SPOTLIGHT - YA FANTASY - FATE OF THE STORM (Demon Storm, #8) by Valerie Storm

Fate of the Storm

Demon Storm, #8

Valerie Storm

Date of Publication: May 13th 2025

Publisher: Shadow Spark Publishing

Cover Artist: @Ginkahederling

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

ISBN: 9781956883343 

ASIN: B0F4BD7X8Y

Number of pages: 374

Word Count:  97,896

BLURB

The shadows have retreated with Raven's downfall, but darkness still curls at the edges of the world. For a moment, though, Kari and Ari have a moment of peace. There is a glimmer of light that threatens to wash away the darkness as they finally bind their fates together in a formal ceremony.

But Raven hasn't given up, and there's an older, crueler foe who hasn't forgotten Kari - the Lord of Demons, the very one who crafted the Catalyst which Raven sought to control, still trapped in an ancient Tree.

Kari's moment of joy comes to a halt as the world shakes and Taris is ripped apart.

Velthas has risen.

Amazon

Excerpt:
The ground gave a sudden, violent shake. Kari and Essie stumbled, but managed to stay standing. All around people and demons staggered, fell, or bumped into each other. South of where they stood came a hoarse scream. Dust clouded quick and fast, obscuring the view of the southern gate and guard towers. The buildings around them quivered, shaking from left to right.
Kari held onto Essie as the ground continued to vibrate. Her teeth clattered. “What in the Yutemi is that?!”
Guine had his hand on Rathik’s shoulder to steady both of them. “Feels like a quake,” he said solemnly. “Have you had one on Taris before?”
“Not in my time!” Ari answered.
“We have to get everyone away from the buildings,” Guine said. “If one collapses—”
Rathik knocked Guine’s hand off and spun to the south gate. “NO!”
As he broke into a run, Kari, Guine, Essie, and Ari whirled. The dust cloud quickly thinned, revealing a messy shamble of splintered wood that had been Freehaven’s southern gate. And the guard tower, set beside it—
“The tower!” a demoness yelled. “It’s falling!”
Essie sprinted after Rathik.
“Essie, wait!” Kari shouted, then cursed. “Tell the council!” she ordered of the nearest townspeople before she, Ari, and Guine raced after Essie and Rathik.
The vibrations made it difficult to run; Ari grabbed Kari’s hand when she stumbled. The southern gate wasn’t far, but every shiver of the ground forced them to slow and regain their balance before they could go on. Kari’s mind roared as they ran. What was happening that could make the very ground move like this?
When they reached the south gate, they stopped and stood in silence. Essie and Rathik stood at the bottom of the guard tower, or what was left of it. The ground had cracked and lifted, and the tower had toppled, crushing part of the gate. Through a miasma of dust, splintered wood and slabs of stone made an incomprehensible pile of rubble.
“Killia!” Rathik dove for the rubble and hefted shattered planks of wood and cracked stone. Even as he coughed and waved away the dirt clouding around him, he dug for the young guard. Essie joined him, shoving slabs of rock out of the way as fast as she could.
Kari stood frozen, mind a whirl and blank all at once. Ari joined Rathik. Together they shoved aside a thick beam of wood that had snapped in half.
What is this? Why is this happening?
“They’re probably dead already,” Guine said. “That much weight...there’s no way.”
Something dark and heavy sank deep into Kari’s stomach. “Help them.”
With a short sigh, Guine stepped forward. He knelt and touched the rubble—at his fingertips, wood and stone crumbled, adding to the dust already fogging the air. Essie glanced up at him, then she and Ari pulled Rathik away. Rathik visibly trembled from head to foot before he dropped to his knees.
The new dust was grittier; Kari sputtered a short cough and waved a hand in front of her face. Maybe Killia would be okay.

Author Info

Valerie Storm was raised in Tucson, Arizona. Growing up, she fell in love with everything fantasy. When she wasn’t playing video games, she was writing. By age ten, she began to write her own stories as a way to escape reality. When these stories became a full-length series, she considered the path to sharing with other children and children-at/heart looking for a place to call home.

