Hello! My name is Melissa Snark, and I'm a fantasy
and romance author. If I could have a moment of your time, I'd like to ask for
your help as a reader. Please consider nominating my Norse folklore fantasy
novel Battle Cry on Kindle Scout.
Amazon's new publishing program is called Kindle Scout, an innovative platform
that provides readers with a sneak peek at unreleased books as well as the
opportunity to have a say in what gets chosen. The timing of Scout was amazing.
The announcement came just as I neared completion of my novel. The terms being
offered are attractive. As a publisher, Amazon has as much clout as one of the
traditional publishers. This simply seemed like too good of an opportunity to
pass on, so I submitted Battle Cry for
consideration.
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BATTLE
CRY
Book #2 in the
Loki's Wolves series
Melissa Snark
Genre: Norse
folklore fantasy
Number of
pages: 375 approx.
Word Count:
95,000
Cover Artist:
Farah Evers
Tags:
#Fantasy #Amreading #Kindle @MelissaSnark
Logline:
One man dares defy Fate.
Survival
demands sacrifices; healing requires forgiveness.
Men revere him; monsters fear him. Jake Barrett,
the notorious Hunter King, values loyalty to family and followers above all
else. When the daughter of his closest ally murders Daniel, his oldest son, it
sets off a chain reaction of violence and destruction that claims the lives of
both wolves and hunters. Determined to avenge his son, Jake seeks the truth at
any cost.
After losing her lover and then her mate, Victoria
Storm simply wants to get on with building a new life in Sierra Pines,
California. A vengeful Jake Barrett and his organization aren't going to make
that easy, especially with the unwelcome attraction between her and the Hunter
King's second son. Perils beyond the mortal coil plague Victoria.
When the Norse Fates predict Victoria will destroy
the world, her duties as a priestess of Freya come into conflict with her
responsibilities as a Valkyrie of Odin. When they tell her she will do it to
save her unborn child, she's not so sure they are wrong.
Sawyer Barrett has been trying to kill Victoria for
so long, he doesn't know whether he loves her or hates her. Desperate to end
the war, he's willing to take chances with everything–except his heart. The
hunter harbors a deadly secret he can't reveal without risking the ceasefire
and his life.
At Sawyer's urging, Victoria agrees to peace talks
with Jake. All the while, an ancient vampire plots the destruction of wolves
and hunters alike. If the embittered rivalry between hunters and wolves doesn't
end—and fast—there is no hope for Victoria's pack... or for their world.
Attribution:
Norns weaving destiny, by Arthur Rackham (1912). Public domain.
Excerpt
(PG)
There
stands an ash called Yggdrasil,
A
mighty tree showered in hail.
Thence
come the dews that fall in the vales.
It
stands evergreen 'bove Urd's Well.
From
there come women, very wise,
Three
from the lake that stands 'neath the pole.
One
is called Urðr, another Verðandi,
Skuld
the third; they carve into the tree,
Each
child's life and destiny.
~Völuspá or "The Insight of the
Seeress", Poetic Edda
Urd's
Well at the roots of the World Tree
The white wolf ran along the trunk of the great ash
tree. Her claws dug into the silvery bark while she descended the trunk toward
the bottom of the Nine Worlds. Thick gnarled roots radiated from the tree's
immense base and then grew thinner. Just beyond, the dark waters of the Well of
Urd formed a vast lake spread outward into eternity.
There, destiny awaited: her future and her unborn
child's.
Upon reaching the sandy soil, Victoria shifted from
her wolf to her human form and walked naked to join the Norns gathered about
the shallow shore. The Norns, the Sisters Wyrd, personified Fate.
One a maiden, one mature, the last a crone: Verðandi,
Skuld, and Urðr.
At the
lakeshore of the Well, the three sisters filled crude wooden bowls with water
that nurtured the tree. The youngest sister, the beautiful maiden Verðandi who
personified the Present, smiled in greeting. "You visit us again, Victoria
Storm."
"As you predicted I would." Victoria
spoke with deference. She sought guidance from the Norns and needed to curry
their favor.
