[Review] Destiny Calling

Destiny Calling

by Maureen L. Bonatch

Publish Date: November 10, 2014
Genres: Fantasy, suspense, paranormal
Rating: 4/5

Summary

Hope only wants to find out if her ability to infuse euphoria or despair with her touch makes her the devil's spawn, or his exterminator. But when the woman who raised her is murdered by something not human, she loses the only family she knew and discovers one she might wish she hadn't.

Drawn back to the hometown she vowed never to return to, her ability is seen as an asset to everyone but Hope, and she doesn't know who to trust. Her family wants her to help them overcome an enemy oppressing the human population, while the man of her dreams is courting her for the Underworld.

Time is running out, and Hope’s choice may be made for her, as she discovers she’s a pawn in a bigger game played by a merciless ruler who doesn't lose.

My thoughts

Destiny Calling is a testament to how important it is to have a good blurb. To be honest, I wasn't really digging this cover. Not one bit. However, I judge a book by its summary, not it's cover, because if the blurb is well done then there's a good chance so is the rest of the book. 

Destiny Calling was a little different than what I normally read. It had the fantasy/paranormal elements that are usually present in most of the books I read, but it was also a bit of a mystery and thriller at the same time. 

Our MC, Hope, is drawn to her birthplace in Pennsylvania after the death of the only woman who has ever really cared for her. Hope has the ability to give away hope (get it?) at will to people who need a little in their lives. It's almost a compulsion for her. If she doesn't find the source calling to her, she's in a world of pain with migraines that won't leave her alone until she fixes it. 

As soon as she arrives at the derelict bar named Last Call, mystery abounds. Who is the man sitting at the end of the bar but is also in her dreams? What happened to her family? Why does she feel drawn to this place? 

While I will  say that Destiny Calling does take a while to get going, and no one will tell Hope what's going on for no reason (which always irritates me), this was a pretty decent read. It's well-written, with characters I can relate to. I really liked Chase and Destiny, but I won't ruin it and tell you who they are. That's a surprise. 

Overall, I would definitely put this on the TBR list of anyone who likes both fantasy and suspense. It's an excellent combination.

About Maureen L. Bonatch

Growing up with four siblings had Maureen familiar with escaping into a good book, or the recesses of her mind. She realized later in life everyone didn’t have characters telling stories in their heads, or weren’t envisioning magic and mayhem within the everyday. This, and long walks in the beautiful state of Pennsylvania spawned a love of writing.

Since her desire to become a Solid Gold Dancer was thwarted when the show was discontinued, Maureen opted to pursue other paths. Attempting to conquer new endeavors proved fruitful with her first novella, while other attempts, such as challenging a fear of heights with parasailing, were unsuccessful.

Therefore she’s chased other interests, though none-the-less-daring, but closer to the ground, such as belly-dancing, becoming a self-proclaimed tequila connoisseur, fulfilling her role as biker babe to her alpha hubby and surviving motherhood to twins (so far).
Penning stories boasting laughter, light suspense and something magical in the hope of sharing her love of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary world.


Author Links
Twitter | Blog | Website | Facebook | Goodreads

Purchase Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Wild Rose Press

[Guest post] How to write a book in two months by Lois D. Brown

So you want to write a book. I have a little advice. (Writers always do.)

Two years ago it took me almost twelve months to write a middle grade book that was 30,000 words long. This past fall I wrote an 85,000 word adult mystery called Robbed of Soul in two months. What made the difference?

Point #1: Like your book

First off, let me say that to write a book, and to write it fast, you need to like your idea. I wasn't so jazzed about writing the middle grade book. I thought it had a good premise and was marketable.

However, I was completely passionate about Robbed of Soul. It’s set in a real town, Kanab, Utah, which I love to visit. It included legends about Montezuma’s gold and historical tales from treasure hunters in the 1920s. And the protagonist is a woman who survived eight months in solitary confinement in Tehran. All of these are things that fascinate me. So much so that I've actually appeared on a television show about Montezuma's treasure. 

Point #2: Make it a competition.

 I contacted a friend of mine who was about to start to write her second book. (If you don’t know someone personally, there are tons of online author support site that would work too.)

My friend and I made writing our books into a competition. It made all the difference. Every few days we would check up with each other. We’d send a quick text asking how many words the other had written that day. It was fun. First she was ahead. Then I was ahead. Then she was ahead. Yes, she finished the book before me, but it didn't matter. We both finished writing rather large novels in less than ten weeks.

