Guest Author TJ Therien


TJ Therien

Let’s find out more about TJ.



1) Where is your home town?




3) What made you choose to write a fantasy book?










8) What is a Drider?







Links to Blogs

Links to Book

scrolls fFINAL 3

Thank you TJ and good luck with the next book.

The Scrolls Of Scion:The Dark Queen Rising by TJ Therien

scrolls fFINAL 3 Scrolls Of Scion by T.J. Therien

The Scrolls of Scion; Rise of the Dark Queen is set in the fantasy world of Brynmor. The Drow are a race of dark elves who have lived in the Iron Hills for the last five thousand years. Now Queen Rianon wants to fight back against those who banished them from their rightful home in Sion.

Humans, Dwarves and other Elves innocently disbelieve that the Drow could be any reasonable threat to their way of life and refuse to head the warnings from the ancient Sages.
Dwarf and Human join to march on the Iron Hills and  rid them of the Drow pest. However they soon find themselves facing a bigger threat than they could have imagined.
Through skilful planning Rianon has the support of The Orc, Kobold, Savage Elves, and Wolf races. An abduction of an Elf Princess and the death of the Human King all throw chaos at the ruling realms. Meanwhile Rianon’s ultimate aim is to find a way back to Sion and the magic it holds.
There are a lot of characters to get your head around in this book and I struggled with their names and my ability to place them all in the right camps at the start. However as the book went on they grew on me and I could picture them all more clearly. The ending can only mean another book to continue the storyline and tie-up unanswered questions. A well written book with some great characters.
Available as a free download from Smashwords Or Free from Barnes and Noble (Nook)
Author TJ Therien will be our guest on the blog tomorrow, do come back and find out more about him and his work.

Guest Author Kelly R Michaels

Today our guest is Kelly Michaels author of yesterday’s book Archer of the Lake. Here is a link to the post if you missed it.

Kelly R Michaels

Let’s find out more about Kelly.

1) Where is your home town?
It’s a small, rural town in southern Tennessee called Fayetteville, and I’ve lived here my entire life.
2) How long have you been writing?
 I’ve always created stories as a result of childhood insomnia, but I recall actually writing them down when I was about twelve years old.  I was very ambitious then, trying to compose a six book epic.  That particular endeavour faded away, but all throughout high school and college I’ve been very persistent about writing constantly. I have pile of old notebooks completely filled as well as abandoned Word files saved on flash drives.  It’s hard to actually put a quantifying number on how much I’ve written.
3) Is Fantasy your preferred genre?
Yes, you could definitely say that, but my interests also expand to science fiction, historical fiction, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and other genres as well. But fantasy is my favourite.  There’s a quote by J. R. R. Tolkien–“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory…” And I think that nicely sums up my fascination with fantasy.
4) What idea sparked the writing of Archer of the Lake?
 I hate to sound cliche, but it came from a dream.  In early 2012, I awoke from a very vivid dream, and it wasn’t exactly a dream in the sense of something happened. The last thing I remember before waking up that morning was a specific tableau.  The scene was a certain congregation of elves, all sitting about in a room.  There was one elf who sat alone, an obvious outcast to the others.  Another elf was not secluded from the main group but she was distinctly reaching out to the outcast, as a gesture of friendship and goodwill.  The image was so inspiring to me that I developed a story around these two elves, who eventually turned into today’s Feraan and Caelfel.
5) Can you tell the readers briefly about the seer’s first prediction
The Seer sees a dead city in flames.  She sees that the culprit behind this appalling act has the power and ability to use this method of mass destruction to wreak havoc and death across the world.  However, the one thing she cannot see is who is behind it.  The Seer charges Feraan with the task of eradicating this evil and bringing the one responsible to justice.
6) Why is Feraan a wanted elf?
Before the incident, Feraan had been widely known as an elf with a penchant for mischief.  Quite simply, he did not fit in with the typical serenity of elves.  After the incident, when Feraan completed his task of eradicating the evil in their forest, the Councilors are left with no explanation of how this evil came to be. Thus they seize the opportunity to frame Feraan for the crime, and his previous reputation easily casts him as the scapegoat in the eyes of his community.
7) What is it that the Princeling wants from Feraan?
The Princeling simply wants revenge from Feraan.  Feraan, with his notoriety as the Wandering Elf, often meddles in affairs when he believes powers are left uncheck.  A few years before the main events of the book took place, Feraan defeated a human sorcerer who was very dear to the Princeling, and the Princeling never forgave him.
8) What is the importance of Caelfel being called The Archer of the Lake?
When Caelfel is called into battle, she is an archer.  In fact, her primary combat skill is archery.  I mentioned in the book how her parents named her after a lake, Rumfel Lake, to be precise.  Specifically, it is where she was conceived, so the lake is her namesake.  It is a part of her.  Feraan has a dream about the Archer of the Lake, who is symbolically a guardian of the forest, as evinced in the battle hymn Olwen sings to himself.