Skuld, an imposing woman in her middle years and
the Future incarnation, labored in ominous silence beside her older sister,
Urðr, a gnarled old woman and the Past aspect of Fate.
Without a word, wizened Urðr thrust the bowl she
gripped in her bony fingers into Victoria's hands. The vessel, hewn from
weathered gray wood, had shallow sides and a broad, flat bottom. Securing a
firm hold, Victoria stepped into the lake and grimaced when the frigid cold bit
into her flesh. She placed the lip of the bowl to the water and then filled the
container to the brim.
Old Urðr said, "The man you loved has
died."
Victoria winced. "Yes."
Verðandi's tone softened. "His soul is
tormented."
Victoria's foot snagged on a stone, and she
stumbled. Water sloshed over the brim and doused her hands. She lost half the
contents of the container before she recovered her balance. Her throat worked
in a convulsive swallow. "No, you're mistaken. I was there when he died. I
saw Daniel's soul cross over."
"I am not mistaken," Verðandi said with
genuine sorrow. The youngest Norn stepped away.
Mouth open, Victoria rushed after her, determined
to demand the Present Fate provide her with a satisfactory explanation, but the
old woman got in her way.
Urðr's lips pulled thin over cracked and yellowed
teeth, an expression more grimace than grin. "Your mate has also died, as
have so many others. You leave a trail of death in your wake."
"Also true." Grinding her teeth, Victoria
followed the Norns to the base of the tree. She walked slowly, placing each
step with precision, taking care not to spill another drop.
The three sisters each took a turn watering the
roots of the tree. Verðandi acted first, followed by the silent Skuld, and
finally Urðr. The eldest persisted in taunting Victoria. "Your love and
your mate were not the same man."
Scowling, Victoria bent and poured water on a root
until her bowl was empty.
"The past is the past. There is nothing I can
do to alter it," she said with determined pragmatism. "I've come to
see you because I am pregnant."
Youthful Verðandi clicked her tongue against the
roof of her mouth. "You doubt yourself. You drown in sorrow and
anger."
Ancient Urðr cackled.
"True enough." Victoria bobbed her head
once. Her temper roiled beneath ironclad self-control. She had no patience for
delays, no use for games. She wanted answers.
Shade enshrouded Skuld, and her voice manifested
upon the air, thick and oppressive, closing in from all sides. "Your
daughter will not grow to adulthood in Midgard."
Victoria's heart slammed against her breastbone.
Her breath expelled in a horrified gust. The bowl dropped from her hands and
flew to protect her abdomen. "What do you mean?"
"Your daughter will be taken from you on the
eve of her third birthday," Skuld said. "The one you trust most, a
member of your own pack, will give the child over to your greatest enemy."
A growl trembled in Victoria's throat, and her
entire body shook under the dual assault of fear and rage. The suggestion of
betrayal from within her own pack filled her with disbelief to the core of her
being. It was unthinkable. Gritting her teeth, she sought a solution, refusing
to dwell on it. "How am I to prevent this?"
"We speak of what will come to pass,"
Verðandi said in a sympathetic tone.
"Your predictions are not carved in
stone," Victoria said. Arguing with Fate was a foolish endeavor, but she
refused to accept their prophecy.
The old woman, Urðr, smiled with a frightening
gleam in her eyes. "Predictions, carved into the trunk of the World Tree,
carved into the spiritual fabric of the world."
Stubborn determination settled over Victoria like
armor. Her mother had taught her there was no absolute fate, just as there was
no absolute free will. Life consisted of a wide range of possibilities between
the two extremes. She refused to allow her daughter to die at three years of
age.
She would move worlds, alter fate, slay gods.
Whatever it took.
"Do you wish to save your child?" Skuld
asked.
Victoria answered without thought. "Yes. I'll
do anything. Tell me. Please."
"The final days are upon us," Verðandi
said.
Skuld took over speaking. "To save your
daughter, you will side with Loki against the Aesir. You will use your
enchanted dagger to cut the binding of the great wolf Fenrir. You will be
responsible for freeing the beast that kills Odin."
