Shadows of Ghosts
by Stefan
Haucke
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Shadows
of Ghosts carries readers to Enara, a kingdom at war with itself, where for
centuries centaurs have been treated like animals because of their horse-like
lower bodies; they've been forced to work as slaves in the southern
agricultural provinces, and have been bought and sold like livestock. But a
strong abolitionist faction has convinced many that centaurs' human torsos,
heads, and intellectual abilities make them humans, who should be liberated
from slavery and granted the same rights as any other person.
After
four years of being forced to live in a remote village and having to keep his
real identity a secret, Cal Lanshire, days away from his thirteenth birthday,
is given the best birthday present he can imagine. He is told the war is almost
over and he will soon be allowed to return home.
But
then an old acquaintance unexpectedly arrives with news that changes
everything. Cal's father, the king, has been assassinated.
Suddenly
the outcome of the war and the very fate of the kingdom depend upon Cal being
able to reach the capital where he will take his father's place.
With
only his crafty best friend by his side and an escaped centaur slave to guide
him, can Cal make it through an enchanted, hostile wilderness, past the
assassins sent to kill him, and back to the capital before it's too late?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt
After they had been walking for a while, Cal began to hear
an occasional high-pitched noise, but he couldn’t tell which direction the
noise was coming from. The noise echoed and seemed to be coming from every
direction. Kozal started muttering unhappily to himself. The hard ground now
felt soft, as if they were walking on a thin carpet. The high-pitched noise was
becoming more frequent and seemed to overlap as if it was coming from different
sources.
“What is that?” Cal asked.
“They make such a nasty mess,” Kozal grumbled. “We’re
stepping in filth.”
“What are they?” Cal asked. “Where are they?”
“They’re above us,” Kozal said. “Many of them. We’re in
their home, and they’re not happy. They’re not used to visitors.”
Cal was about to ask Kozal if the creatures he was talking
about were dangerous when there was an explosion that sounded as if the top of
the cave was coming down. Cal let go of Kozal’s shoulders and instinctively
threw his arms over his head and crouched low to protect himself from whatever
was falling from above. The high-pitched noises were incredibly loud now, but
the high-pitched noises were being drowned out by what sounded like hundreds of
leather coats flapping in the wind. Cal felt something briefly touch the side
of his face, and then something slapped the top of his head. He tried to crouch
lower and fell forward, and when he thrust his hands out to break his fall his
hands slid because the ground was covered with a thick, slimy substance.
“Bats!” Mont called out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Stefan
Haucke, driven by the desire to learn about other cultures and the need for
adventure, has traveled to over twenty nations. He rode a camel near the
pyramids in Egypt, swam with sea lions in the waters of the Galapagos Islands,
climbed the Great Wall of China, hiked near the Acropolis in Athens, went dog
sledding in northern Michigan, and photographed polar bears in Canada.
Along his
many travels, Stefan has successfully worked as a deckhand, a shepherd, a
dispatcher for an emergency services unit, an electric meter reader, and an
office manger. He has also found the time to study the literature and history
of ancient Greece, Russia, and the United States, and loves reading folktales,
fairytales, and urban legends. He also enjoys astronomy, and on clear nights
can be found gazing at the stars and planets with his telescope.
My website:
My GoodReads
page:
My Book can
be purchased on:
Amazon
Kindle
Edition
Barnes &
Noble
Indie Bound -
Independent Bookstores
Giveaway
• One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
the excerpt was great, thank you for the chance to win :)
ReplyDeleteI like the excerpt!
ReplyDeletevitajex(at)aol(Dot)com
I liked learning the personal information about the author, really connects the reader and author more.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting cover.
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