Please welcome author of the Avant Champion Rising
C.B. Samet will be awarding an Avant Champion tote bag, world map (11x17), prequel novelette, and bookmark (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
The Avant Champion: Rising
by C.B. Samet
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GENRE: Fantasy
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INTERVIEW:
What elements are necessary components for this genre?
I enjoy fantasy with action, adventure and world building. It must take me into a place of magical wonderment. As with any genre, there must also be conflict and resolution.
How did you come up with your idea for your novel?
I created the fantasy series out of a desire for a strong female heroine. She needed to face monumental odds in service to the Queen. I wanted to see how she would grow confident when facing a quest and how she would blossom into a warrior. In each book, she faces new personal and professional challenges.
What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?
I enjoy tennis and family game night. I have an adorable Jack Russell Terrier who keeps me company while I write.
As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
The Avant Champion series will be five full-length novels (there are also two companion novelettes already published). Book four is set to release in June, and I’m currently working on Book 5.
If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?
I’d have to be the main character. She’s flawed with self-doubt and a burdening sense of obligation, but her moral compass points North.
Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?
Turn your soul
Toward Mother Moon,
Let the demons
Fall behind you,
Turn your heart
For the good of all,
And the demons
Cannot harm you.
---The Avant Champion ~Rising~ (Book 1)
Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?
I’ve been fortunate to find critique partners online through Facebook groups. We exchange works and try to help each other improve the craft.
How do you maintain your creativity?
I have a full-time day job so my weekly writing consists of squeezing in time in the evenings around the boys’ dinner and activities. I find a change of scenery is motivation. I write copiously on vacations or plane rides, especially when there is no distraction from emails or social media. Also, I brainstorm about novels on walks or runs so I have to mix in these breaks from staring at a screen or notebook.
Who is your favorite character in the book? Can you tell us why?
My favorite character in the series is Malakai. I had no idea when I invented him that he would become such a pivotal part of subsequent books. His transformation through the series is fascinating, and his character adds such flavor to the books. He went from supporting case to main character, and, by book five, the future of the world depends on him.
BLURB:
An EVVY award-winning epic fantasy adventure. When Marrington Castle is overtaken by a dark and ancient evil, Abigail Cross finds herself in the precarious situation of protecting Queen Rebekah. Charged with a quest to summon the Avant Champion, can she save the kingdom or doom everyone to everlasting devastation?
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EXCERPT:
As the carriage began to roll, I listened to the rhythmic click of horse hooves against the cobblestone. Since the Queen and I were seated facing the rear, I watched the grand pavilion, with its shimmering lights, fade into the distance. It would be a 500-meter ride from the ballroom to the Queen’s quarters, and what a beautiful scene through the decorated grounds lit with streams of dancing lights that cast colored shadows from the arching trees above the path. I couldn’t help but lean just a little out the window to take in the beauty of it all.
In the distance, I could see my brother’s carriage and imagined that Paul was wondering as much as I what I was doing in the Queen’s carriage.
I looked around at the courtyard. It was vast and elegant and surrounded on all sides by the castle’s enormous buildings. The real beauty of the castle belonged to its grounds, or inner ward, though I may have had that perception because of my preference to being outdoors. The northeast corner of the courtyard was an open dining facility surrounded by immaculately groomed bushes sitting atop lush trimmed grass.
The northwest corner contained awe-inspiring statues were housed the Queen, the court and the ministers, as well as all of their meeting halls and business rooms, ornately furnished with dark mahogany wood and regal draperies. There were figurines and expansive collections of artifacts from centuries of diplomatic excursions across the world. I knew them intimately, since I dusted them weekly.
With a sudden chill, the light from the lanterns all abruptly extinguished and the line of carriages came to a halt. I heard the horses neigh with unease. My eyes adjusted to the moonlit darkness, and I could see Paul’s carriage once again in the distance around the bend, just at the last gate leaving the pavilion. It was black under the light of the moon, looking more like a box cage than a carriage.
Shadows came to life as tall, lanky, dark figures appeared on either side of Paul’s carriage. Their general form was similar to human, with two arms and two legs, but their body and limbs were thinner, and they appeared taller than any man I had ever seen. My stomach lurched in alarm. Whatever they were, their stealth and demeanor conveyed the danger of a predator.
Long arms stretched and opened the doors on both sides of Paul’s carriage, and silently and swiftly, the passengers were lifted out and swallowed whole. The horrible figures vanished into the dark shadows as quickly as they had appeared.
I shook once, not believing my own eyes, but too frightened to scream. My heart was pounding with spasms threatening to spread to the rest of my body at any moment.
I turned to the only other person who sat in a position to see what I had seen. The Queen shot me a look of caution, shutting my mouth before I could speak. She had seen, I knew, and if it were possible, her pale face seemed even whiter. Although her eyes were not as wide as mine, her pupils had dilated, the way I had seen an untamed filly’s eyes when cornered by a would-be rider. Yet, she kept her composure.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Christina is a writer, mother, and pet lover.
“I write seeking to create riveting action and intrigue with female heroines. I love the quote, ‘She needed a hero. So she became one.’ My novels have empowered women overcoming powerful obstacles and the strong men who support them.”
Samet's Strong Women https://www.facebook.com/groups/337384960147128/
Amazon Author page https://www.amazon.com/CB-Samet/e/B01HLCURWK/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Goodreads Author page https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6012528.C_B_Samet
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/authorcbsamet/
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cb-samet
Instagram @cbsametauthor
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/novelsbycbsamet/pins/
Mailchimp http://eepurl.com/c3EOvb
Buy Links: The Book is FREE during the tour
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
C.B. Samet will be awarding an Avant Champion tote bag, world map (11x17), prequel novelette, and bookmark (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f2997
Welcome to the Angel's blog. I hope you have a great tour. Allana angel
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