Tara Maya
Author Archives: Tara Maya
Tara Maya
- by Tara Maya
Shadow Blues by Tricia Zoeller
Today I’m excited to share an excerpt from Shadow Blues, the first novelette in The Darkling Chronicles from Tricia Zoeller.
At the age of four, Patrick Benjamin Solomon becomes Anka Rehmling’s human charge. By eight, he can SEE her. At thirteen, he breaks her heart, and by eighteen, she finds herself fighting for his life.
As a darkling shadowcaster, Anka casts shadows in the human world, harnessing some of the earth’s UV light to bring back to Montenai—a world full of darklings, nymphs, satyrs, phantoms, and dragon lords. Her job is crucial to preserving the vitality and balance in her town of Shadowland. However, Anka has trouble following the strict rules set by the Shadowland Council, a ruling body comprised of three dragon lords.
The lords’ decree states all shadowcasters will abide by the rules or face the penalty of harsh punishment, banishment, or death. Torn between her world and his, Anka must choose to defy the Council or turn her back on love.
Download Shadow Blues on Amazon.
Excerpt
Nana stopped the cart by the side of the Wishing Tree. A nonshadowcaster stood as a door attendant in front of the double doors. He wore a uniform of dark pants, boots, and a red jacket with the dragon lords’ symbol on the pocket.
The same symbol hung above the two doors. The gold shield showed a dragon looking down at his shadow. Pops said it reminded us that we were a team, dragon lords and shadowcasters. We’d been a team for a hundred years.
The attendant opened the doors to the Wishing Tree, and Bianca gasped as a black cloud of bats launched into the air from the upper branches, making a chorus of chirpy squeaks. She leaned against the darkling, as if she wanted him to save her. He held Bianca’s shoulder to steady her.
His face changed then. “This one is strong.”
Nana nodded to him before shooing us through the doorway.
Bianca slipped her sweaty hand into mine and squeezed. Nana walked behind us, a hand at each of our backs.
My shoes pinched my toes. A smell I remembered from when I was four hit me suddenly. The dragon lords smelled like…cedar, pine, cinnamon, burnt apple cider, and smoke.
It was hard to see, at first. Fancy lights hung on the walls, but still it was so much darker than the bright, sunny day outside.
We heard deep voices coming closer. Then eyes glowed in the air, gold, blue, and green from the dark tunnel below. Nana clutched the back of our dresses. I didn’t dare tell her she’d pinched some of my skin.
Lord Akton appeared before us. “I told you. Not in the Rotunda. We’ll talk to them in the Council Room.”
Bianca and I stood with our heads tilted back and our mouths wide open. I felt like screaming.
“Coooool,” Bianca said. Then, “Yipe.” I was pretty sure Nana had pinched her.
One golden eye stared at us. Where there should have been another eye, Lord Akton instead had several wrinkled lines through darkling skin mixed with red scales.
My heart beat so fast, I thought I might just die.
“Hello, Rehmlings. Thank you for bringing them here, Violet.”
“Of course, Lord Akton.”
Inside the Council Room, they told us to sit at a large marble table. I remembered tracing the squiggles in the marble of the Rotunda floor when I was four. Now, I did not want to touch the marble. I wanted to disappear from the room, play invisible girl.
Nana sat next to the youngest dragon lord across from Bianca and me. We faced the doorway where Lord Akton stood on one side and Leasith on the other. Were they guarding the door?
Bianca kept staring at the red-scaled lord across the room. Nana kept whispering for her to stop. I couldn’t take my eyes off Lord Bulosk. His blue scales were the prettiest color I’d ever seen. I’d never seen that kind of blue in my life.
“Hello, little shadowcasters. I’m Bulosk. I’ll be your tour guide for today.”
Bianca giggled. Nana hushed her.
“What? He’s funny,” Bianca said.
Lord Akton growled. It vibrated my chair and tickled my whole body. Lord Bulosk rolled his green eyes up into his head, like, “don’t mind my grumpy brother.”
My breathing got faster, and, suddenly, I hiccupped loudly. Nana’s lips mashed together, and she gave me her mean look.
“Sorry,” I whispered.
