Hywela Lyn chats about Children of the Mist

Welcome to Paranormal Romance Month. It’s my pleasure to have talented romance author, Hywela Lyn visit (AKA- Lyn). This week she’ll be chatting about her latest release, Children of the Mist. As always, there’s a contest! Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of Children of the Mist and a $5 gift certificate to The Wild Rose Press.

Children of the Mist

Two minds united against a common foe. Two hearts afraid to show their love:

Long ago Tamarith fell for a man she knew she could never have, and she is convinced she will never love another. However, she cannot help but be intrigued by the handsome young stranger whose psychic powers exceed even her own.

Vidarh seeks only to find his purpose in life and to win the regard of his father. Thrown together by circumstances, then parted by an evil greater than they could have imagined, can Vidarh save the lovely woman who captivates him, before it is too late? Will he overcome the deadly enemy who threatens to destroy their planet - and will they find the happiness they both seek,or are they fated to live their lives alone?

SKY: Welcome Lyn. Having you visit is fantastic, thank you!

LYN:. Hello Sky, I’m thrilled to be here today, and thank you so much for inviting me

SKY: I’ve had the extreme pleasure of reading, Children of the Mist. It is exceptional! Sequel to Starquest, you didn’t let me down with this story. Honestly, I’ve read a few futuristic novels and can tell you truthfully, none touched this! Let’s lift off correctly…tell me in one sentence, what is the biggest dilemma facing your hero and heroine in this story?

LYN: Oh, thank you so much Sky, what a lovely thing to say, especially coming from such a talented writer of fantasy as yourself.. Hmm one sentence... not easy for someone as verbose as me, but I’ll try:

Tamarith believes she will never love anyone else, but when fighting an enemy more dangerous than anything they’ve faced before, she and Vidarh realize each is incomplete without the other.

SKY: Your heroine, Tamarith, realizes that a long lost love is just that…lost─at least when it comes to love. She can’t help but notice another. His physic powers supersede hers. Let’s chisel away at that concept. Can you share with us a bit of her power? Perhaps a bit of how it compares with his? How do sparks fly in the midst of such powers?

LYN: Niflheim is inhabited by colonists from Earth with varying powers of ESP. Tamarith is a talented telepath and empath, with telekinetic powers as well, and is able to communicate telepathically for greater distances than any of her peers. However, she has not yet realized her full potential. In addition to telepathy and telekinesis, Vidarh is also able to teleport. He has developed his skills to a high degree, despite lack of encouragement from his family. He senses that Tamarith is nursing a broken heart, and that if he could only reach her, he could help her develop the latent powers she has not yet discovered. First though, he has to get past the barrier Tamarith has built to protect herself from being hurt again, as well as fighting his growing attraction to her.

Even when only their minds have met, and they have not seen each other physically, Tamarith is able to communicate telepathically far more easily than the other members of her family, and she is the one to guide him through the underground caverns to the other side of the mountains on his journey to Gladsheim, where the inhabitants of Niflheim are gathering.:

You don't have far to go. I will keep sending you the directions. You should be near the river now.

Yes. I hear it up ahead.

Be careful. We had heavier than usual snowstorms last winter. With the coming of spring, the melting snow and ice has swelled the volume of water.

Vidarh made his way along the tunnel, partly guided by his telepathic link with Tamarith, and partly by his own senses. Eventually it widened out into a large cave, through which the underground river roared as it cut its way through the mountain.

On the shingle of the boulder-strewn shore, several small boats bobbed against their moorings. After ensuring his pack was securely fastened around his waist, he climbed into one, and lashed the torch to the prow. He cast off, and took up the paddle. The river bore the craft along at a tremendous rate and it needed all his skill and attention to save the craft from dashing against the rocks. He'd heard about the fabled river of Mimir, but this was not the tranquil stream of his imagination.

The walls still reflected a phosphorescent glow. Vidarh noticed several gigantic, human-like statues on the banks as he passed, but had no time to contemplate or admire them. Rounding a bend, he came upon a wall of water ahead, cascading from the roof in a fury of white froth. The torrent boiled and raced. He gritted his teeth as he headed into the maelstrom.

There was no way he could control the boat's frantic motions as it heaved and bucked like an unbroken colt. He threw down the paddle, gripped the sides of the vessel, and sent a desperate message through the ether.

Tamarith, I'm in trouble. Please—send me images of your location, quickly. I need to know what it looks like where you are.

The raging current tossed the boat around with relentless fury. All Vidarh's attention focussed on maintaining contact with Tamarith, and even his finely-tuned powers could not prevent the craft from capsizing. Gasping as he hit the icy flood, he struck out with his arms in desperation, and tried to keep the watery demons from pulling him under.

