Eva Pohler's Blog, page 48

It’s Fun to be Spontaneous! New Release: The Purgatorium

Those of you who have been following me for a while know that I’m a fairly scheduled person. The Gatekeeper’s Saga, for example, has been published on a rigid, inflexible time line since August, 2012: one book every six months, with the fifth and sixth books coming out next spring and fall. Well…

I was originally planning on waiting to publish the first book in a new series, The Purgatorium, until after The Gatekeeper’s Saga is finished, but a few enthusiastic members on my street team have convinced me to go ahead and release it now.

What? Now? But I haven’t done any promo to build up for the big day? Can I really do this? It’s not on the schedule. It’s not part of the plan. Can I be so decadent as to go ahead and take the plunge?

The book has already gone through several rounds of edits, and the cover has been made. So why not?

It’s a bit different from The Gatekeeper’s Saga–a little darker, but not without the edge of sweetness I carefully maintain in all my YA books. It’s a contemporary thriller about seventeen-year-old Daphne Janus, who is floored when her parents agree to let her accompany her best friend to a getaway resort on an island off the coast of California. She doesn’t know her parents have sent her to the Purgatorium as a last-ditch effort to save their child.

Her best friend and life-long neighbor takes her to a mostly uninhabited island with a wildlife preserve on one side and Chumash Indian ruins on the “haunted” side. The resort might be beautiful, the beach pristine, and the views from the headland amazing, but strange things begin to happen that soon have Daphne running for her life. At first she finds the therapeutic games thrilling: the ghosts that visit her room, the dropping elevator, and the kayak incident are actually kind of fun once she recovers from them. But when her horse bucks her off during a trail ride and she becomes lost on the haunted side of the island, it’s not fun anymore, and she wonders if her parents have sent her there to help her or to punish her.

The book is $3.99 in ebook and $12 in paperback. I will post all the purchase links on my “Books” page as soon as they are available. Meanwhile, you might want to enter for a chance to win one of three signed paperback editions as soon as my Goodreads Giveaway goes live. You can find the widget at the bottom of this page.

This new impulsive me is kind of fun!

Books Make Great Gifts!

Please consider giving The Gatekeeper’s Saga as a holiday gift this year. If you have friends or family members with ereaders, you can send them all four books for less than ten dollars buy purchasing them any place ebooks are sold. Don’t forget the first one is free, so if you are giving someone an ereading device, you can download the first book onto that device at no extra cost to you. For the download and purchasing links, go HERE.

 

The books are appropriate for readers twelve and up. Although most of my readers so far seem to be older, they were written with the young in mind and use only those words allowed on television and contain no sex (though the romance gets steamy in a few places, there’s nothing explicit). Plus, the romance is only about a third of the conflict, the other thirds consisting of mystery and adventure. Anyone who enjoys fantasy, especially Greek mythology, might enjoy this blend of contemporary setting with ancient myth.

If you live in San Antonio and would like to purchase paperback editions, you can find signed copies on display at the Northwoods Barnes and Noble Booksellers at 1604 and 281. In fact, purchasing your books from that brick and mortar store would help me to get more paperbacks distributed to Barnes and Noble in the future and would save you the shipping charge. One of my daughter’s friends saw the display this past weekend and sent us this photo:

 

Whatever you do for your holiday gifts, I hope you and yours have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Festive Kwanzaa, and overall joyful time together during the holiday season!

With Love and Gratitude,

Eva Pohler

 

RT Book Reviews

I created a holiday ad for Romantic Times Book Reviews, and it appeared on their site for the first time today. This will put The Gatekeeper’s Saga in a pool of books that may be reviewed by RT Magazine. Cross your fingers for me and hope they pick it! Click on the ad to see it on RT Book Reviews:

I noticed they are running a second ad for me on another page that looks like the one below. Click on it to see it on RT Magazine’s website.

