Showing posts with label The Green Rose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Green Rose. Show all posts

Friday, 13 April 2012

Author Spotlight - Excerpt from "The Green Rose"


Thanks so much for supporting me this week. Enjoy this excerpt from "The Green Rose." If you follow me on Twitter, you all know I'm hooked on a good cup o' Joe in the morning. Leave a comment about the excerpt on today's blog with your email address and I'll pick one winner to receive a coffee mug with the cover, a Starbucks gift card, chocolate and various other goodies.

Smiles
Steph

********

Excerpt from: "The Green Rose"

Sonia had never seen a city like Drakon. She pulled the reins of her horse, stopping the mare, and gazed at the city. It stretched out along the northern shore of the Krispin Sea. The smaller buildings were made of stone, brick, and wood, but the taller buildings with the spires appeared either steel or granite. The spires consisted of swirling colored patterns and thick ledges she guessed were made of granite. Several buildings also possessed huge onion domes with wide doors. To the northwest she spied a river. The Volga? It must have been close to a myle wide. Beside the waterway, a tall, sturdy keep framed the city's skyline with two onion domes and two spirals.

Ivánstan pointed. "That's my home, Drakon Castle."

Sonia whistled. "Impressive. I've never seen onion domes or spirals used in buildings."

"King Xeres discovered the onion domes proved to be an excellent size and shape for a dragon's aerie."

"Are they granite?"

"Aye. King Eric the Great of Ravenrock allowed King Xeres to mine a granite quarry near the Ravenrock city of Faroe. The larger buildings of the city have a granite base."

"Where are the dragons?"

Again, Ivánstan pointed, toward the south. "The royal dragons prefer to live in those caves, though it's not uncommon to see them flying overhead."

"Amazing." A sense of awe overcame Sonia. She couldn't deny the exotic appeal of Ivánstan's home.

"I'm only sorry we won't be visiting the castle this time."

"No?"

"I don't think it wise. I know a tavern owner near the docks, Saltier. He can be trusted. We'll rent a room at his inn, rest our horses, and collect supplies for our journey into the forest. Tomorrow morning at first light, we'll continue."

She arched an eyebrow. "Are you embarrassed to show me your keep?"

"Nay, practical. It's not wise to announce our presence in the city. Too many questions would be asked of us and I don't want to scare the citizens into a panic."

She pursed her lips, unable to hide a hint of disappointment. His reasoning and logic made sense, but he could have shared his thoughts with her during today's journey. Then she glanced at her tunic.




"I wear the royal tunic of Tapin and you wear Daháka's."

"We'll make do for now. I'll have Saltier procure us tunics belonging to Cason's banner house so we won't attract immediate attention." He paused and studied her face. "Did I offend you?"

"I do think your plan has merit. I'm tired and I know the horses are, too, but I would have preferred you told me sooner."

His dark eyebrows slanted. "I'm sorry. When I make a decision, I carry it out. I don't often ask for another opinion."

"Then I would appreciate being consulted." She placed a hand on her hip and glared at him.

Ivánstan made a fist and placed it over his mouth as he coughed. "I'm sorry."

She shucked on the reins of her horse and proceeded forward at a brisk pace. Ivánstan quickly caught up. "I have a suggestion."

"A suggestion or an order?"



BLURB:
Eight hundred years ago on the continent of Gaia, war rocked the countries of N'Gasse, Tapin, Daháka, and Ravenrock. The fearsome wyldebeasts of the black east threatened to destroy the known world. King Xeres of Daháka gathered the most powerful magicians of Gaia along with Queen Rhysia of N'Gasse, King Erik of Ravenrock, and Nyla, the High Priestess of Tapin at Komodo Field.

Daháka brought pollen taken from the bees of the Tagrassé Forest. N'Gasse brought sap from the old mahogany trees. Tapin presented dust from falcon eggs. Ravenrock offered a rose. Together, they forged the indestructible green rose, a harbinger of powerful magic.