Point 3: Get rid of distractions 

I created an atmosphere that was conducive to writing. Our family’s main computer is in the kitchen. I like it there because I can see what my kids are doing on it. But, it really makes it difficult to focus. The fridge is about six feet from my computer chair. It whispers to me all the time. I knew I had to change where I wrote Robbed of Soul. I set up a desk in the corner of my house the furthest away from my kitchen as possible.  I also put my cell phone in a different spot than where I wrote.

Point 4: Write while you do chores

There is a free app for an iphone called Dragon Diction. It's easy to download and it's simple use. While it's not perfect, it does a good job of transcribing everything I say. I use it for outlining. I write dialog with it. I'm even using it to write this blog. I speak into my cell phone while I'm riding in the car, when my hands are tired of typing, even while I walk around the house picking up messes.

Point 5: Stay awake!

Caffeine does a number on me. I really don't like consuming large quantities of it. However, I found Crio Bru to drink. It has a great natural stimulant in it, it tastes good, and I feel like legit writer with my steaming mug of brown liquid at my side. Another natural stimulant I use is an orange essential oil. I like the brand doTerra. I keep a small bottle of this essential oil right next to my computer. When I started to feel drowsy, I open the lid, pour a drop on my hands, and rub them together. I then breathe in deeply and have an immediate pick me up. And it makes my keyboard smell good. (No, I don't own stock in either of the companies)

Do you like books? Do you like Zions National Park? Join the ROBBED OF SOUL book launch giveaway and you may win 3 nights in a vacation townhome in Kanab, Utah.

(Thirty minutes from Zions.) A $450 value! (Or a $100 Amazon gift card if preferred.) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rescued but psychologically damaged from a failed mission, ex-CIA officer Maria Branson takes the job of police chief in the quiet town of Kanab, Utah. Rest and relaxation are the doctor’s orders. She gets neither. Instead, a missing mayor, the spirit of a dead Aztec warrior, and the over-confident-yet- attractive head of Search and Rescue await her in a town whose past has almost as many secrets as her own. As Maria investigates a modern-day murder, she disturbs a world of ancient legends and deadly curses. Yet most lethal of all is Maria’s fear someone will discover just how empty her soul really is.

Available at Amazon, Smashwords, and Google Play.

[Review] Gathering Frost

 

Gathering Frost

by Kaitlyn Davis

Gathering Frost (Once Upon a Curse #1)
Publish Date: February 17, 2015
Genres: Fantasy, dystopian, fairy tale retelling, YA
Rating: 4/5

Book summary

Will his kiss be enough to revive her frozen heart? 

Once Upon A Time meets La Femme Nikita in GATHERING FROST, a dystopian romance from bestselling author Kaitlyn Davis that reimagines the classic fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty.

Jade was only a little girl when the earthquake struck. Before her eyes, half of New York City disappeared, replaced by a village that seemed torn out of a storybook. Horses and carriages.

Cobblestone streets. A towering castle. And, above all, a queen with the magical ability to strip emotions away.

Ten years later and Jade has forgotten what it is to feel, to care...even to love. Working as a member of the queen's guard, she spends most of her time on the city wall staring at the crumbling skyscrapers of old New York. But everything changes when the queen's runaway son, Prince Asher, returns. Jade is tasked with an unusual mission--to let the Prince capture her, to make him trust her, and then to betray his secrets to the crown. In return, she'll earn her freedom. But life outside the queen's realm is more than Jade bargained for. Under Asher's relentless taunts, her blood begins to boil. Under his piercing gaze, her heart begins to flutter.

And the more her icy soul begins to thaw, the more Jade comes to question everything she's ever known--and, more importantly, whose side she's really on.

Goodreads
Get it on Amazon 

My thoughts

If you like fairy tale retellings that aren't the typical rehash of the same story, but something entirely new - then Gathering Frost is for you. Our sleeping beauty goes by the name Jade. Jade is a soldier in the queen's military. As with everyone else in the kingdom, she feels nothing. No joy, no anger, no jealousy, no love. She exists as the queen's pawn and can't conjure up enough feelings to care either way. 

