They stole her love, her life and want to steal the secrets secured in her mind.
Secrets that could topple world governments and decimate quadrant security forever. Now she’s on an epic quest to find out why and make those responsible pay.
Honora Reyestat gave up everything to become a member of the esteemed Gregarian Guard. No family, no friends, no connections--nothing that can ever be used against her. Captured and enslaved, she's become a prized gladiator for her master. Given the task of training a new slave, she recognizes a fellow Zolthor and the son of a tribal leader at that. Her mission changes from discovery of the enemy's tactics and secrets to returning Joridan to his people.
Drawn to this fierce woman as no other, Joridan Dolana tries to explain she is wrong. He's not Zolthor, he's Centauri. He was raised on Centauri with his sister. Faced with proof of a father's ultimate betrayal, he must choose between revenge and the protection of this woman who has sworn to never return his love.
Quick Facts
Release Date: December 22, 2012.
Genre: Romance, Sci Fi
Genre: Romance, Sci Fi
Formats: Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Smashwords, Apple
Get your ebook copy of Honora below, and a 2nd winner will win a $5 gift card to starbucks!
Get your ebook copy of Honora below, and a 2nd winner will win a $5 gift card to starbucks!
Enter the tour wide giveaway here:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/ZGU3YzlmMTAyZDViODMzNjk0ZWZiNTkyZjlhMDI3OjMy/
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/ZGU3YzlmMTAyZDViODMzNjk0ZWZiNTkyZjlhMDI3OjMy/
Interview Questions:
1. How many Swords of Gregara are there? There are three books in the Swords of Gregara series.
2. Are they all female? All of the books feature a title heroine, Jenala, Riza and now Honora is the third.
3. Is Centauri like another planet? Centauri is another planet and another series. Gregara is a planet and the main one here, although the planet Thrakus is the one that Honora ends up on in this book.
4. How many different "planets" or places do the characters come from? Jenala and Honora are from the planet Gregara. Riza is from Centauri and is on the run and in hiding on Gregara.
5. How many Gladiators is in each group? Honora is the only gladiator. She was captured and enslaved and trained to be a gladiator. She is also a member of an elite group called the Swords of Gregara. They are the equivalent of the Navy Seals and are enforcers and protectors of the rules and rulers of the planets in the galaxy.
6. What is the hierarchy? master, gladiator, trainee? what is the difference in power between each? The Master holds all the power. He owns the gladiator and the trainee. The gladiator has power over the slave he is training. If the slave doesn’t work to become a gladiator then the trainer can be held responsible.
7. What would you like my readers to know? Honora is an homage to the television show Spartacus. I was watching the show and got the idea of a female gladiator who is more than she seems. Honora is that gladiator. She is also a fighting member of the Swords of Gregara. I think the story is unique, but I know that all writers think their stories are. I hope your readers will like the story.
The Author
Cynthia Woolf was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in the mountains west of Golden. She spent her early years running wild around the mountain side with her friends.
She worked her way through college and went to work full time straight after graduation and there was little time to write. Then in 1990 she and two friends started a round robin writing a story about pirates. She found that she missed the writing and kept on with other stories. In 1992 she joined Colorado Romance Writers and Romance Writers of America.
Unfortunately, the loss of her job demanded she not renew her memberships and her writing stagnated for many years.
In 2001, she saw an ad in the paper for a writer’s conference being put on by CRW and decided she'd attend. One of her favorite authors, Catherine Coulter, was the keynote speaker. Cynthia was lucky enough to have a seat at Ms. Coulter's table at the luncheon and after talking with her, decided she needed to get back to her writing. She rejoined both CRW and RWA that day and hasn't looked back.
Guest Post:
When describing your characters, be specific about what they are wearing, what their hair is like, the color of their eyes. What color is their hat? Is it their favorite color or do they hate it and wear it only to please their mother? Either scenario tells us more about the character.
Their actions will show you what kind of person they are. Do they stop and say hello to the child they are passing or do they raise their chin and look the other way as they go by? Do they help the little old lady across the street or holler at her for not moving faster?
Then there are the words. Are they biting, gentle, straightforward? Are they loud or soft? Are they whiny? Is her voice a quiet purr or a screech that grates on everyone’s nerves?
All of these things together are what give your characters depth. The more you use the greater the character will come through to the reader.
Learn more about the author at: www.cynthiawoolf.com
How to achieve depth in characters.
The best way to achieve depth in your characters is through
description, action and words. Basically
everything you do when you write your characters, gives them more depth.When describing your characters, be specific about what they are wearing, what their hair is like, the color of their eyes. What color is their hat? Is it their favorite color or do they hate it and wear it only to please their mother? Either scenario tells us more about the character.
Their actions will show you what kind of person they are. Do they stop and say hello to the child they are passing or do they raise their chin and look the other way as they go by? Do they help the little old lady across the street or holler at her for not moving faster?
