So, I’ve been out of the loop for a while now (thanks to my gorgeous new arrival <3) but I am pleased to say that this year I am back with two new titles in the Light and Shadow Chronicles series!
Two novellas – ‘Genesis of Light’ and ‘Origin of Shadow’ will be released in 2018 and I will begin edits on the recently completed full length novel ‘The Sins of Silas’. How exciting!
Today I am delighted to hand my blog over to the wonderful L.G. Surgeson who has just relaunched her stunning Black River Chronicles series. She’s here to tell us a bit about it:
About the Chronicles
The Black River Chronicles is a series of the tales that follows the exploits of The Aberddu Guild of Adventurers – a rag-gag collection of mercenaries, thieves, priests and misguided hero-types that seem to wonder into the path of fate with worrying frequency. It’s an odd life as an adventurer, particularly when you joined up for fame and fortune but find yourself up to your knees in the middens of history. In the first three stories, the adventurers take on ancient evils, wicked demon-worshippers and a maniacal God in the full knowledge that unless they rob someone on the way home they won’t get paid. Some of them will live, some will die and some will last forever. Join the adventure and follow the Black River to see where it leads.
Praise for the Chronicles
The Summer of Fire:
“… the characters carry the day. I loved the characters and there are plenty of them.”
“This was a good book, very captivating”
The Winter That Follows:
“The characters are rich and deep, and give the feeling of having lived. I look forward to the next in the series.”
The Freetown Bridge:
“The story moves on quickly and brought me to genuine laughter and even a heartfelt tear. I am surprised that this is the first book by Surgeson; with a start like this I expect great things to come!!”
“An excellent first edition of a novel to rival the current fantasy fiction favourites.”
About the Author
LG Surgeson is a writer and teacher who lives in a cottage by a river in a little Welsh village with her long-suffering partner and their two cats. She writes novels and articles in the spare time she creates by avoiding the housework and pretending to be a hermit. She likes to write fantasy adventure stories and quasi-autobiographical tales about teaching, which are equally fantastical and no less adventurous but have fewer elves. She also writes articles and blog posts about subjects close to her heart, normally education and mental health. When she’s not writing, she likes to poke about in her garden, pretending to grow things and disturbing the fairies. Her cats like to help. They aren’t good at it.
Social Media Links
Blog
https://aberdduadventures.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/LGSurgeson/
https://twitter.com/LGSurgeson
Tumblr
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lgsurgeson/
Amazon
https://www.amazon.co.uk/LG-Surgeson/e/B006K18OTM/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Goodreads
My brand new epic fantasy novel The Shield of Soren has just gone live on Amazon!
What an amazing journey the author leads you on! With remarkable characters, a sensational and catchy story line, and a captivating ending, you won’t want the story to end. Amazon reader
The characters are superbly written. Amazon reader.
This is a great fast-paced fantasy with very memorable characters. Amazon reader.
I’m so excited to share with you the cover for my upcoming release! This next installment in The Light and Shadow Chronicles is called The Shield of Soren. Set thirty years before the events of A Chronicle of Chaos, this novel covers the story of mischievous trouble maker, ten-year-old Soren Nitaya and the events that change the way he will see the world forever.
Ten-year-old Soren Nitaya’s marked talent makes him the youngest soldier ever to become an apprentice to the legendary warrior, Raven Lennox. As a prince of Alcherys, he will be expected to fight in the eternal war against the Brotherhood of Shadow when he reaches sixteen.
But is the young prince up to the task when he’s more interested in causing mischief than in mastering weapons?
When one of Soren’s adventures goes off course, he unwittingly unleashes a deadly threat. It appears that an age-old prophecy is finally coming to pass, and Soren and his family must take a perilous journey deep into their enemy’s land. Does Soren have what it takes to save his country before the Brotherhood destroys everyone and everything he loves?
With a loud clang of metal slamming into metal, the final bolt was undone. Reign slowly pulled the door open, and Vincent found his breath catching in his throat.
High-pitched whimpering came from the tiny bundle of rags cowering at the back of the cage. Her long silver hair parted for a moment and Vincent could see her wide, silver eyes, terrified and innocent. Vincent’s skin prickled with discomfort. He hoped that Reign had a damned good reason for capturing a small child like this.
Beside the glass cage were two oil lamps, both resting unlit. Reign reached up and took one down. Then, in a single savage moment, he slammed the lamp onto the floor of her cage. The girl screamed in terror and covered her head with her hands, but he hadn’t been aiming for her.
The shattered glass gave way to a stream of oil that spread out in a pool across the floor. This seemed to scare the girl even more, and she began to cry quietly, sobbing into her clenched hands.
Reign looked back at Vincent. Excitement flashed in his eyes as he drew a match from a box in his pocket. A small flare of light, a flicker of sulphur and a small flame danced on top of the match. With another laugh, Reign tossed the match into the glass cage.
Vincent gasped as the oil ignited in a rush of intense heat. The entire floor of the cage burst into flames. Vincent tried to rush forwards to save the girl from a fiery death, but the heat was too intense. A hand tapped incessantly at his shoulder, and he tried to brush it away, but Reign grabbed hold of his hand.