In walks our prince, Asher, who is an actual prince - the queen's long lost son. After some time away from the queen, Jade begins to return to normal. However, he can't hide from the mission given to her by the queen, nor can she hide from her feelings. 

I really love the different take on fairy tales and this one was a little bit different. It mixed the traditional fairy tale involving castles, princes and an evil queen with a modern dystopian setting. It's an interesting combination that really worked for me in this case.

While I did find the relationship between Jade and Asher to be a bit predictable, it was still fun for me to read. It wasn't love at first sight or anything. Asher had to break the enchantment on Jade first. 

Jade is pretty kick-ass. She's the best soldier the queen has and she's no damsel in distress. Her fight scenes are very descriptive and had me sitting on the edge of my seat.

As far as writing goes, I'm pretty impressed. I didn't even realize this was a self-pubished book until I was putting this post together. Not only is Gathering Frost well-written, descriptive, and has multi-dimensional characters, but it's also well edited. Not once did I have a typo or grammatical error throw me off while I was reading. 

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars.

About Kaitlyn Davis

 

I've always been a writer. I grew up duct taping my novels together, started writing complete manuscripts in high school and studied creative writing at Johns Hopkins University. Upon graduating, I decided it was finally time to actually give my dream career a chance. So, of course, I started writing a young adult paranormal romance series -- and no, I'm not jumping on the bandwagon. I've been a true paranormal supporter for my entire life! I blame my obsession almost completely on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, my all-time favorite television show. And, before you ask: Yes, I own every season... even the post WB ones! I especially challenge anyone to watch the first three seasons and not fall in love with Angel, securing a lifelong love of vampires! Other culprits of my paranormal obsession are some of my favorite authors: JK Rowling, Raymond Feist, Meg Cabot, Richelle Mead, Lynne Ewing and Tamora Pierce.

Author Links
Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook│Pinterest│Wattpad│Youtube│Amazon

Book Tour Organized by:
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[Cover Reveal] Cage of Deceit

Cage of Deceit 

by Jennifer Anne Davis 

About the book
Reign of Secrets #1 (Spin-off from the True Reign Series)
Published by: Clean Teen Publishing 
Publication date: August 25, 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult


Synopsis:


Jennifer Anne Davis’ best-selling True Reign series captivated readers from the very first page. Now, get ready to become entangled in the follow-up series, Reign of Secrets. In this new series, follow Allyssa, the daughter of the beloved Emperor Darmik and Empress Rema— and find out what happens after happily ever after.

Seventeen-year-old Allyssa appears to be the ideal princess of Emperion—she's beautiful, elegant, and refined. She is the darling of the kingdom and, one day, will be the most powerful ruler in the world. But for her, life at court is like a suffocating cage. During the day, she manages to keep a smile on her face and play the part of the perfect princess. But at night, she sneaks out of the castle and roams the streets with a commoner who doesn't know her true identity. She keeps tabs on the shady under dealings of the city and seeks out ways to help her people firsthand.

When a royal messenger arrives half dead, carrying news that an army from the northern front is amassing to destroy Emperion, Allyssa is forced to entertain an alliance with a handsome prince from a neighboring kingdom. She needs to marry him in order to secure his country's help to fight their mutual enemy. Prince Odar turns out to be rather charming, well spoken, and cultivated. In other words, he represents everything she despises about court life. To make matters worse, the prince insists that Jarvik— his nosy squire—watch Allyssa's every move, suffocating her even more. Jarvik is infuriating, bossy, and constantly looks down upon her.

When she sneaks out of the castle in disguise one evening, Allyssa comes face-to-face with an assassin who isn't from this part of the world, an assassin who was sent to murder the royal family. Stuck in an impossible bind, she allows Jarvik to help her. Together, the unlikely pair confronts the man sent to kill her so she can discover who's behind the lethal plot. Only, the more she learns, the more she understands that the invading army and the assassin are connected to an enemy she thought was long gone—an enemy with the power to destroy her family and the people of Emperion. The cage she so longs to break free from might just be the one thing she has to fight to keep intact. In order to save her kingdom, she has to sacrifice her freedom, her heart, and maybe even her life.

Original series information: The first book in the True Reign Series is free! Read The Key by Jennifer Anne Davis today! 

Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

Author Bio

Jennifer graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in English and a teaching credential. Afterwards, she married her best friend and high school sweetheart. Jennifer is currently a full-time writer and mother of three young children. Her days are spent living in imaginary worlds and fueling her own kids' creativity.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top ten favorite heroines

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

My top ten favorite heroines

I decided to just list my top 10 along with Amazon links for each book they are in. There heroines all have the same theme going on. They're tough, resourceful, kick-ass and smart.

1. Sora - Cat's Eye Series by T.L. Shreffler (YA Fantasy) | Amazon Link
2. Hermione - From Harry Potter. No summary necessary, I think. 
3. Nikki Glass - Nikki Glass series by Jenna Black (Urban Fantasy) | Amazon Link
4. Thalia - Iron Butterfly series by Chanda Hahn (YA Fantasy) |Amazon Link
5. Dora - Dorina Basarab series by Karen Chance (Urban Fantasy) | Amazon Link 
6. Celaena Sardothien - Throne of Glass (YA Fantasy) | Amazon Link
7. Tessa Gray - The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare (Historical Fantasy) | Amazon Link
8. Yalena - Study series by Maria V. Snyder (Fantasy) | Amazon Link
9. Kestrel - The Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski (YA Fantasy/Dystopian) | Amazon Link
10. Juliette - Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (Dystopian) | Amazon Link

[Blitz, Trailer & Giveaway] Memory's Wake Trilogy

Book Trailer

 

 

 

Book Details

The Memory’s Wake Trilogy by Selina Fenech
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Memory's Wake (Book 1)

Lost in a world full of monstrous fairies, a troubled sixteen year old has to find out who she is and why her memories were stolen before she is found by those who want her dead.

She takes the name “Memory” and knows she has just one goal – to find her way home, wherever that is. But this land is strange. No technology to be seen, and iron is banned, thanks to a pact the humans have with the magical creatures who share their pre-industrial era world. In her t-shirt and torn jeans, Memory knows she’s different, even before she performs impossible magic.

Haunted by her past, chased by a dragon, wanted by the king and stalked by the strange, handsome savage that seems to know her, everyone is after Memory, and she suspects it’s not just for her eye-catching outfit. Her forgotten past holds dangerous secrets that will challenge everything she believes and risk the lives of everyone she loves.

Memory’s Wake contains over 45 illustrations by the author and artist.
 
Hope's Reign (Book 2)

Everything is slipping away from Memory. The bond of friendship between her, Eloryn, Roen, and Will, that was formed while running for their lives is tearing. In a world that doesn’t feel like home, with a mind filled with nothing but questions, Memory struggles to be true to herself… whoever that is. When her past self starts haunting her, she knows her sanity could be the next thing she will lose.

Providence Unveiled (Book 3)

A wicked plot dating back to the very beginning of Avall is coming to its end, and Memory is a vital part. In order to save her friends, Memory will break all the rules. With all worlds put at risk by her actions, she will have to step up and make the greatest sacrifice to repair Avall and make the world something better than before.


Goodreads

Purchase Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About Selina

Born in 1981 to Australian and Maltese parents, Selina lives in Australia with her husband, her baby girl, an unnamed cat, and a lorikeet who's far too clever.

During her life Selina has found ancient Roman treasure, survived cancer, had knights joust at her wedding, been mugged for doughnuts, made a living as an artist, eaten every bizarre and wonderful food put in front of her, and now enjoys writing novels.

Author links
Webite | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

 

Giveaway

**Thanks to Xpresso Book Tours and Selina, I'm able to give away one ebook of choice from the Memory's Wake Trilogy. Enter below. **

 

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Book Blogger Love-A-Thon: Get to know me

So I'm a bit late to the party because I only just found out about this fun two-day event. Hosted by Alexa at Alexa Love Books, this will be going on Feb. 21-22 with lots of things to do. If you're like me and still want to join the even you can do so here and by tweeting Alexa @alexalovesbooks. 

Questionnaire 

That's me. But that blue hair is going to be gone soon.
I thinking magenta the next time around.

1. What’s your name? I blog under the name Ashley S. but my nicknames include Ash, Asher, Smashley (that's drunk me), Bentley (for some weird reason) and Ash-a-ley Elizabeth when my mother is mad at me. She somehow manages to add and extra syllable to my name. Mothers. 


2. Where in the world are you blogging from? Quad Cities, IA/IL - For those of you who are wondering how that works, the Quad Cities is made up of four cities along the Iowa/Illinois border. Two are in Iowa (Davenport and Bettendorf) and two are across the rive in Illinois (Moline and Rock Island). I just moved from Moline to Davenport last month. 

