Category Archives: C.N.Lesley

New Release!

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“Human Lily and wolven Rowan get involved in a centuries-long fight between human-seeming werewolves and a scheming, immortal vampire with a revenge axe to grind. And no one comes out of the conflict unchanged.”

And here is a small snippet.

A rustle in a nearby tree spun him around. Stanislav Borinsky, now called Jack Stevens, crouched on a limb, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. The vampire watched, waiting, intent on the cabin of the truck.

“Where is she, old wolf? What have you done with her? You know you will tell me when I’ve finished with you. Why not spare us both the inconvenience?”

Rowan assessed the killing field with a swift glance. Every boulder, depression, fallen branch, mapped in his head, every slight depression or hummock in the snow; he smiled at the old bat. “Borinsky, you missed the boat by so much, the ticket office closed down hours since. She will never be your prey.”

The vampire leaped off his perch to float gracefully to the ground. “I will have her. I won’t have my operations disrupted by a human. You must see this from my point of view. I need Mullen to front my North American operation and she has fingered him. What is a puny human to us? Come, give me the girl and I will forgive what your pack did to my men.”

 “The girl is mine. Shall we fight?” Bring it on. It was past time they stopped dancing around each other and settled this for good. This wasn’t about Lily any longer, or about Borinsky wrecking his human identity. It was about who was going to survive.

Borinsky hesitated, looking into the shadows of the forest. “How careless you have become in your dotage. Your pack appears conspicuous by their absence. One last chance. Where did you leave her, and where is she going?”

A whiff of frigid air brought the scent of wolf. Rowan did have a pack-mate, but was she on his side? The old bat missed the spore of a werewolf. Too bad for him. “How about you consider giving up flying? Sink your fangs into me, and that is what will happen.”

Borinsky snapped his cloak back from his shoulders. “What makes you think I would want to ruin my dental hygiene on your sorry carcass? We both know I am stronger than you in your current form. I’ll settle for snapping your back to let you freeze to death.” He rose from the ground, floating into battle position.

A sleek gray wolf sprang out of the bush, bounded to the truck bed, and then onto the roof of the cab. She crouched, ready to spring, her glowing eyes intent on the vampire’s throat. The vampire sailed up onto his former perch, shaking out his cloak like ruffled feathers. “That is not a wolf.”

Rowan smiled again. “Not all of my pack are lupine. Shall we discover what happens when a vampire gets bitten by one of my kind? Normally, I am kind to new pups, but in your case I could make an exception. Oh, and by the way, if you want a fight, you had better get on with it. I spy a silver streak in the sky. Still, this shouldn’t be a problem for you in your new life.”

Available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089KNS49Y
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/shift-99

Wow, a great review for the Shadow series.

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I just saw this on Amazon.co.uk and am busy doing my happy dance. Reviews are lifeblood to authors and a huge boost when someone has obviously enjoyed a series. I hope the reader enjoys the fourth book, Staff of Shadows, which is currently 99c on pre-order until publication on October 1st, when it reverts to full price. It is available on all the Amazons, Kobo, Nook and other places. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H9LNSR1/ .

L L reviewed Shadow Over Avalon
Keys to the kingdom 19 September 2018
I am actually loving this story so much that I am hard pushed to find the right words of praise for this series. As a silly mistake on my behalf when I first found the books) I read the first 3 in reverse, so now I really loved learning how it all started. I was not disappointed! Arthur’s snooping into Shadow’s past via the Archive made me want to read on past the point where I really should be putting down the book and it flows in such a lovely way, that the reference to all the alien tech does not clog up the understanding with over-techinical definitions or super sci-fy information. It’s imaginative and unique. It is simply a joy to have discovered a new fabulous author and I cannot wait for the next book to be released! If you are thinking ‘maybe’ – just don’t! Buy it and read it! You won’t be sorry!

A Wonderful review to cheer up a frozen day!

