Title: Healer’s Awakening
Author: David Hochhalter and Tom Crepeau
Genre: Coming of Age
Book Blurb:
The magical heralds emerged from the mist. I hadn’t thought they’d seen me, but before I knew it I was tasked with choosing the guide for the next merlin in exchange for the ability to read. They didn’t even ask me if I wanted this! Now, all I had to do was survive. If only they’d decided to grant me a little magic as well…. But I’m stubborn, and magic or no magic, I walked a path that introduced to spirits and led me through a war. I didn’t know magic. I didn’t know how or even if I could carry out the herald’s task. But the one thing I did know was that I wanted to make a difference in the world. I became a healer. Then the herald’s prophecy started knocking on my door and my life became even more complicated. This series is a continuing story and needs to be read in the following order:
Book 1 Healer's Awakening Book 2 Healer's Journey Book 3 Healer's Love Avalon is a gate to other worlds, even Earth. Healer’s Awakening is a story of young lady who just wants to find her own voice in a world full of turmoil.
Excerpt:
Griffons are magical creatures. How they came to be is a subject of debate in Avalon. A popular story has a powerful but mad sorcerer from millennia ago building them. He wanted guards for his lands that could also fly. The other story is that God has a sense of humor, how do you get a giant eagle and a lion to mate. Very carefully.
–Magical Creatures of Avalon, 9th printing
I resisted the urge to call to it. The griffin was about thirty feet up on a large branch looking down at me. The ranger was at the base of a tree about seventy feet away. I had to take it on faith he was still there, it was as if he had melted into the background. I couldn’t see him anymore.
Bernard, standing a few feet behind me whispered, “This is a bad idea. If you die here, I get to listen to your mother all the way back.”
“Ha-ha,” I said dryly.
The griffin cocked its head at me and squawked.
“It’s okay,” I said. “You can come down.”
It landed gracefully near me and squawked louder while extending its eagle head toward Bernard. Got it. Don’t like you, go away now. It probably had some understanding that swords were dangerous to him. I gave Bernard a pleading look, and he backed up ten feet. What in the world would my parents be saying to me right now? I took a deep breath and held out my hand. The griffin edged forward and began sniffing it. I slowly stroked its head. The griffin closed its eyes and rubbed its head against my arm.
How do you tell a griffin to go find a nice forest to claim, away from humans? Short of a dragon, or humans with powerful bows, griffins were the alpha of the forest. Death from above. True to the ranger’s comment, “Very much like a dog.” The griffin enjoyed being stroked. Now it leaned in close and rubbed up against me. I had to brace myself or I would be squished. A memory surfaced from several years ago. “She is awakening and will need a guide.” With just about every minute of my day so busy these last years, I almost forgot about the two elks. Was this what they meant? I rubbed the griffin’s fur while kneeling down. Yep, the griffin was a girl.
Buy Links (including Goodreads):
If you could dress up as anything or anyone this Halloween, what or who would it be and why?
A Druid. Because everyone loves the forest.
Explain why your featured book is a treat to read:
A unique take on the Arthurian/Merlin mythology. Healer’s Awakening is an original fantasy filled with mystical lands, prophecies, a chosen young woman, war, and a full cast of characters. The world-building is impressive considering it’s a fantasy book.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon (US or Canada) gift card.
Open internationally. You must have an active Amazon US or Amazon Canada account to be eligible.
Runs October 1 – 31
Drawing will be held on November 1.
Author Biography:
By day David Hochhalter is an optical engineer who has designed some of the longest terrestrial systems in the world. Since he was given the 2:00am middle of the night idea brain instead of the 9:00am brain, he decided to try writing instead of reading technical manuals. Besides, imaging stories is more fun than reading about amplifiers. His published books are Wandmaking 101, Wandmaking 201 and the Healer’s series starting with Healer’s Awakening. Currently he is working on another series in the same universe.