Eclectic writer

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Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Keltoi #MFRWHooks #BWLAuthor #romantasy #paranormal #book 6 of Moon Rising

Join the authors at #MFRWHooks here http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com for some great excerpts/ Mine is found at https://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com and may or may not complete the series.

BLURB:

Each of the meetings between the two warriors, the two Healers and the Two Seers is an adventure that binds them together. As Three and Three, they must meet the enemy and win.

EXCERPT:

Dianal held the blade to eye level. “Justice, I name you and justice you will bring to the people of Keltoi. One day those who follow the mistress of the Dark Moon will face judgment for all the evils they have done to the people.”

She turned away from the circle of disturbed earth and joined her friends. Shiera’s and Gera’s smiles broke their somber expressions. They hugged her. Laughter filled the night air.

“We are three,” Shiera said.

Dianal nodded. Her friend was right. ‘we are three,” she repeated. “Do either of you know what we are to do now?”

Gera nodded. “We must go to the lake and then we will learn what the Mistress of the Moons has for us to do.”

Dianal frowned. What would their orders be. She turned to Shiera. “You’ve read the scrolls. What do they say?”

Shiera tapped her chin. “Many things. The latest ones I’ve read speak of a time when three will come.”

“We are three,” Gera said. “What must we do?”

“Listen to what Midra says and follow,” Shiera said.

Dianal clasped their hands. “Then to the lake we must go.” She walked toward the tunnel where four times a year, the people of the hodara went to pay homage to Midra, Mistress of the Moon. Sometimes the lake’s mists cleared to reveal an isle where three massive crystals, one red, one blue and one green, stood.

Would going there this night bring a revelation of what they must do? She could only hope. “Shall we?” Her friends nodded. Together they walked the spiral path to the mouth of the tunnel.

Shiera smiled. “I pray Midra, Mistress of the moon will welcome us and take us into her service.”

Gera stepped into the darkness. “There is a strangeness in the atmosphere but also a welcome. Soon we will reach the tunnel’s eye and perhaps learn more.”

Dianal ran a hand along the smooth rock wall as she strode forward. Amazement filled her thoughts at the feat. One hand had carved the tunnel from a single massive boulder. Darkness enfolded her but she felt no fear. Her friends’ presence filled her with hope. They walked where they must.

At the end of the passage, she halted on the first step until her eyes adjusted to light from the full moon over the mountain peaks and shining on the dark waters of the lake. Fog covered the isle allowing no sight of the gems. She and her friends strode down the broad steps past the rows of seats carved from stone. Here people of the hodara gathered to celebrate the seasons.

For an instant the fog cleared. Her breath caught in her throat as her gaze focused on the red crystal flashing on the moon’s rays. She clasped the hilt of her sword and felt the hollow to fit such a stone,

She reached the level grassy area at the edge of the dark water. For a short time, she waited for Gera and Shiera to join her. Together, they approached the edge of the lake and faced a transparent barrier.

What did this mean? Dianal’s heart pounded so hard she feared her ribs would crack. Where did I fail? Maybe I’m not the one but she couldn’t’ believe her friends could err. Why were they denied. She glanced at one and then the other. Their expressions were the same as her confusion.

A voice sounded in the air. “Greetings.”

Dianal gasped and looked around. She saw no one. Gera grasped her hand. Shiera leaned closer.

“The time is not yet. You are Three, Warrior, Healer and Seer. There are three more to come. You must find them and return here for the blessing. You will be empowered on that day, you and your counterparts appear. Seek them diligently. Go now to the hodara. Rest for the remainder of the night, Leave on your quest in the morning.”

Dianal drew a deep breath. She turned from the lake and walked up the steps. The words echoed in her thoughts. Who were the other three and where would they be found?

As she exited the tunnel, she glanced at the sky. During the time spent at the lake, she felt no time had passed. The full moon still rode high. Gera and Shiera clasped her hands.

“What now?” Gera asked.

“We do what we were told,’ Shiera said.

Dianal nodded. “We must speak to the elders in the morning so we can prepare to leave to seek these other three.” Excitement rose but so did fear. She had never left the hodara, Nor had her friends. What would they find when the reached the outer world?

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Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Seppal - Moon Rising #MFRWHooks #romance #swords #sorcery #romantasy

Join the authors at #MFRWHooks for some great excerpts. Mine is found at https://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com and is from Seppal a romantasy

BLURB:

In Seppal, the prophecy has been heard and the Three and Three are awaited.