Twitter https://twitter.com/valerie_storm
Blog https://rantsofawriter.home.blog/ 
Tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/valeriestorm
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/valeriestorm3135
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/valeriestorm_author/ 
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0B18WB88R 
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22413211.Valerie_Storm 

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SPOTLIGHT - YA FANTASY - THE STORM DESCENDS (Demon Storm, #7) by Valerie Storm

The Storm Descends

Demon Storm, #7

by Valerie Storm

Date of Publication: December 13th 2024

Publisher: Shadow Spark Publishing

Cover Artist: @Ginkahederling

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

ISBN: 978-1-956883-28-2 

ASIN: B0DMTF6L5Q 

Number of pages: 433

Word Count: 110731

BLURB

The Catalyst is quiet.

Kari struggles with the damage she did when she lost control. Her loved ones suffered at her hands, leaving Ari scarred in ways she will never be able to ignore.

How he survived? Only the Seraph of Nalmi knows.

Then a request arrives, a simple task compared to everything else she has been through: travel as Freehaven's emissary and meet with Brianna, a now-ancient half demon who destroyed the first demon city across the sea - and who may have some information on defeating the Catalyst for good.  Kari, Ari, and Guine prepare to cross the Demon Sea...

But the shadows await them.

Amazon

Excerpt:
Kari knelt in a field of dark grass beneath a dark cloud pouring dark rain. Ari lay limp in her arms, dead to the world. She bowed her head over his prone body, colder than death even without the rain to drench them. It pattered, loud against her flicking ears—the only sound all around.
“Wake up, Ari, please,” she whispered to his chest, clutching him tighter. “Please.” Her voice broke, and a wail wrenched free.
“Love makes you weak.”
Kari’s head shot up at the whisper, but there was no one around. There was only the rain, hissing now, each drop harder and sharper.
“You are a plague.”
The whispers came from the rain, now searing pinpricks rather than drops of frozen water. Gritting her teeth, Kari lifted Ari, held him close to her chest, and ran.
“One day, you will wish for the power you forsake!”
Kari’s feet sloshed through thick, black puddles. She slipped and barely managed to roll onto her back before she and Ari fell. She grunted, struggled to get back up with his weight.
A beam of light broke the murky sky. Kari squinted at it; the sight filled her with an unexplainable, instinctual hope. She pushed off from the muddy ground—harder now with her and Ari both sopping wet—and ran for the light.
“PLEASE!” she screamed to the sky. “SAVE HIM!”
It was all she wanted; she would give anything—anything.
“You have a destiny.” This whisper was deeper, ancient—a voice so full of raw power, it grabbed Kari’s spine and forced her to straighten. “Vessels do not earn worldly attachments.”
Velthas. His pull was strong even now, even though she had not seen the Tree in weeks—months. Forced rigid, Kari dragged her eyes to the beam of light.
“Holy light,” she managed through a jaw clenched shut. She curled her fingers around Ari. “I forsake everything else to you.”
A ripple—the jarring snap of something breaking in her mind. Kari gasped and fell forward, barely catching herself on one hand before she collapsed on top of Ari.
The rain slowed, she thought; at least, she felt the pattering on her back less. She closed her eyes, hoping, wishing, praying.
Fingers touched her cheek. Her eyes flew open and found Ari’s eyes—green as the deepest forest. He lifted one corner of his mouth tiredly.
“You’ll carry my faith, won’t you?” he whispered. “My light?”

Author Info

Valerie Storm was raised in Tucson, Arizona. Growing up, she fell in love with everything fantasy. When she wasn’t playing video games, she was writing. By age ten, she began to write her own stories as a way to escape reality. When these stories became a full-length series, she considered the path to sharing with other children & children-at/heart looking for a place to call home.