Victoria's stomach turned. Her head shook in
automatic denial. "When the gods imprisoned Fenrir, my people pledged
fealty to the Aesir. We have served them loyally ever since. Even when we were
driven from the homeland, almost a millennium ago, we remained faithful. I will
never cut Fenrir's bonds. To do so would end the world we live in and doom us
all."
Skuld's gaze held steady. "You will."
Victoria snarled her denial. "No. I will never
become the servant of the Trickster or willingly take part in bringing about
Odin's death."
Skuld turned her head and pinned Victoria with one
black eye that rolled in its socket like a liquid marble. "To save your
daughter, you will."
The God of the Hunt by Melissa Snark
Although Odin is known by
many names around the world, this chief among Norse gods who could appear as
wind came to be known as the god of the hunt. Not only was he a fierce and wise
battle god who would collect the souls of the dead from the field of battle,
but these souls would later form the host that rode behind him during the hunt.
Galloping through the skies on his eight-legged horse Sleipnir, Odin’s hunt was
a truly fearsome sight to behold.
Odin’s Hunt was also known as
Asgardreia, the Raging Host, the Wild Ride and the Wild Hunt. In his role as leader
and god of the hunt, Odin was known as the Wild Huntsman. The appearance of the
Wild Huntsman and his host in the sky was generally accompanied by a strong
storm conditions, including fierce wind, crashing thunder and bright bursts of
lightning.
While Odin’s exact prey is
seldom mentioned, though some believe it to be a young woman who may or may not
have committed a crime, the appearance of the Wild Huntsman is believed to be a
presage to hardship and turmoil. Even when the hunt is a symbol of changing
weather in the region, war and unrest were typically sure to follow.
When Odin’s ghostly host
appeared on the ground, misfortune and death could befall those who witnessed
their passing. In fact, anyone who witnessed Odin on the hunt and attempted to
mock it or stop it could have their soul swept away to become a permanent part
of the hunting party as punishment. Something as simple as building a home on
an old road once used by Odin during a previous hunt could result in the
misfortune of a fire burning down the home during the hunt’s next trip through
the area.
In order to avoid the
ill-omen of seeing the hunting party, people stayed inside with locked doors as
much as possible during the Yule season, as that was when dead souls were most
likely to return as part of Odin’s host. The people who did venture outside
were warned that feeling a wind that didn’t move the trees, followed by the
barking of dogs would precede the appearance of the Wild Huntsman and the souls
he’d claimed swooping down from the sky with fire and fury.
Not all who encountered
Odin’s Hunt were doomed to die or spend eternity as part of the Raging Host.
Instead, those who offered their assistance with the hunt in earnest were
allowed to live, often with a reward. Some would receive silver and gold for
their service to the Norse god. Others would receive a cursed leg of a slain
animal that they could only get rid of by seeking the help of a magician or
priest. For those wise enough to ask Odin’s huntsmen for something they could
not provide – like salt – they could usually force the hunting party to take
back the cursed object without having to turn to anyone else for help.
Fast Facts About Melissa Snark:
- Melissa
Snark is published with The Wild Rose Press & as an Indie author with five
unique titles: A CAT'S TALE, THE MATING GAME, LEARNING TO FLY, THE CHILD THIEF,
and HUNGER MOON.
- Her
Loki's Wolves series includes THE CHILD THIEF, HUNGER MOON and BATTLE CRY.
- She
lives in the San Francisco bay area with her husband, three children and a
glaring of cats.
- She
is a professional cat herder and unrepentant satirist who blogs about books and
writing on The Snarkology.
Connect
with Melissa Snark:
Email: melissasnark at gmail.com
Battle
Cry Kindle Scout Giveaway
- Nordic
Lights Jewels of the Moon Pendant Amulet Talisman for Psychic Ability by
Maelstrom Odssonn
- (3)
Signed Paperbacks of HUNGER MOON
- (2) $10
Gift Cards to Amazon
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The Academy: Thief
