Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Guest Blog and Giveaway: Ursa Unearthed by JL Madore




Something You Might Not Know About Me
By: JL Madore

More than once, readers have commented on my ability to bring wildlife to life on the page. Thank you. It's nice to hear and is, in large part, because wildlife and habitat conservation have been my lifelong passion. From being born a farm girl, to working at the Metro Toronto Zoo, to years of volunteering with World Wildlife Fund, the Canadian Peregrine Foundation, and Northwood Exotic Animal Ranch, and then to relocating my family to Central America to establish a wildlife sanctuary—I have always loved animals.

So, as a writer, I naturally involve animals in my stories. They can play the part of innocuous extras—like squirrels fussing as characters travel through the Haven forest. They can be tools to enrich characters—like the wolf pack and other animals Aust can communicate with. Or they can be characters in the plot themselves—like Faolan, Aust's constant wolf companion or Naith, Jade's melanistic jaguar mount. They may not be great with dialogue, but they still manage to get their point across, as seen in this excerpt from Blaze Ignites.

My seven-hundred pound ebony panther landed over him. The resonant bass of Naith's growl rumbled deep and low, filling the camp.
Galan froze, pinned to the ground as ivory fangs tightened around his neck.

You gotta respect a ticked off jaguar. And I've worked with a few up close, so I would know.
Of the hours and years I've spent working with exotics, there have been moments of inspiration, hilarity, and even dangerously thrilling drama. Blood has been drawn. Scars have been made. But the fact that I still have all my fingers just makes the wine taste sweeter. So, if you're reading one of my novels and some silly or strange thing happens with one of the animals in the story, you can be fairly sure there is some truth to the tale . . . or should I say 'tail'?

People often say that animals are unpredictable, but I disagree—they're primal. They live to survive, procreate and protect what's theirs . . . Just like a few alpha heroes I can think of.



Ursa Unearthed
Scourge Survivor Series
Book 2
JL Madore

Genre: Fantasy Romance

ISBN: 978-0-9916763-2-3
ASIN: B00KUEGYMO

Number of pages: 340
Word Count: 100,000

Cover Artist: David Wysotski

Book Description:

Mika’s life has never been normal, but it’s hers.

After being told by the Great Spirit to stand up for the Earth Mother’s children and “save the great species from extinction,” she buries herself in an investigative journalism career hunting down poachers and exposing illegal trade in wildlife exotics. A survivor by nature, she would rather fight injustice than maneuver the hassles and heartache of relationships anyway.

When danger suddenly finds her unprepared, Mika’s perception of her life is shattered and she is hurled into a realm of magic and murder she does not understand. Seduced by Bruin, the powerful and sexy warrior who saves her life, Mika is catapulted into a world where Were-creatures and Scourge assassins threaten not only her life but her heart as well.

With the boundary between worlds crumbling, Mika realizes that her destiny to save the great species will draw her deeper into a reality more terrifying to her than anything she has faced before.

Trusting in love.


Available at Amazon

Excerpt:

Ambar Lenn – Fate's Journey

Alone in the dark, Aust sat at the bottom of the grand staircase of Jade's manse, staring at the cryptic words mounted on the foyer wall. Translated by the Centaur, Chiron of Deleran, the Queen Oracles' prophesy hung opposite the double entrance doors. Aust's Elven brothers and warrior friends boasted thoughts and theories as to its meaning, but theories they remained. And on nights when reverie evaded him—which occurred more oft than not—he sat within the silent stone walls of Jade's new home and tried to glean the prophesy's meaning:

Journey of Fate, two realms to purge
Weapons drawn against the Scourge
Blaze of passion,
Trust unearthed,
Cleansing of past,
Spirit rebirthed,
Fate or free-will, which to choose?
With love to gain and life to lose.
Darkness hides in familiar form
A brother's betrayal, a sister's storm
Empower lost souls or evil shall reign
Noble the child of argenteous mane

Journey of Fate—the first line referred to their Ambar Lenn, everyone agreed on that point. Four fortnights past, the inception of his, Galan's and Thamior's journey to manhood had triggered unforeseen events. On that night—the night the exile of his people was lifted—the three of them had set off from the Highborne village to find their path.
Aust had yet to find anything . . . save grief.
His Eda had been slain, his Naneth left heart-weary, and his people so offended by his goddess-given affinity to communicate with his animal brothers and sisters, they cast him out.
Galan fared well enough, and for at least that much, he rejoiced. Jade was a remarkable female, and to have Recognized with his mate . . . there was no greater blessing. Together, partners in life and purpose, the two now served Castian as Protectors of the Realm of the Fair.
Thamior's journey? Well . . . Tham remained Tham e'ermore. Aust marveled at the strength of spirit the male possessed, his love and wonder of all things, the simple joy he found in living free within the Realm of the Fair. Tham had yet to make any progress in his journey, yet paid it no mind.
Weapons drawn against the Scourge—Aust was more than ready to take up arms against the enemy of the realm. He yearned to prove his value, burned to avenge his dead. There were moments, the fury boiled so white-hot in his blood, he almost drowned in the lure of vengeance and pain. He quelled those impulses as best he could.
For the choices made to navigate the journey of the Ambar Lenn would determine if he could ever be thought of as a male of worth. And so he pushed back the anguish and the anger and waited . . . .

About the Author:

JL Madore, lover of family, animals and chocolate has a soft spot for romance and a hot button for sexy stories. She didn't find writing so much as it found her. Waking each morning with a vivid cast of characters tangled in chaos in her head, it seemed essential to capture them on the page.


Author web links: www.jlmadore.ca




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1 comments:

Melanie (@AudiobookMel) said...

This looks like a very interesting book. This is a new-to-me author. Can't wait to try it.