In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.
Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.
Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.
Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?
My review:
I loved this from the moment I picked it up. There is so much to recommend reading Nevernight, especially if you are a YA Fantasy author. I loved the shadows, (of course I did,) the not cat, (Mr Kindly) and especially the kick-ass heroine, Mia who’s determined to avenge her father’s killers. Mia is spurred to revenge by witnessing the death of her father and the subsequent cruelty meted out to her remaining family members.
All the characters are so well defined – and I adore Tric. I know some readers develop book boy crushes and he’d be mine! Ha ha…
This is YA but there are some seriously sexy scenes which are written so well that my jaw dropped! Ha ha… If I ever want to write sexy scenes I better bookmark these!
The plot and world building are phenomenal. I was a little kind of oh, please tell me this is not happening…. by something that occurred towards the end of the novel, but no spoilers…
I wish I had read Nevernight before I started writing The Curse of Time as there are so many parallels that made me go WOW… SHADOWS..,. In A Massive YEAH WAY! It should be compulsory reading for all fantasy authors! It is exciting, sexy, bloody… yes expect some stabbing. This is not a PG. Definitely a favourite. No doubt I will continue with this series and read Godsgrave.
Things to watch our for:
Fantastic expressions… ‘Never flinch’ ‘Never fear. And never, ever forget.’ ‘When all is blood, blood is all.’ You might just find yourself saying ‘Maw’s teeth,’ a lot! I did! And ”Byss and blood’ I just loved these!
Oh, and I reckon Jay Kristoff’s favourite Nevernight twitter hashtag is #stabstabstab.
And this photo on his twitter page is so fabulous. It’s of a cosplayer in Germany.
The pre-release blog tour for my YA novel begins in April with my #ABRSC club pals, followed by a release tour with Neverland Blog Tours. (Jenny Marston is also a #ABRSC member!) http://neverlandblogtours.weebly.com/
Welcome To Kyrosmagica! So lovely to see you Esme.
MJ: Tell us about your life Esme.
Esme: I’ve had two lives, and both are hard to understand. In my past life I appeared to be free but never experienced freedom. I felt trapped in my body and my mind didn’t feel that it fitted, like a puzzle piece trying to correspond to the wrong shape. My mind rebelled; I self-harmed. Now that I am a prisoner in the mirrors of Amelina’s house, I can’t self-harm. I can’t do anything. I’m a victim of a curse but I’m not the only victim.
MJ: Why did you self-harm?
Esme: Everyone expected me to be perfect. I couldn’t cope. The pressure kept building up and up. It was my way of dealing. My personal punch bag.
MJ: That makes me so sad. I wish I could help you.
Esme: I know you do. You feel my pain and wrote about it in your novel.
MJ: I tried to do it justice; I hope in some small way I succeeded.
Esme: You did. But can we talk about something else? This is making me anxious.
MJ: Of course, is it okay to talk about the curse? Or is that off-limits?
Esme: No, that’s okay.
MJ: Who else was a victim?
Esme: Amelina’s dad.
MJ: What about the rest of the family?
Esme: They’re trapped too but they’re not prisoners. Hey, wait a minute. They are prisoners in a way… sometimes you don’t have to be a prisoner to feel like one.
MJ: It must be a really sad story…
Esme: Yes it is, but it’s also much more. There’s light and laughter, darkness and shadows. Many magical threads tangle this story together, like many loves, and yet there are no real lovers.
MJ: It’s no romance then?
Esme: Read the beginning and you might think it’s a romance but read the end and you’ll know it’s not.
MJ: It sounds puzzling…
Esme: Yeah, it’s meant to be. Each chapter starts with a numbered puzzle piece instead of a chapter heading. Then there’s an awesome Tanka poem teaser.
This is my favourite from Puzzle Piece 12:
Think you know someone,
No, you don’t know anyone,
We’re all cheerleaders,
Carrying our false pompoms,
The mirror captures our truth.
MJ: A teaser… interesting… Are you a poetry fan?
Esme: Hey! All artistic and tortured souls love poetry.
MJ: I love poetry!
