Tournament of Chance #Dragon Rebel #99cents

Heather is poised to win the Tournament of Chance…until the king has her arrested and marked for death. After a daring escape, she becomes a Dragon Rebel, seeking to overthrow the despotic monarchy and restore the Kingdom of Ormaria. Among the rebels are three shape-shifting wizards who claim to be rulers from the past. She joins them on a perilous quest to free the wizards’ magic, battling wild dragons, angry trolls, and unexpected traitors. In the end, she must choose between fulfilling her duty or following her heart.

Kindle $0.99 Countdown Deal lasts only until 6/21/16 HERE

Anyone for an Onion Run? Putting Fun into High Fantasy

Not all high fantasy has to be deadly serious. The following excerpt is one of my favorite scenes in my novel Tournament of Chance. Although the interlude gave my characters a chance to interact, the entire bit of action wasn’t strictly necessary to the plot–unless you like to have a little fun. Since I do, the scene stayed in. How about you? Do you enjoy a little humor with your high fantasy or do you prefer the classical approach? ~ S.G. Rogers

Excerpt:

Heather knelt next to the bed of onions and pointed to a fat onion with a nice, full top. “What are the odds on this fellow?”

“Oh, that’s Dim Bulb. He’s even money,” the fairy replied.

“That’s a safe bet,” Icarus said. “You can’t lose.”

Dane leaned over to brush the top of a scallion. “Go with this one, Heather. He’s far leaner and can likely outrun them all.”

“Three-to-one on Toothpick,” Towcheez said.

“Toothpick it is, then,” Heather said, exchanging a mischievous glance with Dane. “I enjoy long odds.”

Neither Joe nor Wren had any money, so Manny had to cough up some gold for his sister. Wriggling with excitement, Wren bet on a leek named Puddle. Towcheez bit Manny’s gold coin before tossing it into his sack.

“Good choice, Princess,” Towcheez said to Wren. “Two-to-one odds on ole Puddle.”

After the betting had concluded, the fairies readied their runners for the race. Heather marveled when each onion shrugged its roots free from the soil. An oniony fragrance scented the nighttime air as the runners took their mark. Towcheez flew overhead with a fairy candle in his hand. He held it high.

“Onions, yer running down to the water pump and back,” he bellowed.“Fair warning…losers will be eaten. Ready, steady…yer off!”

The fairy candle punctuated his sentence with an explosion of sparks. Using their roots as legs, the onions peeled out. The runners with hairy roots moved along like millipedes, while the ones with longer roots stretched them forward like stilt-walkers. The fairies cheered with enthusiasm. Wren and Jovander jumped up and down as they rooted for their onion.

“Run, Puddle, run,” Wren screamed.

At the outset, the onions were in a bunch. Heather couldn’t begin to tell how Toothpick was faring. Halfway to the water pump, however, the race began to get choppier. Dim Bulb’s roots gave out under his weight. He fell over and proceeded to roll toward the water pump like a cannon ball. He mowed several competitors down as he went, crushing their roots so badly they didn’t get up again.

“That’s cheating,” Joe exclaimed.

“That’s an onion run,” Manny retorted.

As he neared the pump, Puddle was outdistancing his rivals. Toothpick ran a close second, and Dim Bulb rolled into third. After the runners rounded the pump, they put on the speed. The return journey quickly became brutal, as downed vegetables lay crushed and limp on the path. Dim Bulb shot forward and knocked Puddle over. Puddle retaliated by slapping at Dim Bulb with his dark green leaves. Toothpick took over the lead. Dim Bulb rolled free of Puddle and angled toward Toothpick. The last few feet, however, Dim Bulb became confused and began to roll in a circle. Heather screamed with laughter as Toothpick stumbled over the finish line and waved his leaves in victory. Puddle limped into second place, and Dim Bulb rolled into a pumpkin patch.

The race at an end, fairy children descended on the runners and began to eat them. In her excitement, Heather grabbed Dane’s arm. “We won!” she exclaimed. When she realized what she’d done, she released her grip. “Oh…excuse me, Your Highness.”

