Monday, June 24, 2013

Lee Roland, author of Vicious Moon, tells us about world building!


Vicious Moon
A Novel of the Earth Witches
Lee Roland

Vicious Moon is the story of Nyx Ianira, an earth witch and former soldier turned mercenary guard.  Nyx goes to Barrows section of Duivel, Missouri to find her missing sister, Marisol.  In the Barrows, she meets her match in Etienne, a man with a past even more complex than her own.  She also finds that it will require all her mercenary and magical skills to survive. 

Vicious Moon follows Viper Moon (2011) and Vengeance Moon (2012) in telling the tale of the earth witches and their companions as they fight evil.

The best thing about Urban Fantasy is world building.  I love the quirky characters and creating a magical place where ideas and relationships can be explored in settings that are limited only by the author’s imagination.  

Take a scene set in a bar.  In a regular contemporary novel, characters often fit standard archetypes.  You have the alcoholic regular, the smarmy Romeo looking for a one night stand, or the business man trying to relieve workday stress before he goes home. Throw in a couple of working ladies looking for cash, and you have potential for a great, interesting scene.  As a dedicated book lover, I’ve read many of them. 

But wait a minute.  Do those working ladies have eyes with slit pupils instead of round?  And the smarmy Romeo, did I see sharp, pointed canines when he smiled? Oh, did the alcoholic regular’s beer come out of a cauldron instead of a keg? Why does the bartender refer to potions instead of cocktails?  Those are the quirky twists I look for in a story.  


The Earth Witches series is set in the world of the Barrows section of Duivel, Missouri.  For the most part, the Barrows appears to be a place stuck in a classic example of urban blight. On the darker side, you have the XXX bars, ladies of the night pacing the sidewalks, and violent street gangs.  On the lighter side, there are a few honest shop owners and working people trying to get by.  Both of those types, light and dark, good and bad, are very human.

The Barrows’ centerpiece is a few square miles of deserted residential and commercial ruins. All manner of human,almost human, and definitely not human, characters can thrive in the wreckage.  And then there’s the Zombie Zone.  

The Zombie is a portal to other worlds that occasionally allows some really odd visitors to enter.  Most important of the visitors is Aiakós, a magnificent being who is evil to the core.  The Barrows is his prison and he’s willing to sacrifice anything to escape into the regular world—our real world.

The heroes and heroines of the series are witches, ordinary humans, and a couple of never have been humans. The Barrows is the home, workplace and playground of protagonist and antagonist alike.  It is a world this writer built to draw out strengths and painfully highlight weaknesses. All readers are invited to take a vacation in the Barrows, and see the sights.


Vicious Moon, The third book of this Urban Fantasy Series is being released in July. The tour will be 

June 25th – July 23nd

series

Giveaways: All 3 books of the Earth Witches Series (US Only)

Dynamic Urban Fantasy by Lee Roland

The Earth Witches, the keepers of the world’s magic, find chaos and desire in the hidden ruins of the Barrows.  Servants of the enigmatic Earth Mother, they battle men, monsters and personal conflicts to protect the world. With magic, modern weapons and strong companions, they persevere to save mankind from evil.


Viper-moon_transViper Moon
(Earth Witches #1)

ISBN-13: 978-0451233769 (352 Pages)
Cassandra Archer is the huntress. She has faithfully served the earth Mother for years, rescuing kidnapped children from monsters—both human and supernatural—dwelling in the ruins of the Barrows District. But when two children are kidnapped under similar circumstances, all clues point to a cataclysmic event on the next dark moon. Aided by police Detective Flynn and Michael, mysterious and dangerous resident of the Barrows, Cass must race against the clock and prevent a sacrifice that could destroy the entire town…

vengeance-moon_transVengeance Moon(Earth Witches #2)

ISBN-13: 978-0451236432  (352 Pages)
Madeline Corso can’t rest until she hunts down the three men who killed her father and witch mother. Two of them are now dead by her hand.  Unfortunately, her second kill had witnesses.  Sent to prison, she is rescued Sisters of Justice—a mysterious order of female warriors with ties to her mother. Her fighting skills are honed by the Sisters, and they have tracked the last murderer to Duivel, Missouri.  He is hiding in the dark underworld of the Barrows. Once in the Barrows, she discovers that things aren’t what they seem.  The danger goes far beyond her need for revenge. Can she rely on Michael, a handsome and possibly deadly stranger, to help her navigate a world of men and beasts? Or will she lose her heart before the mission is complete?

visious_trans

Vicious Moon

(Earth Witches #3)

ISBN-13: 978-0451238269  (320 Pages)Expected publication: July 2nd 2013 by Signet
Ex-soldier and Earth Witch Nyx Ianira is working as a PI in San Francisco when she sees the last thing she ever wanted to see: the Sisters of Justice—the mysterious Earth Witch police force.  Three Sisters, a Triad, is usually a squad of executioners.  This time, thought, the Sisters mission is to capture and escort an unwilling Nyx back to Twitch Crossing, Georgia.  Nyx ran away from Twitch Crossing ten years ago to escape the stiff rules and duties of being a true Witch. She wanted a life of her own. Now she’s been dragged back to her swampy hometown because another life is in danger—her little sister is missing, and Nyx is the only one who can go to Duivel, Missouri and track her down.  But the key to finding her may lie with the dark and tempting Etienne—a sinister criminal with a fearsome reputation, a ruthless attitude, and a total immunity to magic…



The Earth Mother—
How our heroines perceive her.

