Today we're welcoming Lindsay Chamberlin, author of GUARDIANS.
SC: Tell me a little
bit about your main character of this book.
LC: There are two main characters in Guardians, Riley and
Reymend. Riley is a college freshman, beginning her first year of school in a
new town far from home where she was taunted and called a freak. In her mind,
they had every right to call her a psycho. She could never explain what
happened to her when a shadows would find her and throw her into a blackout fit
that resembled a seizure but was accompanied by a language spouting from her
lips no one had ever heard before. Leaving her hometown to start over somewhere
new was her hope at a chance to find happiness in her lonely world, but she
soon finds, the shadows will follow her no matter where she runs.
Reymend is an immortal teen, a Guardian Charged with Riley’s
safety. He fights against the darkness of Midnight’s demons to protect mortals
placed in his care. He’s fought as a Guardian for centuries and followed every
rule, but the moment Riley steps into his life, everything he thought he knew
about the Guardianship is seen in a different light. He knows he has to keep
her safe from the shadows that stalk her, but he never imagines the very world
he is a part of could turn on him, too.
SC: It sounds like Reymend has his work cut out for him. Do
you believe in the paranormal and if so, do you have an experience you can
share?
LC: I do believe in the paranormal, but I try not to dwell
on it. Paranormal Activity absolutely ruined me for sleeping with the nights
off for years! Give me a paranormal romance, and I’m happy!
I do believe there are things we can’t see, beings that may
be watching over people or toying with people. In my case, an experience I have
frequently is seeing a paperclip on the ground. How is that paranormal? Well,
let me explain. My husband’s grandmother and I were close before she was
diagnosed with a brain tumor. During one of the screens for brain
damage/disorders, the doctor asked her to remember three words: pen, paperclip,
and bulldozer. He proceeded to ask her a few questions then asked her what
those three words were. The only one she could remember was paperclip. I’m sure
there is an argument against what I consider an experience with the paranormal,
but the idea comforts me that whenever I see a paperclip, Oma is checking
in.
SC: That's a lovely story, thanks for sharing it. What titles are you working on now that you
can tell us about?
LC: Guardians is part of the Touched by Light series which
is currently scheduled for two more novels. The second novel is well underway
with the third looming. These three books will follow Riley and Reymend, but I
have begun discussing the possibility of branching the series beyond them and
continuing with new characters. That is still in the works, so for now, enjoy
Riley and Reymend’s story in this first installment of the Touched by Light
series titled Guardians.
SC: Thanks so much for popping in. Let's take a look at your
novel now.
Guardians
Touched
by Light
Book
One
Lindsay
Chamberlin
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Date of Publication: 10/31/18
ISBN: 978-1728711669
ASIN: B07JC4W5JR
Number of pages: 252
Word Count: 65,000
Cover Artist: Jake Clark
Tagline: You can save her. Follow
your Light.
Book Description:
Riley had spent her entire life
terrified of the shadows and darkness that followed her everywhere she went.
They ruined her chances at a normal childhood and tormented her throughout her
teenage years, labeling her the freak in her hometown, but now was her chance
to start over. After receiving her acceptance letter from Bradford University,
a chance at a new life and new friends in a town far away from home filled
Riley with such hope for the future, but never had she dreamed of meeting the
most gorgeous guy on campus. Not only was he attractive, but the shadows were
chased away whenever he was near. Riley hoped she could hold on to him, but how
could she hope for so much when she had only ever had so little?
Reymend may look like just
another student at Bradford University, but his world was greater than any
mortal could understand. He was blessed by the Light, trained to be a Guardian,
a warrior against the shadows of Midnight that plagued Touched souls in the
never ending battle of Light and darkness. It was his duty to protect those
souls, and his next Charge was Riley. She didn’t understand the shadows that
followed her relentlessly, but one day, she was going to be stronger than any
Guardian in the history of the Light, if the darkness didn’t claim her first.
Book
Trailer: https://youtu.be/3tGXbHL5yoM
Excerpt:
Riley shook her
head, scolding herself. She had made herself promise the entire four-hour drive
to Bradford that she wouldn’t dwell in the past.
Not today.
The past was
gone, and today was about beginnings.
Riley glued
another smile to her face and continued loading the cart.
Today was going
to be a happy day. No matter what.
Then Riley felt
it.