Using the green rose, the nobles and peoples of Gaia fought the wyldebeasts, led by the dark wizard, Augustin. Once the evil threat was defeated, the Eastern Wall was built along Ravenrock's borders to keep the foul wyldebeasts out of Gaia. Ravenrock was given the responsibility of guarding the 50,000 kilometer granite barrier.

King Xeres feared those who harbored evil in their hearts would seek the green rose. He tasked three witches to guard the flower and sent them into the heart of Tagrassé Forest.

Now, hundreds of years later, the peace of Gaia is once again threatened.

REVIEWS:

Stephenia Mcgee, Author "A Legacy of Lies"
Stephanie Burkhart weaves a delightful blend of action, intrigue and adventure into her fantasy romance, The Green Rose.


Regina Andrews, Author of "Destiny's Designs"
"The Green Rose" reaches the reader on an emotional level that rings very true and very sincere.

Book Trailer:


The Green Rose is available as an ebook only.
BUY LINKS:

PUBLISHER'S SITE
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-280/The-Green-Rose-Stephanie/Detail.bok

AMAZON KINDLE:
http://amzn.com/B007QUBU2E

BARNES & NOBLE NOOK:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1109853031

ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS:
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thegreenrose-769936-143.html

FIND ME ON THE WEB AT:

WEBSITE:
http://www.stephanieburkhart.com

TWITTER:
http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart

FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor

GOOD READS:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart

YOU TUBE CHANNEL:
http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee

Thursday, 12 April 2012

Author Spotlight - Game of Thrones


Thank goodness for On Demand TV! Between work, helping my boys with homework and chauffeuring my little men to their extra curricular activities, I have no time for TV. None.

HBO On Demand allowed me to stay up with it's mini-series, Game of Thrones, and I was hooked on the 1st episode.

Westros is a cesspool with a glutton of corrupt characters. King Robert is fat and slow, and while a decent soul, he's worn out from playing the game. He asks his friend, Ned Stark, to help out. Ned's a good guy, the Lord of Winterfell, but doesn't play the game well, either.

Who plays the game of thrones well? Tyrion Lannister. He maybe a dwarf, but he understands human nature and he knows the motivations behind a man – or a woman's – actions. Only his sister, Cersei, is a match for him.

There are outside elements which play into the game. Up in the north, where the wall separates Westros from the others, a threat that threatens to destroy the country looms. Ned Stark's bastard, Jon Snow, takes "the black" to protect the wall.



To the far east, across the sea is the desert land of the Dothraki. Daenerys Targaryen, the last of her line and daughter of the previous Westros king, wanders the land searching for a home and finds her legacy – dragons – instead.

Season 2 of Game of Thrones is on HBO now and I'm loving it. Who's your favorite character in the series? Who plays the game the best?

NOTE: Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion, won an Emmy last year for his role.

BLURB:
Eight hundred years ago on the continent of Gaia, war rocked the countries of N'Gasse, Tapin, Daháka, and Ravenrock. The fearsome wyldebeasts of the black east threatened to destroy the known world. King Xeres of Daháka gathered the most powerful magicians of Gaia along with Queen Rhysia of N'Gasse, King Erik of Ravenrock, and Nyla, the High Priestess of Tapin at Komodo Field.

Daháka brought pollen taken from the bees of the Tagrassé Forest. N'Gasse brought sap from the old mahogany trees. Tapin presented dust from falcon eggs. Ravenrock offered a rose. Together, they forged the indestructible green rose, a harbinger of powerful magic.

Using the green rose, the nobles and peoples of Gaia fought the wyldebeasts, led by the dark wizard, Augustin. Once the evil threat was defeated, the Eastern Wall was built along Ravenrock's borders to keep the foul wyldebeasts out of Gaia. Ravenrock was given the responsibility of guarding the 50,000 kilometer granite barrier.

King Xeres feared those who harbored evil in their hearts would seek the green rose. He tasked three witches to guard the flower and sent them into the heart of Tagrassé Forest.

Now, hundreds of years later, the peace of Gaia is once again threatened.

REVIEWS:

Stephenia Mcgee, Author "A Legacy of Lies"
Stephanie Burkhart weaves a delightful blend of action, intrigue and adventure into her fantasy romance, The Green Rose.


