Silver to the Heart by Brien Feathers

 Please welcome Brien Feathers author of Silver to the Heart

Brien Feathers will be awarding $30 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Silver to the Heart

by Brien Feathers

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

GENRE: Dark fantasy, urban fantasy (adult, not YA)

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

INTERVIEW:

1. What or who inspired you to start writing?

 

I’m Mongolian, and my grandfather was a famous writer here. I might have picked an interest in literature early on trying to impress my father, but these days, I would say I’m more of a “the story compels me” type of writer. The characters speak to me and I’m a bit insane (nervously laughs). 

2. What elements are necessary components for this genre?

 

I read in all genres, and I have to say, I’m not a big believer in genre-specific tropes. I’m also a screenwriter, so it comes with me watching lots of films. I love sci-fi on the screen, and yes, when I rent a sci-fi film, I want aliens attacking the spaceship and intergalactic war, not a family drama that happens to be in space— so in that regard, audience expectation exists, of course. But I think it’s far more important to have complex characters that compel and drive the plot organically than to try to hit expected beats. 

 

For example, most of the cast for my Light of Adua series are vampires, but the story has a disappointingly little smut. Instead, it’s driven by supernatural war, magic, multiple realms, and character relationships spanning five centuries. 

 

Although most of the story takes place in modern-day New Orleans, I wouldn’t say urban fantasy because the reader expectation for the genre is somewhat different. So, I’d call it a contemporary dark fantasy with content warnings for a bit of smut, but mostly for language and violence.  

4. What expertise did you bring to your writing?

 

I’ve been indie author-ing for a year, so I’m fairly new at this. But I’ve been a working screenwriter, and a poet before that for well over a decade and a half— writing has always been my thing. Poetry teaches you the composition of words, and in screenwriting, you have to understand the architecture of a story, such as beats, characters arcs, set up and pay-offs. One thing is not like the other, of course, and in this craft, we are always learning no matter how long you’ve been writing, but I’d like to think I’m not starting from scratch. 

 
5. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?

 

I love cats. But I have to love them from a distance because my husband is allergic. One of these days I’m going to exchange the husband for the cat, but I have two children and the husband takes them to school. So I need him around for the time being, I suppose. 

 

Also, not in my bio, my seven-year-old son has autism and he’s non-verbal. He’s the light of my soul, but it does stress me out sometimes. Social care in third-world countries such as mine is not so great, and I worry how he might live after I’ve died (well, that escalated quickly). 

6. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

 

As of right now, I’ve published book 4 of my contemporary dark fantasy series, Light of Adua. A little secret revealed here: the series has seven books in total. And as I’m answering this, the first draft of book 5 is done. So, first I finish this series. Then, I have a trilogy in mind: historical dark fantasy. It’s always going to be dark fantasy no matter the setting, and one of my main characters is always going to be a samurai— I love old Japan and warrior culture in general.  

7. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?

 

Giselle. She’s a five-hundred-year-old vampire (called Elders in the book) who teleports, and she’s married to my absolute favorite character: a Japanese warlord, who is also a vampire. 

8. Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?

 

It’s perma-free at all retailers, you guys, go check it out. “Vampire Council guards the earth against ancient magic of a fallen realm. Contemporary dark fantasy series for adults,”—that’s my sales pitch. 

 

I have multiple point-of-view characters, which some readers did not like, but keep in mind that it’s the same characters throughout the entire series and give it a shot. Did I mention it’s perma-free? 

  
9. Do you belong to a critique group? If so, how does this help or hinder your writing?

 

I am on CC (I think it stands for critique circle, but don’t quote on that) and I’ve been making a point to give feedback to new writers on the ‘newbie queue’ once a week. However, I myself take feedback from readers and editors, not so much from fellow authors.  

 

I used to be in a writing group when I was in college and found it to be not my thing. I think a critique group can work but in specific settings such as where all the authors are at somewhat an equal level and write in the same genre. 

12. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

 

I outline first, but it changes… a lot from the outline. For me, an outline is a theory I’m testing out. Sometimes a plot point looks all right in the outline, but when I write the scene, the character just says ‘no’. If it doesn’t make sense for the character to do something, then I don’t push it, rather, I change the plot. So, I’d say my first draft is my actual outline. Then I edit, edit, and edit. Then I pay an editor to edit. 

14. Who is your favorite character in the book? Can you tell us why?

 

Ana, a twenty-seven-year-old human girl who’s the Guardian of the Realm, and Drake a 318-year-old telekinetic vampire are my two main characters; however, my favorite is Ayasu Sasuke— and you guessed it right, he’s a Japanese warlord vampire, with a katana, of course. 

16. Anything else you might want to add?

 

I want you to read. My characters, whom I love dearly, live not when I write but when you read. ‘Silver to the Heart’, Book 1 of the Adua series is perma-free across all retailers. Please give it a shot but remember there is a reader warning for mature content. 

 

And thank you for having here and being awesome. 

BLURB:

 

— So begins the apocalypse, with death and a story of love —

 

An old soul (several centuries old), the lover, fighter, and telekinetic Drake receives an order to safeguard Ana, a mortal with Elder Talent.

