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I was going to put this little paragraph at the end of the post below but it’s too good to bury down there. If you want to experience more of Bryan Davis’ books, you can get two of them FREE from Amazon for Kindle. Click on the titles to go straight to the Amazon Kindle store, where you can download the books:
• Beyond the Reflection’s Edge
• Nightmare’s Edge

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Now, back to business. I got the chance to ask Bryan a few questions and I’m pleased to be able to let you in on our conversation. I hope you enjoy his responses as much as I did.

What led you to write this particular story?

After I wrote Echoes from the Edge for Zondervan, they wanted me to write  a dragons series for them, since my other dragons books were so successful for AMG, so I asked my children if they had any ideas. One daughter, Amanda, suggested a story about a world populated by dragons that enslaves humans kidnapped from a world of humans. She also came up with the idea that two teenaged humans would go to the dragon world to try to bring the slaves home. I told Zondervan about the idea, and they loved it. I made up the details as I wrote the story, but Amanda invented the basic storyline.

How long did it take you to write Starlighter?

About three to four months. I usually take three months to write a story and then a month to polish it.

Who is your favorite character in the book? What do you like about them?

I get asked about favorite characters many times, and it’s always hard to answer, because I like so many of them. I create characters (the heroes, of course) who are appealing to me. If I had to pick one, I think I would go with Koren. There’s something special about a heroine who suffers greatly but still rises to sacrifice for others. I find her captivating. Koren is vulnerable, yet strong. She is naïve is some ways, yet filled with wisdom in others. She despises the cruelty of slavery, yet is willing to endure it for the sake of others. She is truly heroic.

I know you’ve been doing quite a few book tours over the last few years. Who has been your most memorable fan so far?

While in Dallas this year, a girl lugged a box into the bookstore and set it on my signing table. She then withdrew from that box individual shoeboxes, and in each shoebox, wrapped in tissue paper, she produced one of my books for me to sign. I signed each one carefully, making sure not to bend the cover or any pages, and she gently put each book back in place.

Who are your favorite authors?

C.S. Lewis (especially Till We Have Faces, Perelandra, and Narnia) and Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird).

If you could be any character from any fantasy book, who would it be and why?

That’s a tough question, because I already feel like I live in a fantasy world. I get to do what I love, and my books are changing lives. I can’t imagine a better situation. I sat here for half an hour trying to think of a fantasy character I would like to be, but I couldn’t come up with one.

Thank you so much, Bryan for being such an active part of this blog tour.

I encourage you to check out what my fellow CSSF bloggers have to say:

Brandon Barr
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
R. L. Copple
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Leighton
Jane Maritz
Rebecca LuElla Miller
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
SarahFlan
Chawna Schroeder
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher

For more information on Bryan Davis, check out his blog and website:
Author blog - http://dragonsinourmidst.blogspot.com/
Author Web site - http://www.dragonsinourmidst.com/

For more info, here’s an Amazon link: Starlighter, by Bryan Davis

I would like to thank the publisher, Zondervan, for providing a free review copy of the book.

Today I am pleased to provide an excerpt of the book, courtesy of the author. Here’s how the book begins:

Starlighter, By Bryan Davis

Chapter One

Blood match. The words echoed in Jason’s mind as he stood at his corner of the tourney ring and gripped the hilt of his sword. Like a beating drum, the announcer must have repeated that phrase a hundred times, as if the potential for bloodletting might whip the crowd into a frenzy.

Jason scanned the two-hundred-plus onlookers. Seated in the surrounding grassy amphitheater during the warmth of midday, they offered no cheers, no applause, just a low buzz signaling a rising anticipation. Jason Masters, a peasant boy, had advanced to the finals and faced the obvious favorite, Randall Prescott, son of the governor of all Mesolantrum. And with the final round came new weapons and new rules, designed to pose a fresh challenge to a young warrior’s expertise and courage.

Drawing his sword closer, Jason looked at its tip. The referee had fitted a blocking circle within a half inch of the end, ensuring that his jabs would not inflict a mortal wound. Of course, a blow to the face could rip out an eye, but such an attack would immediately disqualify the offender. No one wanted that to happen, no matter how much he disliked his opponent.

Randall paced at the opposite corner, looking smug as he slid his big feet across the grassy floor. Being the son of the governor, he had been provided with the best equipment and was trained by some of the finest swords- men in Prescott’s domain.

