On this Fantasy Friday I am very happy to be hosting and supporting Richie Earl on the next leg of his Blog Tour. His two novels, The Legend of Finn Dragon’s Curse and Return to Finn Dragon’s Den are fantastic, adventure-filled reads for young (and old) adults.
Please take your time to have a read of the excerpts of his work and be sure to hop on over to his blog One Thousand Worlds in One Thousand Words, where he tirelessly supports Indie writers and is running a competition to win signed copies of his books (Link to follow below).
Whilst Richie is here, I have taken the chance to ask him some questions about his writing and the link is included below. Enjoy!
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About the Legend of Finn Dragon’s Curse
Three children racing against time, desperately searching for their missing father.
A medieval kingdom cursed by an evil wizard.
An ancient legend beneath our very feet.
The Legend of Finndragon’s Curse is the first book in a unique, two book fantasy adventure series and is a fast paced, engaging and thrilling page turner. The story races along with plenty of twists and turns as it heads for the prophesized confrontation between the children and the evil Finndragon himself.
Combining wizardry and magic with modern technology and containing magical animals and terrible demons, The Legend of Finndragon’s Curse is a rollercoaster of emotions that will make you laugh out loud and then fight to hold back the tears, as the children race against time to rescue their father. In doing so they have to kill Finndragon and put an end to the dreadful curse.
Tales of Finndragon revolves around two sisters and a brother, Emma, Megan and Scott Davies, (based upon Earl’s own children) whose father has mysteriously disappeared. They live in a Welsh valley town called Crafanc y Ddraig.
For centuries, the inhabitants of Crafanc y Ddraig have been brought up on a local legend involving a wizard called Finndragon and his master, Dafydd the Defiant, who once ruled the Kingdom of Morgannwg. Dafydd had built a magnificent castle on Finndragon’s advice.
The castle withstood all enemy attack, and Dafydd’s reign as king of Morgannwg was a prosperous one – until he fell out with Finndragon. Dafydd banished Finndragon from his kingdom, and the wizard in turn took revenge on his master by making his kingdom and all its inhabitants disappear into the bowels of the earth. It is believed locally that Dafydd’s kingdom still exists intact in the belly of the earth, where Dafydd is eternally plagued by Finndragon’s demons.
Emma, Megan and Scott one day find an ancient scroll, and soon realise that it is a map to the lost kingdom. They also realise that their father has ventured off in pursuit of the lost Kingdom of Morgannwg, and as they gradually unravel the secrets of the ancient scroll, they follow in their father’s footsteps, until they eventually find their way to the lost Kingdom. And now, their true adventures are about to begin.
Excerpt
Emma took out the polythene bag and slowly removed its contents, a very old looking, yellowing parchment with strange writing in faded red ink. It was ragged along the bottom edge, as if it had been torn in two. Could this be part of the ancient scroll Dad had always told them about? Did he have it all the time? She thought as she read it to herself?
Ye earth that hides a kingdom past
Withholds everything once held dear
And keeps ye all until the last
Thee who cannot flee within one year
Any fool would not be brave
Who takes no heed of this verse
No heroic deed or action save
Any man from Finndragon’s curse
Ye shaft cast through a needle’s eye
Touches ye creeping claw of fateWhen ye moon is full in ye northern skyAnd points to olde Finndragon’s gate
She slowly read it again, aloud this time, trying to read the difficult script and understand its meaning. When she’d read it through, she called excitedly to her brother and sister, “Megan, Scott; come and look at this. Quick, quick!” she couldn’t contain her excitement.
“What is it?” Megan poked her head around Emma’s door. “I’m tired and I want to go to sleep!”
“Me too!” yawned Scott as he joined his sisters.
“I think I’ve found a clue as to why Dad disappeared.” She said showing them the parchment. “I found this hidden in his backpack. It’s obviously really, really old! I think there’s a bit missing though!” Emma read it aloud as Megan and Scott listened, bewildered by the strange verse.
“What does it mean, Em?” they both asked.
“I don’t know exactly, but I think Dad worked it out and went looking for Finndragon’s Gate, and Castell y Mynydd. It’s something to do with the legend of Finndragon’s Curse, I know that much. But look at this,” she said, taking the photograph from the backpack once more. “Dad has written ‘The needle’s eye’ on the back.”
Want to read on ?
