi’s flames alone. She hoped he knew some spell to protect her and Hasib from the spouting fire. Glancing at him, she saw the familiar look of concentration on his face when he was making up a new spell.

As the two horses and the djinn soared upward, some people stopped in their tracks to stare. Setara almost laughed. As if a dragon demon perched on the palace tower wasn’t enough, the sight of a winged horse, another flying horse with a girl on his back, and a genie was more than they could stand. Those who were not already running away from the tower decided now would be a good time to do so.

The ground around the tower was littered with fallen arrows and men. Some brave souls attempted to save the wounded men. However, the flames were pouring down so fast they had to weave and dodge to reach them.

She gripped Hasib’s mane with one hand and worked to load a bolt and get the crossbow in position with the other. It wasn’t working, so she let go of the mane, gripping tight with her legs. She didn’t even think about looking down. Her whole attention was focused on the roaring demon wrapped around the tower. They flew directly into the path of its flames.

Hasib fought back with flames of his own. However, he was much smaller than the dragon, and his flame was not big enough to have any effect. Setara fired a bolt toward Azhi, but it fell far short. “We’ll have to get closer!” she yelled over the roaring of the dragon. Hasib spiraled upward, taking a path around the tower. Azhi twisted his body to face the flying horses, the clearest threat to him.

Setara managed to reload the crossbow and turned the winch to draw back the bolt. She held the crossbow up, aiming along its shaft. The dragon demon’s head reared up directly in front of her. She fired. The bolt shot through the air, hitting the dragon’s head. It seemed to stick for a moment, then fell off. Setara groaned. She didn’t think she’d get another chance.

“My blood!” Azhi Dahaka cried out. Setara looked to see if the bolt had done some damage, but she couldn’t see even a scratch on the dragon’s shining scales. Of course, while Hasib circled and soared, getting a close look wasn’t easy.

She saw Nasreen turn in mid-air and begin to circle the tower in the opposite direction from Hasib.

“Good girl!” Setara called out. The mare was exposing herself to distract the dragon’s attention away from her and Hasib. The dragon twisted toward the mare and drew his head back to spray flames at Nasreen.

With the dragon’s attention elsewhere, Setara loaded another bolt into the crossbow and pulled it back. Hasib drew his legs up and shot toward the dragon. As he brought her next to the dragon’s side, Setara loosed the bolt. It bounced off his scales to no effect.

Azhi Dahaka’s snake-like head whipped around toward Hasib. His eyes widened as Hasib halted in mid-air right in front of the dragon’s nose.

**** and then what happened? Read the book to find out.

Setara's Genie Featured on Teen Word Factory

In the run-up to the Friday the 17th release date, the characters of "Setara's Genie," will be here and there in the blogosphere. Today's visit on the Teen Word Factory introduces the book in all its promotional glory including a sneak peek at Chapter One.

SETARA'S GENIE ON THE TEEN WORD FACTORY

J.Q. Rose Hosts the Star - Setara

J.Q. Rose writes mysteries, so it's a mystery of why she'd want to play hostess to an adventurous girl from a middle-eastern fantasy named Setara. On the other hand, who doesn't like genies, demons, flying horses, and other creatures straight out of the 1001 Arabian Nights. Let's just call this 1002 Arabian Nights (there's actually seven tales) and let you decide. Can a girl and her genie get into and out of mischief? I think the answer is obvious: OF COURSE THEY CAN!

Click on over to J.Q.'s blog to read what Setara has to say. Leave a comment with contact info to win a free ebook.

Writing Believable Aliens - Jaleta Clegg

Release Date August 10 at
 http://journal-store.com/bookstore/priestess-of-the-eggstone/ 

Jaleta Clegg
http://jaletaclegg.blogspot.com/
http://www.jaletac.com/
http://www.nexuspoint.info/


What makes aliens tick? How do you invent an alien species? How do you make them believable? Hard questions, but a lot of fun. This is one reason I love science fiction.