The Lord opened a leather case and pulled out some paper. He set a piece in front of Nana, Bianca, and me. “You are all aware of shadowcaster rules. I’m placing them in front of you in a contractual form. This is standard procedure when a human discovers you as an Imaginary Friend. Please review.”
I followed along as he read aloud. I understood most of the words:
By Decree of the Shadowland Council: Lords Akton, Leasith, & Bulosk
Each shadowcaster under the dominion of the Council will abide by the following rules as they pertain to the human world or face the penalty of harsh punishment, banishment, or death.
Shadowcasting Rules
1. Always cast true to form.
2. Never talk to the human.
3. Never give the human your name.
4. Never touch the human other than to use him/her as a portal.
Exceptions and Addendums as it pertains to Imaginary Friendships
1. If a human child shall see you as an imaginary friend, you may play with him/her, but never converse. Please do not encourage the child. Touching is allowed as it pertains to playing games, but keep affection to a minimum.
2. Imaginary friendship shall be terminated by the age of thirteen. This is the maximum age and is extended as a courtesy to shadowcasters who may have charges who have special needs or are terminally ill. There are no exceptions to this age limit.
When he finished, he tapped a claw on the paper. He hadn’t had a claw out before. “Now, we just need your blood bond there on the “X” then my handsome brother will give you a short history lesson and you can be on your way.”
I watched Nana’s mouth fall into a frown, and her eyebrows drew together. She pushed back from the table and turned on the biggest lord. “Standard procedure, you say? I’ve never heard of this.”
Lord Akton left the wall. “I assure you, it is required of certain shadowcasters, if they’ve broken rules.”
“She is just a baby.”
“Well, if you don’t have them sign the decree, we can think of other ways for them to make amends for little Anka’s mistakes.”
Nana gasped. “Don’t work your hocus-pocus on me.” She spun around and sat back down at the table. She sat with her body so rigid, I thought she’d get a spasm. Her blond hair flowed in the air a bit. It only did that when she was angry.
“It will be okay.” Lord Bulosk smiled at Nana then us. He stood up and went to Bianca’s side. Suddenly, I saw a flash of all the claws on his right hand.
I screamed.
To read the rest of Shadow Blues, download it on Amazon.
- by Tara Maya
The Faerie Guardian by Rachel Morgan
Today I’m excited to share the first book in Rachel Morgan’s Creepy Hollow series, The Faerie Guardian.
Enter a hidden world…
Protecting humans from dangerous magical creatures is all in a day’s work for a faerie training to be a guardian. Seventeen-year-old Violet Fairdale knows this better than anyone–she’s about to become the best guardian the Guild has seen in years. That is, until a cute human boy who can somehow see through her faerie glamour follows her into the fae realm. Now she’s broken Guild Law, a crime that could lead to her expulsion.The last thing Vi wants to do is spend any more time with the boy who got her into this mess, but the Guild requires that she return Nate to his home and make him forget everything he’s discovered of the fae realm. Easy, right? Not when you factor in evil faeries, long-lost family members, and inconvenient feelings of the romantic kind. Vi is about to find herself tangled up in a dangerous plot–and it’ll take all her training to get out of it alive.You can download The Faerie Guardian on Amazon.
Excerpt
My assignment tonight is cuter than most. He’s asleep at his desk, his cheek stuck to the open page of a textbook. Strands of sun-bleached hair lie across his forehead, and his lips—which I may or may not have been admiring for the past half hour—are parted.
I slide off the window seat and creep across the room. It’s bigger than I first thought, and with couches and a television arranged to form a separate sitting area, it’s more like a hotel suite than a regular bedroom.
Great. More places for things to hide.
I shrink into a shadowed corner and wait. For what, exactly, I’m not sure—the Seers never See more than a glimpse of what may happen. The boy’s steady breathing fills the room. A breeze lifts the curtain, and I catch the flicker of a streetlight on Draven Avenue.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Breathe—
There she is! With a hiss, the serpent woman streaks across the room, lamplight reflecting off her scaly skin. I stretch my arms into position and feel the prickly warmth of the bow and arrow as they materialize in my hands. I pull back and let go. The arrow flies across the room in a shower of orange-gold sparks, finding its mark in the reptiscilla’s shoulder.
