Wildfire
Everealm Series
Book Two
J.D. Wright
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Date of Publication: 9-1-15
ISBN: 978-1517257408
ASIN: B0137Y7XVO
Number of pages: 270
Word Count: 84,000
Cover Artist: J.D. Wright
Book Description:
The journey through Everealm continues as new evil arrives, casting mayhem about the realm. While war and wildfire are causing disorder, Bree and Rowan find that assistance from the fairies isn't what they imagined. As Dagan and Sidonie seek answers to uncover the truth about her family and her magic, they are plagued with even more mystery to unveil. As the wildfire burns, who will be left standing in the ashes?
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/AoSiJJH9zeo
Book 1 Everealm Free for Kindle November 23-27
Excerpt:
Isabelle took another sip and sat her goblet down, looking around at her children. Xavier looked miserable and tired. Tristan appeared bored and Rianne seemed ready to flee at any moment. Seeing no better time to share her news, she cleared her throat.
“It has been several weeks since we’ve all shared an early meal together,” she said. “And I know that you have much more important matters to attend to so I will not keep you long.”
“We’re here for as long as you’d like, Mother,” Tristan said, earning a sharp glare from his brother across the table.
“Actually, the seamstress is on her way here to fit me for a new gown,” Rianne said, hoping it may excuse her. However, her mother paid her no mind.
“I have some news to share with you and wanted to do it in private. I would prefer your father be here, but I suspect this time is as good as any.” The queen paused for a moment to make sure that she had their attention. Then she turned to her daughter and continued.
“Rianne, your father has received a proposal for your hand in marriage from King Carneath.”
“King Carneath?” Rianne asked.
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand. I didn’t think King Carneath had a son.”
“He doesn’t,” Tristan said, frowning. He realized immediately what his sister had yet to understand.
“Then, who am I supposed to ma—” She stopped, finally grasping what her mother was trying to say. “You mean him, the king? Don’t you?”
“I do,” her mother replied.
“But Carneath is over twice my age! Father would never consider such a proposal.” Rianne was sure of it.
“He is considering it.”
“That simply cannot be true! What does he want with a new wife anyway? His first wife had given him several daughters before she died. Right?”
“Three of them,” Tristan added.
“Precisely!” Rianne shouted. “Why would he need to remarry?”
“I suppose he wants a son. Or perhaps he is lonely. It is also possible that he wants a mother for his children. Honestly, that is something I cannot answer,” Isabelle said, keeping calm.
“Mother to his children? I am only a few years older than those children, myself!”
“I find it hard to believe that Father would consider this proposal, as well,” Tristan said. “What could we possibly gain from the arrangement?”
“I have yet to be informed of the details, but I gather it involves acreage of Carneath land to the north, to expand our orchards.”
“Orchards? Is that all my future is worth? A few acres of land to plant more trees? We already have more trees than people in this wretched place.”
“Rianne,” her mother warned. “Your tone is unwelcome at my table.”
“My tone? What about my happiness? Is that unwelcome, too?”
Unable to control her emotions, Rianne stood and excused herself. She turned away from her mother and walked, quickly, back into the castle. She had made it all the way to her room before Tristan caught up with her. He found her curled up on the window seat, crying.
“Go away!”
“I know it may not seem like it right now, but everything will be alright.”
“Is that supposed to comfort her?” Xavier said, entering the room and closing the door behind him.
“What am I supposed to say?” Tristan said, standing beside the bedpost. “If Father approves the proposal, there is nothing anyone can do about it.”
Xavier shook his head at his brother and sat beside Rianne, who crawled over to cry on his arm.
“It isn’t fair. Tristan is to marry a princess who is young and beautiful. The same age as I am, even. And I have to marry an old man!”
“For all we know, Tristan’s princess may be ugly,” Xavier teased. “With a pig nose and warts all over. Hell, he hasn’t seen her since she was a baby. She could be a real hag of a lady.”
Rianne sat up, chuckling. Her light brown hair that had been pinned atop her head was now falling down and her perfect porcelain skin was blotchy from crying.
“I probably won’t even get to see her if I am married before their wedding,” Rianne frowned. “This entire idea is ridiculous! There are plenty of eligible women in the realm. Junacave, Moorine, Veyace. Why doesn’t he marry one of them? Why me?”