Esme: Oh! Ha Ha… That means you’re a deep thinker.
MJ: I am. Talking about deep thinking… If you had a twin, what would you say to her?
Esme: I have a twin, inside me. It’s like there are two people in my brain. One’s happy, one’s sad, a yin and yang twin…
MJ: I wish I could make you whole and happy. Perhaps I might write your freedom…
Esme: Could you? Pleeease. But make sure that you write my freedom beyond the prison of my mind. Don’t send me to the land where shadows live.
MJ:Sigh. I wish I could promise that, but I haven’t finished book two yet and I have no idea what will happen in book three!
Esme: You authors have a wicked sense of power…
MJ: Yes, it is true dear Esme. You are without a doubt the most challenging character in my book and that is why I love you so…
Esme: Ahhhhh, thank you!
I hope you will love Esme as much as I do. She might make you sad but there is a young person like her out there somewhere. Self-harm is a growing problem in our young people. Let’s not bury our heads in the sand and pretend it doesn’t exist. Speak out about mental health issues, fight to take away the stigma. Help someone you know who is suffering, it’s the little things that mean so much.
Please feel free to comment and share.
The illustrations of the Creature and Esme will appear in black and white in the paperback book due to be launched April 2018.
Creature, you are some scary dude to look at but I mustn’t let that stop me from interviewing you.
So, pull up a chair, make your skeleton comfortable….
MJ: Tell me about yourself.
The Creature: There isn’t much to tell. I don’t get out much, most of the time I’m waiting.
MJ: Waiting for what?
The Creature: For something to happen or for someone to summon me.
MJ: So you’re catatonic until someone brings you to life in a painting?
The Creature: That’s pretty much it, most of the time I’m mingling with the worms, the bugs are feasting on me, and I’m dreaming about my dreds.
MJ: Your dreds?
The Creature: When I was alive I had dreadlocks, now I’m just skin and bone. I miss my dreadlocks.
MJ: Hah! Scary dreadlock dude tell us about the cottage.
The Creature: It’s my home, sort of. It’s not a public venue, you have to be invited to visit.
MJ: Why’s that?
The Creature: The Crystal cottage is a magical, powerful place. Magical places have to be protected. Crystal Magic can be dangerous if it is used by the wrong people.
MJ: So you protect it?
The Creature: Yes and no… I am a junior caretaker of sorts… There’s a hierarchy of protection. I can’t tell you too much about the cottage, you have to read the book to find out more.
MJ: That’s fair enough. Do you live alone?
The Creature: I live with a bunch of doves and a wacky lady who shares caretaking duty with me.
MJ: Just you two?
The Creature: No, there are other beings that protect the cottage, personages, legends and the like, but I hardly ever see them.
MJ: Sounds intriguing.
The Creature: That crazy author thinks so…
MJ: That’s me! Lol..
The Creature: Stop your procrastinating, author lady. When are you going to stop twiddling your hair and write book two?
MJ: Cheeky. It takes time to write if you are working full-time.
The Creature: You work full-time?
MJ: Yeah, I do now. I’m a receptionist, a meet and greet lady. I sit next to this security guy all day. The first thing I noticed about him is his distinctive tattoos on each hand. But, I better not go into detail in case someone accuses me of gossiping…
The Creature: Heaven forbid! Sigh… No one would know if I had a tattoo.
MJ: No, not by looking at you. Those bones don’t give much away. Did you ever have a tattoo?
The Creature: No. Never. Just me and my dreds. I bet you don’t have guys like me in your building.
MJ: No, but we do get some strange dudes. There’s this guy that looks like a vampire!
The Creature: What, black hair, cape, white skin, sharp teeth?
MJ: Yep, I reckon he packs his cape in his briefcase… Me and the security guy were talking about Transalvania and I jest not – the vampire dude walked in.
The Creature: Wow, no one would believe that! Talk about never a dull moment. I’m jealous. I’ll have to tell the worms about this…
MJ: Feel free to share. I suppose I better wrap up this interview, your worms are getting excitable and restless.
