Title:
The Chosen
Author:
Rae Z. Ryans
SYNOPSIS:
What happens when the heart and soul
divides?
Chosen by the Myst, her royal prophecy
traces back over a thousand years. Leader of the Valkyrie, part human and part
supernatural, Auriel bridges the invisible gap between Earth and Midgard
demanded by the Laws of the Nine. She alone prevents Ragnarok from wiping away
those she loves.
There’s only one problem: he forgot.
Liam Skyland is a hybrid with a death
warrant. The bastard son of the lycan King narrowly escaped death as an infant.
Something happened though and Liam loses four years of his life. All he
remembers is that she is coming.
Tick Tock
Two former friends remember them both. With
time running shorter every day, it’s up to them to reunite the fated lovers.
But what happens when their own pasts haunt their waking moments? Can they
overcome the love they once shared or will their bond destroy the world?
Will all become a distant memory, a
whisper in time, as Earth burns?
Blinded by love and compassion each finds
themselves lacking the courage to overcome fear. There remains but one choice
and one direction the Chosen can take, but time quickly burns dry for the Nine
Realms.
Can the Chosen rise together and save
Midgard?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Chosen-Valkyrie-Rae-Ryans-ebook/dp/B00KV1E8DI/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404132245&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=The+chosen+by+Rae+Z+Ryans
Guest Post : Playlist
The Chosen is a series so my playlist is pretty long depending on which book I am/was writing in at the time. I’ve narrowed down my top ten for Valkyrie Rising.
Each of these songs touched or inspired me during the writing or developing process but Light Up the Sky really encompasses the heart of the story and Can’t Hold Us and Team shows the bonds formed (or reformed) as the cast comes together. Roar is without a doubt Aurie’s theme song where Animal I’ve Become is Jamie’s song. Those two are dear to my heart. Need You Now may not make sense at first, but by the end of book one, you’ll see where its inspiration shines through.
If you’d like to listen to the entire playlist :Valkyrie – Spotify.
Excerpt :
Excerpt :
New York City, NY 2014
Shades of death encircled my world. Tawny
feathers floated from the sky. A gasp pinched my chest. Fire flashed on the
horizon, bathing over the city, and then progressively swallowed the Nine
Realms of the Myst. My eyes flew open, closed, reopened, and I drew my dream
journal from the nightstand drawer.
“How can I stop myself from burning the
world into cindered ash if I don’t understand this darkness tearing my light
away?”
Each line and page filled with my prophetic
visions. More than one existed and like those journals, this one reflected the
darkness of my secret. Every night another nightmare assaulted me as the light
inched from of my soul; they grew bolder, and the death toll rose. White
cleansing fire coated the world as if it were air. I blinked the weariness
away.
The visions always came true, no matter how
hard I tried to change the fate of those I loved. Auburn hair brushed the page
and deft fingers swept it aside. Dry and wet golden splatters marred the white
surface. I prayed for answers, guidance, and a ceasefire without the universe
blowing up in my face.
“Gods, what have I done to anger you?” Why
did I destroy when all I wanted was love?
As usual, the Gods offered no response. I
sniffled and wiped my face. Blank lines taunted, daring me to write the
mysterious secrets of my worlds. This journal would be different. I would alter
the future or die trying.
Pages as bare as the future I ran away from
four years ago awaited my thoughts. Bacon fried downstairs; Momma whistled a
tune. Where did I go wrong? My hand trembled, scribbling the words I
didn’t want to admit. Twenty-one years was a piss in the ocean, yet little ol’
me managed to destroy the world. Daddy knocked on my bedroom door, and it
creaked open.
“Mornin’ Aurie,” he said, stepping over the
threshold carrying a mug of coffee. Timeless features chiseled his chin, elven
ears pointed upward, and two blue eyes smiled as he set the cup on my
nightstand. I forced my lips upward, returning the smile, and thanked him.
Daddy didn’t loiter and closed the door
behind him. I waited as his footsteps pattered across the hardwood floor
downstairs before I continued.
If someone asked me who would end the
world, I would’ve said the humans. Before I ran, my job was protecting magic.
All high mages enforced the Laws of the Myst. I was a Phoenix and master of
elemental fire. At least I used to be before my family ventured into hiding.
The supernaturals I worked for turned on
me. I tossed the pen down and refrained from chucking it across the bedroom.