“Look! Look!” Reign shouted excitedly, pointing at the cage.
When his eyes fell upon the cage, Vincent froze to the spot, his eyes nearly popping from their sockets. “But…how?”
The girl, who Vincent had assumed would be burning in agony, was somehow floating above the flames, hovering at the top of her cage. From her back sprouted two enormous wings of the purest white feathers Vincent had ever seen. The two beautiful white fans could only just fit within the confines of the cage, and as she beat them to stay afloat they fanned the flames beneath her.
It wasn’t just her wings that dazzled Vincent with their purity. Her whole body had adopted an ethereal, almost ghostly, silver aura, her hair shimmering with radiance. She didn’t seem too frightened any more, but there was a definite hint of sadness in her gentle eyes.
Vincent studied her carefully, struggling to catch his breath, which he hadn’t realised he had been holding. “What is she?” he managed to croak.
Reign grinned and draped an arm across Vincent’s shoulder. “She, my friend, is an angel.”
D.M. Cain is a dystopian and fantasy author working for Creativia Publishing. The Light and Shadow Chronicles series features a range of books which can be read in any order. The first of these to be written was A Chronicle of Chaos. The Shield of Soren will be released in March 2017. She is currently working on the next novel in the Light and Shadow Chronicles series, The Sins of Silas, as well as two complementary novellas entitled Genesis of Light and Origin of Shadow.
Cain has released one stand-alone novel: The Phoenix Project, a psychological thriller set in a dystopian future. The Phoenix Project was the winner of the 2016 Kindle Book Review Best Sci-Fi novel Award.
D.M. Cain is also a member of the International Thriller Writers and one of the creators and administrators of the online author group #Awethors. Her short story The End was published in Awethology Dark: an anthology by the #Awethors.
Cain lives in Leicestershire, UK with her husband and young son, and spends her time reading, writing and reviewing books, playing RPGs and listening to symphonic metal.
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/DMCainauthor
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With a loud clang of metal slamming into metal, the final bolt was undone. Reign slowly pulled the door open, and Vincent found his breath catching in his throat.
High-pitched whimpering came from the tiny bundle of rags cowering at the back of the cage. Her long silver hair parted for a moment and Vincent could see her wide, silver eyes, terrified and innocent. Vincent’s skin prickled with discomfort. He hoped that Reign had a damned good reason for capturing a small child like this.
Beside the glass cage were two oil lamps, both resting unlit. Reign reached up and took one down. Then, in a single savage moment, he slammed the lamp onto the floor of her cage. The girl screamed in terror and covered her head with her hands, but he hadn’t been aiming for her.
The shattered glass gave way to a stream of oil that spread out in a pool across the floor. This seemed to scare the girl even more, and she began to cry quietly, sobbing into her clenched hands.
Reign looked back at Vincent. Excitement flashed in his eyes as he drew a match from a box in his pocket. A small flare of light, a flicker of sulphur and a small flame danced on top of the match. With another laugh, Reign tossed the match into the glass cage.
Vincent gasped as the oil ignited in a rush of intense heat. The entire floor of the cage burst into flames. Vincent tried to rush forwards to save the girl from a fiery death, but the heat was too intense. A hand tapped incessantly at his shoulder, and he tried to brush it away, but Reign grabbed hold of his hand.
“Look! Look!” Reign shouted excitedly, pointing at the cage.
When his eyes fell upon the cage, Vincent froze to the spot, his eyes nearly popping from their sockets. “But…how?”
The girl, who Vincent had assumed would be burning in agony, was somehow floating above the flames, hovering at the top of her cage. From her back sprouted two enormous wings of the purest white feathers Vincent had ever seen. The two beautiful white fans could only just fit within the confines of the cage, and as she beat them to stay afloat they fanned the flames beneath her.
It wasn’t just her wings that dazzled Vincent with their purity. Her whole body had adopted an ethereal, almost ghostly, silver aura, her hair shimmering with radiance. She didn’t seem too frightened any more, but there was a definite hint of sadness in her gentle eyes.
Vincent studied her carefully, struggling to catch his breath, which he hadn’t realised he had been holding. “What is she?” he managed to croak.
Reign grinned and draped an arm across Vincent’s shoulder. “She, my friend, is an angel.”
Rise of the Elohim – The Spirit of Iris by Rocky Rochford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This fun, action-packed middle grade fantasy was a wonderful adventure. Crammed full of goblins, magic and sword fights, I was gripped from start to finish. The characters are wonderfully imagined (I particularly loved Izal and Zach) and the plot is simple enough to be followed by children, but involved enough to entertain adults as well. Another great piece of work by Rocky Rochford!
Hooray! I won the #Awethors ‘opening lines’ competition with the first line of my psychological dystopian thriller The Phoenix Project:
“Cold, dark terror trickled through Raven Kennedy’s veins, freezing him on the spot.”
I will now be featured on the #Awethors website and have earned bragging rights 😉
Many people have asked me about the meaning of the shield and symbols on the front of A Chronicle of Chaos and The Shield of Soren, so I thought I’d take some time out to explain the significance of the artwork.
