Today I'm pleased to have author E.M. MacCallum here to talk with my readers about finding your way around the ever-expanding world of fantasy fiction. Be sure to check out her new release, The Demon's Grave, and also her great giveaway contest at the bottom of this post.
Quest for a Fantasy Book
by E. M. MacCallum
No longer is it about elves, goblins, and quests to save the kingdom. Fantasy, especially over the last few years, has exploded into something more diverse, gritty, and imaginative.
Sure, some of the basics are there. I've seen Urban Fantasies with elves, and goblins. But, the time of Tolkien, as classic and cherished as it was, is starting to slip onto other avenues. Terry Brooks and the Shannarra series instantly comes to mind. It began, very much like a "Lord of the Rings" quest, but as the series continued, it developed into it's own world, then a post-apocalyptic series etc, all of this within the same world. Laurell K. Hamilton's "Anita Blake" series started a new Urban Fantasy wave, while Joe Ambrocrombie has a gritty, realistic edge to a fantastic world. Now, with the enormity of "Game of Thrones", as books and a TV show, there is no stopping this genre. I don't think Fantasy as a genre every stalled much anyway. It's only started to leak into other genres and creating whole new sub-genres. It's hinted at in Dystopian novels, alongside Sci-Fi, and other genres such as Horror or Steampunk. I think that's why I like the genre so much. The medley of the stories, characters and worlds are only becoming more imaginative. I mean, the only stopper to these stories, is in the author's imagination.
I've always enjoyed Urban Fantasy because it mixes a bit of what I know, with a bit of the fantastical. Something that couldn't possibly exist in our world does, and this is how people, like your or I, would deal with it. That's why I created "The Demon's Grave". It was a fantastical world within our own that drags the "normal" into the supernatural. I wrote it because I hadn't read anything like it. It doesn't mean a story like this doesn't exist, but I needed to create one of my own. I hope that you can find a fantasy book or genre in fantasy that you can like too. It's only getting bigger.
About the Book
Title: The Demon’s Grave
Author: E.M. MacCallum
Genre: Dark Urban Fantasy
When strange shadows and messages
plague Nora's daily life she fears for her sanity. To escape questions from her
family, Nora joins her friends on a weekend getaway. Despite not liking Aidan
Birket, Nora finds his remote, Victorian house charming. Until they discover
the marble doorway on the third floor and, against Nora's better judgment, they
open it.
Trespassing into an unfamiliar world
called the Demon's Grave, the group face a charismatic demon and six
nightmarish Challenges as punishment. Those that make it to the end can go
home, but those that don't will be his forever. Friendships are tested, secrets
revealed and sacrifices will be made.
Nora battles zombies,
doppelgängers, eyeless bikers, and the demon—whose interests are more than just
a game of cat and mouse. If it's all in her head, then it should be easy. But,
if not, it means the demon knows about her sticky past, and the death of her
twin sister.
Book
Links:
Author
Bio:
E.M. loves long walks through bookstores, Disney,
horror movies/books, anything supernatural, and researching random facts. She lives by a lake out in the Canadian wilderness
with internet access, her husband, and a rag-tag band of pets.
"The Demon's Grave" trilogy came out
mid-2015
"Zombie-Killer Bill" novella will be
re-released 2015
Author
Links:
WEBPAGE: www.emmaccallum.com
Twitter @EMMacCallum:
https://twitter.com/EMMacCallum
Amazon Author Page: http://amazon.com/author/emmaccallum
Book Excerpt:
Chapter One
"Good idea," Phoebe said
and changed the subject. "We should ask Aidan to come."
"Uh, no."
"He's cute."
"He's creepy."
Phoebe rolled her dark green eyes.
"You're irrational."
"And you're pushy." I
looked up at her and flashed teeth in a satisfied grin.
Phoebe sighed. "Touché. So,
meet at lunch tomorrow and we'll figure it out? And, just so you know, Aidan's
coming. Read's already asked him."
I faltered in my step. "Read is
an asshole."
Phoebe grinned. "Told'ja. And
we might not have to look for a place to camp."
Adjusting my backpack on my shoulder
I started to slow as we reached my locker. I noticed Phoebe didn't carry
anything with her. She rarely left the school with more than a few books at a
time. "What do you mean? Did Robin get angry about Whitefish Lake
again?"
Phoebe snorted. "Yes, but
that's not it. Aidan says he has the perfect place."
Aidan Birket was coming. Something
about that made my stomach drop. I never really liked Aidan and not knowing why
was doubly frustrating. He wasn't mean, cruel, annoying, or any quality I can
list that would stretch my dislike beyond instinct. There was something about
him that was just off.
"What perfect place?" I
asked, hearing the edge. I focused on the locker door instead of Phoebe.
"Wouldn't say. I guess we find
out tomorrow." Phoebe leaned against the locker next to mine and stretched
her arms over her head. Her olive tanned stomach was toned to perfection. I
suppose wanting to get into physical education had benefits.
"You do that to make people
jealous?" I asked and tugged down her white t-shirt. "You'll stop
traffic."
Already there was an anonymous
whistle from the crowd.
Grinning, Phoebe lowered her arms
and jutted her chin at me. "What's that?"
To my horror, she was looking at my
fist. A bit of paper poked out.
So much for a temporary distraction.
"Nothing."
Dismal is the Demon's Grave. It
didn't even make sense. Maybe it was someone with really similar handwriting and
it somehow got stuck in my book.
Unless it wasn't my book.
Students scattered their stuff across the library tables like they were
prepping a picnic. Marly from my media class had been across from me this
afternoon.
Dropping the backpack off my shoulder,
it fell with a thud against the linoleum.
"You okay, Fuller?" Phoebe
quirked a thin, yellow brow.
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered
and pulled the Writing for the Media book free.
"Are you missing
something?"
Flipping the book open I saw my name
scrawled at the top.
My shoulders slumped and hope
whistled by. It must have been a prank. There was no point wasting time
thinking about a stupid note with finals in a few weeks.
"Hey look." Phoebe's
swan-like neck stretched. "It's your book, imagine that," she said
flatly.
Part of me wanted to tell her what
I'd found but if she mentioned any of it to my family I'd be wheeled off to the
sanitarium. I wish that were a joke.
Until I could explain the note, I'd
have to hide it.
Slipping the note in my jeans pocket
I started stuffing the locker with books I didn't need. Slamming it shut I met
Phoebe's eyes. "It's nothing," I said, hearing the darkness in my own
voice. "You should go save Robin instead."
Looking past Phoebe I could see the
petite former cheerleader arguing with a handsome, blonde guy from the football
team. Phoebe had pointed him out once or twice. If someone was into sports,
leave it to Phoebe to know who they were.
"That's weird," Phoebe
said slowly, eyes narrowing.
I took advantage of Phoebe's
distraction and slammed my locker shut. "I'll see you tomorrow!"
Before she could speak, I bolted into the streaming crowd.
As much as I adored Phoebe, she'd never understand the
note or my family.
Giveaway: an eBook copy and $10 Amazon gift card.
*~*~*
4 comments:
Thank you for featuring my book today! You have a beautiful blog. <3
Thanks lots! It's great to have you spend a day here. I love your cover art.
Thanks so much for hosting this post.
Glad to help!
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