Dawn of the Hunters by Ryan Wieser Book Tour and Giveaway :)
Dawn of the
Hunters
Hunters of
Infinity #3
by Ryan Wieser
Genre: Space
Opera, SciFi
Pub Date: 5/7/19
Even the Hunters of Infinity are splintered when faced
with the greatest battle in the Daharian galaxy’s history . . .
Jessop has
proven herself to be an unstoppable force from Aranthol to Azgul, inarguably
the fiercest warrior the Hunters have ever seen. And her abilities only seem to
strengthen as her rage grows. With the two men she holds dear by her side—one
good-souled, one with a treacherous past, and both deadly with a sword—she
prepares to enter the most important fight of her life, with the most personal
stakes yet . . .
Armies are
divided and reforged, and battle lines are drawn. Blind loyalty drives some
while others are sworn to protect the galaxy at all costs.
Bonds will be
tested.
Lives will be
lost.
Consequences
will be devastating.
“This
thrilling, action-packed debut ties together strong characters with a building
story line that will have readers clamoring for the next volume in this new
series.” —Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW, on The Glass Blade
Chapter 1
Hara’agul
The Soar-Craft jerked violently,
sending crates and weapons along with bedding and provisions flying
about. Jessop and Falco gripped one another tighter. There was a
deafening sound of wind blowing through the vessel. They were under
attack. “Falco—we’re crashing!” They fell faster and faster, and all
she could think of was their son. They couldn’t die in a Soar-Craft
crash, not when they still needed to rescue Jeco from Hanson Knell
and Hydo Jesuin. Jessop looked around the vessel, her eyes darting
over panicked faces. She knew what she needed to do. “I need you to
let go, Falco!” “Never!” Jessop gripped Falco tightly. “Do you
trust me?” The way he looked at her, amidst chaos,
was with a perfect stillness. “Of course.” She kissed him, deeply, with all of her
love. As their kiss ended he rested his forehead against hers. She
slowly pulled away. “Then let go.” Falco stared at her with his concerned
gray eyes, ignoring the surrounding panic, and finally let her go.
She nearly fell, but her superior balance helped her regain her
footing quickly. She turned, facing the control panel at the front of
the Soar-Craft. She crouched low down in the aisle, and allowed for
the force of the fall to move her down the vessel. She used her
Sentio to throw items and falling men out of her path. She braced
herself as she fell against the control seat. The vessel was falling
nose-first. With a quick tumble, she leapt over the seat and fell
against the glass window. She could not deny that the sight of
the desert ground, nearing so quickly, didn’t concern her. She
already disliked flying. She couldn’t focus on the danger, though.
She took a deep breath and laid both her hands against the glass,
closing her eyes, and focusing with all her might. She knew they fell
still. She breathed more deeply, and thought of Urdo and all he had
shown her during their siege on Aranthol. She envisioned her
abilities like a wave of light, traveling through her body, out her
fingertips. She imagined the light clearly, and this time, it was a
crimson red. It trailed from her hands, through the vessel, snaking
around the Soar-Craft. She thought perhaps the vessel was
slowing, when the sensation of blood trickling from her nose
distracted her. It wasn’t working. She pushed the light further
from her, focusing with all her might on catching the falling ship,
yet it still fell. She didn’t have much longer. She tried to regain
her focus when his face appeared in her mind: Jeco. A perfect son,
the exact image of his father with the same dark hair and gray eyes.
He needed her. He needed her more than ever. And if she were going to save him from
Hanson and Hydo, she would need to survive this crash. She would need
help. “Falco!” Instantly, she felt him at her side. He
tumbled over the control seat and, realizing her plan, thrust his
hands against the glass. “Urdo—push the plan to the others!” He
shouted over his shoulder. Jessop couldn’t think about the two
other Soar-Craft traveling alongside them—crashing alongside them.
She couldn’t think about Urdo using Sentio to tell the Hunters on
board the other vessels to attempt to copy her plan, to use their
abilities to slow the vessels to a safe landing. She couldn’t think about anything
other than—crash! Jessop didn’t need to open her eyes
to know what had happened. The explosion, the instant smell of smoke.