Twitter https://twitter.com/valerie_storm
Blog https://rantsofawriter.home.blog/
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/valeriestorm3135/_saved/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/valeriestorm_author/  
Tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/valeriestorm 

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SPOTLIGHT - YA FANTASY - THE STORM BREAKS by Valerie Storm

The Storm Breaks

Demon Storm, #6

by Valerie Storm

Date of Publication: July 13th 2024

Publisher: Shadow Spark Publishing

Cover Artist: @Ginkahederling

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

ISBN: 978-1-956883-22-0

Number of pages: 416

Word Count: 102,166 

Tagline:  Cast into the hands of enemies old and new, Kari is losing her grip. Will she fall?

BLURB

Wolf and demon born…under storm the land is torn.

Tendrils of darkness reach from the depths of her mind and shadows flicker around every corner. Still reeling from Raven’s horrific display of power, Kari suffers in silence.

When Guine finally returns with stories of a mirror that could help him with his problems, Kari finds herself hoping that maybe, just maybe, it could help with hers as well.

With the promise of a relatively straightforward outing, Kari, Ari, and Guine set forth to find the mirror.

But what they find beyond the looking-glass threatens not only Kari and her sanity, but also the world she loves.

Amazon

Excerpt:
Suddenly a hand shot out of the wall ahead of her, giving her no time to react or slow her pace as it grabbed her shoulder. Kari pulled at the fingers, tugging at their grasp, trying to hurry. She had to escape the damn water!
            Lightning sparked along her claws. She raised her hand to attack again, intending to cut the fingers right off of her.
A familiar voice growled, “Do it and we’re dead.”
            Kari froze long enough for the hand to pull her straight into the wall. She stumbled through and fell face-first on something hard and cool.
Groaning, she rolled onto her back and looked up into the sweat-dotted, strained, and frowning face of Guine. Above him hung a ceiling of some kind of jagged, translucent, blue rock.
            “Why did you stop?” he demanded rather angrily. “I said we had to keep moving, didn’t I?”
            For a moment Kari thought she was still waiting for the water to overtake her. That filthy, disgusting-smelling, murky water. Slowly she realized they had changed locations again; now they were in some sort of cavern. Completely dry and relatively safe, at least for the moment.
Kari jumped up and bared her teeth at Guine. “You didn’t say if I stopped that would happen!”
“Why would I say, ‘don’t stop’ if that wasn’t a vitally important thing to do?!”
“You’re often unclear and exaggerate!” she snapped back.
            They glared at each other for a long time. He was mad, but she was madder. He had not been very upfront with her about this wretched maze, and that enraged her. She did not need the Catalyst to fuel her anger; her heart thrummed against her ribs, taking all of her breath with it, and it had not stopped since that first room.
            The danger here was real, and yet intangible. She had faced so many people who wanted her dead, or worse. But this place would kill her at the slightest mistake.
            Finally, Guine sighed, his face relaxing into exhaustion. He turned away from her.
            “It doesn’t matter now. It’s done. But now…now we face a problem.”
            The walls were just like the ceiling, seemingly made of something crystalline. Ahead of her, she could see an opening in the circular room.
            “What problem? Besides being in this yutemi you’ve created, that is.”
            Guine chose to ignore her snappy tone. “We got off-track. Things will change now. I can find the way since I did make this as an option, but now it will take us longer.”
            Kari’s gaze slowly trailed back to him. He’d said…what? Two or three days? Without food.
            Now it would take longer?
            “Just how much longer are you talking about, Guine?” Kari hissed.
            He shrugged, not quite nonchalant, but rather resigned. “Maybe tack on a week. At the very least.”
            Kari’s mouth dried. Already her stomach rumbled; now that the adrenaline had passed through her system, she was hungry. She wasn’t stupid. She knew her body would be capable of going quite a long time without sustenance, but that long? And what of their water supply?
            She felt for the bag, but her fingers were too numb to reach inside for the waterskin. The cavern suddenly seemed very small.
“Guine…”
            “Thirst will not be a real issue,” Guine said as if he had read her mind. “When I designed this way, I made a room for myself so that I could survive if I slipped up. There will be a room ahead that provides fresh, drinkable water. Hopefully, we can store enough to last us the rest of the time if we ration it.”
            “And what about food?”
            He hesitated. “The room…also has a solution for that. For humans. There’s no way we could know it would work for you, or at the very least not kill you.”
            Kari stared past him. The only exit out of the cavern they were in was a single tunnel that turned sharply into darkness.
            “I will not die in here, Guine.”
            “I don’t intend for you to,” he said wearily. “But if things were serious at all to you before, it’s worse now.” He walked to one of the walls and sat down. “We should rest before we go on. Exhaustion and stress make the mind do stupid things.”
            Kari didn’t move. She thought of a time long ago when she had left behind Snow Shade. Then she had perhaps gone a day or so without a real meal. It was like torture to her, weakening her body and senses until she had come across something to eat.

