https://authorsreadpodcast.wordpress.com/2018/05/25/episode-10-kathryn-heaney-reads-from-destiny-calls-the-anandrian-series-book-1/

I have just completed my first podcast for Authors Read. The reading I did was an excerpt from Destiny Calls, Book 1 of the Anandrian Series.

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It's time to meet Paul's sister, Jacomina, fondly known as Jamie. Who'd have guessed Paul & Michael come from royalty?

“This is a castle,” Ella gasped.

“Aye, where else would the Queen of Datchi live?”

“Queen?”

Jacomina grinned down at Ella. “That be what happens when ye are first born with royal blood.”

“Paul has royal blood?” Ella grinned. “That might explain why he is so humble…”

Jacomina threw back her head and burst into a deep belly laugh. “Oh, ye have him pegged. Truly, ye know my brother.”

“What about Michael?”

“Pfft. He be a cousin riding on the coat tales of his royal relative.”

“I would have never guessed they were cousins, Paul being so dark and Michael so fair.”

“Aye, ye can attribute that to their mothers, as my father and uncle were both swarthy in complexion.”

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In this excerpt from my work in progress, Twisted Destiny, Ella finds herself in a new part of Anandria. (For those new to my series, Ella had been an ordinary woman living on Earth - or so she thought - until magic spilled onto Earth releasing her latent fairy magic)

“Ye be in the city, Datchi.”

“Datchi?” Ella queried, puzzled by the unfamiliar name, but grateful that a stunning woman had stepped out of the crowd to address her.

“Aye, we be the southern neighbour to Moyen,” she continued. “Then again, we be the only city in the southern hemisphere. The rest are all hamlets, or towns.”

“The southern hemisphere!” Ella murmured, her eyes widening as she looked at the gathering crowd. “Where Paul and Michael come from?”

The woman looked startled. “Ye know Paul and Michael?” She whirled about and spoke to the crowd. “A fairy knows of our Paul and Michael.”

A rising murmur went through the citizens until the woman held up her hands. When she had silence, she swung back towards Ella. “Why would a fairy be interested in our boys? No one has seen a fairy for centuries. Why would ye appear this night and know of our boys?”

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Ella literally needs to find herself in this excerpt from my work in progress, Twisted Destiny.

“It’s not your fault,” Ella breathed. She walked around the feet of the deceased man, her eyes trained on Tessa’s stricken face. “There’s something wrong with Anandria’s magic.” She enfolded the healer in a comforting hug. “You did all that you could. I did all that I could. It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t our fault.”

“Thank ye,” Tessa said upon a soft sob.

Ella stroked a consoling hand down Tessa’s soft brown hair.  Her eyes connected with Dillion’s over Tessa’s shoulder as she asked, “Can someone tell me where I am?”

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Ella's worst nightmare has happened! Will she die in the mouth of a sea serpent?

She was going to die! There was no way to extricate herself from the gaping orifice of the giant sea serpent. Her wings were useless in the shockwave of the blast. Brutally they bashed against her body. Even her distress cry was ripped from her throat leaving her breathless.

She wanted to close her eyes, but she could only stare in fascinated horror as her body was thrust closer to her worst nightmare. Each razor-sharp tooth oozed slime – poisonous slime. One small scratch and she would be immobilized. The monster would dine at its leisure. Briefly she wondered if Jessica and Daisy were facing a similar end?

I am pleased to say, that the writer's block I have had for the last couple of weeks has broken. I spent time doing yard work and house work, while my brain buzzed around looking for ideas. Finally, the penny dropped and I have come up with the next portion of the story and I also fleshed out the exciting ending to Twisted Destiny.

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This excerpt from Twisted Destiny (my current work in progress), shows the moment when Phelan, King of the Fae, meets Jessica, Lucifer's daughter.

The dragon’s tail whipped about when it stumbled, breaking through the magical veil concealing the tunnel. Phelan was forced to jump back. He had tried to wink out of the way, but his magic still wasn’t cooperating. What the hell? He glanced down at the shard of wand left in his hand. Darkness swirled beneath his palm but he could not access the dark power – nor could he pull forth his fairy magic. ’Twas catastrophic. He would be annihilated if any other fairies discovered he was powerless. Very concerning! Carefully, he placed the shard of wand in its sheath beneath his tattered tunic. Later, he would look about and see if the other half lay somewhere in the sand.