Yet not the finest. Jason looked up at the royal box where Governor Prescott sat. His bodyguard stood next to him, always watchful, always ready to defend the governor against attack — the best swordsman in the land, Jason’s brother Adrian Masters. From his soldier’s uniform to his polished leather boots, dark gray trousers, and flowing, long-sleeved forest green shirt, he looked very sharp, especially with the sword and belt attached to his hip. Training with him had provided Jason with all he needed to succeed this far in the tournament, but would it be enough to defeat Randall?

To read the rest of Chapter One, click here: http://www.daviscrossing.com/firstchapter/bryan_davis_starlighter.pdf

I also encourage you to check out what my fellow CSSF bloggers have to say:

Brandon Barr
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
R. L. Copple
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Leighton
Jane Maritz
Rebecca LuElla Miller
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
SarahFlan
Chawna Schroeder
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher

For more information on Bryan Davis, check out his blog and website:
Author blog - http://dragonsinourmidst.blogspot.com/
Author Web site - http://www.dragonsinourmidst.com/

For more info, here’s an Amazon link: Starlighter, by Bryan Davis

I would like to thank the publisher, Zondervan,
for providing a free review copy of the book.

In my opinion, Starlighter is a great beginning to what will likely be an interesting and successful series for young adults. Here’s the official teaser blurb:

Jason Masters doubted the myths that told of people taken through a portal to another realm and enslaved by dragons, but when he receives a cryptic message from his missing brother, he must uncover the truth and find the portal before it’s too late. At the same time, Koren, a slave in the dragons’ realm, discovers she has a gift that could either save or help doom her people. As Jason and Koren work to rescue the enslaved humans, a mystic prophecy surrounding a black egg may make all their efforts futile.

Are you interested yet? Come back tomorrow for an excerpt of the book. Meanwhile, check out what my fellow CSSF bloggers have to say:

Brandon Barr
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
R. L. Copple
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Leighton
Jane Maritz
Rebecca LuElla Miller
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
SarahFlan
Chawna Schroeder
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher

For more information on Bryan Davis, check out his blog and website:
Author blog – http://dragonsinourmidst.blogspot.com/
Author Web site – http://www.dragonsinourmidst.com/

For more info, here’s an Amazon link: Starlighter, by Bryan Davis

I would like to thank the publisher, Zondervan,
for providing a free review copy of the book.

For details, see http://www.tor.com/wok/

To visit the author, click here: http://www.brandonsanderson.com/

Forbidden, the first novel in The Forbidden series, will release in September 2011 from Center Street (Hachette Book Group). Described by the authors as “a thriller for tomorrow”, the world as we know it is unrecognizable. Four hundred eighty years have passed since civilization’s brush with extinction. Perfect order reigns and humanity’s greatest threats have all been silenced under the rule of a totalitarian government. There is no disease, no malice, no hate, and no war. There is only peace until the day one man discovers the truth: Every single soul walking the earth is actually dead and the human heart has been stripped of all that makes it human. Now only he is alive and has the knowledge that can once again awaken humanity.

You can visit the authors at:
http://www.teddekker.com/
http://www.toscalee.com/

The following excerpt follows the installation of Saul as King over Israel.  The unnamed angel returns to the Second Heaven to give Satan an update.  He arrives to find Baal and all the arch demon gods being berated by Satan for having lost possession of the Ark of the Covenant.

There must have been thirty or forty demons huddled in front of the doors leading into Satan’s inner court when I got there.

“What’s going on?” I asked as I tried to maneuver my way to the front of the line.

“Where have you been?”

“On assignment – to the Earth.  I’m back with my report.”

“Good luck with that,” Bezel’s sarcasm caused a tittering ripple through the crowd.

“Why, what’s wrong?”

“Guess what, moron?” Bezel continued. “Satan doesn’t need your report to tell him when things are a mess on the Earth.”

“He already knows?” I found it disappointing to think someone had pre-empted my report to Satan.  I had so few opportunities to impress him.

“Why don’t you just go in and see for yourself?”

Two demons pulled open the doors and made a mocking bow, then sweeping gestures with their arms to usher me in.  As soon as I stepped safely inside the threshold, they pulled the doors closed behind me.  I could hear the noise on the other side of the curtain that separated the entryway from the throne room.  The demon guards standing on either side of the curtain didn’t see me because their eyes were scrunched shut as if not wanting to witness what was taking place right in front of them.  I shut mine, too, but it was too late.

