Gillian Bronte Adams

YA Epic Fantasy Author

Explore Leira Blog Tour: X is for Commander Thallus Liturgis Xyamphene Noonan

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Welcome to stop number twenty four in the #exploreleira blog tour where we’re celebrating the (almost) one year book birthday for Songkeeper! It is the second book in the Songkeeper Chronicles, which tells the story of a girl who can hear the song that created the world.

If this is your first encounter with the blog tour, we are continuing a series of alphabet posts looking at the world and characters and magical creatures of the Songkeeper Chronicles.

Today, we’re looking at the letter …

X is for Commander Thallus Liturgis Xyamphene Noonan

Okay … I am totally stretching this one. It’s just that there really aren’t any other names of peoples or places or things in the Songkeeper Chronicles that start with the letter X. So, I’m afraid we are stuck with Commander Thallus, whose full name just so happens to include one that starts with the letter X.

Lucky coincidence.

(Don’t you just love the dwarves’ crazy long names?)

We get to meet Thallus when (SPOILER ALERT) Ky and his friends arrive at the fortress of Siranos in the Whyndburg Mountains. When it came to writing the dwarves in the Songkeeper Chronicles, I didn’t want to simply go with the stereotypical fantasy dwarves who can come across as rough, hard-boiled, and generally uncouth, so I tried to make the dwarves of the Whyndburg Mountains a little more varied. Theirs is a multi-layered, cultured society. You can read more about it here.

But out of all of the dwarves in the Songkeeper Chronicles, Thallus is probably the most similar to your typical fantasy dwarf … which made him pretty fun to write. He is gruff, blunt, and snores like an earthquake. He wields a mace in battle and sleeps in his armor, because—as he jokes—it’s too much trouble to put it on and take off at his age.

A sputtering fire provided just enough light to see by. One a straw pallet beside the heart, an old dwarf sprawled beneath a mound of blankets, snoring loud enough that Ky could have slammed the door without being heard.

He tapped the dwarf’s shoulder and jumped back as he roared awake, reaching for the mace propped beside his pallet. Curly gray hair and a beard the color and texture of an unshorn sheep stuck out in all directions around a face that most closely resembled a battering ram.

– Songkeeper

Hair like an unshorn sheep and a face like a battering ram. Yep. Commander Thallus is undoubtedly a favorite with the ladies. And if his looks weren’t enough to clinch it, his personality certainly would. He is a real charmer.

Paddy met Ky’s glance. “Wasn’t that a mite risky? Firing under a flag of truce?

Thallus just chuckled and clapped him on the back, hard enough to make Paddy stumble. “Negotiations, beardling, aren’t so much of a delicate art as those stuck up Xanthen chancellors would have you believe. It’s more a matter of figuring out who’s got the bigger sword and the guts to use it.”

– Songkeeper

Man, I’d love to meet this guy! But only if I’m guaranteed to stay on his good side. Because, I get the feeling that getting on his bad side is not a great idea …

“Cursed Khelari dog!” Thallus roared, and his voice cracked. “I don’t need two minutes to decide, let alone two hours! Send your worst. We’ll not surrender.”

– Songkeeper

Thallus is another character who I would have loved to give more page time! But he doesn’t show up on scene until late in Songkeeper when the pace is already ramping up at break neck speed toward the climax, so we don’t really get to enjoy his antics for long.

But hopefully he’s memorable enough to still make you grin through the scenes where he is on the page. Even if we only get to be around him for a short while.

Want to find out more about the Commander Thallus and the rest of the crew? Check out the links below to purchase the books:

Amazon: Orphan’s Song, Songkeeper, Song of Leira

Barnes and Nobles: Orphan’s Song, Songkeeper, Song of Leira

Explore Leira Blog Tour Round Up #2

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Welcome to our second #exploreleira tour blog tour round up! We are celebrating the (almost) one year book birthday for  Songkeeper! It is the second book in the Songkeeper Chronicles, which tells the story of a girl who can hear the song that created the world. If this is your first encounter with the blog tour, we are continuing a series of alphabet posts looking at the world and characters and magical creatures of the Songkeeper Chronicles … and we have an awesome giveaway that you can enter below!

