Portals Cover Blurb
For supernatural detectives Thulu and La Fi, “normal” is a
relative term. La Fi is a medium, Thulu is a finder, and their usual clients
are already dead.
But when their friend Reo is shot, and a group of stranded
angels show up at their house for help to find a missing child, things are
striking too close to home.
And now the portals that let the magical races return to
Earth have started opening on their own.
With trips off-world, a kidnapped psychic and changes to
their own abilities, Thulu and La Fi are hit with a lot more than they usually
handle. Of course, their magical friends are there to help, but even they may
not be enough to save an increasingly unstable Earth.
Portals is the
sequel to Relics and is Book 2 in The Thulukan Chronicles.
Excerpt from Portals
That night Parker had popped in to wake us at two in the
morning to tell us our best friend, Reo, had been shot. The young ghost was
distraught and panicked.
“They're on the back porch! You have to go help.”
“Where is he?” I asked groggily, as I jumped out of bed.
Thulu was instantly awake beside me, although he didn’t seem
any more alert than I did.
“Back porch.” Parker enunciated each word in slight
exasperation. “Go, please!”
Thulu looked at me, and I told him what Parker had said.
Thulu can read lips, but even with a night light the room was too dark.
Thulu threw off the sheet and we both ran from the room. I
was briefly glad we’d been wearing PJs.
Heart pounding, I took a few precious seconds to check on
our three year old son, Carter. His night light showed him blissfully unaware
of anything. Whatever happy dreams he was having made him smile slightly in his
sleep. I sighed in relief that he wasn’t having another of his nightmares.
Downstairs, Thulu had turned on the kitchen and porch
lights. In spite of the panic moments before, none of the three people on the
porch seemed frantic when I joined them.
Thulu looked
relieved, Reo was on the floor, but seemed stoic, and Sloane knelt beside him,
brow furrowed only slightly in concentration as he dealt with the wound.
My heart rate slowed down and my own fear started to slowly
dissipate. My heart gradually dropped from my throat back to its accustomed
place in my chest. Still my hands were shaking, and I felt the slight chill
from outside. The porch was screened in, and the late August day had been hot,
but the night brought a cool breeze that made its way along my arms.
The scent of flowers from the backyard didn’t quite mask the
smell of the blood that pooled on the porch floor around Reo. Sloane, his
partner and an elf, had already removed Reo’s jacket and shirt. A bullet lay on
the floor, and I could see the shoulder wound was already healing and closing
up. In a few moments, only the blood would remain as evidence that he’d been
shot.
Reo's face was white. The strain showed around his brown
eyes and his handsome face had the sheen of sweat on it. His short brown hair that was usually spiked,
lay damp and flat against his head, but he gave me a shaky smile.
“Bastard ruined my favorite jacket.”
Buy Links
Portals Kindle at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Portals-Book-The-Thulukan-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00H5O9P5A/
Interview
What inspired you to write this
book?
Kyra,
thanks so much for having me on your blog today! This is the sequel to Relics, Book 1 of The Thulukan Chronicles.
While Relics can be a stand-alone,
the characters weren’t done with me yet and I knew I had to tell more of their
stories.
Can you give us an interesting
fact about your book that isn't in the blurb?
Hmmm…fun
question. This book takes what I feel is a very unexpected turn as to the
reasons for magic returning to Earth. Some things are not what we thought in Relics.
How did you choose your title?
This
one was very easy! Because the portals seem to be intertwined with many of the
events in the book.
Tell us about the cover and how
it came to be.
My
cover was designed by the fabulous Ida Jansson. Ida has designed all the covers
in The Thulukan Chronicles. I wanted
a shattered portal (for reasons that will become clear in the book. J) At the same time we have the
branding we used for the rest of the series.
Did you self-publish or publish
traditionally and why?
I self-published
Portals and the two prequel
novelettes, “Ghost Memory” and “Unwanted Ghost” myself. Relics was released through a small press. Self-publishing is very
challenging, but I’m learning as I go and I have an enormous support group of
other authors to help with advice. I really wanted to be able to put my work
out much faster than the Big Five does. The once-a-year or longer schedule
doesn’t work for me.
What do you consider the most
important part of a good story?
That
would be character for me, hands down. I have to care about the people I’m
reading about. I find character driven stories to have more depth, but coming
from a stage background and building my own characters for so many years, it’s
a natural progression.
What is your writing process?
I
like to have music playing. I have my study set up so I’m very comfortable and
don’t have an excuse to wander away for whatever reason. That includes a nice
executive chair with a footstool under my desk.
How long have you been writing?
I
tried my hand at a play back in 2000. It was awful, so I rewrote it as a
screenplay in 2004. It was better, but I didn’t do anything with it after editing.