           She could have adjusted to the idea of three days with no food. But more than a week?

 

Author Info

Valerie Storm was raised in Tucson, Arizona. Growing up, she fell in love with everything fantasy. When she wasn’t playing video games, she was writing. By age ten, she began to write her own stories as a way to escape reality. When these stories became a full-length series, she considered the path to sharing with other children & children-at/heart looking for a place to call home.

Twitter https://twitter.com/valerie_storm
Blog https://rantsofawriter.home.blog/ 
Tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/valeriestorm
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/valeriestorm3135
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/valeriestorm_author/ 
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0B18WB88R 
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22413211.Valerie_Storm 

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SPOTLIGHT - YA FANTASY - STORM'S CONVERGENCE (Demon Storm, #5) by Valerie Storm

Storm's Convergence

Demon Storm, #5

by Valerie Storm

Date of Publication: February 13th 2024

Publisher: Shadow Spark Publishing

Cover Artist: @Ginkahederling

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

ASIN: B0CRYQJRN1

Number of pages: 313

Word Count: 78962

Tagline: The Fire Witch ruined Kari's life once before

                Now she's back

                And she's not alone

BLURB

The calm can only last so long.

Now a member of Freehaven's Council, Kari tries to put her past behind her and settle down in her new home with her ever-present Lord and love, Ari.

Cracks in her mind, parting gifts from the heart eater, make planning the upcoming Spring Festival a struggle, but Kari is determined to do her best, even after Guine departs the town.

When a mysterious child appears at the festival and marks Kari, all semblance of normalcy is banished.

A triple threat from her past awaits beyond the walls of Freehaven and options are thin. Not willing to spill any more blood, Kari takes it upon herself to stop them—with Ari by her side.

