{"id":2019,"date":"2016-12-16T15:55:30","date_gmt":"2016-12-16T15:55:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tamaragranthambooks.com\/?p=2019"},"modified":"2016-12-16T15:55:30","modified_gmt":"2016-12-16T15:55:30","slug":"whats-the-secret-of-heidels-story-and-an-excerpt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/whats-the-secret-of-heidels-story-and-an-excerpt\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s the Secret of Heidel’s Story? And an EXCERPT!"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>Want to know what secret I’ve been keeping? It may be hidden in Heidel’s Story…<\/p>\n

I know I’ve been pretty quiet about Goblinwraith (Heidel’s Story) but there is a reason. When I was writing Silverwitch, I came to a point where Heidel set off on her own quest for a section of the book, but including it in Silverwitch didn’t make sense. It was too long of a scene, and Silverwitch was already my longest book I’ve written so far.<\/p>\n

When my publisher, Clean Teen, announced that they were doing a travel romance anthology, I thought maybe I could include Heidel’s story in it. So, when my family and I took a vacation to Colorado last spring, I stared writing it.<\/p>\n

I wrote the whole novella in a whirlwind of writing frenzy, and I did very little outlining, which is rare for me. It also meant I had a LOT of rewriting to do after I’d finished. But I did finish it and I liked the story, however, I had a hard time selling it as a travel romance, so we decided to make it a companion novella instead. I think it was a good decision, but I’ll let you all be the judge when it comes out next Friday.<\/p>\n

Goblinwraith reveals some important aspects of Heidel’s character that we’ve never really seen before. I also introduce a new love interest, which was a chore, as finding anyone Heidel tolerates wasn’t easy.<\/p>\n

I would also like to remind readers to keep an eye out for certain Easter eggs I planted throughout Heidel’s story, which may reveal a thing or two pertaining to the rest of the series. I will say no more than that, except perhaps that’s why I haven’t said a whole lot about it.<\/p>\n

My publisher originally wanted to release Heidel’s Story before Silverwitch, but after considering the plot aspects revealed in the novella, I decided it would be best to wait until after Silverwitch’s release.<\/p>\n

Needless to say, I am pretty freaking excited about the release of both of these books, as I feel they really move the story forward in the Faythander universe. While writing these books, I learned a lot about myself as well as my characters, and I think everyone, including me, has grown quite a bit.<\/p>\n

To pre-order your eBook of Goblinwraith, releasing December 23…<\/p>\n

>>>CLICK HERE<<<<\/a><\/p>\n

And now, what you’ve all been waiting for, that excerpt\u00a0I promised!<\/p>\n

From Goblinwraith:<\/em><\/a><\/strong> Heidel’s Story<\/em>:<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a>I only fear one thing.<\/em><\/p>\n

Being tortured, starved, beaten, burned, and left for dead should have broken me. Instead, I became stronger. I no longer fear those things. Not anymore.<\/em><\/p>\n

I only fear one thing.<\/em><\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

The mountaintop\u2019s icy wind chapped my skin as I stabbed my knife through the wraith\u2019s hide. Blood spattered on my breastplate. Again?<\/em> Did this creature have any idea how long it took to polish silver? The monster spun around with my blade embedded in its back and snapped at my face, making me jump back, slip on the frozen pond, and land on my backside.<\/p>\n

This was not my best day.<\/p>\n

I grabbed my blade\u2019s hilt as the wraith whipped around once more, but my blood-slicked fingers slipped, and I lost my grasp. The wraith, covered in flaking, reptilian skin, laughed\u2014a rattling sound that made my skin crawl.<\/p>\n

Its face was a meld of reptile and human; its lower jaw was elongated with protruding fangs, which reminded me more of a goblin. The creature fought like a demon, using a magical knife that burned when it touched my skin.<\/p>\n

It lunged for me and I darted back, this time managing to stay upright. I pulled the small knife from my boot and hurled it at the creature\u2019s neck. The knife flew with swift accuracy and embedded itself deep in the wraith\u2019s flesh. The beast\u2019s scream ripped through the air, yet the wraith still rushed toward me.<\/p>\n