Tamarith!

Into his head came a shimmering picture of mountains and a snowy plain beyond, like the one he had recently crossed. A path before the mouth of a cave wound down the declivity to the plain. He closed his eyes and forced himself to concentrate on the image, while trying to keep his head above the water.

SKY: Great excerpt! Your hero, Vidarh is hot! Sorry, did I say that out loud? Hey, it’s the truth. Plagued by multiple issues─ finding his true purpose in life, winning the regard of his father, facing a threat to his planet─ he’s thrown together with Tamarith. The attraction sizzles on the pages. To speak here about Vidarh is one thing. I want more. Share with us, Lyn. We want to see Vidarh through your eyes.

LYN: Ooh, now let me see. Tall and muscular, Vidarh is used to hard, physical work on his family’s farm, although that is not where he feels his true vocation lies. He has strong features, with a smile that looks a little crooked, which is one of the things that draws Tamarith to him. Actually, the the way I see him physically, is exactly the way Tamarith sees him the morning after his arrival at the settlement of Gladsheim:

Tamarith stopped and gazed for a moment across the water. The G-type sun, now fully risen, caused the lake to shimmer like a veil of golden silk, with scarcely a ripple disturbing its calm. The pastel-colored walls of the graceful buildings on the shore reflected the glow of both suns. In the distance, the mountains encircling the settlement reached high into the cerulean sky. The swirling mist that hid their summits was as much a part of Niflheim as the earth upon which she and Vidarh stood.

She sensed his mind discreetly touch hers and realized he was staring at her keenly. She turned back to face him, returning his questioning glance and studying him in turn. Taller than average, and broad-shouldered, today he wore a sleeveless, belted leather shirt over thick breeches, with long, icecat-wool lined boots. His upper arms were well muscled, his skin tanned as if he were used to working outdoors. His curly, dark auburn hair, kept away from his face with a plain leather band, reached almost to his shoulders. It caught the sun's rays and gleamed like the polished dark red wood of the trees that flanked the feet of the mountains.

She took in his clear, hazel eyes, with their friendly twinkle, the long, straight nose, strong jaw line and smiling mouth. He would have been fighting off the local unattached young women if the situation they found themselves in were not so serious.

Courageous and determined, and something of a loner, Vidarh is also very sensitive to other people’s feelings. He is capable of leadership, but is also able to work with others and willing to take directions, and do whatever is necessary to overcome the perils ahead. He has a gentle, caring nature and is desperate to win his father’s approval. In the end he realizes that ultimately he needs to do what he feels is right for himself, even if that takes him in a totally different direction to the one he originally believed was his destiny.

Tamarith and Vidarh have been dancing around each other , trying to avoid their growing feelings for each other, each believing their love is hopeless. In this excerpt they’ve been through a lot together and are standing outside, with Tamarith’s pet icecat, Malmooth.

Vidarh attempted to dispel the awkwardness between them. I don't think you realize how gifted you are. I'm sure there are things you could teach me, as well. We could learn from each other.

Tamarith dropped her guard, just a little, but enough for him to feel the loneliness and uncertainty in her. He reached down to pet Malmooth and tried to think of a way to tell Tamarith how he felt about her. His fingers brushed against hers. The power that surged through him was like nothing he had ever experienced before. The last time they had touched hands was in Loki's Chasm, when they were both in deadly danger and their thoughts needed to be concentrated on one thing, teleporting themselves to safety.

This was different.

They looked at each other in shock. She tried to draw away her hand, but he tightened his fingers around it, and raised it to his lips. He felt her tremble from head to toe, like a captured bird.

He looked at her in awe. This lovely woman had saved his life. She'd fearlessly fought a powerful alien, yet she trembled at his touch. He drew a deep breath and it took all his willpower to refrain from crushing her to him. He ached to kiss her, to quench the fire that coursed through his body. He pulled her toward him, and placing his hand beneath her face, gently lifted her chin, compelling her to look at him. His eyes locked on hers, and he forced himself to keep control, not to rush, not to frighten her away before he had chance to tell her what he needed her to know.

SKY: Another fantastic excerpt! I’ve come across few authors who can pull one into a setting as well as you did in both Starquest and Children of the Mist. Your flare for description is flawless and admirable. Show everyone what I’m talking about. Share one scene from Children of the Mist that you feel put the rest to shame.

