WeWriWa - Another excerpt from Starquest - what is she up to?

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warrior and 8 Sentence Sunday, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to read and write!

Writers share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet on Sunday each week. Be sure to visit the other writers - they're listed Below:

Weekend Writing Warriors for Eight Sentence Sunday

Snippet Sunday Facebook Group

It's the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! We've got a variety of genres and talented writers just waiting for you to come sample their work.
(And I'm also taking part in the SFR Brigade monthly 'Showcase' and you can see my post below if you'd care to visit.)

Come read one, or all! If you'd to share your own 8-10 sentence snippet, whether published or not, follow the link and sign up. It's a great community to be a part of! 

I'm currently posting snippets from Starquest, Volume 1 in the Destiny Trilogy . Jestine Darnell has been rescued from her crippled starship by the crew of the Destiny and is gradually finding her place as one of the crew. However, she has a secret, a secret she needs to confess to the Commander Jon Quinlan, before KerryMarchant, the ship's second in command voices the suspicions she knows he harbors.

The ship cruised under the control of the main computer, and as so often seemed to happen, she found herself alone on the flight deck with Kerry. Was it coincidence, or was he keeping an eye on her--why else would he be working while everyone else enjoyed their leisure time?

He sat nearby, at one of the consoles, checking the coordinates for the next jump through hyperspace.  This would bring them to a previously unexplored sector of space, and the planet Dakkon. Without making it obvious she was looking at him, she watched as he ran his long, slim fingers over Metisa's configuration panels. 

Although the computer received and relayed most of its information verbally, there were certain functions for which Common Universal had its limitations as a computer language.

Kerry’s hands fascinated her--she felt such hands should belong to an artist or a musician, not to this stern, logical man who seemed interested only in the ship and its computers. She turned her attention back to the observation panel and came to a decision. She’d waited long enough to find the right moment to tell Jon about Phidia, and to confess to taking the blaster. She’d tried to return it, but that had proven more difficult than stealing it in the first place.

You can read the previous snippet HERE

Purchase here - Destiny Trilogy
(All three books can be read as 'standalones')



(Oh and I'm taking part in the SF Brigade Showcase this month too see the post below!)




For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

SFR Brigade showcase The Destiny Trilogy

Once a month the Science Fiction Romance Brigade authors showcase snippets from new work, WIPs, cover reveals or other fun things. 

This is the link to the other  participants.

I'm thrilled that the third book in my Trilogy 'The Destiny Trilogy' is a finalist in the RONE Awards (You might just have noticed the  shiny badge in the left hand sidebar  :) (and thanks again to everyone who voted for my book, I feel so honoured and humbled to have got through to the final round.

I love graphics and playing about with them. I'm no expert on Photoshop but I'm gradually learning!

I thought I'd post a a few  pictures I 'manipulated' as background images when I was writing the stories, more for inspiration for myself than anything else, although I do occasionally include them in things like blog posts! The map was drawn using a programme which unfortunately I no longer have access to but I found it very useful for keeping track of my characters' movements.

Map Of Niflheim

Niflheim appears in both Starquest and Children of the Mist and was named by the fictional settlers of this cold and mainly inhospitable planet, from the mythical Norse land of cold and snow.  Parts of it are more temperate though, and suitable for human habitation. Here is a description from Starquest, when  the heroine first sees the chief settlement Gladsheim:

Gladsheim (Starquest
and Children Of The Mist)

Gladsheim is set around the sides of a deep valley. The area in the centre comprises a long, narrow ornamental lake, flanked by mosaic paving with fountains and flowering shrubs. The jagged mountains, which form the walls of the valley, are so high I could scarcely see their snow-covered peaks, which made a sharp contrast to the soft lines and curves of the buildings below. I was surprised to see flowers everywhere, pushing themselves out of the snowy ground as prolifically as anything growing in a more temperate climate.

