by Sarah Noffke
Okay, can we discuss Blisters? Talk about a surprise. I knew that Azure would need to turn to the unicorns at some point, but when that little bundle of joy and chaos was placed in her possession, well I was surprised and happy. My dear friend, Colleen, took my daughter and me to Universal Studio this summer (hence my inclusion of Harry Potter in the first book). Colleen, or Leen as I call her, played one of those carnival games where you throw down a hammer and try and make the thing hit the bell. Sorry for my description, it’s not like I’m a writer. Anyway, because she’s a beast, she won…twice. Our girls picked out little white stuffed animal unicorns as their prizes. And now you know when Blisters was officially born. Recently I took a trip to Orlando and went to the Universal Studios there. Guess who went with me? If you guessed Blisters the stuffed animal then you’re correct. I sent pictures of Blisters handing out all of the place to my daughter who was home on the west coast. If you’ve seen Amelie the movie then you get the reference. My daughter constantly talks about Blisters. I think he needs to have a children’s book spin off.
I always like to give insights into naming in the author notes. Here’s something fun. I named the werecat after a childhood friend names Laurel. She was named after the comedic duo, but I didn’t know that until later. I just thought she had a cool name so I passed it on to the werecat. Another fun fact about cats and names: Finswick, Azure’s familiar is named after my own cat, Finley. This morning Finley brought a lizard into the house. I caught him and he totally tried to hide the thing, knowing I’d toss it out. The cat finally owned it and threw the dead lizard up into the air and ran from the room. Sometimes I feel like a witch and I’m constantly herding cats.
Acknowledgements
Sarah Noffke
Thank you to Michael Anderle for giving me this chance. I’m still waiting for the roller coaster you threw me on to slow down.
Thank you to Martha Carr for your amazing support. I love sharing the ideas that have come out of our collaborations. You are a creative soul.
Thank you to the awesome authors who pushed me to do this. Jeff and Sarah I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t for you.
Thank you to Lynne, Steve, Andrew and Jeff for all the work on the books, covers and championing so much of the publishing.
Thank you to my beta team Colleen and Heidi. You two keep me sane… or maybe it’s the other way around.
Thank you to my amazing readers. I asked myself a question the other day and it had a strange answer. I asked if I would still write if trapped on a desert island and no one would ever read the books. The answer was yes, but the feeling connected to it was different. It wouldn’t be as much fun to write if there wasn’t awesome readers to share it with. Thank you.
Thank you to my friends and family for all the support and love.
Author Notes - Martha Carr
October 3, 2017
What a wonderful thing to see an author grow a fan base like Sarah Noffke has been doing in the Oriceran Universe. My phone lights up every time someone posts to the Oriceran Facebook page (don’t want to leave anyone hanging…). But I learned pretty quickly that if it’s a comment about anything to do with the Soul Stone Mage series I can relax. My phone lights up again in just a minute or two with a response from Sarah.
Every author who writes in the Universe has a story to tell about why this means so much to them to build a strong fan base. It’s a lifelong dream (for some like me that can literally mean life-long…), it’s financial freedom or the chance to do this full time for a living. So few authors get to realize that dream… except around these parts. That has everything to do with all of you.
You guys are reading every series, every book and then asking… ‘Where’s the next one?’ Even better, your numbers are growing as more urban fantasy fans discover we’re out here now. We’re becoming a big family (that includes all of you) and so it’s all the sweeter to work with Sarah to craft a story and then see her put in the effort – and there you guy are with encouragement, suggestions, and telling us all what you love about the series!
Thank you for taking Soul Stone Mage series and Sarah Noffke and all the authors of Oriceran into your lives and popping up on Facebook to chat. We love it all!
Publisher Notes - Michael Anderle
October 3, 2017
Thank you, I cannot express my appreciation enough that not only did you pick up and read this book, but you read it all the way to the end and NOW, you’re reading my publisher notes at the very back!
Here is a little secret of publishing a series: You are made or broken by the third book.
What I mean by this, is now we have books 01 and 02 out for the fans to read, and we should have a pretty good understanding of the read-through rate for books 01 to 02.
Normally, you want this to be a percentage between 63% on the low side, to HOWEVER high you can get on the high side (preferably 75% if possible or above.)
If you have a book that is in the 80%-90% range? HOLY CRACKERS! I would love one day to put out a series where my read-through rate is higher than 90% book 01 to book 02.
I’m not sure how to do it, mind you. I just want to be able to have accomplished it.
