Today we’re celebrating the release of new epic fantasy novel, The Last Priestess, by Elizabeth Baxter. One of the characters from The Last Priestess, Leo, has popped over to join us. 

There is a name that is uttered only in whispers. The Songmaker. A ruthless rebel mage, he is bringing civil war to the once-peaceful kingdom of Amaury, enveloping all in a tide of violence. For Maegwin, a tormented priestess, the path forward lies in forgiving her temple’s enemies—but she dreams only of revenge. For Rovann, a loyal mage haunted by his failures, salvation might be found in the unthinkable: defying the very king he swore to protect. If they are to succeed they must form an unlikely alliance. For someone must stand against the Songmaker. Someone must save Amaury from his dark designs. But first, they’ll have to learn to trust each other.

And so a magical journey of darkness and redemption begins.

So, Leo, can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

Of course. Glad to be here! Honored indeed! My name is Leo March, the most famous minstrel in all Amaury. Don’t listen to those niggards who say I’m a bragging fool with no talent – they are just jealous. I spend my life wandering the land, entertaining the noble folk with my musical talent and fine wit! Although my job has become a lot harder since the civil war came. People don’t trust minstrels anymore – what with the Songmaker posing as one and singing people into death with his power. Damn selfish of the man, in my opinion. Why couldn’t he pose as a milk-maid or stable boy instead?

How did you become a minstrel?

I beg your pardon? Become a minstrel? You make it sound as though I chose this profession like a common worker. You don’t become a minstrel, you’re born a minstrel. It’s a gift, a talent, something deep inside. And like any good minstrel, I’m sharing my gift with the whole world!

You have some interesting companions in The Last Priestess. How did you meet?

Hmm. It was a little embarrassing to be honest. You know how I said it’s difficult being a minstrel at the moment? Well, this was brought home to me when I visited Angard, a town down in the south. I was hoping to make a bit of a name for myself – you know, a few songs here, a few tales there. But things didn’t quite turn out that way. Unbeknown to me, the Songmaker had called down a magestorm on the town. So when the locals saw me, they set on me, thinking I was the Songmaker! Can you believe it? Me, a rebel? Outrageous! Luckily, Maegwin and Rovann rescued me and we’ve been travelling together ever since.

Maegwin and Rovann? Who are they?

Maegwin is a priestess from somewhere down in the south. She doesn’t talk about it much but I think something bad might have happened to her. However, my tales and songs soon cheer her up! Rovann is a king’s man. I’m not sure he likes me. I get the impression he thinks I’m a bit of an idiot but I’ll soon win him over with my fine wit! We’re travelling to the capital where I will bowl them over with my singing talent! They’ll all soon be flocking to get a glimpse of the famous Leo March! But I think there’s more to Rovann than admits. I’ve not let on about my suspicions of course. I know how to keep a secret. But hopefully the mystery will be solved when we reach Tyrlindon (that’s the capital). Ah, mystery and adventure! What could be better than a minstrel’s life?

The Last Priestess is available from Amazon.

I’ve been a bookworm since I was five years old. The first book I ever read was about a boy going shopping with his mum. I picked it up from my brother’s bedroom floor and suddenly those strange shapes on the page made sense. I could read! Hallelujah! I was soon working my way steadily through the school library and it wasn’t long before I realized that stories about dragons, elves and great big talking lions were by far the most interesting. And that was it, my obsession with fantasy fiction was born.

You can connect with the author online at these locations:

On her Blog

On Twitter @smallblondhippy

On Goodreads

Cynthia and I did a guest post swap, and you can check out her article on character development over on my blog, True Knights.

When we look up into the night sky, we see a black void full of glittering stars. When we start writing a book… we have the whole black void thing, and that’s about it. Obviously, this is the hard part about writing.

But it doesn’t need to be hard. There are simple steps you can take to ensure your writing journey is a happy one, in which you do not get sucked into space and sort of… float around.

First off, you need to think what sort of storyline you want to write. Do not chase the market and write what is currently trending. Follow your heart, because if you don’t love it, nobody will like it.

Once you have a simple concept, you have to figure out what kinds of characters would be the best to carry out the story. Feel free to picture established characters; we all draw inspiration from somewhere; the important part is crafting inspiration into our own creations, rather than carbon copies.

At this point, you will begin what I call a tempering period. Simply put, you will go from the story to the characters, back and forth, developing each until the other needs to pick up the pace. Just like steel sharpens steel, your characters and your storyline will sharpen one another.

