S.A. Archer's Blog, page 10

Casting Call - Jonathan Wyndracer

When we think of the actor who could best portray the character of the dragon Jonathan Wyndracer in the Champion of the Sidhe series, we can't help but think of Liev Schreiber. Especially as he appeared in the role of Sabretooth. Seriously powerful and not to be crossed, the Champion of the Dragons is one formidable fellow. Here's a snippet from Defender of Magic - Champion of the Sidhe #3. See if he doesn't fit the role perfectly!



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As he descended his shape changed. Rather than the four taloned-feet of the dragon, it was a man's booted feet that touched the ground. The wings shrunk as they retracted, reducing the wingspan to twelve feet. Those wings wrapped about his shoulders and, as his magic flexed to make him visible once more, the wings acquired the appearance of an ankle-length leather duster. His tail also reduced in length and girth so that when he wrapped it about his waist, it appeared as nothing more than a scarlet snakeskin belt. The clothing that reformed around his humanoid shape was real and no illusion. To the highly developed magicraft of the dragonkind, causing his clothing to disappear and reappear as he required for shapeshifting was a trifle thing. He smoothed back his thick black hair, the tips of his claws scratching lightly against his scalp. Magic disguised the claws, but he still had them, just as his irises still possessed the reptilian slit, though at the moment they appeared rounded like a human's and the steely grey of gunmetal. The black dress shirt and slacks fit his muscular form. Though taller than most humans at seven feet high, Jonathan imagined that he passed well enough for one. The locals accepted him without an undue amount of staring, though much of that was the result of his frequent visits to the towns in his territory, to condition them to become accustomed to him.

New Release - Defender of Magic

 Please enjoy this sneak peek at Defender of Magic - Champion of the Sidhe #3





Chapter 1



With fingers hesitant with longing, Lugh stroked the porcelain cheek of the Sidhe who was once worshipped as the moon goddess. Such a precise likeness, this statue of Rhiannon captured her features in frozen perfection. Crafted with such careful attention to detail, Lugh almost expected the statue to move. More than once he thought it actually breathed. A trick of the light made the statue's chest seem to lift with shallow breaths. He gazed into the white eyes and felt himself beholding Rhiannon herself.

So painfully beautiful, Lugh fought the sting that blurred his vision. His palm caressed the statue as if he might lift her face toward his. He could not resist the temptation to place a light kiss to the chilled mouth that did not yield to his affection. Drawing back only enough to speak, he murmured, "Return to me." The statue refused him even the least of encouragements, and that, more than any other evidence of his senses, proved that this sculpture was not his Rhiannon.

His Rhiannon always succumbed to him, just as the moon reflected the light of the sun. She could no more deny him than the fey of the Mounds could resist the dominion of the All-Mother. Although Unseelie by nature, Rhiannon transformed when Lugh's magic infused her with his influence. When he Touched her, she glowed like the hunter's moon, full of light and gilded glory. With him as her escort, she thrilled to the dance of the Seelie Court. With her onyx tresses and night-ocean blue eyes set off by her milk-cream skin, she was a rare, dark jewel among the fair Seelie. Alas, she could not sustain his persuasion perpetually. Her phases required Lugh to relinquish his sway over her and surrender her to Crom. As Lugh was the lover who lured her to wax with the purity of the light, Crom was the paramour who seduced her back into the waning depths of the dark.

The sound of Willem clearing his throat parted the veil of fantasy in which Lugh indulged himself. He backed away from the porcelain figure, the daydream broken and fading. The hollowness of longing remained. In all their travels they'd discovered not one Sidhe.

Not one.

In all the temples throughout all of Ireland, not even the slightest evidence that any Sidhe, save Lugh, yet lived. Never in his many millennia had Lugh endured such a span of time deprived of the Touch of another of his kind. The bonding of magic was essential. It refreshed and renewed. The Touch was a basic requirement for health, as much as nourishment, sleep, and copulation. The depletion of his magic in the wake of the Collapse certainly heightened this perception of yearning.

Lugh pivoted toward the Scribe, only peripherally aware of his hands wiping down his chest, as if closing the window to the pain within, shrouding it once more from himself and others. Lugh loved his people above and beyond all things. His compassion knew no measure, even for the Unseelie with whom he found so little common ground. Above all else, he was Sidhe. There was nothing he would fail to do, no service he would fail to perform for his people. The very notion that all others, with the exception of himself, may have perished pained him beyond the telling of it.

