Blog Tour – Golden Skies, by Juan Zapata

Hello, friends! Today I’m featuring Golden Skies for a Digital Reads blog tour!

 

Golden Skies: The New Order Trilogy 
By Juan Zapata

Genre: Science Fiction

Length: 296 Pages

Released: June 2018

Book Blurb: As a boy, Malik watched an army of religious zealots swarm his home town, slaughtering his people and running his beloved grandfather through with a black sword. Nine years later, Malik still believes there’s peace…somewhere. At least that’s what he tells himself as his body is ripped apart by whips at a conversion camp. That’s what his best friend whispers as he frantically creates new force technology and jetpacks to rescue Malik. Yet when war bursts through the skies and the sky troopers, assassins, and heroes fall, when the world comes crashing down, Malik Zzoha stands amidst the sands to lead a band of friends and revolutionaries to face his tyrannical, zealot father, determined to free the people he loves.

About The Author

Juan Zapata is a senior at Alabama A&M, expected to graduate December 2018. He majors in Criminal Justice and is a member of the AAMU Honors Program. Born in Mexico, Juan came to the United States at four years old. When he is not writing, Juan likes to play For Honor and pretend he’s a knight, laughing with happiness at his victories and nearly having aneurisms when defeated. 

Author Contact Details

Email: jzapata1@bulldogs.aamu.edu
Author Website
Twitter: @Zapatathe1
Instagram: @Zapatathe1
Facebook

Book Excerpt

“Let her go!” I shrieked, attempting to leap forward. I doubled over in pain as the guards holding me struck me in the gut. Tears of anguish brimmed at my eyes. “I…won’t serve anyone!” I spat on the ground, screaming. “Safad isn’t a god! He’s nothing!”

The guards holding me suddenly let go, taken aback. Silence rang forth from the crowd and rapidly descended upon the entire square.

Mujadin looked at me, speechless.

“Safad isn’t holy! He’s a man who pisses and shits like everyone else. His laws are hogwash. You kill for nothing! You are nothing! You’re a liar, scum, a deceiver. All your life fighting for some sick charlatan!” I yelled, feeling blood rush to my face, popping out the veins on my throat and forehead.

I didn’t truly know if I believed what I was saying, but Kafed had echoed my own thoughts on the subject countless times; he believed that Safad wasn’t divine—that he’d tricked others with his ‘miracles’ to gain power and keep it. Everything that was happening was because of that narcissistic, deceiving man-god my father worshipped.

No one in the crowd moved or spoke. The soldiers around me leveled their weapons at my head. The penalty for denying Safad’s divinity was death. I tightened my fists. If this was to end in a hail of bullets, at least I’d diverted attention from those about to be executed, my sister, and Kafed.

Mujadin put up a trembling hand, ordering the men to hold their fire. A deadly whisper. “No. No. He will suffer.”

A short, quiet pause rang forth, then suddenly, I lost control of my body and fell to the concrete ground, pain exploding from every nerve. I’d been struck by stun weapons.

My vision blurred, light entering my pupils in bursts. For one second I saw my father’s stony face, the next the feet of guards, the crowd staring at me, the sea-green sky, my sister weeping on the ground, Kafed flanked by guards.

Soldiers grabbed each of my arms and hoisted me to my knees. Time seemed to slow as I got my bearings, blinking at the crowd, then the air was sliced in two, the sound of a whip whistling before it hit its mark.

Tongues of fire lit up my back, pulling a heinous scream from my throat. My muscles tightened like knots, fresh air eating away at my raw flesh. Red engulfed my vision, and the air thundered and rippled. Wapash! My forearms tensed, and I cried out, trembling. The flames returned again and again, one lash after the other, ceaseless. The sky darkened, and the blistering heat disappeared. My flesh shredded apart in lines, pulled off my muscles in crisscrossing patterns, my blood flowing out, dripping onto the stone. The leather gouged deep into me with each lick. I could hardly breathe.

My tear-filled eyes stared blankly to those below the platform and rested upon a man below me, just one of the many among thousands. White skin. Blond hair. A Northeasterner? My eyes widened at the woman beside him—fiery red locks flared out behind a scarlet mask. Piercing blue eyes drank me in. I expected hostility from them but found shock instead. Sympathy. Conflict within these foreigners. And then they were gone, replaced by black. A last shuddering breath, another crack, and darkness took me.

Book Links

Amazon ~ GoodReads ~ Owl Hollow Press ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Kobo

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New Release – Arcacia by T. A. Barua

Arcacia: The Witch, The Warlock, and The Children of the Sorceress 
by T. A. Barua

Genre: Children’s Fantasy

Length: 144 Pages

Published: July 10, 2018

 

Blurb

When a beautiful sorceress-queen, Selina, spurns Setanor, a powerful, jealous northern warlock, an invasion of Western Arcacia begins. To save her newborn triplets from death, they are cast down a magical river to the New World, a place called, “London, England.”

Thirteen years later in a cold, Victorian London attic… The future of Sophie, an impoverished orphan looks bleak but everything changes, to her astonishment after a young witch arrives through her bedroom window with an incredible message and a warning. So begins her life in a beautiful, enchanted ancient world…

How do Sophie and her four friends summon the tremendous courage to rescue
her long lost family while restoring Arcacia from dark, ruling forces? Mystical
beasts, sceptres, powerful witches and daemon-trolls are just some of their
challenges. Meanwhile, the dreaded terrifying warlock, Setanor and his witch-
consort Lilith have sent a secret enemy to plan their downfall…

Book Excerpt

Prologue

The prologue to, ‘Arcacia,’ outlines the events leading up to the Great thirteen year war in Arcacia, a magical realm of the Old World.  To avert the threat of invasion from the northern territories, Selina’s  father, a King of the Argenon family clan had promised his beautiful daughter, Selina’s hand in marriage to Setanor, a powerful warlock from the north.  The aggressive sorcerer ruling family houses of the North had always openly threatened to invade rich, flourishing lands of western Arcacia. So far the Argenons and their people had managed to keep them at bay but this was getting harder.