“You incompetent baboon! I told you what I would do to you if you failed me!”

I opened one eye and prepared to run when I realized Satan was not talking to me.  I caught my breath and opened the other eye to see that he was jumping up and down on the back of Baal who was sprawled on the floor like a smashed pig.  His eyes bulged and his tongue sprang out at every stab of the spear Satan held in his hand and as he came down hard again and again on the battered demon.

“Talk,” Satan seethed, “Tell me the rest of it before I slaughter you and feed you to the night birds.”

“It’s – not my fault,” Baal choked out the words.

“Then whose fault is it?”  Satan continued to jump up and down on his back until he spotted me in the doorway. He gave one final stomp on Baal’s head and made his way toward me.

“Do you know about all this?” he demanded.

I had no idea what he was talking about.

“Yes, sir,” I lied, “I’m just here to fill in the gaps so to speak. Where would you like me to start?”

Satan whirled and strode to his throne and plopped himself down.  Baal didn’t move or twitch.

“Is it true the Philistines had the Ark in their possession then lost it?”

“It’s true they had it, but they didn’t lose it.  They gave it back.”

“They gave it back?” he jumped up and grabbed Baal up by the neck. “They had it and they gave it back?”

“There was no choice,” Baal spoke through ragged breaths as his tattered wings hung at his side. “It was killing them.  They had to get rid of it before the entire army caved in on itself.”

“Do you know what it would be worth to me to have the Ark?” Satan slammed him to the floor.

“Yes, yes, that’s why we took it.” Baal picked himself up and tried to snap his wings back into place. “I was planning to bring it to you as a gift. But it was too strong – it was like the power of Michael’s sword was in the box.”

“Coward and weakling – that’s all you are.  I never should have promoted you.”

I was desperately hoping Satan wouldn’t continue his tirade along this line. More than that, I hoped Baal would have the good sense to shut up. Unfortunately, as I’ve pointed out many times, demons, as a rule, do not have sense of any kind.  It’s almost as if they can’t process cause and consequence.

‘Oh, is that right, Mr. Lucifer?” Baal seethed.

Don’t go there. Don’t go there, Baal. Suck it up.

“Oh, that’s right, your name isn’t Lucifer anymore, is it? Let me see, why did you change it?”  Baal tapped his claw finger to the side of his head in a mock gesture of trying to remember.  Satan was beginning to glow.  I looked for cover and quietly slipped over behind one of the guard demons whose eyes were still shut tight.

“Of course you would have no problem coming against Michael’s sword.”

Drop it – drop it right there. I silently urged Baal to no avail. He had no idea the collateral damage that would occur if Satan exploded.

“Oh, oh, now I remember – you’ve already done that, haven’t you?” Then Baal made a sweeping gesture around the room, “which, correct me if I’m wrong, is why you were thrown out of Heaven into this god forsaken (no pun intended) black hole of the universe.”

Baal laughed like a banshee until he realized the granite floor he was standing on, usually cold to the touch, was heating up as it absorbed the white hot fire generating from Satan himself.  The stone walls began to tremble and boulders from the top of the cave could be heard falling and tumbling into the street outside.  I was pretty sure the demons who were waiting at the door were all but gone by now.  I grabbed for the curtain rod over my head to pull myself up from the burning floor.  Baal was hopping from foot to foot as Satan loomed before him and blocked any effort at retreating.

“No, wait, I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me,” Baal babbled still hopping as Satan levitated himself, roared so loudly my ears were stinging and crouched menacingly over the trembling demon god.”

“Wait, sir, you don’t want to destroy him!”

Who said that?  Oh, no, it was me. What was I thinking? No one in their right mind would ever get between Satan and the object of his wrath.

“Oh, but I do,” the words dripped from his open mouth along with the ooze falling over his prey.

“I know you do, and certainly you have every right,” I was making it up as I went along, “and I for one would enjoy seeing you take your justified revenge on the traitor, but of course your wisdom won’t allow you to give in to your well deserved emotional fit.”

The walls stopped trembling and the glow from the floor was fading as Satan eased back from his crouch and looked quizzically at me.

“I am wise,” he said, “always have been.”

“That you are, sir.  No doubt about it. You would never get into a fight based on a wrong assumption. Baal’s just joking with you. You know Michael’s sword isn’t in the Ark.”

“Of course, I do. Everyone knows that.”