Phelan began to turn about. He felt it was prudent to see if there was another exit to the tunnel rather than face the dragon without his magic intact. However, he drew up short. The dragon was nuzzling a lump in the sand that he had not noticed before. A low, feminine groan made him lean forward and strain to see what sort of being had issued that intriguing sound.

Long ebony hair gleamed under the moonlight when her head lifted off the sand. The dragon kept nudging until she sat up, groaned louder, and clutched her head with both hands.

“Well, well,” Phelan murmured. Smooth olive skin, a straight aristocratic nose, and when she opened them, the blackest eyes he had ever seen added to her allure. She was stunning – although, she was wearing trousers. Why? ’Twas very unbecoming.

A trickle of blood seeping from her temple marred her silky skin. Perhaps he could help her… His foot halted in mid-step. Before his astonished eyes, the cut on her head knit together, turned pink, then faded to match the rest of her flawless skin. “Fascinating,” he breathed.

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Here is a short excerpt where Ella is sitting behind Jessica on the back of Daisy the dragon. Ella is terrified of dragons - and sea serpents...

Ella rubbed her nose against Jessica’s back to quell an itch. Her tummy clenched. Below the lights of Horval illuminated the coast. Within minutes they’d be over the Strait of Yella. God, she hoped their crossing went well. The thought of the sea serpents that resided there sent a wave of shivers skittering down her spine. The shivers skittered right back up again when her thoughts strayed to their final landing in Moyen. There would only be minutes to spare before the sun rose at the Lunar Temple – they would burn to a crisp if Daisy didn’t make the landing in time. What a nerve wracking trip.
Ella had decided hours ago, that she never wanted to ride on another dragon unless she was with Raonull. With him, she sat in front with his solid body behind her acting as a backrest. His arms always corralled her and made her feel secure – unlike the way she presently felt sitting behind Jessica. She was virtually blind. She shifted restlessly. She wanted to extend her legs out in front as she did when Raonull held her close and not spread them wide to straddle Daisy’s broad back. She knew when she got off the dragon in Moyen, she might not be able to move.

The lights of Horval disappeared, and she saw water rippling beneath them. The reflection of the three moons in the strait looked particularly bright. A neon streak of green arrowed through the water tracking their flight across the watery expanse. Her arms tightened reflexively. It was monstrous and she knew exactly what it was. She had heard Diana spin the tale about the time she and Manus had crossed the Strait of Yella in a rowboat, using nothing more than harpoons, to slay an ancient sea serpent bent upon devouring them.

God, that green streak has to be as long as a commuter train heading into London. There was no way she was coming off Daisy’s back before they hit land.

The sea serpent arced out of the water testing the distance between them. Ella heard Jessica gasp at the sight of the monster. It looked like a neon green caterpillar with huge, multifaceted eyes that shimmered up at them – they were the eyes of a predator.

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Another taste of my work in progress, from Twisted Destiny.
In  this excerpt we are introduced to Phelan, the King of the Fairies.

Three days ago, Phelan had felt mild concern when he had noticed a few leaves on the central oak tree were curling up and going brown around the edges. Today, he felt a gut-wrenching unease when some actually detached themselves from the ancient oak and floated to the ground. This was different. There was something wrong with the magic. He could feel its instability.

He didn’t want people to notice the poor health of the tree, because they might start questioning his leadership – his authority. He had had to work hard to obtain his position as King of the Fae.
​
Within his fist he clenched a gnarled wand. What it was made from he couldn’t tell, but it was a twisted malevolent thing that oozed power. He had to admit it had changed him over the centuries. His hair had darkened from a honey blonde to an ebony black, his crystal-blue eyes now gleamed a dark indigo making pupil and iris almost indistinguishable. Plus, the bone structure of his face had become more pronounced leaving him with chiseled cheekbones and a broad jawline. He looked hard and dangerous, but breathtakingly handsome – peering into a looking glass was never a hardship for Phelan.

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The following is an excerpt from my latest work in progress Twisted Destiny.

“Oh, God!” Everyone turned to look at Ella. She ran her fingers over the painting that was the closed portal, while she fanned her face with her wings. “I’m stuck in Anandria. Ray is on Earth. What if we can’t get the portal open again? I’ll never see Raonull again. I’ll never go home. I’m all alone!” Her wings fluttered faster. Her body jerked into the air. With an audible thud, her head crashed into the stone ceiling. “Ow!” Wings and body went limp and her eyes rolled up into her head.

No one was close enough to catch her.

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