Master of Malice Book 1: The Scarecrow by Cas Peace Day 11 in the Monster Mash Book Blitz Countdown Event

Cas lives in the lovely county of Hampshire, southern UK, where she was born. On leaving school she trained for two years before qualifying as horse-riding instructor. During this time she also learned to carriage-drive. She spent thirteen years in the British Civil Service before moving to Rome, Italy, where she and her husband, Dave, lived for three years. They enjoy returning whenever they can. Cas supports many animal charities and owns two rescue dogs. She has a large collection of cacti and loves gardening. She is also a folk singer/songwriter and is currently writing and recording nine folk-style songs to accompany each of her fantasy books. You can listen to and download all the songs from her website: www.caspeace.com

See the video of her performing live at the King’s Enjoy book launch here:

http://www.caspeace.com/cas-peace/the-wheel-will-turn

Find out more at her website: www.caspeace.com


Q&A With the Author:

5. What is the hardest thing you've ever done?

By far the hardest thing I ever had to do was give up and rehome my first two dogs. All my life I’ve wanted a dog, but I had to wait until I had a job and home of my own before I could get one. I went to a rescue center and rehomed two Lurchers, which I loved dearly. Unfortunately, two years after I got them my first marriage broke down, and I could no longer keep the dogs. Having to give them up and rehome them was the worst and the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It broke my heart and I’ve never got over it.

6. Now that we've gotten to know each other, tell me a story. It can be long or short. From your childhood or last week. Funny, sad, or somewhere in between. Just make sure it's yours. What's your story?

Myself and a childhood friend, Karen, used to love creating little stories which we would often act out. One day, we were coming home from school on the bus when we decided to pretend we were two orphans on our way to meet our new families for the first time. My home stop was before Karen’s, so we concentrated on my story. I speculated about what my new ‘parents’ would look like, what my life would be like, and how different it would be from the orphanage. As my stop approached, we hugged and promised to keep in touch with each other and never forget how we’d met at the orphanage. I stood up to leave the bus, but a lady in the seat behind stopped me. She had tears in her eyes as she told me how brave I was, and how much she hoped I would have a happy, loving family and a good life from now on. I didn’t have the heart or the courage to admit we had made it up, so I accepted her good wishes and managed to leave the bus without laughing. I guess Karen and I must have been very convincing, despite the fact that no children’s organization would ever let a young child (I guess I was about 13) go to meet their adoptive parents alone. I never saw the lady again, and I often wonder whether she ever realized what had happened. This incident lent encouragement to my storytelling, so I’ve always been grateful to her.

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Pure evil resists all attempts to destroy it, seeking only its ultimate vengeance.
Three years have passed since Reen’s trial and exile and changes have occured at the Manor. Taran now resides in Loxton Castle as Elias’s Court Artesan, with Sullyan, General Blaine, and Colonel Vassa all making regular tours of guard duty there. Accused of corrupting her daughter Princess Seline, the disgraced former queen, Sofira, has been exiled to Bordenn, where she nurses a bitter heart. And a terrible scarecrow creature has taken roost in a dank cell below the palace of Lerric, Sofira’s father.
Word reaches Sullyan of Reen’s suicide. The lack of a body and a series of dreadful events in Port Loxton—a vicious murder, a brutal ambush, and a devastating fire—raise doubts in her mind. She launches an investigation, unsuspecting of the evil that’s about to be unleashed... 

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Top Ten List:

1) Anything to do with animals, especially dogs and horses. My favorite horse breed is the Friesian, which is why I put one in my novels. I also own two rescue dogs and support many animal charities.

2) Singing, especially folk-style songs. I have written and recorded songs to go with each of my Artesans novels. I also sing in my local church choir.

3) Chocolate!!

4) Dragons and (I have to admit!) unicorns. I have collected figurines and statues of dragons and unicorns since I was small and have a vast collection, some of which are quite large and live outdoors. But I don’t like “twee” ones, only those that look like they could be real.

5) Reading, especially fantasy and sci-fi, but also crime novels and mysteries.

6) Country walks.

7) All wildlife, especially butterflies. I used to breed and release UK varieties of butterfly, and belong to the Butterfly Conservation Society.

