Tag: YA

Sylvia in the Wilds Short Story

Sylvia in the Wilds Short Story

In the Arcera Trilogy, Sylvia Thorne discovers just what happens when the first war in a thousand years breaks out.  But before that, she was just a Rider, spending her days traveling through the wilds between the Four Cities.

Right before the first book Meadowcity, she gets stuck in Lightcity, waiting for a package to deliver.  She isn’t stuck for long though, when a young girl decides to go on a haphazard mission into the wilds–and Sylvia feels compelled to follow.

Which brings us to Sylvia In The Wilds–the short story prequel, which will be available as a free ebook in April 2017!

The story is currently with my beta readers, and I can’t wait to share it with you!

A Prequel Adventure

A Prequel Adventure

Before the first war in a thousand years, Sylvia Thorne was just a normal sixteen-year old girl, who happened to have one of the most dangerous jobs in the Four Cities.

Now that I wrote that above line, I’m convinced I need to add it to the description below…  Anyway, you get the idea.  You’re about to find out what Sylvia’s life was like before Meadowcity, before the war, in this upcoming short story (title TBA).  Check out the description, which might change right after I publish this post:

For a thousand years, the Four Cities of Arcera lived in peace behind their protective walls, while the lands between them turned wild and full of danger.  Only the few people willing to brave the wilds will step foot there, and Sylvia Thorne is one of them.
Sylvia is used to delivering messages between the cities for a living–and she will soon deliver the message that breaks the peace between the cities, but before that, she gets stuck in Lightcity, waiting for a package to deliver.
Her wait for adventure isn’t long, when she discovers that a young girl named Maddy has left the city–untrained in the ways of the wilds.
One of the youngest Riders in Arcera, Sylvia feels she must go after the girl and bring her safely back to her sister.
When Maddy brings them into one danger after another, desperate to find her missing parents, Sylvia must draw upon her training to protect the both of them.
But a wolf pack lurking about is acting strangely, and something seems very wrong in the wilds of Arcera.
….
What do you think?  Look for this prequel short story sometime in April or March, depending on how ambitious I am.

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A Rift Between Cities, The Arcera Trilogy

A Rift Between Cities, The Arcera Trilogy

I can’t believe it’s finally here!

Available now on Amazon

From the first notes, sketches and doodles, to a complete trilogy in four years.  Has it really been that long?

A Rift Between Cities concludes what Governor Sorin Greyling started in Meadowcity…the first war in a thousand years.

Now, it sounds poetic, “the first war in a thousand years”, but when I began writing Meadowcity, I really tried to think of how it would be like for people who have never experienced war in any form.  The government would dither (as Gero’s council did), while the very few who are driven and courageous might actually try and stop it, knowing how precious their lives are.

But things go wrong, as they often do.  People make mistakes, even with the best intentions.  People are selfish, and refuse to aid those they can help.  But luckily, Sylvia Thorne isn’t people.  Sylvia won’t stop until she is stopped, until she can mend the rift between cities.

Then again, people aren’t all bad.  As the Arcera Trilogy comes to a close, you’ll see plenty of good to balance the bad, as we follow Sylvia, Atlan, Ven, Flint, Ember, Neve and Sorin on their final adventure!

Reader’s Favorite kindly gave A Rift Between Cities five stars! Here’s an excerpt of the review:

Given that the author allows readers to follow many different characters, including the villain, this is an exciting book. Even close to its conclusion, the author keeps readers guessing as to how all the pieces will come together.”

Read the full review here.

 

Until 12/9/16, you can enter to win a signed copy of A Rift Between Cities on Goodreads!

 

Goodreads Book Giveaway

A Rift Between Cities by Liz Delton

A Rift Between Cities

by Liz Delton

Giveaway ends December 15, 2016.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

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Cover Reveal: A Rift Between Cities

Cover Reveal: A Rift Between Cities

It’s just under three months away: the release of the final installment in the Arcera Trilogy.

Sylvia has come a long way since first discovering the declaration of war against her home.  She has faced violence and destruction the like of which hasn’t been seen in Arcera in a thousand years.  She has mastered skills unknown to anyone but the denizens of Seascape, and she has only just begun to fight the war brought about by Governor Sorin Greyling.

This brings us to…

A Rift Between Cities, Book 3 in the Arcera Trilogy

A Rift Between Cities by Liz Delton

Which will be released December 9, 2016!

I received the first proof copy of the paperback in the mail today, and ripped open the box in the middle of my driveway so I could see.  Personally, I thought it was breathtaking.

Arcera Trilogy by Liz Delton
The first ‘family photo’ of the trilogy.

Over the next few months you can come see me at one of several book signings:

The Big E (Celebrating 100 Years!)

Saturday, Sept 17- 10am-1pm
Wednesday, Sept 21– 4pm-7pm *Connecticut Day
Saturday, Oct 1 – 1pm-4pm

The Connecticut Renaissance Faire

Saturday, October 29, 1-3pm

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Young Adult- Let’s Get Rid of the Age Qualification

Young Adult- Let’s Get Rid of the Age Qualification

Yes, this is my bookshelf.  Kim Harrison and J.K. Rowling are awarded prime real estate.
Yes, this is my bookshelf. Kim Harrison and J.K. Rowling are awarded prime real estate.

Back in the day, when I first started buying books, I remember beelining for the “Young Adult” section of the store.  In the beginning, it was maybe one rack of books in the corner, or behind the “regular” fiction/literature section.  It was the place in the bookstore where I would read each title, examine each cover, and figure out which books I hadn’t yet read.  Essentially no other section in the store existed for me for a long time.

Even now I can still visualize the young adult section in several bookstores I frequented long ago, most in stores that no longer exist.

I thought, “Young Adult”, these are the books for me!  I am a young. adult.

Even now, in my {insert age here}’s, I am still considered a “young adult”.  And I wonder, when will I stop being a “young adult”?  I feel as if I have been a young adult for a very long time.  When do I become an old adult?

But I refuse to stop enjoying young adult books because I am no longer a teenager, and I don’t think anyone else should either.  YA books are not classified as such because they are watered down, less serious, or not as good as “regular” fiction.  The only qualifier I can see is that they generally feature a teen protagonist–a character who, more often than not, faces far more emotional, societal, or crazy dystopian struggles than traditional fiction.

Sure, I read my fair share of traditional fiction, but Young Adult will perhaps always be my favorite section of the bookstore, and it will always hold that magic for me.

Yes, YA has certainly been gaining popularity recently with the Hunger Games and Divergent series being converted into movies; but I feel it still carries a stigma, which is why when I talk about Meadowcity, I like to tell people that it is for ages 12 and up.  I don’t think people should stop enjoying a style of writing once they reach a certain age.

YA books are for the young, and the young at heart–something I hope to be for a long, long time.

“I see now that dismissing YA books because you’re not a young adult is a little bit like refusing to watch thrillers on the grounds that you’re not a policeman or a dangerous criminal, and as a consequence, I’ve discovered a previously ignored room at the back of the bookstore that’s filled with masterpieces I’ve never heard of.”

– Nick Hornby

When I am finally classified as an “old adult” you still won’t be able to pry Harry Potter from my stiff, arthritic fingers.