Regina Andrews, Author of "Destiny's Designs"
"The Green Rose" reaches the reader on an emotional level that rings very true and very sincere.

Book Trailer:


The Green Rose is available as an ebook only.
BUY LINKS:

PUBLISHER'S SITE
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-280/The-Green-Rose-Stephanie/Detail.bok

AMAZON KINDLE:
http://amzn.com/B007QUBU2E

BARNES & NOBLE NOOK:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1109853031

ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS:
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thegreenrose-769936-143.html

FIND ME ON THE WEB AT:

WEBSITE:
http://www.stephanieburkhart.com

TWITTER:
http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart

FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor

GOOD READS:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart

YOU TUBE CHANNEL:
http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee

Wednesday, 11 April 2012

Author Spotlight - Dahaka - The Land of Dragons


Dragons are fun to write about. What's not fun? They fly, they breath fire, they're intelligent, and they can be either be bad or good. I hit the books the find out what I could add to my dragons.

While no "fantasy-like" dragons exist today, I discovered that just about every culture from the Aztecs to the Europeans to even the Chinese have extensive dragon myths. I thought that was curious – despite the world in the early development of humans, the dominant civilizations all had dragon myths and the most common element included dragons that flew and breathed fire.

Ivánstan, my hero, is bonded to Draco, the dragon. Draco is a clever one, but needs to stay near water to keep cool since his internal temperature runs hot. The dragons reside in onion dome aeries in the capital of Daháka, Drakon. Draco is loyal to the bone to his bonded human, Ivánstan, but will the fierce dragon defend Sonia, the Tapin princess who has stolen Ivánstan's heart?

QUESTION: What's your favorite fantasy story?


BLURB:
Eight hundred years ago on the continent of Gaia, war rocked the countries of N'Gasse, Tapin, Daháka, and Ravenrock. The fearsome wyldebeasts of the black east threatened to destroy the known world. King Xeres of Daháka gathered the most powerful magicians of Gaia along with Queen Rhysia of N'Gasse, King Erik of Ravenrock, and Nyla, the High Priestess of Tapin at Komodo Field.

Daháka brought pollen taken from the bees of the Tagrassé Forest. N'Gasse brought sap from the old mahogany trees. Tapin presented dust from falcon eggs. Ravenrock offered a rose. Together, they forged the indestructible green rose, a harbinger of powerful magic.

Using the green rose, the nobles and peoples of Gaia fought the wyldebeasts, led by the dark wizard, Augustin. Once the evil threat was defeated, the Eastern Wall was built along Ravenrock's borders to keep the foul wyldebeasts out of Gaia. Ravenrock was given the responsibility of guarding the 50,000 kilometer granite barrier.

King Xeres feared those who harbored evil in their hearts would seek the green rose. He tasked three witches to guard the flower and sent them into the heart of Tagrassé Forest.

Now, hundreds of years later, the peace of Gaia is once again threatened.

REVIEWS:

Stephenia Mcgee, Author "A Legacy of Lies"
Stephanie Burkhart weaves a delightful blend of action, intrigue and adventure into her fantasy romance, The Green Rose.


Regina Andrews, Author of "Destiny's Designs"
"The Green Rose" reaches the reader on an emotional level that rings very true and very sincere.

Book Trailer:


The Green Rose is available as an ebook only.
BUY LINKS:

PUBLISHER'S SITE
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-280/The-Green-Rose-Stephanie/Detail.bok

AMAZON KINDLE:
http://amzn.com/B007QUBU2E

BARNES & NOBLE NOOK:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1109853031

ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS:
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thegreenrose-769936-143.html

FIND ME ON THE WEB AT:

WEBSITE:
http://www.stephanieburkhart.com

TWITTER:
http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart

FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor

GOOD READS:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart

YOU TUBE CHANNEL:
http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee

Tuesday, 10 April 2012

Author Spotlight - Inspiration for "The Green Rose"


Would you believe the inspiration for "The Green Rose" came from a writing prompt? In 2005, I joined Writing.com in the hopes of "honing" my writing skills. 7 years later I'm still on Writing.com as a Moderator, "StephB." In fact, you can find my older works on the website including my poetry, short stories, and scripts. Several years ago, I was cruising the contests and found one that interested me: write a story involving a spoon, honey, and a flower. The story had a 4,000 word count.