Amazon

Excerpt:
The girl grabbed the neckline of her shirt and jerked her closer with too much ease. Kari stiffened as the girl’s cheek touched hers.
“Funny wolf demon, hiding in this wretched town.” Her voice was low and cruelly amused. Kari tensed, prepared to jerk free and throw a fist, but the girl hissed, “Ah, no, don’t move. There are many innocents here, though I would not call demons innocent. I know you would not want them hurt.”
She suddenly realized the closeness of so many villagers, as if she’d been ripped out of reality and dropped harshly back into it again.
Kari bit back a growl. “Who are you?”
She knew, though, before the small girl laughed. The boastful yet righteous arrogance of someone who believed truly and wholly in her cause—it could be no one else.
“I feel your defeat. You’ve answered your own question.”
Kari’s throat was dry. “Ri…Riniko. What are you doing here? Why—”
“Since you’ve yet to heed our warning, I’m here to play a little game.”
“Kari!” Ari called.
Riniko’s small hands tightened. “Tell him to leave. We’re busy.”
She hesitated. Ari yelled for her again, and now she envisioned him pushing through the crowds, looking for where she’d gone.
“It’s fine,” she yelled back. “I…I’m helping someone. I’ll catch up!”
Riniko’s grip didn’t loosen. “Your boy is insistent.”
Kari turned her head with some difficulty, given Riniko’s grip. The little witch traded, wrapping her arms around Kari’s neck with a giggle that cracked against her eardrums.
Visible between passersby, Ari made his way to them. His brows raised at the sight of the girl around her neck.
“Who is…”
Kari smiled, big and wide, and prayed he didn’t notice her trembling lips. “She’s lost. I’m part of the Council, so she came to me. Go back to Rathik and Essie, I’ll catch up.”
Ari saw something in her face; his eyes constricted, his jaw pulsing, uncertain of what to do.
Please walk away, Ari. It’ll be okay this time. I promise.
When she did not say anything more, he relented. “Alright. Meet us over there, okay?”
Kari nodded, jostling Riniko. Ari glanced between them, then jogged off.
Riniko giggled again, quieter this time. “Good.”
Kari grabbed her around the waist and yanked her off. There was something insanely surreal about holding a small child in her hands, a child whose eyes burned with unmatched cruelty and fire.
“What do you want?” she snarled.
Riniko wrapped too-small fingers around Kari’s wrists and met her eye with a cool, even gaze.
“You know what we want. I’m only here to set the fire of action a little higher for you.”
Her palms, pressed against Kari’s skin, warmed. Kari’s eyes widened, and she struggled with the instinct to fling the small child away.
“We do not want to burn this entire village to the ground. Despite the way these villagers associate with demons, they are still good, innocent people. The demons can be excused as long as they remain thusly. But you cannot. You must come and face your fate.”
Her arms were burning; Kari bit back a scream. “I keep telling you, I don’t want to hurt anyone! Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
“Tell that to those poor people in the east. They probably thought you didn’t want to kill them. But now they’re very, very dead.”
Kari staggered back. There were fewer villagers out now, less to see this odd pair, but Kari dreaded what Riniko would do if even one was drawn to them. She inched away from the square, edging toward an alley between two buildings.
“Isn’t it enough that I died once? What more can you want?”
Riniko laughed. “Oh, yes, but Zina got cold feet. Superstition, I guess. She couldn’t let it die with you. No, she believed it would go on, despite having no body. So here you are, her little pet wolf demon, but she won’t be here to save you a second time.”
Cold feet? Let it die with her?
The burning on her arms increased, snapping her attention back to Riniko’s young-girl face.
“I’ll come to you,” Kari croaked. “Does that make you happy? I’ll leave and find you.”
Riniko’s eyes lit up, though she did not remove her hands. The heat continued to rise until Kari thought she could smell her flesh cooking.
“Oh, do you promise?” Riniko asked, her voice girlish, sickeningly sweet. “Pretty please?”
“Please stop,” Kari whispered between her teeth.
Little hands lifted, releasing her from the agony of fire. Kari trembled, then froze as those hands touched her cheeks.
“It was easy to infiltrate this place, Kari. It would be even easier, now, to set it all ablaze. You remember my previous work.”
Kari’s hands around Riniko’s waist shook with the effort to not squeeze her into pieces. “You’re the monster, witch,” she snarled.
“It takes a monster to slay one,” Riniko responded. “Remember that if you decide to hesitate any longer. I’m tired of waiting for this final show. My sisters have both seen that I was right and now it’s time to end this.” Riniko raised her hands. “Put me down.”
Shaking profusely, Kari set Riniko on the ground, where the little witch-girl brushed off her plain, brown dress. She fluffed her hair, then raised a finger to her lips.

“Remember your promise,” she said, then spun and skipped away into the darkness.

Author Info

Valerie Storm was raised in Tucson, Arizona. Growing up, she fell in love with everything fantasy. When she wasn’t playing video games, she was writing. By age ten, she began to write her own stories as a way to escape reality. When these stories became a full-length series, she considered the path to sharing with other children & children-at/heart looking for a place to call home.