Knuckles cracked and my neck followed as I released the tension within my
bones. The Council of the Nine despised my kind: hybrid. Hunted us down like
rabid animals, all because we refused to live under their tyrannical control. I
rolled from my bed, shuddering at living under the oppression of the Nine, and
slipped into my favorite bunny slippers.
Hiding and fleeing were two things I
learned at a young age, and it’s possible that I didn’t understand what normal
meant, but I wanted it right alongside love. The doorbell chimed, and I glanced
toward the bedroom door. Supernaturals were not normal. Shoulders slumped, I
sipped my coffee and listened to the soft voices fluttering below. For one day,
all I wanted was normality.
Truth settled in and chilled my bones. The
warmth of the coffee penetrated my soul as I stared up at the white washed
walls on our brownstone. Empty shelves lined my personal prison. Anything of
importance fit into my duffel bag. Hot coffee, human television, and countless
e-books filled my doldrum days. We rented the furniture and used delivery
services for groceries. If I couldn’t order it and have it delivered, I did not
need it. The pages of my journal flipped closed, as the chilly breeze swept
through an open window.
My talisman warmed against my skin. I
reached for my pillow and the muffled cries died as the stone swung away from
my skin. The Algiz, runic symbol for protection, glowed as the amulet increased
in strength, and the stone flared with life.
Ribs and heart ticked like a bomb waiting
to explode. Eyes whipped around, searching for anything or anyone, to explain
the sharp sear over my skin. I dropped my jaw, but nothing came out.
Shouts sounded in the distance, but the
foreign words sounded muffled by the early Upper West Side noise. Voices rose
from below as I tiptoed toward my closet and dragged my emergency bag from the
shelf.
The Nine came for me; they found me. Pain
and thinking didn’t mix. I paused, heart pounding within my ears, as the stairs
creaked. Eyes glanced between the window and the door. Three sets of footsteps
echoed their cadence.
The bag slung over my back, I wiggled my
fat ass out the window and I crept down the rickety fire escape adhered to my
bedroom window. My stomach flipped with each sway or groan from the metal as my
sweaty palms glided over the railing. Did I stick to our plan, or fetch my
parents first? This marked the first time in four years that I’d had to
move; the first time, I’d ran as an adult.
The pendant scorched my skin as I descended
the ladder that lead below into the alleyway. I winced and gnawed on the inside
of my cheek as the tears built in my eyes. No supernatural was immune to pain.
Feet landed with a slight scuffle. The
thumping of my heart vibrated through me, and breathe came in shortened gasps.
Again, I gathered the talisman away from my skin. My gaze swept over the trash
in the alleyway for signs of momma or daddy. Another shout drew my attention,
and I struggled again to hear over the city noise. As the decibel grew
stronger, I recognized the voice of my momma.
“We don’t know where she is.” Momma’s tone
borderlined on hysterical, shrieking as if she were a sidhe.
Another voice matching hers resonated
inside my head. “Run Auriel,” the voice commanded, but I froze.
Author
Bio:
Rae Z. Ryans currently resides in Tumbleweed, Alabama, with her family and belongs to the Romance Writers of America. She has lived all over the east coast and was born in Fairbanks, Alaska. Published since the age of fourteen, Rae enjoys writing romantic, erotic,fantasy/paranormal stories and poetry. Her name pays homage to her brothers: Specialist Ryan D. Rexon and Zachary U. Berthot.
She is currently working on Beyond the Brothel Walls #2: Altered. This post-apocalyptic, erotic paranormal romance is emotionally driven, dark fantasy.
Rae Z. Ryans currently resides in Tumbleweed, Alabama, with her family and belongs to the Romance Writers of America. She has lived all over the east coast and was born in Fairbanks, Alaska. Published since the age of fourteen, Rae enjoys writing romantic, erotic,fantasy/paranormal stories and poetry. Her name pays homage to her brothers: Specialist Ryan D. Rexon and Zachary U. Berthot.
She is currently working on Beyond the Brothel Walls #2: Altered. This post-apocalyptic, erotic paranormal romance is emotionally driven, dark fantasy.
Author
Links:
Author website: www.raezryans.com
Author website: www.raezryans.com
Goodreads: TBA
Author Facebook: www.facebook.com/RaeZRyans
Author Twitter:
www.twitter.com/authorraezryans
Author Pinterest:
www.pinterest.com/raezryans
Sounds like a great novel. I loved the exhort! I want more!! (Goes to check when the novel will be out) Yay! It's out now! :) Bought it! hehe
ReplyDeleteLol, so glad you enjoyed the excerpt!!! It sounds awesome :)
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