About the author Kimber Leigh Wheaton
Kimber Leigh
Wheaton is a YA/NA author with a soft spot for sweet romance and is a member of
Romance Writers of America.
She is
married to her soul mate, has a teenage son, and shares her home with three
dogs and four cats. No, she doesn’t live on a farm, she just loves animals. Her
house is filled with dragons, though she does lament that they are the
porcelain, non-flying variety.
Kimber Leigh
is addicted to romance, videogames, superheroes, villains, and chocolate—not
necessarily in that order. (If she has to choose, she’ll take a chocolate
covered superhero!)
Her debut
novel, Shadow Fire, is the
first book in The Light
Chronicles series. Watch for
book two, Stolen Moon, a
standalone sequel, coming soon.
Author Links:
Guest Post - The Origin of Shadow Fire
They say the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. Well, I am a video game addict. More specifically, I'm addicted to RPGs. I spend an inordinate amount of time immersed in one fantasy world or another. My characters would be right at home alongside the characters from Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy, or The Legend of Zelda. I label Shadow Fire as a fantasy romance, but it is also an adventure.
When the idea for Shadow Fire hit, it hit hard. One day I hadn’t written anything for several years, and the next I cranked out the first chapter in a couple of hours. I was obsessed. There was no plot mapping, no outline. Zane, Ashlyn, and Taranis were in my mind, and I needed to free them as quickly as possible or risk insanity. The first draft was written in four weeks. That was two years ago. While the plot and characters remain the same, the manuscript has undergone numerous revisions to reach the place it is today. I changed the beginning twice, then finally found what I liked on the third try.
Shadow Fire is my debut novel. I learned so much about writing during this journey. You can clearly see it if you compare the first manuscript with the published novel. It's an amazing difference. Fortunately, I love editing and revising. It's hard to say goodbye to your characters when that final revision is complete. Ashlyn, Zane, and Taranis have a cameo in Stolen Moon the second book in the Light Chronicles due out late summer 2014.
Shadow Fire
Author: Kimber Leigh Wheaton
Series: Light Chronicles
Genre: YA Fantasy / Romance
Publisher: Astraea Press
Pages: 310
Language: English
Format: eBook
Release Date: February 24, 2014
Book Description:
Ashlyn – a free-spirited
teenager whose peaceful life is shattered when the village elders honor her
with a perilous quest to recover a stolen relic.
Zane
– a jaded mercenary, torn by his undeniable desire for Ashlyn and the dark
secret that could make her hate him forever.
Delistaire
– a malevolent sorcerer driven by an insatiable lust for power.
All
three are bound together by an ancient relic supposedly infused with the power
of a Goddess.
Shadow Fire – adventure, passion, secrets, and betrayal
As Ashlyn and Zane race to stay one step ahead of
the evil lurking in the shadows, their passions are ignited and their bond
strengthens. But will they find the relic before Delistaire?
Or has their entire quest been orchestrated from the very beginning by a madman
in pursuit of ultimate power?
Each
installment of The Light Chronicles
is a standalone story.
Book Links:
Shadow Fire Excerpt
Every step I take is one step
closer to death.
Hiking
through the dense underbrush, I try to calm my frayed nerves and control the
fear threatening to overwhelm me. Twigs and tendrils of ivy grab at my ankles
as I continue to forge ahead, forcing me to wrench away from their skeletal
grip. The sunlight is fading, signaling the end of another day, but this is no ordinary
day.
A
loud crack pierces the air. I freeze in
my tracks, my breath catching in my throat. Whipping my head around, I try to
locate the source of the sound. My heart pounds in my chest, the erratic rhythm
painful. These woods are full of predators, some animal, some monster, but the
worst… human. Taking a deep breath, I listen to the surrounding woods: birds
chirp, insects hum, and small animals scurry about as if they have no care in
the world.
Lungs
burning, I force myself to continue walking. I didn't collapse three weeks ago
when this whole fiasco started, and I won't give in now. My family needs me to
be strong.
The
trees become sparser as I approach the edge of the forest. My shoulders slump
when I pass the tree house we used to play in so many years ago. Any other day
when I'm this close to home after a long day of hunting, I'd smile, breathe a
sigh of relief, and perhaps look forward to dinner. Today there will be no
raucous family meal, no solace in entering the peaceful village, and nothing to
smile about.
The
villagers will be awaiting my return, skulking in the shadows, desperate to
catch a glimpse of the walking dead girl.
I've
dealt with the whispers and pointing for three weeks with my head held high, my
anxiety hidden behind a mask of indifference. I don't want them to see me like
this, trembling in fear, broken. They've taken everything I am, every hope,
every dream I've had for the future and smashed them to pieces with little hope
of salvation. The townsfolk of Verdane decided my fate and they chose death.
The
elders told me being Chosen is an
honor. Either they are ignorant or apathetic. Every five years for the last
twenty, a teenage girl has been chosen by the town, via secret ballot, to
undertake this dangerous quest, never to return. Perhaps if the elders had to
forfeit their lives instead they wouldn't be so quick to label it an honor,
they'd call it what it is… a sacrifice.
***Giveaway***
2 Gifted Kindle copies of Shadow Fire up for grabs.
Ends April 2nd (23:59 p.m. GMT)
International. Open to anyone who can receive gifted ebooks from amazon.com.
Thanks for hosting Shadow Fire, Alecia!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, kimber leigh :)
DeleteTemple Run?
ReplyDeletea while ago i was addicted to playing mario
ReplyDelete