Blog https://rantsofawriter.home.blog/ 
Twitter https://twitter.com/valerie_storm 
Tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/valeriestorm 
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/valeriestorm3135/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/valeriestorm_author/ 
Newsletter Sign-Up https://mailchi.mp/038f1013a6c2/valerie-storm
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082414584775

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SPOTLIGHT w/INTERVIEW - FANTASY MYTHOLOGICAL - REBIRTH (Zodiac, #1) by Azshure Raine

ReBirth 

Zodiac, #1

by Azshure Raine

Date of Publication: July 25th 2023

Publisher: Shadow Spark Publishing

Cover Artist: Azshure Raine

Genre: Romantic Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Mythological

ISBN: 979-8853443730

ASIN: B0C97CSLTJ

Number of pages: 389 pages

Word Count: 103k

Tagline: One more, one last time

BLURB

Time is something we all have too much of and too little. Our world turns at the mercy of the clock. Gaea is one of those worlds. The world has been reset Twelve times.

ReBirth: Zodiac Book One is a romantic fantasy novel with “Final Fantasy” level storytelling. It tells the tale of the Gaea’s thirteenth cycle through multiple POVs, energetic prose, and deep world-building.

If Titans, Zodiac, Star-Crossed lovers, and villains you love to hate are your thing, then grab an apple, pick up a copy, and may Fate smile upon you.

Threads of gold, ancient and dangerous, pull them together; a bond neither can deny.

Jase Raion receives an unexpected assignment—locate and retrieve a girl he was certain was dead.

Expecting nothing, he goes to Brighton—a port town on the island of Aria—and finds her.

The girl who escaped the fall of Aria.

The girl who bears the symbol of Eternity.

The girl whose blood the Titan of Time thirsts for.

Liya Fairaway, the Princess of Aria, and his target.

The moment he sees her, he knows she is not safe, from the Zodiac meant to protect her, the Titan of Time, nor his father—the King of Chall.

Amazon     Universal Link

Excerpt:

Time gripped the spear’s shaft in her chest until her hand bled. A thousand years of being left pinned to the roots of the Mother Tree by Fate gnawed at her.

Groaning, she threw her head back, her long white hair dingy from the dirt and overgrowth. It stuck to the bark and pulled, causing stinging to roll through her skull.

Her chest heaved in frustration as she let out a primal scream before releasing the blood-red metal of the weapon. The tips pierced between her navel and breasts. She drew up the length of the captured arm with her free hand, tracing the tattoos with her blood. The red contrasted magnificently with the pale blue of her skin.

Throughout the twisted root cave, slivers of her power, thin golden threads, glittered across everything, waiting to catch prey in its nets.

Light at the end of the tunnel flickered, causing Time’s lips to curl into a devilish smile. Come to me. I could use the entertainment.

A rush of wind filled the hollow space, feathers scattering toward her in a kaleidoscope of black and white.

Time chuckled, low and deep. It’s her.

Her ex-lover stepped into the curtained sunlight and took slow, purposeful steps forward. Fate held her head high. Long black and white hair hung over her shoulders; the two colors parted directly down the middle. Time’s lip quivered as Fate ran her hand through her hair. Irresistible as ever. Her still gorgeous wings—one white, one black—spread behind her shoulders. Fate paused in the cavern and dismissed her wings with a flick of her wrist. Feathers rained down, disappearing into dust.

Time moved, her joints popping and her face twisting into a sinister grin. “Fate, my love, you’ve finally come,” she paused as a cloaked man peered into the cave, “to visit.”

So, she brought the rabble. How quaint.

Fate squared her shoulders. “I came to end this.”

“Is that so?” Time went slack; resting her free hand on the shaft of the Spear of Souls, tracing the metal with her gaze, she recalled the betrayal. How Fate and the Keepers cornered her, impaled her to the Mother Tree, and how the look of fear in the Keeper of Stars’ eyes when she sought her revenge before succumbing to the weapon and shattering him into twelve still gave her satisfaction. Like Mother Urth and Father Sky, he would never walk Gaea again. Time’s neck cracked as she focused on the man huddled at the entrance. The threads stretching through the darkness shifted as he entered. Time’s lips parted as she slid her tongue behind her teeth. “Then why did you bring him?”