8) Playing my bodhran (Irish drum). I can’t read music so decided to take up drumming instead. It’s fun and very therapeutic.

9) Spending time with family members.

10) Hula-hooping! It’s something I’ve recently taken up to improve my fitness levels. I bought a sports hoop (something of a shock when you’ve never hooped in your life, even as a kid) and am working through various YouTube tutorials. I love it, even if I am getting through tubs and tubs of Arnica gel to soothe my bruises!

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Great Summer Countdown Day 11 -Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend by Cheryl Carpinello

I am retired high school English teacher. A devourer of books growing up, my profession introduced me to writings and authors from times long past. Through my studies and teaching, I fell in love with the Ancient and Medieval Worlds. Now, I hope to inspire young readers and those Young-at-Heart to read more through my Quest Books set in these worlds.

I also conduct Medieval/Short Story Writing Workshops in Elementary/Middle School classes. Contact me if you are interested in holding a workshop for students: ccarpinello@mac.com.

Q&A With the Author:

3.  What is the thing you struggle with the most while writing? And how do you defeat it?

My biggest struggle is figuring out how to get my characters to the next pivot point in my stories. That’s when I put down pen and paper and spend time going over different scenarios in my head. Sometimes that takes a few hours, but usually it’s a few days.

4.   What kind of music do you listen to while you write?

My favorites are Mumford and Sons and Of Monsters and Men.

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At the dawn of Camelot, one young girl is about to take her place beside the greatest king in England’s history…. 

She is a mere child of twelve. But in these medieval days, this is the age when childish things must be put away and greater responsibilities accepted—all in preparation for a betrothal of marriage. 

For young Lady Guinevere, on the advent of her thirteenth Birth Day, the whole idea is quite unbearable. After all, what could be better than spending her youth playing with her best friend Cedwyn, roaming the grounds around the castle looking for mythical creatures or hunting rabbits? 

However, the wizard Merlyn—her teacher and friend—knows that destiny has a way of catching up with a person. His arrival sets in motion a series of events that will lead Guinevere to her destiny whether she is ready for it or not. 

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Snippet:

At the bottom of the stairs, Guinevere paused and peeked out the door.  Seeing no one, she stepped out into the bailey, thankful for the clouds that hid the moon.  Focused on the outer door across the courtyard, she missed seeing the figure that slid out of the shadows and followed her.

            Guinevere glanced once more around the bailey as she reached the outer door.  The shadow following her hugged the building as the moon drifted out from the clouds.  She crept through the door and turned to the right.  Keeping in the shadows and close to the stable wall, she managed to work her way to about twenty yards from the edge of the forest.  Taking a furtive look around, she stole across the open grass and slipped into the trees.

            As she disappeared from view, the figure following her moved through the outer door.  As Guinevere had done, this figure kept close to the stable wall, staying within the shadows and watching the tree line for any movement.  Seeing nothing, the shadowy figure moved out into the moonlight, revealing himself to any who happened to be watching, but there were none.  Those not in bed stayed in the hall enjoying themselves too much to venture out into the late night.  The moonlight bounced off his grey gown and illuminated his white hair, making it appear ghostly.  Merlyn quickened his pace, not wanting to fall too far behind.

            Guinevere crept along the forest path.  The fragrance of wet pine filled her senses.  Suddenly, the faint sound of a voice off to her right reached her ears.  She turned and moved cautiously through the trees and brush.  The  calming quality of the voice dispelled her fears.  As she moved closer, the voice’s volume increased very little.  Whoever it belonged to continued to whisper to someone, although Guinevere heard only the one voice.

            Through the leafy oak branches, Guinevere made out the shape of a tall, slender woman dressed in a white hooded robe.  Edging closer she saw that the woman stood in a small clearing.  Moonlight filtered down, descending almost like a halo around her.  With the woman’s hood up, Guinevere was unable to discern any other physical features.  The woman continued to talk to someone concealed by her body.  Intrigued, Guinevere moved closer, careful not to make any noise.  While the woman did not move, from time to time her arms reached out in front of her, for some reason unknown to Guinevere.

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