Tag Archives: Blood of Salar

Masters and Mages: Book Blitz Celebration

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I’m happy to announce that my Masters and Mages series is available again on Amazon (and other places soon). With shiny new covers and lower prices, now is your chance to discover this high fantasy romantic adventure series if you haven’t already. To help celebrate, I’ve put Book 1, Touch of Salar, on sale for FREE on Amazon for the three days of the blitz (May 16-18). Here’s the link to my Amazon author page.

If you read it and like it, please consider leaving a review or even just a rating. All of my reviews went away along with the Loose Id version of the books (insert sad face here).

Although I am disappointed that my original publisher, Loose Id, decided to close their doors, one of the benefits of self-publishing is being able to have complete control over the cover. I’d like to thank Robin Ludwig Design Inc for her amazing work bringing my cover ideas to life (insert smiley face here).

For those of you who already read the books and have been waiting for Book 4, fear not, it will be coming soon. While preparing for the re-release, I read through all three books and reacquainted myself with the intrigue going on in the desert kingdom of Jahar, reconnecting with the minds and hearts of my characters and realizing that Salar and the serpent god Ka’alar have some issues left to resolve.  Book 4, Rise of the Serpent will address those pesky loose threads and maybe possibly give M’lan and Jamil their HEA, and maybe Dezra and Rayn too. Or maybe not. One never knows. Bwahahaha.

Lastly, if you’d like to see print versions available, let me know. I’m going to determine if there’s a demand over the next few months.

Lastly lastly, you can now sign up for my e-newsletter to keep abreast of things like free book promotions, long awaited sequels, and other fun stuff here:  Newsletter sign-up widgety thing

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Blood is Back

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Hello and welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share excerpts from their work in ten snippets or less.

I’m taking a break from Jacqui’s adventures today to celebrate the re-release of Blood of Salar: Masters and Mages 2 and share the shiny new cover which I love, love, love.  The contract for Blood ran out about a month ago, and I’ve been remiss in getting it repackaged and up for sale again. The entire series will be “refreshed” on May 9, so stay tuned for that.

Blood of Salar is the second book in the Masters and Mages series, and in it we get to know more about Jamil, the royal assassin whose world was rocked by an encounter with a monk at the healing  temple of Ka’alar (serpent god of death and renewal) in book 1.  In this scene, Jamil is stalking a important target, but finds himself lured into a situation he wants no part of.  *I confess to fiddling with punctuation in order to fit the ten sentence limit*

***

Jamil wasn’t sure what the snake god wanted, but he knew what he himself desired: justice.

Another prisoner took advantage of the distraction to break free—a young girl, also in monk’s habit, running not away but toward the violence.

Salar help me, Jamil thought.

The bow and arrow slid into place with hardly any thought on his part. He drew his arm back and lowered the tip of the arrow, eye on the lout currently bending over the monk on the ground. Even with this tempting target, Jamil hesitated to kill.

This so-called soldier was a waste of an assassin’s arrow, to say nothing of an assassin’s soul. The soldier was of no importance, and the monk, being of no threat to anyone, was even less so. To act would be to endanger Jamil’s mission and defy his king.

Ka’alar decides who will die–so decide, serpent!

***

Cover design by Rubin Ludwig Design, Inc.

 

lrc2015runnerup

“Intense fight scenes and action packed. This story grabs hold and doesn’t let go til the end. The descriptions of the powers of the two gods were awe inspiring.”

“Spirited, Enchanting…Wicked good!” – Rainbow Book Reviews

“Fantastic read. Highly recommended.”  – Five Heart Review at MM Good Book Reviews

“Blood of Salar is a cut above” – 5 Star Review at Inked Rainbow Reads

“Alexis Duran’s elegant yet earthy prose drew me hard and fast into the first book,Touch of Salar” – 5 Heart Review by Velvet Panic

Now available on Amazon. Other vendors coming soon.

***

This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight to ten sentences from a published work or perhaps their current work in progress. Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! I heartily invite you to participate as a reader, writer, or both. It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book. Click here or use the address: http://www.wewriwa.com

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Tranquility

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wewriwa

Welcome to another round of Weekend Writing Warriors.  I’m celebrating passing the 10,000 view mark last week, and much of that is due to participating in this fabulous blog hop. Thanks, guys!

Today I’m finishing up  the scene from Masters and Mages 2: Blood of Salar  that I’ve been posting from over the past several weeks.  While confronting  rebel soldiers who were desecrating the chapel of Ka’alar, M’lan called upon the long dormant god of death for help and was surprised when the god answered.   I’m under the limit this week, so I’ve included the last line from last week.