Embracing both denial and pride as his armor, Lugh fixed his expression into a calm composure. If even one other Sidhe yet lived, they deserved Lugh's full focus and dedication. What emotions lay buried in the treasure chest of his heart, he'd effectively secured and suppressed. When he regarded the Scribe, nothing but confidence showed. Of this Lugh felt certain, for in that moment it was true. Such self-deception was a Seelie talent that required centuries of practice to master.

The diminutive Scribe angled his neck to address Lugh, who was nearly twice his height. His irrepressible grin blossomed as he presented Lugh with a pair of hair combs of polished ivory. Lugh recognized them. The cameo figures carved into the handles would settle into the flowing waves of Rhiannon's midnight hair as if they were sprites dancing in the night sky. Lugh reached out to collect the delicately crafted combs, which hardly showed any evidence of wear. "These are from the first realm of fey?"

"Most assuredly." Willem passed the vial of magicraft over the combs as Lugh inspected them. The vial blazed with magic as the gold flecks within spun in a tight vortex. The Scribe blinked up at Lugh, innocent excitement in his bright, fey eyes.

"But no indication that anyone has dwelled here since the Collapse?" Lugh's fingers worried over the smooth teeth of one of the combs. Rhiannon left her temple furnished. She'd not abandoned the remnants of her past as a deity to the humans, as most of the Sidhe had done.

Willem nibbled on his lower lip, cast down his gaze and shook his head.

Lugh relinquished the combs to Willem, who stashed them in the satchel with the other artifacts from the first realm. He indicated that the Scribe should precede him from the room with a graceful wave of his hand. The gesture, though polite, served a greater purpose. Lugh tarried at the threshold. Upon the wall to the east of the door, Lugh traced a Celtic knotwork symbol for the sun. His signature. He infused the tracing with Glamour and sunlight, so that it would glow upon the wall for months to come, unless someone dispelled it. One last time, he glanced back at the statue, which passively watched him depart.



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Grab your copy of Defender of Magic at Amazon or at Smashwords.(Will be available soon at other ebook stores. Nook (epub), PDF and other formats currently available from Smashwords.)

Rush Of Fools - Undo

 This is the theme song I've selected for my personal efforts with the read-a-thon and write-a-thon for the At The Crossroads. As I see these young men in the video, I think of the young homeless teens I've pledged to help. As they sing "I can't do this myself" I think how true that is for teens, who are not old enough to care for themselves, and you don't have the experience or skills to pull themselves out of this cycle of poverty and hopelessness. When they sing about "Standing at the door, praying you'll let me back in" I think of the young people who have slipped through the cracks, and who are desperately hoping and praying that somehow, some way, they can be returned to the kind of safety and comfort so many of us take for granted. And I think that I could be the one to open that door to them. When they sing "Turn me around, pick me up, undo what I've become" I long to reach out to even just one lonely, frightened teen and show him that someone does care. I want to help him turn his life around, and help him to undo what he's become. When they sing "Bring me back to a place of forgiveness and grace" I think of all he could have been, had circumstances been different and he'd been given a safe, secure upbringing. And I think of bringing him back to the potential for greatness and happiness that we all want for our own children, and restoring that for him.



I hope you enjoy this song by Rush of Fools, and I hope you'll consider helping to rescue homeless teens from the streets of San Francisco by sponsoring me in the read-a-thon or sponsoring me in the write-a-thon.



Or if you can, please consider participating in the read-a-thon or write-a-thon yourself. Find out about the amazing work they do by visiting At The Crossroads.



enjoy: Rush of Fools - Undo

Defender of Magic: Champion of the Sidhe #3

 Raiders have attacked Danu's temple, slaughtering its defenders. The artifacts that are the last hope for the survival of the fey are in danger. With Changelings out to kill him, and goblins determined to abduct him, Lugh's on a quest to find a stronghold for those treasures. Perhaps he should have thought twice before seeking a safe haven in the territory of shape-changing, fire-breathing dragon.



Defender of Magic is the third book in the urban fantasy series Champion of the Sidhe. 



Coming This Month!

Feeling Lucky Giveaway Blog Hop

 For this blog hop we are giving away ebook copies of the first 6 books in The Sidhe series. These are:



End of the World: Champion of the Sidhe #1Aftershock: Rise of the Unseelie #1Cursed: Touched #1Champion of the Fey: Champion of the Sidhe #2Addicted: Touched #2Scars of Silver: Rise of the Unseelie #2

This is an international giveaway. To sign up for the giveaway, just leave a comment below with your email or twitter handle, so I can contact the winner. Deadline to sign up for this giveaway is midnight March 13th, EST.

