Sue Perkins's Blog, page 15

The Rainbow Ghost Bus - SALE PRICE!!!

The Rainbow Ghost Bus is now available at the sales price of $2.95




Visit MuseItUp Publishing to purchase at this wonderful price.



I am happy to announce my new Tween novel The Rainbow Ghost Bus is now available for purchase in several different formats at MuseItUp Publishing, Amazon and many other ebook sellers. A fantasy novel, it is written for 9-12 year olds. A little bit of fantasy, a little bit of ghosts and a very human boy and girl who have to solve the mystery of the ghost bus with the Number 13 on its front.



The Ghost Bus takes Jack and his sister to Sunland. It abandons them and will only return when they have collected letters to solve the mystery of the Rainbow Bus Company. But which letters and how do they find them?

The Rainbow Ghost Bus

The Rainbow Ghost Bus
Middle Grade Fantasy

I am happy to announce my new Tween novel The Rainbow Ghost Bus is now available for purchase in several different formats at MuseItUp Publishing, Amazon and many other ebook sellers. A fantasy novel, it is written for 9-12 year olds. A little bit of fantasy, a little bit of ghosts and a very human boy and girl who have to solve the mystery of the ghost bus with the Number 13 on its front.





The Ghost Bus takes Jack and his sister to Sunland. It abandons them and will only return when they have collected letters to solve the mystery of the Rainbow Bus Company. But which letters and how do they find them?



Excerpt



Tonight their parents were out and Jack sat with his headphones on, playing a computer game. Kate lounged on a beanbag reading a book. A paper clip hitting the back of his head made Jack take off his headphones and glare at his sister. 

“What's the matter?”

“Did you see that?” Kate pointed at the circular window.

“I saw my score dropping when you hit me.” He turned to continue his game, but his sister pulled him round until he faced her.

“I saw a flicker of light coming from the covered window.”

“Not possible.” He remembered his father's explanation of the reason for the circle.

Jack glanced at the circle every time he entered the room. Now, because Kate insisted, he looked again. A pinpoint of light flickered in one of the sections.

Another flicker and Kate thumped him on the shoulder. “See?”

“Yes, I can see the light coming through, but it's not possible. It must be reflecting off something in here.” He felt proud of himself for shooting down her idea. 

“I know there's no light up there. With the metal cover on the outside we shouldn't be able to see a thing.”

“It's dark outside.” Jack still stared at the window. “So there wouldn't be any light even if without the cover.”

“Good point. What do you think is making the glitter?”

“Don't know, but it's getting bigger.”

He'd been watching the light grow. It now resembled a torch beam and grew stronger by the minute. The base of the light stopped growing, but the beam splayed out and spread quickly, like headlights of a vehicle getting closer.

“What's that noise?” Jack heard a sound that didn't belong in their nice new home. 

“I can't hear a thing,” Kate replied. “No, wait. Do you mean a sort of rumbling noise?”

“Yes.” Jack hung over the railing and looked down below. “I think it's coming from downstairs.”

Kate led the way and Jack was happy to let her. They moved cautiously and the lower they went, the stronger the light grew. They reached the bottom and Kate pushed him behind her.

“Hey,” he objected.

“I'm responsible for you, Jack. For once in your life do as you're told.”

“The light's shining through the windows.” Jack kept his voice at a whisper but obeyed his bossy sister and stayed behind her.

Moving quietly Kate led the way to the huge bi-fold glass doors. The rumbling noise increased and the light dazzled them as it lit up the whole space, preventing them from seeing outside. The loud noise stopped abruptly and now Jack had to strain to hear a low murmur.

“There's a lot of smoke. Do you think there's a fire?” Jack couldn't hide the tremor in his voice.

“It's not that sort of smoke.” Kate replied. “More like the stuff you get in a film when they want it to look foggy. Look, it's getting thinner.”

The mist slowly thinned. A dark outline appeared and gradually became clearer. The bright lights illuminated the patio making the outside like daylight.

“Wow.” Jack exclaimed. “Will you look at that.”