So Caelfel essentially becomes the Archer of the Lake, fulfilling a role in the threads of fate, even so that her bow becomes significant, receiving the name the Lake Bow from the Seer.  The Blind Seer knows Caelfel has an important role to play, and Caelfel’s journey has not ended as Archer of the Lake.
I also took careful measures in choosing Caelfel’s name from a linguistic perspective.  “Ceallach” is a Gaelic words which can have many meanings, but a primary usage would be “warrior”.  And what is a warrior if not a defender of homestead?  The importance of the Archer of the Lake is a protector, and Caelfel fills that role many times.
9) Are you writing a second book in the series?
 I am!  I tentatively plan to title it “Prince of the West,” and as I mentioned before, Caelfel’s journey is not over.  I am about a third of the way completed with the first draft, and I can safely inform you that Caelfel has to confront another mythical creature on her ventures!
10) Where can readers find out more about you?
Readers can visit my website at
Archer of the Lake
Find a copy here from or
Thank you Kelly and Good Luck with the next book.

Archer of the Lake by Kelly R Michaels

Archer of the LakeArcher of the Lake by Kelly R. Michaels

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Archer of the Lake is a fantasy story. The scene is set when we meet Feraan Auvrearaheal known as the wandering elf. A meeting is being held of the Chthonic Order. A prediction is received from Sibylla the Blind Seer warning of evil in the forest.

Eighty years later, we are introduced the elves who live in the Honey Water Empire. Caelfel Gyssedlues is a young elf at just seventy-six years of age. She is part of a group who are under attack from Goblins, killing sixty-three of them, she is sent to check that they are all dead. Alone,she meets a stranger and both are attacked once more. The stranger is unconscious but not dead, her fellow elves insists she leaves him for dead, but Caelfel refuses and sets out to seek a healer.

Caelfel wants to study magic and her chance comes as the college selects new students. It is predicted she will be a powerful magician. But she only gets one day of lessons from Sir Kennyrateur before she is arrested for necromancy and treason. She escapes execution only after Lady Gwyndolyn Ernmas, the master of auras, proves her innocence.

Auras are very important to elves and Caelfel finds that her’s attracts some unwanted attention. Others are after her and her friendship with Feraan is putting her at risk. With the seer for-telling the importance of a she-elf in future events, Caelfel’s life path leads to a kidnapping and a dangerous rescue.

There’s a lot going on in this story and many characters with names which I struggled with. The ending opens the way for a second book.

Find a copy here from or

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The Key of Amatahns by Elisabeth Wheatley

The Key of Amatahns (Argetallam Saga, #1)The Key of Amatahns by Elisabeth Wheatley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was very impressed that the author of this book is a teenager. The book is suitable for the teenager market. The theme is fantasy in a world of magic, dragons, elves and feuding nations. I enjoyed the first third of the book best, the storyline then drifted a little and I no longer felt I was there with the characters feeling, seeing and touching. Perhaps there was a shift from showing the reader what is happening to telling us about it. This skill will improve which is why the book remains a 4 star.
See this book here on Amazon.

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Frey by Melissa wright

Frey (The Frey Saga, #1)Frey by Melissa Wright

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book in a series. Very suitable for the YA market. There is magic and magical creatures, fairies, elves and animals. Frey runs away from home and begins a passage of discovery in to her life and her past. A group aims to protect her from those who wish her harm, but where are they taking her and why? Plenty more adventures to be had in the follow on books.

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