“The Princess of Junacave just became the queen, so she is no longer a prospect, I suspect,” Tristan said. “Moorine is on the other side of the Valerian Mountains, so Carneath land would be of no use to them. And the daughters in Veyace are still quite young.”
He looked up to see his brother and sister scowling at him.
“Constantly, the deliverer of unhelpful thoughts,” Xavier mumbled.
My Review
I haven't read book one yet, but since I just got it, I plan on reading it soon. But I jumped right in to this one. The author has a great imagination creating a world like this one. Bree and Rowan are with the Faeries looking for allies. I definitely get a good sense of the characters here, as I liked them all. There are a good bit of them though, and I think this is where not reading the first book hurt me, however the author did a great job getting me to like them here. Bree is queen and she seems to like that just fine. Sidonie is a great character as well. And her boyfriend Dagan is a cool wizard.
I liked the action in this one and the adventure. I also will say that the romance was excellently done. It was just the right amount to not be the complete main focus of the story while adding to the plot. I love both couples. There is a cliffhanger though, so I will try to be patient while I wait for book three. I think I will read book one, and then maybe reread this one so I can have a better feel for book three, since I am going backwards again. LOL I do this a lot. This is a cool story though! 4.5 PAWS!!
Author Interview
I haven't read book one yet, but since I just got it, I plan on reading it soon. But I jumped right in to this one. The author has a great imagination creating a world like this one. Bree and Rowan are with the Faeries looking for allies. I definitely get a good sense of the characters here, as I liked them all. There are a good bit of them though, and I think this is where not reading the first book hurt me, however the author did a great job getting me to like them here. Bree is queen and she seems to like that just fine. Sidonie is a great character as well. And her boyfriend Dagan is a cool wizard.
I liked the action in this one and the adventure. I also will say that the romance was excellently done. It was just the right amount to not be the complete main focus of the story while adding to the plot. I love both couples. There is a cliffhanger though, so I will try to be patient while I wait for book three. I think I will read book one, and then maybe reread this one so I can have a better feel for book three, since I am going backwards again. LOL I do this a lot. This is a cool story though! 4.5 PAWS!!
Author Interview
First,
tell me a little about your book ….
Wildfire
is the second book of the Everealm Series, which is a fantasy romance
series set in the fictional land of Everealm. Throughout the series,
we follow the lives of several different kingdoms and their
inhabitants, including royalty, wizards, spies, etc. In Wildfire,
specifically, we get to meet the fairies and further discover the
mysteries surrounding the magic in Everealm. There is romance and
magic galore. If you are a fan of medieval-ish fantasy and romance,
then the Everealm Series would make a great addition to any TBR pile!
Do
you recall how your interest in writing originated or did you always
just know?
I
never intended to become a writer. In fact, even though I am almost
finished with my third novel, I still don’t consider myself to be
an author. More like a storyteller, just putting the story in my head
onto paper. But I do have to admit, I have always had a knack for
writing. I started writing poetry as a child, after the loss of my
father, which later led to songwriting. I’ve noticed my experience
with poetry sometimes shows in my writing. It is my goal to make my
novels easy to read and flow as smooth as a sultry poem. See? I did
it right there, too.
What
inspired you to write your first book and what was it?
My
first book was started in high school, many moons ago, but I never
finished it. Then, I came across my binder with notes from my first
attempted novel and used those notes to create Everealm. I had been
so busy being a wife, mother, and business owner, that I needed to do
something just for me. To be honest, I just wanted to prove to myself
that I could do it. I never expected to fall in love with writing and
become so absorbed into this fantasy world. It is, literally, my
second home.
Are
experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
I
do not base characters off of people I know (at least, not
intentionally), but I do use my personal experiences in addition to
my active imagination. I lost a parent as a child, so I have included
several instances of parental loss in the series. Also, I have had my
share of heartbreak and disappointment, so I tend to share those
feelings through my characters.
How
do you chose when/which characters die in your books?
