99 cent sale through Monday for ‘A Girl Named Cord’.
Beginning Friday night through the Labor Day weekend, A Girl Named Cord will be on sale for 99cents!
It has been recently re-edited and will only be on sale until Monday night. Mark it down on your calendars! If you don’t already have it, this is a perfect time to get a copy of my new western book!
Legends of Windemere: Prodigy of Rainbow Tower will be jumping to at $2.99 price tag after Labor Day. I planned this all along, but that doesn’t make it any less nerve-wracking. Sales have been incredible and I’m on the lists, so I’m hoping that helps maintain some momentum after the price change. I hear about so many $2.99 authors having trouble that it’s scary. Yet, as the real Nimby pointed out, 99 cent books won’t pay the bills. They can get people to try a series, but I have to boost the other books since I can’t churn them out once a month.
This brings up two questions that I have to figure out:
Check out The Storm and The Darkness Blog Tour!
By Kayla Matt
The roses suddenly fire their thorns at Timoran’s feet, forcing the barbarian to leap to the side. His shadow is stuck to the ground and it bubbles like hot tar. Willow is about to cast a spell at the shadow when it erupts in an explosion of black fire. The flames race around the courtyard, destroying the gardens that Willow spent years cultivating. She summons her glowing staff and slams it into the ground, creating a barrier around the base of the tower and the survivors of her gardens. The fire licks at her magic shields as it coalesces into a single form standing a few feet away from the legendary caster.
“I always wanted to test myself against you,” Trinity admits once her body is solid and whole. With a stomp of her foot, a wave of magic ripples toward Willow and splinters the ground around her. Another stomp launches the chunk of earth and Willow backwards, both of them smashes through the base of Rainbow Tower. “That wasn’t very impressive, old woman. I guess I know why you retired from adventuring.”
Timoran yells as he charges at Trinity, easily ducking under a blast of lightning. Now that he is out in the open and there are no hostages to keep him at bay, Timoran is able to battle with all of his primal strength. Trinity is hard-pressed to stay out of his axe’s reach, the chaos elf gracefully leaping and dancing away. She flings several attack spells that are batted out of the way by Timoran.
“Thanks for letting me in,” she taunts. The only response is a growl from the enraged barbarian. “If only you got me through the front door.”
Trinity backs into the wall and Timoran immediately rushes her with his great axe held high. She dissipates before the weapon can cleave her in two, her mist-like form slowly drifting away. Battling against the wind, she rises to the top of the wall where she returns to her solid form. Timoran is already climbing the wall, holding the handle of his axe within his off-white teeth. Jamming her hands into the wall, Trinity has bricks repeatedly jut out to push the barbarian to the ground. Instead, he grabs one of the large bricks and violently yanks it out of the wall. The stone is hurled into the top of the wall, knocking Trinity into the air. Her arms are frozen from the shock of being forcefully removed from the stone.
Trinity’s descent abruptly stops a few inches from the ground, her eyes glowing with a furious light. “I’m done playing with you, wild man.”
The section of wall in front of the chaos elf shakes as she sees Timoran reach the top and prepare to jump at her. With a high-pitched shriek, Trinity blows up the section of wall. Timoran is sent flying back and rolling until he strikes the remains of a small tree. Trinity walks through the wreckage and covers her body in raw, pulsing magic.
“Attack the barbarian!” General Vile orders as he hurries through the hole in the wall. A group of ten chaos elves rush by him and charge Timoran.
At the same time as the chaos elves and Timoran crash into each other, a bolt of crimson lightning lances out of the hole in Rainbow Tower. The force of the spell shoves Trinity back, leaving gouges in the ground, but her magical barrier protects her from the actual damage. Before she is pushed into the wall, she spins and sends the spell into the upper level of Rainbow Tower. The explosion shakes the entire building and rains powdered stones upon the decimated garden. The charred remains of a toy griffin lands at Trinity’s feet and she kicks it out of her way. With a lick of her lips, she watches as Cyril floats out of the hole and aims his black staff at her.