Stupid beast. Why wouldn\u2019t it just die already?<\/p>\n

With one knife in its back and another in its neck, I was losing weapons fast.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaveryck,\u201d I yelled at the man fighting alongside me. \u201cI need a weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maveryck fought two beasts at once. He was a professional thief, not a fighter, which made me wonder how he\u2019d managed not to die yet. It helped that he wielded a magical staff with ridiculous amounts of power. Gripping the staff tight, he knocked both of the monsters back, but one of the beasts grabbed him and pulled him to the ground.<\/p>\n

Wrestling the beast away from the staff, he darted a glance at me. \u201cCan\u2019t you see I\u2019m busy? What happened to all your weapons?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re stuck in the monster\u2019s hide.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen pull them out!\u201d<\/p>\n

I growled under my breath. He was useless. Had I been fighting alongside my brother, we\u2019d have killed the monsters hours ago and been drinking mead by the fire.<\/p>\n

The beast, still pierced with my knives, loped toward me with an unsteady gait.<\/p>\n

I was done with this dance.<\/p>\n

Spinning around, I kicked the monster flat on its back, jumped on top of the beast, and planted my knee in its solar plexus. Its filmy yellow eyes bulged as I ripped my knife from its throat, and then I made quick work of cutting through skin and tissue and severing its life\u2019s vein.<\/p>\n

Its death came quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeidel<\/em>,\u201d Maveryck screamed. The only remaining creature pinned Maveryck to the ground, the staff between them as the monster tried prying it from the thief\u2019s grasp. The runes etched into the wood glowed a faint bluish color as I approached. Was it normal for the staff to react in such a way?<\/p>\n

\u201cHeidel, get back<\/em>,\u201d Maveryck yelled.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet back? I thought you needed my help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo! Get back!\u201d<\/p>\n

I clenched my fists, the knife\u2019s hilt warm in my hands. The wraith moved its hands from the staff and gripped Maveryck around the neck, choking him.<\/p>\n

Although I was tempted do as Maveryck said and back away, I also knew he would die if I didn\u2019t come to his aid, so I ignored him and rushed forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you doing? Get\u2026 into the forest!\u201d Maveryck choked.<\/p>\n

The staff glowed brighter. Its light pierced through the dark evening, making me shield my eyes. The sound of cracking ice echoed through the forest as a fissure opened in the frozen pond beneath us. I fell, but I managed to crawl to my knees.<\/p>\n

Maveryck lost his grip on the staff as he pried the monster\u2019s hands away from his neck. Ice broke apart, spraying freezing water into the air. The staff rolled over the ice toward me, its magical glow reflecting against the surface.<\/p>\n

I crawled away from the staff, but its magic made a loud roaring wind fill the air. The world became a blur of swirling colors as the feel of the freezing ice beneath my hands disappeared.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaveryck,\u201d I called, but I barely heard my own voice over the wind. My stomach lurched. I felt as if my body were flying. I knew this sensation\u2014I\u2019d experienced it before. The staff had opened a portal, and we\u2019d been caught in it.<\/p>\n

The screaming wind drowned out any other sounds. I wanted to clamp my hands over my ears but had no control over my body. I floated, weightless in an immense void, as my body was transported from one world to another.<\/p>\n

Panicking, I felt the magic surrounding me. I\u2019d never liked magic. It was too uncontrollable, too powerful. Slowly, the swirling void faded and the howling wind died as I landed in a heap on a stone floor. I sat up and opened my eyes, but dizziness made me close them again. My head throbbed, so I took several deep breaths as I waited for the lightheadedness to go away. When I opened my eyes again, I was at least able to focus without feeling as if I would faint.<\/p>\n

