Today’s snippet from me goes back a couple of years to one of my favorite books, THE ELF MAGE. The book is the third in the series, and begins in tragedy. The newborn son of the Elf Queen, Jelani Marsh and her consort, Astan Hawk, has been abducted, and the clan is in chaos. Jelani and Astan have left the clan lands, hiding in a cabin that belonged to Jelani’s human father until they can decide what best to do. But one thing they agree on in perfect clarity:

***

What to do? How would they find him?

            Holding her cold hands near the edge of the cookstove’s blue flame, she stared at the water, watched the bubbles come to the surface in the small pan, the steam rising above it. Her arms ached to hold Elliun. She sensed Astan behind her just before his arms encircled her waist, pulling her close to him.

            “We’ll find him, denami.”

            The emotions swirling in her gut lay far from his comforting reassurances; her instincts cried out for violence.  “We’ll find Grigor, too, and we’ll destroy him for real this time.”

            His voice in her ear held an edge of cold ice. “He will not live.”

***

The tale continues through the winter lands in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana, as they track their missing son and others seek to either build the clan back together or tear it down once and for all.

Is it enough to say that the solution to the whole mess comes at the hands of one Kevin-Smith like computer geek and his World of Warcraft avatar? Perhaps.

For more information on this series, click the tab above.

Still working on the Horizon Crossover series–but I expect to turn book two in to my editor this weekend (Yay!), and I’m so grateful she has been understanding of how my life has changed this year. Book three, HORIZON DYNASTY, is underway.

Let’s hope everything is back on track. Relationship and health issues and legal issues just…suck.  :)

For more fascinating snippets, do stop by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Saturday site. Each week there’s a whole new buffet of bites and bytes all for your reading pleasure.

Whatever was about to happen, Astan was sure she was at the center of it. He’d discovered over the years that Djana and the women didn’t gather without good cause.

            Why does Nana push me toward this girl?

            One of his grandmother’s favorite sayings came to mind: The best weapon against ignorance is the search for knowledge.

            Astan set his mind and his heart on that search, and went back downstairs. He pulled a chair away from the table, turned it so he could straddle it, and studied his grandmother intently.

            She was smiling before she even looked in his direction. “So, you finally want to know who she is. It’s about time.”

What he discovers changes his future forever, and indeed, the future of the whole elf clan.

Read another excerpt here, and see the book trailer here.

Here’s the blurb:  Clan Elves of the Bitterroot – Book I:
At her friend’s coaxing, Jelani tries on a real glass slipper left lying on the sidewalk. When she steps into the shoe it shatters, cutting her foot. As blood trickles to the pavement and mingles with the broken glass, dozens of two-inch high creatures emerge and then scurry away into the shadows. As if that was not bizarre enough, soon sheis approached by two mysterious and very handsome men claiming (of all things) to be elves who need Jelani’s help to rescue their queen. More revelations come, threatening to unravel the life of this sassy barista from Missoula, Montana. Jelani must come to grips with the idea that elves are not just creatures from a fairy tale. They are alive and living in the forests of the Bitterroot Mountains….

  THE ELF QUEEN is followed by THE ELF CHILD, THE ELF MAGE, and coming in 2013, THE ELF GUARDIAN, all from Dragonfly Publishing. You can order them at any online book distributor or a print copy at your favorite indie bookseller!

 Learn more at Lyndi’s other webpage: http://lyndialexander.wordpress.com

For more great science fiction and fantasy snippets, visit the Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday page–always someone new to read. You might discover your favorite new author!

Lane moved toward the door faster than he could remember moving anywhere for a long time, stopping short when he caught sight of Astan, holding an unconscious Jelani in his arms, both of them wet and dirt-streaked. “Come in, come in.”

            He and Kevin took the woman from Astan, the two of them half-tripping over each other as they carried her into the living room. It was Iris’ turn to vacate the couch so they had somewhere to put Jelani.

            “Iris?” Astan asked in bewilderment.

            “Oh, honey, here’s your baby—he’s safe.” Iris handed the baby to his father, who stumbled, mouth gaping in shock.

            “Germs!” groaned Crispy, still hiding in the kitchen. A roll of paper towels flew in from the kitchen. “Wet wipes.”

Have you read the Clan Elves’ series yet? Three books are in print/in ebook form now, and the fourth volume THE ELF GUARDIAN will be released in the next several months.