Blurb:

In the Kingdom of Destiny, King Chance decreed any female be she high or low born may earn a place at court by winning an archery competition known as the Tournament of Chance. Although no commoner has ever won before, this is Heather’s year.To prevent her from winning the tournament, however, King Chance will stop at nothing.  The king does not yet realize Heather of the Jagged Peaks will be the spark that ignites a revolution — in time.

E-book available at Amazon HERE, at Musa Publishing HERE (all formats), BN.com HERE, or wherever ebooks are sold.

Blog Tour for TOURNAMENT OF CHANCE

In my first ever blog tour, I’ll be visiting some fantastic blogs and sharing all sorts of fun posts with readers.  I hope you’ll stop by on a few of the dates to learn more about me, Tournament of Chance, or just to have fun.

~ S.G. Rogers

Tournament of Chance

In the Kingdom of Destiny, King Chance decreed any female be she high or low born may earn a place at court by winning an archery competition known as the Tournament of Chance. Although no commoner has ever won before, this is Heather’s year.  To prevent her from winning the tournament, however, King Chance will stop at nothing.  The king does not yet realize Heather of the Jagged Peaks will be the spark that ignites a revolution — in time.

January 3rd
I Am A Reader, Not A Writer – Interview
On Starships and Dragonwings – Review

Peace from Pieces – Interview

January 4th
Laurie’s Thoughts & Reviews – Character Interview
Sarah Ballance – Interview or Guest Post
Pieces of Whimsy – Review & Tens List

January 5th
Whatever You Can Still Betray – Review
Susan Heim on Writing – Excerpt

January 6th
Froze8’s Blog – Guest Post on archery
Book Worm Brandy – Review & Interview

January 7th
Chapter by Chapter – Guest Post or Interview

January 8th
Read My Mind – Review & Tens List

January 9th
My Photopage – Interview or Guest Post
Oh Chrys! – Review

January 10th
Colorimetry – Interview or Guest Post

January 11th
Ever and Ever Sight – Review & Interview

January 12th
Bookhounds YA – Interview or Guest Post

January 15th
Fly High – Interview or Guest Post
The Reading Retreat – Review & Interview

January 16th
White Sky Project – Review & Interview
Bookworm Lisa – Review & Interview
Every Free Chance – Review

January 17th
Living the Goddess Life – Review & Tens List

My Devotional Thoughts – Review

January 18th
Starry Night Reviews – Review
Why Not? Because I Said So! – Review & Guest Post

Happy New Year/Happy Old Year

It’s hard for me to believe, but New Year’s Eve is right around the corner.  It’s nice to look back over 2012, to think about milestones and achievements.  It’s also a good time to look forward, to see the path ahead.

On the immediate horizon, I am participating in the Happy New Year Giveaway Hop, January 1st – 7th, hosted by I Am a Reader Not a Writer and Babs Book Bistro.  I’ll be giving one winner his or her choice of any of my e-books, PLUS a review copy of my upcoming release, The Ice Captain’s Daughter. I’ll also be picking ten additional winners to receive a review copy of The Ice Captain’s Daughter.

Then, from January 3rd to January 18th, I’ll embark on a whirlwind blog tour for Tournament of Chance.  I’ll post the lineup on the 3rd if you’d like to follow along. Although Tournament of Chance is an e-book, I have promotional print copies to hand out. A signed copy will be given away during a Goodreads giveaway (US) beginning January 1st and ending on January 22nd.

On the writing front, my sequel to Last Great Wizard of Yden is coming out soon. Children of Yden is packed with action, angst, and an interesting love triangle or two. Also, The Ice Captain’s Daughter will be released well ahead of Valentine’s Day.  And my work-in-progress (as of yet untitled) is percolating along.