Now, the #exploreleira tour tour has been gallivanting all over the blogosphere lately, so I thought it might be handy to come back here and share some of the more recent posts, in case you might have missed one or two! (Note: If you’re confused by the fact that the links skip over a few letters of the alphabet – because I probably would be – the posts between were either posted directly to my blog or were shared in another post on my blog. You can find a complete list of posts here.)

Scroll through the list below to find out a bit about each post and then pop over to say hello to the host bloggers and enter the giveaway on their site!

N is for Nisus!

For this post, we visited the site of blogger Marrock MacIntyre. He’s a writer, artist, self-proclaimed comic geek and fellow fan of action movies! (I do love me some action movies!) He also runs a movie review site.

POST SNEAK PEEK: “Nisus is a tapestry of contradictions. He is a dwarf of the Whyndburg Mountains and has a twin brother named Jirkar. In matters of etiquette, his manners are impeccable.

In fact, if he were here right now, he would be getting on my case for not properly introducing him. (His full name is Nisus Plexipus Molineous Creegnan, Xanthen Chancellor to the Caran, just in case you were wondering …)

READ MORE …

P is for Paddy

The incomparable Hannah Williams hosted the blog tour for a look at Paddy, Ky’s best friend from the Underground. Hannah is an incredible artist and a fellow writer, Tolkien geek, and fan of the fantasy genre. You can find out more about her work in progress here!

POST SNEAK PEEK: “Everybody needs a friend, right? And of course, every hero needs a sidekick. When I first wrote Paddy into the story, it was as a comedic friend and sidekick pal for Ky. Someone to cast a bit of humor and light into the otherwise grim situation ruling the cobblestoned streets of Kerby: abandoned kids left to fend for themselves while the Khelari soldiers wreak havoc on their town…”

READ MORE …

R is for Renegade

For this post, we swung over to the blog of fellow writer and speculative fiction fan, Josh Hardt. I first met Josh in person at the Realm Makers conference in 2015, which (by the way) is one of the coolest conferences in the world!

POST SNEAK PEEK: “Recently, I have been suffering BIG TIME from puppy fever. I consider myself both a dog and cat person. After growing up around both, and having many canine and feline “friends,” I would be hard pressed to choose between the two. At this point, I have a cat—Finn—but am not able to keep a dog for a variety of reasons. Still, that doesn’t stop me from shamelessly borrowing my friends’ dogs or drooling over pictures of adorable puppies. (Please tell me I’m not the only one!)…”

READ MORE …

S is for Songkeepers and Songlings

Fellow fantasy author Jennette L. Mbewe hosted this post on her blog! Like me, she hails from Texas, so she’s familiar with braving the heat, which makes her doubly cool in my book! (Terrible play on words, I know.) You can find out more about her books and read about the world of Nalu here.

POST SNEAK PEEK: “I am feverishly excited about this post because I get to tell you all a little more about the “magical” system in the world of the Songkeeper Chronicles. Whether it was reading the creation of the worlds in Tolkien’s Silmarillion and Lewis’s Magician’s Nephew, or reading spellbound about the contest between Felagund and Sauron, or listening to epic soundtracks from my favorite movies, the idea of powerful music has always intrigued me …”

READ MORE …

U is for the Underground

We visited with the lovely Hope Ann for this post. She is a reader and fantasy writer and loves history, particularly the Greek Roman period and WWII! (Some of my favorites! I’m sensing that we have a lot of things in common.) Any other history lovers here?

POST SNEAK PEEK: “Five years before Orphan’s Song began, the Khelari occupied the city of Kerby as a part of the Takhran’s mission to conquer the Nordlands. Not long after the Khelari arrived, people started disappearing. Taken by the dark soldiers. Those left behind assumed them dead. Far too often, only the children were left abandoned, forced to the streets to fend for themselves. When the Khelari came for his father, Cade Peregrine fought his way through a burning building to get his sister Aliyah to safety …”

READ MORE …

V is for the Vituain Desert

Fellow Enclave author Steve Rzasa hosted this post on his new website! Steve is the author of several great science fiction, steampunk – super cool! – and fantasy novels. (I’m feverishly reading one of his sci fi novels right now, so I can say that you guys should totally check out his books!)

