Midnight Burning
The Norse Chronicles, Book One
Karissa Laurel
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing
Date of Publication: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-1940215501
ASIN: B01055ET1A
Number of pages: 278
Word Count: About 95K
Cover Artist: Streetlight Graphics
Book Description:
Solina Mundy lives a quiet life, running the family bakery in her small North Carolina hometown. But one night she suffers a nightmare of a vicious wolf devouring her twin brother, Mani, who lives in Alaska. When Solina learns her dream was real, she journeys to the Land of the Midnight Sun to search for answers.
Solina soon suspects Mani’s friends are more than they seem, and she’s certain they know more than they’ve admitted to the police. Val and Thorin resist and elude Solina’s efforts, but Skyla, an ex-Marine, joins her crusade for the truth.
As Solina and Skyla delve into the mystery surrounding Mani’s death, Solina learns her own life is tied to Mani’s friends, his murder, and the fate of the entire world. She must learn to control her newfound gifts and keep everyone safe because, if she fails, a long-lost dominion of gods and monsters will rise, and everything she knows will fall into darkness.
Excerpt
My brother, Mani, once told me Alaska was the first place he had ever travelled where he knew he was somewhere different—somewhere decidedly not home—before he ever set foot on the ground. I didn’t understand what he meant until now. Outside my airplane window, the glassy waters of Cook Inlet reflected a bright blue late-summer sky. Dark and looming, the Chugach Mountains encroached from the east. Far to the north, the ghostly, snow-crusted visage of Mount McKinley rose above the landscape, an ancient king, high on his dais, surveying his kingdom.
If only Val and his gun had been there the night my brother died. Then I might have been coming to Alaska for an entirely different set of reasons.
My brother, Mani, once told me Alaska was the first place he had ever travelled where he knew he was somewhere different—somewhere decidedly not home—before he ever set foot on the ground. I didn’t understand what he meant until now. Outside my airplane window, the glassy waters of Cook Inlet reflected a bright blue late-summer sky. Dark and looming, the Chugach Mountains encroached from the east. Far to the north, the ghostly, snow-crusted visage of Mount McKinley rose above the landscape, an ancient king, high on his dais, surveying his kingdom.
By comparison, Mani and I had been raised somewhere a little more commonplace. Home was a small town in the foothills of North Carolina, over three thousand miles away. And this was the first time I had ever left it. I probably should have eased into long-distance travel in the same way I eased into a cold swimming pool—one toe at a time. A trip over the border into Gatlinburg. A weekend visit to D.C. But no, I had taken a plunge from the high dive instead, and boy, was I in over my head.
The captain’s calm and assuring voice spilled across the cabin, announcing our approach and descent into Anchorage. Seatbelt signs chimed and flashed. A pair of flight attendants swept down the aisles, collecting trash and reminding passengers to raise seat backs and lock away tray tables. I closed my eyes, drew in a deep breath, and urged my heart to return to its regular pitter-patter pace, but it refused to obey.
I breathed in again and trapped the breath in my lungs. Chill, Solina, I told myself. It’s only a week. I could survive anything for one week, right? And I wouldn’t be on my own. My brother’s best friend, Val Wotan, was at the airport waiting for me. Val had texted me a dozen times to make sure I hadn’t missed my connecting flights or fallen out of the plane somewhere over Canada. Val was expecting me, and I was a glutton for fulfilling others’ expectations. I also owed this trip to my brother, to the honor of his memory. How could I ever look myself in the eye again if I gave in to my doubts? If I didn't give Mani my absolute commitment?
Val deserved my loyalty, too. In the few years I'd known him, Val had risen from casual acquaintance to something I wasn't quite ready to label, but just thinking of him made my heart beat a little faster, my breath come a little quicker. Val had earned my regard by being the sibling I couldn't be for Mani after he’d left home. He had watched Mani's back, made him welcome and comfortable in a strange and foreign place. He had even saved my brother’s life once.
I chuckled, remembering how Mani had loved to recount the story of the raging bull moose—deep in a rutting frenzy and crazed by the need to mate with anything female and fight anything that wasn’t. Not long after Mani had first arrived in Alaska, he and Val had gone off on a backpacking trip. They came upon the moose on the edge of a meadow and caught it off guard.