And while you are here, feel free to sign up for the newsletter. You'll get Foreshadow: Rise of the Unseelie prequel, if you do! How's that for urban fantasy goodness!



Here are the other blogs on the hop:

A Song For Malcolm

What an amazingly artistic and powerful video. I love this song for Malcolm, and the video really works for his relationship with his own Touch magic and the trials he endures, especially in Scars of Silver and the rest of the Rise of the Unseelie urban fantasy series.

enjoy: Anberlin - Impossible

Soul Asylum - Runaway Train

This is a powerful song for Malcolm, the young earthborn Sidhe in Scars of Silver. Like most of the earthborn Sidhe, he is untrained in magic and uneducated in the ways of the fey. He doesn't realize the threats he faces from predators. As a runaway he's got no one to count on and trust is a dangerous risk, as we see in this snippet from the urban fantasy series, Rise of the Unseelie.



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Malcolm still smelled like industrial hand soap from his sink bath at the gas station. He wiped the pocket fuzz from the black plastic comb that was only missing a couple teeth and then battled the knots in his too long hair. His reflection in the store window winced back at him. The skater boy hair served a purpose beyond just announcing to the world that he didn't have the cash for a haircut. The unruly waves covered the telltale point to his ears.



Even after he beat the worst of the dirt off his clothing, Malcolm still looked like what he was, a homeless teen.



It wasn't like he couldn't go back. They'd take him back. He knew they would. Only, if he went back home they'd never let him leave again. "For his own protection." That's what they'd say. That's what they always said. Like house arrest was what it was. Some kind of fey witness protection program or something.



Only, if they'd ever let him get out at least once in a while, he probably would know something. Like how to get money. Or food. Or a warm place to crash. Instead of having to figure a way to steal what he needed.





Malcolm crouched down behind the lunch special sign, waiting for customers to venture into the Fairy Circle shop. Probably a waste of time, only Malcolm lacked for any better ideas. Not like he could ask someone for directions to a fey hangout or anything.

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Read a longer excerpt

Scars of Silver on Kindle, Kindle UK, Barnes and Noble



Get involved: Find out what you can do to help homeless and runaway teens at the National Runaway Switchboard http://www.1800runaway.org/



enjoy: Soul Asylum - Runaway Train





Check out other Glamour Club music videos for Malcolm, The Unseelie and the rest of The Sidhe series.

Smitten With Bad Boy Heroes

 We are honored to have such a fabulous review of End of the World: Champion of the Sidhe #1, Aftershock: Rise of the Unseelie #1, and Cursed: Touched #1 on the Smitten With Bad Boy Heroes blog. She does a wonderful job of explaining the way the series flows and giving you a sketch of the stories without giving away spoilers.

Here's an awesome blurb from the review:

"It's incredibly difficult to create a good backstory, develop characters and establish a captivating plot in such a limited amount of pages.  A lot of authors end up overwhelming readers with too much detail on either front and it's hard to get the balance just right.  I think it's a true test of an author's skill to communicate all we need to know and successfully deliver a story that makes us want more.

S.A Archer and S. Ravynheart are among those skilled authors."

Thank you Kat for the awesome review and the 4-bad boy rating!

Sweet Dreams are Made of This

Since we just did the casting call for Tiernan Kilgrave, of the Rise of the Unseelie urban fantasy series, it only seemed fitting for the Glamour Club to play a song for him! This song by the Eurythmics is perfect for our Unseelie dealer of all things pleasurable and addictive.



enjoy: Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams

Casting Call - Tiernan

 Ian Somerhalder looks about as Unseelie and bad ass as they come, so he is our pick for our fantasy cast to play the amoral dealer of all things lucrative and addictive, Tiernan Kilgrave. This sexy Sidhe makes appearances throughout the Rise of the Unseelie series, and in the future we'll see more of his story.



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Tiernan swagged with his lazily confident style and his usual smirk of self-satisfaction. Though only a century old his cocky attitude didn't soften even for the head of the Unseelie Elite. Then again, most exiles 'didn't give a shite' about the customs in the Mounds. One thing could be said for Tiernan; he embraced his Unseelie nature with as much vigor as he embraced life on the surface. Those pale eyes just focused on me with all seriousness, never acknowledging the other fey around him. To him 'earthborn' usually was synonymous with 'dumbass.'  Although outwardly a laid back individual, Tiernan hadn't established himself in his amoral endeavors and criminal empire by slacking.  He had been one of the key informants from some of the most secret and deadly of missions the queen of the Unseelie Court required.