30 Days of Demons, Day 18: Sandy Lender Back to Blog
Today’s guest is Sandy Lender, author of CHOICES MEANT FOR GODS. I have to say, I think that is one fabulous book title. And, yes, I’m a title gal. Titles draw me in, they make me want to pick up the book, flip it over and dive into that blurb! 🙂
Sandy, welcome to the demon fun!
(A quick note: Sandy is participating in a blog tour, and I’m happy to be one of the stops on her tour. During each week of her blog tour, she selects one commenter–from all the blogs she visits–and that person wins a hard-cover, first edition, autographed copy of Choices Meant For Gods.)
“Don’t Set Deals with Demons”
By Fantasy Author Sandy Lender
http://www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com
To start today’s Demon Discussion, here’s a brief excerpt introducing one of the demons from my first fantasy novel, CHOICES MEANT FOR GODS. In this scene (already underway) Nigel and Chariss practice their sword technique in the training arena at Arcana. Nigel toys with Chariss because he just wants to get to know her a little better.
***
Excerpt:
At one point, she thought Nigel ignored an accidental opening she’d left, and it angered her to think he wasn’t trying his best. Did he think she needed favors to win the match? Did he think she wasn’t an excellent swordsman herself? When she went on the offensive, seriously, he was caught by surprise.
The press, the attack, the speed with which she suddenly came at him stunned him nearly as much as her skill. It took a minute of this onslaught, but she managed to lock the hilt of her sword against his and they struggled closely. She was shorter than him by a good seven inches, and didn’t have nearly the upper body strength he did.
So the last move was a mistake, she thought. She’d wring her way out of it and try another tactic. But she didn’t get the chance.
With his empty hand, Nigel reached his arm around her waist and spun her. Now that her sword arm was free and her back to him, she beheld one of the training monsters rushing toward them.
“By the gods!” she gasped, taking up a stance beside him.
Assuming Mia or Hrazon had entered the arena and conjured this beast, she began the usual two-man assault. Nigel had trained here, too, even if in secret, so he knew how to follow suit.
This quickly proved to be no simple training exercise. In fact, as they pressed the putrid-green and yellow beast with swords clanging against its exoskeleton, Chariss saw its foot—the size of her torso, by the way—land outside the training ring.
That shouldn’t have happened.
***
The demon Nigel and Chariss find themselves fighting in this scene is called a ryfel. The ancient (and evil) goddess Julette created these things during the First War in Onweald’s history and they are large, poisonous, mindless beasts that exist solely to rip apart and eat followers of The Master (the society’s highest active god). Think Cthullu with less arms. He he.
At one point in CHOICES MEANT FOR GODS, Chariss (the heroine) becomes annoyed with teen Jake Taiman’s flirtations and starts lecturing him on what his family does and doesn’t expect of him. It’s not a long lecture because, personally, I don’t like reading lectures in books and figured my audience would appreciate an abbreviated one from Chariss. But she does tell Jake to watch out for pretty girls who might be demons in disguise. He tells her, basically, “yeah, I know not to set deals with demons.”
It’s interesting foreshadowing because Jake is slow to follow his own advice, we learn later that his father has already gone across that spiritual divide to disastrous effect, and a young lady who threatens our hero and heroine’s happiness needs some other-worldly dealings. Then, of course, the villain has joined forces with the ultimate demon. (Does he really think that’s going to get him all that he wants?)
In my fantasy world of Onweald, demons are bad. The edras and ryfel that Julette created have ugly, poisonous characteristics. While the ryfel are mindless, lumbering beasts that enter the mortal world by a gifted person’s command, the edras are intelligent enough to carry on conversations. They can solve problems. They can bow down and worship the evil goddess that called them into being. They can hunt down their prey. Luckily, they stink like rotting flesh so you can tell when one’s near at hand. These two examples aren’t the kind of beasts who seduce you with pretty words and lusty desires. These two are the kind of beasts who follow commands from dark forces and attack the innocent. I wouldn’t set any deals with them.
“Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”
wow, every author so far as been a new one to me, and now i have a huge list of books to get! yours has been added! this is the best demon week ever!
Another book series I am definitely adding to my wishlist. Great excerpt!
Thanks for the intro and excerpt, I am going to check this book out.
Sandy- Will this be a series, and are you working on a second book?
Have fun on the boards and a great day. 🙂
Sarah, LadyVampire (oh, excellent name),
Thank you for looking into Choices Meant for Gods! And thank you for stopping in today! Yes, Sarah, there are too many good books out there and not enough legal drugs to keep us awake for reading them…
Sandy Lender
“Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”
Ann Marie,
Choices Meant for Gods is the first book in a series. I’m proofing the galleys for Choices Meant for Kings right now and it will be released in the next few weeks. Woo-hoo! For folks new to my writing and worried about the hardcover cost, the eBook is available at the publisher’s site at http://www.archebooks.com (under fantasy).
Thank you for joining us today!
Sandy Lender
“Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”
***waving at Cynthia***
Good morning and thank you for hosting me during my online book tour! This demon discussions is a GREAT way to remind us of your upcoming Midnight’s Master!
Sandy Lender
“Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”
Sandy, I love your writing, and this book sounds fabulous! Love the title, too!
Hello Sandy,
I just love reading authors excerpts. You have an opportunity to add them to your to buy list. Have a great day.
i so need to get a job soon so many new books i want to read now well that why going to go turn in apps today so wish me luck
darn it sounds like a fantastic book. Am going to have to add it to my tbb list at amazon otherwise I can’t remember which books I want to buy. I know I’ve seen excepts from this one before but didn’t add to wishlist and forgot to pick it up.
Hey, your demons are really demons! Love the blurb and hope to learn more about this world.
Thank you, Edie!
And to Roberta, Adela and Pamk, you can avoid the hardcover price that Amazon has (although they had it on a discount this week–how cool is that?), you can get the eBook from my publisher at http://www.archebooks.com under fantasy. I’m not a fan of reading electronically yet, but I’m getting there because it sure is less expensive!
Sandy Lender
“Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”
To Tamsyn,
Those demons are why I can’t take Percocet. ***big grin here***
Seriously, I was taking Percocet before I started chemo treatments last summer and I would hallucinate (and itch – mwuahahaha) evil-looking beasties at the foot of my bed with glowing red eyes. Fantasy authors don’t really NEED side-effects from medication, you know?
Sandy Lender
“Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”
I will keep my eye’s out for the both of them, thanks
Great excerpt.I’ll have to add it to my growing list of books to get. I can’t wait to read it.
thanks for the opportunity to try and win it.
I like your signature there “Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”
Is your book considered fantasy or fantasy romance? I thought I read where it said Fantasy. Not that it matters to me, I love a good fantasy. I try to incorporate some into my reading.
Hi there Raonaid!
My book is hard core fantasy, Baby! 😉
Seriously, it is fantasy with lots o’ already world-built stuff that the characters introduce you to. The romance is a sweet romance between Nigel and Chariss, and I had no idea just how insane people would go over those two. Criminy. I knew I wanted these two together (and, of course, if you read Nigel’s blog at http://sandylender.blogspot.com, you’ll figure out pretty quickly that HE wants them together), but I didn’t realize how much the fans were going to pick up on that and push for it. It makes me happy. ***big cheesy grin here***
Hey! Good to see you off the Island, but I hope to see you during a chat there some evenin’. 😉
Sandy Lender
“Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”
This sounds like a really interesting book. I really enjoyed the excerpt. I am going to have to look for this one. 🙂
Great excerpt, it certainly is a book that I want to read.
Hi Sandy, I’m STILL following your tour, although a couple of the sites wouldn’t let me post, I’m not sure why. Every time I read one of your excerpts, I like Nigel more and more. He is so, oh I don’t know really, but there is something about him that gets me. Love the tour and also the excerpts.