LYN: Oh, thank you Sky, you make me blush! I drew a lot on my experience of riding in the Welsh mountains for the settings of this story, although there aren’t any glaciers in Wales, but also did a lot of research on the geology and geography of Scandinavia . I don’t know about ‘putting the rest to shame,’ but I really enjoyed writing this particular scene:

They were able to gallop across the narrow stretch of plain before the mountains and gain precious time. As the veils of mist drifted off the lower ground, they found themselves in bright sunshine. Nidhogg's Glacier lay before them, glowing in various shades of blue against brilliant white.

Skirting the huge ice mass, they hugged the base of the mountains. Here, the reed-choked grassland, littered with crumbled stone and rocky outcrops where the glacier had eaten into the ground on its endless journey, forced them to slow to a walk.

At last, they reached the narrow, twisting trail that would lead them across the mountain range. They made slow progress up the track, looking back at the blue and white of the glacier, gleaming in the sunlight and contrasting markedly with the rock's blackness, as they made the gradual climb above it. Black rock and white snow were all that lay ahead, although here and there the colour of the rocks changed to green or red as if splashed with a gigantic paintbrush.

At times, the trail petered out altogether and Vidarh, leading the way, was thankful the ponies were so sure-footed. He had spent days at a time in these mountains. Each twist and turn, each pinnacle of rock or small, misshapen tree somehow maintaining a tenuous hold on the unfriendly surface, was familiar to him.

SKY: Beautifully written. Thank you. I hate that we’re running out of time. A hundred extra questions couldn’t nearly dive into this book. But, I’m sure everyone is wondering…what’s next on your agenda? What are you writing now?

LYN: Well, I’ve started a third story in what will has now, hopefully, become a trilogy! This one is a little different to the other two in many ways, and features another main character from ‘Starquest’, whose story I felt should be told. There are some new characters as well as ‘guest appearances’ from a few familiar names, but the main story concerns just two people - doing their darndest to avoid their ‘happy ever after’ and trying to deny any attraction between them!

SKY: Thank you so much for visiting and sharing Children of the Mist with us, Lyn. It was a treat!

LYN: It’s been a real honour and a thrill to be here, Sky, thank you so much for having me.

Watch a book trailer for Children of the Mist…




STARQUEST, LASR (4 1/2 BOOKS)

"The lovely, lovely descriptions never slow the action, but manage still to convey emotion and carry the narration forward. This is an incredibly original tale, and for all the science fiction trappings is truly a classic quest for love, and the romance, which at first seems very much at the periphery, will become not only a primary motivation, but the chief joy of the tale. Adventure may be the main motif, but the heartwarming side will be a surprising bonus." Read full review here.

'Snapdragon'
LONG AND SHORT REVIEWS

CHILDREN OF THE MIST

(LASR 5 star plus - Best Book Review)

"This book is wonderful! There are few books that hold my interest to the point where I can't bear to put it down, but Children of the Mist is most certainly at the top of this list. The attraction between Tamarith and Vidarh is beautifully written. The involvement of telepathy would appear to make it easier for them to share their feelings, but this isn't the case. If anything telepathy makes it harder as they hide their minds from one another. This puts their lives in danger more than once...

...Well done Hywela Lyn. I haven't read the first book in this series, but you can be sure I'm going to buy it as soon as I can. This is the type of book I love to read." Read complete review here.

DANCING WITH FATE

"Hywela Lyn has packed enough adventure into Dancing with Fate to rival a full length novel. I am a huge fan of stories of Camelot and the famed King Arthur and Merlin so I was especially intrigued by the connection between those tales and this book. What a fascinating and creative take on the origins of Merlin we find in Dancing with Fate.

The love story of Terpsichore and Myrddin is quite touching. Especially in light of the obstacles in their path that include a past betrothal, an angry god, a legend yet to occur, and goblin fire. As if this wasn’t enough, we have the addition of the tricky Fates who can twist anything around, which makes it rather difficult for Terpsichore to strike a particular bargain she so desperately needs.

Hywela Lyn’s addition to the Song of the Muses series is a wonderful fantasy to read when you have the urge to pass some time with a good book. I have not read anything else by this author, but I enjoyed Dancing with Fate Pass enough that I am considering adding more works by the author to my collection. " Read full review here.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, June 2009.

And the great reviews don’t end there. To read more click here.

Visit Lyn at her Website

Interested in checking out a great blogspot with tantalizing topics? Join Lyn at her Blog.

Purchase a copy of Children of the Mist. Click here.

Don’t forget to leave a comment by Friday, April 2nd, 12 PM EST for a chance to win a copy of Children of the Mist and a $5 gift certificate to The Wild Rose Press!

Cheers
~Sky