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Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Showing posts with label YA novels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YA novels. Show all posts

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Book Spotlight: Henrietta and the Dragon Stone (Book 2) by Beth Barany, Fantasy/Adventure

I welcome award-winning YA Fantasy author Beth Barany to my blog today. The 2nd book in her Five Kingdom series is full of adventure and features a strong heroine--an awesome combination. Beth is giving away 2 signed copies of Henrietta and the Dragon Stone (Book 2) so don't forget to enter below.

Henrietta and the Dragon Stone (Book 2)
· Print Length: 300 pages
· Publisher and date published: Firewolf Books, Jan. 31, 2014
· ASIN: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I54CZII
· Genre: young adult fantasy/epic fantasy
· Format: Digital and print
Henrietta.and.the.Dragon.Stone.by.Beth.Barany.Book.2.Five.Kingdoms.series.290x480
About the Book
A new story of young adult epic fantasy adventure by award-winning author, Beth Barany.
Book 2 in the Five Kingdom series of the continuing adventures of Henrietta The Dragon Slayer.
What if everyone you loved was threatened by a force you couldn't see or fight?
Henrietta the legendary dragon slayer wants to return to her village for a heroes’ welcome. But an unknown sorcerer rides after her and her Dragon Stone and aims to destroy everyone she cares about. Can she claim her newfound powers sparked by the Dragon Stone and keep her loved ones safe, or will the sorcerer destroy everyone and everything she loves?
Excerpt of Henrietta and the Dragon Stone (Book 2 of the Five Kingdom series)
chapter one: in his grasp
The Dracontias, dra-con-ti-as, emphasis on the second syllable, is the most powerful gem in all the Five Kingdoms, and more powerful than all the other so-called Kingdom Stones. This one and only Dragon Stone unifies the kingdoms and empowers its user. But beware its one fatal flaw.
—from the Fire Wizards Compendium
Early Winter New Moon (Mitte Moon), Oro Islands, One of the Five Kingdoms
King Singfan sucked in a breath, stretched the crossbow, and held it steady, tracking the beast.
Time was of the essence. If he didn’t kill this dragon and obtain the Dragon Stone on the great dragon’s forehead, he’d have to start all over again. Unthinkable. Impossible.
He had to renew this king’s body during this night, while the stars were aligned just so, and the moon hung below the horizon.
The girl Dragon Slayer, that Henrietta, was performing exactly as he’d expected. She’d taken the proffered reward and given him the secret dragon lore, confirming what he needed to know. She crouched nearby, ready to do his bidding.
King Singfan breathed out, steadying his aim, and smiled.
Inside of him, Bjirn Eyvindir smiled, too, at Singfan’s glee. Hidden to everyone, Eyvindir had occupied the body of King Singfan for seventy-five years, a long king’s rule—longer than anyone on the Oro Islands could remember. If they did remember the length of King Singfan’s reign, Eyvindir by King Singfan’s hand had made sure they didn’t remember for long, and didn’t remember anything ever again.
King Singfan had given him free reign to run his magic through the man and control his every move. The man was his best and most perfect servant. Eyvindir wasn’t going to end the arrangement anytime soon. He’d planned this renewal too long for the moment to go awry.
The dragon hovered above the enormous cave floor about to settle, its scales flickering and iridescent in the torchlight. King Singfan held his breath, steadying his strong stance and perfect aim. He readied the powerful crossbow.
Before he could loose the arrow, Henrietta yelled “You can’t!” and shoved him to the hard-packed ground.
The dragon slayer pinned his arms against his torso with her legs, heavy on his chest. He struggled beneath her weight.
“How dare you!” he snarled. “We had an agreement.”
How had she slipped past his guard?
With every second that ticked by, he felt his power draining from him like water down the drain, no doubt shifting his appearance. But his voice held strong and loud. He gathered courage in that. There was still time to kill the dragon and obtain the Dragon Stone.
“I can’t let you!” she shouted, glaring down at him.
***
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About Beth Barany:
Beth Barany writes magical tales of romance and adventure to transport readers to new worlds where anything is possible.
Book 1: Henrietta The Dragon Slayer was the 2012 Grand Prize winner at the California Fiction Writers Book Contest and the 2011 Finalist at the Hollywood Book Festival.

Reader reviews of the award-winning young adult fantasy, Henrietta The Dragon Slayer, Book 1 in the Five Kingdoms series
As far as young adult fantasies go, Henrietta, The Dragon Slayer is a good read that I think any age, teen to adult, would enjoy. I only hope a sequel is in the works!
--LunaMoth
The witty dialogue and good story line makes this book hard to put down. I really could not stop reading it and was really tired the next day. It's also very satisfying to read about a girl heroine fighting the good fight. --Jeri
Beth, best known for strong heroines in her stories, this story is no exception. It is a tale of righteousness and overcoming adversity including magic. --Robert Mendak "RJ"
The book is a beautiful story about friendship, a heroine, and a quest to kill a dragon. Who wouldn't be excited? The entire concept sounded interesting and I was not at all disappointed. --Brittany, from Goodreads
Beth Barany has made a world where unlikely friendships rule and being a friend means more than you can know. --Tami, from Goodreads

Special Blog Tour Giveaway: Grand Prize
I’ll be giving away 2 signed copies of Henrietta and the Dragon Stone.
<a id="rc-2a406b15" class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2a406b15/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget.rafflecopter.com/load.js"></script>
I’ll mail you a copy anywhere in the world.
I’ll also give away e-book copies of HYPERLINK "http://bit.ly/Henrietta2"Henrietta and the Dragon Stone at each blog tour stop.

Where to find Henrietta and the Dragon Stone (Book 2)
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1jB4AxQ
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1mHPfA4
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1puwOxV
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1puwVJT
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/henrietta-dragon-stone-five/id812548135?mt=11
More at: http://bit.ly/1fsbqR7

Monday, February 03, 2014

Why I don’t like to have teenage girl heroines in my stories

I can say this because I was one—a teenage girl. They are borderline psycho, overly dramatic and make terrible decisions. This is why I don’t like to have teenage girls as heroines in my novels and why I probably won’t write YA.

I couldn’t write a teenage girl heroine without rolling my eyes and wanting to kill her off. A heroine is supposed to be liked by readers. Now maybe if the heroine grew up in a different environment from the spoiled kind of life most teenagers have in the U.S., she might make a good heroine. I’m thinking of Katnis from Hunger Games. She grew up in a dangerous environment where survival was more important than the latest fashion. She had to be levelheaded in order to make sure she survived and to take care of her family.

I wonder if it’s the role models teenagers have that makes most of them so stupid. Especially today with reality shows like the Kardashians and pop stars that flaunt their bodies and their dramatic love lives. And it’s even worse with Facebook and Twitter where people try to out do each other and post every little thought and deed.

Growing up I didn’t have the Internet to tempt me into doing stupid things, but I still did them. I don’t know if it’s just a part of growing up and learning life’s lessons or if I was just rebellious. I’m sure not all teenage girls act crazy like I did, but those memories are stuck in my head and whenever I try to write about teenage heroine, I can’t get past how stupid I was.

 

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

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