That title is fabulous! Thanks for the excerpt!
The title and excerpt are both fantastic. I enjoyed the rest of the post as well. I definitely wouldn’t set a deal with a demon either.
Sigh. My TBB list just keeps getting longer and longer.
very intriguing! will have to look into this title 🙂
I’m always looking for new authors to read and you would be one for me. Enjoyed the excerpt!
Hi, Nancy!
Nigel can definitely grow on ya…
🙂
Good to see you here today!
Sandy Lender
“Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”
Larena, Jean, Brandy, Karin,
I’m glad you guys like the excerpt. A lot of folks have commented on the title over the past year or so. We really got a winner comin’ out of the gate. I’m hoping Choices Meant for Kings catches people as easily or intrigues people, too, you know?
Thank you for stopping in today!
Sandy Lender
“Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”
I will read your book soon… the demon intrigues me (as does Nigel and “Mandy” fighting side-by-side). I’m saving it as dessert for doing the work I need to (I have it in eBook — so I’m still open for a HG *G*), but it’s OH so tempting…
Mysti!
Good to see you here today. So you’re gonna tackle that huge page count electronically, eh? Proofing the galleys made my eyes cross…
Correction: proofing the sequel’s galleys IS making my eyes cross. He he he.
I’m so pleased to hear that you’re going to read the story! You’ll have to stay in touch…
Sandy Lender
“Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”
Hi Sandy! What a great excerpt and I really love the title! It sounds like I need to be adding this to my TBR list. Have a terrific rest of the day.
I had a LONG hot day at work, and when I was reading you post, it suddenly occurred to me what that odor was. Its not me! There is a edra in my house!
Is the singular edra? Your usage suggests ryfel is plural, so what is the singular? Is it like moose?
You mean Author Island? I try to make their chats! So you might!
OMG, Caroline, I’m laughing…
You better hope there’s not an edras in your house. Ugh. They’re kinda difficult to kill without getting poison on ya. And that sucks.
He he.
So the whole singular/plural thing is like moose and deer for both edras and ryfel. Funny that it worked out that way when I was writing them…
Sandy Lender
“Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”
Thank you, Barb!
I’m glad you stopped in,
Sandy Lender
“Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”
Yes, Raonaid, I’m on Author Island. I did a chat there once about two summers ago when things seemed to be just starting up…It was kinda calm. I think there were about six or seven visitors in the chat room. So I brought Nigel in. Oh yeah. He can type pretty quickly…
😉
Sandy Lender
“Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”
Hi Sandy, I love your title! I saw in the comments some that it is book 1 in a series you are working on, are the books going to be inter-related or will they be stand alone types?
This is gonig on my wishlist for sure!
Sorry for being slow. The heat seems to have killed some of my brain. Author Island is great and the atmosphere is really welcoming. I’ve become like the group’s greater because I try never to miss an author’s chat even ones I have not heard. Things have been going slow there but that’s probably because of it being summer and people are having cookouts and the like.
But I hope you come back to AI… I’ll be there unless something happened!
Hi Sandy, guess I need to get this book soon if you’re almost done with a sequel, sounds great.
Hi Cynthia
you keep bringing these new authors with great sounding books to add to our piles of TBR books.And this is one of them. That’s absolutely wonderful.
Hi Cynthia! Hi Sandy!! I’m having fun still with your tour! Beautiful pic of you too at your signing there! I’m looking forward to this one and too for more!
Oh, a catchy title captivates me too and makes me take the book off the shelf and dive into the blurb.
This one looks really GOOD!!!
Loved the excerpt.
Infact, I am enjoying following this blog this month. Gotta get a hunky demon fix daily!!! Hehe!!
I loved Nigel’s blog and it does provide insight into the story. I will have to look for this book.
Oooh! I love dragons!
That last line was awesome!!