So begins the apocalypse, with death and a story of love…
Welcome to one of the July 27th stops on the blog tour for Silver to the Heart by Brien Feathers with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, author guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.
Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.
Author Guest Post
Called Elders in the book, vampires are souls escaped from a fallen realm of magic reborn in a human body. On earth, they wield magic and guard the human society against the crimes of their own kind, and the supernatural forces of ancient darkness— that is the premise of the Light of Adua series, and the dark war begins in Book 1, ‘Silver to the Heart’.
Except for Ana, a twenty-seven-year-old from Maine, who’s chosen as the guardian, all my main characters are three to five century old Elders. Despite having an elaborate magic system, plot, and settings spanning multiple points in history as well as other realms, because the characters have known each for centuries, ‘Silver to the Heart’ as well as the entire series end up being character driven. So, I thought to take this opportunity to introduce to you my main characters in Book 1.
Ana Deacon from Courtesy, Maine, lives in New Orleans and makes a living commissioning art. She’s disturbed and has nightmares of the world ending but she’s also broke and can’t afford a therapist. Ana has to fly home to Maine to attend her sister’s wedding, but she’s supposed to bring a date to make her sister more comfortable—because the groom is her ex.
Drake is a redhead who loves girls, whiskey, and cats. At 318 years old, he’s the youngest Elder known in existence. He’s also a veteran of the Elder War and First Lieutenant of the High Council. When someone starts killing psychic women, Drake’s commander, a five-century-old telepath who finds Ana to be a high potential target, sends Drake to watch over her— from a distance… which of course, doesn’t work out.
Sasuke used to be a Japanese warlord in human life but now he’s the commander of the Elder High Council; married to a French teleporter, he’s complicated. But at the onset of the dark war, he must make a choice: save Drake whom he thinks of as a son, or fulfill his duty to the realm and stand aside.
‘Silver to the Heart’, Book 1 is lightest in tone but Light of Adua is a contemporary dark fantasy series with reader warnings for language and violence. If you’d like to give it a shot, Book 1 is perma-free across all retailers.
Thank you for having me here. Follow me on the platform you hang out on, and if you have any questions about the series or would like to receive ARC, please feel free to reach me on my website Brienfeathers.com
About the Book
Silver to the Heart
Light of Adua Book One
by Brien Feathers
Published 15 October 2021
Genre: Dark Urban Fantasy
Page Count: 307
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
— So begins the apocalypse, with death and a story of love —
An old soul (several centuries old), the lover, fighter, and telekinetic Drake receives an order to safeguard Ana, a mortal with Elder Talent.
Ana, an artist beset by haunting visions, falls for the perfect stranger while venturing home to mediate emergent family chaos.
Past-warlord and present commander Sasuke wields his telepathic might to outwit Council traitors in an effort to save the human realm and its Guardian from a new Dark War.
Criminal and light bender Lou, now sought by the Council to answer for his sins, seeks shelter with the Reverend—an Elder fit to bypass rules of magic meant to be unbreakable.
As time’s last grains of sand deplete, an ancient battle may renew, with pieces of the fractured realm imperiling man’s modern world. Though few on Earth are cognizant, dark days now lie ahead…
One fate, two paths, six singular perspectives, and plethoric danger.
Contemporary fantasy at its polychromic finest—pure delight.
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK
Excerpt
Arrogant men stood different, carried themselves different, and smirked when they should smile. The redhead clearly enjoyed his own company and Ana dug people who loved themselves—narcissists. Her therapist would say that was a problem, but she wasn’t here, so who cared?
Tilting his head in a question and looking directly at her, the redhead arched an eyebrow; she’d been staring at him. A normal person would have smiled, maybe even waved, but Ana rolled her eyes and turned back to the bar. Because I have no game.
“Here, girl,” said the bartender, and her drink appeared. When Ana exchanged her card for the bourbon, he asked, “Open tab?”
“Nah, I’m about to be out of here.”
“Aight girl.”
“Hey, how old is the kid over there? The redhead on the terrace, six o’clock,” asked Ana. She lived alone and had no dignity, so why not?
The bartender stared behind Ana, squinting. “I carded him already.” Yeah, because Ana looked like she was from the liquor license revoking… agency?
“I’ve seen him in here before. He’s all right,” said the bartender answering the question Ana hadn’t asked. “The blonde is hot, though,” he continued.
“Is he looking at me?” Ana asked.
“Nope, he’s looking at the blonde.” With that, he took her card and turned.
Ana threw a glance over her shoulder—carefully. He was talking to a blonde wearing an off-the-shoulder black dress. The woman’s face was turned away from Ana but the snooty attire said ‘not a college kid’. Perhaps he liked older women, which was good, because Ana wasn’t eighteen or nineteen… or however old he was. At twenty-seven, she was already trying to rob cradles—she would need more than one therapist soon.
