Today we are chatting with E.P. Bellow about Quest for Copia.
Supernatural Central Short and Quick Interview
1. Tell me a little bit about your main character of this book.
John William Drake… where to begin. John is a nobby-kneed, awkward young man with a lot on his mind and in his heart. He comes from a long line of explorers - not just any type of explorer though. The Drakes are seekers of lost cities and legends of sorcery. John inherited the same curious nature. Now that his father is missing his search has taken a much more meaningful tone. He knows he has big shoes to fill if he wants to be a great explorer like those in his lineage and carries a heavy burden. It is all too much for someone so young to take on, but he is determined. When he enters the realm he feels an indescribable connection. there is something extraordinary about John, that he has yet to discover.
2. Do you believe in the paranormal and if so, do you have an experience you can share?
I do believe that we come from a source of energy and that energy dwells in us all. Once our bodies are done in life, the energy makes an exit. While I don’t know if I’ve ever been in the presence of a spirit outside of the body, I know such a thing does exist in the best possible way. When I was a little girl I would get antsy at night while everyone else was asleep in their beds… doors shut to their rooms. I would get up and step into the hall. On occasion, there would be a man in a cowboy hat leaning against the wall quietly and unthreatening. I had a very active imagination (still do) so it was always dismissed as such. I knocked on my parents' door “There’s a man standing next to the bathroom… I have to go!”
Mom and Dad were in no rush to investigate knowing that I had a posse of imaginary friends. By the time my dad would open the door the man strutted into the darkness and faded away. I saw him on a few separate occasions but only knocked on doors about it once. My young mind playing tricks on me on me or a cowboy who once lived where our house stood… to this day I just don't know.
3. What titles are you working on now that you can tell us about?
The next series is in the works. Part one is titled The Academy of Obscure Alchemy. The New Guardians series takes John William and his friends into the next era in the realm… The Age of Imperious. Centuries of dark sorcery seep to the surface at the will of the worst of all villains. Loved ones who have been missing will re-emerge. Some bonds will grow stronger while others will be broken.
~A new era emerged in Azra’s Pith bringing a change felt by all. Tucked away in the mountains, Roman and Celeste stumbled upon a town once occupied by a wizard cult. It was supposed to be abandoned but instead was bustling with new residents. On the edge of town was a new academy with a giant banner draped across the front…
“ALL ARE WELCOME!”
The buzz for the academy spread quickly throughout the realm. Magic filled the halls while sorcery from all over the realm and beyond was taught. All was not what it seemed. Something sinister was at work behind the scenes. Students were disappearing without a trace and no one dared discuss what lurked under the school.
When the young guardians enrolled in the academy they discovered the source - a gateway to ancient curses and forbidden sorcery. For Roman, the gateway was just too tempting to ignore. Celeste knew the dangers–she was intent on locking the gateway and throwing away the key. There was just one drawback, everything that escaped from the gateway would need to be captured and returned before shutting its doors.
Excerpt Unearthed:
~The Copian Mediallion is discovered after being buried for years by layers of the realm.
Come on, wings! Don't fail me!" Gusts of wind blew the little bird in all directions. Her vivid red feathers stole the sun’s beams from the sky.
This was not an ordinary bird. This was a young Empyrean wizard named Celeste. Empyrean wizards lived in an extraordinary place where fantastic creatures and magic were a part of every day. All Empyrean Wizards have a bird form appropriately coordinated with their personality. This particular Empyrean was fearless and kind. She also had a knack for finding
"Made it!" Her small but determined wings descended into the trees below. There was a peculiar tree she heard whispers about, and she was on her way to see it for herself. The tree was believed to be a passageway to the other side. Of course, she had no idea what the other side was, which only drove her curiosity. She perched on a boulder next to a single dead tree that boasted the broadest tree trunk in all of Copious Forest. The tree was surrounded by a blanket of thriving greenery. Celeste cautiously glanced around and gave her feathers a ruffle. A young girl emerged through the feathers with wild hair the same shade of vibrant red.
“Incredible!” she gasped and scuttled over to the tree. She poked her fingers out of the sleeve of her cloak and ran them along the rigid bark on the trunk. The bark chimed a soft melody as her fingers went along.
“So it is real.” Her eyes beamed. She stepped back and pulled a scroll out of her cloak. As she unraveled the scroll, the verses of an ancient spell were revealed. “The Tunnel of Light Enchantment ...
Cuniculum lucis incantationis tempus sit, electi ingrediantur. Cum tempus est, electi per cuniculum lucis relinquere possunt.
When it is time, the chosen may enter. When it is time, the chosen may leave through the tunnel of light." She gazed at the dead tree, waiting for even a small flicker of magic. The trunk looked like it had not been seen or touched in years. “Hmm ..." Celeste raised her brow.
A prickly chill traveled down her spine. She squeezed her arms across her chest to soothe her goosebumps. "Hello? Is-is someone there?" Celeste frantically glanced around.
An angry groan rumbled through trees.
“I'm not afraid of you!" she declared. “Come out and show yourself!”
Twigs and bits of forest flew past her curls. She scrambled behind the boulder. Sharp whispers buzzed through the gaps in the trees.
“The moan went from a groan to a vicious roar. A wind funnel shaped like a pair of long, wretched claws appeared.
“Oh, no—it’s the Rive.” Her body tensed.
The dark spell was strong enough to twirl her straight into the air with one dizzying burst. It plowed through trees and shot rocks in all directions. Celeste's cloak whipped around in a frenzy. She crouched behind the boulder and gripped her hands around the base. Then her body lifted off the ground. Inch by inch, her fingers slipped from the boulder. "Oh no!" Her head throbbed from intense pressure as the wind consumed her.
"Where is it? I must find it," the Rive whispered sharply, bringing a sting to Celeste's ears.
"Where is what? What are you talking about?" she shrieked.
"Where is it? I must find it!" the Rive's whisper was now at a rattling shrill.
Celeste closed her eyes and fisted her trembling hands. She felt herself drifting into a dizzying slumber. “I have to channel the élan. Come on, Celeste ... concentrate. I can do this!"
She took a deep breath. "Azra lucem tuam ostende. Azra tua industria illuminet …
Azra lucem tuam ostende. Azra tua industria illuminet."
A warm, vibrant energy burst through her cloak. The dark spell released its grip. It hissed and hurled rocks at Celeste. She stood her ground and
Celeste collapsed to the ground, breathless. “I just did that.” She examined the palm of her hand in astonishment.
She scooped up the shimmering clump and scraped the forest coating off it until all that remained was a medallion with strange markings and feathered wings carved in the center. It chimed and sparkled in her hands. Celeste stuffed it in her cloak and cautiously looked around. An excited giggle slipped out just before she morphed back into a little red bird and flew above the trees.
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