#Blogmas | A Fantasy Christmas celebration feat. authors of fantastical realms | The Ravenwood Saga by Morgan L. Busse

Posted Monday, 3 December, 2018 by jorielov , , , , , 2 Comments

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Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I continue to surprise myself – finding my second featured Fantasy series this December is a Christian Fantasy world – between the cover art of the first series I was featuring yesterday and this one today – goodness! I am LOVING the art direction of today’s Fantasy market! I love artwork which pulls you into the world-building – gives you something to chew and contemplate and before you realise it, you already want to be living in that world – isn’t this the case for you? I oft wonder what allures readers to read Fantasy & Science Fiction – strictly the artwork or the synopsis or a mixture of both? For me, every story starts with a keen interest in the premise & what I shall find inside the pages,.. the artwork for me is the icing on the cupcake if I love reading the novel!

Ever since I started co-hosting #WyrdAndWonder (an annual Fantasy event with mini-events throughout the year) I’ve become more mindful of Fantasy as a niche I dearly want to explore further, as I only had a fleeting sense of what was available in the past. This month I’ll be reading one of my favourite Science Fiction novelists whose written an epic Fantasy series – a series I’ve been trying to read for the past few years and felt life constantly was pulling me out of its pages. As I knew #FantasyForChristmas was nearing – I felt by celebrating new worlds of Fantasy would be the best anchour towards reading more Fantasy this December!

I was also inspired when I first started reading A Mortal Song during last month’s #Mythothon – wherein I was happily charmed by what I discovered when Japanese Mythos and Fantasy are entwined!

This particular series I am showcasing today is about redemptive conscience – as there is an heir to a legacy not of the choosing of the heir but of the family she’s been bourne. There is a moral and ethical dilemma to her inheritance and as you read the synopsis from book one to book two you can sort of start to see where the lines are drawn for her and her family. Stories of individual quests in worlds of Fantasy are amongst my favourites but what is interesting of course, is this a second selection under the umbrella of Christian Fantasy. It would be interesting how this ties into the theme but also, how it reflects the crisis within the lead character for not wanting to make a choice that goes against her own beliefs.

Curious – which other stories in Fantasy reflect this kind of quest and what did you appreciate about those narratives the most?!

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Mark of the Raven by Morgan BusseFlight of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse

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Published by: Bethany House Publishers (@bethany_house)

an imprint of Baker Publishing Group

The Ravenwood Saga:

Mark of the Raven (book one) | add to LibraryThing

Published: 6th November, 2018 | ISBN: 978-0764232220

Lady Selene is the heir to the Great House of Ravenwood and the secret family gift of dreamwalking. As a dreamwalker, she can enter a person’s dreams and manipulate their greatest fears or desires. For the last hundred years, the Ravenwood women have used their gift of dreaming for hire to gather information or to assassinate.

As she discovers her family’s dark secret, Selene is torn between upholding her family’s legacy–a legacy that supports her people–or seeking the true reason behind her family’s gift.

Her dilemma comes to a head when she is tasked with assassinating the one man who can bring peace to the nations, but who will also bring about the downfall of her own house.

One path holds glory and power, and will solidify her position as Lady of Ravenwood. The other path holds shame and execution. Which will she choose? And is she willing to pay the price for the path chosen?

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Flight of the Raven (book two) | add to LibraryThing

→ Forthcoming: 30th April, 2019 | ISBN: 978-0764232237

Selene Ravenwood, once the heir to House Ravenwood, is now an exile. On the run and free of her family’s destiny, Selene hopes to find the real reason her family was given the gift of dreamwalking. But first she must adapt to her new life as wife to Lord Damien Maris, the man she was originally assigned to kill.

While adjusting to her marriage and her home in the north, her power over dreams begins to grow. As the strongest dreamwalker to exist in ages, her expanding power attracts not only nightmares but the attention of the Dark Lady herself.

With a war looming on the horizon and a wicked being after her gift, Selene is faced with a choice: embrace the Dark Lady’s offer, or search out the one who gave her the gift of dreamwalking. One path offers power, the other offers freedom. But time is running out, and soon her choice will be made for her.

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Converse via: #FantasyForChristmas, #FantasyNerd and #EpicFantasy

About Morgan L. Busse

Morgan Busse

Morgan L. Busse is a writer by day and a mother by night. She is the author of the Follower of the Word series, the Carol Award-winning steampunk series, Soul Chronicles, and the Ravenwood Saga, a new fantasy series from Bethany House coming November 2018. During her spare time she enjoys playing games, taking long walks, and dreaming about her next novel.

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Read an interesting convo between

the author & her character’:

Who are you?

I am Lady Selene of House Ravenwood, first daughter and heir.

What is your family’s gift?

Lady Selene responds: That’s a secret. But since you seem to already know, we are known as the House of Dreamers. We can walk inside people’s dreams. How do we do that? By touch. When I touch a person while they are sleeping, I slip into their mind, into their subconscious, into their deepest memories. Seems like a pretty awesome gift, right? Until you find out that your job is to search out secrets within a person’s mind or…or find their worst nightmares and make them relive it over and over again until their heart gives out. *shudders

What is your greatest wish?

Lady Selene responds: Greatest…wish? Well, um, I wish that I might rule together with my sisters, and maybe find a better way to use our gift of dreaming. The problem is Amara and I don’t get along very well. Mother is always praising me and hardly ever speaks to Amara. Amara resents me for that. The thing is, I never wanted Mother’s praise or attention. I wish Amara could see that.

