THE LORDS OF VALDEON (Heart of the Warrior Book 1)
by C.R. Richards
January 7, 2016
ABOUT THE BOOK:
A new series from award winning Author, C.R. Richards: The epic tale of two men begins. The first - a man of honor trying desperately to turn his country from civil war. The other - a boy struggling to discover his destiny before agents of evil find him first.
Coveted by two ancient enemies of a long forgotten age, the continent of Andara holds the key to victory in an endless struggle for dominance. Eight hundred years have passed since the god-like Jalora struck a bargain with the first King of Valdeon. The Lion Ring, symbol of the covenant and conduit of power, gives its bearer incredible abilities. The ring's borrowed magic protects the people of Andara from covetous evil, but there is a price. As with most predators, the Lion Ring must feed. Only the blood of the D'Antoiné family line will satisfy its hunger.
A rival for Andara's treasures, the Sarcion has waited impatiently for its time upon the land. Whispers of treason in the right ear aid its treachery. The King of Valdeon mysteriously disappears, leaving his lands in danger of a civil war by the hand of a murderous usurper. His Lion Ring is lost and the covenant is broken. The Jalora's power begins to seep away from the land. Evil's foothold grows stronger. Can the Lords of Valdeon, Sacred Guard of the covenant, stop the tides of war? Or will Andara fall into chaos? The future rests in the blood of a boy...
Aaannd here's author C.R. Richards!!
The Good, The Bad and The Preachy
"Write an essay on the Theme of your assigned
reading."
The most dreaded phrase a high school or college student
could hear from their English professor. Why? Themes are tricky. If a novel is
well written and the author does her job, the theme should be a delicate touch
on the reader's mind rather than a smack in the face.
I'll tell you a secret. Most authors don't know how to express the themes of their books until we're
forced to write those nasty pitches and back cover blurbs. Ask an author
what their book is about in the early stages of development and panic will
ensue. They'll either freeze like an old water bucket in January or launch into
a fifteen minute nervous ramble about the character's back story.
What is the book
about?
Time spent with several cups of coffee over a synopsis of
the book, the author should be able to
articulate the obvious storylines. I'll use my latest release as an example. The Lords of Valdeon follows two main
characters:
·
Xavier the
Wolf is third-in-command of the Sacred Guard. After their king disappears
and his son has launched a plot to seize the throne, Wolf must take
responsibility for keeping his country from civil war.
·
Seth grew up in a small island nation. His
mother's murder reveals secrets about Seth's true identity as the child of two
ancient enemy nations.
Okay. What is the
book really about?
Here we go. This is the theme or message the author is given
to share with their readers.
· Xavier the Wolf - Show honor and integrity no
matter how difficult the situation becomes.
·
Seth - One person can be a catalyst for change
if they have enough courage to take the first step.
Once the author knows the true message of their work, they must
resist the temptation to preach it rather than take the reader along on the
character's journey. Take Seth's storyline as an example. Shaking people and
demanding they stop being mean to each other doesn't end well. I show the
reader what kind of person Seth is and why he's worth befriending. Eventually
they'll know him enough to be affronted by the ugliness he experiences for
being different. Perhaps someone will be inspired by his story enough to stand
up and take that first step toward positive change in their own lives.
Authors are storytellers with a long and grand tradition of
showing truth in our tales. Each of us has the responsibility to be true to the
stories we're given and the readers we are here to inspire. Next time you
finish a story that touches your soul, ponder this: If the author is the tool
or conduit of the story, then where did the message actually come from? I'll
leave you with this tantalizing question.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A huge lover of horror
and dark fantasy stories,
C. R. Richards enjoys
telling tales of intrigue and adventure. Having began writing as a part-time
columnist for a small entertainment newspaper, Richards has worn several hats:
food critic, entertainment reviewer and cranky editor. She has now published a
handful of novels, including Phantom Harvest
- book one in The Mutant Casebook
Series - which took home the EPIC eBook Award
for Fantasy in 2014. Richards beat out
entries from the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and other English
speaking countries.
The youngest of five
army brats, Richards was born on a military base in Utah. She spent much of her childhood in the back
of her family’s sky blue station wagon on trips to see her grandmother - who
would show her how to spot faeries in the backyard. “Sometimes
she’d put candy in small silk slippers and tell us the pixies had done it,”
says Richards. “She’s the one who gave me
my love of fantasy creatures.”
Her most recent literary
projects include the horror short story, Lost
Man's Parish and the newly-released dark fantasy thriller, Pariah. She is an active member of Rocky Mountain Fiction
Writers and Horror Writers Association.
In January, Richards
releases her epic fantasy novel The Lords of Valdeon, the first
installment in the Heart of the Warrior
series. Through her storytelling. Richards aims to reach lovers of fantasy who are exploring alternatives to the
traditional status quo. Her message is simple: One person can be a catalyst for change.
AUTHOR LINKS:
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