So you’ve got that, but let’s be clear; you haven’t even started the first draft of the book yet! What you have done is lay out the foundation, making the next step even easier.

And why do I say ‘even’ easier? Because the first draft always needs to be revisited, whether it be for spelling errors, adding new ideas, correcting certain flaws. Whatever. Keep it fresh in your mind that you will be back, no matter how good you do.

So! No pressure. As a writer, your first duty is like the first step I mentioned; follow your heart. Write what you want to, and if it gets boring or complicated, throw in some plot twists to spice things up. Don’t worry overly much about terms, names, one-liners; enjoy writing the story, and come later to smooth everything out.

Cover to cover seems like such a daunting task, but you’ll be surprised at how fast it flys by, and you’ll miss it once it’s all over… for a day, and then you’ll realize with editing and the new era of self-promotion, your book isn’t ‘leaving home’ anytime soon!

My name is Steven M. Vincent. As a kid, all I ever wanted to do was immerse myself in video games. They were 16-bit and not much for plot, but that prompted me to create my own stories. I guess you could say that’s where my storytelling began.

I started writing in mid 2009, and I’ll always remember the feeling of satisfaction I had when the story was completed. Still, it was only the beginning. I had a lot to learn; editing, how to contact agents, how to sell myself. And I’m still learning. I hope I always will be, because that’s what gives life meaning.

Agents didn’t work out, and that’s how I discovered the wonders of Kindle. The ease of self-publishing was very inviting, and though I knew it would be challenging, I took that path. Now my only goal is to bring my stories to the world, and pass on what I’ve learned along the way.

The Feel Real Fantasy Blog Tour celebrates the completion of the Rys Rising series by Tracy Falbe. Today’s stop introduces you to Demeda, princess of the Sabar’Uto Tribe and Handmaiden to the Goddess.

Age: 16 at beginning of epic
Physical appearance: dark skin, black hair, brown eyes, thin, average height
Special skills: Excellent singing voice, sneaky, willingness to use sex to advance her position
Magical items: Enchanted crystal orb that connects her to the Goddess, Onja.

Growing up in the royal palace of a powerful tribe gave Demeda many luxuries but no privileges. Her society is a strict patriarchy where women have no rights and must keep their faces covered. As a daughter of the King’s first wife, she accepts that her marriage will be arranged and strategically important to her family. But when she learns that she is to be wed to her tribe’s arch enemy as part of a peace deal, she becomes enraged, especially because she is to be the man’s fourth wife. Incensed by that insult, she refuses to cooperate but is beaten and drugged into submission.

During her journey to her wedding an unexpected fate intervenes. The outlaw Amar on a mission to interfere with the peace plan kidnaps Demeda and her brother. Although terrified, Demeda takes her opportunity to break free from her unwanted duties. She throws away her politically precious virginity and embarks upon the outlaw life.

The stakes are always high for Demeda as she tries to maintain the interest of Amar, whose favor is crucial to her survival. She’ll betray her tribe to please him. Eventually she encounters the powerful rys Onja who is asserting herself as the Goddess of all people. Demeda will become the loyal servant of Onja and attain the rank Handmaiden of the Goddess. Despite the prestige of this position, it remains a perilous duty for Demeda.

Author’s feelings about the character:

Demeda is born of my memories of being a teenager. She makes rash life-changing decisions driven by passion. She defies authority, especially parental authority. She constantly tries to escape the limited options open to her, but making a new role for herself is very difficult. She is vulnerable but ambitious. She is also a bit of a natural criminal, but she is not without a heart. As years go by, she gradually begins to accept the constraints of duty for the sake of others. All her transitions are painful but she rarely regrets what she has done.

And now and excerpt double feature:

From Savage Storm: Rys Rising Book II

 Demeda prepared a cup of tea for herself. She was comfortable with her lack of remorse about the two villages that the Kelsurs had sacked already. They were out terrorizing a third village as she sipped tea with Amar. Returning to the land of her tribe had summoned few nostalgic feelings. She had grown up so cloistered that the land bore almost no familiarity to her. The rural districts of the Sabar’Uto Domain were as new to her as any other place.

Halfway through his cup, Amar set it aside and reclined with his hands behind his head. “Tell me everything you can about the royal palace in Chadenedra,” he said.

“Are we going there?” Demeda asked.

“I am,” he corrected.