I hope you’ll stick around through 2013.  My writer’s journey will take a few new paths as I shift here and there into historical fiction.  By the way, I’m making a list of readers who would like to read and review The Ice Captain’s Daughter (Kindle version) on Amazon and Goodreads (if possible).  Leave a comment, below, if you’d like to be added to the list.  I will take the first fifty requests.

Happy New Year.

~ S.G. Rogers

Take the Shot – Excerpt from TOURNAMENT OF CHANCE: DRAGON REBEL

The lava tunnel opened halfway up the inner slope of volcanic crater. Heather, Manny, and Shimmer joined Dane and Joe as they peeked out from behind a tree. An impressively large brown dragon sat on a dais of white granite on the crater floor some distance below. A multifaceted Dragonstone rested next to the creature, its obsidian surface glowing with an intense inner light.

“I’ve never seen the Dragonstone shine like that before. It must be fairly bursting with magic,” Dane murmured.

“What say you, Heather?” Shimmer asked. “Can you destroy the Dragonstone from here?”

“We should get closer, old boy. Not even Sir Bast could have made that shot,” Manny said.

“Heather can do it,” Joe said.

Dane gave her an encouraging smile. “I know she can.”

Heather let a little silt drift through her fingertips to check the wind. She glanced at Shimmer and nodded. Nocking an arrow in her bowstring, she sighted her target. “Just say the word.”

An enormous troll suddenly emerged from the stand of trees ringing the lake, with a flaming spear in his fist. He ran toward the dais, roaring. The brown dragon yawned.

“He’s bored,” Manny chuckled.

As the troll threw his spear, the dragon morphed into an elderly man. With a wave of his hand, the spear splintered into a shower of sparks. With another gesture, the graybeard turned the troll into a dragon. The creature twisted into the air and then sped off into the sky.

“That man is a wizard!” Joe exclaimed.

After a long pause, Heather spoke. “Shimmer? Do I take the shot?”

But Shimmer was silent. Heather finally lowered her bow and glanced over. He and Manny were stunned beyond measure, and the color had completely drained from Dane’s face. She glanced at Joe, but he shrugged in bewilderment.

“Will somebody tell us what’s going on?” she asked.

Heather’s skill is archery.  King Chance’s skill is treachery. Who will win?

When a beautiful commoner enters the Tournament of Chance archery competition, her thwarted victory sparks a revolution in the oppressive kingdom of Destiny. Although Heather never believed the legends about the restoration of Ormaria, after three shape-shifting Ormarian wizards awaken from a long magical slumber, she joins their perilous quest to regain the throne. Heather battles vicious predators and angry trolls to free the wizards’ magic, but at a horrendous cost. She is unexpectedly torn from the arms of the man she loves and hurled back in time to fulfill a prophecy not yet written. The ensuing maelstrom tests Heather’s survival skills, wits, and endurance. Will she become an unwritten footnote in history, or can she trust the magic to lead her back to her one true love?

Available at Amazon.

Like Beasts in the Field – Excerpt from TOURNAMENT OF CHANCE

Vibrating with shock, Heather stared at the ground. As Lady Felicia was declared this year’s winner of the Tournament of Chance, the commoners began to boo. The sound began low, but built until it resembled the groan of a hurricane. To show their dissatisfaction with the decision, people threw apple cores and rocks onto the field. Pushing and fighting broke out. When a few of the men stumbled through the rope barricades, the king’s guardsmen closed ranks. Within short order, a phalanx of mounted guards joined the melee and created a buffer between the commoners and the royals. Even so, the booing grew louder.

In the meantime, the king, queen, and other members of court rose from their seats and filed toward the castle as quickly as their dignity would allow. The queen made no effort to mask her disgust.

“Listen to those thugs! We try to be nice to the commoners, but they don’t appreciate it.”

“You don’t understand, Chelsea. Commoners lack the capacity for higher thought. It’s best to treat them like beasts in the field,” the king replied.

If she’d been slapped, Heather could not have been more wounded. Tears pricked her eyelids. The king and queen were talking about her family, her friends — and her. When the king pointed an accusatory finger in her direction, however, she preferred the insults to what came next.

“Arrest her for inciting a riot,” he told his guardsmen.

“What!” Heather gasped.

King’s guards strode over to confiscate her bow and quiver. Ustin and Obie tried to push through the crowd to come to Heather’s aid, but they were intercepted by guardsmen. Despite Joe’s protests, the guards took her into custody. As she was hauled away, Heather shook her head in disbelief. If this were a nightmare or some kind of joke, she’d long since ceased to be amused.

When a beautiful commoner enters the Tournament of Chance archery
competition, her thwarted victory sparks a revolution in the oppressive kingdom of Destiny. Although Heather never believed the legends about the restoration of Ormaria, after three shape-shifting Ormarian wizards awaken from a long magical slumber, she joins their perilous quest to regain the throne. Heather battles vicious predators and angry trolls to free the wizards’ magic, but at a horrendous cost. She is unexpectedly torn from the arms of the man she loves and hurled back in time to fulfill a prophecy not yet written. The ensuing maelstrom tests Heather’s survival skills, wits, and endurance. Will she become an unwritten footnote in history, or can she trust the magic to lead her
back to her one true love?
Sunday is the last day to buy Tournament of Chance on sale at Smashwords (ALL e-formats) for $0.99. You must use coupon code AC57D (expires October 21, 2012). Tell a friend! And if you enjoy the book, please don’t forget to leave a review to let others know why.  Go HERE to purchase.

DOWNLOADING TO YOUR E-READERS:
Make sure to download and save the book files to your computer.
Once done, plug in your e-reader’s USB, open the file where the formats were saved, and drag them into your ereader’s folder.
.mobi is for Kindle
Epub is for most other ereaders like Sony/Nook.

Writing, Bonsai Style

Come over to author Suzanne Johnson’s blog Preternatura and read my guest post about the ‘shaping’ of Tournament of Chance.  Leave a comment for a chance to win an e-book copy!

~ S.G. Rogers

Literary Bonsai – The Shaping of Tournament of Chance

When I wrote Tournament of Chance, I didn’t start out to write a speculative fiction piece.  It began as a short story about a girl who enters an archery contest, hoping to win a royal title and a place at court. The narrative ended just as a revolution begins, cutting off the story right when the action was getting good. (MORE)

Child or Woman? — Excerpt from TOURNAMENT OF CHANCE by S.G. Rogers

A muscle in Dane’s jaw rippled. “We must move faster. The longer she’s alone, the more likely it is she’ll encounter something dangerous.”

“She’s done well enough so far, no thanks to you,” Joe muttered.

Dane peered at Joe with narrowed eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’ve shown your distaste for Heather upon more than one occasion.”

“I would never let my personal feelings interfere with my duty to protect the child,” Dane exploded.

“Really? Then why is she lost?”

Dane hands formed fists at his side. As the two men squared off, Shimmer stepped in between. “Jovander, I’ve known Dane much longer than you have. You accuse him unjustly.”

“That is so,” Manny concurred.

“No, no. Don’t bother to defend me. It won’t make a difference. Jovander Chance has a deep seated resentment toward the royal class and doesn’t believe we could ever act unselfishly,” Dane scoffed.

“Forgive me for saying so, but this whole quest is selfish!” Joe yelled. “If it succeeds, you Ormvalders resume ruling the kingdom. Heather gets nothing except for a pat on the back. She’s the only one of us here who has acted in an unselfish manner.”

“You’ve acted unselfishly too, Joe,” Manny said.

Dane smirked. “No, he hasn’t. Haven’t you noticed? Young Joe is quite taken with the lass.”

Joe flushed bright red. “Don’t act so smug, Your Highness. I’ve seen the way you look at her.”

“First you practically accuse me of doing her in, and now you accuse me of having designs on the woman?” Dane thundered. “Make up your mind.”

“First you call her a child, and now a woman?” Joe pointed out. “You should make up your own mind.”