POST SNEAK PEEK: “One of my favorite settings to write about in the Songkeeper Chronicles was the Vituain Desert. Leira is a large land with a wide variety of landscapes, including the carpeted hills of the Midlands, grass-swept dunes of the Nordlands, and the high moorland and peat bogs of the Westmark. But in the south, the hills of the Midlands give way to a more arid region, known as the Soudlands, and beyond that, all that is green and growing is swallowed by the ever-hungry maw of the desert…”

READ MORE …

W is for Waveryders

For today’s post, we are visiting Writeratops, the super cool blog of author and filmmaker Mollie E. Reeder. I first met Mollie several years ago when she helped with filming for the book trailer for my novella, Out of Darkness Rising. We are now writer pals and chat about books, brainstorming, story ideas, and ways to stay encouraged when our creative lives get crazy! (Which is, you know, most of the time.)

POST SNEAK PEEK: “I have always been a dreamer. One of my biggest childhood dreams was learning to sail. Growing up far inland, as I did, made the likelihood of learning to sail slim, but that didn’t stop me from dreaming. Though, honestly, I would probably become woefully seasick if I ever set foot on a sailboat or a ship. I am a daughter of the earth, accustomed to spending my time with both feet firmly planted on the ground …”

READ MORE …

Hope you enjoyed the blog tour round up! We’re coming up to the end of the tour and the announcement for the giveaway winners! In the meantime, if you’re enjoying the tour, why not share a post with a friend and invite them to #exploreleira and the Songkeeper Chronicles with you!

Explore Leira Blog Tour: Q is for Matlal Quahtli

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Welcome to the seventeenth stop in the #exploreleira blog tour where we’re celebrating the (almost) one year book birthday for Songkeeper! It is the second book in the Songkeeper Chronicles, which tells the story of a girl who can hear the song that created the world.

If this is your first encounter with the blog tour, we are continuing a series of alphabet posts looking at the world and characters and magical creatures of the Songkeeper Chronicles.

Today, we’re looking at the letter …


Q is for Quahtli, Matlal of the Saari

Matlal Quahtli is the ruler of the Saari nation of the Vituain Desert. He is married to Sa Itera and father to two young boys. In battle, he carries a broad-headed spear and rides upon the back of a massive male lion. As Matlal, he sits enthroned beneath the Star of the Desert. There he leads and judges his people from the city of Nar-Kog.

The two halves of the city, Nar and Kog, climb up twin cliff faces overlooking a valley. Narrow bridges span the gap, connecting the two. Nar-Kog is the largest Saari dwelling in the desert, although there are many other smaller towns and villages scattered throughout the vast sea of sand dunes ringed about by jagged mountains. The Vituain Desert is a wild land, inhabited by a fierce and free people.

The Saari are divided into tribes, each ruled by mahtems (chieftains), and led collectively by the Matlal. While the mahtems of the individual tribes typically inherit their positions, the title of Matlal is not hereditary. Deserving warriors among the mahtems compete in trial by combat to determine the next Matlal. Quahtli battled seven warriors for his seat beneath the Star of the Desert, and there are none among the mahtems or all the Saari who doubt his worthiness.

None save perhaps his brother in law, Inali. In Songkeeper, we learn that Inali was next in line to lead the Sigzal tribe as mahtem, but the title was passed to his sister Itera as her bride-price when she wedded Matlal Quahtli. So Itera became mahtem, and Inali was left only with the title of Dah, a son of high birth but little standing.

It is a loss that Inali bears bitterly, though he would not dare say it to Quahtli’s face, for the Matlal is a warrior through and through. A tall man, Quahtli presents an imposing figure, with the breadth of his shoulders made wider still by the ruff of lion’s mane that lines the neck of his lion-skin cloak. As Matlal, he wears no crown, but the gold beads knotted into his dark braids and the gold cuffs on his wrists proclaim his rank among the Saari. And yet, as a warrior, he is seldom found without a spear in hand, ready to plunge into battle at a moment’s need for the people he calls his own.

