Well,
here we are. I've always considered September the beginning of the calendar,
rather than the third quarter. I guess it's that whole school thing that took
over a lot of my early life.
Today
we have author Dierdra Drake joining us for a brief chat.
SC:
Tell me a little bit about your main character of this book.
DD:
The main character in my story is Priscilla Forester, and she’s a
500’ish-year-old Elf who resides in modern Houston, Texas. I’m not giving a
specific age because, as you find out in the story, there is some secretiveness
around events that happened very early in her life.
In
my world, all the Elves were cursed to live on this Earth plane of existence,
the gates to the other realms shut to them as punishment. The curse is pretty
intricate, but the short version is that they’re essentially what Humans would
call Vampires, even though they find that word insulting. But Priscilla is more
than just a regular cursed Elf, she’s called ‘twice cursed’ because she has
some other abilities that I think people will enjoy reading about. Even beyond
that, there’s far more to her, but that gets into things she isn’t even aware
of yet.
The
first book in the series is largely an introduction to the circumstances the
Elves find themselves in, getting to know Priscilla and some of the other
important characters, and also it is a lot about seeing her grow into the
beginning of some acceptance about things she doesn’t like about herself.
SC:
Do you believe in the paranormal and if so, do you have an experience you can
share?
DD:
I absolutely believe in the paranormal, and I’ve had many, many experiences
with it. The earliest that I can recall is from an incident when I was about
four years old. I awoke in the middle of the night screaming that my aunt was
hurt and needed help. It turned out that at the same time, my aunt had just
been in a car accident so bad they had to cut away the vehicle wall to get her
out. Thankfully, she survived it with only minor injuries, but it was only the
beginning of those kinds of experiences for me. I even spent some time working
as a professional tarot reader in my early 20s.
SC:
What titles are you working on now that you can tell us about?
DD:
Books two and three are already written, so I can definitely disclose that
those two are already in various stages of production with my publisher. Book
two is called Well Deserved Wrath, and book three is called Memory of Betrayal.
SC:
That's wonderful news for your readers. Thank you for spending some time with us. Now let's look at your book.
Cursed By Furies
A Tale of Vikings, Elves, and Gods
The Cursed Elves
A Tale of Vikings, Elves, and Gods
The Cursed Elves
Book One
Diedra Drake
Genre: Mythic Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Apache Creek Publishing
Date of Publication: September 03, 2019
ISBN: 9781088922415
ASIN: B07WD29D3P
Number of pages: 402
Word Count: 107,500
Cover Artist: Apache Creek Publishing
Tagline: What if the myths were all real?
Book Description:
1000 years ago the Elves nearly destroyed their species through war. As punishment, their ancestors cursed them and trapped them on the Earthly plane.
Priscilla Forester is a 500-year-old Cursed Elf, with abilities far different from most. She knows there is some secret about her origins, but has given up thinking she will ever discover the truth.
However, Fate was only waiting for the right moment to reveal its secrets. As Priscilla and her lovers battle against warring Elf Houses, her true nature begins to emerge, and it is more than anyone had bargained for.
EXCERPT
1 (598 words)
Mitchell parked
in the lot, careful to stay out of the immediate line of sight while Raymond
filled up his tank.
He replaced the
pump nozzle before entering the store to get his chips and pay for the gas.
Another car pulled up, and the driver also went inside. A few more minutes
passed, and Mitchell started to grow concerned.
Raymond didn’t
normally dawdle, and there weren’t so many cars around that there should be a
big line. Maybe the clerk was having problems with his register or…
A shot rang out.
Then another.
Mitchell’s heart
sank and fear surged through him as he nearly tore the door off getting out of
the car. He was inside the store in a blink and took stock of the situation in
seconds. Raymond lay on the floor bleeding from his side, the red pool growing
quickly. The clerk's body hung slumped over the register counter, blood pouring
out from his chest.
The shooter’s
eyes darted back and forth between the two victims, his breathing chaotic as he
rubbed his fingers through his hair and pressed his palms to his temples. His
eyes wide as he stared at the bodies and the blood. He didn't immediately
realize anyone else was standing there. When he finally noticed Mitchell, it
was but a moment before the shooter’s neck was broken and he collapsed next to
where his gun had fallen.
Mitchell dashed
to the automotive aisle and returned with a pack of terry cloth rags and duct
tape. He ripped open Raymond’s shirt, tore one of the cotton rags out of the
bundle, and started mercilessly packing the wound. Raymond screamed in agony
for a few seconds, then his body became limp as he lost consciousness.
“Sorry Ray, it’s
better this way," Mitchell mumbled as an apology.
He put his
fingers underneath the bleeding side of Raymond’s body and felt around looking
for an exit wound. Sure enough, the bullet had gone entirely through. With one
hand Mitchell shifted Raymond onto his side, then shoved another piece of rag
into the exit wound. When he rolled him back over, he noticed the fabric on the
front was completely saturated and blood was pouring out of the injury again.
“Dammit.
Something’s bleeding inside." He took a shaky breath. “Shit!”
He wiped off as
much blood as he could to dry the skin, folded a piece of cloth like a bandage,
and duct taped it over the opening in his flesh. He repeated the process on the
back.
Mitchell looked
around and realized he needed to lock down the scene. He stood and flipped the
sign on the front entrance to 'Closed,' then hit the nearby light switches so
the interior went dark.
He returned to
Raymond, lifted him effortlessly, and carefully carried him outside to where
he’d left his vehicle in the parking lot. He managed to open the passenger door
and put him in the seat, then reclined it back to keep his body at an angle. As
he was about to close him in, he noted the seat belt. With a last-minute idea,
Mitchell ripped it from the wall of the car and started sliding it under
Raymond.
Raymond regained
consciousness for a moment, took one look at Mitchell, and began yelling in
terror while pulling away.
Mitchell sighed
as he realized his fangs had been out because of all the blood and stress.
Another mistake. His superiors were going to kill him. He tightened the belt
over the wound like a tourniquet, and the sudden pain made Raymond pass out
again.
About the Author:
Diedra Drake is a life-long student of mythology and history, with a particular interest in the ways that different cultures tell the same stories using name variations. She is competent in classical Latin, and enjoys reading the classics – particularly Homer, Plutarch, and Shakespeare. For relaxation, Diedra loves to crack open a new historical romance novel or binge a new series on streaming. After a couple of decades being a business owner in the technology industry, she decided to explore her other interests through the creation of a mythic fantasy romance world. She lives in Central Texas with her family, which includes a small cat colony and a couple of dogs, and tries to ensure she gets a daily serving of ice cream for continual inspiration.
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