3. How did you get into blogging in the first place? It started out as a way to fulfill my writing needs. Right out of college I got a job as a reporter, writing all kinds of stories. After about a year and a half, I made a switch to a different paper and joined their copy desk, which is mostly editing and design. There was no more writing for me, so I had to do it elsewhere, and Book Nerd Paradise was born.

4. How did you come up with your blog name? I combined three words that described me and what I liked. Books, of course, had to be in the name. Nerd came from the fact that I'm a huge nerd when it comes to reading, comic books, and general random knowledge. And I decided on Paradise because I my ideal paradise is me sitting on a beach with a book in one hand and a coffee in the other. (Or a margarita on some days). 

5. What genre do you read and review the most on your blog? All kinds of fantasy. Sometimes I throw in a little SciFi or Dystopian on there. 

6. What other types of posts do you do on your blog, apart from reviews? My one goal this year has been to incorporate a wider variety of posts. I recently discovered memes and those have been my favorite. I do the Top Ten Tuesday and the Book Blogger Hop on Fridays. I also like posting blitzes and givaways. 

7. Best blogging experience so far? When I was still a newbie (although, I still consider myself one) I wrote a review for one of my favorite fantasy books, Sora's Quest by T.L. Shreffler, and tweeted her a shout out. I was a bit nervous about making contact with my first author, but it worked out great. She's amazing and ended up inviting me to join her blog tour for her last two books. That was the first time I really felt connected to an author and it just gave me the warm and fuzzies. 

8. Favorite thing about the blogging community? I think the book blogging community is one of the most uplifting and positive places you can be on the Internet. Everyone has a shared passion for books, even if opinions differ on which books are the best. 

9. Name the 5 books you’re most excited for this 2015! I can only pick 5?? Here they are in order of release: 

1. The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury 

2. Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder

3. Yield the Night by Annette Marie

4. The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkiski

5. The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace

10. What’s an underrated book or series that you think everyone should read? The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. It's not even close to fantasy and some schools have this as a reading requirement, but I think it's an eye-opening and heart-wrenching read. 

11. Which book boy or girl would be your book BFF? Hermione Granger... 'Nuff said. 

12. Apart from reading, what are your other hobbies or interests? I'm a writer at heart, but I also enjoy fitness classes, volleyball and softball, checking out thrift stores and anything with animals. 

13. Apart from book shopping, what else do you like shopping for? Deals on clothes. I just bought an awesome fleece half-zip jacket for 0.99 at a thrift store. I'm pretty proud of that find. Shoes are my top weakness though. I also really love shopping for wall art.

14. At a party, the DJ suddenly changes the song – and it’s your song. What song would be playing? "Searching, Seeking, Reaching, Always" by We Came as Romans. It's actually a post-hardcore song, which you probably wouldn't guess by the title. But it's a song about always seeking to be the best version of yourself. And when you reach that point, realizing that there is always something more the reach for. (I also love bands like Fall Out Boy, A Day to Remember, Asking Alexandria and For All Those Sleeping, in case anyone was wondering.)

15.Pick out either a book you want turned into a film/TV show, or a film/TV show you want turned into a book. My Merlin Trilogy by Priya Ardis. I love anything about King Arthur and Merlin. 

Book Blogger Hop: Feb. 20-26

Here's how it works

Every week Billy over at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question submitted by a blogger. Anyone can answer the question and then add their link to the list. It seems pretty easy and fun.

This week's question

February 20th - 26th - Is there anything that makes you not return to a blog or not want to look at it even for the first time? (submitted by Elizabeth)

My answer 

This is essentially a part 2 to last week's question. You can read that answer here: 
1. Blogs that are so jumbled I don't even know where to start. As a designer, I'll share the No. 1 rule of design: Always control what your reader looks at first. Don't bury your best art at the bottom of the page. Side note: Ads in the middle of the page are terrible. They make me want to smack you over the head.
 
2. Over the top swearing. Now, I swear like a damned sailor, but there's a difference between saying "I fucking love this book" and swearing in a way that demeans an author and their hard work. If you can't express your thoughts without reverting to a swear word in every sentence, then maybe you shouldn't be blogging at all. I've noticed most of the time it comes from people who have never written or published anything other than their swear-laden reviews.
 