Ranal’s dead mam once told him one day he would learn why he had been born. He has found two companions, boys like himself who have no home and become seaweed gatherers like he has been. His two friends are developing strange skill. He can see no change in himself but he desires a sword. Then they will be three, Seer, Healer and Warrior

Amera returns to the clan after spending the summer with the king windsteed stallion and six yearlings. What she finds is the slaughtered herd and also the clan. Only one person remains barely alive and tells her Bethera, her cousin and almost sister has been taken by the priestesses and their guards. Not knowing what to do, Amera follows the king stallion to a sheltered glen and a huge cave complex. When the stallion calls her, she follows him to the priestesses’ keep and manages to rescue her cousin and another young girl. During the next few years, her friends develop talents and are becoming the Seer and the Healer. Amera wants to become the warrior but she can’t imagine how she can gain a sword.

Now the Three and Three must join to bring justice, healing, order and change to Seppal.

EXCERPT:

Silence brought Ranal awake. Last night when he’d curled in his blankets for sleep, the wind and rain of the first autumn storm had begun. Slowly, he uncurled from his cocoon and walked to the opening leading to the hilltop above the hidden underground shelter. Before leaving his home, he grabbed three burlap sacks,

Alone. Eerie silence surrounded him. His mother had died during the last days of summer. Her body had been sealed behind a wall of rocks he had carefully fitted together. A small cell-like room had become her final resting place.

An ache of sadness caused his heart to flitter. For a moment, loneliness filled his thoughts. After drawing several deep breaths, he lifted the sacks. Mam had been his only companion for the thirteen years of his life. Not long enough but she had taught him how to survive.

He held the sacks over his shoulder and climbed the stone steps to the surface. The flight had been embedded in the sloping wall.

When he emerged, a slice of sunlight pierced the heavy cloud cover. A grove of trees thrust dark shapes that merged with the gloomy atmosphere. He walked to the narrow path leading to the shore. He hugged the wall of rocks promising safety. The other side was a steep drop to the ground. The earth beneath his feet slick from the rains made each step an adventure. When he reached the end, he released a held breath,

Ranal began collecting seaweed and hoped to finish before scavengers from town made their way to the shore. First he separated the strands of blue from the tangled clumps. When he filled a bag, he set his spoils at the foot of the path. Next he collected red strands. He finally filled a bag with green. Before dragging the filled bags up the path, he pressed each one to remove as much water as possible.

When he reached the top of the path he pushed several rocks to cover the opening. He dropped the sacks on the flat rock facing the entrance and hurried down to make himself presentable for his trip to the market. He washed in the fountain pool. Then he dressed in his best clothes. He realized he had grown. The breeches allowed his socks to show and the tunic sleeves bared his wrists.

A smile crossed his face as a memory unfolded. Mam had studied him from her sick bed. “The day will come when you’ll be tall and muscular. You’ll become a handsome man. Don’t grow up too soon.” But he’d had no choice.

He reached for the boots he’d worn days ago and found his toes were cramped. Ranal shrugged and went to the room where heaps of robes and lines of boots were stored. He had no desire to wear one of the black robes that were women’s wear. He left the room to comb his hair and braid the dark strands into a single plait.

Ranal strode up the steps to the plateau. Gray clouds roiled like the waves of the sea. After hoisting the sacks, he walked to the edge of the mesa. Before descending. He recalled Mam’s words. “Never take the same way down or up. Don’t make a path anyone can follow. Someday, you will learn why you were born. You must remain safe until that day comes.”

He scanned the slope and planned his descent. With the bags over his

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Nilos - Moon Rising #MFRWHooks #BWLAuthor #romantasy #magic #swords #healwomen #The Eldest

Join the authors at #MFRWHooks here http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com for some great excerpts. Mine is found at https://wwweclecticwriter.blog.spot.com and is from Nilos Moon Rising series

BLURB
Return to the world where Midra and Midran rule. The god and goddess have two faces. Midra is Mistrees on the Moon and also Mistress of the Dark. Midran is Lord of light and Lord of shadows. Rons ago, the Three and Three rose, Seer, Warrior, Healer defeated the Lord of Shadows, though remnants of his worshipers remain. As generations pass in the four nomes of the land only a few remain to honor the Mistress. Once again the followers of Midran prevail, leaving trouble to roil beneath the surface. Prophecies abound and many point to change. Will the Three and Three come again?

In Nilos, Healwomen have become only midwives. Their hodara lies in ruins on the bank of the Nilos River in the city of Memphos. Only a few women come for training and remain in the city. Others serve in the highlands and on the desert. The Eldest, she who rules the midwives, sets upon a scheme fo bring the Three to life and to rule the nome.

What will happen when the Eldest sets her plan into action? Will there be just three women or will they find their opposites becoming the fabled Three and Three? Who will rule the changes to come?

Diane Scott Lewis

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2021

An evocative fantasy with hints of The Handmaid's Tale, when females are demoted to a servile role in their society. Ms. Walters spins a compelling story of struggle and empowerment. I must try the other books in this series.