The Rainbow Ghost Bus

The Rainbow Ghost Bus
Middle Grade Fantasy

I am happy to announce my new Tween novel The Rainbow Ghost Bus is now available for purchase in several different formats at MuseItUp Publishing, Amazon and many other ebook sellers. A fantasy novel, it is written for 9-12 year olds. A little bit of fantasy, a little bit of ghosts and a very human boy and girl who have to solve the mystery of the ghost bus with the Number 13 on its front.





The Ghost Bus takes Jack and his sister to Sunland. It abandons them and will only return when they have collected letters to solve the mystery of the Rainbow Bus Company. But which letters and how do they find them?



Excerpt



Tonight their parents were out and Jack sat with his headphones on, playing a computer game. Kate lounged on a beanbag reading a book. A paper clip hitting the back of his head made Jack take off his headphones and glare at his sister. 

“What's the matter?”

“Did you see that?” Kate pointed at the circular window.

“I saw my score dropping when you hit me.” He turned to continue his game, but his sister pulled him round until he faced her.

“I saw a flicker of light coming from the covered window.”

“Not possible.” He remembered his father's explanation of the reason for the circle.

Jack glanced at the circle every time he entered the room. Now, because Kate insisted, he looked again. A pinpoint of light flickered in one of the sections.

Another flicker and Kate thumped him on the shoulder. “See?”

“Yes, I can see the light coming through, but it's not possible. It must be reflecting off something in here.” He felt proud of himself for shooting down her idea. 

“I know there's no light up there. With the metal cover on the outside we shouldn't be able to see a thing.”

“It's dark outside.” Jack still stared at the window. “So there wouldn't be any light even if without the cover.”

“Good point. What do you think is making the glitter?”

“Don't know, but it's getting bigger.”

He'd been watching the light grow. It now resembled a torch beam and grew stronger by the minute. The base of the light stopped growing, but the beam splayed out and spread quickly, like headlights of a vehicle getting closer.

“What's that noise?” Jack heard a sound that didn't belong in their nice new home. 

“I can't hear a thing,” Kate replied. “No, wait. Do you mean a sort of rumbling noise?”

“Yes.” Jack hung over the railing and looked down below. “I think it's coming from downstairs.”

Kate led the way and Jack was happy to let her. They moved cautiously and the lower they went, the stronger the light grew. They reached the bottom and Kate pushed him behind her.

“Hey,” he objected.

“I'm responsible for you, Jack. For once in your life do as you're told.”

“The light's shining through the windows.” Jack kept his voice at a whisper but obeyed his bossy sister and stayed behind her.

Moving quietly Kate led the way to the huge bi-fold glass doors. The rumbling noise increased and the light dazzled them as it lit up the whole space, preventing them from seeing outside. The loud noise stopped abruptly and now Jack had to strain to hear a low murmur.

“There's a lot of smoke. Do you think there's a fire?” Jack couldn't hide the tremor in his voice.

“It's not that sort of smoke.” Kate replied. “More like the stuff you get in a film when they want it to look foggy. Look, it's getting thinner.”

The mist slowly thinned. A dark outline appeared and gradually became clearer. The bright lights illuminated the patio making the outside like daylight.

“Wow.” Jack exclaimed. “Will you look at that.”

Lost on Disc - Middle Grade novel

The computer powers down, ejecting a star fighter from his program. Flic offers to help Stargun find his way home, but the task is harder than he thinks. The star fighter's impatience leads them into all the wrong programs.

Flic wants to help, but he's terrified the Grand Master of the operating system will discover their plight and disintegrate both of them.

Only 99 cents on Amazon.com




















Other Middle Grade books available at

MuseItUp Publishing or Amazon.com







       Special Price at

MuseItUp Publishing

            $1.99

Lost on Disc - Middle Grade novel

The computer powers down, ejecting a star fighter from his program. Flic offers to help Stargun find his way home, but the task is harder than he thinks. The star fighter's impatience leads them into all the wrong programs.

Flic wants to help, but he's terrified the Grand Master of the operating system will discover their plight and disintegrate both of them.