Amazon – for kindle: The Legend of Finndragon’s Curse: http://viewBook.at/FinndragonsCurse
Lulu Publishing – paperback: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/finndragon
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Richie’s second novel currently has a Kindle Countdown Deal running
Here’s more about Return to Finn Dragon’s Den
The adventure that began in THE LEGEND OF FINNDRAGON’S CURSE continues to its conclusion as Emma, Megan and Scott return to the cursed medieval Kingdom of Morgannwg, in their breathtaking quest to fulfil an ancient prophecy.
Once again they have to confront the legendary wizard Finndragon, encountering familiar demons as well as new and even more of his terrifying creations.
RETURN TO FINNDRAGON’S DEN will draw you into a magical subterranean world, where ordinary twenty-first century children join forces with their medieval friends.
Has the young apprentice Gwayne finally mastered the art of magic?
Will the children find their father and discover a way for them all to return home?
Or will the curse never be broken as Finndragon triumphs?
Be prepared for a thrilling journey that will continue to surprise and enthral you, bringing laughter and tears, and no shortage of mystery and excitement.
This time it’s the end, but for who?
Excerpt
It was the middle of the afternoon and they set about making a list of provisions for the journey, huddled in the secluded shade of the two conifers at the end of the garden.
“Okay, apart from the obvious backpacks, what else do we need?” Emma enquired earnestly.
“What about a shotgun?” Scott said unexpectedly, “Morgan Thomas in year 6 boasted that his dad has one locked in a cupboard in his cellar.”
“Don’t believe anything that boy tells you, Scott. He’s a stranger to the truth is that one!” Megan said knowingly. “No matter what you have done or seen or have, it’s happened to him bigger and better. If you told him you’d just seen an alien in your attic, he’d have been on the mother ship.” Megan chuckled to herself as she pictured Morgan being beamed up.
Emma had listened long enough, “Okay, now you’re both wasting time. Scott, even if we could get hold of one, I don’t think a gun is a good idea. So let’s be practical about this.”
Silence fell for a few moments as the three of them looked around, making eye contact with one and then the other, waiting for someone to come up with a good idea. Bones, who’d been lazing nearby in the sun, stood up and wandered over and began to bark quietly at them.
“Oh, poor Bones!” Emma grabbed the faithful pet behind his ears and pulled him to her. “How cruel it must be for you; to get the gift of speech and to have it taken away again. If only you could talk, I’m sure you would have a good suggestion or two.”
Bones answered with a wag of his tail and a sad look on his face.
Scott, who had been deep in thought, became agitated and jumped to his feet. “I’ve just had an idea, well two actually.”
Emma and Megan together asked “What?” in excited voices.
“I think we should break down what we are going to need into two categories. Firstly the journey through the caves and secondly what will be useful in the fight against Finndragon.”
Scott continued, encouraged by the positive signals coming from his sisters. “I have an idea for the journey through the caves, wouldn’t it be useful to have some kind of underwater breathing equipment? You know, Scuba diving stuff.”
“And where are we going to get Scuba diving stuff?” Megan said in an almost dismissive tone, “Even if we knew how to use it properly.”
“I hadn’t thought of that yet, but I don’t fancy going through the watery tunnel again. And Bones certainly won’t, will you Bones?”
The little hero nuzzled his head against Scott’s side and barked once. “There, you see, he agrees with me.”
Want to read on?
Kindle Countdown Promotion – up to 67% discount.
Return to Finndragon’s Den is on offer 21st-28th April
http://viewBook.at/ReturntoFinndragonsDen
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About the Author
Richie Earl is the writer of fantastical fantasy adventures. Earl’s first series, Tales of Finndragon, is a two part adventure which started life as a bedtime story for his three children, who nagged him so much that he finally agreed to write a book. Only one book was intended, but Earl came to realise that a second was required.
Earl was offered a publishing contract from a small Welsh press, but after much deliberation and discussion with the publisher, decided not to accept the offer. This proved to be a shrewd move, as he later discovered the press was struggling to meet the costs of publishing and have since moved its business solely into the field of printing.
Earl is currently working on two projects, a young adult paranormal mystery and another fantasy adventure, which may turn into a trilogy.
Check out my interview with Richie here: http://alavisher.wordpress.com/author-interviews/
One Thousand Worlds in One Thousand Words
In September 2013, Earl launched a blog featuring fantasy and science fiction authors. One Thousand Worlds in One Thousand Worlds spotlights and promotes Indie authors, and aims to connect readers and writers.
Connect with Richie
One Thousand Worlds in One Thousand Words blog competition: http://onethousandworlds.blogspot.co.uk/p/blog-page_3.html
Tales of Finndragon Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/finndragonscurse
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6523833.Richie_Earl
Twitter (@finndragons): https://twitter.com/finndragons
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/gXeh-pzIHSI
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