I rubbed my chin and rolled those items over in my mind. What could I do with a flower, honey, and a spoon? Deciding to pen a fantasy story, I wrote a scene where Ivánstan had to claim the green rose from 3 witches. In fact, the essence of that scene is retained in the novel as Ivánstan confronts the 3 witches, Claudia, Atia, and DeBussia in the hopes of acquiring the green rose.

In 2010, I showed the short story to Gail here at Desert Breeze who offered me a contract. How could I say no? Now that I had a contract, I knew I had to have dragons.

Question: What fantasy character would you want to be?


BLURB:
Eight hundred years ago on the continent of Gaia, war rocked the countries of N'Gasse, Tapin, Daháka, and Ravenrock. The fearsome wyldebeasts of the black east threatened to destroy the known world. King Xeres of Daháka gathered the most powerful magicians of Gaia along with Queen Rhysia of N'Gasse, King Erik of Ravenrock, and Nyla, the High Priestess of Tapin at Komodo Field.

Daháka brought pollen taken from the bees of the Tagrassé Forest. N'Gasse brought sap from the old mahogany trees. Tapin presented dust from falcon eggs. Ravenrock offered a rose. Together, they forged the indestructible green rose, a harbinger of powerful magic.

Using the green rose, the nobles and peoples of Gaia fought the wyldebeasts, led by the dark wizard, Augustin. Once the evil threat was defeated, the Eastern Wall was built along Ravenrock's borders to keep the foul wyldebeasts out of Gaia. Ravenrock was given the responsibility of guarding the 50,000 kilometer granite barrier.

King Xeres feared those who harbored evil in their hearts would seek the green rose. He tasked three witches to guard the flower and sent them into the heart of Tagrassé Forest.

Now, hundreds of years later, the peace of Gaia is once again threatened.

REVIEWS:

Stephenia Mcgee, Author "A Legacy of Lies"
Stephanie Burkhart weaves a delightful blend of action, intrigue and adventure into her fantasy romance, The Green Rose.


Regina Andrews, Author of "Destiny's Designs"
"The Green Rose" reaches the reader on an emotional level that rings very true and very sincere.

Book Trailer:


The Green Rose is available as an ebook only.
BUY LINKS:

PUBLISHER'S SITE
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-280/The-Green-Rose-Stephanie/Detail.bok

AMAZON KINDLE:
http://amzn.com/B007QUBU2E

BARNES & NOBLE NOOK:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1109853031

ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS:
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thegreenrose-769936-143.html

FIND ME ON THE WEB AT:

WEBSITE:
http://www.stephanieburkhart.com

TWITTER:
http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart

FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor

GOOD READS:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart

YOU TUBE CHANNEL:
http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee

Monday, 9 April 2012

Author Spotlight - Q&A with Stephanie Burkhart


QUESTION 1: What's "The Green Rose" about?"

STEPH: The story takes place on the mythical continent of Gaia. There are 4 allied nations: N'Gasse, Tapin, Daháka, and Ravenrock. The evil mage, Balthyser, betrays Tapin and the allied nations. Seeking power, he unleashes the fearsome wyldebeasts on Gaia. Sonia of Tapin and Ivánstan of Daháka are tasked to find the green rose in the hopes of harnessing the magic and defeating Balthyser.

QUESTION 2: How long did it take you to write?

STEPH: About 3 months. I started in September and finished in November. It was a very fluid write and the characters really dictated the direction of the story.

QUESTION 3: Did you have to do a lot of research?

STEPH: I did a bunch of research on dragon myths and legends. I also researched falcons and ravens. I learned a lot of interesting things about the birds and I tried to weave the more interesting aspects into the story.

QUESTION 4: Hollywood is calling. Cast the characters.