She cries out, stumbles, and twists in my direction. Her black eyes bore into mine. “It’s happening already,” she whispers.
She rips the arrow from her shoulder—a move that must have really hurt—and lunges for the boy. I toss my bow aside and dive toward him too, knocking his sleeping form to the floor. He’s awake now, which isn’t ideal, but at least he can’t see us.
I roll off him and spring to my feet, just in time for the reptiscilla to throw herself at me. We’re on the floor. She buries her fangs in my arm, but I barely register the stinging pain. I hear Tora’s voice in my head: Bend your knees, arch your back, thrust your opponent right off.
I hurl my body over and pin the reptiscilla down by her throat, my free hand already reaching into the air for another arrow. I bring it down swiftly, straight toward her heart.
But she’s gone.
Thankfully. I hate it when I have to kill them. With a heavy breath I collapse against the nearest wall, still gripping the arrow. The cord that held my hair back has come undone, and tangles of purple and black fall in my face. I push them away, and begin to feel the tingling ache of the reptiscilla’s bite.
“What . . . the hell . . . was that?”
I raise my eyes. The boy is looking at me.
At me!
You can download The Faerie Guardian on Amazon.
Find more from Rachel on her blog, Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.
- by Tara Maya
State of Rebellion by Summer Lane
Today I’m excited to feature the third volume in Summer Lane’s YA dystopian science fiction Collapse series: State of Rebellion.
Everything has changed. After a devastating ambush that left the militia group Freedom Fighters struggling to survive, Cassidy Hart has been lucky to escape with her life. Along with her Commander and former Navy SEAL Chris Young, she’s made a shocking discovery concerning the whereabouts of her father. The militias have moved further into the mountains. And the secret that is kept there will come with a price. But when the National Guard arrives, Cassidy is faced with a choice that will force her to decide between her friends and her family. Omega is getting stronger. The fight for freedom looms on the horizon. It’s all or nothing. And Cassidy has no intention of giving up.
You can download State of Rebellion from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
- by Tara Maya
Tournament of Chance by S.G. Rogers
Today I’m excited to share an excerpt from S.G. Rogers’ Epic Award Fantasy Finalist Tournament of Chance.
The king’s trying to kill her. She’s trying to erase him. Who will succeed?
In the Kingdom of Destiny, King Chance decreed any female be she high or low born may earn a place at court by winning an archery competition known as the Tournament of Chance. Although no commoner has ever won before, this is Heather’s year. To prevent her from winning the tournament, however, King Chance will stop at nothing. The king does not yet realize Heather of the Jagged Peaks will be the spark that ignites a revolution — in time.
Now available in all e-formats from Musa Publishing HERE. Also available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other e-book retailers.
Excerpt
A muscle in Dane’s jaw rippled. “We must move faster. The longer she’s alone, the more likely it is she’ll encounter something dangerous.”
“She’s done well enough so far, no thanks to you,” Joe muttered.
Dane peered at Joe with narrowed eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ve shown your distaste for Heather upon more than one occasion.”
“I would never let my personal feelings interfere with my duty to protect the child,” Dane exploded.
“Really? Then why is she lost?”
Dane hands formed fists at his side. As the two men squared off, Shimmer stepped in between. “Jovander, I’ve known Dane much longer than you have. You accuse him unjustly.”
“That is so,” Manny concurred.
“No, no. Don’t bother to defend me. It won’t make a difference. Jovander Chance has a deep seated resentment toward the royal class and doesn’t believe we could ever act unselfishly,” Dane scoffed.
“Forgive me for saying so, but this whole quest is selfish!” Joe yelled. “If it succeeds, you Ormvalders resume ruling the kingdom. Heather gets nothing except for a pat on the back. She’s the only one of us here who has acted in an unselfish manner.”
“You’ve acted unselfishly too, Joe,” Manny said.
Dane smirked. “No, he hasn’t. Haven’t you noticed? Young Joe is quite taken with the lass.”
