Promise
of Magic
House
of Xannon, Book
3
Melinda
VanLone
Genre: urban fantasy
ISBN: 978-0-9887455-4-4
ASIN: TBD
Word Count: 65k
Cover Artist: bookcovercorner.com
Book Description:
On instinct, Tarian bowed her
head in return, shocked. “Dulra. Welcome.” She breathed the words, awed by the
presence of creatures she’d only known through legends. What is the Balance
Court doing here?
“Tarian A’marie Maitea Xannon, of
the House of Xannon, Keeper of the Water Artifact, you are summoned to the
Balance Court.”
She’d been summoned, and every particle of her
being cried out to answer it.
Despite the advanced stage of her
pregnancy, Tarian has some explaining to do. Fulfilling her Agreement with the
Carraig was an issue of honor—but it led to complications. The Keeper of the
House of Xannon is called to account, and Tarian must embark on a dangerous
mission which could cost her the life of her unborn daughter, end in disaster
for all planes of existence—or save the world.
Some promises are deadly to keep.
Will the promise of magic be one of them?
Excerpt:
Tarian forced
her eyes open to focus on the rock in front of her. Earth as dense as anything
she’d ever seen, more power than she’d ever experienced. The feeling of old
that surrounded it. The sense of longing as if the stone itself wanted freedom
from the long and arduous task it had been set. She grabbed onto the longing
and let the stream of energy pour into it, into the Stulos, then twisted it as
she’d done once before. Another twist, and the flow of power into the Stulos
reversed. Three streams of colored light became one solid column of white.
A thousand
voices sounded in her head. High ones, low ones, her sister’s voice, dolphin
cries and emotion, all around and through her. The energy bound them into
something greater than mere humans and Ancients. They were timeless. Eternal.
It was almost like she felt when she made love with Daric, but…different. At
once more intense and at the same time more encompassing. Less personal. More
global. As though the universe spoke through her, and she through it. The awe
of it. Tears spilled onto her cheeks.
Another cramp
gripped her body and she swayed on her knees, gripping the rock as it crumbled,
trying to maintain her balance as the ground shifted and her body twisted. Not
now. Too soon. Not now. Too soon. She couldn’t be…the baby couldn’t be…
The voices rose
in her head. Everyone joined in as the power flowed around and through, around
and through, until she, the Caraigg, her sister, the baby, and the dolphins
were all one with it. The crack in the Stulos widened, a giant lesion extending
from the floor all the way up until she couldn’t see the end. Cold retreated,
heat entered. A loud snap. The Stulos shattered into a million pieces that hung
suspended in air for a flash of eternity before rushing outward to the edges of
the cavern.
A dolphin cry
sounded, triumphant, exalted, as the world exploded in a rain of cold fire,
magic power, ash and lava.
About
the Author:
Melinda VanLone writes fantasy
and science fiction, freelances as a graphic designer, and dabbles in
photography. She currently lives in Rockville, Maryland, with her husband and
furbabies. When she's not playing with her imaginary friends you can find her
playing World of Warcraft, wandering aimlessly through the streets taking
photos, or nursing coffee in Starbucks.
Facebook | Goodreads | Website | Twitter
How long did it take you to write Promise of Magic ?
Interview:
Please welcome Promise of Magic author Melinda VanLone to Diane's Book Blog.
I started the rough draft of
Promise in November of 2012, finished it by January 2013, then set it aside to
do some revising of Stronger Than Magic and Finding Flame. Once I picked it
back up it took about five months of revising, editing, proofreading and
formatting before it hit the virtual shelves. Every book I write goes through
multiple stages, first with me and then with my editorial team, before it lands
in reader’s hands. All that tinkering with words takes time. Especially with a
complicated story like this one, with multiple moving parts.
Tarian. Without a doubt. She’s
loyal, protective and can totally kick ass. Plus if she were there with me, we
wouldn’t be stranded at all. She can make travel portals!
The first book I wrote has
never been published, and was inspired by a dream. Sometimes my dreams seem
more like watching a movie than actual dreams. That one plunked me right in the
middle of a scene full of tension and Obviously Big Things Happening, and when
it ended I was so disappointed, because I wanted to know what happened next. Of
course, the only way to know that is to write it. And though I tried to capture
the essence of the story, the rough draft didn’t turn out like I wanted, so I
put it aside. I still have plans to go back and revise it, but not until Xannon
is finished.