One vessel had already hit the ground. Suddenly, she felt Falco’s
fingers lock around hers. He held her hand and she could see his face
when they were children, she could feel his kiss when they were
youth, she could hear his vows the day they married, and with an
unexplainable, violent jolt, their vessel froze in the air. The sound
of men falling, yelling, boxes breaking, and weapons clashing into
the metal walls in a cacophony of noise surrounded her. And then
everything was silent.
The Shadow City
Hunters of Infinity
#2
The Hunters of
Infinity have guarded the Daharian galaxy for ages, but when betrayed, they can
become a vicious enemy . . .
Jessop, the
first woman to join the Hunters, has finally been reunited with those who mean
the most to her. In her quest for vengeance, she has left many embittered and
betrayed, chief among them Kohl O’Hanlon, the Hunter who once loved her.
Now, as the
feared Falco Bane leads his forces into the Hunters’ territory, Kohl attempts
to retaliate, flooding their infamous Shadow City with his own followers.
Jessop must fight a war on two fronts, testing her commitment to the ones she
loves and challenging her abilities as the most elite warrior among the
Hunters. With the future of Daharia’s leadership at stake, Jessop is determined
to protect those closest to her at all costs . But when allies turn into
adversaries, the real threat comes from a place least expected . . .
CHAPTER 1
Azgul
Present Day
In her dream, Jessop wore a linen
cloak, identical to one she had first donned in the Blade’s
mystical pool. He wore dark funerary robes, and he moved quickly,
disappearing around corners, catching her eyes in the shadows. She
followed him through the maze, wondering where he went, what he
thought. She quickened her step, trotting after him, chasing through
the dark corridors. She spun around the wall’s end, and felt a
sudden ache in her abdomen. His arm was around her instantly, holding
her close to his body. She looked down, over the sheer linen, and saw
between her breasts the hilt of his dagger, his gloved hand still
tight around the weapon. Blood soaked the robe, slick and crimson,
sticking to her form. She wasn’t angry with him; it hadn’t hurt
that badly. She rested her hand against his chest, and blood leached
through her fingers. She looked up into his dark eyes. A tear ran
over the star-shaped scar. “You’re bleeding,” she whispered,
pressing firmly against his chest, ignoring her own wound. He smiled at her, shrugging casually.
“It’s only my heart.” Jessop woke to the sound of crying,
lurching up in her bed. It had been the same dream, for the hundredth
time. Her hair snaked around her neck with sweat, her brow damp and
hands clammy. Again, the small cry called to her. She glanced over
the large, dark bed where Falco slept, motionless and silent. She
rolled off, her feet finding the cool ground, and crossed the room,
her eyes navigating the dark with their usual ease. Jeco was sitting
up in his bed, his damp dark hair standing on end, his large gray
eyes brimming with tears. She looped her hands under his
shoulders and pulled him to her body. “I couldn’t sleep either,
love.” He clung to her tightly, burying his small face under her
chin. He didn’t care that she was slick with sweat or weary with
exhaustion; she was his mother, his protector. In the darkness, large arms wrapped
around her, and she leaned back into Falco, finding the safety in his
arms that their son found in hers. Falco was silent in the night, a
predatory creature whose abilities amazed her as much in that moment
as they had a decade before. His lips kissed the space where her
neck met her shoulder. “Nightmares again?” “Both of us, it seems,” she
whispered, her breath travelling over Jeco’s short hair. “What should I do when my family
cannot find peace?” Jessop breathed heavily at her
husband’s question. It had been a month since Kohl had escaped the
Blade, nearly killing her in the process. The Blade had been his home
for most of his life. It had been more than a home. It had been his
training facility, where he had lived with his Hunter brethren,
patrolling the Daharian galaxy on behalf of Hydo Jesuin. The same
Blade she had infiltrated and handed over to her husband, Falco.
Jessop pushed the thought back, blinking away the image of Kohl
O’Hanlon’s face. “Find the one who torments me,” she ordered.