Sounds of scuffling came from behind me.<\/p>\n

I turned to find Maveryck passed out on the floor, blood smeared on his face and chest. A creature resembling the wraith crouched over the thief. Crossing from one world to another must have changed the monster\u2019s appearance. Without its snout and reptilian scales, it now looked more human than animal, though its skin and hair were still dingy white, and its eyes still shone a pale shade of yellow. As the creature stood straight, I got the impression that the crossing had changed more than just its appearance. Intelligence glinted in its eyes as it clutched Maveryck\u2019s staff to its chest. I could no longer think of this being as merely a monster. Although still an abomination, now, it\u2014he<\/em>\u2014seemed human.<\/p>\n

\u201cGive the staff to me,\u201d I demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt belongs to the silverwitch,\u201d he hissed. \u201cI shall take this back to her, and then she will kill you both!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGive it to me!\u201d I rushed at him, knife raised, intent on slaying him the same way I\u2019d killed his companion, but as soon as I reached him, the staff reignited with blinding light, making me falter.<\/p>\n

I stumbled back, tripped over Maveryck\u2019s body, and then for the third time in one day, fell unceremoniously on my backside.<\/p>\n

Enveloped in the swirling magic, the wraith disappeared along with the staff.<\/p>\n

I cursed, my voice echoing off the walls, and then I threw my knife across the room. It landed with a clatter that could\u2019ve woken the dead. As I stared around the chamber, chills crept up my spine. Dim light shone from bulbs in the ceiling, illuminating the walls, which were composed of human skeletal remains\u2014neatly stacked\u2014as if they were bricks. While some rows were made of leg bones, the middle and topmost rows were built with skulls.<\/p>\n

What sort of forsaken country had I come to?<\/p>\n

Maveryck stirred, placing a hand on his forehead where blood matted his long brown hair. Anger sparked inside me as he rose onto his elbows. He\u2019d gotten me into this mess. If he\u2019d done his job and stolen the staff like a proper thief, we wouldn\u2019t be in this situation. As it was, we were stuck in this awful dungeon, and the staff was gone.<\/p>\n

It took a great deal of self-control not to slap him as he focused on me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2026 is the staff?\u201d he asked, his voice a hoarse whisper.<\/p>\n

\u201cGone,\u201d I answered as I crossed my arms, hoping he saw my displeasure. \u201cThe beast took it and disappeared. Our quest to retrieve the staff has failed.\u201d<\/p>\n

He exhaled a long sigh as he rubbed his forehead. \u201cWhere are we?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

He glanced around the room, his face revealing no emotion as he stared at the human remains stacked in neat rows along the walls, and then he looked at the strange bulbs glowing overhead. \u201cWe are in Earth Kingdom, most likely,\u201d he said. \u201cWhere is Grace?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour wolf? She was on land when I last saw her. I doubt she made it through the portal.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sighed. \u201cI\u2019m sure she is fine,\u201d he mumbled to himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you well enough to walk?\u201d I asked. \u201cWe\u2019ll have to escape this place and then somehow find the staff, if that\u2019s at all possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked at me, his eyes dark and brooding. Maveryck was a man I did not understand. He had too many secrets and he wielded magic\u2014in my experience, those two traits created a deadly combination. Despite being handpicked by the sky king to retrieve the lost staff, he\u2019d proven himself to be a poor thief. He was also far too pretty to be a practical fighter\u2014his eyes were a deep silver with flecks of amethyst, and his full, seductive lips seemed to hold back a secret. While his appearance was almost pretty, he was also entirely male, and I had no doubt he could fight if he put in the effort, which he didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Although his ears looked human, he had the appearance of elven royalty with his squared jaw and high cheekbones. His refined clothing with jewels on his cuffs and collar, coupled with his long locks of dark hair and flawless, bronzed skin, made his pretty appearance borderline gorgeous.<\/p>\n