The series is geared for both YA and adult readers, with plenty of action, an unexpected love story, mystery, suspense and whimsy as well. The varied cast of characters, flawed, broken, yet also heroic, rising above their limitations to overcome magical odds they never imagined they’d encounter, are inspiring, and some of my personal favorites.

Have you heard of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday? It’s a wonderful place to become acquainted with a number of new writers brave enough to put snippets of their work out there for people to read. The description on-site is ” a close-knit group of friends and colleagues working together to support and encourage one another and promote the science fiction and fantasy genres.” I’ve made new writer friends through the site for sure, and I invite you to come check it out every Saturday! This week’s posts will be found here, and will take you into the farthest reaches of space and the wildest places of fantastical imagination. Bring your hot beverage choice and settle in for a delightful buffet of snippets. :)

EXCERPT:

Concentrate, damn it. If you don’t get this right, those old witches will eat your liver or something. Turn you into a newt for real this time.
He bent down with a grunt and set the running computer on the bare dirt. Connected to the magic of the clan lands, it immediately whirred into a higher gear, and he could sense it was doing something. Now he had to see if it was doing what was needed.
“Hear, o elf clan of the Bitterroot, hear your technomage at work holding up his end of the bargain. Ah…Presto chango, Shazzam, Abracadabra, A la peanut butter sandwiches, hickory, dickory dock, shazbot, um, make it so!”
Having exhausted his repertoire of magic incantations, he stepped back, held his breath and waited.

Find out more about THE ELF QUEEN, THE ELF CHILD and THE ELF MAGE at the tabs above, or at http://lyndialexander.wordpress.com. You can buy the books at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com and a host of other sources–find them at Dragonfly Publishing, Inc.

Find more great science fiction and fantasy snippets at Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday’s main page. I love this group of authors–what great imaginations!

This snippet is from the third book in the Clan Elves of the Bitterroot series, The Elf Mage, published by Dragonfly Publishing, Inc., (buy links here) available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and all the usual sources.

Here’s the blurb: Daven Talvi made a choice a quarter-century ago to serve the Bitterroot Elf Clan, allowing the Circle of Elders to send him into suspended animation until the queen could be rescued. In doing so, he gave up his mate and his newborn son, sacrificing his own life for that of the clan. It had been a mistake. With the clan now in chaos and the new young queen in hiding, Daven must acknowledge his own errors and take responsibility to set things right. He teams up with Lane Donatelli, a human who has too long used food and computer gaming to feed his own insecurities. Together, they use Lane’s technology with Daven’s innate magical abilities to wage battle against the evil elf mages threatening the clan.

Lane’s specifically used a laptop one of the elves has infused with magic to manifest one of his toon warriors into the real world, the subject of today’s snippet:

The door burst open, but didn’t fly off its hinges, as he would have surely guessed with such a rickety piece of wood. Out came a huge green being, thick-bodied with rippling muscles and a sword in each hammy hand. Black clothing covered most of its body, and its chest covered with chunky leather armor. The thing dripped slobber from an impressive row of sharp teeth, and when it stepped forward, the ground shook. It stopped two elves’ lengths in front of him, leaned its head back and roared, a sound that vibrated the branches overhead and rattled Vez’s bones.
“I am Xiomar the Mighty!” it cried in a bold, deep voice. “I fight to protect the elf prince. Prepare to die!”

Sounds like it would work, right? But Lane just hasn’t quite figured it out yet…

Learn more about the Clan Elves at this site or at Lyndi’s main website.

Check out all the snippets from science fiction and fantasy authors for this Saturday!

This snippet is from the third book in the Clan Elves of the Bitterroot series, The Elf Mage, published by Dragonfly Publishing, Inc., (buy links here) available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and all the usual sources.

Here’s the blurb: Daven Talvi made a choice a quarter-century ago to serve the Bitterroot Elf Clan, allowing the Circle of Elders to send him into suspended animation until the queen could be rescued. In doing so, he gave up his mate and his newborn son, sacrificing his own life for that of the clan. It had been a mistake. With the clan now in chaos and the new young queen in hiding, Daven must acknowledge his own errors and take responsibility to set things right. He teams up with Lane Donatelli, a human who has too long used food and computer gaming to feed his own insecurities. Together, they use Lane’s technology with Daven’s innate magical abilities to wage battle against the evil elf mages threatening the clan.