A long, smoldering silence followed in which nobody spoke.

In Tournament of Chance, a hunter’s daughter becomes the spark that ignites a revolution—in time.

When a beautiful commoner enters the Tournament of Chance archery competition, her thwarted victory sparks a revolution in the oppressive kingdom of Destiny. Although Heather never believed the legends about the restoration of Ormaria, after three shape-shifting Ormarian wizards awaken from a long magical slumber, she joins their perilous quest to regain the throne. Heather battles vicious predators and angry trolls to free the wizards’ magic, but at a horrendous cost. She is unexpectedly torn from the arms of the man she loves and hurled back in time to fulfill a prophecy not yet written. The ensuing maelstrom tests Heather’s survival skills, wits, and endurance. Will she become an unwritten footnote in history, or can she trust the magic to lead her back to her one true love?

Now available in all e-formats from Musa Publishing HERE. Also available at Amazon. Coming soon to BN.com and wherever fine e-books are sold.

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To see the book trailer, go HERE

Improvisational Writing — S.G. Rogers

I love writing fantasy because it gives me the freedom to make the rules.  As a reader, however, fantasy works best for me when I can easily relate to what unfolds on the page.  As an author, then, I like to craft my worlds with what I call the –ish.  For example, in Tournament of Chance, the world is Earth-ish, and the era is Medieval-ish.  My historical accuracy is relaxed and fun, with a cinematic view toward composition.

(To read more of my guest post at The Writing Desk, click HERE)

~ S.G. Rogers

Time Travel Mischief

What would you do if you were suddenly sent back in time?

I’m a sucker for time travel, probably as a result of watching The Time Machine (1960) as a kid. By today’s standards, the special effects in that film were archaic, but I found them dazzling. George (H.G. Wells) sat in his time machine and watched decades fly by through his workroom window. Then, when he goes waaay into the future, he finds the world has changed completely. What would you do if you were suddenly sent back in time?

Back to the Future (1985) was a cute look at time travel. Marty McFly is sent thirty years into the past, and finds himself dealing with his own parents. His very presence, unfortunately, disrupts events in such a way he begins to fade from existence…thus illustrating the time travel conundrum.

If you change the slightest detail in the past, what impact will that alteration have on events going forward? The law of unintended consequences would seem to kick in at some point. Even if you went back in time with the most noble of intentions, your actions might have extremely unpredictable and possibly undesirable results.

In my latest release, Tournament of Chance: Dragon Rebel, I have a little fun with the time travel paradox. Heather is accidentally sent eight hundred years into the past, with mind-bending repercussions. Her original goal beforehand was to restore the Ormarian monarchy. Once she’s part of history, however, can Heather prevent the downfall of Ormaria in the first place? Her opportunity to prevent untold misery and bloodshed may come at the cost of her own personal happiness.

Therein lays the dilemma.

If I could write down some sage advice in a time capsule and shoot it back to my younger self, I could very likely prevent some very painful episodes. On the other hand, those tumultuous times taught me a lot and shaped my character. Hmm…would I be doing myself a favor—or a mischief?

If you had the chance to change something in the past would you do it?

~ Suzanne

A hunter’s daughter becomes the spark that ignites a revolution—in time.

When a beautiful commoner enters the Tournament of Chance archery competition, her thwarted victory sparks a revolution in the oppressive kingdom of Destiny. Although Heather never believed the legends about the restoration of Ormaria, after three shape-shifting Ormarian wizards awaken from a long magical slumber, she joins their perilous quest to regain the throne. Heather battles vicious predators and angry trolls to free the wizards’ magic, but at a horrendous cost. She is unexpectedly torn from the arms of the man she loves and hurled back in time to fulfill a prophecy not yet written. The ensuing maelstrom tests Heather’s survival skills, wits, and endurance. Will she become an unwritten footnote in history, or can she trust the magic to lead her back to her one true love?

Tournament of Chance: Dragon Rebel is available at Amazon.