***

The serpent continued to thrash, golden fangs exposed.

“Stop!” M’lan gasped. The air shimmered, the columns trembled, and the walls seemed to warp and expand. Suddenly everything became still, the silence acute. The statue was as it had been before. Only a few broken stones and Raffe’s limp body showed anything had happened.

M’lan stared at the lifeless, graceful statue of the serpent, sacred waters once again dribbling benignly from its fangs into the pool below. Despite its tranquility, it seemed to be laughing at him.

***

BloodOfSalar

M’lan, headmaster of the order of Ka’alar and Jamil Jarka, king’s assassin, find their impossible love challenged to the utmost as a rebellion sweeps them apart, sending Jamil on a dangerous mission to assassinate the rebel leader, General Charvat. Unknown to anyone, Charvat is on his way to the temple to exploit the headmaster’s magical abilities.

When the rebel army arrives, M’lan is thrust into a struggle against political and sexual dominance as Charvat attempts to break his resistance. Violence and death mount, awakening within M’lan both the powers of destruction and the desire for revenge.

On the trail of his prey, Jamil begins to question his devotion to M’lan as his once innocent lover transforms into a mage and invades the assassin’s thoughts and dreams. The closer Jamil draws to M’lan, the more he puts his life and his very soul at risk. Jamil soon realizes that his lover might prove to be more deadly than the man he was sent to kill.

A final confrontation between assassin and monk might destroy them both, but Jamil is relentless in his determination to rescue M’lan, for he knows that only his love can master the mage.lrc2015runnerup

***

Blood of Salar on Amazon   Loose Id

All Romance eBooks  Barnes & Noble

***

This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight to ten sentences from a published work or perhaps their current work in progress. Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! I heartily invite you to participate as a reader, writer, or both. It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book. Click here or use the address: http://www.wewriwa.com

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Ka’alar

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wewriwa

Welcome to my little corner of Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where a fantastic group of writers share excerpts from their published work or works in progress.

This week I’m continuing with a scene from Masters and Mages 2: Blood of Salar.  Last week,  M’lan used his powers to perform what he thought was a simple magic trick, making a stone statue of the snake god Ka’alar appear to come to life in order to stop rebel soldiers from destroying the chapel and assaulting one of the monks.  But now, M’lan is about to learn the very real consequences of calling upon the god of death.

***

The diamond-shaped head of Ka’alar rose in the air, then plunged downward, striking Raffe on the forehead. The blow dropped him to his knees, and he slumped sideways. Blood flowed freely from a wide gash.

Raffe’s men had seen enough. Filling the chapel with echoing cries of terror, they fled.

M’lan would have cried out too, if he could have spoken. The huge white serpent recoiled, thrashing blindly so its head smashed into the ceiling and sent broken stones plummeting to the floor. The columns shook.

M’lan jerked his hands free and stumbled back. The serpent continued to thrash, golden fangs exposed.

***

BloodOfSalar

M’lan, headmaster of the order of Ka’alar and Jamil Jarka, king’s assassin, find their impossible love challenged to the utmost as a rebellion sweeps them apart, sending Jamil on a dangerous mission to assassinate the rebel leader, General Charvat. Unknown to anyone, Charvat is on his way to the temple to exploit the headmaster’s magical abilities.

When the rebel army arrives, M’lan is thrust into a struggle against political and sexual dominance as Charvat attempts to break his resistance. Violence and death mount, awakening within M’lan both the powers of destruction and the desire for revenge.

On the trail of his prey, Jamil begins to question his devotion to M’lan as his once innocent lover transforms into a mage and invades the assassin’s thoughts and dreams. The closer Jamil draws to M’lan, the more he puts his life and his very soul at risk. Jamil soon realizes that his lover might prove to be more deadly than the man he was sent to kill.

A final confrontation between assassin and monk might destroy them both, but Jamil is relentless in his determination to rescue M’lan, for he knows that only his love can master the mage.lrc2015runnerup

***

Blood of Salar on Amazon   Loose Id

All Romance eBooks  Barnes & Noble

***

This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight to ten sentences from a published work or perhaps their current work in progress. Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! I heartily invite you to participate as a reader, writer, or both. It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book. Click here or use the address: http://www.wewriwa.com

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Stand Your Ground

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wewriwa

Hi!  Good to be back at Weekend Writing Warriors. I’ve been in bunker mode, writing like a demon to meet a deadline.  Happy to say the WIP is now in submission and I can do other things again, like bathe, look out the window, and participate in blog hops.