STEPH: I see Rhona Mitra (from Underworld 3) as Sonia and Kellan Lutz (think Immortals) as Ivánstan. Ian McKellan is my choice for the evil mage Balthyser. Meryl Streep would make a great Queen Rowan and Colin Firth would be my pick for King Talas of Ravenrock.

QUESTION 5: Sonia is the heroine. What are her strengths? Weaknesses?

STEPH: Sonia was told that magic wasn't strong in her so she was raised to be skilled with a sword. Sonia is brave and determined, but after Gabriel's betrayal, she's a lot less trusting. Her weaknesses would be her lack of training in magic and her fear of trusting again. Ivánstan has to work hard to earn her trust.

QUESTION 6: What does Ivánstan find appealing about Sonia?

STEPH: She's just as fearless as him and enjoys a good adventure. That's what he's looking for in a soulmate.

QUESTION 7: How does the cover reflect the story?



STEPH: The green rose is a powerful magical instrument and can influence magical beings. Sonia is the one most affected by the rose. The rose helps her to find the courage to deepen her relationships.

QUESTION 8: Are you a plotter or a panster?

STEPH: A panster for sure! When I start, I plot the first 3 chapters and when I'm done with them I let the characters decide where they want to go.

QUESTION 9: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?

STEPH: I have a Kindle Fire and a Kindle 2. I love my Kindle 2 because it has text to speech and I can listen to it in the car going to work. I love my Kindle Fire for the color, the apps, the games, and the videos.

QUESTION 10: Fun question: Any plans for spring?

STEPH: The California Strawberry Festival takes place 19 & 20 May in Oxnard, CA and I can't wait to go. I go every year. If you love strawberries, you'll love the festival. The strawberries melt in your mouth. There's strawberry everything – shortcake, margaritas, beer, nachos, etc.

Anyone want to share about their local festivals, if they go, and what they enjoy at the festival? There's a garlic festival in Gilroy, CA I'd like to go to one summer. Maybe this year.

BLURB:
Eight hundred years ago on the continent of Gaia, war rocked the countries of N'Gasse, Tapin, Daháka, and Ravenrock. The fearsome wyldebeasts of the black east threatened to destroy the known world. King Xeres of Daháka gathered the most powerful magicians of Gaia along with Queen Rhysia of N'Gasse, King Erik of Ravenrock, and Nyla, the High Priestess of Tapin at Komodo Field.

Daháka brought pollen taken from the bees of the Tagrassé Forest. N'Gasse brought sap from the old mahogany trees. Tapin presented dust from falcon eggs. Ravenrock offered a rose. Together, they forged the indestructible green rose, a harbinger of powerful magic.



Using the green rose, the nobles and peoples of Gaia fought the wyldebeasts, led by the dark wizard, Augustin. Once the evil threat was defeated, the Eastern Wall was built along Ravenrock's borders to keep the foul wyldebeasts out of Gaia. Ravenrock was given the responsibility of guarding the 50,000 kilometer granite barrier.

King Xeres feared those who harbored evil in their hearts would seek the green rose. He tasked three witches to guard the flower and sent them into the heart of Tagrassé Forest.

Now, hundreds of years later, the peace of Gaia is once again threatened.

REVIEWS:

Stephenia Mcgee, Author "A Legacy of Lies"
Stephanie Burkhart weaves a delightful blend of action, intrigue and adventure into her fantasy romance, The Green Rose.


Regina Andrews, Author of "Destiny's Designs"
"The Green Rose" reaches the reader on an emotional level that rings very true and very sincere.

Book Trailer:


The Green Rose is available as an ebook only.
BUY LINKS:

PUBLISHER'S SITE
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-280/The-Green-Rose-Stephanie/Detail.bok

AMAZON KINDLE:
http://amzn.com/B007QUBU2E

BARNES & NOBLE NOOK:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1109853031

ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS:
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thegreenrose-769936-143.html

FIND ME ON THE WEB AT:

WEBSITE:
http://www.stephanieburkhart.com

TWITTER:
http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart

FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor

GOOD READS:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart

YOU TUBE CHANNEL:
http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee