Today I have the pleasure of welcoming Danielle Ackley-McPhail to my blog…
Price: $15.95
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 169,000 words
Tomorrow’s Memories: Book Two in The Eternal Cycle Series
Danielle Ackley-McPhail
Havoc… Destruction… Revenge…
With triumph heavy on their hearts, Kara O’Keefe and the survivors from the battle atop Yesterday’s Dreams rush to Ireland and TÃr na nÓg, carrying with them a weapon feared by gods and men. There they seek solace and healing for their warriors, and a miracle for Patrick, Kara’s father, mortally wounded in the battle.
What they find is a siege of ancient enemies. Carmán’s children have returned, united with a foe from the very dawn of the Tuatha de Danaan. Their combined forces threaten to be more than the immortal Sidhe and their human allies can combat.
Still coming to grips with her magical heritage, Kara must once more face ultimate evil and help to save the immortal bloodline from which she is descended.
Tell us a little about your story.
Tomorrow’s Memories is a continuation of the story arc from Yesterday’s Dreams, my first novel. An ancient evil from Ireland’s past resurfaces. Once again it strikes out to destroy the Sidhe and Kara O’Keefe, a first generation Irish-American, comes to the attention of both the good and evil forces in this battle. She is gifted, but untried. In Tomorrow’s Memories she is on a journey of self-discovery. She will be tested, and be stronger for it, but good doesn’t always win…sometimes it just holds its own.
What is it you relate to most with your heroine or hero?
What do you like about them most? Kara O’Keefe is a fighter; she never gives up and is always trying to figure out how to make things work even when it looks impossible that they ever will. That is the trait that is most like an aspect of myself. Other than that, she’s pretty much her own person.
How did you get started in writing?
I’ve always had way too much imagination for my own good. In school it just naturally seemed to gravitate toward the written word. Not surprising, actually, as I’ve always been a voracious reader, and usually found myself dissatisfied when the stories ended before I was ready for them to. I did a lot of continuations in my head. The original authors probably would have been either amused or horrified by some of what their characters went through when they were done with them.
What’s your schedule like, and what do you enjoy doing in your time off?
Goodness, between work, writing, and promoting books…I don’t have much time off, really. I like to watch movies with my husband on the rare occasion I’m not working on a project, and sometimes I do crafts while I hold a DVD marathon.
Where can readers find out more about your stories?
http://www.sidhenadaire.com
Sneak peek:
Quicksilver wailed and trilled, the notes spiraling up and around until Kara felt herself in the midst of a whirlwind. She was the calm at the eye of the storm, unfeeling, distant, pushed so far by the evening’s events that she needed to stand apart, by herself for this one moment. There was only her, the music, and the vibrant energy building, charging the air itself as she played. And yet, some part of her felt a deep, constant tug, as the strands of what she called to her were gathered up by another and harnessed to their intended purpose. The air on the rooftop grew misty, softening the signs of battle that were everywhere. Something akin to a breeze delicately caressed the skin of her cheek; a gentle, accepting touch at odds with the barely controlled tempest she knew surrounded her.
“Enough, Kara,†The words were distant, foreign; they had nothing to do with her. The concept of Kara was becoming more and more disassociated from the musical lightning rod that stood on top of Yesterday’s Dreams. A stinging slap drew her sharply back into herself, anchoring her once again to her humanity. Anger replaced languor as her eyes remembered the art of focusing. She had not wanted to return to the restrictive envelope of her skin, let alone in so harsh a way.
Glaring into unfamiliar eyes filled with such an ancient understanding that they could only be Sidhe, it was a good thing that Kara’s clenched fists were severely occupied, one hand being still locked around the neck of Quicksilver and the other clutching her bow.
“Enough, leanbh, else the power ye draw t’ye will shred the very clouds we seek to call…an’ ye with them.†She didn’t know his name, but, despite his spiked, metallic blue hair, this strange Sidhe vaguely reminded her of Grandda…and Papa.
As his words reached her buried awareness, the trembling started. It quickly built up from the tiniest muscle quiver beneath the surface of her skin, to seismic proportions reaching down to her very depths, nearly akin to a seizure. Kara’s knees buckled, and she could not convince even herself that it was the late hour that dimmed her vision, and not some flood of reality. If not for the obsessive grip she had on her instrument, it would have been dashed upon the roof as she crumbled.
“Shhhhh…shhh…’tis well ye’ve done, lass. Time to rest.â€
Kara found herself–Quicksilver and all–scooped up like a sleepy child being carried off to bed. She twitched in the elf’s arms, and feebly protested his officiousness, but he continued on without even tightening his grip. As he slowed to a stop, Kara muttered and moaned, so weary she ached. In her entire life, had she ever felt this drained? She did even not have time to wonder if the phrase “dead tired†applied, before some other hand reached out and smoothed her hair away from her forehead. Kara was too far gone to even wonder who it was, but as a familiar hum calmed her tremors and beckoned her to sleep, she felt she knew.