Cassandra—Viper Moon
The Earth Mother is powerful, contradictory, often ill-tempered, moving through her world, possibly with a purpose, possibly not. At times she seems absolutely ar­chaic, as if dumbfounded by the changes time has brought.  Maiden, mother, and crone, signifying the progression of life from cradle to grave, that ancient pagan female entity had called me to her service years ago.
Madeline—Vengeance Moon
The Earth Mother—the ancient goddess of men and superior of all witches and the Sisters of Justice—ruled their lives and directed their actions. I don’t know why, but she made her presence known to only those few she’d chosen, her special servants, and let the rest of humanity rule over and destroy everything—including my life. The earth witches, the ones she dealt with most, were keepers of the world’s magic: earth magic.
Nyx—Vicious Moon
The Earth Mother’s power drenched the land in some places, and I’d marveled at the power of some of the ancient hollows where men first walked.
The Sisters of Justice
We are the Sisters of Justice. For millennia we have served the ancient Mother Goddess. Ashera, Inaras, and Ishtar are but a few of a thousand names they have called the ancient Earth Mother, the Mother of Men. Most of her servants see her as a nurturer, a giver of life. The Sisters of Justice see her darker image.
She hides that darker face and we, the Sisters of Justice, are abandoned—save when she needs us. We are the last she calls when all of her earth witches’ gentle methods fail. We worship her. We despise her. We are her dark angels, her servants. Our blades are sharp and we strike upon her command.

Author_PhotoAbout Lee Roland

Lee Roland began her writing career in middle school when she wrote a short story for her brother. He turned the story in to his teacher as his own work.  To his amazement and terror, the teacher was so impressed that she read it aloud to the class—and asked him to write another one.

Lee notes that, other than motherhood, she’s never had an exciting job.  She might have dreamed of being  a lawyer, nurse or police officer, but finding the right person to share her life with changed her plans.  Her only credentials for writing are a terrific imagination, life experience and the love of words in a good story.  She reads voraciously, but particularly loves Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance.

Lee lives in Florida and is a full-time writer.  She is a member of RWA National and the Florida based First Coast Romance Writers.
Before being published, Lee won many RWA Chapter contests and garnered a Golden Heart nomination in 2008 with her post apocalyptic novel, LILITH’S CHILD.
Lee is the author of the Earth Witches series published by NAL, beginning with VIPER MOON in 2011.

Contact Links

Like LEE on FACEBOOK!

#ViciousMoon


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Tour Schedule

JUNE
June 25 – Guest Post
Fall Into Books
http://falln2books.blogspot.com


June 26 – Interview
Fang-tastic Books
http://www.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com
June 27 – Review
Books, Books, and More Books
http://dream-reader-dreamer2229.blogspot.com
June 27 – Spotlight
A Book Obsession
http://www.abookobsession.com
June 28 – Promo
Stitch Read Cook
www.stitchreadcook.com
June 29 – Guest Post
Jill Archer
www.jillarcher.com  
June 30 – Guest Post
Ramblings From This Chick
ramblingsfromthishcick.blogspot.com

JULY
July 1 – Guest Post
Book-a-rooju
www.bookarooju.wordpress.com
July 1 – Spotlight
talk supe
www.talkingsupe.com

July 2 (Release of Viscous Moon by Lee Roland)

July 2 – Promo
Word to Dreams
http://wordtodreams.blogspot.com
July 3 – Author Interview
Simply Infatuated
http://simplyinfatuated.com
July 4 – Review
a GREAT read
jessica-agreatread.blogspot.com 
July 4 - Promo
Pure Textuality
puretextuality.com
July 5 – Interview
Manga Maniac Cafe
www.mangamaniaccafe.com
July 8 – Review
Tea and Book
http://teaandbook-shauni.blogspot.com/
July 9 – Review
The Wormhole Book Blog
http://wormyhole.blogspot.com
July 10 – Review
Celestial Reviews
http://cecesreviews.blogspot.com
July 10 – Promo
Readers Confession
www.readersconfession.com
July 11 Interview
Urban fantasy Investigations
http://urbanfantasyinvestigations.blogspot.com
July 12 – Review
Urban Fantasy Reviews
www.ufreviews.com

July 15 – Interview
The Reading Cafe
http://www.thereadingcafe.com
July 16 – Interview
The Pen & Muse
http://thepenmuse.net
July 16-Review
Happy Tails and Tales Blog
http://magluvsya03.wordpress.com
July 17 – Guest Post
Istyria book blog
http://www.istyriabookblog.com
July 17 – Spotlight
All in One Place
http://www.kvlovesbooks.blogspot.co.uk
July 18 – Review
Evolved World
http://www.evolvedworld.com
July 18 – Spotlight
Twisting the Lens
http://twistingthelens.wordpress.com
July 19 – Interview
Paranormal Book Club!
http://paranormal-bookclub.com
July 19 – Review of all three books
Froggarita’s Bookcase
www.froggaritasbookcase.com
July 22 – Review
Book Lovin’ Mamas
http://www.booklovinmamas.blogspot.com
July 23 - Guest Post
Tynga’s Reviews
http://www.tyngasreviews.com
July 23 – Review
Babylone the Geek Reads
http://borneanbookworm.blogspot.com
July 23 – Review
Single Titles
www.SingleTitles.com






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1 comment:

  1. rose.ann.castroJune 28, 2013 at 9:42 AM

    That's awesome! I didn't realize this release day was so close...Thanks for the chance to win!

    Ann@Blogging E-books

    ReplyDelete

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