The Glass Blade
Hunters of
Infinity #1
The Hunters of Infinity have been
protecting the Daharian galaxy for years, but there has never been a female
Hunter—until now.
In a seedy bar in the shadowy corners of Daharia, Jessop comes to the rescue of young Hunter Kohl O’Hanlon. Impressed by her remarkable sword-wielding skills, the Hunters invite her to their training facility, the Glass Blade, though not all are pleased with the intrusion. But they soon discover that Jessop learned to fight from the rogue leader of the Shadow City of Aranthol—and escaped. Now they want to use her intimate knowledge of their enemy to destroy him.
As Jessop grows closer to this elite brotherhood, their leader succumbs to a mysterious ailment, and Kohl learns that Jessop is hiding dark secrets, raising suspicions about the enigmatic woman who saved his life. Has the Hunters’ security been breached—or do they have a traitor in their ranks?
Allegiances will be questioned.
Loyalties will be betrayed.
Vengeance will be brutal.
"This thrilling, action-packed debut ties together a strong characters with a building story line that will have readers clamoring for the next volume in this new series." —Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW, on The Glass Blade
In a seedy bar in the shadowy corners of Daharia, Jessop comes to the rescue of young Hunter Kohl O’Hanlon. Impressed by her remarkable sword-wielding skills, the Hunters invite her to their training facility, the Glass Blade, though not all are pleased with the intrusion. But they soon discover that Jessop learned to fight from the rogue leader of the Shadow City of Aranthol—and escaped. Now they want to use her intimate knowledge of their enemy to destroy him.
As Jessop grows closer to this elite brotherhood, their leader succumbs to a mysterious ailment, and Kohl learns that Jessop is hiding dark secrets, raising suspicions about the enigmatic woman who saved his life. Has the Hunters’ security been breached—or do they have a traitor in their ranks?
Allegiances will be questioned.
Loyalties will be betrayed.
Vengeance will be brutal.
"This thrilling, action-packed debut ties together a strong characters with a building story line that will have readers clamoring for the next volume in this new series." —Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW, on The Glass Blade
**Only .99 cents!!**
The tavern was dark and quiet,
barring the muted voices that filled the corners with whispers of
quiet corruption and deceit. Hushed sounds traveled on thick smoke to
the ceiling and her eyes trailed over the dimly lit corners and over
the musty cloaked patrons. Dirty exchanges took place everywhere,
too-young girls being offered coins and despair by corrupt travelers,
whose lies traveled like fire across the alcohol on their lips. This
wasn’t a typical bar, this dark, underground dwelling in the heart
of Azgul where there were more shadows than light, more smoke than
air. It was a seedy, unsafe locale where illegal exchanges could
occur. A place favored by those in the city’s most important
positions, for in this underground dwelling they could act as they
truly wished. From where she sat, with her cloak
draped low over her face, she could easily make out the group of
Aren. They were more discreet than she had anticipated, but few could
go unseen to her well-trained eyes. They were scattered about the
bar, donning the civilian attire of common Azgul nomad passer-by. The
Aren weren’t common travelers though; they were fatalistic
believers who waited anxiously for a supposed impending end. A doom
and darkness that would swallow the entire Daharian galaxy
whole—their belief in some unimagined state of horror for the
universe made her certain that not a man amongst them had ever laid
eyes on Aranthol. She scanned the room, counting twelve
of the zealots. Without their robes they appeared as normal men,
barring their brand, which could be seen on the base of several of
their necks. The tender nape of the neck was where all in Azgul had
their brands. She knew that their mark was not well-known though, not
as well-known as they would have liked it to be. Thinking of the
brandings nearly had Jessop reaching for her own neck, certain she
could almost feel the hot iron against her still. The smell of
burning, blistering flesh unnaturally recoiling from heated metal
filled her nostrils. She shivered at the putrid memory and forced it
back to the depths of her mind, where she kept all her locked-away
thoughts and all her darkness. Suddenly, the oddest sensation roused
her, overcoming her senses. She could feel silk running across her
skin, dragging her fine hairs on end, exciting her cells. The energy
of the room had completely changed, thickening the air more than any
smoke or liquor could do. She had only ever been around one other of
her kind, and to feel the changing electromagnetic charge in the room
without him present was as compelling to her as it was terrifying.