“What’s in the Ark is far more dangerous than anything Michael could do. It’s the Spirit of God Himself who lives in the box. Or at least He did for a while.  That’s what whipped the daylights out of the Philistines.”

“But He’s not in there anymore?”

“No, He’s still fond of it and watches over it, and there’s the residue of His Spirit certainly, but that’s true of anyplace God goes. He doesn’t personally spend any time in there now although He still regards it as holy as do the Jews.”

Change the subject.

“May I say how I admire your restraint? Even though Baal has brought you nothing but grief and disappointment, still you know the better decision is to let him live.”

Satan looked at Baal who was nodding in agreement so wildly he looked like a puppet of himself with a bobble head attached.

“Remind me why this is the better decision.”

“Because the rules of engagement on the Earth have changed.”

“I knew that.”

“Certainly, you did, sir.  Now that Israel has a king, the battle will be more organized. You don’t have time to train and reassign replacements for all the demon gods who have disappointed you.”

“Israel has a king?”

“When did that happen?” Baal blurted out then slapped his claw hand over his mouth. Satan shot him a look that made him pound his own head between his eyes with his free claw.

“Ah-ha, I knew it.  God abandoned them.”

“No, no nothing like that. He just decided to give them a king.  It was bound to happen.  The judge idea didn’t prove to be a long-term strategy, just like you predicted.”

“I knew it all along.”

I desperately wanted to say how Satan had no concept of anything long term, much less strategy, and it had been me – not him – to make the observation that a judge over Israel wasn’t a final solution.  Instead I kissed up.

“You’re remarkable, sir.”

“So now God has given them a king.”

“To be more accurate, first Israel begged and pleaded for a king before He decided to give them one. I believe He always intended to give them one, just not right now.”

“Aha, then Israel is in disobedience. Right?

I didn’t say a word.

“Never mind, I know the answer.  Israel is always in disobedience; though it doesn’t seem to stop Him from rescuing them.”

“I know it’s frustrating, believe me, I think about it every day.  Nevertheless, God has abdicated kingship over the Jews and will now work through a human being to govern them. So your strategy will likewise adjust.”

“That’s right. Explain it to Baal.  He’s too stupid to figure it out.”

‘Right away, sir,” I turned to face the confused, bruised face of Earth’s most powerful demon god. “It’s like this.  Instead of scatter gun approaches, conning whatever insignificant group of humans you choose, your target is now the king.”

“Tell him why,” Satan interjected.

“Because as goes the king, so goes the nation.  It will be up to the king to decide if Israel remains true to God or strays into one of your pagan temples for a little adulterous worship on the side.”

“What does this new king have going on?  What’s his strong suit?” Satan asked.

“He’s quite tall.”

“Tall?  That’s all?”

“Tall Saul – that’s his all.”

“Doo-wop, doo-wop,” Baal sang from the sideline before realizing his mouth was open again and quickly stuck a claw in it.

Time to change the subject again. I cleared my throat and referred to my notes.

“Whether or not Saul can be successful will depend, in my mind, on Samuel.  On his own, Saul does not have the emotional or spiritual maturity to be a war-time king over an unruly population, as the Israelites are.”

“I see,” Satan mused.  “but, I know just how to take care of Saul.”

“I’m sure you do, sir.”

“Tell Baal what it is.  I’m still not speaking to him.”

“Right away.  It’s like this.  For Saul to succeed, Samuel will have to stay on him all the time.  Saul is prone to take shortcuts, doesn’t listen, oversteps his boundaries, and has no patience.  He didn’t want the job as king, feels insecure in the role and will soon become paranoid.  At the same time, Samuel is old now and more important,” I lowered my voice as if telling a secret, “he doesn’t like Saul.”

“Then we go after Samuel,” Satan said.

“Not gonna happen,” uh oh, I appeared to be correcting Satan, “because Baal here,” I deflected, “has been after Samuel since he was one year old and has not succeeded.” Nice recovery if I do say so myself.

“Anyone can see getting Samuel is no strategy,” Satan snorted.

“If I may offer a suggestion,” I paused until Satan nodded to go ahead. “I propose you do nothing at all.  In some ways, this is uncharted water. God has never allowed a king before and never settled on someone as leader who has so many obvious leadership challenges.  Let me watch this at eye level on the Earth for a while.  When I report back, it will be clear what you should do.”

“Be sure you don’t mess it up,” Satan said. “You watch the Earth, but I’m watching you. Don’t ever forget it.”

