Author Archives: Tara Maya
Dindi is kidnapped to be the bride of a shark... To escape she must untangle a terrible curse caused by a love and magic gone wrong.
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This stand-alone novella is set in Faearth, the world of The Unfinished Song. Available here ONLY.
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The Unfinished Song - This Young Adult Epic Fantasy series has sold over 70,000 copies and has 1,072 Five Star Ratings on Goodreads.
Author Archives: Tara Maya
He posed with his spear, in an attempt to look stern. Unseen by Hadi, a pixie banged the butt of Hadi’s dangling spear on his knee.
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Ok, I realize I started posting excerpts from Initiate on my blog without letting you know what I was up too, and maybe that was overly mysterious. You might be saying, “Hey, Tara, I’ve already Initiate. Duh! In fact, I just re-read it last night, for like the seventeenth time, because that’s how much I love it. What gives?”
Well, I know YOU have read Initiate, because you’re awesome like that.
But maybe you have some friends on Twitter or Facebook who haven’t? So I decided to post the ENTIRE NOVEL up on my blog, 500 words a day, and let your friends read the excerpts, or even the whole novel, if they like, here on my blog. If you’ve already enjoyed the novel, could you do me a huge favor and share it? Because if you do, pixies will bring you flowers. That’s what the pixies claimed, at least….
Now, other news.
I’ve been working on an anthology of science fiction stories all summer and I have been blessed to find some GREAT stories. Look out, because later this week, we are going to have the Cover Reveal!
The Unfinished Song: Initiate
(Start at the Beginning of the Novel)
The chant hit her with a wave of melancholy. The interlocking patterns of light the dancers had created rippled outward like disturbed water, and when the light hit her, vertigo robbed Dindi of her balance. She stumbled, nearly fell.
“Rain of Arrows” by Xan-04 |
“From the Ashes,” by Stephanie Pui Mun |
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Here’s a video that’s taken clips from a video game — Kingdom of Hearts ? — jump in here if you recognize it — and set to Gymnopedie No.1, by Erik Satie, with Sora as the main focus point. CalicoGrace, who made the video, says, “This, I think, is the most beautiful song in the new age genre. The remix is by Cafe Del Mar.”
I chose to add it here because it ties into the mood of becoming lost in the vision of the dance.
Fia and Annie are as close as two sisters can be. They look out for each other. Protect each other. And most importantly, they keep each other’s secrets, even the most dangerous ones: Annie is blind, but can see visions of the future; Fia was born with flawless intuition—her first impulse is always exactly right. When the sisters are offered a place at an elite boarding school, Fia realizes that something is wrong . . . but she doesn’t grasp just how wrong. The Keane Institute is no ordinary school, and Fia is soon used for everything from picking stocks to planting bombs. If she tries to refuse, they threaten her with Annie’s life. Now Fia’s falling in love with a boy who has dark secrets of his own. And with his help, she’s ready to fight back. They stole her past. They control her present. But she won’t let them take her future.
Excerpt:
FIA
Seven Years Ago
My dress is black and itchy and I hate it. I want to peel it off and I want to kick Aunt Ellen for making me wear it. And it’s short, my legs in white tights stretching out too long under the hem. I haven’t worn this dress in two years, not since I was nine, and I hated it then, too.
Annie’s dress is just as stupid as mine, but at least she can’t see how dumb we look. I can. I don’t want to be embarrassed today. Today is for being sad. But I am sad and embarrassed and uncomfortable, too.
It should be raining. It’s supposed to rain at funerals. I want it to rain, but the sun bakes down and it hurts my eyes and everything is sharp and bright like the world doesn’t know the earth is swallowing up my parents.
My parents. My parents. Mom and Dad.
Annie cries softly next to me, her head bent so low we’re nearly the same height. I’m glad she can’t see any of this, can’t see the caskets, can’t see the mats of fake green grass around them. Just show us the dirt. They are going in the dirt. I would rather see the dirt.
I reach out and take Annie’s hand in mine. I squeeze it and squeeze it because she is my responsibility now, and no one else’s. I’ll take care of her, I promise my parents. I’ll take care of her.
FIA
Monday Morning
The moment he bends over to help the sorrow-eyed spaniel puppy, I know I won’t be able to kill him.
This, of course, ruins my entire day.
I tap my fingers (tap tap tap them) nervously against my jeans. He’s still helping the puppy, untangling the leash from a tree outside the bar. And he’s not only setting it free, he’s talking to it. I can’t hear the words but I can in the puppy’s tail that, however he’s talking, he’s talking just right, all tender sweet comfort as his long fingers deftly twist and unwind and undo my entire day, my entire life. Because if he doesn’t die today, Annie will, and that is one death I cannot have on my conscience.
Tara Says:
So Kiersten White is completely awesome, and I’m not saying that just because of that one time we fought off flying sharks with chainsaws together. I loved her Paranormalcy series, which was laugh-out-loud funny, poignant and also romantic and kick-ass. I (mumble-mumble haven’t yet read) Mind Games, but I can tell from today’s excerpt that it’s going to rock and can’t wait to.
Maggie is unaware of the terrifying fate that awaits her. It isn’t until she lands in New Orleans for a full year at a private high school and her unknown enemies find her does she realize that her life is in danger.
As a mystifying stranger repeatedly intervenes and blocks the attempts on her life, she begins to learn that there is more to him than his need to protect her and that he may be the key to understanding why her enemies have just now arrived.
“You appear and then vanish like a ghost. You aren’t injured from venomous snake bites. You aren’t killed by wayward, incredibly sharp arrows.” Then, I reiterated, “I am the only one who can see you…how is any of this possible?”
“You do pay attention,” he said, sounding almost regretful, though I didn’t understand why.