And here’s the snippet:

Lane raised an eyebrow. “You think it’s dangerous if it’s caused by aliens but elf magic is cool? Really?”
Crispy shrugged a little. “I know elves. Aliens are scary. We never invite them for dinner.”
“Not that we know of.”
Crispy stiffened up again, and Lane smacked himself in the forehead. “Damn it, Crisp, I don’t mean that aliens are around here. Well, maybe the people down at the Oxford.”
“They’re not aliens,” Crispy said in an infinitely patient—and much calmer—voice. “They eat brains. They’re zombies.”

Learn more about the Clan Elves at this site or at Lyndi’s main website. To see the Oxford Cafe’s menu–complete with brains and eggs–check it out here.

Check out all the snippets from science fiction and fantasy authors for this Saturday!

Here’s the blurb: Daven Talvi made a choice a quarter-century ago to serve the Bitterroot Elf Clan, allowing the Circle of Elders to send him into suspended animation until the queen could be rescued. In doing so, he gave up his mate and his newborn son, sacrificing his own life for that of the clan. It had been a mistake. With the clan now in chaos and the new young queen in hiding, Daven must acknowledge his own errors and take responsibility to set things right. He teams up with Lane Donatelli, a human who has too long used food and computer gaming to feed his own insecurities. Together, they use Lane’s technology with Daven’s innate magical abilities to wage battle against the evil elf mages threatening the clan.

And here’s the snippet:

Daven said, “Before I went into the mountains, I’ll be the first to admit my priorities were not in a proper order.”
“What’s in the mountains?”
“The santwarja, a training ground for those who wish to become mages.”
What a crock. Lane eyed him from behind the laptop. “Really? You just walk in to Mages R Us, and walk out with your Hogwarts diploma?”

Learn more about the Clan Elves at this site or at Lyndi’s main website.

Check out all the snippets from science fiction and fantasy authors for this Saturday!

Jelani Marsh does.

In the Clan Elves of the Bitterroot series, Jelani undergoes a transformation from a regular young woman to a powerful leader of a woodland people she didn’t even know existed. It’s not an easy road. She faces prejudice, her pride is shredded, her son abducted–she nearly gives up. Finally, she gets her courage together and comes back in book three, THE ELF MAGE, to face those who rejected her:

But Jelani wasn’t the only one who had changed during their time apart. The aging she’d seen in Djana was rampant through the rest of the Elders, their hair gray and matted, clothing in dirty layers on their frail bodies, even their thin fingers curled like claws as they nattered at each another. They were a pitiful bunch. Coming in on her cloud of vitality, Jelani felt superior for the first time. She took a deep breath and stepped inside, her head held high.
The immediate silence that greeted her arrival was a little eerie, as were the stares of the Circle Elders as she entered. They’d left some seats open on the tree trunks they used as chairs, particularly in the back. She would have gladly taken one of those in the before times, when she’d been insecure and timid about her place in the clan. No longer. She marched up front, standing where she could pin each one of them with a glance.

No more Mr. Nice Guy.

Here’s the book trailer for THE ELF QUEEN: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ASCJ8H5wO4

Jelani’s story continues into THE ELF CHILD, THE ELF MAGE (just released), and continuing next year with THE ELF GUARDIAN. Reviews and books are available at the DFP site, at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com and many other bookselling locations, and may be ordered by your local indie bookseller.

For all the background, art, updates and details about the series, see the rest of the Clan Elves of the Bitterroot page, or the author’s page at http://lyndialexander.wordpress.com.

Check out more exciting snippets at the Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday page!

Lane Donatelli, a World of Warcraft addict and child abuse survivor, has a laptop that has been infused with magic by little Max, an albino elf of the Montana clan. Max wants to learn human ways, and finds an online world of elves he never expected….

“Max, right-click on the flagpole! The blue one right by the edge of the cliff.”
Max maneuvered his toon into place, and clicked on the pole, which turned gray, then a minute later, turned to red. “What do I do with it?” he asked.
“Nothing. We just have to keep control of it.” Lane kept typing, involved in a heavy swordfight with an Alliance warrior.
The young elf eyed him. “That does not seem like much of a goal.”
“In about a minute, someone will try to stab you for it—keep an eye out. Buddy, watch out for Max—he’s a noob!”
“Oh. I am a noob? I thought I was a warrior.” Max chewed his lip, staring at the screen as though the creatures circling around on it would jump off the monitor and grab him.
Lane chuckled. “A noob is a newbie–a new player. It’s not something bad. Never mind. Just hold that flag!”

Interested? Find other snippets from the series here and here and here.
Learn more here at this website, or at http://lyndialexander.wordpress.com.

Check out the snippets from science fiction and fantasy authors for this Saturday!