Only 99 cents on Amazon.com




















Other Middle Grade books available at

MuseItUp Publishing or Amazon.com







       Special Price at

MuseItUp Publishing

            $1.99

The Secret Door by Stephanie Burkhart

REVIEW



The Secret Door - Budapest Moon Book 4





The Budapest Moon series shows us werewolves have feelings too. There are good and bad in their species as there are in humans. Humans do not understand how a werewolf's nature and honour work and because of this the wolves must hide their true nature from fellow humans.





The Secret Door is a gripping story from beginning to end. It starts with a chase, a fight and a problem to be solved. This led me through the book as each chapter solved some problems but  brought more issues to the forefront of the story. A wolf is slain when he tries to recover his witch from an enemy. This starts a feud between the clan of the killed wolf and the one who has the witch. The fact the witch wishes to stay with her abductor means nothing to the warring clan, they believe they have the right and will not stop until the witch is returned.





Ms Burkhart shows us how even a rogue wolf can turn from bad to good if he is guided along the right path. A human can fall in love with a werewolf if the wolf can prove he is not evil. I came to a greater understanding of werewolves as I read this novel. I always assumed no matter the nature of their human side, their wolf side was evil. The author showed me this is not always so and love can bloom in the weirdest places. The characters of this book had their own lives, problems and careers before they all came together which provided them with a rich depth making the story even more alluring. Well done Ms Burkhart, The Secret Door is a tribute to your talent as a writer.



























BLURB:




It's 1927 and Lord Zoltan Kristos, Hungary's Minister of the
Interior, takes great pains to hide the fact he's a werewolf from the world.
Despite his efforts, he's recognized when he goes to the Austrian-Hungarian
border to inspect the area for damage from a recent rare earthquake.




Zoltan is accused of stealing Kurt Meklau's witch, Inna, and
is recklessly pursed to Volturn Manor, a residence belonging to another
werewolf family, the Vargas. After a fight with Meklau, Zoltan barely escapes
and his adversary is found dead.




Sophia Varga and Tomas Martin find Zoltan. Sophia is
determine to attend to Zoltan's injuries and protect her home, but when Kurt's
father, Marcus, comes seeking revenege, Sophia is tested like never before. As
Zoltan and Sophia work together, attraction and desire flame between them.




Will the secrets Volturn Manor harbors offer Zoltan and
Sophia the clues they need to defeat Marcus and give them the opportunity to
explore their feelings for one another?












~~~~~~~~~~~~~




EXCERPT





























"Can you hang garlic plants
among the peppers? Even as men the garlic should keep Marcus and his brothers
away." Zoltan stood at the entrance to the garden, his soulful grey-blue
eyes unable to hide his disgust at the damage before him.






"We have some garlic, but
not enough for the entire crop," replied Tomas.




"If Marcus sends his gypsies
who aren't wolves, the garlic won't stop them." Sophia studied Zoltan. He
now exuded a feral masculinity in his firm expression and an air of command in
his voice. He appeared well rested and it was early in the day -- 12:30 p.m.
Usually, her parents didn't get up until 2 p.m. after a transformation.




"We'll need the patrols,
too." Zoltan paused, glancing at Tomas.




Tomas nodded. "I believe
there's a farmer's market in Sopron's main square today. I'll send a crew out
to buy as much as they can, but I don't think it will be enough."




"Send some workers to Györ
to buy from their markets as well," suggested Sophia.




"Good idea." Tomas
clasped his hands before him, and Sophia spied a spark of hope on his face.




"I suggest you focus on that
task, Tomas. It needs to be completed by nightfall. I'm going to confront
Marcus."




Sophia furrowed her brow.
"Now?"




"Yes, now. Do you have an
auto?"




"I do, but--"




"Then I hope you don't mind
if I borrow it."




Sophia pursed her lips,
disapproving of his request. "Have you thought this out?"




"Marcus is a beast. I will
not cower to him, and I want him to know it."




"Then I'll come with
you."




"No." His voice was
firm.




"If you want to use my auto,
I'm going with you."




"This isn't your
problem."




"You made it mine when you
brought Inna here," she retorted.