About the Author
Brien Feathers is a fantasy author living in the land of permanent frost, horses, and Mongols. She likes reading, writing (of course), riding (horses and husbands), drinking dark beer, and checking things off a to-do list.
Although she claims to love everyone equally, she really loves her youngest son the most. He has autism superpowers that allow him to speak all types of rare languages including drumbeats, elevator dings, and police sirens.
Miss Feathers loves grey days, orange cats, and all creatures human or otherwise. And she hopes you will love her world (fantasy) and people (characters) as well.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Amazon | Goodreads
Giveaway Alert!
Brien Feathers will be awarding $30 Amazon or B&N gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway| July 27 | Rogue’s Angels | July 27 | Westveil Publishing |
| Aug 3 | Dawn’s Reading Nook | Aug 10 | Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews |
| Aug 17 | All the Ups and Downs | Aug 17 | Gold Dust Editing & Book Reviews |
| Aug 24 | Fabulous and Brunette | Aug 31 | Lynn’s Romance Enthusiasm |
| Sept 7 | Viviana MacKade | Sept 14 | Kit ‘N Kabookle |
| Sept 21 | Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books! | Sept 21 | Sadie’s Spotlight |
| Sept 28 | Gina Rae Mitchell | Oct 5 | Literary Gold |
| Oct 12 | Full Moon Dreaming |
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Hi everyone!
I’m Brien Feathers, the author, and thank you so much for having me here. If anyone has any question for me, I’ll be in a minute to answer them.
Have a great day,
B. Feathers.
Thanks for hosting!
I liked the excerpt.
Thank you, Rita. I hope you get to check it out 🙂 It’s perma-free and wide.
I love the cover art, synopsis and excerpt, Silver to the Heart is a must read for me and I am glad to see that this is the first book of a series. Thank you for sharing your guest post, bio and book details, I have enjoyed reading about you and your work and I am looking forward to reading your stories.
Thank you so much, Bea. For the Instagram follow as well 🙂 I hope you enjoy the series, I’m currently working on Book 6.
Brien, I enjoyed reading the guest post and the excerpt is great, Silver to the Heart sounds like my kind of book and I am looking forward to reading it! Thanks for sharing it with me and good luck with your book and the tour! Have a fabulous day!
Thank you, Eva. You have a fabulous day as well!
Thank you everyone for their comments and DMs. I live in Mongolia, for reference it’s 12hrs ahead of the U.S Eastern Time, so it’s 1 a.m here when it’s 1 p.m in the U.S. I’m going to tuck the kids and check out for the night. But please leave any questions and comments you have. I’ll answer them first thing in the morning (for me), which will probably be the evening for you.
Thank you again, and have an awesome day,
B. Feathers.
Really nice cover and excerpt, looking forward to reading this!
Great guest post
Thank you, Edgar 🙂
If you could meet your characters, what would you say to them?
Have you read any of the old classics? What did you think of them?
What do you think makes a good story?
The story structure has been around since (and before) Aristotle’s Poetics. However, I think what a good story is, depends wholly on the reader. There are Nebula-winning books that I DNF-d. And there are insanely popular writers that I just don’t like. Some people like word-building. Others enjoy plot. I love characters. There is no right or wrong answer here. It’s up to you, the reader, to decide what is a good story for you.
As the saying goes, “The king died, then the queen died,” is not a story. But, “The king died, then the queen died of grief,” is a story. At the very basic, in a story, one scene compels the other to happen, and characters have arcs (negative, positive, or flat). Other than that, what a good story is, depends on you.
Thank you for the question, Xjanelx. Hope you have a great Sunday.
B. Feathers.
What author do you look up to the most?
What book are you the most proud of writing?
What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
Hi, xjanelx 🙂
I’m not sure if I’d call them underappreciated since they are all very popular. But my absolute favorites that are not sensational on Tiktok are:
“World War Z” by Max Brooks. It is phenomenally written literature. P.S. the Brad Pit movie is nothing (at all) like the book.
“Memoirs of a Geisha” by Arthur Golden. I may be biased because I’m fascinated with Japan.
“Dien Cai Dau” by Pulitzer-winning American poet Yusef Komunyakaa. Not a novel but a collection of poems about the Vietnam War, but it’s always on my favorite list.
Anything written by Conn Iggulden (historical fiction).
“Vampire Armand” by Anne Rice.
The list goes on and on, in all genres. Thank you for the question 🙂
What is a significant way your book has changed since the first draft?
The book sounds very intriguing. Love the cover!
Hi, Piroshka. Thank you, and I hope you it a try. Book 1 perma-free. If you any question about the series, I’ll be happy to answer them.
