Blog Tour & Giveaway for The Northern Problem and Other Stories By: Laura Seeber
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Laura Seeber
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The Northern Problem and Other Stories
Blurb
Five
stories tell of a world teetering on the brink of chaos. Five people who fight to dream, to love, to
scheme, and to survive. Five glimpses
into a time when a life was shaped by spirits just as much as the sword. It is a world where the lines between a truth
and a lie, life and death, and love and obsession shift like the wind.
The
Northern Problem and Other Stories offer a glimpse into the lives of those that
would later come together in The Spring and Autumn Murders. Before passion, murder and intrigue would
bring them together, the very same would threaten to tear their world apart.
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Excerpt From “Windhorses” in The
Northern Problem and Other Stories
Baichu
remembered that the storm and the rains had frightened her as a young
child. She imagined that they had
frightened her father, but he would never admit that now. Her mother was probably a little bit
frightened as well, but now she rested with the spirits, so it was all
right.
She closed
her eyes and breathed deeply just as the first few pregnant drops of rain began
to fall. Perhaps tonight would be
different, she thought.
^ ^ ^
Despite her
wish, the dreams came that night as they had before. Baichu felt herself rising up from the furs
that surrounded her, felt her feet hit the ground softly. Her hand moved and the fur that draped over
the tent seemed to move an instant before she touched it. It felt as she was flowing, passing out into
the rain, something both driving and pulling her.
For a
moment, she thought of her father. She
knew that he would be angry, even fearful at her absence. He would curse the night, not understanding
that there was no choice. The rain and
the lightening called to her, just as the mountains called to him.
The ground
beneath her feet was wet and slick, opening its pores to the rain, bringing the
wetness down into its depths, and then spilling it back out when it became too
much to bear. Soon Baichu felt what it
felt as the rain plummeted into her skin and then was released.
She knew
the rain, but did not suffer from it.
The lightning and thunder coursed through the sky above her, and yet she
did not cower at their brilliance. The
storm that raged around her was her own, and she belonged to it.
A voice
came to her out of the darkness, soft and low, rumbling like the river in her
memory of the day. It spoke to her in
words unintelligible, but their meaning was clear. It was time to come home. Soon other voices called out to her, joining
the chorus. Baichu hesitated, her heart
unsure of the next step.
Still, she
felt her feet moving forward, toward the river.
The pull was stronger now, and the murmurings louder, more
insistent. They pleaded with her,
welcomed her, and drew her towards the water’s edge.
Baichu
knelt down, the ground becoming soft and cool against her knees and dipped her
hand into the water. She watched as the
droplets clung to her fingers, and rolled down her hand as she lifted up to the
night sky. She watched as the water
lapped and tumbled on the shoreline, coming closer and closer. Once again she reached out, and as before the
water responded, reaching out to her.
Baichu shifted her hand slightly and the water followed, almost hungry
for her touch.
The
lightening broke the sky above her and the light illuminated the shore near the
river. For an instant she saw what was
not meant to be seen, and her face softened with a small smile. The river would take her where she
belonged. It would take her home.
Baichu rose
and stepped calmly into the river, the water wrapping, pressing and churning
into her. She felt her body being pushed
and directed, the flow of the river overpowering what will she had left. Soon it would be over. The dreams would finally end and the world
would be set right. Baichu breathed
deeply one last time just before the water sliced over her head.
“NO!”
Baichu felt
a thunderous crash behind her, and the water shifted and swirled around her,
small bubbles and a dark figure formed behind.
She felt arms, solid and strong snaking around her waist, fur and
muscles tightening against her small frame.
She felt her body being thrown up into the night sky, her lungs once
again filling with air, sputtering as the water left her once again.
“Baichu,”
said a voice, both hoarse and soft as she was pulled from the water, the arms
still wrapped around her. “Why? Why do you want to leave me?”
Author Info
Laura
Seeber has worked as a geologist, an environmental consultant, and a freelance
writer. She currently divides her time
between her own environmental consulting business, handling various
ghostwriting and freelance writing projects, and her own fiction writing. Her interests include history, outdoor
activities, martial arts, mysteries, and non-fiction material. The Spring and Autumn Murders is her first
novel. She currently lives in Illinois
with her husband, Michael.
Author Links
Link to Follow the tour, http://tastybooktours.blogspot.com/2013/06/now-booking-tasty-review-tour-for_7.html
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Thank you so much for featuring an excerpt from my book on your blog!
ReplyDeleteyou are very welcome :)
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