Lumina
by Paddy Tyrrell
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GENRE: Epic Fantasy
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BLURB:
A generation designed by sorcery to destroy your people. Two races mired in conflict. Can a pair of outcasts unite them against an enemy who would enslave them all?
The birth of ‘bronzite’ babies in Lumina heralds the onset of war. The people take fright at the golden children and banish them from the land. A dangerous move. King Zheldar, commander of the black dragon, is attacking Luman borders. If he wins bronzite support for his army of monsters, Lumina is lost.
Davron Berates cannot share his people’s hatred of the children and, on discovering he has a bronzite brother, sets out to find him. At his side travels Chrystala. A bronzite, she has twice his strength and three times his determination.
When the black dragon kidnaps Chrystala, Davron is faced with a terrible choice: save his friend or save his nation.
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Excerpt One:
Jaldeen strode towards an ancient font at the far side of the tower and opened wooden shutters in the wall behind it. Leaning out, he checked the platform outside for any decay. It looked solid enough and he stepped over the windowsill and walked to the center. He cupped his hands around his mouth and spelled a summons, his voice a rasp of vowels that floated on the damp air. He ducked back inside. There was a thrash of wings and the tower shuddered. Xeralith, black dragon of Kuhla, had answered his call.
Any fleeting sense of power deserted him in the terror of her presence. She was as old as the moss that ate the castle walls. Evil had putrefied her beauty, her once crimson scales stained black by Rach’s corruption. She thrust her head through the opening in the wall. Bony nodules covered her upper jaw and the dark armor plating of her head. Steam belched from her nostrils.
Jaldeen ran and hid behind the font, clinging to the carvings of the demons that served his god, as though they could protect him. He averted his face from the scalding droplets. Xeralith’s breath, heavy with malevolence, contaminated the air with the stench of burning metal and rotten meat. Stomach heaving, Jaldeen forgot to maintain his shield. Her eyes swirled and she locked her gaze on his. Trickles of flame erupted through teeth that could rip him in two. He lost control of his limbs and fell. She lunged at him and he scrambled back, his heels banging on the stone floor. The horns on her sinewy neck snagged against the outer wall and pulled her short. She screeched in frustration.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
I was raised in Kent, the garden of England, and lived in an Oast House whose round rooms were once used for drying hops. Must be why I’ve enjoyed a drink ever since!
At university, I fell in love with medieval French writing, discovered The Gormenghast Trilogy, and became hooked on fantasy.
I have sailed down the Yangste, survived an earthquake in Cairo, and picnicked in the Serengeti. My travels for work and pleasure have inspired my fantasy world. I now live in France with a naughty Australian Labradoodle, a jealous cat and a squash mad husband. Our two huskies, Ice and Sapphire, are sadly now gone but are transformed into wolves and immortalised in my book. Lumina is my debut novel and the first in a trilogy.
The book is $0.99.
Interview with Paddy Tyrrell
Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reins of the story?
At first I’m confident I am holding the reins. I start with a rough outline, during which I concentrate on the plot. I want to know where the story is heading, who the main characters are, what conflict and obstacles they will face, and how I would like it to finish. But then the characters start to interfere! It’s no use them just leaping over obstacles. They have to react, make choices and grow as well. So that means they often steer the action despite me.
Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.
With Lumina I wanted to create a captivating story and much more. There are adventures and thrills to provide an exciting page-turning quality, but at the same time I want the reader to experience the characters’ emotions as they face challenges. Through these challenges the key characters develop their personalities and their friendships. Adding yet more depth there is the contrast between two cultures and the struggle for power, while at the heart of the story are racial tensions and inequalities.
In a fantasy novel, readers often love to discover animals with personalities and the ability to communicate. In Lumina we find snow-wolves, a dragon, horses and monsters, who all play a role for good or evil. With a touch of romance hinting at troubles ahead, the story is rich with intertwining plots. Although it is the first in a series, the book comes to a satisfying conclusion in its own right but with the enticement of more adventures to come.
What do readers say? Here are some quotes:
‘Great book full of action and friendship’
‘I enjoyed every word from beginning to end’
‘I felt so involved in the story the entire time I was reading it’
‘A fantasy for the 21st century’.
Have you written any other books that are not published?
Not whole books but I am working on two projects linked to the Dragonlite Legacy and have dabbled with two other stories.
The most advanced is a prequel novella which tells of Salazai’s mother who abandoned Salazai as a baby in Dragonheart’s stall. He is the King’s stallion, known by all for his ferocious temper. Why would she take such a drastic step?
Secondly, volume 2 of The Dragonlite Legacy where Davron searches for a gauntlet to protect him from the Light Star, Chrystala and Rewan struggle to unite bronzites and Lumans, and Salazai seeks out the good dragons to enlist their help in the fight against Kuhla.
The other two projects are set in medieval times, one on Eleanor of Aquitaine (mother of Richard the Lionheart and King John, she introduced knights, chivalry and romantic love to England and France) and the other about Lancelot and Guinevere.
Ideas for books are not a problem. Finding the time to write them is!
Pen or type writer or computer?
At first I always preferred pen and paper - I seemed to be more relaxed and creative that way - but now I’ve got so used to sitting at the computer it’s no longer the barrier it once was. Also after finishing the first book, I have taken to using Scrivener. The effort involved in redrafting or moving scenes while in Word was such a nightmare but with Scrivener I can juggle things around more easily.
Anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?
The biggest challenge for a debut novel is finding readers brave enough to take a chance on a new author. I am thrilled every time someone reads Lumina and hope they will love the experience. In an ideal world it would be great to chat with these enterprising readers and find out what they like and want from the next book. So I’ve started a newsletter and to show my appreciation I’ve written some exclusive bonus materials to give to those who sign up.
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Paddy Tyrrell will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
