Author Interview and Book Review of Lark’s End
Book One; The Fall of Gadaie Series
Sponsored by Bewitching Book Tours
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Lark’s End
Book One; The Fall of Gadaie Series
Book One; The Fall of Gadaie Series
Christina Leigh Pritchard
Genre: Fantasy Intermediate/YA
Number
of pages: 429
Word
Count: 93,000
Cover
Artist: Mohamed Zakzouk
Blurb
:
From the author of the C I N Series,
comes an epic fantasy world filled with nothing but constant action and
adventure. A new world, new life forms, and another twisted and complex story
from author Christina Leigh Pritchard!
Mary
wants to kill them. But, someone stands in her way...
Tahmi
has nightmares of an old man in a sailor's suit, dropping her off, on her
doorstep. When she tells her parents about him they look sick. Could her dream
have some truth to it? Is that old man the reason they won't allow her in the
woods behind their house?
What
are they hiding from her? Who is she?
TAHMI,
she's just an ordinary girl, right?
Lark’s End, is the first of eight
books in the epic fantasy series The Fall of Gadaie. For extras, (characters,
illustrations, book trailers, maps) please visit the blog dedicated to the
series: www.gadaie.com
BONUS MATERIAL INCLUDED AFTER STORY
(kindle version only)
66+ illustrated photos created by
Omaik Digital Art
About the
Author:
Christina
Leigh Pritchard was born and raised in South Florida. Her first stories were
written at the age of nine in $0.15 wide ruled spiral notebooks (which were
supposed to be used for class) ;o)~ and in the various diaries she kept.
Stories she wrote from age nine to twelve fill about four storage boxes!
Since
she's upgraded to a computer, she's completed over fifty books and still going
strong. Her genres include dark fantasy, young adult, drama, suspense,
historical romance, multicultural, comedy, poetry and many more.
Her
main aspirations in life are: her dog, Teacup; the beach, writing and well,
writing! The author says, "I breathe novels.”
Contacts:
Excerpt:
Several children and animals sit in cramped
cages. To Father, they are merely test subjects but to Mary they’re her family
and friends.
Mary
“Mary,”
Alex whispered. He sat in the cell next to hers. “What’re ya reading?”
She
didn’t respond. Her eyes stayed glued to the pages of The Wizard of Oz. She inched forward reading each word with passion
and excitement. Her skin was pale and her eyes a light blue unlike the eyes of
her brothers and sisters. Everyone else had glowing green eyes. Maybe from the
chemicals their father injected into them, maybe from the changes their bodies
were experiencing. She liked the fact that her eyes were normal. It meant she
was safe from father. He didn’t experiment on her as much. She was a dud
according to him; unchangeable.
“Mary,”
Alex said again. “Read to me please. I’m scared. Father says today is gonna be my day. He says he’s going to really change me this time.”
She
looked up. Alex was a few years older, maybe ten with sandy brown hair. His
eyes used to be brown as mud but that was before father took him into the back
room.
“I’ll
read to you,” Mary decided, turning the pages back to the beginning. “How is it
I know how to read and you can’t?”
“I
never went to school for very long.” He answered.
“I’ve
never gone to school.”
“Well,
I remember some words like that sign up above the door it says ‘exit’. That’s
what I’d like to do. Escape through the exit.”
“Do
you want to escape with me, Alex?”
“Mary,
if I could get out of here then I’d never come back, never ever.”
“Who
would I play with then?” She frowned. “I hope you never escape.”
“That’s
selfish.”
“I
don’t care.”
“Just
read something to me, Mary.”
“What
if we both were able to escape?” She leaned her forehead against the bars,
intertwining her fingers with the metal. “Would you stay with me forever then?”
“I
dunno,” Alex yawned. “I want to hear something, to keep my mind off what father
has planned for me. Tell me about that world of yours.”
“The
only way to get into Gadaie is across the golden bridge.” She closed her eyes.
“You have to swim through Merworld where the merloonies live.”
“The
what?” Alex scratched his head. “What’s a merloonie?”
“Remember
that Peter Pan book I read you; the one with the mermaids?” Mary grinned.
“Well, the Merloonies are similar to those mermaids. They’re half fish half
loonie.”
“What’s
a loonie?”
“My
very own people or subjects I guess. They love me and will do anything I ask of
them. I love them too.”
“So
now you’re a queen?” Alex laughed. “Oh Mary, you’ve got some imagination.”