3. Bad writing. I can forgive a few simple errors here and there. To me, there's no such thing as an error-less publication, and everyone has their own opinion on things such as whether ti use the Oxford comma or not. But I do have a problem with blogs that clearly don't even take a second read through before posting something. I will let it go once or twice, but when I see it repeatedly, I'm gone. Sayonara.

[Cover Reveal] Numbers Game

Numbers Game by Rebecca Rode

Publication date: March 2015
Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Treena can’t wait for Rating Day. Her high score will mean a life of luxury, showing the world that she’s a valuable member of society, not a pathetic waste of space. It won’t hurt her chances with her top-Rated boyfriend, either. But when the big day arrives, her true number shocks everyone.

To get her life—and boyfriend—back, she must go undercover and expose a military spy. Doesn’t sound too hard, except that someone seems to want her dead. And then there’s the mysterious soldier with a haunted past and beautiful brown eyes. Together, they discover a dark numbers conspiracy, one that shatters the nation’s future. They must band together if they are to survive the dangerous game of numbers—and the terrible war that rages within Treena’s heart.

See it on Goodreads

Rebecca Rode

By day, I'm a busy mom of four who struggles with housecleaning and cooking. By night...well, I'm still a busy mom of four. But scattered into those rare quiet moments is my life's passion--writing. My first book, HOW TO HAVE PEACE WHEN YOU'RE FALLING TO PIECES, was released in March 2013. It's a nonfiction quick-fix book for moms whose lives feel as crazy and out of control as mine does--and from what readers are saying, it's fun and entertaining to read. I also write for Deseret News and KSL.com on occasion, and some of my articles have also appeared in Schooled Magazine. For a sneak peek at the first two chapters of my book, HOW TO HAVE PEACE WHEN YOU'RE FALLING TO PIECES, check it out on Amazon.com. Bye now!

Author links

Facebook | Twitter | Website

[Blitz & Giveaway] Sword

 

Sword 

by Amy Bai

 

Details:
Sword by Amy Bai
Publication date: Feb. 10, 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Synopsis:

Sword shall guide the hands of men . . .

For over a thousand years the kingdom of Lardan has been at peace: isolated from the world, safe from the wars of its neighbors, slowly forgetting the wild and deadly magic of its origins. Now the deepest truths of the past and the darkest predictions for the future survive only in the verses of nursery rhymes.

For over a thousand years, some of Lardan’s fractious provinces have been biding their time.

Kyali Corwynall is the daughter of the Lord General, a child of one of the royal Houses, and the court’s only sword-wielding girl. She has known for all of her sixteen years what the future holds for her–politics and duty, the management of a House, and protecting her best friend, the princess and presumed heir to the throne. But one day an old nursery rhyme begins to come true, an ancient magic wakes, and the future changes for everyone. In the space of a single night her entire life unravels into violence and chaos. Now Kyali must find a way to master the magic her people have left behind, or watch her world–and her closest friends–fall to a war older than the kingdom itself.


Find it on Goodreads

Purchase Links
Amazon | B&N

Excerpt

An arm reached out of the dark and wrapped around her neck.

She saw it coming from the corner of her eye, but only had time to twitch uselessly sideways. Another arm immediately followed the first one, muffling her startled cry and stealing her breath.


Too shocked to be afraid, she bit down. The hand over her face jerked away. Her elbow drove backwards and her heel went up into a knee. The awful crack of bone that followed drew a pained groan from behind her, and brought her panic in a thundering flood. Her attacker staggered, pulling her with him. The dropped candle sputtered on the floor beside them, throwing huge shadows everywhere. Spurred on by the thought that she might have to finish this struggle in the dark, she shouted. It was a much softer sound than she'd intended, but the floorboards above them creaked ominously, the arms around her fell away, and he screamed, as though she had burned him.


Leaving this mystery for later consideration, Kyali flung herself at the steps and scrambled up, leaving the back panel of her skirts in his fist. Her sword clattered on the floor as she snatched at it. He came hard on her heels and, as she turned, drove himself obligingly onto it for her. Stunned, she froze again.


Her blood sang in her ears. By the look on his face—a fair face, some much colder part of her noted, with the Western short-beard—he was at least as surprised as she was. He drew a bubbling breath. A dagger dropped from his hand and hit the floor between them.