Her disquiet fluttered on sleepy batwings in the back of her mind. “What do you need to know?” she said.

“Everything you can tell me,” Amar insisted.

“It would help if I knew what you mean to do,” Demeda stalled again.

Amar looked at her with the hard gaze of the Kez Overlord. She met those eyes that gleamed with life but guarded his soul. Demeda gathered her courage and said, “Are you going to kill my father?”

“That’s what you want isn’t it?” Amar said.

“I never said that,” Demeda whispered uncomfortably.

To sooth her, Amar said, “My intention is to impress upon him the need to be cooperative.”

Although not really reassured, Demeda accepted that she was going to aid Amar in every way that she could. Her wicked treachery would be no harder to live with than the cruel betrayal dressed up as duty that her family had inflicted on her.

***

 From New Religion: Rys Rising Book III

 Demeda reclined on her cushion, striking a sultry pose by second nature. She watched Urlen who was avoiding eye contact.

“What is this about?” she asked and gestured with her cup at the privacy he had drawn down around them.

He sighed as if disappointed and then confessed, “Demeda, I need your help.”

She sat up, excited. She loved it when she could be useful.

He said, “You know how Amar has commanded me to build our fortress, so I have been working to hire an architect.”

Demeda wilted, losing interest because the subject was boring.

Urlen continued, “I have brought a very highly esteemed architect here. His name is Pender Ruke, and I really want him to take on this project.”

“I’m sure he’ll do it,” Demeda said carelessly, trying to be encouraging. “With our Temulanka treasure you can certainly pay him as well as any king.”

“Well, yes, but a man as talented and respected as him can pick his projects. He does not have to design and build for just anyone who can pay, and he seems uninterested in working for the Kezanada,” Urlen explained, irked that his criminal status brought great power but not always respect.

Demeda frowned and said, “He should want to do it for the glory of Onja.”

“Onja has yet to fill the heart of every man with love for her,” Urlen said. “To tell the truth, he even ignored my invitation to work on our project. But he is the man I really want, so I had him brought here.” He twiddled his fingers with nervous guilt.

Demeda giggled, knowing what he meant. She found it amusing that scholarly Urlen had such sinister forces at his disposal. People often regretted underestimating him.

Shaking his head with regret, Urlen said, “So you can imagine that Pender Ruke is hardly in a good mood. I need your help to put him in a better mood.”

Demeda narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “How am I to put him in a better mood?” she demanded.

Urlen groped for an explanation, but she did not wait for his answer. She shook a finger at him and told him that she was not going to perform any common favors. “I am loyal to Amar,” she concluded proudly.

He scrambled to reassure her. “No, no. Not like that. If he wants physical favors, I’ll get other women for that, but I’m sure that your company alone would please him. Use your charms to entertain him, make him feel good about himself. You are a Sabar’Uto Princess and the Handmaiden of the Goddess. You are rare and beautiful. You are extraordinary! Show him that working for us will let him have a life like no one else can offer,” he explained, finding his eloquence.

Despite the flattery, Demeda frowned at him, unconvinced. “Just make him do it, Urlen. Tell him he’ll die if he doesn’t do it,” she suggested. She could not quite see why she needed to be bothered with Urlen’s little issues about hiring help.

***

Tracy Falbe invites you to give her characters a chance to feel real to you. The Rys Rising fantasy series is driven by magic, passion, bravery, ambition, conquest, and defeat. Rys Rising: Book I is a free ebook and hopefully your gateway to an epic reading experience. 

Start reading Rys Rising for free, and enter the prize drawing.

Let us wander around the words of Marsha A. Moore; she is here to guide us through the Enchanted Bookstore Legends.

 My new release, the third of the Enchanted Bookstore Legends, is an epic fantasy romance. Adalyra McCauley opens an enchanted book and confronts a series of quests where she is expected to save Dragonspeir from destruction by the evil Black Dragon. In Lost Volumes, the third book of the series, Lyra learns residents of Dragonspeir’s Alliance are suffering with a deadly plague at the hands of the Black Dragon. She doesn’t heed the warnings of her fiancé, wizard Cullen Drake, to remain safe in her human world. After all, she’s the present Scribe—one of five strong women in her ancestry who possessed unique magic, each destined to protect the Alliance against the evil Black Dragon of the Dark Realm. With Cullen dependent upon Alliance power to maintain his immortality, the stakes are doubled for Lyra.