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Catherine Castle

Tag Archives: Wednesaday Writers

Wednesday Writers–The Exile of Elindel, the Elwardian Chronicles Book 1 by Carole Brown

13 Wednesday May 2020

Posted by Catherine Castle in Book excerpts, books, Fantasy, Wednesday Writers

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book excerpt from The Exile of Elindel, Carol Browne, eleves, Fantasy, Wednesaday Writers

 

Today’s Wednesday Writers’ guest, Carole Brown, hails from the UK. Carol will be sharing an excerpt from her epic fantasy novel, The Exile of Elindel, The Elwardian Chronicles Book 1. Carol promises this action adventure book will keep you glued to your E-reader. Welcome, Carol!

 

Exile of Elindel, The Elwardian Chronicles Book 1,

by Carol Browne.

Elgiva, a young elf banished from Elvendom, must seek shelter among the Saxons as her only hope of surviving the coming winter.

Godwin, a Briton enslaved by the Saxons, is a man ignorant of his own inheritance and the secret of power he possesses.

A mysterious enemy, who will stop at nothing to wield absolute power over Elvendom, is about to make his move.

When destiny throws Elgiva and Godwin together, they embark upon the quest for the legendary Lorestone, the only thing that can save Elvendom from the evil that threatens to destroy it.

There is help to be found along the way from a petulant pony and a timid elf boy but, as the strength of their adversary grows, can Elgiva’s friends help her to find the Lorestone before it falls into the wrong hands?

EXCERPT
The night was waning when Elgiva woke, wondering where she was. The dark ceiling of Joskin’s cave hung above her, and everything had a reddish glow, cast by the embers of the fire. She slid from under the fur coverlet, her skin tightening at the loss of its warmth, and searched for her leather sandals.

Something had woken her, something that waited outside the cave. A runnel of dread ran down her spine.

She had an inexplicable sense of impending danger, but it was too insistent to ignore. An unnamed instinct stopped her from alerting her companions. She must face this menace alone.

She left the cave as quietly as she could. Her heart pounded in her throat as she peered between the rowan trees and searched the night. Whatever had awakened her, it beckoned. She held her breath and listened, but her ears detected nothing, save for a silence as dark and empty as an abandoned crypt.

It would soon be daybreak, but the sun had yet to rise, and the dark beyond the cave swarmed with potential horrors. She stepped out from among the rowans, relying on her acute senses to make out her surroundings. An unnatural calm gripped the night and as her sandals whispered against the cold grass, they sounded abnormally loud. She feared they would betray her presence.

After a while, she came to a stop and searched the trees. Thin strands of mist curled along the ground, cold and clammy, like an exhalation of sickness.

She hugged her shoulders, knotted her fingers in the cascade of her hair, and shivered in her ragged robe. All around her, the silence seemed to be drawing into focus.

“Who is it?” Her throat was too dry for her purpose. She swallowed and licked her lips. “Who’s there? I know you’re there. I can . . . I can feel you!”

Feel you.

A flash of silver sliced through the dark, and Elgiva gasped in fear. Her arms came up to shield her face as the beam struck a rock several yards ahead. It exploded with a whoosh and sent up thousands of splinters of light, which fell to the ground and sizzled in the mist.

A shape now stood upon the rock, its form concealed in a black, hooded cloak.

Elgiva clutched the amulet to her breast. Her hands were white with terror. “In the name of Faine, who are you? What sort of trick is this?”

A soft, sly voice spoke back to her. “Why should you fear magic?”

“What do you want?” she pleaded, her voice a croak of fear.

“To see for myself.”

“To see what?”

The dark shape sniggered, but made no answer. Instead, it swept its cloak aside, and a cloud of sparks flew out and covered the ground with beads of light.

Elgiva stepped back unsteadily, resolved to flee.

“Stay!” commanded the creature.

It raised a skeletal hand, and the forefinger swung towards Elgiva and pinned her against the darkness, holding her like a rivet of bone. No elf, no wilthkin, ever owned such a hand. Her legs threatened to buckle beneath her. This had to be a nightmare; she was still asleep in the cave. But no, it was all too real.

“Who are you? What do you want?” she cried. “I have . . . I have an amulet!”

The creature laughed derisively. “I am Death, and I have come for you.”

It began to radiate a sickly green light, enveloping itself in a caul of brilliance that pulsated with force. The light grew in size until the trees behind it were bathed in its angry glare. It reached for Elgiva, like a foul stench creeping along a breeze, and she was helpless. The creature’s power throbbed in the darkness.

Within the taut coils of her fear, her instincts screamed at her to run, but her limbs had turned to stone.

Siriol, Siriol, help me . . . help . . .

With a shriek of glee, the creature increased the throb of its power. Elgiva’s mind was suddenly invaded by an inexplicable force. She became divorced from herself and watched from a great distance, waiting for the horror to unfold.

Want to read more? You can find Carol’s book at:

Amazon Buy Links
USA – UK

About the Author:

Born in Stafford in the UK, Carol Browne was raised in Crewe, Cheshire, which she thinks of as her home town. Interested in reading and writing at an early age, Carol pursued her passions at Nottingham University and was awarded an honours degree in English Language and Literature. Now living and working in the Cambridgeshire countryside, Carol usually writes fiction but has also taken a plunge into non-fiction with Being Krystyna. This story of a Holocaust survivor has been well received.

Stay connected with Carol on her website and blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Wednesday Writers Welcomes Back Best-selling Author Anita Higman

29 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by Catherine Castle in books, Guest Authors, Wednesday Writers

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best selling author Anita Higman, book excerpt, Catherine Castle blog, Summer's List, Wednesaday Writers

Summer's List front coverWednesday Writers is welcoming back best-selling, award-winning author Anita Higman who will be telling us a bit about her newest book Summer’s List,  a real-life four-legged character in the book, and  a peek into what inspired this book. Don’t forget to read the excerpt below her post for a sneak peek.