The Prophet.

He was the key to her chains, as foretold by the Eternal Clock. The Prophet flinched at her low chuckle.

“Stay back,” Fate snapped before he could push past. “Whatever you do, don’t touch her.”

“Oh, please?” Time moaned, running her hand over her throat. “It has been so long.”

“Silence.” Fate placed her hand on the spear’s shaft, remaining out of Time’s reach. Thin wisps of charcoal smoke rolled over Fate’s shoulder, cascading down to the weapon, the ends darkening as death’s power inched toward Time. Resting her head on the bark, Time stared at the stray white hairs caressing her breasts. Slow, agonizing death was in her future.

The flash of blues and reds of the Prophet’s cloak caught her gaze as he paced uneasily behind Fate, his hand worrying at his chin.

Letting her head roll to the side, Time said, “I felt it, you know. When your daughter was born.”

Author Info

Azshure Raine is a mostly stay-at-home mom of 3. She and her husband, Ryan, have been happily married for 13+ years and originally met in a MMO.

Her day job is sticking things to newborns, and by sticking things to newborns, she means hearing screens.

In her free time, she hangs out with her black cat, Luna, and keeps three small humans from killing each other. To maintain her sanity, she now writes. And she may or may not have a thing for apples.

The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with . . . Azshure Raine . . . 

How would you describe your style of writing to someone that has never read your work?

My style of writing is flowing. I use words that are familiar and easy to understand. I hope for emotional impact and to get your heart racing. 

Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?

I’ve learned a lot over the years, and at first I thought it was natural, but I soon learned that it was stiff and unfeeling. So I had to learn more about how to craft words that please, and words that harm. 

What mindset or routine do you feel the need to set when preparing to write (in general whether you are working on a project or just free writing)?

I usually put on video game music to get the juices flowing as they say. Something without words that still convey an emotion can help with my focus. 

Do you take your character prep to heart? Do you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page? Do you people watch to help with development? Or do you build upon your character during story creation?

Most of my characters are born fully clothed and with personalities. I do learn more about them throughout the story, they have secrets, hopes and dreams that aren’t always apparent from the start. But who they are, and what they look like is usually right up front. 

Do you have a character that you have been working on for a long time that still isn't quite ready, but fills you with excitement to work on the story?

I’ve been working on Nathan from The Drowned Prince for a few months now, and I’m still learning about him. I knew he was stubborn and selfish, but apparently he’s also very horny and very unsure about himself. I look forward to seeing how he grows as a person. 

Have you found yourself bonding with any particular character(s)? If so, which one(s)?

I probably bonded the most with Jase and Liya. They have been with me since I was in High school. For 20 years I learned who they were as people and as a couple. I will be sad to see their story finished. 

Do you have a character that you have been working on that you can't wait to put to paper?

I’m eager to learn more about the Titan of Time before she was twisted. Who she once was, how she loved. How she hurt. I know her as scorned and angry, yet calculating. To see her before the betrayal is going to be interesting. 

Can you share your next creative project(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?

I’m releasing Dreamtaker: Zodiac Book Two within this next month and working on final edits for the Series Finale: Shattered Fate. After that, I have 3 prequels to put together regarding the Zodiac series, a spin-off series and a few standalones, including The Drowned Prince and Winter’s Mistress. 

Where would you spend one full year, if you could go ANYWhere, money is not a concern? What would you do with this time?

I would love to go back to Japan. I went when I was in 10th grade and missed out on a lot. 

Thank you Azshure Raine for joining and giving a little insight to you and your process. Your work is appreciated.

Website: http://www.azshurerainenovels.com
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Azshure13
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azshure/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/180486735-rebirth

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SPOTLIGHT - YA FANTASY - HEART OF THE STORM (Demon Storm, #4) by Valerie Storm

Heart of the Storm

Demon Storm, #4

by Valerie Storm

Date of Publication: September 13th 2023

Publisher: Shadow Spark Publishing

Cover Artist: @Ginkahederling

Genre: YA Fantasy

ISBN: ISBN: 978-1-956883-14-5

ASIN: B0CFHBLMGJ

Number of pages:410

Word Count:101219

Tagline:

A fresh start. An old home, new again.  And a new evil to match.