~~~~~~~~~~~~~




AUTHOR Bio and
Links:




I'm a member of Generation X, and was born in Manchester, New Hampshire.
After graduating from Central High, the U.S. Army gave me a job. I  spent 11 years in the military, 7 stationed
in Germany. While in the military I earned my B.S. in Political Science from California
Baptist University in Riverside, CA in 1995. After leaving the Army in 1997, I
settled in California. The New England Patriots are still My favorite football
team. I've been married for 20 years.




 Currently, I work for LAPD as a
911 Dispatcher. I'm a member of  EPIC
(Electronically Published Internet Connection). I'm published with Desert
BreezePublishing and 4RV Publishing.




 Follow me onTwitter at:




http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart




Like my Facebook Author Page:




http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephanie-Burkhart-Author/149938795021166







FIND ME ON GOOD READS:




http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart




http://www.stephanieburkhart.com




http://sgcardin.blogspot.com




http://www.writing.com/authors/sgcardin

The Cracked Slipper

The Cracked Slipper

by Stephanie Alexander




~~~~~~~~~~~~~




BLURB:




When Eleanor Brice unexpectedly wins the heart of Gregory
Desmarais, Crown Prince of Cartheigh, she's sure she's found her
happily-ever-after. Unfortunately, Prince Charming has a loose grip on his
temper, a looser grip on his marriage vows, and a tight grip on the bottle.




Eight years of mistreatment, isolation and clandestine book
learning hardly prepare Eleanor for life at Eclatant Palace, where women are
seen, not heard. According to Eleanor's eavesdropping parrot, no one at court
appreciates her unladylike tendency to voice her opinion. To make matters worse,
her royal fiancé spends his last night of bachelorhood on a drunken whoring
spree. Before the ink dries on her marriage proclamation Eleanor realizes that
she loves her husband's best friend, former soldier Dorian Finley.




Eleanor can't resist Dorian's honesty, or his unusual
admiration for her intelligence, and soon both are caught in a dangerous
obsession. She drowns her confusion in charitable endeavors, but the people's
love can't protect her from her feelings. When a magical crime endangers the
bond between unicorns, dragons, and the royal family, a falsely accused Eleanor
must clear her own name to save her life. The road toward vindication will
force a choice between hard-won security and an impossible love.




The Cracked Slipper is a book club friendly fairytale
retelling in the vein of Gregory Maguire, with a dash of romance. Set in a
pseudo-renaissance, corset-and-petticoats enchanted kingdom, The Cracked
Slipper brings a magical twist to women's fiction.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~




EXCERPT




The dragon stood and
lumbered toward the first cave. It passed the other unicorns, slowing every few
steps, and they responded with reassuring whinnies. The next dragon appeared,
followed by two more of Tremor’s unicorn guides. The first dragon called to the
second, who screamed once in return. Both creatures seemed eager to get
underground.






The transfer continued for nearly
an hour without much fanfare. Eleanor thought she must have miscounted when
there was a break in the procession.




“This will be the last one,” said
Gregory. “I wonder what’s taking so long.”




Tremor paced at the mouth of the
cave. Dark smoke rolled from under the ground. Tremor sent two of his fellows
down below, and when after a few minutes they did not return, Thromba called to
him to send two more.




Without warning, and with an
earsplitting scream, and a new dragon burst from the cave. Stubby horns
revealed her as a doe.




“Ho!”Gregory yelled. “Nestlings!”




Three baby dragons, about the
size of saddle horses, squealed and circled their mother’s feet. She screamed
and shot fire at the wall of men and unicorns. The men fell back. The unicorns
just shut their eyes. As Gregory steered Eleanor toward the cabin she caught a
flash of white behind the dragon’s legs.




Teardrop had somehow been pushed
from the line. She was pinned between the raging dragon and the canyon walls.
As the dragon backed and reared, her massive tail, all wrathful muscle, swung
in a deadly pendulum.




“Teardrop!”Eleanor screamed.




Teardrop zigged, looking for a
way around the mother dragon. The dragon’s tail came down hard and clipped the
mare across the shoulder. Teardrop slammed into the rock wall. She cowered,
stunned and heaving.




“Teardrop!”Eleanor yanked free of