If you don’t see the ad on the page, refresh it in a few minutes. My ad alternates with another one by Diana Palmer, whom I’ve read and highly recommend, by the way.

What do you think? Will these ads get me a few downloads?

Happy Thanksgiving From Eva Pohler Books: Here’s a Sneak Peek!

I hope everyone of you has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday–whether you are enjoying a peaceful day at home alone or gathering with family and friends. A few of you have asked for a teaser from the fifth book, The Gatekeeper’s Secret, so here is a bit from the first chapter:

Chapter One: An Unexpected Invitation

Therese leapt into the sky above Mount Ida in the cold snowy air with Ariadne on her heels. Asterion, the Minotaur, hung back, standing beside Thanatos, waiting. The golden disc shot through the clouds, barely missing Helios descending in his cup, before it slowed and spun back toward them.

The disc swung around outside Therese’s reach. She and Ariadne both grumbled and turned in the sky to see if Asterion had any better luck. Than and Asterion jumped up from the mountain top at the same time, inches apart, both with determined looks on their faces. The tip of Than’s tongue showed between his lips—a habit of his when he was concentrating, which Therese found quite cute. Asterion flew toward the disc with a grunt, but his timing was slightly off, and Than, who’d flown back and to his right, easily caught the disc in one outstretched hand.

“No way!” Therese shouted. She let an arrow fly, aiming close to his ear.

“Watch it!” Than laughed, catching the arrow in one hand, before sending it back to her.

She grabbed it in mock frustration. “Ugh!”

Ariadne rolled her eyes at Therese as the two of them returned to the mountain top. “It’s no fun if he always wins.”

“We’ve got to get him, guys,” the Minotaur said. “We need to work together.”

Than laughed again and shook his head, obviously trying not to gloat. Hip would have already paraded around them twice, but that wasn’t Than’s style. And yet Therese would feel better if Than did gloat rather than shrugging and looking at them apologetically as though they were a bunch of morons.

Speaking of morons, Therese thought, there was Pete again, bugging her with his prayers. Oh, she shouldn’t be so mean. Pete was no moron. He was a kind and good person who had great intentions, and his sister was her best friend. She reminded herself it wasn’t that long ago when she’d imagined spending her life with him. Lately, though, his insistence that he relay a message from his father’s ghost was really getting on her nerves.

No good thing ever came from knowing the future. She’d learned that lesson after going to the Fates. What they told her hadn’t stopped Ares from wanting to imprison her, and it had only made her worry about her future children.

Two, but none immortal.

She fingered the locket at her throat.

Than wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed the back of her neck.

“Your turn,” he said. He spun her around to face him and, seeing her frown, asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s Pete again. He won’t let it go.”

“Yeah, I know. He’s been working on me, too. I’ve had to block him.”

“How do you do that?” she asked.

He touched his finger to the tip of her nose. “Practice, which is what you need with the disc. Now come on.”

Like she had much time for practice. Usually, she was on Stormy’s back flying across the world helping humans and their animal companions. Clifford often went along, and, sometimes, her parents, who lived in the bodies of two immortal red birds, joined her, too. She loved making humans and animals happy and loved spending time with her parents and animal friends, but her duties didn’t leave her vast amounts of time for practicing Frisbee throwing. Asterion complained that she and Than didn’t come play often enough, but the Minotaur was bound to the Labyrinth and had no other duties but to guard it and so couldn’t understand the concept of time management.

“Not all of us can be at many places at once,” she said to Than with a wry smile.

Than handed her the disc. Before she could move into position to throw it, Hermes appeared a few feet away. Ariadne and Asterion stepped closer to see what the messenger god had to say.

***

 

Jen sat up on her bed and threw her pillow in frustration at Pete, who leaned in the doorway of her bedroom. He caught the pillow and threw it back.

“She’ll come if you ask her,” he said. “Tell her you need a friend—which wouldn’t be much of a lie. You barely come out of your room anymore except to do chores.”

