Blog Tour + #Giveaway: Celtic Fire by Liz Gavin @LizGavin_author @XpressoTours

Celtic Fire
Liz Gavin
(Highland Celts Series, #1)
Publication date: January 31st 2017
Genres: Adult, Historical, Paranormal Romance

This is a standalone, historical/paranormal romance. Its mature themes – violence, religious war, and pagan rituals – might not be appropriate for audiences under 18.

When ancient gods ruled and Druids kept Faith alive, the Celts thrived as a democratic, matriarchal society. Then savage Roman soldiers swept across Europe, killing and enslaving. The Celts did not succumb without a fight. Their Old Ways survived centuries of ruthless domain until another menace loomed: a tortured god worshiped in cold stone buildings. The sacred shores of Avalon began to drift away, the mists threatened to hide the island from mortal eyes forever.

Against the bleak backdrop of war, the gorgeous Scottish Highlands stood tall, sheltering its inhabitants from greedy invaders. Yet the reach of the eagle banners was long and the highlanders turned to the Goddess for protection. However, the sacred groves felt silent and grim as Avalon faded away. Once sad, pealing bells began to sound strangely comforting while the high walls of monasteries offered an alluring barrier from violence. Caught in the middle of this centuries-old war, a young High Priestess might be Avalon’s last chance.

Wise beyond her years and powerful like no other Priestess in her lifetime, Rowen had served the Goddess faithfully, forsaking her family and the company of her soulmate. When the Lady of the Lake asks for another sacrifice, it might be one too many for her scarred heart. How could she obey the Goddess without betraying Caddaric? Could she trust Eochaid, who embodied everything she despised and hated? Would she be able to fulfill her duties without losing her soul?

Caddaric had been Rowen’s companion in countless lives; but, now, they existed in different realms. Beautiful Rowen lived in the mortal world while sweet Caddaric remained in the sacred isle of Avalon, watching over her. Could he step aside to allow another man – a flesh and blood man – to become her protector?

Eochaid had sworn to protect the Old Ways. The rude warrior never quite understood his faith yet his loyal heart belonged to the Goddess. A gorgeous, fiery High Priestess was not in his plans. He would risk his life to protect Rowen; but, would the Goddess safeguard his heart? Could he defend the bewitching maiden from himself?

When stakes were so high that a simple mistake could cost their very world, a priestess, a Druid, and a warrior must learn to trust each other and the mysterious ways of the Goddess. Their success would save Avalon. Their failure would tear the island from the human realm forever, condemning it to oblivion.

Failure was not an option.

Goodreads / Amazon

Grab it now to FREE!
From March 5th to 9th only!

Guest Post:

Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?

That’s is a very good question. I’ve been an indie writer since 2013, and so far, the main character – or characters – in the stories came first, then secondary ones popped up as I wrote. In one case, my second novel Luck of the Irish, a secondary character became the main antagonist in the story. In fact, a creepy psycho, but that’s how villains should be, right? LOL

With Celtic fire, however, things were different. As I mentioned before, I decided to start self-publishing in 2013 and the very first time I sat down to write something, the main plot and characters in Celtic Fire came to life. I guess they had been living in my head for too long. Probably, since I read Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley in the late 80s and fell in love with the Celtic culture. Back in the 90s, I wrote about the places connected with Arthurian legends in the United Kingdom for my final paper for my first BA degree. Through the years, I’ve researched more on the topic, which has always been a favorite of mine. Moreover, the idea of reincarnation makes sense to me and I wanted to share my views with as many people as I could and writing a novel seemed like a good way to achieve that.

Since 2013, when I wrote the first chapter - solely from Rowen’s POV – of Celtic Fire, I would return to this project, but never seemed to finish it. Until November 2016, when I decided to enter NaNoWriMo and force myself to finish writing a story that is so close to my heart. I put together an awesome team of alpha readers. Different from beta readers, who read a story when the author finishes it, alpha ones participate in the process. They read drafts and give feedback on plot and characters, giving authors their reactions as they read the story. It was the second time I did that and it’s one of my favorite parts of the writing process. I have fun, get to know awesome people and receive amazing feedback. These wonderful group of alpha readers helped me see Rowen, Eochaid and Caddaric’s story from a whole different perspective and I released Celtic Fire on January 31^st, 2017.

Author Bio:
International best-selling author Liz Gavin, has accomplished much in her short career. Her books have made to #1 and Top Five best-selling ranks in her home country Brazil and others as diverse as Japan, the UK and the US; both in English and Portuguese, collecting 5 and 4-star reviews. Nominated for a Summer Indie Book Award in 2016, and again in 2017, this RWA member constantly seeks new opportunities to improve her craft. 

This thirst for knowledge propelled Liz to leave the comforts of family and friends in Brazil and move to California to pursue a Master’s degree in late 2015. She lives in sunny SoCal, where she’s researching the writing process, for her thesis, in hopes to figure out why she creates in English instead of her native Portuguese. 

Liz Gavin writes in contemporary, paranormal, and historical genres. In her sexy stories, one finds smart, independent women, who don’t need rescuing by knights in shining armor, but indulge in steamy action with swoony Alpha males with big hearts. She also writes about women discovering their sexuality and finding happiness in unconventional setups. 

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway