Sunday, June 12, 2011

Giveaway and Sample Sunday

Well, friends and neighbors, it's time for another Sample Sunday!  But first, I wanted to post a thank you to the Oktopus Ink blog for the great review of The Door to Canellin! Emi, the operator of the blog, also supplied me with some very interesting interview questions, and the interview is posted on the site as well.  Check it out!
Oktopus Ink Blog

In conjunction with the review and interview, Oktopus Ink is running a giveaway of two paperback copies of The Door to Canellin! Check out her review, the interview, and sign up for the giveaway!

And finally, once again, I'm dying to get some more folks reading and talking about The Door to Canellin! So I'm having another giveaway of my own!  25 ebook copies of The Door to Canellin!  It has been mentioned, however, that many people are hesitant to post their email address in a blog comment, so I've come up with a slightly different approach.  There is a link on the right of the page titled "Giveaway Signup".  Click on that link and fill in the form.  Your email address will be visible only to me, and will be used for no other purpose than to gift you a digital copy of The Door to Canellin.  The first 25 get it!

And now, without further ado, this week's sample from The Door to Canellin!
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“The doorway,” said Wes breathlessly.  “We found it.”  He started across the huge cavern, and the others followed close on his heels.  They reached the great chasm and Wes peered down into its depths.  A dull red glow could be seen far below.
“I think we’re in the cone of the volcano,” said Wes wonderingly.  “Feel the heat coming up?  I’ll bet that’s lava down there.  No, magma. It’s underground.”
Ryan laid his hand on Wes’ shoulder.  “But where’s the dragon?” he said.  “Shouldn’t it be here, near the doorway?”
Wes shrugged.  “I don’t know.  I thought it would be.”  He again peered down into the chasm.  “Maybe it’s sleeping.  But we have to find it.  We have to kill it.”
“What if it’s gone out to join the army?” said Jiane suddenly.  “What if this time, the beast means to take an active part in the war?”
“Then we’ve lost already,” said Luther.
The ground suddenly began to rumble, and Wes struggled to retain his balance.  There was a sound like tearing metal coming from the chasm, and he looked down into the red glow once again.  It seemed brighter somehow.  And then, Wes saw a sight that stole his wits from him.  He backed away from the chasm, stumbling, and fell backward into a sitting position.  He and his companions scrambled back from the pit as the rumbling and shaking grew stronger.
Up the dragon rose from the chasm, flames belching from between its teeth to crash against the roof of the immense cave.  Wes stared in awe as more and more of the great beast came into sight.  It continued to rise, finally lighting on the lip of the great pit with a huge crash that shook rocks loose from the walls and roof.  Wes’ jaw dropped open as he surveyed the great beast.  It was too big!  It was by far the largest thing he’d seen in his life, at least two hundred feet in height, with wings that spanned nearly twice that.  Its head almost brushed the roof of the cave, and its wingtips brushed the walls when outstretched.
Without warning, a booming voice began speaking in the minds of the companions.
:Who dares?: said the voice.  :Who dares to broach me here, in the seat of my power?:
Wes staggered back, feeling a strange fluttering in his chest.  “It’s… it’s huge,” he stammered.  “I didn’t… I thought it would be… but…”
:WHO DARES?: the voice repeated with more force, accompanying the exclamation with a roar and a blast of flame that passed high over the heads of Wes and his companions.  Wes ducked down in terror, but it was quickly replaced by anger.
“What do you mean, who dares?” he cried, standing straight and staring the dragon down.  “You know who I am!  You’ve been trying to kill me since I left the Collegium!  You sent your dragonmen after me, and your mercenaries and slaves, and I made it here anyway!  You killed the best man I ever met, and I made it!”  Wes took a step forward, forcing his fear deep down inside him, trying to maintain his anger.  “Who dares?  I’m Wesley Hal Bellamy, champion of the Gatehouse, and I’m here to kill you!”

1 comment:

  1. I forgot to mention, I'm putting a deadline on the 25-copy ebook giveaway of Tuesday midnight CST. Any requests or signups received after that time will be too late. Also, please be sure to leave the email address at the "Giveaway Signup" link to the right on this page! That is the ONLY way to sign up for this giveaway! Otherwise, I'll never be able to keep track of the requests! Thanks in advance for helping me retain my sanity!

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