Crimson eyes and dark wings. Together, they'll be terrible. Can she break free?

Their light is broken. When a new darkness rises, will they overcome it?

BLURB

More than night terrors keep Kari awake at night. Ari languishes beside her, broken by the horrors Raven bestowed upon him.

She hopes he heals, and soon.

When a familiar presence and an unexplainable human with magic happen upon their doorstep, Kari and Ari make a decision: leave Raziac Village in search of answers and a new home.

But the heart eater waits for them.

Amazon

Excerpt:
Kari pushed away her steak, half-eaten. “Can this place be real?”
            Rathik looked up from his turkey. “Sometimes I can’t believe it myself, and I headed the revolution.”
Ari leaned over his plate, eyes widening. “You did? How?”
“From within the town itself. I was on the guard. I hid myself, too.” Rathik looked at Kari. “My commanding officer believed I had a skin disease.”
A sudden memory pricked her attention. The day she’d run into a guard in Snow Shade—after stealing the magic book for Kiki—she’d glimpsed scales on that man’s face and forgotten all about it.
Guine snorted. “Nice.”
            Rathik inclined his head. “My position enabled me to sneak demons in. I was just trying to help sickly ones at first. Eventually my name—different than the one I used as a guard—became infamous.” He laughed, shaking his head, and took a sip of ale.
            “I…I remember your name. Rathik.” Kari wracked her brain, remembering the first bolt of lightning she had called down; it had been glorious, though it also represented the first time she had felt the burning fire of the Catalyst. She’d been attacked by a demon yelling about a Rathik.
            Rathik grimaced. “I became a rallying point for many demons in the north, and it wasn’t long until the Lord Isaac was looking for me.”
            Kari, nodded, recalling that, too.
“Lord Isaac became frantic, especially when a man and his wife were found dead in their homes. He ordered searches, and it wasn’t long before my friends were found out. One died, trying to protect the others.”
Kari’s throat tightened. Ari shifted so she could grab his arm. Guine glanced at them.
“It was me,” she muttered in a hoarse whisper.
“What?” Rathik asked.
“It was my fault your friend died. I…I was the one who killed those two humans.”
She’d had no choice, she’d told herself, yet that hadn’t been true. How many times had Kiki tried to convince her they could run away without leaving any bodies behind? And Kari had refused, sure that killing Anne and Joseph was the only true way to honor her parents.
If she’d listened, Kiki may have lived, and Rathik’s friend wouldn’t have died.
Rathik leaned over the table. “No. Trust me, Kari. It was only a matter of time before Lord Isaac snapped. Even Dorn, from Isaac’s council, said he was well on his way to madness without anyone’s help.”
“He’s right,” Ari said, rubbing her. “Even we’d heard some stories in Raziac. You aren’t to blame for his actions.”
Kari caught Guine’s eye, his expression indiscernible, then frowned at her plate.
            Rathik nodded. “His own people saw it. Some of them helped us, guiding our peaceful speeches to fellow humans, and reconciling began. Now we have this.”
            He waved his hand, gesturing at the room.
            “Even though I’d heard of the revolution, I can hardly believe my eyes,” Ari said. “This place is unimaginable.”

Author Info

Valerie Storm was raised in Tucson, Arizona. Growing up, she fell in love with everything fantasy. When she wasn’t playing video games, she was writing. By age ten, she began to write her own stories as a way to escape reality. When these stories became a full-length series, she considered the path to sharing with other children & children at heart looking for a place to call home.

The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with . . . Valerie Storm . . . 

Thank you Valerie Storm for joining and giving a little insight to you and your process. Your work is appreciated. Best wishes.

Blog https://rantsofawriter.home.blog/ 
Twitter https://twitter.com/valerie_storm 
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