Plus that cover is gorgeous!

EXCERPT

The change had come long before her birth. As the last of a line of Elders extending back for generations, she was a failure. She had failed to give birth to a daughter. To her disgrace, she had one child, a son. He’d been taken by his father when the boy reached his fifth year. Failure had honed her determination. She had dreams and plans to restore the reputation of the Healwomen. I will succeed.

She stumbled over a protruding stone and nearly fell. Her hand hit a piece of rubble that moved. A bit of parchment showed from beneath the rock. She stooped and carefully moved the piece of granite and grasped the scrap.

After finding a place to sit, she read the words. The Three…Seer, Warrior, Healer…come again…unite with.

Those few words rocketed into her thoughts. Destined. She’d always known a way would be found. What else had been written on the torn shard? She wished for more. Her hopes flew like prayers to Midra, Mistress of the moons.

The Eldest planned. She would be the one to find the fabled Three and thus erase her failure. She slid the scrap into the pocket of her divided skirt. Were there more pieces of parchment to guide her?

Though she overturned other stones and rocks in what had once been the scriptorium, she found no other bits. Her excitement remained high. What she’d found was a gift from the Mistress and she would use what she had learned.

Thoughts of triumph raised a broad smile. I will be the one. The Three will come. The Seer, Warrior and Healer called by the Mistress of the Moons will bring change to Nilos. The midwives would regain their proper position in Nilos. Once again, they will be called Healwomen. A new hodara would be built.

She rose and crossed the road to the wall surrounding the house where she lived with the other women considered mere midwives. Moments later, she opened the beaded curtain and entered her office.

Plans to make. Three young women, each to birth a girl, must be found. Her eyes closed as she thought of the women living in this house and the few assigned to the highlands.

Not many young women sought to join the midwives. Most were middle-aged. Of the five who were of a good age to bear a child one had just joined, two had nearly completed their training and two were poor choices. Finding a willing man for them would mean coins they didn’t have.

For the fathers, young men would be best. They must possess good blood lines. Most under consideration were priests of Midran. One of that ilk was her son. Though he was a few years older than the others, his lines were pure. The daughter to come would be of her heritage, making her failure less. Tomorrow she would begin to implement her plan.

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Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Nilos Healwomen #MFRWHooks #BWLAuthor #romancy #fantasy #swords #sorcery

Join the authors at #MFRWHooks http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com for some great excerpts. Mine is found at https://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com and is from Nilos

Blurb:

Return to the world where Midra and Midran rule. The god and goddess have two faces. Midra is Mistrees on the Moon and also Mistress of the Dark. Midran is Lord of light and Lord of shadows. Rons ago, the Three and Three rose, Seer, Warrior, Healer defeated the Lord of Shadows, though remnants of his worshipers remain. As generations pass in the four nomes of the land only a few remain to honor the Mistress. Once again the followers of Midran prevail, leaving trouble to roil beneath the surface. Prophecies abound and many point to change. Will the Three and Three come again?

In Nilos, Healwomen have become only midwives. Their hodara lies in ruins on the bank of the Nilos River in the city of Memphos. Only a few women come for training and remain in the city. Others serve in the highlands and on the desert. The Eldest, she who rules the midwives, sets upon a scheme fo bring the Three to life and to rule the nome.

What will happen when the Eldest sets her plan into action? Will there be just three women or will they find their opposites becoming the fabled Three and Three? Who will rule the changes to come?

Diane Scott Lewis

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2021

EXCERPT:

The Eldest, ruler of the midwives, entered the ruined remains of the hodara. Once the Healwomen, Sworn to Midra, Mistress of the Moons, resided here. People from the nome had come here to seek healing. She reached the banks of the Nilos River. The churning waters of the life-bringer rushed toward the sea. Anger roiled her thoughts. Her hands clenched.

Why had the Healwomen lost their standing in the land? Once they had walked hand in hand with the priests of Midran. Her gut churned with desire, not to stand with the priests but to rule over them.

I am a Healwoman. Those words rang loud in her thoughts. Though the title remained an empty promise, she vowed to find a way. The few women who entered had dwindled. Those who had once dwelled in the House of Healing had been relegated to the status of midwives. Where they once had been considered vital to the land their reputation lay in tatters.

She moved away from the edge of the river and reached a deep depression where chunks of stone had been ripped away and carried to the city. Much of the newer buildings in Memphos had been made from the granite of the hodara. Where she stood had once been the healing pool. The ill and injured had come to bathe in the warm water before entering one of the Halls to be treated by the Senior Healwomen. She should have been one of them.

After finding a place to sit, she read the words. The Three…Seer, Warrior, Healer…come again…unite with.