“I
wish they were real.” Mary admitted. She lay down on the cement bench. It
cooled her cheek. He patted her on the shoulder through the bars.
“I
wish it was real too. Then I would run away with you and I’d live in that
Funhouse Zone you told me about.”
Mary
sat up. “Would you live in one of my mushroom homes?”
“Sure,
why not?” Alex grinned. “I think taking a rollercoaster to each home is kinda a
cool way to get around.”
“I
know!” Mary giggled, “And last week I decided there should be a place called
Candy Lane like that game they advertised in the back of The Neverending Story.”
“I
wish Father would let us play games.” He sighed. “That would help pass the
time.”
“I
like reading.”
“Well,
I guess if I knew how I would read too.”
“I
don’t think father would let you read. He says he has plans for you.”
Alex
walked away to the other end of his cell. “I don’t want to talk about what Father has planned for me.”
“Stop
all the noise.” Lily growled. She sat in a rusted cage across the aisle between
two wolves and an orangutan. Aquariums filled with mice ran on wheels up above
Lily’s head. She brushed her hands through her blonde hair, “Mary, go to sleep.
Put those silly books down and stop dreaming. Life’s not a fairytale.”
“Okay,
Mother.” Mary lay back and stared at the grey wall. Water seeped through a tiny
crack. It dripped down, splattering against her forehead. How could anything,
even water, want to enter this place? “Mom,” she called, “Did you love him?”
Lily
hid her face in between her knees. “No.” Who
would?
“Nor
did I love her.” Father stomped into the lab, his white cloak flapping. “You
were supposed to be my prodigy. But Mary, you’re just a dud; a useless
financial expense to me. If you don’t produce results soon I’ll have to
eliminate you.”
Mary’s
heart pounded. Would he really kill her; his own flesh and blood?
Lily
jumped, stretching her hands outside the bars. “I’ll kill you if you try to
hurt my daughter!”
“You
could never hurt me. I’m your father—your creator.”
“I’d
love to kill you.” Lily growled. “It would make me very happy.”
Father
stood in front of Lily’s cell with his hands on his hips. “That’s the spirit.
The angrier you become the more you change. I can’t wait to see the final
results.”
“Leave
her alone!” Mary screamed. “I hate you!” Her small face smashed against the
bars and her fingers gripped firmly around them.
“Relax
child,” Father rolled his eyes, “Alex is who I’m working on today.” He unlocked
the cell and grabbed the boy by the arm.
“No,
I don’t want to go!” Alex cried. “Let me go. Stop. Lily, make him stop.”
Lily
covered her face and sobbed. “I’m so sorry Alex.” What could she do? She was
trapped in a cell like everyone else.
“Mom,”
Mary’s lip quivered, “Why don’t you stop father? You’re the oldest.”
“I’m
only eighteen.” Lily rocked back and forth. Every time father experimented on
one of them she was who they called to for help. Was it her fault?
“No!”
Mary wiped her eyes. She watched Father drag Alex away into the dark. The other
children cried too. A dozen of them begged Father to release Alex.
Father
set the young boy on a metal table. He held him down with leather hand and leg
cuffs. “Father, please!” Alex jerked about. “It hurts, the changes always
hurt.”
He
held a long needle in his hand. Father flicked the instrument and a light green
liquid seeped out. Alex thrashed about, his heart pounding. “No!”
Father
jabbed the needle into Alex’s ten year old hip. “This batch will work. Alex,
you will be amazing!”
“Let
him go!”
“Father,
please!”
“Alex
is the perfect test subject. His DNA is easy to alter. He adapts best to
changes. He’s nearly perfect in every way.” Father frowned when his eyes set on
Lily. “Lily, I always thought so much of you. But, that child you gave me is
not working out. I’m afraid I’ll have to trash her.”
“You
will not!” Lily twitched. Her body convulsed. She stood on her knees and rested
against her palms. What was happening to
her?
“What’s
happening to my mom?” Mary cried. She recoiled into the corner of her cell.
Lily’s
skin ripped. Long legs protruded out of her hip bone and shoulders. A thorax
burst its way through her back. She screamed. “What’s happening to me?”
Mary
covered her ears, “MOMMY!” She rocked back and forth, “Mom, not my mom. Don’t
die, don’t die.”