Then there are the words. Are they biting, gentle, straightforward? Are they loud or soft? Are they whiny? Is her voice a quiet purr or a screech that grates on everyone’s nerves?
All of these things together are what give your characters depth. The more you use the greater the character will come through to the reader.
Learn more about the author at: www.cynthiawoolf.com
Excerpt
“Oww” a woman’s voice awash with pain reached his ears.
“You disappoint me, Honora. You continue to try to escape me. When will you learn?” asked a whiney voiced man.
The whip struck flesh. Again the woman moaned but didn’t scream. She didn’t scream.
When he woke again he was not alone but the man with the whip was gone. Chained across the room from him, hung by her wrists, was a woman. He could see the lash marks on her back. Lash upon lash, new over old. They obstructed the beautiful tattoo of a dragon on her back. The blood hard to see within the red of the dragon.
Crawling to her he released her hands from the chains holding her up. She collapsed in a heap on the floor. He crawled back to his side of the room as darkness overtook him once more.
*****
The dried blood on her back cracked with each movement, but she worked through the pain as she stretched. Breathed deep and accepted the pain. Her sword weighed heavier in her hand than usual. More evidence of the lashing two nights ago. She looked down at the unconscious man at her feet. A new recruit. A Zolthor, like herself. Another reason Perdor punished her for her attempted escape, her sixth try in as many months.
This last punishment was the worst. Five lashes. Not enough to incapacitate her but enough to make her remember. Perdor wanted her to be able to train the new slave. He wanted them to be a team, good enough to take on all contenders. He’d be the only owner with two Zolthor fighting for him. Not just one, but a team. He was practically wetting himself in anticipation of the beras that he’ll win with a team of Zolthor fighters.
Again she looked down on the naked man. Long brown lashes lay against his cheek. A nice contrast to his golden blond hair. What color eyes did they hide? Blue? Green? Brown perhaps. She’d find out soon enough.
He was a beautiful man. Well formed. Broad shoulders. Trim waist. Long muscular legs. He looked like a warrior. Would be a good fighter. Maybe even a good lover as he appeared well endowed there as well.
He’d awakened from the drug induced sleep long enough to crawl over and release her from the chains. For that she was grateful. Her wrists didn’t hurt as much as usual because of him. Using her blades was easier than it had been after her previous punishments.
Time to wake up the sleeping man and get him trained. Time was short and she intended to make the most of it. He would learn or he would die.
“You disappoint me, Honora. You continue to try to escape me. When will you learn?” asked a whiney voiced man.
The whip struck flesh. Again the woman moaned but didn’t scream. She didn’t scream.
When he woke again he was not alone but the man with the whip was gone. Chained across the room from him, hung by her wrists, was a woman. He could see the lash marks on her back. Lash upon lash, new over old. They obstructed the beautiful tattoo of a dragon on her back. The blood hard to see within the red of the dragon.
Crawling to her he released her hands from the chains holding her up. She collapsed in a heap on the floor. He crawled back to his side of the room as darkness overtook him once more.
*****
The dried blood on her back cracked with each movement, but she worked through the pain as she stretched. Breathed deep and accepted the pain. Her sword weighed heavier in her hand than usual. More evidence of the lashing two nights ago. She looked down at the unconscious man at her feet. A new recruit. A Zolthor, like herself. Another reason Perdor punished her for her attempted escape, her sixth try in as many months.
This last punishment was the worst. Five lashes. Not enough to incapacitate her but enough to make her remember. Perdor wanted her to be able to train the new slave. He wanted them to be a team, good enough to take on all contenders. He’d be the only owner with two Zolthor fighting for him. Not just one, but a team. He was practically wetting himself in anticipation of the beras that he’ll win with a team of Zolthor fighters.
Again she looked down on the naked man. Long brown lashes lay against his cheek. A nice contrast to his golden blond hair. What color eyes did they hide? Blue? Green? Brown perhaps. She’d find out soon enough.
He was a beautiful man. Well formed. Broad shoulders. Trim waist. Long muscular legs. He looked like a warrior. Would be a good fighter. Maybe even a good lover as he appeared well endowed there as well.
He’d awakened from the drug induced sleep long enough to crawl over and release her from the chains. For that she was grateful. Her wrists didn’t hurt as much as usual because of him. Using her blades was easier than it had been after her previous punishments.
Time to wake up the sleeping man and get him trained. Time was short and she intended to make the most of it. He would learn or he would die.
FOLLOW THE TOUR:
Tour Schedule
Love in a Book: Review and Guest Post.
Second book to the Right: Review.
Mar 17: I Know that Book: Interview.
Mar 18: Black Lion Tour Blog: Wrap-up.
Thank you for having me here today.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting Cindy Today! Clever interview!
ReplyDeleteHow hard was it to keep everything straight in your book as you wrote?
ReplyDeleteI have a notebook that I keep all my elements in, I call it my bible.
DeleteThanks for asking.
Great interview!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by.
Delete