They stared at one another.


He made an odd face then, and coughed a gout of blood all over her. She blinked through the drops. She knew she had to move—not dead till they stop bleeding, Father would say—but she couldn't. For all her years of study, all the secrecy and swordplay, she had never killed a man. She supposed, watching his face in a perversely distant way, that she still hadn't quite managed it. But he fell forward onto her then, going limp, and after the instinctive terror of having him land on her subsided the sight of his glassy gaze, of her old practice sword sticking out of his ribs, made it clear that she had done it now.


She watched his face closely while his blood dripped down her cheek. He didn't move. He seemed not to be bleeding anymore, though with all the blood on him already how could one tell? She didn’t intend to get closer to check. She couldn't hear anyone else in the house. Through the haze of shock, she was grateful the soldiers weren't here to witness this bizarrely personal moment.


"Well," Kyali said, beginning to be pleased at how well she was taking this—and then threw up on him.


Damn.

AUTHOR BIO

Amy Bai has been, by order of neither chronology nor preference, a barista, a numbers-cruncher, a paper-pusher, and a farmhand. She likes thunderstorms, the enthusiasm of dogs, tall boots and long jackets, cinnamon basil, margaritas, and being surprised by the weirdness of her fellow humans. She lives in New England with her guitar-playing Russian husband and two very goofy sheepdogs.

Author links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

11 random things about Amy Bai

Because 10 is just too even a number for my rebellious soul.

1. I occasionally take 3-hour baths. Yes, really. I have started and finished books in there, and I am not ashamed, except possibly of my heating bill.

2. I lose every social grace I can (tentatively) lay claim to when I get behind the wheel of a car. I think it is perfectly fine to tailgate people driving too slow for my taste, and just as acceptable to bait fellow drivers tailgating me. I unconsciously speed up when somebody passes me. I gently encourage people driving in front of me to pull over with flashing headlights, honking horn, and occasional hand gestures. And yet, though my grill may be locked to your bumper the whole way in, I’m nonetheless likely to hold the door for you when we’re walking into the building together, even if you’re in the process of telling me what a dangerous bitch I am on the road. Don’t ask me to explain this. It’s a pathology.

3. I think meat is totally gross. And I have since I was about 7 years old. When we had our family visits to McDonald’s (hey, backwoods town in Maine; it really was the big hangout) I used to eat only cheeseburgers because I believed the cheese negated the beef. This logic only worked for me until I was about 8, and then I moved on to about a pint of A-1 sauce, which certainly had the effect of negating the taste, if not the existence, of meat. And when I was 9 I gave up the red stuff altogether, and I think I was 13 or 14 when poultry went. I’d love to claim some great moral objection, but while I think the methods of raising and slaughtering are more than reason to give meat up, I stopped because it was dead flesh, and well, ew.

4. I once dressed in poplar leaves stitched together with twigs and tree sap. I wasn’t alone, either.

5. My first real story was an action-romance about two of my classmates in second grade. Poor Brian and Charity were drowned, mugged, shot from a cannon, chased by lions across the Sahara, and Charity herself died at least once before they shared their first sloppy, painfully-depicted kiss. Their real-life counterparts were horrified when I was picked to read the installments out loud in front of the class. The teacher, who probably wasn’t the best choice for the classroom, was extremely amused. And I, of course, was hooked.

6. I own The Secret of Nimh. And I do on occasion watch it. So should you. Because it’s awesome.

7. I loved writing essays in college. Even dreadfully hungover, scratchy-eyed and exhausted, I still loved writing essays. I know this makes me a freak, and I don’t care.

8. I am a conflicted cynic: I don’t believe in happy endings, but I still want one.

9. I count sounds. I don’t mean to; it just happens. I turn on the blinker, sit there in traffic waiting for someone who appears to be moving slowly enough that I can cut across their path, and by the time I get into the parking lot the little ticky noise has happened 128 times, 64 if you’re counting the high and low tics as one unit.

10. I cringe when I write big angsty melodrama, and yet somehow both the emotional and the plot arcs of all my books head inevitably toward climactic scenes of great angst and melodrama.

11. When I am stressed for too hard and too long, or in constant physical pain or ill health, I tend to write backward. And I don’t mean switching letters: I mean whole sentences, spelled (mostly) correctly, and completely backward except for the capitalization and punctuation.

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