Michelle L. Levigne's Blog, page 120

Book of the Week: SANCTUARY

Look for the final book in the Guardians of the Time Stream series, MUSIC IN THE NIGHT, coming in October (that's next week!) from Desert Breeze Publishing.

"We don’t want you to try anything specific," Athena said, pulling one of the helix-shaped crystal rods from her ever-present belt pouch. "For now, for today, we want you to just... play. Listen to the crystal, sing to it, if you want. Let it speak to you. It might take days of listening and perhaps even dreaming -- Vivian often made her greatest healing advances after she had studied and experimented and worked herself into headaches, and then everything came together in her sleep. In her dreams. She often said she had a friend who visited in her dreams, and then you had an imaginary friend very young--"
"Carmen." Ess surprised herself as the image of a little girl her own age at the time seemed to pop into her mind, like stepping from behind a thick screen. She had a momentary sensation of having been spun around, or the room had suddenly expanded in size.
More proof, perhaps, that memories had been blocked just like Uly's had been? She made a note to confer with her brother, to find out how he felt when memories and bits of his life returned to him.
"Yes." Athena blinked away a sheen that hinted at tears. "Vivian wrote to me of your friend, how glad she was that you... well, that is neither here nor there. Yet it does rather reinforce my theory. Your mind works enough like your mother’s, I’m hopeful you inherited that gift as well."
Ess took the rod and pressed it between her hands, to keep it from picking up the deliciously fearful shivers vibrating in her breastbone. Ford stood and opened the door, then waited until Athena and Dr. Sylvia stepped outside.

Book of the Week: SANCTUARY

Book Two in the Guardians of the Time Stream series, from Desert Breeze Publishing.

Ess Fremont and the Blue Lotus Society know the Originators have been infiltrated by Revisionists. The treachery has reached even to their headquarters, Sanctuary, an underground complex near San Francisco.Problem: The Society can't contact Sanctuary, or risk putting power into the enemy's hands. Yet Ess must go there to claim her heritage and learn how and why her grandparents vanished seven years ago.  Solution: Ask her family lawyers to "turn her in," and on the train ride cross-country, begin her education.The journey launches revelations that threaten everything Ess knows as truth. As she uncovers schemes within lies within treachery, the fulfillment of her family's destiny rests heavy on her shoulders.Who can she trust when her own grandparents blocked her memories, and the means of saving -- or destroying -- them all are hidden in the vaults of her mind?

Off the Bookshelf: IRON DAUGHTER, by Julie Kagawa

Okay, call this the Overdrive Effect.

Take a print book off the to-be-read pile. Read it. Really like it. Want MORE. Go to Overdrive and find e-book versions of the next couple books in the series. Borrow the next 3 books from the library, in e-book format. Instant gratification.

And then you have a deadline to read those 3 books in the next 3 weeks. And you DO it. Because the stories are good. And it also helps if 2 of the 3 books are novellas ...

This is the 2nd novel, and the third story in the Iron Fey series.

IRON DAUGHTER takes up after the novella, Winter's Passage, in which Meghan fulfills her promise to go to the Unseelie Court/Winter Court in payment for Prince Ash helping to rescue her brother from the Iron King's realm.

When the story starts, she is still a miserable guest in the Winter Court. Ash is either not there, or he's pretty nasty to her. Not a good time for a girl who beat the Iron King and finds out she's a half-breed faerie princess, but basically nobody likes her. You'd think the girl would be finally coming into her own. Learning magic, finding out she's a princess, and all that. Except that her magic doesn't seem to work. Bummer.

Things get worse when she's accused of murder and theft and blamed for starting a war. Fortunately, some old friends and allies show up, and former nemeses turn into allies, as they set off on a quest -- and run from people who want to kill them all, starting with Meghan -- to return a magic scepter and stop the war. Major heartbreak. Major danger. Meghan proves she's a pretty tough kid, doing what's right no matter how much it hurts. And yeah, messing up when it comes to her love life because after all, she is still a kid in high school.

Loved it when she got to attend the prom -- purely for magical energy-gathering purposes, of course -- and the jerks who snubbed and mocked her end up hitting on her, and she's the envy of every single girl in the school because of the two guys who are her escorts. Yes, two escorts.