The Creature: AWWW, I was just warming up. My old decaying bones, bugs and worms take ages to warm up these days.
The Creature gets up, bends his knee joints, and scatters a family of worms at my feet. He sighs.
MJ: Ugh, keep your worms to yourself! Until the next time, dear Creature.
The Creature tries to grin but a few of his rotten teeth land on my lap.
I pick off the yucky teeth and wince.
MJ: I don’t mean to be rude but it’s time you went!
The Creature: Yeah, time to get back to scaring people. Being nice and polite is such hard work. Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
MJ: Bye, Creature, say hello to the doves for me.
Hope you enjoyed my interview with the Creature.
The wonderful portrait of The Creature has been created by talented artist Carolina Russo: https://yesterdayafter.com
Isn’t it fabulous?
It will appear in black and white in the paperback version of my book to be released April 2018 along with Carolina’s portrait of Esme which you can see below:
I am an author who has been blogging for many moons at my lovely blog home Kyrosmagica. My interests include writing, photography, poetry, and alternative therapies. I write Fantasy YA/Paranormal novels, Horror/Ghost Short stories and micro poetry – haiku and tanka. I love to read and have written over 100 reviews.
My alter ego is MJ – Mary Jane from Spiderman. I love superheroes! I was born on the 17th of November in Lion City: Singapore, (a passionate Scorpio, with the Chinese Zodiac sign a lucky rabbit,) second child and only daughter to my proud parents Paula and Ronald. I grew up in a mountainous court in the Peak District in Hong Kong with my elder brother Donald. My parents dragged me away from my exotic childhood and my much loved dog Topsy to the frozen wastelands of Scotland. In bonnie Edinburgh I mastered Scottish country dancing, and a whole new Och Aye lingo.
As a teenager I travelled to many far-flung destinations to visit my abacus wielding wayfarer dad. It’s rumoured that I now live in the Venice of Cambridge, with my six foot hunk of a Rock God husband, and my two enchanted daughters. After such an upbringing my author’s mind has taken total leave of its senses! When I’m not writing, I eat exotic delicacies while belly dancing, or surf to the far reaches of the moon. To chill out, I practise Tai Chi. If the mood takes me I snorkel with mermaids, or sign up for idyllic holidays with the Chinese Unicorn, whose magnificent voice sings like a thousand wind chimes.
Fifteen-year-old Amelina Scott lives in Cambridge with her dysfunctional family, a mysterious black cat, and an unusual girl who’s imprisoned within the mirrors located in her house. When an unexpected message arrives inviting her to visit the Crystal Cottage, she sets off on a forbidden pathway where she encounters Ryder, a charismatic, but perplexing stranger.
With the help of a magical paint set, and some crystal wizard stones she discovers the truth about a shocking curse that has destroyed her family’s happiness.
Unique Selling Point: Unique, Imaginative, ‘Charming, enchanting and richly layered this is purely delightful.’
“This delightful book will appeal to teens and young adults who love stories filled with magical crystals, dark family curses, and mysteries waiting to be solved around every corner. Each chapter leads you on a journey of discovery where Amelina earns the right to use three wizard stones to reset the balance of time and finally break the curse that holds her family hostage. A captivating tale!” – Colleen M. Chesebro (Editor)
The Curse of Time – Book 1 – Bloodstone
Blurb:
Fifteen-year-old Amelina Scott lives in Cambridge with her dysfunctional family, a mysterious black cat, and an unusual girl who’s imprisoned within the mirrors located in her house. When an unexpected message arrives inviting her to visit the Crystal Cottage, she sets off on a forbidden pathway where she encounters Ryder, a charismatic, but perplexing stranger.
With the help of a magical paint set, and some crystal wizard stones she discovers the truth about a shocking curse that has destroyed her family’s happiness.
My poetry, prose and photography collection released on February 16th.
Mr. Sagittarius is available in kindle, full colour paperback and free in Amazon Kindle Unlimited.
Blurb:
Who Is Mr. Sagittarius?
And what is his connection to twin brothers, Harold and William?
When Harold dies he leaves a simple memorial request
Will his sister Annette honour it?
Or, will the magic of the garden ensure that she does.
A magical story expressed via poetry and prose with photographic images.
I am a participating author in Dan Alatorre’s anthology: Nightmareland with my story Scrabble Boy.
From the creators of the #1 bestseller The Box Under The Bed horror anthology and its #1 bestseller sequel Dark Visions, comes Nightmareland
A best-selling horror anthology with 23 stories from 14 authors.
I am a participating author in Plaisted Publishing House’s Ghostly Anthology 2019 with my short story Dexter’s Creepy Caverns.
Please note, it is showing as 99p on Amazon, which take a little longer for it to recognise its free elsewhere.
I’m contributing two poems to Plaisted Publishing House Ghostly Writers short story collection. Ghostly Romance Anthology Volume 1 is now FREE on Amazon:
I also contributed to Plaisted Publishing House Ghostly Writes Anthology 2018 with my story Ghostly Goodbye.
Ghostly Goodbye by M J Mallon
Ghostly Goodbye is a paranormal love story about a young woman called Iris who can’t get over her husband’s death. She is mourning him so much that she feels dead inside. Her husband Ed sends her a ghostly message from beyond the grave via an old forgotten garment in her wardrobe. She responds by dragging herself from her tomb-like bed and he draws back the curtain of death to visit her in a most unusual way.
Reviews needed! Please support us.
Available on Amazon, Apple, Nook, Kobo, Scribd, 24S, Playster, Indigo, Angus & Robertson, Mondadori Store: Universal Buying Link
Carolina Russo has created two wonderful portraits of my characters which feature in my paperback. Below is the full colour version, the paperback images are in black and white.
1. I wish I could be wonder woman or MJ from Spiderman 2. I adore crystals, alternative therapies, the unusual and the strange. I’m a qualified Aromatherapist, Reflexologist, (I no longer work as a therapist instead I devote my spare time to reading, writing, blogging and reviewing.) 3. Some say that I am a white witch…my blogging friends confer and have included me in the Sisters of The Fey, a writerly collaboration. 4. My husband can’t remember asking me to marry him and neither can I. He suspects I cast a spell on him! 5. I have travelled to many foreign destinations, including: Papua New Guinea, Fiji, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Rome, Venice, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium and Portugal. I would love the funds to travel some more! 6. I used to work as a receptionist for a private sixth form in Cambridge. In quiet moments I observed peoples’ mannerisms, listened to snippets of gossip and dreamt up new story ideas. 7. I love food! Asian food and anything spicy, yum…My mother is Malaysian and my father is Scottish so I grew up with a very varied diet. 8. My motto is to do what you love! Stay true to your heart’s desires, remain young at heart, and inspire others to do so, even if the odds are stacked against you like black-hearted shadows. 9. I studied Communication Studies at University, (marketing, media studies, public relations, etc.) My degree is coming in mighty handy now. 10. I love cats but don’t own one (my husband and daughter are allergic,) so I adopted a virtual black cat called Lily who looks like my black cat character Shadow in my book: https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com/2017/05/17/shadow-welcomes-lily-the-cat-to-kyrosmagica/ 11. I have so many writing projects and so little time! I am a writing butterfly so this pains me greatly! 12. I am an original! I have been to every single Bloggers Bash until now. http://sachablack.co.uk/annual-bloggers-bash/ 13. I have met the inventor of The Corpus Christi Chronophage clock – Dr John C Taylor, OBE who kindly gave me permission to use his images in my book. http://www.johnctaylor.com/the-chronophage/ 14. I enjoy interviewing my fictional characters on my blog. Currently you can meet Shadow: https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com/2017/05/11/my-interview-with-shadow-a-black-cat-character-with-a-past/ Amelina: https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com/2017/08/20/mj-interviews-amelina-the-curse-of-time-bloodstone-sundayblogshare/
The prompt words this week are destination, and guide. I chose to use the synonyms haven and guiding spirit. I created the above Tanka which leads to a short, but oh so relevant excerpt…
An excerpt from my YA/Paranormal Fantasy the Curse of Time – Book 1 – Bloodstone.
A hazy image materialised into a multitude of glistening sparks which transformed into a vibrantly glowing object. I heard the pounding hearts from each of us becoming louder and more distinct as we gazed at the object. The sparks coalesced, no longer separate entities they’d joined to form a spirit or a ghostly apparition. The specter sparkled like a million candle lights, speaking to each of us, in a wisp of a voice that drifted like the wind.
The spirit addressed me, knowing I possessed the gift to understand the crystals. ‘You have called me forth to open your heart to the truth. You must accept who you are and not be afraid. Embrace your true self. Encourage others to do the same. Then you will be a truly magical person, able to rekindle your family’s happiness. Beware those who want what you possess.’
The spirit turned and pointed at Joselyn. ‘Joselyn, you must move on from your past and accept the challenges of the future. Don’t be fearful. Your confidence will grow the more you follow your dreams.’
The phantom floated above us on invisible currents and pointed at Ilaria. ‘Ilaria, you have no more to fear from the children who taunted you. Your laughter protects you from their wickedness. Heed my words and use your skill wisely.’
Jade was last, and the spirit hovered near her face. ‘Jade, you possess the skill and craft of working with animals. You must cherish and nurture it. Be faithful to your friends, and most of all, beware of those who may lead you astray.’
When the spirit finished speaking, the ghostly form drifted toward the candles and hovered above them. Slowly, the flames were extinguished one after the other, and we found ourselves sitting in total darkness. The phantom had vanished. No one spoke. We were shocked into a stunned silence. Ilaria switched on the light, and with one glance, we all knew things between us would never be the same again. That night signalled the beginning of our own personal voyages toward self-discovery.
This weeks prompt words from Colleen are cover and precipitation and the challenge is to use only synonyms. I’ve chosen cloud-burst for precipitation and masquerade for cover.
This weeks prompt words from Colleen are cover and precipitation and the challenge is to use only synonyms. I’ve chosen cloud-burst for precipitation and masquerade for cover.
And the following is an extract of Puzzle Piece 28: Leanne’s Warning from my YA fantasy novel – The Curse of Time Book 1 – Bloodstone which is currently on special offer price, so grab a copy!!
I knocked and waited to enter. The door creaked open. I took that as my invitation to slip through the opening and breezed inside. As before, my eyes searched out the sparkling crystals, and for a moment I almost forgot why I’d come. I stood motionless, in awe of the surrounding beauty. In the corner, I spotted Leanne, unpacking new stones that must have recently arrived. As I watched Leanne at work, the crystals freed themselves from her protective hands. They flew across the room, whizzing, creating a trailing rainbow of spectacular light, and sound. In no time at all they found their allotted places, embedding themselves with ease in the walls. At last, I drew my eyes away from this amazing sight. I turned to face Leanne. ‘I need to speak to you.’ ‘What can I help you with?’ replied Leanne, in a dream-like voice. ‘Recently things have been happening that are beyond my usual level of acceptable peculiarity. I wondered if you could help.’ Leanne’s eyes widened, and she nodded her head. I explained about how my new paint set seemed to have a mind and purpose all of its own. I described the strange events that had happened since I used my aunt’s gift. She listened but made no comment. I stomped my foot and thought I would burst with frustration at her lack of response. ‘Leanne, what shall I do?’ ‘Embrace these events.’ Cupping her hands together, fingertips touching, Leanne rocked on her heels. She turned back to her unpacking duties. ‘Whatever do you mean?’ I wailed, shocked at her response. ‘This is happening for a reason. You must not be fearful, Amelina. Welcome, all that’s happening, and the truth of who you are will dawn on you.’ The room was quiet except for the rustling of paper as Leanne unwrapped the remaining crystals. I listened but was unsure what to do next. I walked over to the wall of gems, ensnared once again in the magical beauty they exuded. Three crystals twinkled more brightly than the rest and caught my eye. I carefully removed the Black Obsidian, the Bloodstone, and the Merlinite and weighed each gem in the palm of my hand. An aura of light burst from the stones and encircled me. Each crystal’s field of energy exploded in a kaleidoscope of colour and joined together forming a solid beam of brilliant intensity. I felt an invisible energy force rush through me shooting all the way into my fingers. I glanced down, and my fingertips were glowing, the brightest pink I had ever seen. I had never felt such raw power. I could tell something beyond my comprehension was taking place. I staggered back, filled with wonder, and my mouth dropped open. The experience made me feel complete as if something elemental had been missing from my life all this time, until now. I had no doubt these crystals were the perfect choice to give me the answers I was seeking. I stumbled over to Leanne who winced from the brightness of my aura. I gently handed her the gems. She inclined her head and pondered over my selection. ‘Interesting… such a choice of crystals, Amelina. I’m sure these gems will set you on the right path towards discovery.’ The sound of rain falling outside, followed by rumbles of thunder, interrupted my thoughts. The cottage darkened, highlighted only by flashes of lightning. The crystals lining the cottage walls shrank into their protective spaces, their colours dull, seeming to hide from the sudden approaching storm. Leanne’s face darkened, mirroring the impending storm. Thunder boomed above causing her to pause for a moment before she continued. ‘You must take extra care with these stones, for all three hold immense power. Guard the Wizard Stones, the Black Obsidian, and the Merlinite. Keep them safe, and remember, the power they may unleash could overwhelm you.’ The luminosity surrounding me swirled and intensified. I swallowed and asked my question carefully. ‘How?’ Leanne peered at me from the darkness. ‘These are Wizard stones. She pointed to the gems still cupped in my hand. Used without care they can drive you mad, make you hallucinate, or even provoke seizures.’ Her forehead creased and her eyes blinked as the lightning flashed through the windows. ‘You must protect them from damage, taking particular care to avoid scratches, blows, harsh chemicals and extreme temperature. Cleanse the Bloodstone Crystal if it comes in contact with anyone else.’ ‘What happens if I don’t follow your instructions?’ Leanne leaned in close to my face and whispered, ‘The crystals will become impure, open to evil manipulations, wielded by darkness and used by black-hearted, devious souls.’ I whispered back a scared, ‘I promise.’
Today, I have some wonderful news for you, my kindle book is on promotional offer. The kindle countdown deal starts today. So hurry, get the best price reduction today!!!
“This delightful book will appeal to teens and young adults who love stories filled with magical crystals, dark family curses, and mysteries waiting to be solved around every corner. Each chapter leads you on a journey of discovery where Amelina earns the right to use three wizard stones to reset the balance of time and finally break the curse that holds her family hostage. A captivating tale!” – Colleen M. Chesebro (Editor)
And my first 5 star review on Amazon!!!!
This special offer is to celebrate my wedding anniversary this week. Hubby and I were married on the 26th of September many moons ago!
Here are some old photos of us in our prime!
A bit blurry I know, but they were taken a long time ago. It was our first skiing holiday together in Verbier, Switzerland. My husband is a keen skiier and is always happiest if he is about to launch himself at full throttle down a ski slope. I’d rather pat a horse! I didn’t have much luck with skiiing, but I am determined, I persevered and went for years. I stopped skiing after I fell off the edge of a pathway and had to be rescued by my ski instructor. But my husband still goes every year and loves it.
I so admire those who ski and participate in adventurous pursuits. I love the majesty and beauty of the mountains and I must confess I find a man in ski gear mighty handsome !
To order your kindle copy of The Curse of Time click the links below to be directed to Amazon. Go on I dare you!!!!
I’ve now entered the AuthorsDB First line contest as well as the cover contest.
I figured nothing ventured nothing gained.
I entered the first three lines of my prologue:
Most people would call our existence strange, but this is more than that, this deserves a headline. We’re not spectacular enough to feature on the national or international news, but we warranted a column in the local newspaper headed by seven not so lucky words: Missing Father Returns After Weird Aging Phenomenon. I’m glad that our short-lived fame died and the paparazzi, (what a joke,) got bored with us.
At last! It’s my launch party today for my kindle e-book and I can’t believe it – I am beyond thrilled.