Ana, an artist beset by haunting visions, falls for the perfect stranger while venturing home to mediate emergent family chaos.

Past-warlord and present commander Sasuke wields his telepathic might to outwit Council traitors in an effort to save the human realm and its Guardian from a new Dark War.

Criminal and light bender Lou, now sought by the Council to answer for his sins, seeks shelter with the Reverend—an Elder fit to bypass rules of magic meant to be unbreakable.

As time’s last grains of sand deplete, an ancient battle may renew, with pieces of the fractured realm imperiling man’s modern world. Though few on Earth are cognizant, dark days now lie ahead. . .

----------

One fate, two paths, six singular perspectives, and plethoric danger.  

Contemporary fantasy at its polychromic finest—pure delight.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

NOTE: This book is free.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

EXCERPT:

 

NBTM: Silver to the Heart by Brien Feathers

 

            Dark fantasy, urban fantasy (adult, not YA)

 

 

            

Enilsa waited at the crosswalk even though there was hardly any traffic. A couple of cars passed by—maybe. The light turned green, and she crossed. A block away, she could already hear her building— the rent controlled block of flats was a massive jukebox that played cheesy music at all hours. She could always hear it before she could see it.

 

A stray lab mix sat by the curb and flapped his dirty tail on the ground when she walked by. “Sorry, buddy. Got nothing on me,” Enilsa apologized.

 

As she walked by, the dog suddenly snapped at something behind her. Contorting its face into that of a monster, it growled— aggressive and eyes glaring. Then it yelped and ran off, limping with its tail tucked between its hind legs.

 

“Jesus, girl, you scared me!” she yelled after the dog. 

 

Startled still, Enilsa took three more steps—maybe—before her legs quit suddenly. Face first, she went down stiff as falling timber. Her jaw crunched when she hit the pavement, and something tugged at her tailbone. A white converse with a red star kicked, and Enilsa rolled over. 

 

Two teenagers, a boy and a girl not much older than thirteen were looking down at her. The boy was wiping blood off a knife, and the girl tilted her head like a broken doll.

 

“Why wipe it if you’re going to use it again?” said the girl, and she sounded normal like a kid.

 

The boy, who appeared to be cleaning his knife mindlessly, looked down at his hands, then sighed. “Right. Forgot. But seeing as how it’s already clean, why don’t you finish her?”

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Brien Feathers is a fantasy author living in the land of permanent frost, horses, and Mongols. She likes reading, writing (of course), riding (horses and husbands), drinking dark beer, and checking things off a to-do list. 

 

Although she claims to love everyone equally, she really loves her youngest son the most. He has autism superpowers that allow him to speak all types of rare languages including drumbeats, elevator dings, and police sirens. 

 

Miss Feathers loves grey days, orange cats, and all creatures human or otherwise. And she hopes you will love her world (fantasy) and people (characters) as well.  

 

Links

https://brienfeathers.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Brienfantasy/

https://www.instagram.com/brien_feathers/

https://www.tiktok.com/@brienfeathers

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

 

Brien Feathers will be awarding $30 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

RAFFLECOPTER:

 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4258

Thumb Fire Desire by Carol Nickles

 Please welcome Carol Nickles author of Thumb Fire Desire

Thumb Fire Desire

by Carol Nickles

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

GENRE: Historical Romance

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

INTERVIEW:

A college history teacher in my freshman year told me I “had an intrinsic recognition of the complexities of man’s relationship with humanity” and that I should consider a career in journalism.  My graduate school thesis director awarded my work with one of the only two 4.0 grades she bestowed during her academic career as a thesis director.  “Keep writing,” she said.

The idea for Thumb Fire Desire originated with the realization of the Great Thumb Fire of 1881, the most significant natural disaster in Michigan’s history.  The only narratives of this event were delivered in a flat, monotone style. I wanted to give poetic voice to the people who experienced the days preceding, during, and proceeding this devastation.  

I have a Master’s degree in Historic Clothing and Textiles from Michigan State University.  My thesis earned a 4.0 grade and is a historical narrative of one of Michigan’s woolen mills. I have been a faculty member at two major universities and served fifteen years as a College Administrator. 

Have you ever watched one of those TV shows where the host reveals a hidden heritage to a guest?  Mouths drop.  Guest gasps. OMG!  Who would have ever known that my great-great-great-great-great relative was….TA-DA!  I can relate.  Short version:  I have a ninth great uncle named Johann Valentin Andreae.  Johann Valentin Andreae is credited with being the first writer of the science fiction genre! 

My publishing house, The Wild Rose Press, put out a submissions call for novella-length stories for their Christmas Cookie series. The title had to include the name of a Christmas Cookie.  My manuscript, Beards, Brunscrackers, and Snowflake Kisses, was contracted and is currently in edits. This sweet holiday romance should be available this fall.  A full-length romance, Past Preserve Us garnered a finalist placement in the 2022 Florida West Coast Writer’s Contest.  Past Preserve Us is set on a major university campus and takes us behind the scenes of integrated campus museums and historical collections. The major love interests are a textile curator and a mammologist.  This work has not yet been presented to my publisher.  