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shadow-over-avalon-twitter-page1Seriously Good Read!
February 5, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Shadow Over Avalon had everything that I look for when I read a fantasy novel. There were so many layers to this story that I had a hard time pulling myself away from it. Without giving too much away, the story of Arthur and Shadow really drove this book. Watching how the timelines of these two unraveled is really what captivated me. Not to mention the world of Avalon itself was marvelous.
This book builds a world without being too into the world itself. You can see yourself in Avalon with its people, as well as with the Terrans on the surface. Shadow Over Avalon is incredibly detailed without there being too much fluff. I would say this is one of the best fantasy novels I have read in a long time. The ever-looming presence of The Archive gives you the feeling that there is much more to the story than is written. I highly recommend this book and honestly cannot wait to read the rest of the series.

The Magic Number

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This morning I woke up to see Shadow Over Avalon had received review # 100, which is a big deal. Not only that, the review called for an instant happy dance. Here it is and thank you to ‘Angie’ whoever you are.

5.0 out of 5 starsRichly woven and very visual
By Angie on November 11, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
This was captivating from page one. I’d give it more than 5* if I could!

This is a richly woven tale that is extremely visual. The world building is tremendous. Sometimes in fantasy I find myself wishing the author would just get on with it, but not with this book. The author knows how to paint a truly three dimensional world without falling foul of information dumping. They are also amazing at presenting realistic fully formed characters from page one. This is a book to get lost in. Although I am not an Arthurian legend buff, and I no doubt missed out with my lack of knowledge there, the fine weaving of the complex threads kept me entertained from start to finish. The author certainly took a bold step in se

November

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The first day today and that means two things. The first is that there are precisely 51 more days until the winter solstice when the daylight starts growing instead of shrinking. That is a milestone as I don’t like the huge darkness of this time of year a lot. Right now it is about 8.10 am and not a trace of dawn in the sky. This will be even worse next Sunday when 8 will become 7. Then the days really feel too short. On the flip side, I don’t believe I would like to live near the equator much as I had a big problem in Hawaii when the evenings were dark by six and dawn came long after I was up. I like my long summer days.

The second thing November means is the start of National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNo. Yes, I have enrolled and am working on the third book in the Darkspires series, entitled Writhe of Wurms.  Yes, I have actually written about five hundred words so far and am liking where the story is taking me. No, I have no idea what is going to happen. I am a pantzer and it will unfold to me as I write.

Untitled book about to begin

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I was driving back from having a flu shot yesterday and looking over the now bare fields I saw a coyote trotting briskly under a  clear cerulean sky and being overflown by a flock of tardy geese. It occurred to me that winter was a mere breath away and that snow was coming to stay very soon. That being so, it is time to start a new book.

The Darkspires series is definitely calling to me this time as I already have a new book in the Shadow series waiting in line for a publishing spot. I don’t know what I am going to call it yet, or how it will end and yet snippets are coming to me in an ever increasing torrent. It is clear I won’t be able to work on anything else until I satisfy the needs of these characters to have their voices heard again.

Maybe they were roused out of hibernation by the recent release of ‘The Book of Dragons’ anthology, where Dragon’s Bane features among the stories and is set in the Darkspires world? If anyone is curious how the Drakken Connor ended up all alone here is the place to find out. It is available on all the Amazons and other major outlets.

Maybe I am listening harder as I am now finally starting to feel human again after another go around with bronchitis? It will be a few days before I can really write as I have a lot of house cleaning to do with everything being coated with builder’s dust. Yes, he could have put up a shield and didn’t. This will be the sixth time I have wiped down all the exposed surfaces and I doubt if it will be the last. Still, I now have a very beautiful new kitchen and hall floor in marbled tiles. Yeah.

Thoughts of Fall

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Not sure what brought this on. Maybe it might have been the overcast skies, made that way by the huge fires in BC, or it could have been the really soggy weather we have been having. Nevertheless, the thoughts are now there and with them come memories.

I think it starts with the sharp crispness in the morning that heralds a change in the colors of the leaves. Some trees go flamboyant before others and not all go red, so there is a bright fall palette that evolves over weeks. Shortly after there are those smells; the rich fruity scent of crops waiting to be gathered in mixed with a sort of damp, smoky smell from the bonfires filled with dead leaves, raked up to be disposed of but still not completely dry and maybe dripping with morning dew. Flowers dwindle and dye back, except for the chrysanthemums and the fall asters. Sounds accompany all this, from the restless rustle of the leaves to the honking of vees of geese flying south. Some say the humming birds hitch a ride with them but I don’t know if this is true of not.