Quahtli is a strong, proud man. He prepares his people to fight a battle that he does not believe he can win …

“Daily my warriors skirmish with the Takhran’s soldiers on our northern borders. It is only a matter of time before his army marches into this valley. And what then? I must either surrender my people and our freedom to his rule, or see their corpses like cold and prey to carrion fowl in the sand.” Quahtli fingered the tip of his spear. “We are too few to fight him.”

– Songkeeper

And yet he will not yield.

For if there is one trait all Saari have in common, it is their ability to stand firm before the shifting winds of change and circumstance, buffeted by the gales of disaster and dismay, and like the mountains of their homeland, simply to stand.

In the words of Amos McElhenny,

“These sun-addled people are as inflexible as steel an’ unbending as their sand-blasted cliffs. It’s getting’ right tiresome.”

– Songkeeper

After Matlal Quahtli—and really, the whole fascinating Saari culture with their lion steeds, spears, and warrior’s code—appeared on the page, I hoped to spend some time with them in the Vituain Desert. I wanted to wander through the narrow roads and earth-carved houses of Nar-Kog, venture into the sandswept expanses of the desert, and stand beside Matlal Quahtli at the edge of the Council Hall overlooking the valley below.

But the story set a relentless pace, drawing Birdie, Ky, and Amos away from the desert … and I had no choice but to follow …

Want to find out more about Matlal Quahtli? Check out the links below to purchase the books:

Amazon: Orphan’s Song, Songkeeper, Song of Leira

Barnes and Nobles: Orphan’s Song, Songkeeper, Song of Leira

Explore Leira Blog Tour: O is for Outlaws

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Welcome to the fifteenth stop in the #exploreleira blog tour where we’re celebrating the (almost) one year book birthday for Songkeeper! It is the second book in the Songkeeper Chronicles, which tells the story of a girl who can hear the song that created the world.

If this is your first encounter with the blog tour, we are continuing a series of alphabet posts looking at the world and characters and magical creatures of the Songkeeper Chronicles.

Today, we’re looking at the letter …

 

O is for Outlaws

“This cavern used to the hideout of a band of outlaws led by Hawkness. Did you know that? My father told me about them, about him. Back then, Hawkness was the only one strong enough to stand against the Takhran and his soldiers. They were brave men, those outlaws, all of them heroes, who fought against tyranny and died because of it.”

– Orphan’s Song

Long before Orphan’s Song began, a band of outlaws roamed the wild places of Leira at the heels of a mighty Songkeeper named Artair. They were the dregs of society. The weak. The outcast. The bristly. The unwanted.

Many left no homes behind, and yet where Artair was, they were at home, because home and hearth meant nothing save in his presence.

It is hard to describe the Songkeeper Artair to one who has not met him. He did not have the charismatic allure of the Takhran. He was neither kingly, nor princely, and would have looked out of place in a grand palace or great hall.

He was a man of the earth.

In his eyes, one saw the richness of freshly tilled soil and the peeled bark of a zoar tree. His hands bore the ridges and callouses of hard labor. Weathered lines splayed from his eyes like the rays of the sun glancing off a pool. In his laugh, the voice of a thousand rivers rolled into one.

At first glance, he did not command attention. At second glance, one could not look away. He had a sort of presence about him. Something that hummed with power and being, so much so that those who walked at his side for any length of time, even if they did not bear the blood of Songlings and Songkeepers, could almost hear the Song.

Those who joined the outlaw band came for many different reasons, but they all stayed for the same one. They stayed for Artair. They braved the Takhran’s wrath, evaded his raven spies, dodged his hounds, and led the Khelari off the scent, all that they might spend one more day at Artair’s side. Watching as he sang to heal the sick and injured, listening to the vast beauty of the Song that spilled from his lips, and waiting for evening to fall that they might sit around the fireside and listen to his tales. And such tales they were. The sort of tales that seep into your bones and remake you from the inside out. The sort that scrape you raw, even as they fill you with a courage and a purpose you never before knew. The sort that ring with the echo of something you thought you once knew, but you can’t quite place your finger upon …

With Artair at their head, the outlaws were a fearsome and free band. Fearsome in their freedom. For they dared to live and to love and to laugh in a world that was broken beneath the horrors unleashed by the Takhran. Numbered among the outlaws were Nisus and Jirkar, the dwarf twins from the Whyndburg Mountains, a swordsmith by trade named Lucas Peregrine from Kerby, Dalton who later owned the Sylvan Swan, a young farm boy named Oran Hamner, and the one known as Hawkness.

Hawkness wasn’t his true name, of course. The title was given to him for his notorious skill with ranged weapons, such as throwing knives, daggers, bows and arrows, etc., when Artair made him second in command.

Over time, the fame of the outlaw band and of Artair the Songkeeper spread, and the Takhran’s hatred grew, and he bided his time, waiting for the Khelari to succeed in capturing one of the outlaws. Until at last, the farm boy, Oran, strayed heedless into their net. It was a midsummer’s days when the soldiers dragged their struggling prisoner down the lightless tunnels beneath Mount Eiphyr and into the bowels of the Pit.

Who knows what lies the Takhran whispered to him in the dark, or with what twisted words the heart of Oran was lost and his melody ever corrupted. But when he emerged at last into the lurid light of day, it was to lead a contingent of Khelari along secret paths through the mountains to the outlaw camp at Drengreth.

They struck in the hazy stillness of night.

No songs are sung of the battle at Drengreth. No tales are told of valor or heroic deeds. It remembered only in silence. Recalled in horror and swiftly banished from thought.

For when the bows ceased singing and the flames dwindled and the last echoes of the crash of sword on sword vanished in the hills, only the bodies of the slain remained. Hawkness stood alone in the midst of a massacre. The survivors—what few remained—had fled. And the Songkeeper Artair was lost, taken by the Khelari into the depths of the earth.

I can tell you little of Hawkness’s pursuit, for little is known. He alone trailed the Khelari into the Takhran’s fortress. He alone wandered the deep dark in pursuit of the Songkeeper Artair. But beyond that, the truth of what transpired in the Pit, none save the Takhran’s servants and Hawkness himself know.

And when Hawkness reappeared in Kerby some months later, to rendezvous with the remnants of the outlaw band, he would not say. But he vowed vengeance against the Takhran, and in the strength of his oath, he bound the outlaws into a brotherhood sworn to fight until their dying breath. Beneath the cobbled streets of Kerby, in a network of caverns and tunnels, they made their home. And the light and life and hope that the outlaw band had known when they followed Artair along song-strewn paths in the mountains and woodlands were soon lost in the grime and squalor and hopelessness of the city where their vengeance had driven them.

Ky’s eyes gleamed in the moonlight. “You’re a legend. A hero.”

The lad’s words pierced his conscience like a poisoned shaft. “Never a hero, lad. For twelve years, we warred, fought, lied, stole, cheated, ’til our cause was lost in the horror o’ who we’d become an’ our own people grew t’ hate us.”

– Orphan’s Song

Until the outlaws too were lost and had become only a matter of legend and myth and fireside tales.

Outlaw tales are fascinating, aren’t they? I grew up on tales of Robin Hood and his merry men, William Wallace, and Alan Breck Stewart. Do you have a favorite outlaw tale?

Want to find out more about the outlaws? Check out the links below to purchase the books:

Amazon: Orphan’s Song, Songkeeper, Song of Leira

Barnes and Nobles: Orphan’s Song, Songkeeper, Song of Leira

Explore Leira Blog Tour: M is for Migdon

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Welcome to the thirteenth stop in the #exploreleira blog tour where we’re celebrating the (almost) one year book birthday for Songkeeper! It is the second book in the Songkeeper Chronicles, which tells the story of a girl who can hear the song that created the world.

If this is your first encounter with the blog tour, we are continuing a series of alphabet posts looking at the world and characters and magical creatures of the Songkeeper Chronicles.

M is for Migdon

When I started writing Songkeeper, Migdon was one of those surprise characters who came out of nowhere and stole the show. Originally, he was only supposed to be in one or two short scenes. But once he started talking, I knew he had to stay.