She rose and crossed the road to the wall surrounding the house where she lived with the other women considered mere midwives. Moments later, she opened the beaded curtain and entered her office.

Plans to make. Three young women, each to birth a girl, must be found. Her eyes closed as she thought of the women living in this house and the few assigned to the highlands.

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Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Healwoman Mabe #MFRWHooks #BWLAuthor #fantasy #romantasy #romance #swords #sorcery

Join the authors at #MFRWHooks here http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com for some great excerpts. Mine is found at https://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com andis from Healwoman Book 2 of Moon Rising

BLURB:

Born under a dark moon, Norna has to battle rumors that she is tainted by evil and unworthy of being anything more than a servant. Discarded by her mother, she runs away from her aunt, a priestess who wants her to enter the temple.
Instead, Norna chooses to be a Healwoman, and a chance encounter with a novice hoping to be a priest helps her discover she has talents of water, air and fire at her disposal. With these gifts she is called on to battle treachery and attempts to prevent the promised prophecy of the god and goddess. As she battles evil powers, she loses her heart to Shandor, the man she met when her journey first began. She must come to grips with Britha who plots against her. Shandor has his own enemy Vorgan. When the pair of foes unite, the battles begin.

Nyssa Mallorie

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2014

Very well written and the story was good

Top reviews from other countries

Rosemary Morris

Enthralling Fantasy Fiction Page Turner

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 22, 2018

I enjoy well-written fantasy fiction. Ms Lane Walters’ novel Healwoman is a delight. It is one of the best ones I have read for some time. It contains ingredients necessary for this genre, quests and magic. This talented author has created a believable world on the brink of disaster, full of tension, conflict, love and lust, goodness and romance. Healwoman is a page turner which I stayed up to read too late at night. I look forward to reading more of Ms Lane Walter’s novels.

Susan Lloyd

Brilliant read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2014

At the beginning I wasn't sure why I had downloaded this book to be honest. I found it hard going but once I got into it....found it hard to put down! in fact I was late for work this morning as I wanted to finish it lol. Will download the others in the series :-)

honey monster

Give it a chance

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2014

I agree takes a little getting into but once you have got into the characters and got your head round the story its well worth it. I found it an enthralling different type of story that I thoroughly enjoyed - well worth sticking with it, would have loved more.

EXCERPT:

The Hodara of Healing in Bethsada

Mabe sat on one of the stone benches in the Grotto. The Eldest had called her here and she didn’t know why. She didn’t think she had done anything to deserve a judging, but why else would the god and goddess want her presence? Soon, the moon would rise and she would dip her hands in the chill waters of the crater lake. Midra and Midran would speak. The only time she had heard their voices had been the night she’d finished her training and had been accepted as a Healwoman. She rubbed her hands along her arms.

The Eldest touched her shoulder. “The time is near. There are things I must tell you.”

“Are you sure ’tis me they want?”

“You are part of their plans for the future.” The old woman smiled. “In the days of yore, the Three of Midra--Seer, Warrior, Healer--united with their mates. Together they defeated those who embraced the dark faces of Midra and Midran. For a time, the priestesses and priests who served the god and goddess walked in the light and brought miracles to the land. But as time rolled on its circular path, what was once came again. The dark face of Midra enthralled the priestesses. They turned from the light. Then the power of the goddess faltered. Midran drew his priests into the shadows. Still, what was will come again.”

Mabe nodded. She’d read the old tales kept in the archives. She had found them fascinating, but were they true? They told of the days when the face of the goddess had darkened. ’Twas then the Healwomen had walked away from the temples to found their own place. In the years that followed, the temples had ruled and men had little power in ruling any of the four divisions of the land now known as nomes. Gradually, the priests of Midran had gained strength, first in the light. Then they had embraced the dark face of the god.

She glanced at the dome over the cavern. Rays of moonlight shone through the four crescent shaped holes, one for each nome. Keltoi, Sippal, Nilos and Incal. Bands of color--red, yellow, blue and white--spread across the water. The arrival of the colors never failed to startle and amaze Mabe. What caused them to appear? She turned to the Eldest. “What do the legends have to do with me?”

“One will come from Keltoi. She is a daughter of this nome. Her lineage rises from the Seer, the Warrior, the Healer and their spouses. She will have four talents and will be the gleaner who finds the Four and Four. One pair for each nome. They will bring light from darkness. You will seek and find her. Bring her to Bethsada so she can enter the hodara and learn.”

Mabe nodded and accepted the task. She felt both humbled and excited to be chosen. “When do I leave?”

The Eldest rose. “The god and goddess will tell you when.” She placed her hands on Mabe’s head. “Seek their blessing. Their commands are for you alone.”

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