When I read a novel, it’s always intriguing to know which elements are purely from the author’s imagination and which parts spring from real life. Well, in my new novel, Summer’s List, one of my characters—a sweet little Chihuahua mix named Laney—is indeed taken from real life. This little dog was considered a love-gift from God since she helped my daughter-in-law get through a painful season in her life. It was a true joy for me to add this beloved dog to my story, and my hope is that readers will enjoy this additional character. In fact, the experience was so much fun, I’ve decided to add another true-life pet to my next novel.

Another popular behind-the-scenes question is, “How did this story come about?” I guess you could say that it all started with the Little Golden Books. I remember those little gems with great fondness. My mother read some of them to me when I was little, and I recall especially loving the fairytale ones. Now as an adult, looking back, I believe they had a profound effect on me. Especially Cinderella. I have been told my novels read like modern-day fairytales, and I am hoping my newest book will have that same fun feel to it. There are no glass slippers, but the story does come with two wicked stepbrothers, a golden-hearted hero, a princess-style heroine, of course, the all-important happily-ever-after. I hope you enjoy the story!

Summer’s List

By Anita Higman

Life and love keep going awry for Summer Snow, until her grandmother sends her on an unexpected adventure with one Martin Langtree—a kind and quirky young man from Summer’s past. With Laney the Chihuahua along for the ride, a childhood friendship is rekindled, a romance is sparked, and mysteries are solved in one magical Texas summer. Will Summer strike out on love again, or will things finally go her way?

 Excerpt

 Chapter One

The engagement ring was stuck—just like her life. Summer glanced toward the heavens and sighed the sigh of love gone awry. Again.

Martin, where are you now, and what would you think of me? Here she was, thirty-three years old, and still floundering in every part of life that mattered. In Martin’s fanciful vernacular, he’d probably say that her life had gone the way of monsters. How true. And so went the mental ramblings of Summer Snow as she continued to twist Elliot’s engagement ring on her finger, trying to pull it off. She looked across the table at her fiancé and said, “Honestly, Elliot, you don’t need a wife. What you need is a good PR person.”

Elliot smoothed a crimp in the linen tablecloth. “You’d think a five-star restaurant could have wrinkle free linens.” He emitted a slow breath that strangled itself into a groan. “Now, no more talk of leaving me, my pearl. You’re going to make the perfect senator’s wife. You’re articulate. You’re beautiful. You can hold a smile for hours.” He grinned. “With a few tweaks, you could be my Summer Eleanor Roosevelt. And with you by my side I now have an eight point lead over my opponent,” he added in his pretend British accent, the one he used when he was kidding around. “Come on. You know I’m joking.”

“Right.” Summer’s wry expression made him laugh.

A waiter came by—bristling with pomp—and refilled Elliot’s goblet with Pellegrino.

Then he whirled off amidst the live harp music, which floated around them as did the scents of fine cuisine and French perfume—and the smell of money—old money.

Elliot turned his attention back to her. “Seriously now, you will be part of this noble endeavor to represent the great state of Texas.” He raised his hands as if addressing the masses. “It gives me the chills to think about it. I can almost hear the theme music from “Chariots of Fire” revving up in the background. Don’t you hear it too?” He tilted his Harvard-educated head to dramatize his point.

No matter how green-eyed and Greek-angled Elliot was or how much he could make her laugh, the hour of reckoning had come. “As much as I care about you,” Summer said, “I don’t have the chills, and I’m sorry to say that I don’t hear the music.”

Her fiancé’s eyes dimmed, and he placed his hand over his heart as if she’d pierced him through.

“Please, Elliot, anything but that look…that Bambi’s-mother-has-been-shot-in-the-meadow look.”

He chuckled. “Good one.”

The ring finally loosened its hold on Summer’s finger, and it sailed upward and then plopped into Elliot’s personal patty of Lone Star shaped butter. “Sorry.” Invariably, when she got nervous, crazy stuff happened. Today it was merely the butter, but if she married Elliot, it would mean embarrassing herself—and Elliot—in front of the media. It could happen. It would happen. But that wasn’t really the reason she had to give his ring back. She curled up her toes in her high heels. “And I’m sorry I can’t be everything you and your voters want me to be. Truly.”

He retrieved the diamond ring and wiped it off. “I just want what every man wants, my sweets…a woman who looks like you do, and a woman who’s also so totally into me that she’s willing to give up her whole life to meet all my needs.” Elliot’s twinkle was back.

“Cute, but I refuse to be moved this time by your sense of humor or your silver tongue.”

“Ouch.” He squeezed his wedge of lime into his Pellegrino.

A spray of juice hit her eye, which made her twitch for a moment.

Elliot didn’t seem to notice, so he bulldozed forth, “You think I’m trying to change you, but I’m not. Well, I just have that one tiny demand.”

 

 

5_016About the Author:

Best-selling and award-winning author, Anita Higman, has been writing for thirty years and has forty books published. She’s been a Barnes & Noble “Author of the Month” for Houston and has a BA in the combined fields of speech communication, psychology, and art.

Anita and her husband are building a storybook home in the woods and plan to move there by the end of the year. A few of Anita’s favorite things are good movies, fairytales, traveling, gardening, exotic teas, and brunch with her gal friends.

Please check out Anita’s latest novel, Summer’s List, through Moody Publishers. Feel free to drop by her website at www.anitahigman.com or connect with her on her Facebook Reader Page at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnitaHigman. She would love to hear from you!

 

To learn more about Anita and her other books check out her interview on  Wednesday Writer posts.

 

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