Migdon is a dwarf from the Whyndburg Mountains. (Read more about the dwarves and their fascinating culture here.) His full name is Migdon Hipicarious Listarchus Noonan. Like most dwarves, he holds to strict rules when it comes to introductions and things of that nature.

“Hold on there,” the dwarf growled and shoved a finger in Ky’s chest with such force that he nearly stumbled backward. “Manners, bucko. Names first. Information later. Maybe. If I like you.” He thumped a brawny fist against his forehead. “I am Migdon Hipicarious Listarchus Noonan, advance scout of the Third Cohort of the Adulnae. Among other things.”

– Songkeeper

In all other matters, Migdon is a rebel. In the mountains, warriors and scholars are the most renowned and held in the highest honor. While Migdon is both, he has never been interested in what others think. As a warrior, he is too much of an individualist to march to the same beat as everyone else, so he does not truly fit among the Adulnae. And although he is well-read and prone to sprinkling his speech with paraphrased quotations, Migdon could never survive the stuffiness of accepted thought that governs most Xanthen scholars.

In his own words,

“Don’t like to beat around the bush, do you bucko? Me neither. It’s what sets us men of action apart from the thinkers and plotters with their sweet talking ways and forked-tongues. But you know what they say, ‘Honeyed words ease the tang of bitter news.’ Or something to that effect.”

– Songkeeper

Migdon can be a mite touchy. Prone to be sharp tempered, gruff in his speech, and proficient in the language of sarcasm. Not the sort that you bandy words with casually, because he is sure to unleash a retort that will leave you scrambling to gather your wits.

“Don’t look so stiff and concerned, bucko. Word from the wise, sometimes there’s no better place to hide than in the open, and no better way to disappear than to stand out.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Sure it does. Hogan wrote it years and years ago—you do know who Hogan is right? Hogan Micthineous Cadronitus Roardin? No? Oh well, don’t worry about it.” Molasses dripped no smoother than the sarcasm rolling off the dwarf’s tongue. “He’s only the finest philosopher, teacher, and strategist we of the Whyndburg Mountains have ever had.”

– Songkeeper

(I just love this guy! Only, he would probably drive me crazy in real life …)

And yet, for all the acidity that frequently flows from his tongue, Migdon can be surprisingly persuasive, when he chooses to be.

Migdon snorted. “Give me six hours, bucko, and I could convince any man of anything. Silvertongue, that’s what they call me. Has just the right sort of ring to it too, if you ask me.”

– Songkeeper

I know I’ve said it before but pairing unlikely characters and throwing them into challenging situations is one of my favorite things to do as an author. It is just far too much fun! Migdon is such a loose cannon—unpredictable, brazen, and totally determined to do it his way. Ky, on the other hand, has learned the art of invisibility on the streets. Sure, he can be reckless on occasion—generally when he’s trying to save someone—but he prefers caution and forethought to impetuous action. And when he is convinced that he is in the right, he’s going to dig his heels in and fight.

So of course, matching Migdon and Ky as traveling companions was the obvious choice.*rubs palms together* And yes, if you haven’t read Songkeeper yet, well, personally I think it’s worth picking up just to watch the sparks fly between those two!

Want to find out more about Migdon? Check out the links below to purchase the books:

Amazon: Orphan’s Song, Songkeeper, Song of Leira

Barnes and Nobles: Orphan’s Song, Songkeeper, Song of Leira

Explore Leira Blog Tour Round Up #1

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Welcome to our first #exploreleira tour blog tour round up! We are celebrating the (almost) one year book birthday for  Songkeeper! It is the second book in the Songkeeper Chronicles, which tells the story of a girl who can hear the song that created the world. If this is your first encounter with the blog tour, we are continuing a series of alphabet posts looking at the world and characters and magical creatures of the Songkeeper Chronicles … and we have an awesome giveaway that you can enter below!

Now, the #exploreleira tour tour has been gallivanting all over the blogosphere lately, so I thought it might be handy to come back here and share some of the more recent posts, in case you might have missed one or two! (Note: If you’re confused by the fact that the links jump from F for Fireflowers to I for Dah Inali – because I probably would be – the posts between were either posted directly to my blog or were shared in another post on my blog. You can find a complete list of posts here.)