The moose turned its hostile gaze on Mani, lowered its rack, and charged. Stunned and uncertain how to react, Mani stood frozen in place and watched his life pass before his eyes. Meanwhile, Val calmly drew a .44 Magnum from the side pocket of his backpack and fired off a warning shot. The moose reconsidered his challenge and lumbered away into the woods.
If only Val and his gun had been there the night my brother died. Then I might have been coming to Alaska for an entirely different set of reasons.
Reviews
• "…a fascinating story that is well written, has entertaining dialogue, a fair amount of humor, and lots of tension. The ending caught me off guard with a huge twist. I can’t wait to read the sequel." ~ Big Al's Books & Pals
• "So engrossing you forget to do necessary things like eat or go to the bathroom. I loved it that much!" ~ The Tome Gnome
• “…a great weekend read, one of those where you eat a nice breakfast, sit down with a good book, and then wonder where the sunlight went” ~ The Eternal Scribe
• "The characters were just as alluring and mysterious as the plot. I couldn’t get enough of them. Sol was the best!" ~ Bookworm Coalition
• "All in all, a great book, and an author that I'm going to keep my eye on." ~ The Gal in the Blue Mask
• “There is so much going on, you want to savor every page.” ~ Kelly Smith Reviews
• “Wonderfully written, I was drawn into the story from the very first page.” ~ I’m a Voracious Reader
• “Norse Mythology really wasn’t my thing. But I can tell you it is now!!” ~ Literati Literature Lovers
• “I will hope that Karissa Laurel does not keep us waiting long for more” ~ A Soccer Mom’s Book Blog
• “I found it a refreshing change from the werewolf versus vampire theme.” ~ On My Kindle
• “Grab your mittens, the hot chocolate and get ready to enter the world of fantasy, told by a new and impressive author with an imagination as big as Alaska!” ~ Tome Tender
• “The story keeps you guessing and keeps on the edge of your seat. I loved every minute of this book and wish I could read the next one right now.” ~ Snoopy Doo’s Book Reviews
• “This book was awesome! It’s definitely on my list of ones I’m recommending to folks right now” ~ Reading to Distraction
• “ I Highly recommend this book for those of you who enjoy a well written modern day Fantasy with a mythology you certainly haven’t read much on before” ~ So I Read this Book Today
• “An urban fantasy novel that flows like traditional fiction yet starts things off like a mystery before adding in the supernatural was a lot of fun.” ~ One Book Two
Author Bio
Some of Karissa Laurel’s favorite things are coffee, chocolate, and super heroes. She can quote Princess Bride verbatim. She loves to read and has a sweet tooth for fantasy, sci-fi, and anything in between.
Sometimes her husband convinces her to put down the books and take the motorcycles out for a spin or go hunting for rusty old relics at flea-markets. Karissa lives in North Carolina with her kid, her husband, the occasional in-law, and a very hairy husky named Bonnie.
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Interview
Please welcome Midnight Burning author Karissa Laurel to Diane’s Book Blog.
What is your favorite part of the story, Midnight Burning?
Without giving too much away, I’d have to say I loved the point in Midnight Burning where Solina, the main character, finds out what she really is. It’s a tense moment filled with action. When the unexpected happens, the story goes in a completely different direction. This is the moment where a regular mystery becomes a paranormal story, and all the fun really begins.
If you were stranded on a desert island which of your characters do you want by your side?
Without a doubt, I’d want Skyla Ramirez. She is an ex-Marine and a total badass. She’s smart, tenacious, strong, and resourceful. Whatever situation you put Skyla in, she’d figure out a way to survive.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I’ve dabbled in writing since I was a kid—I have two notebooks of bad poetry to prove it. In college, I took a few writing classes and received a lot of positive feedback, but I never pursued it. I was convinced I wanted to be a chef. But I would write short scenes from time to time, whenever I got an idea in my head—none of them turned into complete stories, though. Then, about eight or nine years ago, I read a popular book series that, for the first time, made me think: “Hey, I could totally do this.” So I challenged myself to try writing a complete novel from beginning to end. It didn’t have to be good. I didn’t have try to publish it. It was mostly a test to see if I had the focus and persistence to start and finish something. And I did it. I wrote that (terrible) first book and proved to myself I could write a novel length project. After that, I was hooked.