Gregory’s grip.




“Eleanor, stop!”




She ran past the startled guards
and into the chaos.




“Get back!” Tremor snorted.




“I won’t!” She yelled to be heard
over the dragon. “I’m going to help her.”




“You can’t, and we must control
this situation.”




“I will, damnit!” She tried to
get around the stallion but he stepped in front of her again. “Get out of my
way!” she stormed.




He lowered his head. “If you
insist on this foolery at least let me help you.”




Gregory was shoving past the
guards, but she climbed onto Tremor’s back before he could reach her.




“Eleanor!”Gregory screamed.




She clung to Tremor’s mane as he
raced at the dragon. Her eyelashes stuck together in the blinding heat. Tremor
dodged and wheeled as the dragon spit fire. Two other unicorns flanked them.




Tremor skidded to a stop. Eleanor
leapt off and ran to Teardrop.

“Hurry!” Tremor called.




Foam dripped from Teardrop’s
muzzle as she pressed against the wall. She wasn’t bleeding—her thick hide was
nearly impenetrable—but a raised welt marred her shoulder. Her eyes rolled.




“Teardrop,”Eleanor tried to keep
her voice calm over the screams of the dragon as it went after Tremor. “Help
me. Take me back to Gregory.”




Teardrop swung her head at
Eleanor’s voice. Her dark eyes came into focus. “Why are you here?” she
whispered. “You will be killed.”




“So you must take me out.”




Teardrop nodded, and Eleanor
grabbed her mane and pulled herself onto the mare’s back.“Go, now,” she called.
“I need you to get me past this dragon.”




Teardrop scraped at the ground
with one hoof and pricked her ears. She watched Tremor and his helpers and the
mother dragon. She spotted an opening and dove for it. The dragon spun and
swung her tail again. Eleanor held on as Teardrop leapt. They barely cleared
the spinning spikes.




They came to a stop past the line
of unicorns, and Eleanor’s legs gave out when she slid to the ground. Gregory
caught her, cursing and kissing her.




“Dammit, Eleanor,” he said.
“You’re the most stubborn, disobedient, brave, exasperating woman.”




She sat on the ground with her
head between her knees. The magicians bustled around Teardrop. They tried to
examine her injury, but she snorted them away. She stood over Eleanor,
breathing down the back of her neck.




Eleanor raised her head as Tremor
called a dozen of his fellows into the skirmish. The doe blew fire, but more
unicorns pressed in and she backed down. Her children squeaked and smoked
around her. Tremor stepped from the line and knelt on one knee. To Eleanor’s
amazement one of the nestlings crept out from under its mother’s belly and
slunk toward him. The doe hissed a warning. Tremor stood, and gently touched
the baby dragon with his horn.




The doe exhaled a long blast of
fire, but this time there was no fight in it. The other baby dragons came
forward, and Tremor touched them all before nudging them toward the new cave
with his muzzle. Their mother let our several low whistles and followed them.




Once the doe disappeared under
the ground, Thromba ran to Eleanor and Gregory. “Dear HighGod, sire,” he said.
“It was a botch-up, and the princess nearly roasted.”




“No, Thromba,” Gregory said. “We
both know you can never tell how the does with nestlings will react. Last year
we lost three men to a new mother. Not so bad, really.” He knelt beside
Eleanor.




“Are you angry with me?” she
asked.




“No,”he said. “How can I be
angry? But you must be more careful.”




He helped her stand on her shaky
legs. She ran a hand over Teardrop’s withers and the white hide twitched under
her fingers. “Does it hurt?” she asked.




“Some, but we heal quickly.”




“Princess,”said an airy voice
behind her. It was Tremor.




“Thank you,” she said. “I’m sorry
if I made things more complicated.”




Tremor lowered his head. “I thank
you,” he said. “For reminding me of what is important.”







~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Stephanie will be awarding a $10 Amazon gift card to a

randomly drawn commenter during the tour.




AUTHOR Bio and
Links:




Stephanie Alexander grew up in the suburbs of Washington, DC, the oldest
of three children. Drawing, writing stories, and harassing her parents for a
pony consumed much of her childhood. After graduating from high school in 1995
she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the College of Charleston,
South Carolina. She returned to Washington, DC, where she followed a long-time
fascination with sociopolitical structures and women’s issues to a Master of
Arts in Sociology from the American University. She spent several years as a