What is your greatest fear?

Lady Selene responds: Aren’t these questions a little personal? All right, fine. My fear is becoming just like my mother. When I dreamwalk, I create an emotion connection to the sleeper. But in order to make them relive their nightmares, I must bury my emotions or else they will overtake me. I think at some point, my mother’s heart died. How else can she be so callous about hurting others?

What do you hope for your future?

Lady Selene responds: I want to have the freedom to pursue why we were really given the gift of dreamwalking. I can’t believe it’s only to hurt others. There has to be a better, nobler reason. But I can’t do that under my mother’s control. So I will need to escape someday. But I don’t know when I’ll have the chance.

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You can get a feel for Lady Selene in this character sketched conversation because what I suspected was the driving motivation behind the premise is actually shining through this conversation! Not to mention the fact, it sets the stage for how hard it is to overcome an ‘established rule’ and seek out your own path towards redemption. You can tell she’s not keen on the family legacy but she is also at a loss how to cause abrupt and distinct change – as it would mean going against not just what has been established as commonplace but it would affect how her sisters and their mother would interact with each other. The tricky bit there is doing what is right but realising by doing so you’ll be affecting those closest to you.

A very true statement – what is the purpose of a gift if it is to go against the ‘first do no harm’ rule of medicine? If a gift was honourable and the intentions of the bearers of the gift was to give rather than to take – how then, could this dreamwalking gift be put to better use? A curious dilemma to have and one I’d enjoy seeing answered myself!

One good bit of news – I have until Spring to sort out a way to read the first novel *before!* the second reaches us! Isn’t that a lovely thought!?Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

This blog tour is courtesy of: Prism Book Tours

Prism Book Tours

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Fantasy for Christmas blog tour via Prism Book ToursClick through via the badge to find out what else awaits you! Especially as this is a special tour featuring Christmas SURPRISES for readers who LOVE a stuffed stocking!

Each day, a new author is showcased – I selected the authors I wanted to feature ahead of time, however, Ms Adams either snuck past my purview and/or she wasn’t yet confirmed – I’m so thankful to have had a second chance of becoming introduced to her series – as I’m already seeking it via interlibrary loan at my local library!

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Similar to blog tours where I feature book reviews, as I choose to highlight an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog. I provide the questions for interviews and topics for the guest posts; wherein I receive the responses back from publicists and authors directly. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them; I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers.

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{SOURCES: Cover art of “Mark of the Raven” & “Flight of the Raven”, the author’s photo and biography, blog tour banner and The Prism Book Tours badge were all provided by Prism Book Tours and used with permission. Post dividers and My Thoughts badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets embedded by codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Stories in the Spotlight banner and the Comment Box Banner.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2018.

I’m a social reader | I tweet my reading life

About jorielov

I am self-educated through local libraries and alternative education opportunities. I am a writer by trade and I cured a ten-year writer’s block by the discovery of Nanowrimo in November 2008. The event changed my life by re-establishing my muse and solidifying my path. Five years later whilst exploring the bookish blogosphere I decided to become a book blogger. I am a champion of wordsmiths who evoke a visceral experience in narrative. I write comprehensive book showcases electing to get into the heart of my reading observations. I dance through genres seeking literary enlightenment and enchantment. Starting in Autumn 2013 I became a blog book tour hostess featuring books and authors. I joined The Classics Club in January 2014 to seek out appreciators of the timeless works of literature whose breadth of scope and voice resonate with us all.

"I write my heart out and own my writing after it has spilt out of the pen." - self quote (Jorie of Jorie Loves A Story)

read more >> | Visit my Story Vault of Book Reviews | Policies & Review Requests | Contact Jorie

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Posted Monday, 3 December, 2018 by jorielov in #blogmas, Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Fantasy Fiction, High Fantasy, Indie Author, Prism Book Tours




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2 responses to “#Blogmas | A Fantasy Christmas celebration feat. authors of fantastical realms | The Ravenwood Saga by Morgan L. Busse

  1. I love LOVED the cover art for this series as well. When I finally write out the epic series I have planned, I’m so using traditional artists. ;) I’ve felt the same about these lovely books. Think it’s time to brush up on my fantasy this next year :)

    • Hallo, Hallo Ms Silverwood,

      I couldn’t agree more!! (on cover art designs) There is simply something dearly wicked about original artwork to go with Speculative worlds – this is why I was in LOVE with the art from #theclanchronicles series? Especially the original cover designer – what he was able to convey on the prequel trilogy – where we first met the Clan? Wow. Seriously impressed! I think it offers a bit more of a personal edge to the stories – not that using modern contemporary cover practices doesn’t have its time and place, too, but for me, when you find illustrators who know how to bring a story to life – for me, that is the perfect match to reading!! I can’t wait to see what you develop and have illustrated for your own stories! How wicked brill is that to look forward too?

      Ooh it’s on! I can’t wait to see which worlds of Fantasy you’ll be reading inasmuch as I look forward to sharing my own wanderings!! Did you spy the #25PagePreview from the #ThanksgivingReadathon? (where I mentioned which stories for #Mythothon interested me most?) There are a few cross-genre selections – especially for the keen Fantasy reader,…

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