Here's a sneak peek into Thumb Fire Desire:  

Ginny sighed.  “I’m going for a little fresh air.” She walked out into the June evening and drifted aimlessly through the sandy arena, smoothed horseshoe prints with her boots, and strolled to the spot Peter straddled earlier in the day.  She climbed to the area she occupied before and tucked her feet behind the lower rung.

A low whinny echoed in the barn.

A soft snickering answered.

Moonlight illuminated the delicate gestures of a black cat licking her milk-soaked paws.

With persistent and beseeching meowing, a slatternly tomcat successfully romanced the ebony feline and lured her into the shadows.

Ginny thought back to the recent lazy afternoon she shared with Nadia and Peter. I would’ve told you what I want in a husband, Peter Nickles. I would’ve told you a man with your hearty laugh, your ability to make distressing work fun, and a man who is loyal to his friends like you are. If we’d been alone, I would’ve asked you how the scars on your back came to be, and I would’ve kissed them in every direction.

She rocked on the top rail of the corral and, with a trembling hand, shifted the braid hanging against her back to the swell of her breast.  Rolling the tail in her hand, she eased off the fence and walked a solitary path back to the house, painfully aware of the coupled world about her.

I sought a freelance developmental editor and sent her the mess of a manuscript.  She culled through it, made organizational and chronological sense, and encouraged me to seek publishers. 

I will never know why an assistant professor told me, “You know, Dr. Creekmore feels you are incapable of writing a Master’s thesis.” For three years, that opinion went unchallenged as I met with Dr. Creekmore, my thesis advisor, and worked on my thesis. Every week for three years, I submitted my work in progress and gracefully and gratefully accepted criticism and direction.  Shortcut to the ending.  Dr. Creekmore awarded my thesis a 4.0 grade and told me, “Keep on writing!” 

I just start writing!  

I nurture all facets of my creativity – sewing, performance (I’m a professional Mrs. Claus and I like to sing in choirs), comedy, graphic arts, and photography.  One facet fuels the others!

 

BLURB:

 

In the Spring of 1881, indigent seamstress Ginny Dahlke arrives in one of the earliest Polish American settlements-Parisville, Michigan. Deemed charmless and awkward by her mean-spirited sister-in-law, Ginny disparages her chance of securing love. But sought-after widowed farmer Peter Nickles is enamored by Ginny's perseverance, her pioneer spirit and, her inclusive acceptance of the indigenous peoples of Michigan. The seductiveness of a buxom heiress, a twisted story of an old-country betrothal, and the largest natural disaster in Michigan's history-The Great Thumb Fire of September 5, 1881, challenge their fledgling attraction and ultimate committal.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

EXCERPT:

 

“Watch your step. Watch your step, please,” the steward beckoned from his place on the platform, offering his arm to leave-taking passengers. Ginny stepped down. The heel of her kid leather pump caught in the juncture of the aisle floor and the train ladder’s top step. The blankets in her arms dropped onto the backs of the descending nuns. Her valise—weighted with a treasured book collection, conveyed from her father’s study, and two pounds of beef jerky wrapped in butcher’s paper—whacked the starched veil of the woman who spoke on her behalf. The target’s knees buckled. The nun tumbled face down on the back of her traveling sister.

 

Ginny toppled next. Mark Twain’s bestseller, the Dahlke family Bible, and a cracked leather-bound copy of Aesop’s Fables fluttered open and sailed into the congregation of the fallen.

 

From behind them, platform-roosting farmers rushed to retrieve the books, the butcher paper, and the integrity of three ladies.

 

A man resembling her father’s daguerreotype tugged Ginny by the shoulders and plucked her from the rubble. She clasped his neck and crushed her bonnet against his cheek. “Joseph,” she whispered, kissing a prickly cheek and whiffing aromatic cedar. She sneezed.

 

“Ginny, so glad you made it safely, even though the very last step of the journey is a sure-as-hell chance you’re going to Purgatory.” Her brother laughed, claiming her. “I mean, Ginny, you almost killed some nuns—nuns, for God’s sake,” he whispered as he tipped his hat to the black-and-white-clad women scurrying to a waiting wagon.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Carol Nickles is the sixth generation of a German textile aficionado family.  In 1881, her great-great-great-grandfather founded Yale Woolen Mill—the longest-lasting of Michigan’s once twenty-nine woolen mills.  Carol earned a Master’s degree in Historic Clothing & Textiles at Michigan State University.  Her thesis is a narrative of the Yale Woolen Mill. She held faculty positions at both Utah and Michigan State universities. She lives in West Michigan and enjoys spinning a tale, weaving a story, and threading a luring hook. 

 

Website: www.carolnicklesauthor.com

Email:  carolnickleswriting@gmail.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Author-Carol-Nickles-102231548918144

Tik Tok:  @authornickles

Twitter:  @CarolNickles

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

 

Carol Nickles will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

RAFFLECOPTER:

 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4237