Welcome!
Come in and let me share with you some news.
I’ve been keeping a very special piece of art tucked away to reveal to you today!
It’s a wonderful portrait that Carolina Russo of Yesterday After created for me of my character Esme.
What are your impressions of Esme? The tears in her eyes convey her sadness but the golden hair of the mysterious girl facing her (no spoilers!) is bright and vibrant, suggesting hope. Carolina has done an amazing job, I can’t thank her enough for all her hard work in creating this stunning artwork for me. Collaborations makes me so happy. That is why I love writing and blogging so much. I would never have ‘met’ Carolina otherwise. It’s so wonderful to be able to collaborate with talented and creative individuals like Carolina who live so far away.
Isn’t that beyond awesome? I am speechless. Dr John C. Taylor has been so generous, allowing me to use images of his incredible creation The Corpus Christi Chronopage on my social media and my book cover.
I am very fortunate to have such a creative younger daughter, Georgina who has done an amazing job of photographing two models depicting my two main characters – Amelina, and Ryder.
Amelina – modelled by Elise Hackney
Ryder – modelled by Joseph English.
I have had the joy of collaborating with https://samanthamurdochblog.wordpress.com/ Samantha happens to have a black cat supermodel Lily who looks just like the black cat Shadow in my book.
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Isn’t Lily amazing?
Samantha loves crystals and so do I! Her son Alex Marlowe took this stunning photo of a Bloodstone crystal that features on the spine of my paperback (the paperback is still to be released.)
I can’t thank my good friend Colleen Chesebro enough for all her kindness. She started off beta reading and then took me under her fairy wings to do a full scale edit. Thanks also to my beta readers – blogging friend Graeme Cumming – first draft beta reader and my eldest daughter Natasha Mallon for all her help too.
Below are the links to the kindle e-book – The Curse of Time – #1 Bloodstone.
If you’d like to leave a review, I’d be thrilled if you would.
A big thank you to all my lovely friends who have featured me on their blogs leading up to the book launch and those who will be featuring me, thereafter. Your support and help mean so much.
This is a perfect poetry prompt for me as I love to explore shadows and light in my writing.
Here’s an extract from The Curse of Time – Book 1 – Bloodstone followed by my Tanka.
The evening descended, and darkness filled my room. I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned, but the stagnant dead air in the house tightened around my neck choking me. I slipped out of bed and opened a window. It made no difference. Feeling anxious, I noticed a deep sensation of dread forcing its way into my soul.
I often heard strange grumbling voices and laboured breathing coming from the walls of our silent house, speaking in unison, ‘Cursed house, dreadful misfortune.’ Tonight, no difference awaited me. Those weird sounds seemed to reverberate from the cramped attic room at the top of the house, right down to the ground floor. The hexagonal hallway grumbled as I heard six whispered voices that unified into one loud, persistent groan that amplified, filling the hall with the same repeated words.
I wrestled with alternating tiredness and wakefulness, pushing the sounds away, I fell into a deep sleep. I dreamed. A vision formed and I could see the pathway ahead lay deserted, not a soul in sight. The dead of night beckoned, and an eerie silence magnified every rustle and quadrupled every whisper in the breeze. The gentle sound of trickling water soothed my disturbed senses, but I couldn’t find the source. I fought a strange feeling that someone followed me. Yet, when I glanced over my shoulder, no one seemed to be there. No footprints, no churned-up earth, nothing. I walked faster, but my steps lagged, like a clock pendulum moving back and forth on a predetermined journey, yet moving in slow motion.
As my dream continued, the whispering winds grew louder. I forced myself to turn around and confront my growing fear. I saw the shadow of a man, and he was following me. Disconcerted, I tried to run and stumbled; as if this shadowy man’s long limbs were reaching forward to trip me up. Just when I couldn’t take another step, the winds stopped. The shadow revealed itself in a flash of light and vanished. My eyes blinked, captivated by blue-black hair, but I couldn’t see his face. I stood transfixed by a bright light followed by an immediate darkness.
M J Mallon YA Author and Poet 