Today we want are featuring
D.S. Schmeckpeper and their wonderful first novel of the epic series. Not only
is it their first novel in a series, it is their debut novel.
Synopsis
Celeste is tired. She
just wants to be left alone. . For centuries, the half-blooded elf has hidden herself away from the world and lived in isolation. Things have been peaceful, quiet. But some have a greater calling, a destiny. When the humans unwittingly set about a plan to release the source of all evil back into the world, Celeste is called upon by an old ally to stop them, and to keep all of Altierra safe.
Now she must face her past as she and her allies travel across the continent to save a world she has been apart from for eons. Will even her angelic birthright and druidic powers be enough to stop the rise of the last god?
She never asked to be a hero.
Destiny can be funny that way.
Next, Dottie and Steve and shared a short
excerpt from the novel that we can read.
Arcus glared down at her. “Too easy.”
Then he turned and started back for the bar. Before he could reach it, however,
the door flew open and in walked three of the strongest looking men Arcus had
ever seen. They shoved roughly past Arcus and marched straight for the table
with the two girls and Joseph. Arcus stepped out of the way and waited.
“Hey, you!” The man in front had brown
hair and a full beard, and a ship tattoo on his upper arm. He pointed angrily
at Joseph. “Yeah, I know it’s you. Joshua or Joseph or something like that. I
know what you did – Sam told me! Now you’re gonna die!”
“Excuse me, gentlemen.” Arcus had snuck
up behind them and was standing with his hands behind his back. “What seems to
be the trouble here?”
“This doesn’t concern you, boy,” one of
the other two men snarled.
“Oh, but it does,” answered Arcus. “You
see, this man may be an idiot, but he’s my friend, and I’m not going to stand
idly by while you kill him. If anyone will kill him one of these days, it will
be me.”
“Thanks, Arc.”
“No problem, idiot. Now, what did you
do this time? Shall I guess that Sam is a girl?”
“Umm…that would probably be a safe bet.
Though, honestly, I don’t remember anyone named Sam,” said Joseph.
“Why does that not surprise me?”
quipped Arcus.
“What do you mean, you don’t know who
Sam is?” shouted the leader. “Sam is my girl, and you... you...”
“Rocked her world?” Joseph grinned
mischievously, and winked at the blonde and redhead, who had already backed
away to another table, and were observing the proceedings with curiosity.
“Was that really necessary, Joseph?”
Arcus questioned, as the leader roared in fury.
The leader lunged for Joseph, who
ducked under the man’s arms, laughing. Arcus whipped his hands out from behind
his back, and fire blazed up and down his forearms. He reached for the other
two goons and slammed their heads together, scorching their hair. They bellowed
in pain. The two girls and most of the other patrons all got up and rushed to
the opposite side of the room, to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. The
bartender cursed and demanded they break it up. The bystanders shouted taunts
and cheers at the group, though to Arcus, the sounds all merged and then
vanished altogether as he focused his magic. The man on the left pulled out a
dagger, while the one on the right swung at Arcus. He absorbed the hit with his
burning hands, which then flickered out. Then, he glared at the one with the knife.
“Stop moving,” Arcus hissed in a
hypnotic voice, and the spell immediately took effect as the man froze in
place, still holding his knife awkwardly. He then turned to the other goon.
Joseph ducked another swing, and then
another. He dodged a vicious kick by hopping toward the table. The leader was
clearly becoming more and more enraged. Finally, he found purchase and punched
Joseph square in the nose, which shattered. Blood sprayed everywhere. Joseph
lost his rhythm, and fell hard onto the table. He raised his arms to block the
assault, curling in on himself. The man hit him hard in the ribs with his
elbow. Joseph held up a shaky hand to cast a small, glowing bolt of energy at
his attacker, which struck him in the face, just under his left eye. The man
grunted in pain, but didn’t pause in his assault.
Arcus shoved both of his hands flat
against his remaining attacker’s chest. Lightning flashed from his palms and
the man fell onto a chair without a sound. The chair crumbled to pieces under
the onslaught as the smell of ozone filled the bar. Arcus turned to the leader.
“Are you sure you don’t want to rethink this plan while you still have a
chance? Take a look at your men; you are clearly outmatched.”