My first impression of the various dwellings themselves was that they were so graceful they appeared as if the slightest breeze would blow them away. The tall spires and turrets of many of the structures made it look like a scene from a fairy tale, such as the ones pictured in the holobooks I watched as a child. They must have been constructed or overlaid with the same substance as the walls of the caves, since they glowed with a similar soft luminescence, without the need for additional lighting. 

Niflheim (Starquest and Children Of The Mist)

The young Nifl lad, who had ridden with us, came forward to lead the ponies away and Gullin gestured to Dahll and me to follow himself and Tamarith. A high, delicate bridge spans the lake, and as we crossed it, it produced a low, musical sound, like little tinkling bells. The shining metal from which it is constructed flashed and sparkled with many colours in the reflected light from the buildings, reminding me of the Rainbow Bridge of Scandinavian mythology. Ranged outside the houses were small groups of Nifls, obviously curious about us. They stood politely aside to let us pass, and some murmured soft words of greeting.


And finally, this is my impression of Robigo, in Beloved  Enemy. The planet shifts and changes but most of the areas where Cat and Kerry find themselves are pretty hot and bleak - quite a contrast to Niflheim!

Purchase the Destiny Trilogy individually or as a set from:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0711J641G

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join 

Y'Keta - Book Tour and #Giveaway

Y'keta

The
Sky Road Trilogy Book 1

by
Sandra Hurst

Genre:
Epic Fantasy

Banished.

Cast out. Powerless. Y’keta is exiled to the small village of Esquialt as his father's punishment for his rebellious spirit.

Village tradition gives him one Cycle, from spring to spring, to earn the right to stay. 


The  villagers have a legend about mighty beings called the Waki'tani,  mythical lords of the wind and lightning who can shapeshift into human form. Y'keta knows the truth behind these stories. Could there  be more to them than just tales shared around the campfire?


If Y'keta reveals what he knows to the villagers, it will tear their history and traditions apart...but sharing his secrets may be their only hope for survival when Esquialt is threatened by the brutal, ferociously destructive Utlaak. 

Loosely based on the Thunderbird of North American legend, Y'keta is an epic

fantasy set in an ancient world where legends walk and the Sky Road

offers a way to the stars. 

*Goodreads
* Amazon

EXCERPT

D’vhan held out a wrinkled hand to the dejected Kit’na. “If you agree to be honest, with yourself and with me, I will count you as one of my warriors.” 

Grasping Y’keta’s wrist, D’vhan pulled with surprising strength, yanking the younger man to his feet and almost tumbling him into the surf. “You have a lot to learn about our ways. It will not be easy to put your pride away and learn as an adult what you should have learned as a child; but if you are willing, I will teach.” 

Y’keta grasped D’vhan's arm, forearm to forearm in the way he’d seen other warriors in the village greet each other. “I promise,” he said, “I will try.” 

The grizzled hand clapped Y’keta on the shoulder and gave him an ungentle shove towards the forest. “Let's get back to work then, young hatchling. Laban and Ren are not far ahead of us.” 

“But didn't you say we would meet up on the beach at sundown?” Y'keta queried. 

“Laban and Ren will head towards the beach for nightfall,” D'vhan agreed, “but if they found anything in the forest, I want to see it before dark.” 

“You sneaky old crow,” Y’keta spluttered. “You planned this just to find out about me!”

 “Exactly,” D’vhan cackled, the beads sparkling in his hair as he laughed. “Be wary of old crows. We are not as quick to fight as you young hawks, but infinitely more devious. 

(D’vhan; Y’keta – The Sky Road Trilogy, Book 1) 

Hi,
my name is Sandra Hurst, the author of the Sky Road fantasy
series.

As a child growing up in England stories and legends surrounded me, I learned how important imagination was. When I was 8, we moved to northern Canada and the legends changed. Stories of the  Fae and the little people were replaced by legends of the Thunderbird  and stories of the woodlands. I never stood a chance. What could I be  but a writer?