“And that’s exactly why you should quit annoying me,” Jen said, throwing her pillow at him again.

He threw it back. “Why won’t anyone take me seriously?”

A horrible thought ran through Jen’s mind. “You didn’t tell Mom or Bobby, did you?”

“Do I look stupid or something?” He sighed. “Of course not. I meant the gods. Than and Therese both ignore me. Hip just sends me sick messages in my dreams. I finally decided to go higher up.”

“Higher up?”

“Zeus. Isn’t he supposed to be the big shot?”

Jen threw her pillow at his face. “You are stupid, Pete! Why would you do such a thing?”

“Why is that so bad? I’m worried about Therese.” He tossed the pillow across the room, where it landed on the floor beneath her window. “Why isn’t anyone else?”

“I doubt Therese will appreciate you involving Zeus in her problems—though I don’t know if he cares, to tell you the truth.” She lay back on her pillow-less bed.

“Just ask her to come for a visit,” he said again.

“Fine.”

When Pete left, Jen crossed the room for her pillow and then sank back on her bed. All she wanted to do these days was sleep. While awake, she only thought of her best friend, who wasn’t even human anymore. Or she freaked out over her father’s ghost creeping around their place, telling Pete cryptic messages. But while asleep, she could be with Hip. Even when she couldn’t sleep, all she had to do was to pray for him to come to her, and he would, and she would instantly drift into a wonderful dream.

She nestled into her covers and called to him. “Hip?”

“Hello, sweetheart,” he said in a poor imitation of somebody she recognized but didn’t know the name of—some old, classic, long-dead actor. Hip had a habit of doing that. He seriously needed to update his movie references.

But he was dang cute, no matter what he did.

“Hello,” she said, stifling a yawn. “Miss me?”

“Always.” He sat on her bed.

“When can you come in mortal form so…” she yawned again.

“Soon.”

“You always say that.” She closed her eyes and gave in to sleep.

The Madison High School Book Fair

What a delightful day I had at the Northwoods Barnes & Noble Booksellers! B&N partnered with Madison High School to hold a book fair. A percentage of the proceeds of all sales went to support the Madison High School library. So it was a win-win for everyone (including me!).

About thirty students and some parents were in attendance when I gave my little talk about my Gatekeeper’s Saga. After describing Therese’s journey to become a goddess, and how it’s a metaphor for the journey a young adult takes in becoming an adult, I asked the audience if they were familiar with the Greek gods. I started with Artemis and worked my way through the pantheon. I wasn’t surprised to find that Poseidon was the most well known, probably from Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series.

 

Once I had finished my talk, I opened the floor for questions and was surprised by  how many good ones were asked. Usually this is when the crickets start chirping. But they had questions, and, more importantly, I had answers! We talked about everything from the writing process, to the steps to becoming a published author, to sales and story ideas.

That’s when the door prizes were chosen. Most of the students had put their names into my drawing. I gave away three of my book lover’s holiday stockings, a pomegranate bath and body set, pomegranate earrings, and a Pokemon tin full of candy. Although only six people won door prizes, everyone received an “I’m a BOOK G[R]EEK” button and book mark.

Thanks so much to the Madison High School librarian, Kristy DeWinne, pictured with me here, for bringing her wonderful students to the event and for asking some great questions during the Q&A. Thanks also to Doris Cox, an English teacher at Madison, for offering extra credit to her students. Their proof was in the form of photos, and it was such fun to have all these students asking to take photos of me posing with them, even if they didn’t know me and it was just for extra credit!

Lastly, thanks to Jackie, the Community Relations Manager at the Northwoods B&N, for making the event run so smoothly. She knows how to put on a great event! In fact, we sold a whole lot of books, which, as I said before, is a win-win for everyone (including me!).

Please Come to My Holiday Book Party in Fredericksburg, TX!

The Unfinished Song (Book 1): Initiate by Tara Maya

If you like The Gatekeeper’s Saga, you might also enjoy Initiate, by Tara Maya.

