Xandria Drake: Ancient Rising
Xandria Drake, #1
by Laura C. Cantu
Date of
Publication: November 13th 2013
Publisher:
Serendipity Digital Media KC
Cover
Artist: Laura C. Cantu
Genre:
Young Adult, Paranormal Fantasy
Tagline: When you learn your life is
a lie, who do you trust?
BLURB
“When an unusual carnival pulls
into town, Xandria Drake has no clue this mystical fairground will thrust her
into a thrilling world of mystery, deception, and danger. Her predictable
existence will soon be transformed into a turbulent reality where magic reigns,
and creatures of fantasy are just as tangible as her ballroom dancing trophies.
New revelations will send Xandria on a quest in which she is forced to question
everything and everyone, including the man of her dreams, Viktor.
When Viktor confesses his
interest in Xandria, she couldn’t be happier. Her joy quickly fades, however,
when Viktor reveals he is a vampire. Xandria is soon forced to face shadowy and
obscure dangers she never knew existed, and on the coattails of the impending
darkness rides Viktor’s greatest rival andXandria’s ultimate temptation,
Sebastian Vespera.
Will Xandria’s love for Viktor be
enough? Or will Sebastian’s seductions ensnare Xandria in a fierce and powerful
romance? How will Xandria cope with the forbidden knowledge she gains?
Mysterious, magical, and compelling, Xandria Drake: Ancient Rising is witty
when you want it to be and serious when it needs to be. This paranormal fantasy
novel will capture you from the beginning and won’t let you go until long after
the story is finished.”
Meeting a
Monster -A True Story
When I
was younger, a group of newly acquired friends and I tried to think of
something eerie to do on Halloween night. Little did we know, that we would see
something truly terrifying that would change our lives forever.
Like many
teenagers, we decided that visiting a cemetery was just about the perfect way
to give ourselves a good scare. I had just moved to town, and my new friends
insisted that there was a glowing tombstone in an old, run down graveyard off a
gravel road about thirty miles outside of town. So, we piled in a small,
two-door car and drove, excited about the prospects of having some good ghost
stories to tell on the way.
The road
we were driving on was a narrow, two-lane service road with lots of potholes,
hills, and curves. The locals had spread rumors that “devil-worshipers” often
held ceremonies along that road, and one of the girls, who was sitting in the
back seat, seemed to be enjoying herself as she recounted the spooky stories.
She spoke of how the Satanists skinned animals alive, and how there were
strange sightings in the area. Her last story was about the glowing gravestone;
she claimed it was cursed.
We drove
farther and farther from town, well over thirty miles, and I fidgeted in my
seat. I was beginning to have second thoughts about going so far out into the
night, especially since I hadn’t let my mother know where I was going. Back
then, we didn’t have mobile phones. If something unexpected or dreadful
happened, there would’ve been no one around to help, and my mother wouldn’t
have even known where to look.
I shook
my head, trying to shake off my growing apprehension as silence suddenly fell
over the car like a soft, suffocating blanket. I cleared my throat to speak up
but thought better of it. I didn’t want to be the one who chickened out and
insist on turning back.
The car’s
headlights pierced the darkness of the night and bugs thumped into the
windshield as we continued to drive along. That’s when it happened.
The car
came to a screeching halt.
There, in
the middle of the road, sat a coyote. The driver of the car, a sixteen-year-old
girl with short curly hair named Angie (her name has been changed to protect
her identity), honked at the coyote. To our amazement, it didn’t move. Instead,
it lazily looked in our direction as if it had nothing better to do than sit in
the middle of the road, blocking our way.
She
honked again.
The
coyote blinked. The lights of the car reflected on its retina, causing its eyes
to glow a dull shade of red.
When it
did not budge this time, Angie yelled and honked again, but this time she held
her hand down so that the horn blared into the night air.
It was
then that the coyote stood on its two hind legs and turned toward us, a tall
looming monster with sharp teeth and penetrating eyes.
Angie’s
hand slid from the steering wheel as we all sat in amazement at this towering
beast. It seemed to be looking us over, mulling over what it would do
next. Was he contemplating eating us?
I
couldn’t find my voice. All I could do was sit there, slack-jawed and
bewildered.
Just when
I thought we were going to have to flee for our lives, the creature turned and
ran away, its movements akin to that of a running human.
Everyone
in the car finally found their voices to scream! Angie whipped a U-turn, and we
hightailed it back to town.
Even
today, over twenty years later, the vision of that creature is still clearly
etched upon my memory. That was the day that I began questioning how magical
and mysterious our world truly is. -Laura C. Cantu
Author Info
Laura C. Cantu is a multitalented
artist, visionary, and humanitarian. Throughout her life, she has felt an
overwhelming desire explore the mysteries of the unknown and to expand her
awareness and experiences. By allowing her perspective to shift and change,
Laura has learned to unleash her imagination and use it to guide her through
creative processes. She passionately follows her dreams and has achieved high
levels of success in her various careers. As a professional dancer, Laura won
six national titles and placed fourth in the Professional Argentine Tango World
Championships. She also stretched her creative muscles as a visual artist with
drawings that toured across the globe. Adding to her diverse accomplishments,
Laura earned her master’s degree in Oriental Medicine in 2012, which has
afforded her opportunities to assist many along their journeys to realizing
wellness.
Despite her already jeweled
career, there is another passion Laura delights in—the art of storytelling. Her
first young adult fantasy novel, Xandria Drake: Ancient Rising, earned rave
reviews and a Goodreads' book of the month award. Currently working on The
Vathylite Realms, Laura is harnessing and focusing her energies to craft
engaging stories that are meant to bring joy, inspiration, and awareness to all
who read them.
Laura is on a mission to live a
life of inspiration, truth, and empowerment. With future books pending release,
she continues to dance as a hobby, study energetics and wellness, and explore
her imagination. Laura also enjoys drawing and creating 3D art and animations,
hiking, meditation, playing guitar, and spending time with her family, friends,
and pets.
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