As the temperature drops, and then rises with the Indian summer, there are different sights of less than enthusiastic students heading back to school after the long summer break. I think in the back of everyone’s mind is the thought of snow coming, as it does and usually before Halloween. I guess this is when winter really starts, despite the official date in December. There again, our winter will hang around until the end of April or early May if we luck out. Not yet, though. Summer has a few weeks left to run.

Darkspire Reaches… a wonderful review!

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Darkspire Reaches 2 (1)-page1

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Read!, July 4, 2017
This review is from: Darkspire Reaches (Kindle Edition)

What a superb read.

Picked this up on a recommendation and am so glad. The book is a richly described fantasy with magic and adventure woven through the tale of a young woman’s struggle to be accepted. The writing flows easily and draws you into the whole adventure.

Raven is a ittle different to the norm and her life isn’t made any easier by the woman who raised her. People she trusts turn against her, and the fears, doubts, and actions of those around her make her life a misery, until she meets the gorgeous Conner, but even he is hiding some terrible secrets from her.

I loved the characters in this book. Their flaws make them believable, thier special talents make them incredible. I found the whole thing thrilling, I particularly enjoyed the punishment one horrible character deservedly received. I shuddered in revulsion. (In a sort of satisfied way as the punishment was justified)

Make sure you have plenty of time when your pick this book up as you won’t want to put it down until the very last word…And then you want more.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1RONGDM0TBNZG/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00DJE8RP4

Want a preview? Dreaming of Darkspires is currently free on Amazon.com and I wish it were free elsewhere, but they declined to price match. It is, however, free on Kobo and Nook. https://www.amazon.com/Dreaming-Darkspires-C-N-Lesley-ebook/dp/B0178F3R8Q

Dreaming of Darkspires Twitter-page1

 

Or what about an audio book? Here is a review of Darkspire Reaches, the audio version, which is free for the first sign up to the audio program on Amazon.

5.0 out of 5 starsVery entertaining and engaging
ByDiana Cacy Hawkinson June 27, 2017
Format: Audible Audio Edition|Verified Purchase

I’m still making my way through the audio book for Darkspire Reaches, but loving it. Julie Hinton does a wonderful job of getting the characters’ personalities to come out. You team this up with C.N. Lesley’s wonderful words and it’s a very entertaining book to listen to.

She gets deep into the character’s emotions and helps you feel what the character is going through. Action is well paced, settings and scenes so wonderfully illustrated. Beautifully read by Julie Hinton.

I’ll be looking for more books read by her when I need to get the next one.

Audio darkspire reaches

King Arthur

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I was disappointed that the new movie is not successful, although having watched the trailer, I can also see that it wasn’t my kind of thing, which is weird, as I write Arthur stories. What put me off is the movie seemed somehow camp and disrespectful to a wonderful legend. I suppose one also has to wonder if the market is now over-saturated with endless retellings of the same story? Everyone knows what happened and who did what to whom in advance, so the only different things are how it is presented. This is what got me motivated to write about King Arthur in the first place as it was not another retelling of the same story I was interested in exploring but rather the concept of what happened next?  The king is supposed to return to save his people in their time of greatest need, so I fast-forwarded.

Shadow Over Avalon opens in the far distant future and is most definitely not a retelling of the original legend. Instead, it is a chance to see what happens when the fighting spirit of the king is returned to face an enemy out of nightmares. Aliens? Nope, nothing so trite. This is something humanity has done to itself and paid an unimaginable price as a consequence. Interested? Here is a link to the first chapter of the first book.

First book? Well yes, it is a series and the fourth book, Staff of Shadows is in the final preparation stage prior to publication. The series is available via the Amazons, Kobo, Nook, iTunes and various other platforms. Of course, if you want to buy a signed paperback, then find me on Facebook right here and leave a message. The first book, Shadow Over Avalon, is currently 99c in ebook form. Probably less than a cup of coffee.

https://www.facebook.com/C.N.Lesley/