BLURB

DEADLY INITIATION

A DETERMINED GIRL…

Dindi can’t do anything right, maybe because she spends more time dancing with pixies than doing her chores. Her clan hopes to marry her off and settle her down, but she dreams of becoming a Tavaedi, one of the powerful warrior-dancers whose secret magics are revealed only to those who pass a mysterious Test during the Initiation ceremony. The problem? No-one in Dindi’s clan has ever passed the Test. Her grandmother died trying. But Dindi has a plan.

AN EXILED WARRIOR…

Kavio is the most powerful warrior-dancer in Faearth, but when he is exiled from the tribehold for a crime he didn’t commit, he decides to shed his old life. If roving cannibals and hexers don’t kill him first, this is his chance to escape the shadow of his father’s wars and his mother’s curse. But when he rescues a young Initiate girl, he finds himself drawn into as deadly a plot as any he left behind. He must decide whether to walk away or fight for her… assuming she would even accept the help of an exile.

EXCERPT

Blue-skinned rusalki grappled Dindi under the churning surface of the river. She could feel their claws dig into her arms. Their riverweed-like hair entangled her legs when she tried to kick back to the surface. She only managed to gulp a few breaths of air before they pulled her under again.

She hadn’t appreciated how fast and deep the river was. On her second gasp for air, she saw that the current was already dragging her out of sight of the screaming girls on the bank. A whirlpool of froth and fae roiled between two large rocks in the middle of the river. The rusalka and her sisters tugged Dindi toward it. Other water fae joined the rusalki. Long snouted pookas, turtle-like kappas and hairy-armed gwyllions all swam around her, leading her to the whirlpool, where even more fae swirled in the whitewater.

“Join our circle, Dindi!” the fae voices gurgled under the water. “Dance with us forever!”

“No!” She kicked and swam and stole another gasp for air before they snagged her again. There were so many of them now, all pulling her down, all singing to the tune of the rushing river. She tried to shout, “Dispel!” but swallowed water instead. Her head hit a rock, disorienting her. She sank, this time sure she wouldn’t be coming up again.

“Dispel!” It was a man’s voice.

Strong arms encircled her and lifted her until her arms and head broke the surface. Her rescuer swam with her toward the shore. He overpowered the current, he shrugged aside the hands of the water faeries stroking his hair and arms. When he reached the shallows, he scooped Dindi into his arms and carried her the rest of the way to the grassy bank. He set her down gently.

She coughed out some water while he supported her back.

“Better?” he asked.

She nodded. He was young–only a few years older than she. The aura of confidence and competence he radiated made him seem older. Without knowing quite why, she was certain he was a Tavaedi.

“Good.” He had a gorgeous smile. A wisp of his dark bangs dangled over one eye. He brushed his dripping hair back over his head.

Dindi’s hand touched skin–he was not wearing any shirt. Both of them were sopping wet. On him, that meant trickles of water coursed over a bedrock of muscle. As for her, the thin white wrap clung transparently to her body like a wet leaf. She blushed.

“It might have been easier to swim if you had let go of that,” he teased. He touched her hand, which was closed around something. “What were you holding onto so tightly that it mattered more than drowning?”

LINKS

Tara’s blog http://bit.ly/12dFdNy

Tara’s Twitter http://bit.ly/162sCtE

The Unfinished Song on Facebook http://on.fb.me/1400mMq

Amazon http://amzn.to/15ciwYc

Barnes and Noble http://bit.ly/13yM5Dr

Kobo http://bit.ly/1aFhg1P

iTunes http://bit.ly/1baddhN

Smashwords http://bit.ly/17zK8Xn

Initiate is free everywhere except on Barnes and Noble (where it’s $0.99). You can download a free .epub version via Smashwords.