“I hope you’re stronger than your wife,” she says, raw power flowing around her arms and legs. She hurls a blast of magic at Cyril, who is pushed against the tower by the force of the blast. “You can take a hit at least.”
“You won’t reach my daughter,” he declares.
“It’s not your decision, old man.”
“Even Nyx has yet to defeat me.”
Trinity rolls her eyes and yawns. “That’s because she holds back.”
Reaching out with both hands, Trinity closes her eyes and focuses on Cyril’s magical barrier. Her fingers turn into black talons and she moves them like she is slamming them into something solid. She opens her eyes when she hears Cyril’s startled yell and watches him push against his own barriers. Slowly pushing her hands together, she starts to crush him with his own aura. Trinity can feel him about die when the hurled corpse of a chaos elf crashes into her and breaks her concentration. Cyril collapses to the ground in an unconscious heap.
“Get into that tower,” Vile demands as he charges at Timoran.
Trinity can see that only one of the chaos elves is left standing, the others nothing more than meat at the barbarian’s face. With a burst of wind behind her, she races into Rainbow Tower and disappears up a flight of stairs.
By Kayla Matt
Bessaria the DJ Sheep
(Each character has been given a video game song too. Why? Because I listened to a video game music while writing the poems and many of the songs stuck.)
Check out Trinity in Legends of Windemere: Beginning of a Hero and Legends of Windemere: Prodigy of Rainbow Tower. Each book is for .99 cents. (Okay, she only shows up in the second book, but please buy both anyway.)
By Kayla Matt
I Am Trinity
I will soil my soul
To save them all
Call me a monster
Despise my name
I do not care
For I am a Queen
With an iron will
I have sworn
Upon every brow
That I live for them
I bleed their blood
Weep their tears
And I will carry on
Even as a villain
Beloved Queen of the Shadows
Born in secret
From the lower class
Yet given power
Greater than all
Secluded from eyes
Hoping she be savior
As she trained
With the nameless crone
The day she earned her gems
Claiming her superiority
And bringing down the hand
Of the darkest kind
The cloaked one came
With an offer from Him
She would be the Queen
In exchange for a loyal oath
Without a second thought
She agreed with a noble price
Every punishment on her people
She would share in full
Now they praise her
Behaving for her sake
Their beloved Queen
Will bring them to the light
Check out Trinity in Legends of Windemere: Beginning of a Hero and Legends of Windemere: Prodigy of Rainbow Tower. Each book is for .99 cents. (Okay, she only shows up in the second book, but please buy both anyway.)
You write what you want
Because you are what you write
Others will do what will
Start your story off slow
Or start it off fast
The pace is yours to grow
Follow the trends if you so wish
Or go off on your own
And create a new niche
People will love it
People will hate it
So it is as it is
If one could please everyone
Then we’d all be the same
Sadly we’re not, which is not really a shame
(This rhyming scheme is brought to you by ‘Accident’.)
Originally posted on The Community Storyboard. Check it out, comment on posts, and submit your own writing for feedback.
A few weeks ago, Kayla Matt contacted me about drawing the female characters of Windemere. She did an amazing job. Today, I’m showcasing her drawings of Trinity along with poems, videos, and an excerpt.
Trinity is the Queen of the chaos elves and a powerful sorceress. Her magical power is nearly unmatched, so she is a true force of nature when she fights. Coming from a race of assassins and spies, Trinity is very cunning and stealthy. At times, she is almost playful and benevolent to her enemies as if she doesn’t want to kill them and end her fun. After her first encounter with Nyx, she quickly becomes our fire-loving heroine’s rival.
By Kayla Matt
Check out Trinity in Legends of Windemere: Beginning of a Hero and Legends of Windemere: Prodigy of Rainbow Tower. Each book is for .99 cents. (Okay, she only shows up in the second book, but please buy both anyway.)
By Kayla Matt
Luke and Kellia refuse to look at each other as they walk to where Roland and Kira are waiting. The makeshift arena is marked by four dark blue rocks that emanate dim light beams to each other, creating a large, square boundary. Luke quickly scans his partner and opponents to get a feel for what is about to happen. Kellia keeps herself a few steps behind him, which makes it obvious that she is unhappy about being his partner. Ignoring her, Luke pays more attention to the odd pair in front of him. Roland towers above everyone else in the class and his arms are as thick as solid tree limbs. His bald head and stud earrings make him look slightly comical to Luke. Kira, on the other hand, is slender and timidly keeps herself near the edge of the sparring area.