Sarah and Martha have pulled together the third book now in the Soul Stone Mage Series and we can see the ongoing efforts of Azure to comprehend and use that comprehension in her life.
You know, we call it growing up here in the mundane world ;)
Seriously though, I want to thank Sarah Noffke for an incredible amount of effort and tribulation as we asked her not only to learn a completely new universe. A universe that we change from time to time as new requests for understanding occur from our team.
Mind you, she would be a part of said team and responsible for creating some of the clarifying questions that kept us busy…Just saying.
And I’ll second that Sarah is an amazing human being who is so sweet to speak with on the phone. I know she takes time from her schedule to respond quickly (outside sleeping) to all of your questions and comments and we particularly love how you have accepted her into the LMBPN Publishing / Oriceran / Kurtherian Gambit family.
Thank you!
Ad Aeternitatem,
Michael Anderle
Sneak Peek of Land of Terran (Book 4)
Prologue
“That fucking little fucking fucker,” Azure said to herself, already starting to pace in the cabinet room. She couldn’t believe that she didn’t see this. How didn’t she know that Ever had a side motive? She knew all along that he was secretive. Maybe she guessed that he was hiding something, but not that he’d betray them.
“Queen Azure,” Gillian said at her back. “Finswick just came and got me. He said you needed to see me and that it was urgent.”
Azure narrowed eyes on the gnome. “Yes, I do, but first I have a few questions for you.” She pulled her wand from her hair, making it fall down on her exposed back. Azure had returned to wearing uncomfortable dresses that didn’t cover enough of her upper body and also sought to tangle her lower half with overflowing material. Presently she wore a black and white medieval gown, but with a modern flare.
“You keep a lot of secrets from me, Gillian, and I’m starting to question the logic of allowing such a person so close to the crown,” Azure said, a tone in her voice like she’d never used. Was this what betrayal did? It made reasonable people doubt their own friend’s loyalty.
Gillian, not at all appearing flustered, pressed his hands behind his back and cleared his throat. “Withhold, Queen Azure. I don’t keep secrets but rather withhold information.”
“I think this might be a game of semantics,” Azure said, pressing her eyes shut and feeling the stress around her mount on her shoulders. It was like a giant had taken a dive from the high wire and landed squarely on her head.
“Is my honesty in question, Queen Azure?” Gillian asked.
“I believe that everyone’s honesty is currently under question,” Azure said, lifting her eyes to the
entrance where racing feet could be heard approach.
The door swung open and Monet stood breathless. “Is it true? Say it isn’t so.”
“I’m afraid it is,” Azure said, reading the confused expression in Gillian’s eyes.
“But with the Light Elf gone, how will I secure more Cheetos? Blisters ate all of mine. And the Dark Market is currently out,” Monet said, real fear growing in his eyes.
Azure nearly allowed herself to laugh. Leave it to Monet to loosen her up with this ridiculousness during a huge moment of frustration. “That shouldn’t be the main concern. Ever has taken off with the Book of Branches.”
“He’s done what?” Gillian asked, his mouth hanging open.
Azure flicked her wand at the note Ever had left and it flew through the air and straight to Gillian. He took it and eagerly began reading.
“I say we behead him when he’s found,” Gran said from just behind Monet. He stepped away from the door to allow her entrance.
“I actually think that might be a brilliant idea,” Azure said, forcing herself to sit at the table. Finswick entered next, Richard following him. Her father looked as though he hadn’t slept well the night before. The adjustment, she’d learned from Finswick, hadn’t been smooth. The witches and wizards were polite to him, but also watched him constantly, not offering him the hospitality that was usually synonymous to Virgo. And Emeri, a time or two, according to the Finswick, had been found having hushed conversations with him. The previous queen, devoid of magic, hadn’t been able to put a protective spell around her conversations, and so Finswick had heard the pair fighting over something to do with lifespan. Emeri had apparently stormed off saying something about how they’d both suffer the same fate now.
“You elect three people from outside your species to sit on your cabinet and now you wonder why one has betrayed you.” Monet shook his head and clicked his tongue.
“People aren’t untrustworthy just because they are different from us. It’s more about what’s inside their hearts, rather than what makes up their DNA,” Azure said, tapping her wand on the surface of the table.
Gillian passed the note to Richard who appeared to still be in the dark. “I wouldn’t have guessed this about Ever,” the gnome said, sliding up into one of the chairs around the table.
“Do we know when he left?” Azure asked, staring around at the various faces.