As if I could.

The King is book three of the series and follows the time of the Judges through the death of King David.  Lucifer’s Flood and The Deliverer are books one and two. The fourth and final book in the series, The Redeemer, will be released in early 2011.

Information and readers’ reviews can be found at:
http://reluctantdemondiaries.com.
The author, Linda Rios Brook, can be contacted at brooklr@comcast.net.

“The Reluctant Demon Diaries” is published by Realms.
Book 3, The King, was released on May 4, 2010
296 pages, Paperback
For more info, here’s my affiliate Amazon link: The King

Rooms

Here’s the official blurb:

On a rainy spring day in Seattle, young software tycoon Micah Taylor receives a cryptic, twenty-five-year-old letter from a great uncle he never knew. It claims a home awaits him on the Oregon coast that will turn his world inside out. Suspecting a prank, Micah arrives at Cannon Beach to discover a stunning brand new nine-thousand square foot house. And after meeting Sarah Sabin at a nearby ice cream shop, he has two reasons to visit the beach every weekend.

When bizarre things start happening in the rooms of the home, Micah suspects they have some connection to his enigmatic new friend, Rick, the town mechanic. But Rick will only say the house is spiritual. This unnerves Micah because his faith slipped away like the tide years ago, and he wants to keep it that way. But as he slowly discovers, the home isn’t just spiritual, it’s a physical manifestation of his soul, which God uses to heal Micah’s darkest wounds and lead him into an astonishing new destiny.

Publisher: B&H Books, April 1, 2010
Trade Paperback, 400 pages
Amazon link: Rooms

For my previous review of By Darkness Hid, click here.

The Star Kingdom of Manticore and the Republic of Haven have been enemies for Honor Harrington’s entire life, and she has paid a price for the victories she’s achieved in that conflict. And now the unstoppable juggernaut of the mighty Solarian League is on a collision course with Manticore. The millions who have already died may have been only a foretaste of the billions of casualties just over the horizon, and Honor sees it coming.

She’s prepared to do anything, risk anything, to stop it, and she has a plan that may finally bring an end to the Havenite Wars and give even the Solarian League pause. But there are things not even Honor knows about. There are forces in play, hidden enemies in motion, all converging on the Star Kingdom of Manticore to crush the very life out of it, and Honor’s worst nightmares fall short of the oncoming reality.

But Manticore’s enemies may not have thought of everything after all. Because if everything Honor Harrington loves is going down to destruction, it won’t be going alone.

Publisher: Baen
Release Date: Baen lists July 2010, Amazon lists June 22
Hardcover, 864 pages
List Price: $27.00, currently on sale from Amazon for $14.58

Author’s Website: David Weber

Here’s my Amazon Associates link: Medal of Honor
(Yes, if you buy the book through this link, I will get a small commission.)

Shadow Prowler was first published in Russia in 2002 as Stealth in the Shadows. Apparently it was a huge hit in that country, with international book rights being subsequently snapped up by Tor Books for six figures (U.S. rights), Simon & Schuster (U.K. rights, pre-empting the trilogy with a six-figure deal), and Piper (Germany). Shadow Prowler is Book 1 in “The Chronicles of Siala” series. Here’s the official blurb:

After centuries of calm, the Nameless One is stirring.

An army is gathering; thousands of giants, ogres, and other creatures are joining forces from all across the Desolate Lands, united, for the first time in history, under one black banner. By the spring, or perhaps sooner, the Nameless One and his forces will be at the walls of the great city of Avendoom.

Unless Shadow Harold, master thief, can find some way to stop them.

Shadow Prowler is the first in a trilogy that follows Shadow Harold on his quest for a magic Horn that will restore peace to the Kingdom of Siala. Harold will be accompanied on his quest by an Elfin princess, Miralissa, her elfin escort, and ten Wild Hearts, the most experienced and dangerous fighters in their world…and by the king’s court jester (who may be more than he seems…or less).

Reminiscent of Moorcock’s Elric series, Shadow Prowler is the first work to be published in English by the bestselling Russian fantasy author Alexey Pehov. The book was translated by Andrew Bromfield, best known for his work on the highly successful Night Watch series.

Hardcover published in the U.S. by Tor Books
Release date: February 2010, 400 pages

Alexey Pehov’s website: http://www.alexeypehov.com

For more info, here’s my affiliate link to Amazon. (If you place an order through this link, I do get a small commission.)