Midwestern Book Review

The following review of The Gatekeeper’s Sons: Gatekeeper’s Saga, Book One, written by D. Donovon, will appear in December’s issue of Midwestern Book Review and will be distributed to schools and libraries all over the country:

The Gatekeeper’s Sons is Book 1 of ‘The Gatekeeper’s Saga’, and is a powerful young adult fantasy novel centered around fifteen-year-old Therese Mills, who is heading home in the car with her parents when someone begins shooting at them, sending their car into a lake. She watches her parents drown, somehow finds the strength to escape, and winds up in the coma that introduces her to the twin sons of Hades.

The Gods’ interactions in and observations of human affairs are evident in the beginning: “Humans didn’t realize how lucky they were, Than thought as he took the woman’s hand. At least, if they were mostly good, they could live a brief life with some kinds of freedoms and then spend eternity in a dreamlike trance, unaware of the monotony around them.”

And this sets the stage for the rest of the story revolving around Therese’s deal with the gods, which requires her to avenge the death of her parents with the help of Than, who has fallen in love with her and who has struck a deal with his father Hades to return to the Upperworld to try to win her.

It’s important to note that the weaving of Greek mythology into the underlying plot and the twining involvement of Therese with these gods requires readers to enjoy mystery as well as fantasy and romance.  Therese’s experiences operate on all three levels and so The Gatekeeper’s Sons is not easily identified as being one thing or another, but holds strong elements of various genres.

Secondly, the characters really make the story. This should be true of most young adult novels; but sadly, it isn’t. The motivations, anguish, romance, and drive for revenge and resolution that permeates The Gatekeeper’s Sons is satisfyingly diverse.  Its setting offers mystery but also provides explanations for how romance evolves and how Therese’s quest for justice becomes entangled in this process.

There’s also more than a touch of the supernatural as Therese longs to be with her parents more than she can initially accept Than’s love: “I don’t care about the real villain. I want to be with my parents. Take me, too.” She stumbled forward and into Than’s arms. “Take me to them,” she said again.  He kissed the top of her hair. “I told you, you wouldn’t be the same if I did.”  “I don’t care,” she whispered breathlessly. “That’s not why I’m here.”

But what is the hidden cost of revenge? Soon Therese finds that her destiny and her choices are being assessed by the gods and controlled by oaths and alliances far beyond her understanding. In the midst of all this a love grows up between a mortal and a god: a love that might offer no easy paths.

Being Book One, The Gatekeeper’s Sons provides no neat conclusion but leaves the door open – wide open – for Book Two in the saga. Fans of this book who appreciate its blend of romance, mythology and mystery will await Book Two with baited breath: the combination of mythical and human worlds is satisfyingly complex and concludes with evidence that the real drama is only just beginning.

Stay tuned for further developments!

Northwoods Barnes & Noble in San Antonio

Be there, or be square!

Madison High School’s annual book fair will be held on Saturday, November 23rd at the Northwoods Barnes & Noble Booksellers, located at 1604 and Henderson Pass,  all day.

 

I will be there to speak about The Gatekeeper’s Saga and to sign and sell books from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

 

 

 

 

I will be handing out my “I’m a BOOK G[R]EEK” buttons, so come and get yours!

I hope to see you there!

Thank You, Gatekeeper’s Saga Fans!

Thanks to you, the Gatekeeper’s books continue to rank in the top of their category on Amazon’s bestselling lists for Kindle. I am so appreciative to all of you who took a chance and read the first book. I couldn’t be happier with the sales and the ranking!

I also want to thank those of you who left reviews at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, Smashwords, and/or other online stores, and I encourage those of you who enjoyed the books but didn’t leave a review to consider doing so. Reviews are so important to authors. Even just a rating makes a difference. And the reviews don’t need to be long.  A few words can be enough to give prospective readers a feel for your attitude about the story.

I am having so much fun writing the fifth book, by the way! I promise to post the first chapter in January, if not sooner. The cover will be revealed by February, and ARC’s will go out in March to giveaway winners. April first, The Gatekeeper’s Secret (#5) will be available for purchase.