Monday, February 15, 2016

IN THE COMPANY OF THE DEAD Cover Reveal


We are pleased to present the cover art for upcoming epic fantasy, In the Company of the Dead.

InTheCompanyOfTheDead_300dpi_1842x2763 FINAL

Genre: Epic Fantasy/Romantic Fantasy


Release Date: 25 April 2016


Credit is due to the cover artist, Sam Keiser.

About the Book


Only a fool crosses a god, but Ellaeva and Lyram will do anything to get what they want.


Chosen as a five year old orphan to be the Left Hand of Death, Ellaeva has nothing to call her own—nothing except a desire to avenge her murdered parents. Her duties leave her no time to pursue the man responsible, until both her work and revenge lead to the same place—the lonely castle where Lyram Aharris is serving out his exile for striking his prince.


Lyram is third in line for the throne, and when the castle is unexpectedly besieged, he fears his prince means to remove him from contention for the crown permanently. Ellaeva’s arrival brings hope, until she reveals she has not come for the siege, but instead she hunts the castle for a hidden necromancer dedicated to the dark god of decay.


Within their stone prison, Ellaeva and Lyram must fight to save themselves from political machinations and clashing gods. But as the siege lengthens, the greatest threat comes from an unexpected quarter.


What to be notified as soon as the book is released? Sign-up for the newsletter here!

About the Author


Ciara Ballintyne grew up on a steady diet of adult epic fantasy from the age of nine, leaving her with a rather confused outlook on life – she believes the good guys should always win, but knows they often don’t. She is an oxymoron; an idealistic cynic.


She began her first attempts at the craft of writing in 1992, culminating in the publication of her debut work, Confronting the Demon, in 2013. Her first book to be published with Evolved Publishing is In the Company of the Dead.


She holds degrees in law and accounting, and is a practising financial services lawyer. In her spare time, she speculates about taking over the world – how hard can it really be? If she could be anything, she’d choose a dragon, but if she is honest she shares more in common with Dr. Gregory House of House M.D. – both the good and the bad. She is a browncoat, a saltgunner, a Whedonite, a Sherlockian, a Ringer and a Whovian… OK, most major geek fandoms. Her alignment is chaotic good. She is an INTJ.


Ciara lives in Sydney, Australia, with her husband, her two daughters, and a growing menagerie of animals that unfortunately includes no dragons.


Twitter: @CiaraBallintyne


Facebook: http://facebook.com/CiaraBallintyne


Website: http://ciaraballintyne.com

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Wake Me Up-A Book Recommendation

I don't write a lot of reviews because basically, I'm not very good at it. I like a book or I don't, I would recommend it or I wouldn't. Sadly, my review of this particular book will not do it justice, but I felt I needed to recommend it anyway. It was good, great actually, and you should read it.

Okay, I warned you, my reviews are less than brilliant. I don't like to give too much of the story away because I think that is one of the treasures of reading-discovering along the way. So, I'll tell you a bit about what I loved, basically, the review I posted on Amazon (where I purchased the book):



The characters in this novel were so richly drawn and multi-layered, I felt as if I knew them-I wanted to cry with some, and slap others. The story line is timely, and I appreciated the approach from the omniscient (and surprising) narrator, allowing insight into the different players in a small town and their thoughts, concerns, and actions in regards to a teenage boy being beaten by bullies over his perceived homosexuality. One thing that struck me, and really set the tone of the story for me, was the thoughts of several people at the school who kind of, sort of, or not at all, knew Chris (the victim) but would 'light a candle for him' just the same. Justin Bog is a very skilled writer and I can't imagine this story being told any differently and having the same impact.
Highly recommend for parents, school workers, teenagers.

From the back of the book (for those that want to know what the book is about):


  • A FATHER IS HAUNTED BY HIS PAST -- HIS WIFE LIVES HER LIFE IN A RIGID SHELL -- THEIR SON, UNTETHERED, DISCOVERS THE SECRET THEY SHARE WITH DEEPIKA, A VISITOR TO THEIR TOWN. 
"I see all of these people. They're living and breathing and acting on their basest impulses. I lay in a coma. They live. I hover over all of them, all at once. I can see my body, motionless, wired up, adrift. And I can find out why this happened. This is my story and I won't remember any of it when--if--I wake up. But I'll try to remember--I'll try damn hard."
  • MIDDLETON, MONTANA --OCTOBER 2004--AN ELECTION YEAR 
A small college town's populace is tied, complicitly, to the brutal attack of a teenage boy by four of his classmates. Soon, heated rumors of a possible hate crime surface. Injustice is a hungry beast.
  • While Chris Bullet remains unresponsive in a coma, his skull shattered, he floats above dire circumstance. In this phantom state, compelled to witness his past once more, the family's darkest secrets, hidden over generations, will be aired. 

 
 

 
 
Justin Bog and Kipling