The draw was a beast’s cry calling her in, feeding her need to find
the one like her. It was a pull strong enough to grip her, strong
enough to shoot adrenaline through her, to dilate her pupils and
ready her muscles and tell her, without question, that Hunters were
near. She closed her eyes and narrowed in
on their presence. She could smell the faintest scent of grease on
one of them; it had an acidic air to it—like the oil slick found in
the Western corner of the city. She could hear his voice though he
did not speak. She could see the diminutive smudge of black slick
over his boot though she did not open her eyes. Her senses—so
refined—ensured she could see most of him without ever glancing his
way. And then she laid eyes on him.
Ryan
Wieser completed
her B.A. in Sociology and Socio-Legal Studies before going on to complete her
MSc. in Experimental Psychology. Having been raised in Africa and educated
across multiple countries, Ryan has a passion for travel and an interest in
diverse cultures. She currently resides in Wyoming with her husband, where she
is writing her next book.
How
to write a guest blog as an author
Writing
guest blogs can be a great way to market yourself as an author. You
might initially feel hesitant. Maybe you don’t know anything about
blogs, maybe you don’t know what you could possibly blog about, or
who would even want to read one of your blogs. There can be a lot of
doubts that arise, but don’t back down from the challenge! As a
good writer, you know that you can exercise your skills by writing
different kinds of content. Use blogging as a tool to perfect your
talent! If you want, you can follow these helpful tips to ensure your
blogging success.
- Research – Perhaps a good way to start the research process is to list out some of your interests. If I were to do this, my list might include reading, traveling, and marketing. If I go online and do a quick search for ‘guest blog travel blogs’ I get 65,300,000 search results. The first result is a list that tells me which popular travel blogs accept guest blog posts. If I look at a few of these results, I can put together a pretty decent list of sites that I can approach.
- Voice - You, as a skilled writer, already have a sense of your own, unique voice. Definitely be prepared to use it, but also remember that you are writing content for someone else’s site. You want to establish a good working relationship with these sites. Well-written content formatted to suit the voice and style of the site will help you achieve just that. For example, some blogs are family friendly, so if you get the chance to write a guest blog for this kind of site, keep the tone and the content appropriate for the whole family to appreciate. A good way to learn what you should be writing is to look at the site’s recent content.
- Professional bio - You have to sign off on your blog posts so have a professional bio ready to go! You don’t want to get to the end of the blog and just write your name and you also don’t want to have another three paragraphs detailing your life story. Keep it simple. i.e. Ryan Wieser is a fantasy author who enjoys traveling with her family and reading books on the sofa with her dog.
- Records - Keep a record of the guest blogs you write. This is for your benefit. You want to keep track of the posts you write and the sites you write for. In the future, you might be asked to provide a portfolio of your work, including examples of your blog content. You might find that you enjoy guest blogging and would like to keep it up. If that’s the case, knowing the right contact details of who you wrote for, and what you wrote for them, will come in handy!
- Search Engine Optimization – This one isn’t a requirement, but it’s definitely helpful. Try to learn a little about SEO and how to write enticing, searchable content. For example, a good SEO practice is to write structured blogs that have a beginning, middle, and end. Incorporating SEO tactics into your writing will help you get ahead in the blogging world.
- Enjoy the process! Writing blog posts can be fun, especially if you find the right platform for your writing and you get to write about something you really care about.
If
writing is what you love, blogging can be a great way of doing more
of it! Start the research process, think about what you would like to
be writing about, and reach out to various sites that host guest
blogs in your interest area. It can be a long process in the
beginning and there is a definite learning curve, but it will all be
worth it in the long run.
Good luck!
Ryan
Wieser is a fantasy author who enjoys traveling with her family and
reading books on the sofa with her dog.
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