Star Trek did it by making almost all aliens humanoid. Adding face paint was a whole lot easier and cheaper than full body costumes and prosthetics. With CGI, it’s a lot easier to create some very non-humanoid aliens for cheap, true. But are they still believable?

Humanoid aliens tend to act human. It’s the way we think. Their cultures are a lot like ours, because that’s the easy way out. Non-humanoids can be too alien. You have to leave your reader some common ground, some way to relate, even if it’s “I want to eat your flesh.” We understand hunger. We understand curiosity. We understand territorial instincts.

In Priestess of the Eggstone, the Sessimoniss, seven-foot-tall lizard men, are very human in many ways. Their culture was based off baboon culture, though. It’s all about clans and your place within your clan. A baboon cast out from its clan usually doesn’t live very long. But baboon society is fluid compared to Sessimoniss society. Sessimoniss position within a clan is determined by biology. Were you born with the right attributes to be an alpha male? Welcome to the warrior class. Otherwise, you’re a servant. Were you born to be a breeding alpha female? Then that’s what you become, sheltered and hidden after your marriage to another clan. Not born with those genes? You get to stay an immature female and serve the breeders of your clan.

One of my biggest pet peeves about aliens is that they seem to have a monoculture. One culture, one society, one type of everything. If humans can evolve thousands of different societies, why not aliens? If you’re going to have a monoculture, like the Sessimoniss, you’d better present good arguments for it. I blame mine on their biology and the fact that they are on the brink of extinction. But change can and does happen within their society. It takes an external force to initiate the change, but that’s a good portion of the storyline in Priestess of the Eggstone.

What are your favorite aliens? What makes them memorable? How do they compare to human societies? Read your favorite books and pick apart the author’s work. Find out how they did it. It’s one of the best ways to learn how to create your own aliens and make them believable.

* * *

Bio: Jaleta Clegg loves to play with words. She writes science fiction and silly horror, and dabbles in everything else. Priestess of the Eggstone, book 2 in her series The Fall of the Altairan Empire, releases on August 10. Pick up your copy at http://journal-store.com/bookstore/priestess-of-the-eggstone/

Book 1 of The Fall of the Altaiaran Empire, Nexus Point, is available from several sources. Check http://www.nexuspoint.info/

* * *
Let's see if you're paying attention. Leave a comment about Jaleta's nice essay. Include contact info and GIMME THE BOOK, and I'll be sending somebody a real paperback copy of my own science fiction novel, Ultimate Duty. I've got some extras lying around doing nothing, and I want to give them to a good home. No aliens, but some fairly hot sex scenes. US and Canada only please for mailing, ebooks to anybody who wants a copy.

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

Q&A at Wendy Laharnar's Place

Wendy Laharnar grilled me on her blog about my latest release, Setara's Genie, which will be officially release on August 17th.

Wendy writes for MuseItUp (my publisher). Her work includes The Unhewn Stone, Billy the Bonsai Bull, and Happiness Guaranteed. Wow! Paranormal romance, middle-grade adventure, and science fiction all from one author. Impressive! You can read all about her books when you visit her blog to see what I have to say.

Enita Meadows' New Skinwalker Novel - The Messenger

The Messenger
“Coug” MountainScreamer
Available from MuseItUp Publishing
Amazon Kindle

Alex Forsyth thought her new life in Washington would be boring and safe. That was until she met the skinwalker.

The skinwalker at hand is Cougar “Coug” MountainScreamer, named for the animal spirit which possesses him. From the Mountain Lion, the seventeen-year-old Native of the Puyallup tribe can draw great power, but is just as much cursed with its immense hatred.

The story is told that, over a hundred years ago, the native animals of the Americas saw the pending destruction of their home under control of the white race. They formed a connection to the tribes, who also lost their homes to the new inhabitants, and from that bond, the first skinwalkers were born. Now, for each species that originally reached out to the Native American tribes, there is one skinwalker who bears the anger and hatred of man and animal alike. And, so it was told, the skinwalkers would be the warriors who would take back the land which once belonged to their ancestors – and they would paint it red with blood.