In 2010, I got the idea to write my first novel, Relics. So only a few years for writing novels. But as an actor I
wrote many character studies and backstories, so that sort of work I did for
ages. I just never formally considered myself a writer until 2010, when I wrote
my book.
How did you get started writing?
The
characters made me do it! They sprang to life in my head and I thought it might
be fun to try. I mean, you never know if you can do something until you try. So
I did. And so far, I’ve had a blast and I’m actually getting my work out there.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’m a
total pantser. I have a general idea where I want to end up, but I work
organically to let the characters get me there. It doesn’t always go exactly
where I plan, either.
The
marketing. It can be daunting and exhausting, trying to come up with ways to
get my work seen.
What tips can you give on how to
get through writers block?
Interesting
question. I’m not sure I believe in writer’s block.
I think some people might not be happy with the direction something is going, or
maybe they aren’t sure exactly how to get to where they want to go. But real
writer’s block, as in “I cannot write anything”? There could be a lot of
different reasons someone might not be writing, but a true block? I sort of
doubt it.
The
trick is to not let yourself get eaten up with excuses and procrastination and just
write that first sentence down! Any old sentence will do. It doesn’t have to be
good. But make yourself get in there and write, no matter what. You can go back
and fix it in the next draft, but don’t let yourself fall into the trap of
saying you have “writer’s block.” Self-fulfilling prophecies and all. J I tell my students that with
regards to creating art, there is no such word as “can’t,” only “won’t.” People
get too hung up on trying to make it perfect the first time and that’s not
going to happen. Just put those words down and fix them later. As you do that
things will get easier and ideas will flow.
What kind of music do you like to
listen to while you write?
I
listen to film and gaming soundtracks, classical music, anything without words
to distract me.
Who is your favorite author?
I
have way too many favorite authors to pick only one, but my two of my favorites
are George R.R. Martin and J.K Rowling.
Who is your favorite character
from a book?
Again,
there’s no way to have one. I’m fascinated by what Martin is doing with the
characters in his A Song of Ice and Fire
series. I especially like Tyrion, Bran and Dani. And Arya. And…
Well,
I’m sure you can guess I love the entire A
Song of Ice and Fire series. However, also Harry Potter. They couldn’t be more different, though. And I don’t
have a fave.
Read anything good lately?
I’ve
read a lot of good books lately! Because I do a podcast where I interview a lot
of authors, I read at least one of their books for their interview. One of my
fairly recent faves has been The
Aylesford Skull (Tale of Langdon St. Ives) by James P. Blaylock and Nightingale by Dave Farland. I’ve also
read a ton of wonderful books by Indie authors and I encourage everyone to take
a look at those. There is some excellent work out there.
What do you like to do when
you're not writing?
Listen
to music, watch TV. I’ve got a lot of shows I watch this season. Lots of cool
fantasy and mystery stuff. J I enjoy hiking, when I can find the time. Oh, and I
get to play with my dogs, who are my kids. Of course, they demand that daily.
What advice would you give an
author just starting out?
Don’t
stop. If you really want something bad enough and are determined to work for
it, then stay the course and don’t let anything stop you – including you.
Have you had anything else
published?
Relics, Book1 of The Thulukan
Chronicles
“Ghost
Memory” (A Thulukan Chronicles Story, #1)
“Unwanted
Ghost” (A Thulukan Chronicles Story, #2)
What's your next project?
I’m
writing the third book in the series, Magics.
I’m not sure if this is the last one, but it brings major changes and
challenges for my characters to overcome.
Kyra,
again thank you for letting me stop by and visit!
You're very welcome, Maer, I was
pleased to have you and I wish you the best of luck with your writing.
Maer’s Bio
After a successful career being other people, and later
teaching others the many tricks of that trade, Maer Wilson has decided to be
herself for a while. Turns out she's a writer. She's always loved stories,
especially fantasy, mystery and sci fi. Maer was born in the Year of the Dragon
and has a dragon-themed room in her home, but sadly no dragons in the back
yard. When she's not writing, Maer plays online video games, teaches college
and reads. She also co-hosts the literary podcast, MythBehaving and writes for two gaming fansites. Maer lives in the
high desert of Southern Nevada with her two dogs, a chihuahua and a poodle. Portals is Book 2 in The Thulukan Chronicles. You can find all
books and novelettes in The Thulukan
Chronicles at Amazon.
You can visit Maer’s website at http://maerwilson.com/.
Maer’s Links
Maer on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Maer-Wilson/e/B00CDX29YW/
Maer on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maer-Wilson-Author/149085628472833
“Unwanted Ghost” (A Thulukan Chronicles Story, #2) - http://www.amazon.com/Unwanted-Ghost-Thulukan-Chronicles-Story-ebook/dp/B00FYACAZO/
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Thank you for the interview and excerpt, Kyra!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.
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