Wings Unseen
Rebecca Gomez Farrell
Published by: Meerkat Press
Publication date: August 22nd 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
To end a civil war, Lansera’s King Turyn relinquished a quarter of his kingdom to create Medua, exiling all who would honor greed over valor to this new realm on the other side of the mountains. The Meduans and Lanserim have maintained an uneasy truce for two generations, but their ways of life are as compatible as oil and water.
When Vesperi, a Meduan noblewoman, kills a Lanserim spy with a lick of her silver flame, she hopes the powerful display of magic will convince her father to name her as his heir. She doesn’t know the act will draw the eye of the tyrannical Guj, Medua’s leader, or that the spy was the brother of Serrafina Gavenstone, the fiancèe of Turyn’s grandson, Prince Janto. As Janto sets out for an annual competition on the mysterious island of Braven, Serra accepts an invitation to study with the religious Brotherhood, hoping for somewhere to grieve her brother’s murder in peace. What she finds instead is a horror that threatens both countries, devouring all living things and leaving husks of skin in its wake.
To defeat it, Janto and Serra must learn to work together with the only person who possesses the magic that can: the beautiful Vesperi, whom no one knows murdered Serra’s brother. An ultimate rejection plunges Vesperi forward toward their shared destiny, with the powerful Guj on her heels and the menacing beating of unseen wings all about.
Readers of all ages will enjoy Wings Unseen, Rebecca Gomez Farrell’s first full-length novel. It is a fully-imagined epic fantasy with an unforgettable cast of characters.
Author Bio:
In all but one career aptitude test Rebecca Gomez Farrell has taken, writer has been the #1 result. But when she tastes the salty air and hears the sea lions bark, she wonders if maybe sea captain was the right choice after all. Currently marooned in Oakland, CA, Becca is an associate member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Her short stories, which run the gamut of speculative fiction genres, have been published by Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Pulp Literature, the Future Fire, Typehouse Literary Magazine, and an upcoming story in theDark, Luminous Wings anthology from Pole to Pole Publishing among others. Maya’s Vacation, her contemporary romance novella, is available from Clean Reads. She is thrilled to have Meerkat Press publish her debut novel.
Becca’s food, drink, and travel writing, which has appeared in local media in CA and NC, can primarily be found at her blog, The Gourmez. For a list of all her published work, fiction and nonfiction, check out her author website at RebeccaGomezFarrell.com.
The Dark Call of Wings
At one of my local sci-fi conventions last year, I
attended a panel discussion on “An Aviary of Beasties,” meant to celebrate our
fascination with creatures that fly. The theme of the convention was monsters,
and something about that panel intrigued me beyond it simply being a cool topic—dragons!
angels! vampire bats! I didn’t know what else the subject held for me; I just
thought I’d learn about some winged monsters I hadn’t known of before.
Well, I did learn about a few of those. But I also
learned something about me. It dawned on me over the course of that discussion:
I write about creatures with wings A LOT. They’d taken up residence in my
psyche, unbeknownst to me. And they usually aren’t the sweetest of creatures. Oh,
the gentle coo of pigeons or beautiful pairing of doves might make me smile and
occasionally grace my imagery on the page, but it’s the flying things that
raise my hackles and most enthrall me.
In my horror short story “Thlush-a-Lum,” a young woman has
heard a strange beating of wings her whole life, but she’s never been able to
place it…until the night the monster to whom those wings belong enters her
bedroom. Other short stories I’ve written revolve around a tiny sprite, a
dragon, a butterfly, and I’ve just inserted gargoyle-like birds into my current
work in progress. Those aren’t all scary critters, but they all fly onto the
page from somewhere in my mind’s deep recesses.
Another short story, “Treasure,” is a fantasy fable that
begins and ends with a gigantic flying sea creature named the Laklor. Its
feathers are six feet long—the mental recesses that held it must be deep indeed.
The Laklor will soon make its home in an anthology called…wait for it…Dark Luminous Wings.
Did I mention that my first novel had just been
accepted by Meerkat Press for publication when I walked into that panel
discussion? My book’s main threat is a terrifying horde of flying, invisible
insects and much of the culture revolves around feathers and bird imagery
stemming from the three-headed bird of creation, which is part of their origin
myth. My book’s title, of course? Wings
Unseen.
You guys, I think I may have a thing for wings. And can
you blame me? They’re fascinating! Who hasn’t dreamed about flying at some
point? The way birds make aerodynamics feel like a miracle when watching them fly
is amazing. Insect wings come in a multitude of shapes and sizes, from the thin
oblongs of a damselfly to the glimpse of a butterfly’s beauty to the neon green
flutter of a praying mantis about to dive bomb its next meal. Wings, and the
creatures who bear them, induce awe and wonder. And when they’re just out of
frame, unable to be seen but maybe heard or felt instead, they produce chills
and suspense as well.
I’m suddenly not quite so sure that buzzing from the
hallway is just a dying light bulb. I may need to check it out, flyswatter in
hand…and perhaps birth a few new nightmares for my next story. It won’t be
about things that creep and crawl in the night but ones that careen and soar
from our darkest crevices instead. Fly with me? Or fly away?
Thanks to the Indigo Quill for hosting me today!
No comments:
Post a Comment