Seventeen-year-old Cougar was not only cursed to bear that hatred as a skinwalker, but was also unfortunate enough to be chosen by one of the most powerful totems in legend: the mountain lion. It’s bad enough that, among his skinwalker “brothers” – Dante Beran (grizzly bear) and Aztec immigrant Caleb Dorado (golden eagle) – he has the least control over his powers. That’s without taking into consideration that the puma totem is certainly a form to be reckoned with when the spirit-beast takes over.

Trivia

• “Cougar MountainScreamer” is redundant. Both parts of his name are ways of saying “mountain lion.”
• His middle name is James, after his father, who died upon his birth along with his mother. Their death was caused by their son’s skinwalker abilities, and the understanding of that will stay with him for the rest of his life.
• He hates being dirty, but he keeps that to himself because Dante used to tease him about it when they were little.
• While he can only share thoughts with the members of his “tribe” (Benjamin Beran the badger, Dante Beran the grizzly bear, and Caleb Dorado the golden eagle), Cougar is acquainted with many, many other skinwalkers from several different tribes, plenty of which are considered friends. Others, not so much.
• He is one of only two large cat skinwalkers in existence. The other is a Peruvian Native who is given his abilities from the jaguar spirit. Cougar has not yet met this particular skinwalker, but they likely wouldn’t get along if they did meet.
• His birthday is August 24^th.
• Cougar’s greatest earthly fear is another skinwalker, a person named Kuhn.
• “The Messenger,” is taken from the symbolism of the mountain lion, that symbolism being “the messenger between two worlds.”
• He has a pale birthmark on the back of his neck.
• Other parts of mountain lion symbolism are “coming into leadership,” “taking great leaps,” and “trusting your instincts.”
• Not-so-ironically, his favorite food is salmon.
• The mountain lion skinwalker before Cougar was a woman named Sarah, who lived in Northern Florida. Events in Sarah’s life do not influence Cougar, however, because he is not a reincarnation of her. He is simply the puma spirit’s next host.

Excerpt


Alex’s first day of school has gone smoothly so far, but when she gets to her fourth period math class, she notices a boy in the front row…



Scurrying to blend in, I took my seat in one of the back rows, ducking my head down low. The bell rang as I sat down, the loud ringing numbing my ears.

Squinting, I looked to the front of my row again, where I had felt that intense stiffening in the air. I could see, sitting in the seat next to where I had been standing, a teenage boy probably my age, sitting with his shoulders hunched over his desk. One hand was drawn through his short black hair, the other clenched over the surface of his desk. I couldn’t see his face from where I sat several seats behind him, but I could see the way his shoulders shook, and his fingers gripped the smooth surface of the desk where his elbow rested. His body was shaking as if he hadn’t eaten in days, and he gripped restlessly at his short-cropped hair. The length of his arms trembled under some sort of stress, his entire body tense and shaking. I watched in curiosity as he pushed harder on his forehead with his palm, his fingernails still digging into his scalp. Trying not to stare, I looked away, yet I was unable to keep him out of my peripherals, mesmerized by the weakness in his lean, muscled body. He was tall, and shaped as a swimmer from what I could see, but he trembled, almost like a newborn calf, so much that it made him look weak and ill. Painfully, I drew my eyes away again, cringing at the effort.

About the Author:

Enita Meadows is a writer, artist, and graphic designer born in California and raised in Washington State, where she was inspired by cultural diversity and natural beauty.  When not writing, she studies for a career in production and spends her time on art projects or spending time with friends and family.  She lives in Bothell, Washington, with her family of four and her Saarloos Wolfhound, Skye. Check her blog for additional information. http://enitameadows.blogspot.com/ 

Happy Birthday!

Many happy returns! Wait, what the heck does that mean? Are you supposed to return unwanted gifts with a big smile on your face? I don't think my eldest will return my gift. I learned years ago, that the kids (ha, kid!) like something green best.

Happy Birthday

Chris!

August Articlemania Fest with MuseItUp

Visit the MuseItUp website to learn how to participate in the August Event (aside from my more important event, of course).

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.