Scroll through the list below to find out a bit about each post and then pop over to say hello to the host bloggers and enter the giveaway on their site!

F is for Fireflowers!

We visited the site of Ronie Kendig, a fantastic author of suspense and speculative fiction. (Seriously you should check out her latest paramilitary novel, Conspiracy of Silence, and her fantasy series Abiassa’s Fire starting with book one, Embers.) In my humble opinion, Ronie is also one of the coolest, sweetest, most genuine people you will ever meet.

POST SNEAK PEEK: “I have always been slightly fond of things that are combustible, explode, or go out with a bang. Fireworks? So much fun. Firearms? Also fun. Fire … well, it’s probably a good thing that I have joined the local volunteer fire department. So when it came time to develop the world of Leira for the Songkeeper Chronicles, I knew we had to have some sort of explosive in there to keep things exciting …) READ MORE …

I is for Inali

Rebekah Gyger hosted the blog tour for a look at Dah Inali, one of the desert warriors in Songkeeper. She is a fellow writer, book lover, and has been a faithful reader over the past several years! I absolutely love the look of her blog, “Backing Books,” and it’s a great place to find out about new reads.

POST SNEAK PEEK: “We first meet Dah Inali in Songkeeper. Dah Inali is the brother of Sa Itera and the brother-in-law of Matlal Quahtli, chief over the entire Saari nation of the Vituain Desert. Born heir to the Sigzal tribe, he lost his inheritance when Itera was made mahtem in his stead and the Sigzal tribe was aligned with Quahtli as her dowry. It is a loss that he bears bitterly …”
READ MORE …

J is for Jirkar

For this post, we swung over to the beautiful blog of Laura Pol! She is a book blogger and Christian urban fantasy writer and has been a reader and sweet supporter for several years! And she makes fan made book trailers too, which is just super cool.

POST SNEAK PEEK: “Jirkar is a dwarf from the Whyndburg Mountains, where he goes by the full name of Jirkar Mundibus Icelos Creegnan, Commander of the Fifth Cohort of the Adulnae. He has a twin brother named Nisus. The two look quite a bit alike, sharing the same short, curly dark hair and cropped beards, though Nisus has reddish streaks in his hair and beard and slightly sharper features. Of the two brothers, Jirkar tends to be more cheerful …” READ MORE …

K is for Ky

Jane Maree hosted this post on her blog “Maiden of the Misty Mountains” all the way from Australia! She is a fellow reader, writer, and lover of words, with a lovely blog with Tengwar script on the background! (Geeking out over here) Oh, and did I mention that she hails from Australia?

POST SNEAK PEEK: So what is it that makes Ky who he is? He is not the biggest or the strongest, not the fastest or the bravest, not the smartest or the most well-spoken. He isn’t always right, even when he is convinced that he is. But he has conviction and the courage to back it up, and he cares deeply about those he seeks to protect. Ky lives in the occupied city of Kerby. Five years before the events of Orphan’s Song, the soldiers of the Takhran, the Khelari, took over the city …
READ MORE …

L is for Langorian Pirates

We visited with the lovely Deanna Fugett for this post. She is the author of an upcoming edgy YA Dystopian called Ending Fear, the first in the Gliding Lands series. Ran into Deanna at a writer’s conference a few years ago, and I’m super excited about the chance to read her book soon!

POST SNEAK PEEK: Because who doesn’t love pirates! Confession time. I used to be slightly obsessed with pirates. The good kind, you know. The swashbuckling, charming, roguish sort that you run across in Pirates of the Caribbean and—one of my favorites—Wayne Thomas Batson’s novel Isle of Swords. I may have held a pirate birthday party for five or six years running, in which everyone was required to show up in appropriate pirate garb and we devoured pizza by the pound (because all good pirates love pizza) and chocolate cake. (Pirates also love cake. In case you were wondering.) READ MORE …

Hope you enjoyed the blog tour round up! We’ll have another one in a week or two so you can make sure to catch all the posts before the tour ends. In the meantime, if you’re enjoying the tour, why not share a post with a friend and invite them to #exploreleira and the Songkeeper Chronicles with you!

free short story: Of Shadow and Rust

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