So
far, I have only killed supporting characters. I am not afraid to
kill characters. Personally, I have dealt with an unfortunately large
number of deaths in my lifetime, so writing about death and the
feelings that accompany it are not difficult for me. However, I have
found that killing characters just for the “shock” factor or to
kill a character in order to prove that I am brave enough to do so,
just doesn’t work for me. If/when a character dies, it must be
because it is the only way for the story to progress. I refuse to
kill characters just because I can. Like my readers, I get invested
in the lives of my characters. With that being said, just because I
may not kill many of my main characters, doesn’t mean their lives
will be easy. Just like in real life, the people of Everealm will
face real danger and realistic consequences. Death will happen, but
just know that it is not done lightly on my part…
Are
there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
I
am sad to say that I haven’t found a lot of time to read in between
writing the second and third books. I may take a short break after
Blood Moon, the third book of the series, is released. But I doubt it
will be longer than few months. I follow several blogs of my favorite
book reviewers, so when I do find some reading time, I turn to those
blogs for recommendations.
Who
do you look up to as a writer?
I
have several favorites, but here are a few. Nora Roberts got me
hooked on romance novels, starting in high school. I am a huge fan of
her trilogies and their happy endings. At the same time, I became
obsessed with Terry Goodkind. His writing is darker and I definitely
use his books as inspiration for my own twisted villains. And of
course, I would be a shame to my generation if I didn’t acknowledge
the HUGE role that J.K. Rowling played in my life as a reader and a
writer. Her ability to spin a story with so many elements is what
gave me the courage to build my own magical realm. I like to think of
my series as a mix of those three. I take my romance cues from Nora
Roberts (with a bit more steam), my mystery and danger from Terry
Goodkind, and my fantasy and magical world-building from Rowling.
If
you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your
book?
Oh,
sure. I have adopted a rule to never open a manuscript after it’s
published unless I need to fix an error because I have constantly
found myself tweaking and grooming my work. It is my baby, after all!
That being said, I wouldn’t change anything drastic. At least, not
yet. Check back with me in ten years and see if I feel the same way.
Is
there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Finding
the time! I use a heavy outline, so writer’s block hasn’t been an
issue for me, however, finding the time to sit down and write has
been difficult with a family to tend to and business to run. I now
understand why some authors take long and secluded vacations to
write. I may need to plan my own writing vacation in the future.
Who
designed the cover? And do you help with them?
I
did use a professional graphic artist for my initial ebook covers.
Then, after receiving feedback from some of my readers, I decided to
try another design with medieval/fantasy themed gowns, which has
proven to be a more popular choice amongst my readers. I designed and
created the covers, myself, including the paperback cover designs.
Did
you learn anything from writing your books and what was it?
Self-publishing
has been a roller coaster ride! In fact, I recently wrote a blog post
about several things I have learned and discovered since starting
down the road to self-publishing. It is a constant learning process
and I am just happy to have the ability to publish
If
you could be one of your characters, who would you chose?
Hmm…
I would probably choose to be Bree, our queen, mostly because I like
being in charge. Well, that reason, and I would want to be with
Rowan. Swoon…
Do
you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
To my readers, I want to say a
huge “THANK YOU”!! I never expected the series to receive much
attention and was pleasantly surprised by how kind and supportive my
readers have been. Especially the ones who continue to share the
series and recommend it to other readers. It is incredibly inspiring
to me and makes writing more exciting than ever. I cannot express
enough just how grateful I am!
About the Author:
Writing has always been a hobby of mine, beginning as a young child. It was a way to cope with losing my father at seven years of age. I started with poetry and was featured several times on the amazing poetry blog, Autumn Leaves, by Sondra Ball. My love for poetry soon led to writing songs in middle school and beyond, which I still do occasionally. Music has always been an important part of my existence, so writing songs came naturally to me. In high school, I started my own novel, however, life got in the way and I never finished it.
Fast forward many years later and I find myself married with four children, absorbed in my busy life with commitments to my family, work, school, church, and charities, among other things. One day I came across my old binder, with notes from my first novel, and it was with those notes that I conjured up the elusive Everealm.
I write to please readers such as myself, who have a love for fantasy and romance, but like a little danger and sex in their reading. I wrote the book with a mature audience in mind, who can appreciate a hearty imaginary world with magic and the unknown, but want more than fluffy love stories with wizards in them. They want the romance, magic, and danger, all wrapped into one.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/everealm
Twitter: www.twitter.com/everealmbyjdw
Tour giveaway
Paperback copies of Everealm & Wildfire
pair of hand-made jewel earrings
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