Can I say I'm totally tempted to download the next 3 or 4 books in the series and binge-read them, too? Alas, I must desist, because I have some deadlines to make, writing-wise. Best to save more Iron Fey books as rewards for getting work done. Reward yourself and read as many of these as you can!

ANALOGS: Phoenix Fan Fiction

Excerpt.
Read the whole story on Wattpad: CLICK HERE

"He's awake now." Bennu had a bemused look on his face. "I can't contact him outright, but I'm getting fragments of what is going on. Someone is helping him escape."
"So strange," she muttered.
"What is?"
"You two are so...very alike. Your duties parallel. Yet you are a fugitive from those who should assist you, while Reydell is held in high honor." Aria shook her head. "It is not sensible."          
"Don't worry, I'm not that badly off. I have some friends in high places too." He stood up, now that all activity in front of the hospital had ceased for a while. "Let's go."      
Together they entered the building and found their first stroke of luck -- no one at the front desk. Bennu's link and a sign on the wall directed them down the east wing. They turned a corner, Aria in the lead, and found five men in sheriff's uniforms, standing in the hall. Bennu did a quick side-backstep and retreated around the corner again, tugging Aria back with him.
"Uniformed men -- those are police?" she whispered. Bennu nodded. "What are the guns you warned me of?"

"The black, hand-sized objects hanging from their belts. I have an idea to get you in to Reydell. How well do you lie?" Mischief glinted in his eyes, to be answered by a smile and nod from the girl.

Book of the Week: THE BLUE LOTUS SOCIETY

The Guardians of the Time Stream series, from Desert Breeze Publishing.

A soft, three-note whistle warbled through the warehouse, coming from the far door. She choked on a totally irrational giggle. The distinct hiss-clop of very large feet trying to walk noiselessly in heavy boots came through the waiting quiet.
Charles was late, but fortunately not that more negative definition of late.
However, he was walking right into trouble.
"What in the Sam -- Odessa?" Charles hissed, appearing in the doorway. He was a distinct man-shape on the far side of the spill of dimmed moonlight. "Where are you, girl? Are you hurt?" The snick-click of his Colt cocking rang loud through the warehouse.
"Run!" she shouted. "I'm trapped -- get the others." She stared down the leg suddenly pointed at her face and swallowed hard, braced for another cloud of sleeping gas or maybe the acid this time. The automatons didn't have visible ears, either, but they seemed to understand exactly what she was doing when she shouted.
"What are those things?" Charles stepped out into the moonlight, staring up at her.
She was touched that he was worried about her -- glad that he assumed she was hurt and she hadn't fallen asleep on the job -- but the man was an idiot. What part of "run" didn't he understand?
"Get out, now! Look behind you!" She dared to point -- no reaction from the automatons.
The automatons on the floor moved at triple the speed she had seen before. Their tap-tapping sound turned into a rattle as they seemed to skim across the floor, heading right for Charles. He let out a shout and backed up, pulling his other pistol and letting go with both barrels.
He missed.
Charles was a crack shot.

Book of the Week: THE BLUE LOTUS SOCIETY

Look for the final book in the Guardians of the Time Stream series from Desert Breeze Publishing, coming in October!

The two automatons sat perpendicular to her, all six legs on each firmly planted on the vertical sides of the rafter beam. Perfectly still. No ticking or whirring sounds came from them, no indication of clockworks. Their eyeless pillboxes were partially retracted into their bodies. Moving slowly, ready for another spray of the chalky substance, she looked down the beam in the other direction. The two automatons there copied the same pose.
So we just sit and wait until someone falls off?
Ess hoped she would find this situation amusing in the future. Preferably, the very near future.
Another crystalline chime sang through the air. Two automatons, one from each pair, popped their pillbox heads out, making Ess flinch and gasp. They climbed up the vertical beams of the rafters and tap-tapped along the roof, hanging upside down, heading for the skylight. She kept watch, as much as she was able while keeping the other two, quiescent automatons in sight. Ess shivered as she realized the moonlight had faded by at least three-quarters of its intensity. How long had those things been chasing her around the warehouse rafters? Or had the clouds moved in far quicker that she thought, when she predicted a rainstorm coming up late tonight?
The two automatons prodded at the skylight latch. Ess flinched and rose up from her perch in the "V" when they grabbed onto the control cables for the lock and rode them down to the ground, pulling the skylight open.
The two automatons still with her raised one leg each, pointing them at her. A definite threat if she had ever seen one. So, she reasoned, she could watch all she wanted, turn her head to look around, but she couldn't move any other part of her body?
Fine. She had a very good, unimpeded view from her perch here. So what was going to happen next?

The War Room

Please mark the date for the Faith and Fellowship Book Festival, and plan on attending!
Where is Etna? Look for Columbus, OH and then look to the right. Better yet, just plug the address into your map app. Check out this link and see all the authors, all the different kinds of books, the panel discussions available. Oh, yeah, and BOOKS to buy.
I mean, come on, it's almost time to start CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!!
I'm gonna be there -- I hope to see YOU!

Book of the Week: THE BLUE LOTUS SOCIETY

Book One of the Guardians of the Time Stream series from Desert Breeze Publishing.

THE BLUE LOTUS SOCIETY

A traveling exhibit of Egyptian artifacts is threatened by thieves. Pinkerton agents, including Ess Fremont, are providing protection. A midnight vigil brings Ess face-to-face with the reason behind the thefts -- and the two groups seeking what is hidden within the artifacts.
Encountering her missing grandparents' allies, Ess can reclaim her heritage, but hesitates. They aren't being honest with her. How can she join a battle affecting the entire world when she doesn't understand the reasons for the war? There is more to the Blue Lotus Society than protecting Egyptian history and culture.As the exhibition crosses the country, Ess approaches the tipping point, when her decision could be made for her. Who can she trust? Who is lying to her and using her? When the enemy strikes, she discovers that making the right choice can't always wait for answers.

Off the Bookshelf: SUMMER'S CROSSING, by Julie Kagawa

Another novella in the Iron Fey series.

This one is told through the eyes of Puck, Robin Goodfellow, and a dozen other names among the Fey. Puck is the ultimate mischief-maker and rabble-rouser. A good ally to have on your side, if you can trust him to stay on your side.

Puck was once good friends with Ash, prince of the Winter Fey, otherwise known as the Unseelie Court. Ash has vowed to kill Puck, blaming him for the death of the girl he loved. Now things are complicated because Ash and Puck are both in love with Meghan Chase, heroine of the Iron Fey books.

Ash has a vow to fulfill to Meghan, and a promise to fulfill to a rebel Fey queen that he can't get out of. Before Ash can find their ally, Grimalkin, he has to steal something from the Seelie Court. Much against his will, he accepts Puck's help.

Things get a lot more complicated when Oberon shows up and points out to Puck that if he betrays Ash while he's in the Summer Court, then his rival will be destroyed ... and Puck can finally win Meghan's heart.

Will Puck double and triple-cross and pay his debts or just add to them?
Read and find out!

ANALOGS: Phoenix Fan Fiction

Excerpt.
Read the whole story on Wattpad: CLICK HERE

Aria's face went white and she stared at him for a long time. Once her lips moved, but she didn't speak. Lightly, she touched the burned or torn placed places on her clothes and the long slit high on her shoulder, stained with the blood of the wound Bennu had healed. Her clothes were simple, all of the same dark blue -- a loose, sleeveless tunic, falling halfway to her knees, and wide, baggy pants stuck into knee-hi leather boots. Headband, wristbands, belt and buckles of mother-of-pearl completed her most definitely un-Elrad look. Bennu wondered how he could have been mistaken -- yet she was Khahli, in size, coloring, voice and manner.
"Analogs," Aria said suddenly, relief in her tone. "That narrows the possible realms I could be in." She seemed to have forgotten about Bennu, and spoke her thoughts out loud. "By the Lion! What can I do without Reydell? And what about the doors?"
With very little questioning, they both knew for sure what had occurred. Aria and Khahli, and Bennu and Reydell, were doubles, analogs, each other's counterparts in a different plane of existence. Reydell and Aria were doormasters, guarding the entrances of other planes against mis-use and accident. The Gryf, her plane's analog of the Yago, had tried to get through to Bennu's plane. In the battle, the door had opened enough for Aria and Reydell to fall through before closing. Bennu's dream had been caused by a spontaneous link with his analog. It had been real. Dreaming he helped Khahli, he had pulled Aria to safety and separated the doormasters.     
They could only go back to their own realm working together -- and there was a limit on how long analogs could share a plane in safety.