I love ninja stories. Any martial arts story makes me happy. I got the opportunity to see how D.M. Marlowe gets into the head of a ninja I took it. Remember to enter to win some very pretty jewelry that she's giving away.
It’s a gradual process, getting into the mind of Mei Barrett, the heroine of my new Young Adult Fantasy Adventure, Eye of the Ninja, mostly because she is unaware of her heritage.
It’s a gradual process, getting into the mind of Mei Barrett, the heroine of my new Young Adult Fantasy Adventure, Eye of the Ninja, mostly because she is unaware of her heritage.
Mei always
suspected that the strange mutation of her eyes was the reason she was hidden
away, raised by her father in the isolation of the mountains of North
Carolina. She didn’t know that the
rigorous training her father insisted upon-fighting, balance, adaptation,
disguise, the study of plants and wildlife and more—were all hallmarks of a
ninja’s training.
All of those
skills come in handy after her father is killed by a creature straight out of
legend—and when it begins to relentlessly hunt her too. All of her training is tested as she has to
learn to survive on her own, often hiding in plain sight. It’s not until she meets the attractive and
mysterious Ken Sato that she learns the truth about supernatural creatures
abroad in the world. And it’s not until
she accompanies him to the hidden village of Ryu that she learns about her true
heritage—and her role in the ongoing battle against an ancient evil.
I especially
delighted in creating Ryu. What would an
ancient ninja village look like if it could be recreated so many hundreds of
years later? How would the ancient
teachings have changed with the passage of time and the need to contain a
villain bent on taking over the world—even if he has to destroy much of it in
the process?
I read a lot,
wandered in gorgeous Japanese gardens and dreamed up a hidden spot filled with
reverence for tradition, nature-based magic, extensive training grounds, a
kick-butt obstacle course and courageous people dedicated to saving us all from
a threat we are not even aware of.
I hope you will
all enjoy Ryu and Mei’s adventures as much as I am!
GENRE: Young Adult Fantasy
Adventure
BLURB:
Blink—and
you’ll miss her.
Mei Barrett has been hiding all of her life. Raised in solitude by her beloved father, she’s been trained to fight, to adapt, to defend. She couldn’t prevent his death, however, when it comes at the hands of a mysterious creature straight out of legend. She could only run—and learn how to hide in plain sight.
For four long years Mei has lived alone on the fringes of a society still recovering from the devastation of quakes and disasters along the infamous Ring of Fire. Mei’s concerns are more immediate however. She must hide her eyes and their despised mutation, and she must stay one step ahead of the strange wind demon that continues to hunt her.
Detection was inevitable. But Mei begins to make some discoveries of her own. For it seems that her old enemy is not the only mythical creature on the loose. Nor is she the only one fighting them.
And perhaps her own tragedies are not as far removed from those the world is facing, after all.
Mei Barrett has been hiding all of her life. Raised in solitude by her beloved father, she’s been trained to fight, to adapt, to defend. She couldn’t prevent his death, however, when it comes at the hands of a mysterious creature straight out of legend. She could only run—and learn how to hide in plain sight.
For four long years Mei has lived alone on the fringes of a society still recovering from the devastation of quakes and disasters along the infamous Ring of Fire. Mei’s concerns are more immediate however. She must hide her eyes and their despised mutation, and she must stay one step ahead of the strange wind demon that continues to hunt her.
Detection was inevitable. But Mei begins to make some discoveries of her own. For it seems that her old enemy is not the only mythical creature on the loose. Nor is she the only one fighting them.
And perhaps her own tragedies are not as far removed from those the world is facing, after all.
Excerpt:
Something was
off. Not in the same way as before. But I felt . . . something. Eyes watching.
I veered
suddenly into the parking lot of a used bookstore.
Something moved
in the line of trees at the far edge, right at the spot where I would have
walked past. Something large set the
high branches to rustling. I moved
easily, acting as if I didn’t notice.
The bookstore
door was locked. I cursed under my
breath before nonchalantly turning to the rack of free books lining the front
of the place. Picking a title, I leaned
against the door and opened it. I eyed
the parking lot from beneath my brim, then tossed the book back and chose
another—a thick, oversized edition of Sherlock Holmes tales. Nothing moved out there. Not a branch or a leaf or a rustle of
wind.
I wasn’t
fooled.
I hefted the
book and pretended to be absorbed.
Slowly I moved out, head down, nose in the book, ambling west again, but
this time taking the alley behind the bookstore’s neighboring houses. The lane was lined with full-grown trees,
providing some cover. When I hit their
sheltering darkness I tucked the book under my arm and took off at a fast,
silent run.
Not for
long. Something thumped to the ground,
directly in my path. I skidded to a
stop, backpedaling rapidly.
Panic and
disbelief nearly stopped my heart. My
mouth hung open.
This was not
the creature of my nightmares and memories.
It was something different altogether—and yet still entirely
unbelievable.
On two feet,
broad and heavily muscled, it stood over twice my height. Its skin was a deep, dark red, its nose large
and curved over like a beak. Large,
heavily muscled arms flexed as its hands opened and closed. Long, white hair flowed back to meet huge,
rustling black wings.
It tilted its
head in a distinctly avian gesture and peered down at me. A thin, trilling sound echoed in the
alley. “So small you are, to be the
cause of so much trouble.”
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
D. M. Marlowe lives in North Carolina with her family
and two cats. When she is not spoiling them all, she is probably writing.
Failing that, she's likely lost in a book or movie, on a long walk, gardening
or hanging with her friends.
In her other life, she is a USA
Today Bestselling author of Historical Romance.
D.M. Marlowe will be awarding handcrafted jewelry
representing character/theme of her book to a randomly drawn winner via
rafflecopter during the tour, and handcrafted jewelry representing
character/theme of her book to a randomly drawn host. Prize is available for
international shipping.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure.
DeleteThanks so much for having me on your blog!
ReplyDeleteHappy to have you.
DeleteHappy to have you on.
DeleteSounds great, thank you!
ReplyDeleteI've really enjoyed the book tour! Good luck with your writing! The jewelry is lovely!
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