It's my pleasure to welcome Karin Rita Gastreich back to my blog. She's here today sharing about the romantic suitors that vie for the lovely Eolyn. I'm happy to announce that this wonderful book is now released in audiobook format. To mark the occasion, be sure to enter Karin's contest at the bottom of this post.
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The Romantic Leads of Eolyn’s World
By Karin
Rita Gastreich
“A maga
cannot be possessed by any man, and she will love many, if the Gods look upon
her with favor before they call her home.” –Briana of East Selen
Marsha A.
Moore’s invitation to be a guest on her blog has inspired the romantic in me.
Earlier this
week on my tour, I wrote about aen-lasati,
the magic of love and attraction. In Eolyn’s world, aen-lasati remains the exclusive domain of the gods. It is their
decision when and where to weave the threads of desire. Magas are taught to
honor this magic, and therefore may have multiple partners during their life
time.
In the novel
EOLYN, one man stands above the rest and tends to pull on Eolyn’s heartstrings
more than any other. Nonetheless, there
are many who cross her path and ignite the fires of aen-lasati. Today, I’ll introduce you to three of these romantic
leads: Prince Akmael, Tahmir of the Syrnte, and Mage Corey of East Selen.
Akmael, Prince of Moisehén
Fate, along
with a touch of magic, brings Eolyn and Akmael together as children in the
South Woods. The bonds of friendship they establish there will last a lifetime,
through war, persecution, suffering, and division. Yet their destiny as lovers
is far from certain.
Unknown to
Eolyn, Akmael is the son of Kedehen, a man of royal lineage who defied an
age-old prohibition and learned the ways of magic. Convinced that knowledge of
magic should never be granted to royalty, the Magas rose up against Kedehen when
he assumed the throne. After a long and terrible war, Kedehen secured his
victory and began to systematically annihilate his opponents, including all
women practitioners of magic.
One maga was
spared from these purges. During the massacre of her Clan, Briana of East Selen
was captured by Kedehen and made his queen. Shortly thereafter, Briana bore
Kedehen his only son and heir, Akmael.
Akmael is
gifted in both magic and warfare. He bears the same dark features and stocky
build of his father. He also inherited a tendency to brood and a temper that
can be quick and ruthless. Loyalty to his father’s legacy, coupled with a deep
awareness of duty to people and crown, guides Akmael’s every decision. When the
young prince’s heart is captured by Eolyn,he finds himself torn between the
will of the Mage King and the desire to keepEolyn safe. He also longs to claim
Eolyn as his own, though deep down he knows that as a maga, she can never be
bound to one man.
Tahmir of the Syrnte
Eolyn meets
Tahmir when she joins Mage Corey’s Circle, a travelling show that brings the
illusion of magic to the people of Moisehén. Tahmir and his sister Rishona hail
from a distant land on the other side of the Paramen Mountains. Their people
are powerful warriors that rule the high plains and have extended their empire
far into eastern and southern realms.
The Syrntecommand
a mysterious form of magic that allows them to see past, present, and future as
a single entity. Under certain circumstances, they can also hear the thoughts
and desires of others.
Tahmir is a
charmer. He embodies grace and power; think of the movement of a black leopard,
and you will have captured the spirit of Tahmir. Needless to say, Eolyn quickly
falls under his spell. Although she is not the only woman of the circle
infatuated with Tahmir, he soon favors her above all others.
There are
hidden dangers to this attraction.Tahmir harbors his own secret ambitions for
the future of Moisehén. Eolyn senses this, but she its them slide for the
moment. After all, nothing makes for a more irresistible mix than intense
sensuality spiced with an aura of mystery.
Mage Corey of East Selen
Cousin to
Akmael’s mother Queen Briana, Corey was born to a family of magas and mages
that ruled the eastern province of Moisehén.
When his clan was massacred by the Mage King Kedehen, Corey was a very
small child. He escaped thanks to the intervention of Briana, who begged
Kedehen to spare the boy’s life.
At once a
prisoner and adopted son of the royal family, Mage Corey struggles with
conflicting motivations. On the one
hand, he desires vengeance for the obliteration of his clan. On the other hand,
he is bound by loyalty to the few individuals who still share his bloodline,
among them Briana’s and Kedehen’s only son, Akmael.
Corey and
Eolyn first meet under the auspices of his Circle, when he hires her as one of
his performers. The mage recognizes Eolyn’s importance early on, but he holds
this knowledge – as he does many things – in secret. Much time will pass before
Eolyn fully understands the true extent of Corey’s power, and what his
influence and ambitions will eventually mean for her.
The
chemistry between Eolyn and Corey crackles with tension. Their relationship is
one of constant disagreement, wary admiration, and latent attraction. Although
Corey might be considered a minor character, his fate is tightly intertwined
with Eolyn's. The final outcome of the saga, to be revealed in the third book Daughter of Aithne, will depend crucially
on the resilience of their besieged friendship.
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EOLYN [audio edition]
Karin Rita Gastreich
(author)
Darla Middlebrook
(narrator)
Sole heiress to a forbidden craft, Eolyn lives in a world
where women of her kind are tortured and burned. When she meets Akmael,
destined to assume the throne of this violent realm, she embarks upon a path of
adventure, friendship, betrayal and war. Bound by magic, driven apart by
destiny, Eolyn and the Mage King confront each other in an epic struggle that will
determine the fate of a millennial tradition of magic.
"Vigorously told deceptions and battle scenes will
satisfy fans of traditional epic fantasy, with a romantic thread." – Publishers Weekly
“Magnificently written.” –Kindle Book Review
Purchase Link:http://www.amazon.com/Eolyn/dp/B00KROCQCY/
Link to YouTube
Preview: http://youtu.be/ymFTCvi8wew
About the Author:
KARIN RITA GASTREICHlives in Kansas City and Costa Rica. An
ecologist by trade, her past times include camping, hiking, music, and flamenco
dance. Karin's first fantasy novel,
EOLYN, was released by Hadley Rille Books in 2011. The companion novel, HIGH
MAGA, is also available from Hadley Rille Books. Karin’s short stories have
appeared inZahir, Adventures for the Average Woman, 69 Flavors
of Paranoia, and A Visitor to Sandahl.
She is a recipient of the Spring 2011 Andrews Forest Writer’s Residency.
Follow Karin’s adventures into fantastic worlds, both real and imagined, athttp://eolynchronicles.blogspot.com
and at http://heroinesoffantasy.blogspot.com.
Author web links:
Blog for Eolyn: http://eolynchronicles.blogspot.com
Blog Heroines of Fantasy: http://heroinesoffantasy.blogspot.com
Twitter: @EolynChronicles
About the Narrator:
With experience of 34+ years as a Speech-Language
Pathologist, more than 20 years as a stage & film actor and over 20 years
as a trained singer with knowledge and insight into the mechanics of the voice
and speech, Darla Middlebrook brings a wealth of experience to bear to develop
character voices (male, female, mature, extremely elderly, creepy, bright
exotic, etc) with an impressive emotional range.
Currently, Darla is one of many voice actors who narrates
podcasts for AIRS-LA (an audio internet service for individuals with visual
challenges) in addition to narrating audio books. She is able to produce retail quality audio
books from her home studio in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan - Canada.
Narrator Web Links:
Website: http://www.darlasvoice.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/damiddlebrook
Twitter: @GypsyCatVoice
Tour Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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2 comments:
Thank you very much for hosting me, Marsha! It's a pleasure to be on your blog again. :)
You're welcome. It's wonderful to have you visit again, Karin.
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