A dark, swirling
sensation weighed down on her chest as goose-bumps rose on her skin despite the
ninety degree weather. Her breath felt labored, and her hands shook the cart
handle. She closed her eyes as they stung with tears and her stomach dropped
into her pelvis.
No! Not here!
Riley’s head
felt heavy as she slumped against her car, trying her hardest to open her eyes
again, but they wouldn’t cooperate. She felt something grab hold of her body
like a vice squeezing her mid. She clamped her eyes shut, placing her hands
over her face, determined to block it all from her mind.
Please, no!
She had hoped
she had left all this behind in Alexandria.
How could it
have followed her here?
She hadn’t even
done anything to trigger it!
A deep voice
full of malice rumbled in her ear a language she had never been able to
understand, but the message was still clear. The voice grew louder with each of
her staggered breaths. The hold around her middle became crushing. She gasped
for air, begged for the episode to end, but the voice and the strength of its
hold on her, only grew.
A bright light
began to shine through her eyelids as warm hands grasped her shoulders,
spreading their fever through her frigid veins.
“Are you
alright?” The silky voice said as random shapes were drawn on her skin.
The darkness,
the gravelly voice, the pain, all receded as the light grew stronger, and the
warmth enveloped her in serene silence. Her breathing calmed, and her eyes
slowly opened. The sun blinded her for a moment with sudden flashes of light
before her eyes readjusted, but then dark hair, blue eyes, and a beautifully
white smile met her stare.
“Hey, you OK?”
the guy with the amazing smile asked again.
As Riley’s eyes
focused, she could make out the dimples on his cheeks, the stubble on his chin
and jawline, and the warm honey tone of his skin. The guy was gorgeous, and he
was touching her.
“Do you need to
sit down?” Concern washed over his features.
Riley shook her
head, but with one jerky movement, thought better of it. She always felt like
she was going to get sick after an episode as colors continued to zoom in and
out of her peripherals.
“N-no,” Riley
stammered, trying to ground herself again. “No, I’m fine. I just need a
second.”
The guy’s smile
was back in place as he released his hold and leaned against the car behind
him. “You sure? You don’t look so good.”
Riley’s head
began to clear, and her stomach returned to its rightful position. She stood
straight and took a deep, lung filling breath. The memory of the voice and
strange language was already disappearing, leaving only the distinct feeling of
pain behind, but that was how they all ended. Even though this episode had felt
stronger than it ever had before, it went away a lot faster than the usual.
Maybe that was a
good sign. Maybe this move was what she needed after all.
“I’m fine,”
Riley responded, trying to convince him or herself, she wasn’t sure.
The gorgeous guy
quirked his eyebrow at her, clearly not convinced, but Riley could only
concentrate on how striking his features were.
Riley tried
again, straightening her spine. “Seriously, I’m OK. Thank you.”
“No problem.”
Riley looked up
to him, following the sound of his voice as her eyes traveled higher and
higher. She was just now realizing how tall and muscular he was. Definitely
near the six foot mark. She stared up at him as his brighter than the summer
sky eyes searched her face.
“I promise,”
Riley said, trying to smile as warmly back.
The guy’s smile
stretched wider as his dimples dipped deep into his cheeks, and he held out his
hand. “I’m Reymend, but everyone just calls me Rey.”
“Riley,” she
responded, taking his hand in hers.
A pulse shot
through her body as hot and strong as electricity. A whirlwind of images
flashed through her mind stronger than before, bright colors and assorted
shapes, but they were all too abstract to understand before they disappeared,
and Riley was staring back at Rey.
About
the Author:
Lindsay Chamberlin is an author who
is self-publishing her works. She grew up in Northern Virginia and has been
writing since she was a teenager. She would constantly write in a journal,
including her day to day life and random thoughts that she found noteworthy.
When she graduated from high
school with English Honors and Math Honors, she knew her life would go in one
of two ways. She would either become a writer or work in finance.
Finance won. Lindsay continued
her education, receiving a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, and
found a stable job to provide for her growing family. Her husband and daughter
are her heart, and she would do anything to provide the best life possible for
them.
But writing is what keeps her
soul alive! Until recently, she did not think her dream of being a published
author would ever come true, but thanks to self publishing, she is finally able
to get her work out to the public in hopes that they will enjoy her short
stories, novels, and select poems.
Her wish for her readers is that
they will find themselves within her novels, living out every scene with the
characters as if they were there with them.
Books are meant for our silent
escape into another world that would normally exist only in our dreams. Please,
enjoy!
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