I’m continuing on with the scene from Blood of Salar that I was sharing before I fell into the abyss.  M’lan is confronting rebel soldiers who are plundering the chapel at Ka’alar’s temple.  They’ve been warned, but naturally they scoff at the slight young monk and his “empty” threats.

***

M’lan took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Ka’alar, I call upon you to help me protect your house.” He focused on pulling the magical energy of the sacred space from its stones, but he needn’t have bothered. As if coiled in his blood waiting to strike, a dark, fluid power surged through his veins and poured into the statue.

Ka’alar’s stone eyes opened, lifeless white replaced by fiery red. The man on the fountain screamed and fell backward.

Raffe shouted, “Sorcery! Stand your ground, men. It’s only an illusion.”

The marble statue began to twist beneath M’lan’s hands. The smooth, cool scales of the mighty serpent caressed his skin as they slid past.

***

BloodOfSalarM’lan, headmaster of the order of Ka’alar and Jamil Jarka, king’s assassin, find their impossible love challenged to the utmost as a rebellion sweeps them apart, sending Jamil on a dangerous mission to assassinate the rebel leader, General Charvat. Unknown to anyone, Charvat is on his way to the temple to exploit the headmaster’s magical abilities.

When the rebel army arrives, M’lan is thrust into a struggle against political and sexual dominance as Charvat attempts to break his resistance. Violence and death mount, awakening within M’lan both the powers of destruction and the desire for revenge.

On the trail of his prey, Jamil begins to question his devotion to M’lan as his once innocent lover transforms into a mage and invades the assassin’s thoughts and dreams. The closer Jamil draws to M’lan, the more he puts his life and his very soul at risk. Jamil soon realizes that his lover might prove to be more deadly than the man he was sent to kill.

A final confrontation between assassin and monk might destroy them both, but Jamil is relentless in his determination to rescue M’lan, for he knows that only his love can master the mage.lrc2015runnerup

***

Blood of Salar on Amazon   Loose Id

All Romance eBooks  Barnes & Noble

***

This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight to ten sentences from a published work or perhaps their current work in progress. Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! I heartily invite you to participate as a reader, writer, or both. It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book. Click here or use the address: http://www.wewriwa.com

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Without Fear

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wewriwa

Has anyone seen Winter?  It seems to have forgotten to visit the Pacific Northwest this year, or at least my corner of it. And now March is here, everything is in bloom and I’m wondering if I should be happy or worrying about the end of the world. *Sigh*.  But as Jacquelyn Mitchard said in a great talk last night at Wordcrafters in Eugene, no matter what’s going on around us, we’ll always have stories.

For Weekend Writing Warriors this week, I decided I’d be nice and continue on with the scene I’ve been posting from Masters and Mages 2: Blood of Salar.  While escaping the wrath of General Charvat,  leader of the rebel army, M’lan has stumbled across a band of soldiers looting the chapel and attacking a fellow monk. Naturally, he couldn’t stand by and do nothing. Previous snippets are here and here.

***

With obvious irritation, Raffe tore his attention away from his victim. His eyes flashed with torrid passion when he spotted M’lan. He stood and strode across the nave.

“Charvat will be happy to see you,” he said, voice husky.

M’lan stared at him without fear. More of the looters grew interested in what was occurring and gathered around.

“And I am glad to see you,” M’lan said.

Raffe’s left eyelid twitched. “Why’s that?”

“Ka’alar hungers for souls.”

***

BloodOfSalar

M’lan, headmaster of the order of Ka’alar and Jamil Jarka, king’s assassin, find their impossible love challenged to the utmost as a rebellion sweeps them apart, sending Jamil on a dangerous mission to assassinate the rebel leader, General Charvat. Unknown to anyone, Charvat is on his way to the temple to exploit the headmaster’s magical abilities.

When the rebel army arrives, M’lan is thrust into a struggle against political and sexual dominance as Charvat attempts to break his resistance. Violence and death mount, awakening within M’lan both the powers of destruction and the desire for revenge.

On the trail of his prey, Jamil begins to question his devotion to M’lan as his once innocent lover transforms into a mage and invades the assassin’s thoughts and dreams. The closer Jamil draws to M’lan, the more he puts his life and his very soul at risk. Jamil soon realizes that his lover might prove to be more deadly than the man he was sent to kill.

A final confrontation between assassin and monk might destroy them both, but Jamil is relentless in his determination to rescue M’lan, for he knows that only his love can master the mage.lrc2015runnerup

***

Blood of Salar on Amazon   Loose Id

All Romance eBooks  Barnes & Noble

***

This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight to ten sentences from a published work or perhaps their current work in progress. Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! I heartily invite you to participate as a reader, writer, or both. It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book. Click here or use the address: http://www.wewriwa.com