Policy Associate at the International Center for Research on Women, a
think-tank focused on women’s health and economic advancement.




Stephanie embraced full-time motherhood after the birth of the first of
her three children in 2003. After six wonderful years buried in diapers and
picture books she returned to her childhood passion and wrote her own
fairytale. Her family put down permanent southern roots in Charleston in 2011.
Stephanie is an adjunct professor of Sociology at the College of Charleston.




www.thecrackedslipper.com




blog.thecrackeslipper.com




www.facebook.com/thecrackedslipper




twitter: @crackedslipper




http://www.amazon.com/The-Cracked-Slipper-Series-ebook/dp/B007FLG8KS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1364778060&sr=1-1&keywords=the+cracked+slipper

Fantasy Favorites

Okay I admit it. I absolutely adore reading fantasy novels. I've got all of Anne McCaffrey's fantasy books: Dragons of Pern, Generation Warriors, Doona novels, Pegasus and several other series. She is one of the best fantasy authors I've read and her son seems to be taking after her. Maybe he'll do a series of his own in the near future.



Then of course there's David Eddings. Again I have all his fantasy novels. These two authors are the people who set my course onto writing fantasy by their example. They both have depth and polish to their writing. So much so that I read their books again and again and find them hard to put down.



Other authors I've found over the years who have become favorites are Naomi Novik and Trudi Canavan. Both have taken a unique approach to their fantasy worlds and enthral me with their stories. Naomi Novik takes history and bends it to include dragons. Wonderful dragons (another of my favourites). Trudi Canavan's worlds have magic at the core of their society. This brings magicians into conflict with other magicians, creating magical wars. Wonderful!



The above are more for adults than young people, but I do read Paul Stewart's Edge Chronicles and Wyrmweald series. I find it's nice to read stories that don't have romantic elements in them. Brian Jacques Redwall Series is another favorite. Philip Reeve's Predator Cities and Larkspur series also caught my imagination, the latter I felt was ideal for Middle Grade readers.



I recently attended a workshop on world building given by Nalini Singh, a paranormal best selling author. I went along believing it would give me more insight into building my fantasy worlds, which indeed it did. However, I got more than I bargained for.



It had never occurred to me that every book that is written has it's own world built. Doesn't matter whether it's historical, romantic, fantasy, mystery or suspense. The world is the story and the story is the world. Both must be right for the book or short story to succeed. Thank you so much Nalini for showing me this. I will look at my novels in a completely different way now, plus I will re-read those old favorites with an eye to how they are so successful in their world building, not only of alternate planets but of their characters and societies.



So there you have it. The reason and the authors who pointed me in the direction of fantasy writing. If you haven't come across some of these authors and you love fantasy, then I highly recommend one and all of them. Enjoy!!!

Fantasy Favorites

Okay I admit it. I absolutely adore reading fantasy novels. I've got all of Anne McCaffrey's fantasy books: Dragons of Pern, Generation Warriors, Doona novels, Pegasus and several other series. She is one of the best fantasy authors I've read and her son seems to be taking after her. Maybe he'll do a series of his own in the near future.



Then of course there's David Eddings. Again I have all his fantasy novels. These two authors are the people who set my course onto writing fantasy by their example. They both have depth and polish to their writing. So much so that I read their books again and again and find them hard to put down.



Other authors I've found over the years who have become favorites are Naomi Novik and Trudi Canavan. Both have taken a unique approach to their fantasy worlds and enthral me with their stories. Naomi Novik takes history and bends it to include dragons. Wonderful dragons (another of my favourites). Trudi Canavan's worlds have magic at the core of their society. This brings magicians into conflict with other magicians, creating magical wars. Wonderful!



The above are more for adults than young people, but I do read Paul Stewart's Edge Chronicles and Wyrmweald series. I find it's nice to read stories that don't have romantic elements in them. Brian Jacques Redwall Series is another favorite. Philip Reeve's Predator Cities and Larkspur series also caught my imagination, the latter I felt was ideal for Middle Grade readers.



I recently attended a workshop on world building given by Nalini Singh, a paranormal best selling author. I went along believing it would give me more insight into building my fantasy worlds, which indeed it did. However, I got more than I bargained for.



It had never occurred to me that every book that is written has it's own world built. Doesn't matter whether it's historical, romantic, fantasy, mystery or suspense. The world is the story and the story is the world. Both must be right for the book or short story to succeed. Thank you so much Nalini for showing me this. I will look at my novels in a completely different way now, plus I will re-read those old favorites with an eye to how they are so successful in their world building, not only of alternate planets but of their characters and societies.



So there you have it. The reason and the authors who pointed me in the direction of fantasy writing. If you haven't come across some of these authors and you love fantasy, then I highly recommend one and all of them. Enjoy!!!

Three Little Demons from Faizah's Destiny

Three Little Demons




*** Leave a comment for a chance to win
a free ecopy of “Faizah’s Destiny.” ***




Hi Sue: Thanks for inviting my flock (herd,
bunch, gaggle) of demons to your blog. I hope they don’t leave a mess.




I use lots of Persian mythology in “Faizah's
Destiny.” If you’d like to know more about the three boys and Faizah
standing up to the gods and demons, you can read the book, or check my blog for
a list of posts on different topics.




In researching the various gods and other
legends of ancient Persian mythology, I found the three demons the war god Dev
uses to tempt the teens to the dark side. My favorite source on all things
mythical, the Encyclopedia Mythica, (http://www.pantheon.org/) came through
with Aesma, Buyasta, and Nanghaithya.








Dev, like all gods of war in mythology,
wants humans to fight. His ultimate purpose is to to usher in Armageddon. Why?
Because war is his thing and wiping out all humankind is on his to-do list.




To that end, he sends three daevas (demons,
if you will) to turn Faiza’s companions on the quest to the dark side (sort of
a Darth Vader thing). Demons often represent a failing of humankind. We all
have our demons, but Faizah’s three friends have demons visit them in more than
just their thoughts.




Aesma



Aesma

Aesma is the demon of lust and anger, wrath
and revenge. His wrath is mainly directed towards the cow (go figure). He is
the personification of violence, a lover of conflict and war.




Aesma appears to Parvaiz in the form of a
bear with a serpent’s tail. Parvaiz was a slave and has a mile-wide chip on his
shoulder. Aesma fuels that anger and convinces the boy the others are his
enemies, not his friends. Once sold on the idea, Parvaiz is told to wait for
Dev to call him into battle. And, of course, keep his mouth shut about the
little meeting.




Buyasta



An ancient Persian demon of laziness who
tries to prevent people from working. He is one of the Daevas.




Dev sends Buyasta in the form of a giant
spider to Bahaar, who has always dreamt of becoming a warrior. The demon takes
advantage of that dream to make Bahaar fall asleep (laziness) and dream of
himself as a mighty fighter in a huge battle. The good part: Bahaar is kicking
major butt. The bad part: The butts he’s kicking are those of his best friends.





Nanghaithya

An archfiend. Nanghaithya is the
personification of discontentment.






I really wonder how discontentment rates
the rank of archfiend, but if you think about it, much of the worst harm comes
from people not content in their lives. Nanghaithya has a little un-pep talk
(he’s a voice-over character) with Harib claiming that his friends all laugh at
him and only keep his company because his father is rich. The demon attempts to
make Harib discontented with his relationship with the others. Harib, however,
is having none of it. He’s the only of the three boys who stays true to Faizah.





This excerpt shows one of the
confrontations between demon and boy. I’ve selected Harib and Nanghaithya
because the scene is the shortest of the three.




Excerpt:




He heard the noise. A dry, rustling whisper
of sound. At first, he thought it was the wind. Looking up, he could see
nothing but blackness. The forest canopy was so thick overhead it blocked out
