Over the Mountain and Back by Marie Aster

Please welcome Marie Aster  author of Over the Mountain and Back.

Marie will be awarding a $25.00 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Please leave a comment for Marie.

Over the Mountain and Back

by Marie Aster

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BLURB:

With his father gone missing and his mother losing her grip on reality, Peter Bailey’s life is nopicnic. Peter’s gray existence changes unexpectedly after he takes his new snowboard for a ride in the mountains of Colorado and is stunned to find himself in Transadonia – a hidden world

that coexists alongside with the Earth.

Lara Grover never listened to her elders, so warnings like “do not talk to strangers” mean nothing to her. When a boy from an unknown world saves her from an avalanche with the aid of a snow dragon, Lara is not stunned in the least. Instead, she joins Peter on his quest to help him realize the purpose behind his arrival to Transadonia.

Together, Lara and Peter embark on an adventure filled with perils, trickery, betrayals, and unexpected alliances.

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EXCERPTS: 

“What does it say?” asked Ragnvald, still awestruck by everything he had just witnessed.

“It appears to be a drawing of some kind,” answered the Chancellor, reaching for the page. “Let us go and examine it in my study, since I do not think that the book will tell us anything else.”

Back in the Chancellor’s study, Ragnvald and Chancellor Libra examined the drawing.

“But this is a snowboard!” exclaimed Ragnvald with surprise. “My people have been making these since the beginning of time to get around the mountains, although this design looks a lot more innovative then the ones we’ve been building,” added Ragnvald.

The Chancellor looked at Ragnvald thoughtfully. “And what of ‘the Great Mine’ and ‘the metal that shines with piercing light?” I would think as the ruler of the best artisans in all of Transadonia, you are the only one who could decipher this riddle.”

Ragnvald’s dark blue eyes gleamed mysteriously as he pensively patted his beard. After a brief silence, the Viglian king answered, “That would be the luster metal.”

“Luster metal?” asked the Chancellor, bemused. “I’ve never heard of it before. Is that what your people use to build snowboards?”

“No, it is far too precious for that,” replied Ragnvald, shaking his head. “In the olden days, our forefathers used to forge the luster metal from the luster ore that could only be found in the Great Mine. They called it luster ore because it shimmered with blue light.”

“How come I have never seen any records of this in the Library?” asked the Chancellor, surprised.

“This story is as ancient as Transadonia itself, and the secret of making luster metal has been guarded by my people for centuries. With all due respect, I must say that there are some mysteries that even the Library has no record of.”

The Chancellor smiled wisely and nodded.

“While my people have been great Smiths since the beginning of time, it was the uniqueness of the luster metal that made our works so famous. The luster metal possessed incredible qualities; it was light and exceptionally durable at the same time, and while it was a superb material for armor and swords, it was also beautiful enough to be used to craft decorative objects and even jewelry. My ancestors discovered the luster ore when they first came to the Mountains, looking for gems and ore. The first mine that they drilled revealed luminous ore that shone with blue light, forming a halo around the mine shaft that was so bright, the mine had to be covered up for fear of attracting undue attention. An age of great prosperity ensued for my people, as our creations were so highly praised and desired that our Smiths barely kept up with all the demand. Alas, it did not last for long since the mine began to go dry. My people drilled all over the mountains in search of new sources of luster ore, and while the ore they found was of stellar quality, it was no match for the luster ore. Slowly but surely, the mine was depleted, until the luster metal became nothing more than the stuff of legends. While our craft was still widely praised, our Smiths knew that their creations did not even come close to those of the old days.”

“Has anyone tried drilling for the luster ore since?” asked the Chancellor.

“The mine has been dry for hundreds of years. What good would it do to drill it now?”

“The Epistemon would not have told us to reopen the Great Mine unless it were possible to still find some ore in it.”

“I shall depart at once,” replied Ragnvald. “We will work day and night until we find the luster ore. I will send a message as soon as there is any news to report.” And with these words, Ragnvald arose to get ready for his long journey back.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Dear Reader,

Thank you very much for joining me for Over the Mountain and Back blog tour. The story of Over the Mountain and Back began over twenty years ago when I was fourteen years old and decided to write a novel as an anniversary gift for my parents. It was going to be a fantasy adventure about a boy named Peter and a girl named Lara set in a magical country, Transadonia. I remember writing studiously on the pages of an ornate notebook I had acquired especially for the occasion. Back then computers were not yet widely used, so I had to pay extra care to my handwriting. A year later, Over the Mountain and Back was completed, or at least I had thought so at the time. Needless to say my parents were very surprised with their anniversary gift.

Years passed; I finished high school and went on to college. Lara’s and Peter’s story faded from my mind, replaced by the hustles and bustles of everyday life. Then, one day – the day that happened to be my thirtieth birthday, my parents presented me with a gift: it was oblong in shape and wrapped in shiny paper. After I opened the wrapping, I was stunned to find the long forgotten story I had written all those years ago.

Long story short, after two years of extensive work, I rewrote and expanded Over the Mountain and Back into a novel of 95,000 words. For me it had been an exciting journey to be reunited with my old friends: Lara and Peter, Forest Witch Ramona, Chancellor Libra, Bookbrownies, and, of course, Carnelion, among the many others.

I hope that you will join Lara and Peter on their adventure in Transadonia.

If you would like to find out more about my books, please stop by website: www.marieastor.com.

Regards,

Marie Astor

Books by Marie Astor:

For Young Adults:

Over the Mountain and Back – a fantasy adventure novel

http://www.amazon.com/Over-Mountain-Back-Adventure-ebook/dp/B008WF1Y78/ref=la_B004EBDX9Q_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1348537570&sr=1-6

Kindle link:

http://www.amazon.com/Over-Mountain-Back-Adventure-ebook/dp/B008WF1Y78/ref=la_B004EBDX9Q_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1348527276&sr=1-6

For Adults:

To Catch a Bad Guy – romantic suspense

http://www.amazon.com/To-Catch-Bad-Guy-ebook/dp/B008W1L5IA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1348537512&sr=8-5&keywords=marie+astor

This Tangled Thing Called Love – a contemporary romance about overcoming one’s inhibitions, learning to tango, and finding one’s true love match.

http://www.amazon.com/This-Tangled-Thing-Called-ebook/dp/B0078IPNCW/ref=la_B004EBDX9Q_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1337972977&sr=1-3

Lucky Charm – a humorous contemporary romance about love, luck and friendship.

http://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Charm-Contemporary-Romance-ebook/dp/B005BZL3L4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336842915&sr=8-1

On the Rim of Love – a contemporary romance about the unexpected power of love.

http://www.amazon.com/On-Rim-Love-Contemporary-ebook/dp/B005TOWI7K/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

A Dress in a Window – a collection of short stories about love, coincidences, and fate.

http://www.amazon.com/A-Dress-Window-ebook/dp/B004E112TO/ref=pd_sim_kstore_3?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

Social Media Links:

Website: http://www.marieastor.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marieastorcollection

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4665230.Marie_Astor

Twitter: @marieastor

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