Who or what inspired you to be a writer?
I give my mother a lot of credit because she’s a bookaholic like me, and reading was a huge part of my childhood, thanks to her. But I have to give my dad a lot of credit, too. He’s an accidental memoirist. I say accidental because he never set out with the intent of writing for the sake of writing, but he was a backpacker who hiked the whole Appalachian trail, and he kept a diary of all his adventures. Now that he and my mother have retired, they travel a lot, and he is dutiful about recording the details of their trips and experiences. I don’t think he’ll ever pursue publication, but he’s creating a valuable record that will be important to our family’s posterity for years to come.
What books have most influenced your life?
The first books I remember being hooked on as a kid were the Ramona Quimby novels by Beverly Cleary. Through middle school and high school, I read a lot of Sweet Valley High, Nancy Drew, and Christopher Pike and RL Stine books. In college, I did what everyone else had to do, which is read text books and whatever the professors assigned. During that time, however, my older cousin insisted I pick up the Harry Potter books (there were only four in the series back then), and I trusted his literary advice. Needless to say, I was hooked. As an adult, a co-worker gave me the first Twilight book, and, no matter what you think of them now, that series gets a lot of credit for broadening the appeal of YA books for adults. But it was the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews and the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher that introduced me to urban fantasy, and I knew that was the genre I really wanted to write.
What is your favorite part of the story, Midnight Burning?
Without giving too much away, I’d have to say I loved the point in Midnight Burning where Solina, the main character, finds out what she really is. It’s a tense moment filled with action. When the unexpected happens, the story goes in a completely different direction. This is the moment where a regular mystery becomes a paranormal story, and all the fun really begins.
If you were stranded on a desert island which of your characters do you want by your side?
Without a doubt, I’d want Skyla Ramirez. She is an ex-Marine and a total badass. She’s smart, tenacious, strong, and resourceful. Whatever situation you put Skyla in, she’d figure out a way to survive.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I’ve dabbled in writing since I was a kid—I have two notebooks of bad poetry to prove it. In college, I took a few writing classes and received a lot of positive feedback, but I never pursued it. I was convinced I wanted to be a chef. But I would write short scenes from time to time, whenever I got an idea in my head—none of them turned into complete stories, though. Then, about eight or nine years ago, I read a popular book series that, for the first time, made me think: “Hey, I could totally do this.” So I challenged myself to try writing a complete novel from beginning to end. It didn’t have to be good. I didn’t have try to publish it. It was mostly a test to see if I had the focus and persistence to start and finish something. And I did it. I wrote that (terrible) first book and proved to myself I could write a novel length project. After that, I was hooked.
Who or what inspired you to be a writer?
I give my mother a lot of credit because she’s a bookaholic like me, and reading was a huge part of my childhood, thanks to her. But I have to give my dad a lot of credit, too. He’s an accidental memoirist. I say accidental because he never set out with the intent of writing for the sake of writing, but he was a backpacker who hiked the whole Appalachian trail, and he kept a diary of all his adventures. Now that he and my mother have retired, they travel a lot, and he is dutiful about recording the details of their trips and experiences. I don’t think he’ll ever pursue publication, but he’s creating a valuable record that will be important to our family’s posterity for years to come.
What books have most influenced your life?
The first books I remember being hooked on as a kid were the Ramona Quimby novels by Beverly Cleary. Through middle school and high school, I read a lot of Sweet Valley High, Nancy Drew, and Christopher Pike and RL Stine books. In college, I did what everyone else had to do, which is read text books and whatever the professors assigned. During that time, however, my older cousin insisted I pick up the Harry Potter books (there were only four in the series back then), and I trusted his literary advice. Needless to say, I was hooked. As an adult, a co-worker gave me the first Twilight book, and, no matter what you think of them now, that series gets a lot of credit for broadening the appeal of YA books for adults. But it was the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews and the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher that introduced me to urban fantasy, and I knew that was the genre I really wanted to write.
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