“Yes, now will you tell me how you are capable of all that?”
He paused, still looking at me, as he collected his thoughts. The muscles throughout his body visibly flexed, tensing as he prepared his answer. “I have certain…gifts…that not many others can claim…gifts of speed, healing, and regeneration, to name a few.”
He paused, waiting for my reaction.
“Don’t worry so much,” I said, teasingly. “I’m not going to run screaming for the door.”
We quietly laughed together for a brief moment. When I felt like he was comfortable again, I asked my next question.
“So, where did you get these gifts? Did your parents take some sort of special drug?”
“Not exactly. I can’t answer that, as much as I know you’d like me to. Just suffice, Magdalene, to know that without these gifts, you wouldn’t be here right now.”
“So you’re warning me away from you?” I was appalled. “Then why are you doing this…guarding me at all? Why the torment? Why watch over me when you know that…that we should be more?” I felt on the verge of tears, which amazed me. How could pain be so sharp in the afterlife? “Answer me, Eran. Why?”
He sighed. “Because it is my job.”
I gasped, more offended than I’d ever been. “I’m a job to you?” I stared at him and waited for his head to rise but he refused to look at me.
“Yes,” he said weakly, defeated. His beautiful, rugged voice released as a whimper and the pain inside me grew. “You are just a job.”
I didn’t think it was possible but the emptiness I’d felt with Eran being gone those many weeks held no comparison to the magnitude of what I was experiencing right now.
I felt as if I had been gutted.
“No…” I shook my head. “I don’t believe you because you see, Eran, I can feel your emotions run through me. Whether you want to admit them or not, I know how you feel about me.”
Stunned, his head jerked up, his brilliant blue-green eyes drilling into mine. “You feel me too? How can that be?”
“I don’t know. But I do know that I feel in you the same emotions I have.”
He groaned and turned away. “That’s not possible…” he muttered, pausing. When he spoke again his voice was strained, determined. I drew in a breath as the intensity of these emotions ran through me. “It doesn’t matter. I won’t let this happen. This will not happen…I will not let us be together.”
“Because you are my guardian? Then let me make it easy on us…You’re fired.”
“It doesn’t work that way, Magdalene,” he said, quieter but still resolute.
“I didn’t want you to watch over me, Eran. I never asked for it.”
As if he’d become an entirely new person, his reply was flat and detached. “You’re a messenger. You require a guardian. It’s as simple as that.”
“Then we’ve just solved the issue, didn’t we?” I said causing him to finally look up. “This will be my last message. It’s from me to you…goodbye Eran.”
Turning swiftly, I walked away just before the tears came.
Find more from Laury on his website, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
The Unfinished Song: Initiate
(This is the Beginning of the Novel)
by Toni Cogdell |
Dindi
Dindi had never told anyone she aspired to become a Tavaedi. She wasn’t interested in reaping snickers or commiseration. Besides, what did she care what the others thought of her? She knew how hard it was, but she had a plan.
TO BE CONTINUED
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A colleague of mine, whom I first met ten years ago (online) in the Online Writer’s Workshop, is celebrating his book release today. He has a beautiful writing voice and this story is well-researched, a work of both passion and philosophy. I’ve only read excerpts of it so far, but I am looking forward to reading the whole thing.
Visit Dragonwell and learn more about W.B.J. “Walt” Williams and his new fantasy novel The Garden at The Roof of the World. Or just head over to Amazon and grab the book! Today only if you buy a copy and send a screen shot of your proof of purchase, Dragonwell will give you a $5 gift certificate toward one of their other books.
In fact, I can recommend most any of those too, such as Assassin’s Gambit by Amy Raby,
The Princess of Dhagabad by Anna Kashina, Crossfire by Nancy Kress–she had good books on Writing as well, by the way–The Far West by Patricia C. Wrede, and Spellbent by Lucy A. Snyder. Dragonwell Publishing is one of those super awesome small presses that give voice to new and exciting authors the larger publishing industry too often overlooks. If I hadn’t decided to go indie, I might have gone with them myself.
So, go on, check out The Garden at The Roof of the World.
P.S. I just bought it, quickly snapped a screen shot (Ctrl, Shift, 4 on my Mac) and emailed it to Dragonwell at dragonwellpublishing(at)gmail(dot)com and they sent me the gift code, just like that! Thank you, Dragonwell!
Braedyn Murphy used to think nothing important ever happened in her sleepy town of Puerto Escondido. But that was before she learned she was a descendent of Lilith, the mother of all demons.
Now Braedyn fights to protect humanity from the Lilitu – the beautiful, souls-stealing daughters of Lilith. As she fights the Lilitu, Braedyn must also fight her growing love for her boyfriend Lucas – because giving in to temptation could end his life.
Their only ray of hope is an angel’s offer to make Braedyn human, but it’s an offer she can’t accept until the world is safe from the Lilitu. Braedyn knows she’s a key player in this ancient war…
…but she’s not ready to believe she just might be humanity’s best hope of surviving the final battle for Earth.
What readers are saying…
“I had already fallen in love with the author and the story line, but this is the best book. The plot twists were amazing, and as an avid reader many books can be pretty predictable. I will continue to look for new books by this author!”
“I couldn’t wait for book 2 to be released. I enjoyed the first book and this one was just as good. It had a lot of twist and turns and I just couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait for the 3rd book!!!”
“Despite the long wait between THRALL and INCUBUS, it takes only a couple of pages before author Quintenz pulls you back into the world of Braedyn, the teen who has to battle all the regular first-love high school insecurities plus training with the Guard to protect the world against her own kind… The road is rough; the ride a rollercoaster. The story well written… to the author I say: Please be writing volume 3. I can’t wait that long until the end!!”
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