Eleven year-old Ennara Gaern has a serious grudge against the dragon on her right hand.
Born with a caul—a mask that foretold magical powers—she was immediately inked with the fiendish, fire-breathing tattoo that forces her to study boring texts, cover her hand continuously, and worst of all, keeps her from visiting the beautiful capital city, Dordonne. But her quiet life changes when one night she is attacked by a shadowy demon.
Tork, an old friend and wizard, is enlisted to help. But when he arrives, he informs Ennara’s parents that she is her world’s only hope of finding the legendary Sword of Gisilfrid, which is needed to destroy the curse that is creating the demons. Ennara doesn’t want to leave on the dangerous quest, but when she learns the curse threatens her world, she reluctantly agrees.
Ennara and the wizard begin a perilous journey to the Sunken City, pitting them against dangerous oceans and pirates intent on claiming Ennara’s magic as their own. With only her friends at her side, including the intelligent, aquatic cat Smoos, Ennara must defeat monsters guarding the sword and servants of the Fallen Druid. When her world is covered in darkness, will she know how to dispel the curse?
Amazon | B&N | Smashwords
Amazon | B&N | Smashwords
Excerpt:
“Is it true she is….” Gevin blushed. “I mean, you are… magic?”
Ennara fumbled the wand as she turned it in her fingers. She scooped it off the floor. Her stomach knotted and her cheeks burned. “Oh, um, I guess.”
She nervously twirled the wand again, this time accidentally tapping the case of trinkets. A lavender light shimmered across the panes, and behind them the objects began to twitch.
“Eeep!” Ennara jumped as the severed hand crawled toward her and tapped on the glass. A long finger uncurled and poked the case open. The appendage leapt from the shelf to the chest, then the floor, and scurried to the door.
Smoos crouched on the lower bunk, wiggled her haunches, and pounced on the hand. She shook it back and forth in the air. It grabbed the cat’s snout and flicked her hard on the nose. She dropped the hand and snorted, rubbing her muzzle with her paw. The hand scampered away and hid behind the girl’s legs.
“You seem to have a penchant for necromancy, young lady.” Tork flicked his curvy black wand at the case. “Merta perape.”
The hand and other charms returned to their lifeless state.
“Ne … necromancy?” The word felt foreign in her mouth. She glanced at Kithe and Gevin. Both boys were fixed on her. Gevin’s mouth hung open.
“Yes. Bringing back the deceased. Creating walking dead. Giving life to the lifeless.”
“
But I didn’t say a spell!”
Author talks about the summer in twilight
Hello and thank you Julianna for having me on your blog today! I’m excited to be here.
When I was asked to write about summer here on Reading in Twilight I kept coming back to the title of this blog and thinking about the night sky. Lying outside on a remote beach or at a mountain campsite, summertime has always been the one time of year that the stars and galaxies step closer and become immediate, reachable for me.
Since I was a child, the summer solstice in June has marked the beginning of my celestial season. It may seem like an odd time to be focused on the night sky—after all, the sun is at its height of apex in the sky. Our days are their longest (at least that is the case in the Northern Hemisphere) and there is so much adventure to be had during daylight. But, summertime was the only time of year I could stay out until the wee hours watching the stars. The nights were warm and there was no need to be up early in the morning.
I once read that on the summer solstice, the ancient Celts believed that the earth was in alignment with center of our galaxy and the sun. Now I don’t know if this is true (and I suspect it probably isn’t), it did stick in my head and bolster my personal lore about summertime, stars, and the night sky.
Constellations are better in the summer (again, in the Northern Hemisphere). In June, July and August, our night sky “faces” the center of Milky Way and the sky is teaming with stars. In the wintertime, the night sky “faces” deep space—we still see our galaxy, but thinner sections with fewer stars (which, incidentally, makes winter an incredible time to go galaxy hunting with a telescope).