Growing  up in Northern Alberta gave me a great love and respect for the wild  lands and indigenous cultures which made its way into the worlds I  create. A  mythmaker at heart, I started writing poetry in middle school and  graduated to epic fantasy.Myths  give us a way to interpret the world past our normal experience. To  ask questions and explore answers in a larger-than-life game of ‘what  if.’ We need to make room for myths and mythmakers in our fact  driven world. To give space for worlds that are brighter and clearer  than our own. For it is in doing so, that we have room to become more  fully human.

My  first book, Y’keta,  is loosely based on the Thunderbird of North American legend, Y'keta is a Young Adult, high fantasy set in an ancient world where legends walk and the Sky Road  offers a way to the stars.

I  now live in Calgary, Alberta with my husband and son, both of whom I love dearly, and have put for sale on e-bay when their behaviour  demanded it. My day to day life is a balance between my outside life  as a paralegal counsellor and my inner life as an author/poet. In  between, I work on courses to improve my writing, learning the Cree  Language, book reviews and blogging on my website, and studying  mythologies from around the world.

*Website
* Facebook
* Twitter * Amazon
* Goodreads

Follow
the tour HERE!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And now, a short interview with Sandra herself.

 Hi, thank you for the opportunity to talk to you and your readers today!

Where were you born/grew up at? 

I grew up in England, surrounded by old Celtic and Arthurian stories and legends, learning from them how important imagination was. When I was 8, we moved to northern Canada and the legends changed. Stories of the Fae and the little people were replaced by legends of the Thunderbird and stories of the woodlands. I never stood a chance. What could I be but a writer?

I now live in Calgary, Alberta with my husband and son, both of whom I love dearly, and have put up for sale on e-bay when their behaviour demanded it. My day to day life is a balance between my outside life as a paralegal counsellor and my inner life as an author/poet. In between writing projects, I work on improving my craft, study the Cree Language and aboriginal history, write book reviews, try to keep my blog current, and study mythologies from around the world.


 What are some of your pet peeves? 

I’m a fairly patient person, but these are my ‘hot buttons.’ I probably won’t tell you that they are ticking me off, but go far enough and you will see an explosion of biblical proportions:

1. • Drama – People who splash their private issues all over social media
2. • Fake anger – I’ll talk to anyone about anything, but talk to me, don’t just throw Reactionary rhetoric and nasty pictures at each other.
3. • Small talk – I know that the getting to know you stuff has to happen, but let’s get past it. PLEASE.
4. • Electronics – There is nothing as completely rude as pulling out a cell phone or tablet and completely ignoring the people you are with.

If you knew you'd die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day? 

If I knew that the world would end tomorrow I think that I’d want to spend my last day camping. I can’t think of a better way to spend my last hours than with my family beside a campfire, listening to the sounds of the loons in the night.


What made you want to become an author and do you feel it was the right decision? 

When I was little, we had a burgundy set of children’s encyclopaedias and I would pick out stories and poems from them to put on performances in the living room, insisting that my family listen to the stories and legends that I had read. I grew up on the stories of Robin Hood, King Arthur, and the Fae. What else could I ever be?

I write because the words are my way of exploring a world I can’t see. I’m a mythmaker, there is nothing that gives me more creative juice than asking a question and then building a world to find the answer. Myths and fantasy give us the opportunity to look at ourselves in new and often unusual ways, to play a huge game of ‘what if’ and see where the answers will fall.

My mind isn't healthy if I’m not writing, it really isn’t a choice for me.

Thank you  Sandra. I'm a Celt from Wales and was also brought up with a wealth of myths and legends. I also love the Native American legends and your book sounds wonderful and inspiring and I wish you every success with it.

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

The RONEs

I'm thrilled to say that BELOVED ENEMY got through the second round and has finalised in the RONE Awards. (Reward Of Novel Excellence) in the Fantasy/SF category. (More Info in the Press Packet HERE )

The final round is the judging by a 'group of industry professionals'. Even if my book doesn't win, all the finalists are such amazing books that I am just thrilled and humbled to have got this far,  and thank everyone who kindly voted it from the bottom of my heart.

Fellow authors, friends and readers, you are loved and appreciated more than words can say!



For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join