Welcome to the exciting Book Blitz for Orenda, the first book in the Orenda Series, by Ruth Silver!
Genre:
Young Adult
Paranormal/Fantasy Adventure
Series:
Orenda Series, #1
Publish Date:
December 5, 2014
Publisher:
Booktrope Publishing
Synopsis:
Join forces with a parallel universe.
Dark forces, magical creatures, and the world Lil thought she knew collide when a dream transports her to the strange world of Orenda. Stunned and terrified, Lil comes face to face with her doppelganger, Willow, who possesses the ability to travel between the two worlds. Everything Lil knows logically says that Orenda can't exist, but a small clue may be proof that it was more than an ordinary dream. With the threat of her sister in danger, Lil crosses dimensions but it may cost her even more than she bargained for.
A sword wielding girl, the eternal suit, and a parallel universe come together in this action-packed Young Adult fantasy adventure that will keep readers of all ages turning the pages.
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*Excerpt*
Willow scoffed at the idea, grabbed his arm, and pushed him down onto his knees, her hand tight behind his back. “I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else. Don’t touch me, creep.”
“Got it.” Bray winced, relieved when she let go of him. He rubbed his sore arm where she'd death-gripped him. “Who's Eilith?”
She stepped toward the stone door and bent down to examine the keyhole. “Of course, it's made of dead pixies!”
Bray watched, but he refused to approach her after what she'd done to him. “Dead pixies? As in fairies?” he asked, walking to the side window. He glanced outside to see the pink sun gradually setting.
“When silver touches pixies, they die. Their remains, in the form of dust, become a weapon that shields us from using our power. To answer your question earlier, no, pixies are not the same as fairies. It would do you well to learn that, should you ever come across one.”
“This isn’t funny, Lil.”
“I don't joke, and it’s Willow,” she said, correcting him. There was no hint of humor in her voice. “Pixies and fairies do not get along. Come over here,” she commanded him.
“No way.” Bray hesitated. “I'm not falling for that again.”
“Just do it.” Her voice held an urgency to it. “I saw you earlier at the door.” She gestured toward the lock. “You were able to touch it. You're not from here, which perhaps means your blood is immune to dead pixies.”
“The name's Bray, by the way,” he said as he hesitated before he approached the door. “What do you want me to do?”
“Bray.” She paused, giving him a putrid look. “Put your palm to the keyhole and I can handle the rest,” Willow said.
Bray did as instructed and pressed his palm to the lock. He masked his fear behind his eyes.
“Good, you're immune. Now, let's try this.” She moved to rest her hand on his.
“Is it working?”
Heavy footsteps erupted from just outside the chamber.
“Quick!” Willow pulled Bray away from the door. “Get back.” The door swung open and Bray stumbled backwards.
Bray glanced from Willow to the strange dark-haired woman looming over them in a black lace dress. Her fingernails were dark as night with a strange translucent appearance. Her lips were a deep fiery red, and her eyes held no hint of color or light. Her skin was incredibly pale. Had she ever been outside?
“What's going on?” Bray asked once he’d steadied his heartbeat.
“Silence!” the woman said. She held up her hand, making it impossible for Bray to speak again. He struggled to breathe. She not only sucked out his voice, but also the air from his lungs. After a moment, she lowered her hand and Bray fell to the stone floor, gasping. He didn't bother to get up again. “Come now. If you wish to live, you'll do as I tell you. Understand?” his tormentor said.
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Swearing in YA Novels
~ Ruth Silver
Teens swear. I think it’s naive to write a YA novel and use “dang”, “heck”, “shut the front door”, unless you are catering to an audience that’s twelve and you’re looking to capture that tween market.
I don’t believe every words needs to be a swear word but I do feel like if it’s natural for the character to say, they shouldn’t avoid it either.
Reading the Shadow Falls series, I was constantly annoyed by constant use of polite words for swearing (heck or dang). There were so many I felt pulled out of the story like I could be sitting there counting them. That series happens to be one of my favorites but I felt like the amount of “polite swear words” made the book geared towards twelve and up, instead of fourteen or fifteen and up. Overall, I felt like using “polite swear words” were probably overused and instead using the actual word once or twice would have been better and made the same impact.
I also feel it depends on the novel, the characters, and the situation. Are they just cursing because they’re a teenager not getting their way or are they in the middle of a post-apocalyptic war and about to die? To me the scene is important and what feels right should be expressed, to a certain degree. I don’t believe you should be needing to drop any F-bombs in YA fiction but there are other times that “dang” just doesn’t feel appropriate either.
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**About the Author**
Ruth Silver first began writing poetry as a teenager and reading heaps of fan fiction in her free time. She has written under three unique pseudo names and penned well over a hundred stories.
She attended Northern Illinois University in 2001 and graduated with a Bachelor's in Communication. While in college she spent much of her free time writing with friends she met online and penning her first novel, "Deuces are Wild", which she self-published in 2004. Her favorite class was Creative Writing senior year where she often handed in assignments longer than the professor required because she loved to write and always wanted to finish her stories.
Her love of writing, led her on an adventure in 2007 to Melbourne, Australia. Silver enjoys reading YA novels and sharing her favorite books with other readers. She runs her own book blog and also enjoys photography and traveling.
Her favorite YA genre is a mix of Dystopian & Fantasy which is evident in the upcoming release of her latest book, Aberrant. Slated for release April 2013 by Lazy Day Publishing, it is the first in a trilogy.
Stay connected with Ruth Silver
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***The Giveaway***
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