“It’s
happening!” Father exclaimed. He hurried over to Lily’s cage. “The experiment
worked. My girl is changing! They thought I was mad. MAD!? But, I knew all
along that I could do it. If this one works then all of my experiments will
work.” He turned into Mary’s direction and pointed at the little girl. “That
means you get to live.”
Author
Interview:
Please tell us about
yourself and your writing.
My name is Christina Leigh Pritchard and I have been writing
ever since I can remember! I write fantasy, science fiction, horror, comedies,
comics, psychological thrillers, dramas, multi-cultural, screenplays and even a
bit of mainstream here and there! I love people, animals and the ocean. One of
my favorite hobbies (besides writing) is hosting a blog radio show called A Home for the Creative, 3 times per month! It’s lots of fun
and allows me to get to know other artists better.
Please tell us a
little bit about your upcoming release.
Lark’s End is the
first novel in a dark fantasy series called The Fall of Gadaie. It’s about a
young girl named Tahmi who lives on Earth (in the near future). She’s been sent
to Earth because of Mary, a child whose father has used her as a science
project—experimenting on the girl since birth. Mary wasn’t always bad, but
things happen and now she wants to destroy Gadaie. Somehow, Tahmi blocks her
from doing this. The biggest question is: Can Tahmi hold Mary back forever or
will she have to face her? That’s the basic overall synopsis of the series. In
this first book, you get to know both characters and a little bit about their
background!
What character was
your favorite to write about in this series? Why?
I’d say, for Lark’s End, Idris, was my favorite character to
write! She’s a strange and beautiful creature with instances of pure wickedness
but also, a spark here and there of her true self, which shines through at the
oddest moments. Life has dealt Idris a
bad hand, she’s angry and ready to take it out on the lead character, Tahmi,
but doesn’t—at least not today… ;o)
Which was your
favorite scene to write?
In Lark’s End, my favorite scene has to be when Tahmi
finally meets Carnevole. It’s the first time I’ve ever been afraid while
writing a scene. I had to take a few breaks just to finish the chapter.
Were there any scenes
that were hard to write? Why?
Yes, some of the worlds I created as a child and while I
know how they should look, it can be very difficult to stay true to the
original design elements as I’m older now. I had to remind myself that just as
I aged, this world will too, as Tahmi ages.
How do you make your
work unique from other authors in the same genre?
I don’t refrain from writing about subjects—even ones that
make me uncomfortable. I also allow the
character to develop into a person, never editing their lives, no matter how
much I want to.
What is the hardest
thing about character development?
When you write a character and they change into a not so
nice person. It really upsets me and I hate to write them this way but, as they
develop, I too must accept what they’re becoming.
Why did you decide to
write in this genre or about this storyline?
As a child, when things were tough, I escaped into Gadaie. I
love this world! The characters are
so real to me too; it’s like revisiting old friends that helped me through
adolescence. I figured if it was a beneficial world for me—others will feel the
same.
What do you hope that
readers can take away from your stories?
I hope that for the few hours it takes them to read Lark’s
End, that they will have escaped reality and allowed their imaginations to
soar!
What are your
favorite books to read and why? Do you
have a favorite genre?
My favorite authors from childhood? I love Jerry Spinelli
and Judy Blume. They told stories that were real and authentic. I hope that
mine come across that way as well.
What can we expect
from you in the future? Are you
currently working on anything?
Yes! I have a few projects going. I have a multi-cultural
novel, a drama, another fantasy, more books in the C I N Series, (including
short stories based on the winners of my casting call), two new series and a
horror story!! I’ve also started collecting data for a nonfiction comedy on the
service industry.
Where can readers
find you?
Read FREE
excerpts of current works! Also, “Like” my facebook page! There will be prizes periodically here and
current news/contests for readers. Please Myspace and Twitter Me too! Also
check out my blogs dedicated to the C I N
Series and The Fall of Gadaie Series.
Any upcoming events?
Yes! On November 16th, 2012 NuVibe will host an
event and I’ve been invited to join! “Bring
your family & friends to an evening of positively-charged creative art - at
Harold’s Coffee Lounge. November features the artwork of Jafleu, words of
poetry by Desiree, writings of Christina Leigh Pritchard, and performances by Prescott. This is a
PHM & SMPG event in affiliation with Harold’s.” More information will
be provided on my blog or Facebook
page soon!
Any last words?
Thank you for the chance to share with you! I appreciate all
the hard work and effort it takes for you to run a blog.
This
product or book may have been distributed for review; this in no way affects my
opinions or reviews.
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