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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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!
