Title: The Tales of Alexandria Stecklar: The Locket
Author: Tiara J. Brown
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Book Blurb:
"Hatred. War. Death. Pain. No matter how hard we try, it seems as if man cannot escape these casualties, and no matter how hard I try, neither can I. "
Fifteen-year-old Alexandria Stecklar lives a sheltered life. Sick of spending days in her underground home, she longs to be a part of the outside world. A world she has long been denied. However, secrets unfold as she finds herself thrusted from her home and into a foreign world plagued by war between psychics, like herself and magical sorcerers.
Forced to hide her identity. Lest she be captured or killed- or worse. Will Alex make it home safely? Or will someone else get to her first?
A fantastical story laced with adventure, action, magic, and an "almost" first kiss for teens and adults!
Excerpt:
Stay calm. I placed my other wrist behind my back and I quickly began to transfer energy into that hand.
He continued, “How about we take a little walk?”
I moved my hand from behind my back to my front at his chest. I focused all my energy and released it in a burst that violently pushed him back, launching him back into a tree.
“How about we not.” I stood up, straight.
The sorcerer jumped back onto his feet.
“Ye, filthy little syche!” he yelled.
He lifted up his hand into the air and said, “Detra Arma!”
I turned and ran. I levitated the dirt, rocks, leaves, twigs, and whatever else I could find up into the air, making them all swirl around me as a shield. The sorcerer followed me, shooting blasts of blue lights at me. I ran in zig-zags, jumping over logs and zooming through bushes.
Crap, why did I leave home? I couldn’t lead him to Mom, Dad, or Hannah. Or maybe I should? They could help me. No, our home was a secret, and even I couldn’t break that secret. What if he gets away and does tell someone, other sorcerers?
“No!” I shrieked at the thought.
I looked back over my shoulder and to my surprise, the sorcerer had seemingly disappeared. I stopped. My eyes searched, but they couldn’t find him. Although the shield was protecting me, it was also hindering my ability to see well beyond it. In a quick decision, I halted it. All of its elements fell to the ground.
“Above you!”
I looked up. The sorcerer was in the air. He was slowly falling down towards me, while forming another magical blast in his hands. Before I could react, I felt myself being pushed to the ground by some force, shoving me out of harm’s way. I hit the ground hard and let out a small grunt of pain. My palms stung from where I tried to brace my fall and my heart was still beating uncontrollably.
“Aspedia!”
I looked back and saw the back of someone’s head, a new person. A boy? He had thick and black wavy hair down to the top of his neck, and similar clothes to the sorcerer that was chasing me, except no jacket or hat. The person held out both of his hands towards the sky. I looked further, following the angle in which they reached.
They led me to the sight of the sorcerer, slowly falling from the sky. Both of his palms were out, and they held a light blue ball of light. The sorcerer released this light from his hands, and continuously released more blasts. They swirled around us, about to collide into us all at once. I knew that there was no way I would be able to shield myself from such an embrace.
I closed my eyes and clenched the dirt on the ground, dragging its specks underneath my short fingernails. For once, I should have listened to my parents and definitely not to some crazy voice in my head. Now, I’m going to…wait, nothing happened. Instead, I only heard the faint sounds of drums. I opened my eyes, and saw that all of the blasts were being reflected by some transparent light-green dome that surrounded the boy and I. The dome vibrated, but remained steady.
On the outside, there was a large display of different hues of blue, ranging from light to dark as they struck the dome and bounced off. Once reflected, the lights either collided into each other or into the nearby trees, bushes, and other surrounding plants, leaving them with blackened scars. When they struck each other, they both disintegrated into sparkling dust that fell to the ground. It was the most captivating and beautiful sight that I had ever seen in my entire life, yet also the most terrifying.
The area was filled with smoked. Once it cleared, the sorcerer stood only a few feet away. As I stood back up, I looked over at the sorcerer, and then at this new mysterious person.
For moments there was only silence. There was no chatter amongst the forests, nor from amongst any of us; only unnerving quietness. Eventually, the mysterious newcomer turned and looked back at me. His bright emerald eyes complimented his deep olive skin.
Wow. I had never seen eyes of such color before. They were striking. Dad and Hannah had brown eyes, and Mom had hazel eyes. Even in all of the family photographs, everyone’s eyes were some hue or shade of brown.
I examined him further. We actually looked around the same age. Perhaps, maybe he was little bit older? I couldn’t pinpoint his exact height. I could tell that he was a few inches shorter than the other sorcerer, but definitely taller than me.
Who was he? And what did he want? Why was he even here? Why were either of them here? No one ever came into these woods except for today.
“It’s my property, boy!” the sorcerer said.
What? How dare he! I’m a person, not an it! And I sure as Hell am not anyone’s property. I balled my fists and glared at him, but he just grinned in the direction of the boy, which made me angrier.
The boy glared back at the sorcerer. “I beg to differ. She’s mine.”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Amazon (Paperback & Hardback): https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0BTB8GZ2T
Barnes & Noble (All Formats): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-tales-of-alexandria-stecklar-tiara-j-brown/1142957446?ean=9798986135519
Google Play (Ebook): https://play.google.com/store/books/details?pcampaignid=books_read_action&id=H5GGEAAAQBAJ
Smashwords (Ebook): https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1321769
What makes your featured book a must-read?
The Locket is the start of an epic tale that you will not be able to put down. It mixes the fantasy genre with dystopian vibes and immerses you into an action-packed adventure filled with magical sorcerers, technology, a life altering twist, and a fifteen-year-old caught in the middle.
Will she be able to survive this adventure, or it will become her undoing? Only one way to find out!
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $40 Amazon gift card:
Open Internationally.
Runs January 9 – January 21, 2024.
Winner will be drawn on January 22, 2024.
Author Biography:
Tiara J. Brown grew up in Northeast Ohio and studied media at Ohio University. Although The Tales of Alexandria Stecklar: The Locket is her first published novel, she has been held captive by the art of story-telling since she was twelve-years-old. When she is not writing or reading, you can be found swing dancing, hiking, or traveling.
Social Media Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiarajoybrown/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tiarajoybrown