Review for Miserere

I'm not the easiest person to please. As a writer I find that it's difficult to really enjoy stories as much as I used to. The writing has to be great or the story incredible for me to stop slipping into critique mode.

Miserere by Teresa Frohock did both. A story of redemption you follow Lucian as he tries to save the life of a little girl who came to him from Earth.

I became lost in the story as he ran from his twin sister who wants him under her control and to give his soul to the Fallen as she has.

Now he has to run to the only safe place for the girl and his only chance of escape, the very people he betrayed years ago.

I loved this story and highly recommend it.

Writer's VOICE Contest

Brenda Drake is doing a great contest over at http://brenleedrake.blogspot.com/ I'm definitely signing up for it.

So here goes. My pitch and the first 250 words from my book. (Okay I went to the end of the sentence.)

Being eaten by demonic wolves was noton fourteen-year-old Tiani’s to-do list. But her best friend stupidly agreed to spend the night in the forest and she’s not about to let him go alone, even if it means facing down a demon. After everything he’s done to help her through her mother’s death, it’s the least she can do.

Apparently, his loyalty isn’t as deep.

Instead of helping her fight the wolvesoff, he runs. Before the wolves can tear her apart they’re chased away by Zade, a sixteen-year-old boy possessed by a slumbering fire demon. Zade’s nothing like a real demon … at least not any demon she’s ever heard about. Demons aren’t nice, and they certainly don’t teach people how to protect themselves.

When Zade is injured helping her save her village from another wolf attack, the fire demon takes control,incinerating everything in its path. This is more like the demon she expected and he isn’t about to give Zade’s body back. Huddled in fear, the villagers agree on one thing–Zade must die before he kills them all.

But kill Zade after all he’s done for her? He’s her friend. If she hurries she might be able to save him and her village, locking the demon away once more. That is if she succeeds.Not likely. And failure … well, if she’s lucky the demon will kill her before destroying everyone she knows.

DAEMERKIN is an 85,000-wordYA fantasy told from multiple points of view. Fans of Sarah Rees Brennan’s The Demon Lexicon and Jonathan Stroud’s Bartimaeus Trilogy will also enjoy the YA fantasy DAEMERKIN.


CHAPTER 1

Claws bit into the back of Zade’s calf, tearing through flesh as they raked along his leg. He gasped, the wolf’s breath making lifting the hair on the back of his neck. He twisted, its jaws snapping shut an inch from his ear. The blade from his belt and sliced across the wolf’s throat. Hot blood sprayed over his hands, filling the air with a metallic scent. Zade turned back, his other hand rising as the rest of the pack stalked toward him. Two already lay dead behind them.

They were growing bold.

Zade’s grip on the shuriken in his left hand tightened, the sharp rounded edges brushing his skin. Three enormous wolves leapt toward him, their shoulders rustling the branches. The shuriken sailed from his fingers, catching each before they came within five feet of him. They dropped to the ground. The last three lost their nerve and fled.

Slowly his muscles relaxed. For now at least, the village was safe. He limped forward and bent down by the first monstrous wolf.

Moonlight glistened off the bloody five-bladed shuriken as Zade pulled it from the still warm body. He wiped the weapon against his pants, the gouges along his calf stinging in the cool night breeze.

I can’t believe I let them sneak up on me.

He stretched out his mind, searching the area for any more of the wolf-like maviel. The three stalked through the forest near the ridge, their flight halted. As long as they knew he was here, they shouldn’t come closer.