\u201cI blame this on you, thief.\u201d I thrust my finger in his chest. \u201cIf you\u2019d performed as the professional you claim to be, we wouldn\u2019t be in this situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMight I remind you that I stole the staff without a single mishap? It wasn\u2019t until we escaped the silverwitch\u2019s castle that we were attacked. Truthfully, we\u2019re lucky to be alive. Most who encounter a transformed goblin wraith don\u2019t escape with their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI fail to see how we\u2019re lucky. We\u2019re trapped in an unfamiliar world with no way of returning home. The staff is gone, and I have a suspicion that if we find it, we will not live long enough to return it to the sky king.\u201d<\/p>\n

He gave me a condescending smile. \u201cPerhaps you<\/em> will not live long enough,\u201d he said as he stood, and without further explanation, he limped away from me and down a narrow hallway. I hesitated before following him. Navigating alone through a tomb like this would be suicide, so I reluctantly trailed him, barely keeping my temper in check.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d I demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo find a way out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat then?\u201d I asked. \u201cWhere will we go? How will we find the staff? How will we return home? Have you the magic to create portals?\u201d<\/p>\n

He rounded on me, his jaw clenched. \u201cFirst, and listen very clearly, I\u2019m not in the habit of answering questions\u2014not from you or anyone else. Second, I\u2019m not your friend, nor am I trying to help you. For the time being, we share the same goal, so I will work with you in order to bring the staff back. After that, our partnership will be dissolved. I\u2019ve never lost an object before, and it won\u2019t happen now. If you impede me in any way, I will aid you no more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you forgotten who my brother is? Should you return to Faythander without me, what do you think the king will do to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou might care when you\u2019re rotting in the Wult dungeons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI doubt he would throw me in the dungeons for leaving you. In all honesty, I believe he would reward me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now he\u2019d pushed too far. I\u2019d had an ill feeling about this man from the moment I\u2019d met him, and I would tolerate his superior attitude no more. I shoved him against the wall, pressing the weight of my body against him, making the stacks of skeletal remains rattle behind us.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnough,\u201d I hissed. \u201cI will not tolerate being spoken to in such a manner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of shying away as I expected, he clamped my wrists in his hands. He used no magic, but the calculated look he gave me sent shivers down my spine. \u201cAnd I,\u201d he said, \u201cwill also not tolerate being spoken to in such a manner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fear made my heart beat wildly. Who is this man? <\/em>It was at that moment I realized how very little I knew about him. Where did he come from? Where did he live? Who were his kin? His gaze locked with mine, and sparks of purple danced in the gray of his irises. I knew he possessed magic, but he\u2019d led me to believe his powers were limited. Had he lied?<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are you?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one important.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re sure about that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

I wished my brother Kull were here. He had an uncanny ability to see through lies, a talent that would have been extremely useful.<\/p>\n

\u201cArguing will get us nowhere,\u201d Maveryck said, finally breaking away from my gaze. \u201cNow, will you please release me so we can find a way out of this place?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know how to get out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI might\u2026 if I had the ability to walk.\u201d<\/p>\n

I kept him pinned to the wall a moment longer, not trusting him but unsure what to do about it. Finally, I backed away.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d he said, straightening his tunic as he walked away.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t get comfortable.\u201d I retrieved my knife from its spot on the floor before following him through the narrow tunnels.<\/p>\n

Want to know what happens next? Be sure to pre-order now!<\/p>\n

\n

>>>CLICK HERE<<<<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

to grab your eBook!<\/p>\n

Live long and dream on!<\/p>\n

-Tamara<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Want to know what secret I’ve been keeping? It may be hidden in Heidel’s Story… I know I’ve been pretty quiet about Goblinwraith (Heidel’s Story) but there is a reason. When I was writing Silverwitch, I came to a point where Heidel set off on her own quest for a section of the book, but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1973,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[52,24,117,27,68,151,152,154,130,153],"class_list":["post-2019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-releases","tag-amreading","tag-amwriting","tag-books","tag-fairyworldmd","tag-excerpt","tag-goblinwraith","tag-heidels-story","tag-indie-author","tag-new-release","tag-release-day"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2019"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2019\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2023,"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2019\/revisions\/2023"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}