VBT + #Giveaway: The Dragon in The Garden by Erika Gardner @Erika_Gardner @GoddessFish

The Dragon in The Garden

by Erika Gardner

GENRE: Fantasy

BLURB:

There is magic beneath the mundane and in The Dragon in the Garden, Siobhan Orsini witnesses it all. No lie can fool her, no glamour or illusion can cloud her Sight. She sees through them all and wishes she could close her eyes. Returning to face her past, Siobhan inherits her grandparents’ house in California’s wine country. She encounters a talking dragon, a hot fallen angel, a demon lord, a Valkyrie, and, oh yes, her ex-boyfriend. And that is just in the first twenty-four hours.

It’s time to find out why she has this power.

Siobhan seeks out the Oracle and learns that only her Sight can help mankind navigate the travails of an ancient war. Our world is the prize in a battle between the dragons, who would defend us, and Lucifer’s fallen angels, who seek to take the Earth for themselves. Using her gift, she will have to make a choice that will decide humanity’s future.

Excerpt:

Ian roughly grabbed my shoulders and spoke intently, “Haroa. I see you, Watcher.”

 “Lo, Innon!”

I spun at the powerful shout, breaking Ian’s grasp and the visions’ hypnotic spell.

The man I had helped yelled at Ian in fury. “No, Innon!”

Ian stepped back. His face contorted with rage. “Turel, I found her. I see her. This is my right.”

The dark-haired man folded his arms. He radiated authority. “No, for now I see her and there are laws that will not be broken. The human Haroa shall be present. She is in my Sight and in Our gaze. You will submit or pay forfeit, Innon.”

The two men locked stares. I gasped as the man called Turel began to glow. The light, the sunshine in his eyes suffused his entire being. Shifting waves undulated above him. The area above his back and shoulders concealed a pocket in reality. As Daisy once hid her bulk from my five-year old self’s eyes in the garden, Turel masked his wings.

Turel’s light grew brighter, more dazzling than a morning sunrise. He barked a command. “Hit’alem, Innon, I say begone.” Ian shot one more covetous glance at me and disappeared.

“Holy shit.” Tim sat up and stared at us, his face dazed.

 I shielded my eyes with one hand as I stared at the glory of an angel revealed.

Author Interview:

What inspired you to write The Dragon in The Garden?

Writing has been on my brain for as long as I can remember. I was very small when the concept first struck me. Of course I’m only 5’ tall so maybe I should say I was even smaller! However, I think the first books that really informed me as to the type of book I wanted to write would have to be the Oz books, meaning of course the original fourteen by L. Frank Baum, not the later books by other authors. Reading Glinda of Oz, The Scarecrow of Oz, and certainly The Wonderful Wizard of Oz took my young imagination to another world- literally! The only real difference is that these days I write for adults, not children, but I hope I still transport the reader.

When or at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I wrote my first story at five. It was mostly pictures and I wasn’t much of an artist but the desire to create burned. In grammar school I met a kindred spirit named Kimberly Emerson (http://www.kimberlyemerson.com/) who also wrote. We read one another’s stories and even traded writing. She’d write a chapter and hand it to me, I’d add to the manuscript and hand it back. If memory serves, it was a story about a young girl in the last days of Atlantis. We’re still friends to this day. I think meeting her helped cement the path I’d walk in later years.

What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book?

Two? Some of my earliest memories are of the little green hardback Beatrix Potter books.

What genre of books do you enjoy reading?

Fantasy, definitely fantasy, but I enjoy many different genres.

What is your favorite book?

Eek… the pressure of picking ONE? Rough. I mean, so many spring to mind… Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey, A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin, anything Tolkien, Pride and Prejudice. However, at the end of the day, if I could only have one book I’d pick Lightning by Dean Koontz. It has everything: fantasy, scifi, romance, thriller, suspense. Laura Shane rocks!

You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?

I’m betraying my age here a bit, but I have to go with David Eddings. He made epic fantasy fun AND exciting. The pathos of the death of the god Torak, the hilarity of Mandorallen trying to divide Murgos with the foot troops or Garion chopping wood during his son’s birth. You have to love an author who so completely transports a reader while making them laugh and cry so completely.

If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place or time. Where would you go and why?

I could pick a great many more politically correct answers- save someone from assassination, stop a war, but if I’m being honest? One thing springs to mind. Backstage at a Ronnie James Dio concert, ANY concert, any time before May 16^th 2010 when he died far too soon of stomach cancer. If there ever was one rock star who embodied the fantasy genre, it was Dio. Songs like The Temple of The King, 16^th Century Greensleeves, Heaven and Hell, the entire Magica album painted stories in my head and inspired me in ways that you have to hear the music to understand. I never got to meet the man though I must have seen him live twenty times. It’s my biggest regret to never have shaken his hand, never have thanked him.

When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?

It comes in fits and spurts. Some days starting a chapter is like pulling teeth. Sometimes I just type the word “the” and stare at it, begging for a miracle. Then the creativity springs anew and I type like a woman possessed. Imagining the big picture is easy. It’s the nuts and bolts that trip me up.

Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?

I have a chocolate Labrador named Selkie. Selkies are mythological creatures of the North Atlantic. They’re human on land but seals in the sea.  Anyone who knows labs knows that they think they’re people but they act like seals in water. Selkies are the focus of my novel Sea Strand which I’m still trying to find a home for. You can read an excerpt on my website https://erikagardner.com/the-novels/sea-strand-a-work-in-process/ My Selkie turns five on July 16^th. She’s a love, beautiful, but a bit of a box of rocks. Not the smartest puppy in the litter. Still, she’s my girl. I love her to bits.

What is your "to die for", favorite food/foods to eat?

It’s important and cannot be overstated- I LOVE food! I dig red wine, love Thai food, adore smoked gouda, crave guacamole, but my biggest weakness is classic San Francisco sour dough. I have an extreme sour dough addiction, consequently I’ll never move away from Northern California, though I do love to travel.

Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an author?

Sure, it’s simple. Do not under any circumstances quit. EVER. Just keep writing. You haven’t failed until you stop trying. Period.

AUTHOR BIO:

Erika is a sixth generation San Franciscan of Irish descent. She attended the University of California at Davis and completed degrees in Medieval History and Biological Sciences. A lifelong lover of books and a scribbler of many tales from a young age (her first story was completed at age five) she turned to writing full-time in 2011.

On a personal level she loves spicy food, twilight, dark chocolate (with sea salt-yum!) and nickel slots at Vegas. Erika lives for time with friends, a nice glass of red wine, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" & "Doctor Who" and good conversation. Her favorite things to do are running, cooking, reading, needlework, gardening... and of course, writing. Erika's music of choice is heavy metal. To pick her out in a lineup you should know that she is very short, fairly loud, and has dark eyebrows. The rest, as her hero Anne McCaffrey once said in her bio, "is subject to change without notice".

Erika resides in Northern California with her incredibly hot husband, their three amazing kids, and their chocolate Labrador named Selkie. To reach Erika regarding her books, wine recommendations, or to debate which Iron Maiden album is the best (clearly, it's Brave New World), you can find her online at www.erikagardner.com.

Website ~ My Critique Group’s Blog

Twitter ~ Pinterest ~ Facebook ~ Good Reads

NOTE: THE BOOK WILL BE $0.99 DURING THE TOUR.

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Giveaway:

5 copies of the book gifted from Amazon
 

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