Luke stops at the border of the sparring area to stretch and collect his thoughts. He was disappointed in being partnered with Kellia, but being pitted against Roland and Kira could not be more perfect. Both of them were on his list of possible heirs. He was sure they came from nobility because of how they carried themselves. Kira was his top choice because her file stated that she had moved to Gods’ Voice only a month before attending the academy. It helped his suspicion that the girl was entirely out of place in an academy of warriors, but part of Luke acknowledged that her ineptness could be an act. After all, Kira lacked the accent that Luke expected from the heir, but she could have learned to hide it.
A plan forms in his mind about how he could use the fight to learn more about Roland and Kira. It was a loose, but sensible plan as long as he avoided getting knocked out by the enormous Roland. Luke steps into the sparring area and takes a fighting stance, knowing he looks ridiculous due to his lack of weapons. A few students chuckle at the odd position, but the half-elf ignores them, setting all of his attention on Roland, who takes a long step toward him.
“I was hoping for this,” Roland announces in a bellowing voice. “A Callindor is a true test of my skill. I am honored for this opportunity.”
“Shut up and put up,” Kellia snaps, stepping over the border. Without warning, she grabs Luke by his wrists and wields the half-elf like an unwilling mace. Luke is unable to do anything until he gets his bearings. To his surprise, Roland gracefully ducks the attack and tackles Kellia at her knees, knocking her down. Luke lands next to the others as Roland and Kellia attempt to lock various wrestling holds on each other.
“Guess she never heard of teamwork,” Luke mutters, getting to his feet. “Next time, I think I’ll stay out of arm’s reach.” He turns in time to catch a tiny foot coming at his head. He lets go and takes a step back as Kira struggles to regain her balance.
The dark-haired girl hops on one foot for a bit until she steadies herself. “I told him that wouldn’t work. I don’t suppose you could turn around again and let me get another shot. Please?”
To Kira’s dismay, Luke shakes his head and throws a slow punch at her. Even though it was only meant to scare her, Kira leans away from his fist, toppling backwards. She rolls onto her stomach and tries to clumsily sweep Luke’s legs out from under him. Kira misses when Luke takes a step back, giving her space to stand. She continues trying to hit the half-elf, using a different type of kick each time, but he always manages to step out of her reach. A few of her kicks come in faster than he expects, forcing him to work a little harder to get out of the way. He continues backing up until he gets within reach of Roland who has Kellia pinned to the ground. As soon as Kira attempts a wide crosskick, Luke yanks Roland up by his pants to use him as a shield.
“Nice try!” the bigger student laughs, picking up Kellia to use for his own shield. The kick sends Kellia crashing to the ground. It isn’t long before she is joined by Luke who is grabbed by his face and slammed into the ground.
“You idiot! Stop interfering!” Kellia hisses under her breath as she scrambles back to her feet.
“We have to work together,” Luke angrily whispers, standing up and grabbing her by the shoulder. “So shut up and try to work with me. I’m tired of getting beaten up every day.”
Kellia smacks his hand away, but Luke can tell that she begrudgingly agrees with him. Both of them charge at Roland, quickly dodging the large boy’s surprisingly fast and accurate punches. When they bait him into making a very wide swing, Roland’s own strength and momentum twists him off-balance. The smaller fighters take the opportunity to sprint past him with Kellia stopping to spin around and leap onto Roland’s back. Pulling back with all her strength, she grabs both his arms and grinds her knee into his shoulders. Kellia holds on as Roland pitches himself backwards in an attempt to smash her into the ground. The impact knocks the air out of Kellia’s lungs, but she maintains her grip and braces her knees against his back. With a loud grunt, she lifts Roland into the air where he helplessly kicks and flails. A brief murmur of awe can be heard from a few of her resting classmates.