Selina, a strong, beautiful well-educated Arcacian lady is adamant she’d rather stand up to Setanor than subject the people she loves to a life-time of tyranny. After her father suddenly passes away Selina breaks his oath; gives up her magic powers, and chooses to marry an Arcacian commander.  Harris originated from a strange world called England in the New World, he is unlike other Arcacians; Harris is human.  Selina forfeits her magical powers by marrying an outsider, as is dictated by law. They have three beautiful babies, triplets a boy and two girls. But Setanor who wanted to inherit Western Arcacia and who genuinely fell in love with Selina from afar, is furious, perceiving her derisory actions to be an act of scorn and disrespect.

He declares war on Arcacia, and one fateful night he appears with his guards to Selina’s home, captures Selina, and banishes Harris to the underworld.  Before being imprisoned and spellbound in a tower, ‘Until she comes to her senses and agrees to accept Setanor,’ Selina pleads with Set’s commander, Garwain, also her paternal uncle to spare her babies.  He complies, placing them in an enclosed basket which he casts down a magical river that forks to the New world to,’ London, England,’  the land of their father, not knowing if they will live or die.  

The children survive but are separated. A mysterious woman who finds the babies floating along the river, takes one of them, a girl, to raise herself.  A wolf suckles the boy who is discovered in the forest then raised by an elf-Queen and her people. Meanwhile the third child a girl, Sophie drifts on to England.

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T.A. Barua Children’s book author page

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T.A. Barua on Twitter  (Twitter Handle: @t_barua)

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Blog Tour Guest Post – Robbie Yates, Author of Daniel Daniels and the World’s Worst Zoo

Book Blurb:

Daniel Daniels spends most of his time doing one of two things:
1. Avoiding the school bully, or
2. Hanging out with his animal friends.
Unfortunately, Daniel’s animal friends all live at The World’s Worst Zoo, run by the cruel and crabby Mr Gregory.
One day, an unfortunate incident with some ointment at the zoo leaves Daniel with a few special tricks up his sleeve‌—‌tricks that he can use to save the animals, and teach Mr Gregory a lesson. Curious, witty and sweet, this adventurous chapter book will charm and thrill the young and the young-at-heart!

Author Bio

Robbie Yates is an author based in the vibrant city of Melbourne, Australia. He enjoys the crunch of autumn leaves, and eating tasty snacks from his childhood.
In his free time, Robbie likes to read the stories of Roald Dahl, Paul Jennings and J.K. Rowling. Robbie also likes to go geocaching, play board games, and have water-balloon fights.

Author Contact Details & Links

Website
Website for this book
Facebook
Twitter
Gmail: robbie.b.yates@gmail.com

 

Book Excerpt

I’d once seen Mr Gregory try to teach the monkeys some tricks. I suppose he had been hoping that it would attract more customers to the zoo.

He was gesticulating wildly as he shouted commands. He was trying to get them to catch balls and clap their hands. The monkeys, of course, were not cooperating.

One monkey seemed to have figured out what Mr Gregory wanted them to do, and the cheeky fellow was doing the opposite. When Mr Gregory told them to go left, he scuttled right. When Mr Gregory said, “Jump!” he sat squarely on the floor. When Mr Gregory said, “Catch the ball!” the monkey simply watched as the ball arced over his head and landed in front of him. It was hilarious.

Mr Gregory didn’t think so. His response was to hold an enormous, luscious banana in front of the cage. Slowly, he peeled back each section of its skin. Before long, every single monkey’s eyes were fixed on the banana. Mr Gregory took one bite, groaned in satisfaction, chewed, and swallowed. Then, he yanked the rest of the banana out of its peel, dropped it on the ground, and stomped on it, grinding it into the dirt.

The monkeys were heartbroken. They hadn’t been fed for days.

One day, someone had complained about the birds squawking too much. Mr Gregory responded by eating his lunch in front of the aviary for a whole week.

“That’s not too bad,” I hear you say. Except that Mr Gregory’s lunch that week was chicken drumsticks.

“This chicken is delicious,” he had murmured. “I do love poultry. So tender and tasty.”

The birds got very quiet after that.

Hi! My name is Robbie
And I love writing stuff.
I blog some animations
Some poems and lots of fluff.
But lately, I’ve been working
On something bigger, too—
A book called Daniel Daniels
And the World’s Worst Zoo!

I’ve written it for children
A chapter book, in fact.
It’s written ‘bout a zookeeper
Who’s grumpy with no tact.
The main two in the story, though,
Are Daniel and his friend—
An elephant who’s lovely from
The start until the end!

I’ve always been a writer
Though never books like this.
I find that writing children’s books
Just brings me so much bliss.
I’ve two more stories coming;
They’ll be on Amazon.
But—on my blog there’s videos
And rhymes for free (a ton!).

I’m glad that I could visit
And author this guest post.
(For meeting fun new bloggers
Is one thing I love the most).
I hope you can come visit
If only for a while—
I’d be so gosh-darn happy if
My words could make you smile ☺

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Robbie Yates’ book is published on Amazon.

Amazon Listing

Author Page

Thank you for reading!