Have a great weekend 🙂
Do you have a favorite book you’ve written?
What comes first for you — the plot or the characters — and why?
What inspired the idea for your book?
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
Hi xjanelx, thank you for the questions.
My favorite book that I’ve written usually is the one I’m working on. It’s an intense love affair, while you’re writing it. I believe it is the same for a lot authors, our latest idea is our favorite 🙂
For me, the plot comes first. My mind works in plots. But the plot, in essence, is the decisions the characters make. So, plot and character are intertwined.
For book ideas, I first see a scene. It’s usually something central to the theme. Then I spend the rest of the time figuring out who they are and what’s happening.
Whether we admit to it or not, all artists seek validation and approval. The hardest part of the artistic process is overcoming self-doubt. You’re always worried that’s not good. I think it’s healthy and helps you improve, so as long as you can balance it a shot of arrogance. To an extent, you have to believe you’re good and trust your creative judgment as to what “good” is. It’s a constant tug of war in the mind, and for me, that’s the hardest.
What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
What books have you read more than once in your life?
How do you come up with the titles to your books?
Hi xjanelx,
I only need my computer in my writing space. I have an office at my home but I write in the kitchen to keep an eye on the kids.
I usually read poetry more than once, such as “Ariel” by Silvia Plath. And I often watch the same film again, but I don’t do it with prose. There are so many great new books to be read!
My title is usually the theme of the book. It’s the central idea that is being discussed.
Thank you for the question, have a good week.
Have you ever traveled as research for your book?
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
What advice would you give a new writer, someone just starting out?
Hi Janel,
I would love to travel for research. But for the moment I’m limited to google earth and youtube if the set is modern, and documentaries and old-fashioned research if it’s historical.
Since it’s Book 1, I hope the readers follow it 🙂 In book 1, I’m just mostly setting the stage but ‘kindness’ is one of the central themes of the series. The story itself is constantly asking ‘what is kindess’ and ‘what is it not?’ It’s up to the readers for themselves to decide.
For new writers, I’d like to pass on what my college professor used to say, “There is writer’s block. There is only reader’s block.” You have to read people much better than you, and read it as a writer would.
Did you have any say in designing the cover?
Yes of course, that’s the wonderful thing about being an indie. However, the bad thing about being indie, is you have to make all the decisions yourself… some of which were beyond my capacity when I published my debut. Because of the cover, people think it’s straight-up fantasy when it’s urban fantasy. But I don’t like characters on the cover, so I’m sticking to it 🙂
Happy Friday, hope you have a great weekend!
Thank you, Janel. You have great weekend as well.
How long did it take you to write this book?
This one, which is my first book, took me eight months because it went through multiple rounds of developmental edits. The subsequent book took me 3-4 months.
Do you enjoy writing more than reading?
Hi Janel,
It definitely depends on the book. Some books I have a hard time putting down long enough to do anything else. And they are the ones that inspire me to write more. So I think it’s synergy not either or.
Thank you for the question.
Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?
I’m currently working on Book 6 of the same series. Having a rather difficult time with one of my main characters, Drake, I already had to scrap the entire first draft. Fun times (laughs in tears).
Thank you for the question, Janel.
What book is currently on your bedside table?
I’ve just finished “War of the Roses” by Conn Iggulden yesterday, and started “A Darker Shade of Magic” by V.E. Schwab this morning.
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
Copy editor. In my opinion, it’s a must for any prose writer.
Does writing energize or exhaust you? Or both?
Hi Janel, happy Saturday.
For me writing is exciting. Writing a new scene for the first time is energizing. However, editing sentence by sentence, again and again, and the endless outlining and rewriting can be exhausting.
Happy Saturday! Hope you have a great weekend!
You as well!
If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
I’m not sure, actually. My degree is in accounting, I don’t mind working in that field. I just don’t love it.
What did you do with your first advance?
I think you mean as a writer, right? I didn’t get an advance because I’m not traditionally published. I’m an indie.
I used to get advances when I was a screenwriter but because that was my work, I would just pay bills with it.
What question do you wish that someone would ask about your book, but nobody has?
Is there anything specific that inspired this book?
Nothing in particular, Janel. I just love writing. Also, I don’t believe in ‘inspiration’ for full-time authors. It’s like clocking to a nine-to-five job. I write and read every day.
Thank you for the question, and have a wonderful week.
Is there any advice that you got early on about writing that has stuck with you?
Happy Friday! I hope you have a great holiday weekend!
Have a great weekend, Janel!
What was your favorite chapter and why?
Which authors do you admire and why?
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
Have any of your books been made into audiobooks? If so, what are the challenges in producing an audio book?
Do you have a strict writing schedule or do you just write when you want to?
What was the highlight of writing this book?
Tell us about your first published book? What was the journey like?