And then there’s the meteor showers. While there are several annual showers throughout the year, again, the weather and the stay-up-all-night-ness of summertime lends itself to packing up some beverages and snacks, setting up a couple lounge chairs with blankets and pillows, and lying out to count shooting stars as they whiz by. Every year, without fail, the Perseids put on an excellent show on the nights of August 11 and 12, and even a couple weeks leading up to it and after are good for a falling star or two.
Lastly, there’s all of the man-made stuff out there which you can readily see on any dark night. Satellites crisscross the sky, some faint and others bright, race past. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot the International Space Station, much brighter than a satellite, gracefully charting a course among the stars. Wave to the astronauts and dream of bright futures.
This summer, make plans for a camping trip or even just an excursion into your back yard. On a dark, cloudless night, invite some friends over. Share stories of old rites, old gods, far away galaxies, and future worlds. See who can spot the most shooting stars. And if you stay out long enough, you may just feel the earth turn as the stars cross the sky.
About the author
Like many writers, I have a full life in which I juggle many duties and joys. I love to cook, garden, and play with my twins. As a mother to toddlers, I write whenever I am not helping them navigate their day--which typically means in the early mornings and early afternoons when they sleep, and sometimes when Grandma comes to visit.
I was twenty-two when writing became a passion of mine. I've been doing it in one form or another ever since. But it took me a very long time to follow my heart's desire to tell stories.
For years, I simply journaled. I delved into writing articles for newsletters and grant proposals. I settled into technical writing, often finding myself a one-person writing, editing, design, app development, and publication team. I learned the basics of journalism, and finally, when on maternity leave with my twins, I turned to writing fiction.
I am grateful for every reader I have. Writing can be a solitary pursuit, but it can also be a dialog, a meeting of the minds.
** Angela will be awarding to a randomly drawn commenter during each week on the tour, a wall calendar print from Cafepress (Items can be exchanged for other equal or lesser value items from Ennara Swag on Cafepress.), and will award a t-shirt from Cafepress to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US ONLY).
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15 comments:
I tend to read Fantasy/Sci-Fi, YA, Paranormal Romance, Dystopia, etc.
My favorite Fantasy books would have to be Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo.
Thank you for the giveaway :)
My favorite fantasy books? Ooh that's a toughie. Recently I read two great books by Isabel Glass called Daughter of Exile and Divided Crown. They were excellent!
I read a great Ya fantasy, called The Sweetest Dark. That was amazing too. I love fantasy books ^_^ Druids have always interested me too...so I would love to read your book! It sounds really good.
Dee @ dee's Reads
Thank you for hosting
I don't have specif type of book, however, I tend to avoid books that have a heavy romantic quality. I want to be able to go on adventures and have thrills.
My favorite fantasy books tend to have either a historical witchcraft/magical story or on along the lines of Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Where you have a diverse range of characters that would never normally be together. I love having my imagination stretched to the impossible.
Thanks so much for sharing and for the giveaway
opportunities. It is very kind 8)
Michelle Hofacker
michelle68314@yahoo.com
Thanks Julianna for hosting Ennara and the Fallen Druid today.
And thanks, Danielle and Diamond for stopping by! I'll check out those favorite fantasy reads.
Thanks for stopping by, Michelle. Your favorite books sounds totally great!
I usually read romance, erotica or suspense with a dash of romance thrown. I guess the fantasy would be reading about weres. Thank you for your giveaways.
I usually read suspence, thriller, fantasy :)
I just recently read Samskaras (Love and Light Series, Book 2). I really loved the first book named Enlightened :)
Ah, romance, my secret love :) The Enlightened and Samskaras books sound intriguing, I'll check them out. Thanks for stopping by, Yvonne and Becca!
Nice post
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
I read pretty much anything, but my favorites are dystopians and fantasies. Thanks for the chance to win :D
I like to read YA/NA, dystopian, and horror.
I'm been super into zombie books and dystopian lately :)
my favorite books to tend to be a mix of historical fiction and romance.
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