The Romance Reviews

Wednesday 24 July 2013

Guest blog: Sarah J. McNeal - 'The Legends of Winatuke'

Thank you so much for having me on your blog, Lindsay. It’s an honor to be here to talk about my paranormal series, Legends of Winatuke.

The Legends of Winatuke series is about the characters, some from the modern world we live in today and others from another dimension in a world called Winatuke. Winatuke is a place caught in a somewhat medieval time warp where magic is the norm. There is an ongoing fight between good and evil. The people of light known as Nimway from the kingdom of Valmora, each with their own unique wings, fight beside the tribes and nations of humans, including Gypsies, against the evil creatures from the Dark Isle, Lake of Sorrows and other lands ruled by the witch-queen, Mahara.

It’s odd how I became inspired to write this series. An afternoon in my beautician’s chair,  led to a conversation about all things paranormal, magic and fairies. She told me I should write about a fairy who loses her wings because she’s so sad. I really gave that some thought and, although I didn’t write about fairies, I did become inspired to write about creatures of light or goodness that each had a gift and a unique pair of wings I named these creatures Nimway. But, should a Nimway fall into deep sorrow, his or her wings would begin to fall apart and even disappear altogether and their magical power along with them. One of the Nimway characters has been held prisoner for years by the witch and, in his despair, his wings do disappear along with his once awesome power. One of the heroes loses his wings from Mahara’s cruel torture, but he doesn’t lose his power although the heroine fears that he will.    

Each book can stand on its own, but it’s good to read them in sequence since there is a common thread throughout that resolves in the last book. All books will be available in all digital formats and in print.

Dark Isle, Legends of Winatuke  (book 1) revision just released June, 2013
Lake of Sorrows, Legends of Winatuke (book 2) revision soon to be released
The Light of Valmora, Legends of Winatuke (book 3) new released in May 2013

The legend begins when love and evil collide.

Jade’s mother, Mahara, the malevolent queen of the Dark Isle holds Prince Gabriel prisoner in the castle’s dungeon. Jade cannot help falling in love with the whimsical Nimway prince whose magic lies in his voice.  But time is running out for the prince. Jade risks her life to seek help from her enemy, Gabriel’s brother, Raphael. Raphael gathers a band of brave warriors to take the Dark Isle and free Gabriel. Among them is Raven who once ruled Valmora and escaped into the modern world from Mahara’s spell and he has a terrible secret. A boy with a violin, his brother, a troubled man with regrets and their sister who fears the powers of magic in Winatuke go against the deadly evil of the Dark Isle. Will they save Gabriel or will all of Winatuke fall beneath Mahara’s evil rule?


BUY LINKS for Dark Isle:
Amazon.com (Available in Kindle and Paperback)
Smashwords



The legend continues with A curse, a quest and undying love.
Hawk is a troubled man with a secret seeking redemption. Emma is a burned out doctor weighed down by emotional baggage. Can they forget the past long enough to save Hawk's brother from dying under the curse of the Lake of Sorrows? Or will the secrets hidden the Lake of Sorrows swallow them all under its evil curse and destroy any chance for hope and love? 

Is time running out for the boy under a curse, the brother who's determined to find a cure and the woman who wants to save them both?



A quest for an enchanted light...a Gypsy’s love...and a warrior’s sacrifice to save Valmora.

To free his father from the witch-queen of the Dark Isle, Falcon must find the legendary Light of Valmora that lies hidden in the darkest place on earth—right under the witch’s feet.  To complicate things further, he is falling in love with Izabelle, the Gypsy woman who loves his brother, Peregrine.
Izabelle struggles with her feelings for her first love, Peregrine, and her growing affection for his brother, Falcon.
No one may survive the quest for the Light of Valmora or the wicked queen of the Dark Isle who intends to rule the world of Winatuke.

BUY LINKS for The Light of Valmora:
Amazon/Kindle (also available in Paperback)
Kobo:


Where you can find me.
My Amazon Author’s Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/sarahmcneal


CONTEST: Just to help you get started on the series, I will be giving away a print copy of The Dark Isle (within the USA) or a digital copy of Dark Isle (outside the USA) to someone who comments on this blog. Please be sure to leave your email address with your comment so I can contact you if you win. Thank you in advance for coming by.

25 comments:

Sarah J. McNeal said...

Thank you for having me on your blog, Lindsay.
I hope it's not going to be Lonesome City.
I want lots of visitors!

Rebecca J Vickery said...

Hi Sarah! (waving wildly from my bedroom) I love this series. I can't believe all the research you put into certain elements, but it makes the storyline very authentic. Switching between times is hard to do smoothly, but you nailed it! I still haven't decided who my favorite "hero" is in the series. I may have to read them all again to decide. LOL
Have a great day!

Kathleen O said...

Authors I know put a lot of hard work and research into their craft.. And Sarah, wow your books are very, very creative... I must admit that I have not read these books...yet, but you can bet they will be on my tbr shelf in no time..

