by Sandy Lender
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GENRE: YA Fantasy
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BLURB:
“Move the Stars” offers a sometimes-humorous, but always magical, story of 16-year-old Ava Stonebreaker finding and using her voice for the good of her world. With Eddag Fen afire behind her, she journeys to her father’s home, at first fearing she returns to him with failure as her legacy. Bringing with her a half-blood fae, a star reader’s apprentice and news of storm stars closing in, she also carries hope. Fanciful creatures have encouraged her to seek out the giant dragons beyond Modric’s Pass. With spunky shoulder dragons and the endangered arabesque to whom she sings accompanying her, Ava devises and undertakes a daring plan to re-shake the world…and move the stars.
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EXCERPT:
Flaming boulders tore through the sky, trailing columns of clouds as they plummeted toward the ground. While many of them drilled directly into the dirt near the travelers, a number of the larger meteors streamed toward the fen behind them at sharp angles. A smaller stone, the size of a man’s fist, slammed the ground not two paces from Ava’s foot, showering her with pebbles and heat. She gasped.
“The trees are afire!” Goira screamed. As if she would have run back to the fen for shelter, Goira had turned back toward the tree line.
With the yelps of her elder companions shouting advice at each other and the fire rocks pounding the ground around her, a rush of worry and flurry rose in Ava’s chest. It tightened her muscles until they squeezed her ribs. Her heart rate quickened as she bent her knees slightly, ready to flee one direction or another.
Where could she run? No one could guess where the pelting stones would hit next with their breaking blasts tearing and crashing through tree branches behind them and pounding and bounding across hard earth in front of them. The cacophony deafened her.
Putting her hands to her ears, she closed her eyes and froze in place. Whether it was the fear of being crushed to death or the need to protect the lives sheltered on her body amid the chaos, she needed to block out the insanity that had erupted around her. Block out the insanity and think.
Think of a solution.
The earth always offered a solution.
She opened her eyes to scan the swells and dips of the earth stretched out before them. Dotted now with flaming stones partially sunk in the dirt, the ground offered her the answer. Shelves of stone.
“Follow me!” Ava shouted above the sounds of sizzling fires and bursting rocks.
Goira faltered, torn between the desire to run for the breaking, burning trees or to follow the star reader’s apprentice who didn’t hesitate to follow a child.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Sandy Lender is a magazine editor by day and author of girl-power fantasy novels by night. You can check out her author page on Amazon or follow her facebook page at Fantasy Author Sandy Lender. She lives in Florida where she volunteers in sea turtle conservation and parrot rescue. Sandy Lender Ink Inc., headquartered in Central Florida, is her umbrella company for the copywriting, editing, and marketing services she offers. With a four-year degree in English and 28-year career in publishing, Sandy brings a deep understanding of public relations and journalism to a variety of projects. Her successes include traditionally and self-published novels, hundreds of magazine articles, multiple short stories in competitive anthologies, a couple APEX technical writing awards, a 2019 Imadjinn Best Literary Fiction Novel Award for her #MeToo novel She’s Not Broken, and a 2020 Pushcart Prize nomination for her short story Woman off the Grid. In December, she finally updated her website at www.SandyLenderInk.com and released her first non-fiction book “How to Train Your Human: a guide for parrots,” which she wrote from a parrot’s point of view. With a new publisher taking over her “Choices” series this summer, she’s launching the “Gentle Dragons” series on her own, starting with Ava’s story in Move the Stars.
Buy links:
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GIVEAWAY:
Sandy Lender will be awarding $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THE TOUR AND COMMENT
ON EACH STOP TO EARN MORE ENTRIES TO WIN!
May 4: Mythical Books
May 11: Hurn Publications
May 11: The Avid Reader
May 18: One House Schoolroom
May 18: Natural bri
May 25: Kit 'N Kabookle
May 25: Fabulous and Brunette
May 25: Our Town Book Reviews
My Review
I am giving Move the Stars four stars. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteHappy Monday and thank you for sharing "Move the Stars" with the world today! I have to work, but I'll check back in to chat with folks by EOD! It's always a joy to talk about those shoulder dragons... :)
ReplyDeleteGreat review
ReplyDeleteI love it when readers/reviewers "get" the character! Ava is like a friend to me now that I've spent so much time with her...it makes my heart happy to have someone call out her best characteristics.
DeleteSounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteTY, Rita!
DeleteGreat excerpt and giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cali. Choosing a section to "reveal" as an excerpt is one of those torturous things authors spend hours debating and second-guessing. You've given me hope! :)
DeleteThis sounds good.
ReplyDeleteThank you, again, Amy C, for hosting "Move the Stars" today and for your kind words about the book. Everyone have a great week and stay safe & sane out there!
ReplyDelete"Some days, you just want the dragon to win."
Sandy Lender
Thank you for sharing your book with us. I always look forward to finding out about another great read.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading this book!
ReplyDeleteHow did the story change from your first draft to your final draft?
ReplyDeleteI love the cover. The design is so cool.
ReplyDelete