Copyright © 2014 by
D.S. Schmeckpeper
|
An Interview With the Authors
About this author
D.S. Schmeckpeper (a.k.a. Dottie and Steve Schmeckpeper) live
in Florida, USA. They are a husband and wife team who work together to create
the Land of Destiny series. Both have loved the Fantasy genre for many years
and have wasted way too much time playing fantasy-based games. Dottie was a
vocal performance major in college, before she decided a liberal arts major was
not for her. Ironic, huh? They have two wonderful twin boys, who are three at
the time of this publication. They are the light or their parents’ lives. Steve
does the artwork and comes up with many of the story concepts. Dottie brings
the ideas to life. When not working, writing or drawing, the pair love to take
their children to Florida’s many amusement parks, and can often be found
there.
Hello Dottie and Steve Schmeckpeper, can you tell us a little
about yourself? Were you a reader when you were growing up? What kind of books did you read then? Do you still read those types of books or has
your taste in reading changed over the years?
As a child, I was always into reading. I
wasn’t exactly a popular kid, but I was definitely one of the nerdier ones.
Teachers occasionally tried to take my books away from me, only to discover me
reading from my desk with my book on the floor, holding it open with my foot.
Eventually they all gave up. At ten years old, I would read anything from “Sweet
Valley Twins” to “Jurassic Park” by Michael Crichton to the “Dragon Knight”
series by Gordon R. Dickson. I’m happy to say that as an adult, I’ve moved on
from SVT, but the others I would still read today.
· Can you
tell us a little about Destiny’s Wings?
It is book 1 in the Land of Destiny series. It
is an epic fantasy, featuring elves, angels, dragons, cat-people, and many
other fascinating races and creatures on an epic battle of good versus evil.
·
Who was
your favorite character in the book?
Why?
“Celeste” is my main character, she is
everything I wish I was. She may not be perfect, but she tries her best and
makes decisions that she feels are best for everyone, even when it hurts her. I
love her heart and her strength.
“Arcus” is my redemptive character. Though he had a traumatic start to life, he
tries to adapt to whatever life throws his way. He is the ultimate
contradiction, pairing the destructive power of an elemental mage with the calm
peace of a nature-wielding druid. He has darkness, so much darkness inside, but
attempts to rise above his setbacks. I love his potential and his drive.
“Theri” (Therinsalla) is just fun. She is the
heart and soul of the group. The only one there without an agenda of some sort.
She’s just happy to be along for the ride. I love her spirit.
I love the rest too, for various reasons, but
this answer is getting kind of long…
·
Could you
share your favorite scene with us? What
made this scene really click for you?
·
Sort of early on, there is a chapter that has
Celeste and Tarnelius discussing their past and the mistakes they have made. At
the exact same moment, Arcus is torturing and interrogating an orc. I love the contrast between the two scenes
happening simultaneously.
·
If you are
like most of the world, English Literature was not your major in college, and
writing has not been your career since you graduated from college. So, what did you study in school and what
interesting careers have you worked in?
Did these jobs influence your writing?
·
I was a vocal performance major. In layman’s
terms, I was a singer. I also dropped out because I decided Liberal Arts was
not for me. Ironic, right? Singing has been a constant in my life, but never
really a career. Among other things, I’ve worked as a waitress, a game store
clerk, a retail customer service rep, and currently work as a pharmacy
technician. None of those influenced my writing... Well, maybe a game store
clerk. A little. For the last year or so, I have been a beta reader for several
authors and occasionally a proofreader. Those definitely influenced my writing.
·
Finally,
if you could sit down for a private dinner with any great writer that has ever
lived, who would it be? What would you
most want to talk about?
·
There are a couple of writers I would LOVE to
sit down for dinner with… but I speak to them regularly anyway, so we could
talk about anything. I love both K.S. Haigwood and Ella Medler, and would give
anything to meet them. One day we will, I’m sure. If you were referring to a
writer I do NOT have regular access to, then I’d have to say either Margaret
Weis or Tracy Hickman. They were the co-authors to the Dragonlance series; my
favorite fantasy series ever. I’d love to ask them, well, most of the questions
you just asked me. What inspired them? I know that, like me, they got most of
their characters from playing Dungeons and Dragons… but what kept them going
for so many years and so many books?
Dottie, Steve, thank you for joining us to visit and to share a little bit about yourself and
about Destiny’ Wings. It is a joy to get to know a little about the
author behind the pages. We look forward
to seeing you again. You can find my review at
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