Joe flushed bright red. “Don’t act so smug, Your Highness. I’ve seen the way you look at her.”
“First you practically accuse me of doing her in, and now you accuse me of having designs on the woman?” Dane thundered. “Make up your mind.”
“First you call her a child, and now a woman?” Joe pointed out. “You should make up your own mind.”
A long, smoldering silence followed in which nobody spoke.
To read the rest of the story, download Tournament of Chance in all e-formats from Musa Publishing HERE, or you can find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other e-book retailers.
- by Tara Maya
The ELE Series by Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckels
Today I’m excited to feature the dystopian science fiction series, The ELE Series.
Available Now Through: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBookStore and Smashwords
Millions have already died, and thousands more are perishing daily. As a last ditch effort to preserve the human race, the government implements Project ELE. With the earth heating at rapid speeds, all remaining survivors are forced to turn to F.E.M.A. shelters to wait out ELE’s wrath.Fifteen-year-old Willow Mosby’s life, as she knows it, ends the moment she walks through the shelter’s door. Willow has to quickly adapt to the new challenges that shelter life demands, which includes making new friends and working a full time job.
Soon after making an interesting discovery, Willow and her friends start exhibiting strange abilities. Seeking answers, they embark on a mission to find out what these new abilities mean and whether they are a gift or a curse.
This new adventure can send her world crashing down around her. The question is: Can Willow survive the fall?
From the best selling authors of Night Marchers comes a new apocalyptic series with a paranormal twist.
Excerpt from Project ELE:
When five o’clock rolls around I gladly hand my tablet over to Alec to download my delivery signatures. We are the last two in the office so I sit on top of his desk next to him as he finishes the last of his work. I watch him typing furiously on the keyboard. I don’t pay attention to the words being entered on the screen, instead I take the time to study him in a way that you can’t do when someone’s looking at you. Well, at least not without totally creeping him out.
His hair is so dark that it nearly looks black on most days. Today, when I look at it just the right way I can see the deep brown and chestnut colors that stand out underneath the light. I also notice that his eyebrows furrow in and his eyes squint ever so slightly when he’s concentrating. It’s endearing.
I inch myself closer so I can see more of his eyes. The deep emerald green that he once had is now completely replaced with the most unique shade of navy blue that I’ve ever seen. It starts out dark, almost black around the outer part of his eye and then fades into a lighter, yet still navy shade of blue as it leads into his pupils. Both of his eyes are completely changed and I wonder why only one of mine has changed.
Alec turns and catches me staring. He doesn’t say anything though. He shuts the computer off and stands up from his chair. He leans in to where I’m sitting on his desk and studies me.
“What are you doing?” I know I’m blushing and it’s possible that I should feel self-conscious, but nothing about Alec’s stare makes me feel unsure of myself. If anything the look that he’s giving me makes me feel beautiful and more confident.
“I figured if you got to study me for an uninterrupted five minutes then I should get to do the same to you.” He smiles.
“Oh, you saw that?” I push some of my hair behind my ear.
He nods his head but continues to appraise me.
My body feels warm and flush and the butterflies are dancing around again in my stomach. The silence is killing me so I decide to break it. “So, what exactly are you studying?”
“Hmm, an exquisite specimen really.” He says in his best official scientific voice.
I crack a smile at his corniness.
“Yes, her teeth are perfectly white. Her unruly waves have a color that is quite unique, it reminds me of a mix between caramel and toasted coconut.”
I giggle. “I’m sure it doesn’t taste as good as either of those.”
He pushes his hand through my hair and continues. “Her eyes are almond shaped and one is the most beautiful brown I’ve ever seen.”
I put my hand up to my left eye knowing that it must look horrible and freakish.
He pulls my hand away and sets it gently on my lap. He pushes my bangs aside and says, “And the other one is the most amazing mixture of colors that she seems to think is odd but I think it’s stunning.” He kisses me on my cheek then finishes. “I will conclude my findings with one final appraising statement. Willow Mosby, you are the most breathtakingly beautiful creature that I’ve ever set eyes on.”
Where can readers check us out?
About Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckels:
Rebecca and Courtney are downhome country girls powered by chocolate and other random late night cravings. Coined in southern twang they bring new meaning to the word y’all. BFI’s since the 6th grade, with a knack for getting into sticky situations, has resulted in countless ideas to write about for years to come.
- by Tara Maya
Twin Curse by Rinelle Grey
Today I’m featuring the Rinelle Grey’s fantasy novel Twin Curse, available on Amazon.
Born together, wed together…
The ancient law is a curse to Brianna, whose twin sister has fallen in love with a man Brianna can’t bring herself to marry. To avoid disappointing her family, she fakes her death and escapes Eryvale to hide in the dazzling city of Bymere…but the city doesn’t live up to its promise.
Lonely and homesick, Brianna regrets her decision until she meets Lyall, a handsome mage. Their instant bond grows deeper, and despite knowing she can never marry him, Brianna accepts Lyall’s offer to leave Bymere before travellers from her village discover she’s still alive. Journeying to the exciting Isla de Magi, Brianna makes plans for a new life and is shocked to find she possesses mage magic as well.
However, when a chilling dream warns of an impending threat to her village, Brianna must leave the Isle and rush home to help her sister. Soon Lyall follows, chasing after the same threat and longing to reunite with Brianna. But can the two work together to stop the danger? Or will Brianna be forced to choose between her love for Lyall and the safety and happiness of her sister?
You can download Twin Curse from Amazon.
Excerpt
Brianna threw another pitchfork full of spoilt hay into the wheelbarrow, then glanced over her shoulder. The stable courtyard was as empty as it had been last time she looked. When she realised what she was doing, she scowled. She’d offered to muck out the stables this morning to avoid seeing the young man from last night.
It would be far better for both of them if he headed off to whatever task had brought him to the city without them seeing each other again. There was no point pining over something that couldn’t be.
She forced herself to focus on the task at hand. Though the rain of the previous night had passed, its evidence was left behind in the form of wet, smelly hay. There was more than enough work to keep her busy for several hours.
After a while, the monotony of the task soothed her racing mind. She settled into a comfortable rhythm. Dig, lift, throw. Move onto the next stall, and repeat. Dig, lift, throw. She worked without pause.
Until a voice startled her. “I thought being a serving maid was beneath you—mucking out stables is even more so.”
His voice set her heart racing even before she glanced up and saw the man from last night, leaning against a pole watching her. He was dressed as neatly as the night before, a stark contrast to her muddy and smelly overalls. She turned back to dig one more forkful of hay, trying to give herself a few moments to calm the thumping of her heart before she turned to look at him again.
His dark hair was a little longer than the men in her village, and it arched in even curves on both sides of his forehead. He raised his right eyebrow slightly, his head tilted to one side. It didn’t help her composure any.
Leaning on the shovel, she focused on his words, not his looks. Feeling almost defensive, she said, “Nothing is beneath me. How can you possibly understand a job, or ask anyone to do it for you, if you have not done it yourself at least once?”
He looked taken aback. But after staring at her blankly for a few moments, a smile crinkled the corner of his mouth. “Wise words, beautiful Brianna. In that case, I think perhaps it is time I gave it a go then.”
That was not what she had meant. She couldn’t imagine him mucking out the stable in his spotless breaches and creaseless shirt.
But he was rolling up his sleeves.
“That isn’t what I meant. I…” Her voice trailed off as he came across and took the pitchfork from her. She was too surprised to stop him.
“You’ll have to give me some instruction though. I’ve never done this before.”
He shoved the fork into the muck, straight up, clearly proving her point. She felt a guilty sense of satisfaction as he struggled to force it through the thick hay. For a few moments, she watched him, too amused to offer any help. He wriggled the fork until the prongs went into the hay a little, then tried to lift it, but the prongs broke through the wet hay, and he ended up with only a few strands of hay still clinging to it.
He looked over at her. “Yes, I see exactly what you mean. I realised it was an unpleasant task, but obviously there is some skill to it that I lack. Are you going to teach me, or are you going to stand there and laugh?”
Want to read the rest? Download Twin Curse from Amazon.
You can find more from Rinelle on her blog, Twitter and Facebook.