Yorien’s Hand blurb:
The years of Oraeyn’s short rule have been peaceful, but now ominous nightmares plague his sleep and cling to him during his waking hours. When two of his most trusted advisors disappear without a trace and not even the power of dragons can locate them, the fell promise of the king’s nightmares becomes reality.
From the furthest reaches of the world, an ancient enemy stirs. Stretching beyond his crumbling prison walls, this foe seeks to bring life to the darkest of shadows. His army marches towards Aom-igh with deadly intent, threatening all Oraeyn holds dear.
Aided by dragons, and with the warrior Brant and Princess Kamarie at his side, Oraeyn must journey into the wilds of a forgotten realm. Trusting in the wisdom and skill of the enigmatic minstrel, Kiernan Kane, the companions race against time in search of Yorien’s Hand, a relic that may hold the power to save them all.
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“We must!” the captain yelled back. “If defeated here, we lose our country.”
“Sir, this is a senseless sacrifice of good men,” the warrior called out.
“You are an aethalon. You knew the perils when you chose to serve here!” the captain’s commanding voice rang out above the clamor of the battle. “We defend the border at all costs!”
“At the expense of our lives?” the warrior yelled, gesturing at the troops as he fended off another beast who had leapt onto his horse’s flank. “Would the king truly order such a sacrifice? You know as well as I that we cannot hold our position, and when we are dead, the seheowks will march over our lifeless bodies to complete their invasion. Our people will have no warning and our deaths will serve no purpose.”
“You are dismissed,” the captain shouted over the body of the seheowk he had just slain.
“What?” The warrior stared at his captain in open amazement and disbelief. His sword faltered. A seheowk jumped on what it thought was an opportunity, leaping through the air with a powerful bound. The Aetoli’s presence of mind was the sole thing that saved him, he thrust his weapon up and his sword pierced through the creature’s neck just in time.
“What is your name?” the captain demanded in harsh tones as he pulled his horse back a little from the fray.
“Devrin of House Merle.”
“Courageous hawk?” the captain shouted in disbelief. “You were ill-named, lad, I have no place for a coward in my command, you are dismissed.”
“Sir, you don’t understand, if you would only listen…”
“Not one more word, you are dismissed.”
Devrin glared at the captain and then shook his head in disgust. He turned his roan charger and kicked the horse into a gallop. A haze of red fell across his vision as he rode away from the battle.
“Dismissed as a coward,” he muttered to himself wrathfully. “If the captain would have listened, this task could have been made easier. Well, it’s just you and me, old boy,” the warrior patted his horse’s neck. “Come on, they can’t hold that gap much longer. Yah!”
Clapping his heels to the red horse’s sides Devrin leaned low over his steed’s neck and raced up the hill to where the warriors had pitched their camp. A plan was already formed in his mind, and he meant to put it into action, with or without permission. He knew how to keep the seheowks from crossing through the gap. The Border Patrol needed a better weapon, and Devrin planned to provide it.
“And when this is over I shall call our boy-king to account for every man dead in this fight,” he growled to himself. “Too long has the fate of Llycaelon been ruled by the pride of kings. Too long have good men felt the sting of dishonor because of the House of Arne!”
The camp was set back from the gap, but in clear view of it. Tents and carts were scattered throughout, with small cooking fires dotting the area. Devrin dismounted and raced over to the largest tent. He quickly dismantled it and dragged it to his mount where he tossed it over the horse’s hindquarters in a heap, then he clambered back up into his saddle. The roan danced a little but settled quickly and accepted his master’s odd behavior and the additional burden with long-suffering stoicism. Next Devrin rode over and grabbed one of the long torches that was stuck in the ground and used to light the camp after nightfall. He thrust the end of it into a nearby cooking fire until it burst to life.
Holding the torch high and balancing the mounds of canvas behind him, Devrin raced his horse back down the beach towards the gap and the fighting.
The drums of the seheowks were pounding as he neared the battleground and he knew he must hurry. He tugged on his horse’s bridle, urging the beast to greater speed. The tent flapped and wobbled as they raced towards the battle. Every moment was precious, and Devrin could sense his time running out.
The aethalons were all but defeated when Devrin reached the battleground. The seheowks surged forward, and the aethalons fought and fell where they stood. The great warriors battled desperately, but with a sense of resignation. All hope had been drained hours ago, and the seheowks reveled in this hopelessness. There was an arrogant disdain for their enemy in the seheowk’s every move, as if they knew that victory was near.
Devrin rode up to a weary aethalon and shouted at him. “I need your help!”
“We all need help,” the weary young man whispered back through cracked lips.
“I have a plan!” Devrin shouted, ignoring the man’s comment. “But I can’t do it alone. Come on! I’ll show you what needs to be done.”
“Must… keep the seheowks… from getting through,” the warrior mumbled back mechanically, making no move to follow Devrin’s lead.
Devrin seized on the warrior’s words. “Yes! We must keep them from getting through. I have a plan that will keep them from getting through! Help me with this.”
The man stared at Devrin in confusion. “What?”
“Fire,” Devrin said grimly, “the seheowks are terrified of it. With fire we can force them back into the sea where they belong. But I cannot do it on my own.”
The young warrior’s face lit with sudden hope. “If we can build a pyre big enough…”
“And keep it burning long enough…” Devrin encouraged.
“We might yet win this day!” the warrior finished Devrin’s thought. His eyes lit with excitement and renewed hope. He burst into action as Devrin indicated the mound of oiled canvas, seizing upon the small hope that was proffered.
It’s bad enough that, thanks to her supernatural talent, Sara is learning more than she ever needed to know about her friends and classmates, watching their most secret fantasies whether she wants to or not. Much worse are the other dreams, the ones she sees nearly every night, featuring a strange, terrifying man who commits unspeakable crimes. Now Sara wonders if she’s the only witness to a serial killer – and the only one who knows when and where he’s going to strike next.
Medical school and life as a newlywed would be enough by themselves for anybody to handle. But Sara’s got another problem – her dreams have started up again. Almost everyone at the medical school is dreaming about the death of the school’s least popular teacher, Dr. Morris, and once again, Sara finds herself in the role of unwilling witness to a murder before it happens. But this time, there are too many suspects to count, and it doesn’t help matters that she hates Dr. Morris every bit as much as any of his would-be murderers do.
Sara thought she had made peace with her dreaming talent, but she’s got a surprise coming: her four-year-old daughter has inherited it, too.
Unraveling a mystery with lives on the line is difficult enough under the best of circumstances. But when Sara has to view all the evidence through the eyes – and dreams - of a toddler, it may be an impossible task.
Starting Sunday, the first three books will all be on sale, in an eBook box set called DREAM SEQUENCE! You can get all three books together for just $0.99! You can find it on Amazon...
Dr. Sara Alderson didn’t think she had a problem in the world, when she walked into the office for her first day as a partner in her own medical practice. And then the police showed up and arrested her for a crime she couldn’t possibly have committed. Twenty four hours later, after a horrifying day and night in jail, Sara comes home a different – and completely broken – woman.
Clearing her name is her first challenge, but that’s nothing compared to the task of rebuilding her shattered psyche. And the only way she can do that is with the help of the supernatural dreams, the same dreams that have nearly cost Sara her sanity – and almost got her killed – in the past.
After nearly a decade of visiting other people’s dreams, Sara Alderson thought she had made peace with her supernatural gift. Until one night, while watching her husband dream, she saw someone else watching him, too: a mysterious woman in a red dress.
The woman in red keeps appearing in the dreams of Sara’s husband and his co-workers. Sara doesn’t know if this mystery woman is trying to steal her husband, drive him mad or something even worse. All she does know is that now she has something she never imagined: a nemesis. And the only thing more dangerous than a nemesis who shares her ability to step into other people’s dreams, is one who knows far more about that ability and how to control it than Sara does.
Dr. Sara Alderson is heading back to college for her ten-year class reunion. Her husband and two of her children are coming with her – and so are her supernatural dreams.
One of her old classmates is becoming more frantic with every passing night. Sara can’t see his face, but she can see everything else in his dreams, and he’s coming closer and closer to committing a desperate act to try and save his business. Sara’s the only one who can save him, and his family – if she can figure out who he is and what he’s planning in time.
...and four more books, plus a collection of short stories covering the gaps between the novels!
J.J. DiBenedetto is the author of the Dream Series. He lives in Arlington, Virginia with his lovely wife and Danny, a white cat who’s trained them both. He’s originally from Yonkers, New York. He loves the New York Giants, fondue, photography, travel, the opera and he’s a huge science-fiction and fantasy geek.
You can follow the Dream Series at the author's website: http://www.writingdreams.net. You can also follow him at:
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The books can be found at:
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Jenelle Schmidt grew up in the northern-Midwest. She now resides with her husband and their three adorable children in the wilds of Wisconsin. Jenelle fell in love with reading at a young age during family story-times when her father would read out loud to her and her siblings each night before bed. Her imagination was captured by authors such as Madeleine L’Engle, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Lloyd Alexander. It wasn’t long before she began making up her own stories and sharing them with her family. To this day she enjoys creating exciting adventure tales filled with poignant themes and compelling characters in the fantasy and sci-fi genres.
Author Bio: Aleah Barley is a writer of explosive romance for everyone. She lives and writes in Detroit, Michigan, with a cat who's recently learned how to levitate, an over enthusiastic Labrador, and the cutest guy in the world. She will do anything for a hot cup of coffee or a wild romance--and, she can spell onomatoepia without using spell check.
I was born in the deep South, but I lived on Long Island most of my first years. It was after I moved to Berkeley, dragging along three small children, that I started to think about creating something more... 