Each of the symbols on the shield represents a different faction in the war which rages across the land in the Light and Shadow Chronicles series. Some of the symbols are linked to the Children of Light, some the Brotherhood of Shadow and some entirely different groups of people (or creatures!) altogether.
Avalanche – a small elite unit of warriors fighting for the Children of Light. Some of the best soldiers in the whole series fight under this banner.
Characters you may have met: Raven Lennox, Deacon Thialdor, Ryan Thialdor, Tiger Lennox
Children of Light – One of the armies in the eternal war, led by immortal matriarch and warrior, Callista Nienna.
Characters you may have met: Callista Nienna, Hayden Lennox, Scorpio Bast, Kham Nitaya, Deveron Nitaya
Nightfall – another elite unit of soldiers, this time from the generation below Avalanche. They formed their unit out of jealousy that they couldn’t get into Avalanche! They are impetuous, rash and often uncompromising.
Characters you may have met: Chaos Lennox, Dana Thialdor (originally named Deianira Thialdor), Mercury Lennox, Syfer Lennox
Demons – residents of Hell who have been summoned to fight for the Brotherhood of Shadow.
Characters you may have met: Anathema, Phantom, Malla (originally named Maleficia), Anubis, Reign (half demon)
Valhalla Elite – an elite unit of warriors in the Brotherhood of Shadow which formed to counterbalance the threat from Avalanche.
Characters you may have met: (There is not much mention of these guys in A Chronicle of Chaos – the only character briefly seen is Vincent Wilda’s son, Silas)
The Brotherhood of Shadow -the army opposing the Children of Light in the eternal war, led by immortal warrior Vincent Wilda.
Characters you may have met: Vincent Wilda, The Bavelize (ish – he is working with them currently), Guardian, Reign,
D.U.S.K – The Democratic Union of Separatist Knights – a group of people who broke away from the two warring sides to form their own nation.
Characters you may have met: They haven’t appeared in the books yet, but will do soon!
Angels – a group of Heavenly beings that come to the Human Realm when the world is threatened by demons.
Characters you may have met: Icarus, Samael, Ceres, Tenshi, Cassandra, Anna
In A Chronicle of Chaos the two most prominent factions are Nightfall and demons. As such, those two sections are highlighted. The Shield of Soren has angels and the Children of Light highlighted. In future books, different sections will be highlighted depending on the characters featured.
Comment below – which symbol/faction do you like best?
www.dmcain84.com/unique-fantasy
www.dmcain84.com/Children-of-light
www.dmcain84.com/brotherhood-of-shadow
www.dmcain84.com/Valhalla-Elite
Cover Reveal for The Phoenix Project by D.M. Cain
It’s here! Dark, gritty psychological thriller The Phoenix Project undergoes a makeover in the brand new Booktrope edition. Completely re-edited and re-designed, don’t miss this stunning cover by the talented Amalia Chitulescu.
Dark and gritty dystopian thriller The Phoenix Project by D.M. Cain has undergone a complete revamp with US publisher Booktrope. It has been re-edited from start to finish with new background information on some minor characters, and a few scenes altered. The biggest change to the content is that the epilogue has been removed from the book itself and can now be found HERE.
To go with the changes in content, The Phoenix Project has had a completely new cover designed by the very talented Amalia Chitulescu!
The image was chosen very carefully to suit the tone and plot of the book. The man on the front (protagonist, Raven) is looking to the floor, to symbolise the guilt and sadness that weigh him down. Chains coil around his arms, indicating his captivity – both in the physical and psychological sense. The background is bleak and hopeless (a theme that is very prevalent in the book), yet the flames around Raven suggest the possibility of rebirth and regeneration.
The book will be available to buy soon from a wide range of digital and paperback distributors.
Author: D.M. Cain
Title: The Phoenix Project
Genre: Psychological thriller/Dark thriller/Dystopian
Book Content: Occasional adult language, graphic violence, and mild sexual content.
Original Cover Design from the first edition:
Synopsis:
How can you fight to the death, when you’ve given up on life?
A thought provoking and compelling dystopian world that will change the way you view justice…
A man fights for life—and redemption—in D. M. Cain’s riveting re-released novel, The Phoenix Project.
Britain has descended into chaos as violence and terrorist attacks seethe across this once-peaceful country. Outraged by the steady stream of lawlessness, citizens demand a harsher penal system, and the Phoenix Project is born.
In prisons across the country, inmates fight to the death in a weekly bloodbath while the nation cheers them on.
Raven Kennedy, a prisoner who has never forgiven himself for his unspeakable crime, struggles against his own guilt and self-loathing. But even as the real war wages on within himself, Raven is forced to battle some of the prison’s most ruthless killing machines. Can he survive long enough to unravel the anger and regret that shackle him—and one day find the forgiveness he seeks?
‘The Phoenix Project by D.M. Cain is a superbly written debut, soaked in tension and intrigue,’ Jack Croxall, author of the ‘Tethers’ trilogy.