I’m really proud of the latest
release, Promise of Magic. Tarian is coming into her own and accepting change,
plus there’s so much happening it’s hard to know which way to look first. The
whole story feels like the buildup that comes during pregnancy, just before
child birth. Which is exactly what it is, on several levels. It’s the buildup
to the birth of Tarian’s child, and the buildup to the birth of magic in our
world. It’s an exciting time, and exploring the possibilities is so much fun!
To be honest, I don’t really
believe in writer’s block. If I’m having trouble getting started, it’s usually
because there’s something wrong with the scene. Somewhere in my subconscious I
know it’s the wrong direction, so my fingers won’t type it. I’ll find myself
surfing the internet or doing silly things on Facebook instead of writing…what
I call ADD moments. I’ll even do dishes. I’ll be in the kitchen before I
realize I’ve moved from the chair.
When this happens and the scene
refuses to surface, I know to step back and examine the overall story. I’ve
derailed somewhere, and I need to figure out why and how. Usually I put on my
headphones, turn on some Creativity Beats, which are special recordings of
binaural beats that stimulate the creative centers in your brain, and just
start typing what-if statements. “What if Tarian didn’t go into the cave. What
if she swam away instead?” A few what-if statements usually is enough to get my
muse involved in the answers. I type until a scenario emerges that gives me an
“Ah! That’s it!” moment. Then I’m off and writing once more.
I never, ever argue with my
muse. If she gives me an idea that I’m unsure of, I just ask her to tell me
more. Usually she does. And usually there’s a really good reason for her input.
She’s especially helpful if there’s dark chocolate in the house. Always have
dark chocolate!
Right now I’m working on book 4
in the Xannon series. The working title is Finding Earth. It takes place
immediately after Promise of Magic, and is about a young detective in
Philadelphia who is trying to stop a human trafficking ring when she suddenly
comes into magic power with no idea how to use it. She’s up against someone who
is evil, and very powerful, and who wants what she has. I hope she can figure
out her own abilities fast enough to thwart him.
I have two books going at the
moment, one on audio and one in ebook. The ebook is Treasures, Demons, and
Other Black Magic (Dowser Series Book 3), by Meghan Ciana Doidge. I am so in
love with this series, I almost can’t stand it. If you like magic, and
cupcakes, check it out. Have chocolate on hand, ‘cause it’ll make you hungry.
The audio book I’m listening to
is Haunted, book 5 of the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong. I don’t know how
it took me so long to find this series, but I’m glad I did. They’ve made a TV
show out of the first book, Bitten, and I loved it too. Waiting to see what
they do with the rest of them!
One of my all-time favorite
authors is Anne McCaffrey. I love her Dragonriders of Pern series. So much
awesomeness there. My absolute favorite series of hers, though, is The Talents
Saga. These first books (all with Pegasus in the title) are the introduction to
a later series called The Tower and the Hive, and all of the stories about
people with Talent totally inspire me. I want to live in those worlds. I want
to be one of the ones with Talent. I admit, it inspired a lot of the magic ability
in my own series. My magic isn’t spells and incantations or potions and wands.
It’s an innate ability, honed through evolution and natural selection, provided
by nature herself. It’s an inherent ability to connect to the elements sewn
into DNA. Sorta like how someone might be pre-disposed to drawing or music. In
the Talents saga, people are evolving to use a portion of their brains that
allows for things like telekinesis and telepathy. It’s all scientifically
based, but it feels magical to me. She created a world that I couldn’t bear to
leave, and I still re-read the saga every other year or so. I’m glad for
ebooks, because I wore out three or four print copies over the years.
Thank you. Readers are why I
write. If I’ve entertained even one person, all the late nights and turmoil
over the right words is totally worth it.
And thank you so much for
having me here today!
Giveaway:
This series looks very interesting, I will have to pick it up!!
ReplyDeleteI love the cover :)
Thanks! And thanks for stopping by :-)
ReplyDelete