Cheryl Pierson said...

Sarah, I'm sorry! I missed this somehow. I get such a ton of e-mails every day, and my Yahoo has been messed up so badly. Is anyone else having this problem? It's not divided into so many per page anymore, just one long continuous list of e-mails!

Anyhow, I wanted to say how much I love these covers--they're so mysterious and intriguing. I did get the first book in the series and thought I would have a chance to read it when we went to WV, but that always is the case--you think you'll have time and you never do. Anyhow, I'm finishing up Elizabeth Lane's APACHE FIRE and yours is the next one I'm going to read!

Hugs to you!
Cheryl

Miss Mae said...

Sarah, I know EXACTLY what you mean about it being Lonesome City. I think folks spend too much time on FB and forget about our sites and blogs. LOL

Anyway, I love your covers too. Very mysterious and other-worldly looking. I don't read about fairies and such (never could stand Tinkerbell, LOL), but I know this would take a very creative mind to conceive of such a plot! :)

Hugs to you!

Sarah J. McNeal said...

Rebecca, I am so happy to see you here and I can't tell you how much I appreciate that you came and left such a wonderful, complimentary comment. I know how busy you are right now and how you struggle with health issues, so it really means a lot to me.
Thank you so much.

Sarah J. McNeal said...

Hey Kathleen, thank you so much for coming by and leaving your very kind comments. I really appreciate it.

Sarah J. McNeal said...

Cheryl, you have book 3 in the series I believe. The Light of Valmora is 3rd, but it was the first one released. That's how it works sometimes, ya know. Dark Isle is book 1.
Just when I get used to one Yahoo email format, they change it and I get lost where things are. They think they're updating, but they're mostly just confusing.
Thank you for coming by and commenting. I was gettin' kinda lonesome over here. LOL

Sarah J. McNeal said...

Laura Shinn created all 3 covers, Miss Mae. Thank you on her behalf about the covers. I like them looking kind of scary.
Of course, these books are not about fairies even though my beautician suggested a story about fairies. Nimway are magical though--unless of course they become sad and lose their wings.
I don't do much on Facebook, although I do try to keep up with my new releases and so on. I just don't socialize on it much because it is public domain. I'd rather email friends or write notes or call.
Thank you so much for coming by. It made me feel better.

Karen Michelle Nutt said...

I've always enjoyed your tales, Sarah! I wish you the best luck with the series! Great covers, too! Laura did a fantastic job-- like always. :)

Jacquie Rogers said...

Sorry I'm late to the party, Sarah. I'm on deadline so not reading many blogs these days. I love fantasy romance, though, so I'm sure I'll enjoy your books. Love the covers!

Lindsay Townsend said...

Hi Sarah,
It's lovely to have you on the blog! I hope you continue to party on and get more and more visitors. Your series sounds wonderful!

Jenny Twist said...

Sorry I'm late, Sarah. But better late than never. I love your anecdote about how you came to write your series.

Sarah J. McNeal said...

Karen, thank you so much for commenting and for your wonderful support. I saw your tweet--I'm so tweet-stupid. LOL I appreciate so much how you really leant me your kindness and helpful endorsement.

Sarah J. McNeal said...

Jacquie, I certainly understand deadlines. I thank you for taking the time to come by and comment.

Sarah J. McNeal said...

Thank you, Jenny, for coming by and leaving such a kind comment. I appreciate it.

Sarah J. McNeal said...

Thank you for having me on your blog, Lindsay. I'll announce the winner of DARK ISLE on Sunday, July 28.

Suzie Tullett said...

Like Jenny, I love how you came to write this series. Just goes to show how inspiration can strike at any time! Good luck with the series, Sarah x

Hywela Lyn said...

Hi Sarah, lovely to meet you. I haven't read any of your books yet but they sound very magical and original - and like others I love the covers! Wishing you much success and many sales.

Lyn

Hywelaly@hywelalyn.co.uk

Sarah J. McNeal said...

Lyn, I am so happy you came to visit and I really appreciate your very lovely comment. Thank you so much for dropping by.

Sarah J. McNeal said...

Suzie, I know, it's amazing how inspiration can come from anywhere. Thank you so much for coming be and leaving your nice comment.

Paula Martin said...

I missed this earlier this week, Sarah - apologies. I'm in total awe and envy of your imagination in creating your series, and inventing the different world of Winatuke. Best of luck with the series!

Sarah J. McNeal said...

Hey Paula, thank you very much for those very kind words and for coming by. You're very kind to drop by and comment.

Sarah J. McNeal said...

The winner of my new release, DARK ISLE, is Lyn. I appreciate everyone who came to comment and helped me celebrate my new paranormal series, Legends of Winatuke. It meant so much to me that you came.
I will contact you shortly, Lyn about sending you your prize.

Sarah J. McNeal said...

Lyn, please contact me at starcriter at yahoo dot com
I tried the email address you posted in your comment 3 times and got bounced back.