Fall Into Fantasy Tour #7: The Daath Chronicles by Eliza Tilton

Welcome to the Fall Into Fantasy Tour, where we are keeping your mind off any end-of-summer blues and welcoming the cooler weather by introducing you to some incredible fantasy reads to curl up with and giving you plenty of chances to win awesome prizes!

Week 7: The Daath Chronicles
Book One: Broken Forest
Book Two: Wicked Path

Hopeless he’ll never be more than the boy who didn’t save his brother, 17-year-old Avikar accepts his life as the family stable boy, trying to forget the past. But when his sister, Jeslyn, is kidnapped, the thought of losing another sibling catapults him on a desperate quest. With his best friend by his side, and using the tracking skills he learned from his father, he discovers Jeslyn has been taken, kidnapped by one Lucino, the young lord of Daath, a mystical place thought only to exist in fables.

And Lucino has plans for Jeslyn.

His shape-shifting brethren feed off the auras of humans, and Jeslyn’s golden hue is exactly what Lucino needs to increase his power. The longer it takes Avikar to reach her, the more entranced she becomes with Lucino’s world, and the harder it will be for Avikar to set her free.

He failed his family once. He won’t fail again.

Buy it from: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo
Or add it to Goodreads

EXCERPT:

The wagons surrounded the site in a semi-circle. Sweat pooled in my palms. I had to take out the guards closest to that entrance. If I failed, so did the mission.

Get a grip. 

I clenched the arrow in my right hand. Brushfire shifted nervously, sensing my fear. I rubbed her neck. I felt safer with her. She’d been with me since Jimri’s death. At night when the nightmares taunted me, I’d sneak out, riding until dawn forced us home. I’d rescued her from the burning woods, she’d rescued me from despair — today, I prayed both of us would make it out alive.

In Wicked Path: Book Two of the Daath Chronicles brother and sister are forced to opposite sides of Tarrtainya on a fast-paced adventure where the wildlife isn’t the only thing trying to kill them.

Three months have passed since Avikar defeated the Reptilian Prince, and he still can’t remember his battle with Lucino. On the hunt for answers, he returns to the scene of the fight and discovers a strange connection between his family’s dagger and the mysterious kingdom of Daath, and it seems only his distant father can reveal the truth behind it all.

Before Avikar can travel back home, Lucy assaults him in the market and forces him to flee to Nod Mountains—a place few dare to enter, and even less return from. With Raven and her childhood friend by his side, they must survive the treacherous journey through the pass with a vengeful Lucy hunting them. If they don’t, they’ll never see home again.

Jeslyn’s new life in Luna Harbor is the perfect remedy for her confused and broken heart. But when a group of mercenaries kidnap her beloved Grandfather, interrupting her daily routine as his jewelry apprentice, she's forced to join forces with the one person from her past she tried to forget.

And his assistance comes with a price.

Buy it from: Amazon  Barnes & Noble

Or add it to Goodreads 

ABOUT ELIZA TILTON:

Eliza graduated from Dowling College with a BS in Visual Communications. When she’s not arguing with excel at her day job, or playing Dragon Age 2, again, she’s writing.

Her YA stories hold a bit of the fantastical and there’s always a hot romance. She resides on Long Island with her husband, two kids and one very snuggly pit bull.

Find Eliza online:

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads / Instagram / Pinterest / Google+

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Feature Friday & Giveaway: Broken Forest by Eliza Tilton

This book is so good, I had to feature it again even though it is part of the Fall Into Fantasy Promotion. But! Today we are focusing just on Broken Forest, the first book in the Daath Chronicles. My evil plan is to reel you in with this book, and then get you salivating over the whole series during the Fall Into Fantasy Promotion.

*twists imaginary mustache* On to the book!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Hopeless he'll never be more than the boy who didn't save his brother, 17-year-old Avikar accepts his life as the family stable boy, trying to forget the past. But when his sister, Jeslyn, is kidnapped, the thought of losing another sibling catapults him on a desperate quest. With his best friend by his side, and using the tracking skills he learned from his father, he discovers Jeslyn has been taken, kidnapped by one Lucino, the young lord of Daath, a mystical place thought only to exist in fables.

And Lucino has plans for Jeslyn.

His shapeshifter brethren feed off the auras of humans, and Jeslyn's golden hue is exactly what Lucino needs to increase his power. The longer it takes Avikar to reach her, the more entranced she becomes with Lucino's world, and the harder it will be for Avikar to set her free.

He failed his family once. He won't fail again.

BUY LINKS:

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / KOBO

Goodreads

Wicked Path: Book Two of The Daath Chronicles releases Oct 6th, 2014, add to your Goodreads TBR HERE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Eliza graduated from Dowling College with a BS in Visual Communications. When she’s not arguing with excel at her day job, or playing Dragon Age 2, again, she’s writing. Her stories hold a bit of the fantastical and there’s always a romance. She resides on Long Island with her husband, two kids and one very snuggly pit bull.