the stars. Harib had never seen such big trees before, and he’d wondered idly
what they might be. The thick, shaggy-barked trunks soared high into the gloom,
unbroken by branch or leaf. Harib had noticed earlier that where the branches
began, high above him, they had neither leaves nor fronds but instead were
covered with clusters of thousands of thin needles. Would the wind blowing
through those needles make the sound he heard? Don’t panic, he told himself.
It’s only the wind; it can’t hurt me.




The sound faded and then grew louder. Now
it sounded like faint laughter. “Great,” he said aloud. “Now, even the forest
is laughing at me! First I fall over a cliff and have the others haul me to
safety, and now I’m lost in the woods.”




As had happened so often lately, a dark
sense of his own worthlessness washed over Harib. He angrily scrubbed away the
tears stinging his eyes. How, he wondered, did the others put up with him? They
said they were his friends, but why? He was small and weak and foolish. Bahaar
was bigger and faster, and even Faizah was stronger than he. Smarter, too! All
he had was his father’s money, and they didn’t even want that. Many times, he
had tried to buy things for them, and every time, they spurned his offers.
Still clutching his blanket-load of sticks, Harib plopped heavily to the ground
and sat, head bowed, in the small clearing that held him trapped as surely as a
prison cell.




The sound came again, louder. More
laughter; then a voice, dry and rasping. “No wonder they laugh at you. Look at
you. You’re pathetic.”




Harib’s head snapped up, but he could see
nothing.




“You’re weak and slow. You can’t even get
wood for the fire without getting lost.”




“I know!” Harib groaned. He put his face in his hands and whispered,
“I know.”




“They make fun of you behind your back.”




“No!”




“They only put up with you because you’re
rich.”




“That’s not true! They won’t accept my
money,” Harib answered, willing that hateful voice to be wrong.




“They only wait for the right moment,” the
voice persisted. “Then they’ll take it all and leave you behind.”




“Never! They wouldn’t! They’re my friends.”




The whispered voice chuckled, the words
stabbing at Harib. “So you believe.”




“No!” Harib shouted, leaping to his feet.
“No, you’re wrong! I don’t believe you! I won’t believe you.”

Looking wildly around, still trying to find
the source of the voice, Harib spotted a small opening in the underbrush he’d
missed before. Heedless of the branches whipping him, he lunged through,
running away from the hurtful words as fast as the tangled brush would allow.




Perched upside down on the trunk of a tree,
Nanghaithya, the demon of discontent, bared his fangs and hissed at Harib’s
retreating figure. He had failed. Now he feared for his own life, for Dev did
not easily forgive failure.




* * *




FAIZAH'S DESTINY

The gods are at war and only a farmer’s
daughter can save the world from Armageddon.




MuseItUp (all ebook formats):
http://tinyurl.com/faizahsdestiny

Also available at Amazon, B&N, Nook,
and other on-line stores




Blurb:




The village magician has gone missing.  His four pupils think he has left a clue to
his whereabouts in the Magicalis Bestialis--the book of magical creatures.  They must seek the help of the elusive
Simurgh, the mythical birds who know all the secrets of the universe.




However, this is not an easy camping trip
into the mountains.  Spirits, gods, and
demons confront the four friends, who are not aware they’re being set up by
otherworldly forces for a much larger task.




A farmer’s daughter, Faizah is chosen to
lead the humans in the battle. She must persuade a slave, an orphan, and a rich
merchant’s son to join in the battle on the side of good. Although divided by
Dev, the evil god of war, the teens must band together to find the Simurgh,
rescue their teacher, and stave off Armageddon.




Bio:




Marva Dasef lives in the Pacific Northwest
with her husband and two ungrateful cats. Retired from thirty-five years in the
software industry, she has now turned her energies to writing fiction and finds
it a much more satisfying occupation. Marva has published more than forty
stories in a number of on-line and print magazines, with several included in
Best of anthologies. She has several published books, including six since 2011
with MuseItUp Publishing.




Website:
https://sites.google.com/site/mdasefMarva/home

Blog:
http://mgddasef.blogspot.com

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Book
Trailers: http://www.youtube.com/user/MarvaDasef/videos