“It couldn’t have been long ago. I was actually up studying the Book of Branches up until a few hours ago,” the Queen Mother said, pulling a potion bottle from her robe and taking a drink of the split pea green liquid.
“You were? Did you learn anything?” Azure asked.
“I learned that I didn’t speak Greek,” Gran said with a laugh.
Azure’s head sunk down lower with disappointment. “Ever must have been waiting for you to leave so he could steal the book. I had left it in his care overnight.”
“Yes, and I’d asked if I could have a go at it for a bit, which he allowed,” Gran said, wiping the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief.
“Did anyone else see anything?” Azure asked.
“I saw the insides of my eyelids and had this dream about this big chested mermaid named Candy. She had a way with—”
“Anyone see anything relevant?” Azure cut Monet off, shaking her head at him.
Richard shook his head. His face was still covered in confusion, but his mind seemed to be working something out. “If Ever only left recently, he might not be to the border yet, or only recently. I could go and speak with the Orcs? Find out if the Chief or his men saw anything.”
“Yes. Go directly to the southwestern border,” the Queen Mother said, holding her hand up in the light streaming through the nearby window and watching it with great interests.
“And why…” Azure asked.
“Because I didn’t learn much from reading the Book of Branches, but I did learn that many of the oldest dryad tribes still reside in the forest to the west of here, the area that borders the river, on the other side of the desert.” Gran clenched her hand shut, a victorious smile on her face.
“What are you doing, you crazy old witch?” Monet asked, throwing his feet up on the table and leaning back.
The queen mother slammed her hand down on the table crushing a metal object in her palm into bits. Screws and small parts rolled in various directions. “I’m destroying what I believe to be a spying device. I’ve noticed the strange metal bugs around and just realized they must be spies sent from the Land of Terran.”
Azure turned her focus to Richard. “Is that possible?”
He nodded. “I had heard Phillip brainstorming about such an idea before, but he hadn’t secured the right means for it before. He must have found a source.”
Azure blew out a long hot breath. “Okay, so we can assume that the Duke of Terran knows about the Book of Branches and Richard’s alliance.”
“That latter part doesn’t change a thing, but I do think I need to set off to alert the Orcs or find out how long ago Ever passed through the border,” Richard said, standing tall.
Azure nodded, glad that someone was actually being proactive. “Yes, please do that. Take one of the fastest horses to save time.”
Richard nodded, sweeping from the room. To say it felt weird ordering the previous emperor of Terran around was a huge understatement.
“Gillian, can we get that copy of the Book of Branches that the gnomes made?” Azure asked.
He shook his head, a rough look on his face. “I wouldn’t advise it. Firstly, they are still creating the book based on the fast copy they took of it. I’m certain it won’t be ready for quite some time. And secondly, they have restricted who can access the book.”
“But I loaned my copy to them,” Azure complained.
Gillian shrugged indifferently. “That doesn’t really matter. That’s not how gnomes work.”
“So now what are we going to do? Head willy nilly into the mountains looking for Ever?” Azure asked.
“I can track him,” Gillian offered.
“Oh, look who doesn’t want to be beheaded by the queen mother,” Monet sang.
Gillian ignored the wizard and slipped down from the chair. He began walking back and forth, his short strides working double time to cross the short space he paced. “If we leave right away then Ever’s trail should be fresh. He’s fast and knows the forest well, but I know the mountains better. I can inquire along the way to see if anyone saw him pass through that area.”
“Okay, it’s a plan that involves much uncertainty and a bit of faith, but I’ll take it,” Azure said, rising from her chair. She turned her eyes to Finswick, standing by the fire. “Please enlist help hunting down and destroying these spy bugs. I can’t have Phillip knowing any more than he does.”
The cat nodded and strode from the room, his tail high in the air.
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Sarah Noffke and Martha Carr 2017
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About Sarah Noffke
Sarah Noffke, an Amazon Best Seller, writes YA and NA sci-fi fantasy, paranormal and urban fantasy. She is the author of the Lucidites, Reverians, Ren, Vagabond Circus, Olento Research and Soul Stone Mage series. Noffke holds a Masters of Management and teaches college business courses. Most of her students have no idea that she toils away her hours crafting fictional characters. Noffke's books are top rated and best-sellers on Kindle. Currently, she has eighteen novels published. Her books are available in paperback, audio and in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. http://www.sarahnoffke.com
Check out other work by this author here.
The Lucidites Series:
Awoken, #1:
Around the world humans are hallucinating after sleepless nights.