Author links:

Twitter / Tumblr / Website / Pinterest / Facebook / Instagram 

Want to know more about Eliza? She's stopped by before to talk about her inspiration for Broken Forest. Check it out!

EXCERPT:

Jeslyn

He glided towards me like a swan on water. I combed my fingers through my hair, smoothing out the wild strands. He sat down on the cot. I was surrounded by the scent of cold winter air.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

I should have replied, but fear closed my throat.

He smiled and held out his hand. “My name is Lucino.”

“Jeslyn.” I placed my hand in his, anxious and uncertain.

He gently kissed my hand. I shivered. No man had ever looked at me with such desire—not even Derrick—and it frightened me.

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Guest Post: Eliza Tilton Talks Inspiration for Her Book Broken Forest

The question of "What inspired you?" can be one of the toughest you can ask an author or artist of any kind. Putting to words what it is about a certain image or song or event that acted as a muse for a particular scene (or painting, song, etc) can be difficult when so much of it happens behind the artist's eyelids. Well, today Eliza Tilton has accepted the challenging question of inspiration. Armed with imagery and excerpts of her own, Eliza will explain to us just what caused the spark of certain ideas from her novel Broken Forest to ignite.

Book Blurb:

Hopeless he'll never be more than the boy who didn't save his brother, 17-year-old Avikar accepts his life as the family stable boy, trying to forget the past. But when his sister, Jeslyn, is kidnapped, the thought of losing another sibling catapults him on a desperate quest. With his best friend by his side, and using the tracking skills he learned from his father, he discovers Jeslyn has been taken, kidnapped by one Lucino, the young lord of Daath, a mystical place thought only to exist in fables.

And Lucino has plans for Jeslyn.

His shape-shifting brethren feed off the auras of humans, and Jeslyn's golden hue is exactly what Lucino needs to increase his power. The longer it takes Avikar to reach her, the more entranced she becomes with Lucino's world, and the harder it will be for Avikar to set her free.

He failed his family once. He won't fail again.

So many things inspired Broken Forest, but there are a few specifics that sparked the creative setting.

About eight years ago, my husband went to Spain with his art class. When his camera broke, he decided to paint everything he saw in watercolor. When I saw one of his pieces, I fell in love. Unfortunately, we don’t have one handy, but here’s where HIS inspiration came from.

This is Casa Batllo in Barcelona Spain, designed by the insanely talented Gaudi. I loved the architecture. It reminded me of gingerbread houses and I knew I had to use it for a setting in the book. Here’s an excerpt:

Derrick and I headed towards the crowded market. The air smelled of fresh bread, reminding me of home. Houses made of green and orange mosaics with curved archways and round windows loomed on each side of the cobblestone street. Roofs resembling dragon scales created a unique architecture.

While we walked, I rolled one of my marbles in my hand. I didn’t trust anyone and this place seemed so otherworldly. Every townsfolk seemed either strong and tall, or lithe and beautiful. Women dressed in bright colors, filled the street. I’d never seen so much color in one place. I caught the sight of a girl with mesmerizing green eyes. Derrick said something, but I was locked in her hypnotic gaze and voluptuous chest.

I’ve always loved masquerades. There’s something mysterious and exciting about wearing masks and dressing in beautiful gowns. If you’ve ever seen the movie Labyrinth (if not, you really should), you might recognize this scene. The masquerade ball in Broken Forest was my favorite scene to write. Here’s an excerpt:

In my silver shoes, I stepped on the sparkling marble and walked through the parted guests. At the end of the line, I saw Lucino. My heart fluttered. His pants and shirt were the color of midnight, and a long scarlet cape draped his back. He wore an ivory mask that covered almost every part of his face, except his mouth, eyes and left cheek. His sapphire eyes blazed from the two holes. No man could ever look as regal, as daring.

Avikar’s horse is named Brushfire. This picture is exactly how I imagined her. I’ll let the excerpt tell the rest.

The wagons surrounded the site in a semi-circle. Sweat pooled in my palms. I had to take out the guards closest to that entrance. If I failed, so did the mission.

Get a grip.

I clenched the arrow in my right hand. Brushfire shifted nervously, sensing my fear. I rubbed her neck. I felt safer with her. She’d been with me since Jimri’s death. At night when the nightmares taunted me, I’d sneak out, riding until dawn forced us home. I’d rescued her from the burning woods, she’d rescued me from despair—Today, I prayed both of us would make it out alive.

Eliza Tilton is the author of the YA Fantasy, Broken Forest, published by Curiosity Quills Press. You can find her blogging about video games and writing on her blog and doing bi-weekly posts on author media over at YAStands.

She graduated from Dowling College with a BS in Visual Communications. When she’s not arguing with excel at her day job, or playing Dragon Age 2, again, she’s writing. Her stories hold a bit of the fantastical and there’s always a romance. She resides on Long Island with her husband, two kids and one very snuggly pit bull. Twitter / Tumblr / Website  / Pinterest / Facebook

BUY LINKS: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / KOBO Goodreads