Q&A and #Giveaway: Children of Avalon Series by Meredith Bond
AIR: Merlin’s Chalice,
Water: Excalibur’s Return &
FIRE: Nimuë’s Destiny
Children of Avalon Series Books 1-3
By: Meredith Bond
Meredith stopped by to answer a few questions about her Children of Avalon Series.
What was the spark or initial idea that started your book?
First of all, Angelia, thank you so much for having me here today. I really appreciate it! The idea for the Children of Avalon series was to describe the beginning of the world I created in my Regency Fantasy Romance, Magic in the Storm. In that book I created a people I call the Vallen. They're a magical people who are tasked with using their magic to make the world a better place (think Benjamin Franklin, Mozart and Einstein).
I wanted to explore how this world began and came up with a prophecy from the great wizard Merlin and a magical chalice in which he left all of his powers when he was entombed into an oak tree by Nimue, the Lady of the Lake. His prophecy states that his descendant (Dylan) and that of Morgan le Fey (Scai and Bridget) will have to find the chalice and use it to stop Nimue from becoming the most powerful Vallen in the world and using her power for her own advancement -- but only if she doesn't kill them first. This series, the Children of Avalon, tells this tale in three books: Air: Merlin's Chalice which begins the story and is told from Scai's point of view; it continues in Water: Excalibur's Return told from Dylan's point of view; and concludes in Fire: Nimue's Destiny, told from Bridget's point of view.
What was your favorite part of writing this book?
Coming up with all of the magic that is used in the books--and there's a lot of really cool stuff that these Vallen can do! They turn into different animals depending on which element they're associated with, can repair broken bones, bring to life drawings of fantastic creatures such as dragons and griffins, and so much more!
What is your favorite line from your book?
It is so hard to pick just one! I'd have to say, though, that when Morgan le Fey says to her sister, Nimue, "Good luck with that," I love it. She says this a couple of times when Nimue tells her how she's going to kill the Children of Avalon. This is Morgan's snarky come back just about every time.
What movie or television show would you say is most like your book in tone, topic, and/or characters?
There really isn't one. Think of any Arthurian movie you've seen and add a touch of Monty Python and the Holy Grail to that and you can get an idea of what it's like. It's not a comedy, but it's got touches of comedy in it along with lots of magic and a quest.
If your book was made into a movie and you got to design the movie poster, what would the tagline say?
The Children of Avalon: Ready to free the world—or be killed trying.
Blurb
Over two hundred years ago the great Merlin prophesied the coming of the Children of Avalon who would fight and, hopefully, defeat Lady Nimuë in her quest to rule and become most powerful Vallen ever. To guide them, he left a knight of King Arthur’s Round Table, Sir Dagonet. Now, after seven generations, it is finally time for events to begin to unfold.
Our story begins with:
In one day Scai has gone from being considered unusual by the people of her little Welsh village to an outcast fleeing for her life. Left on the church steps as a baby, she knows nothing of her history—or her abilities. Did she really stop the rain just by wishing it to stop? But she is determined to learn all she can. Travelling alone to find her family seems to be the only way she’s going to find the answers she seeks.
Her journey leads her to the comical old knight Sir Dagonet, who tells her that she is one of a magical people called the Vallen. Together they continue on, joined by the handsome Dylan and the fiery Bridget on a new quest—to find the fabled Merlin’s Chalice, said to hold all the power of the entrapped wizard. Together, Scai, Dylan and Bridget discover that they are the long awaited Children of Avalon, destined to save the world from power-hungry Lady Nimuë—unless she kills them first.
Along the way, Scai finds magic—both in the wind and air that she can control at will, and in the sweet ache of a first love that she cannot.
Water: Excalibur’s Return
Dylan has never been good enough. Neither his foster-brother nor his father have ever thought so. But now, finally, Dylan has a chance to demonstrate what he can do in the most difficult of situations. Dylan is the only descendant of the great Merlin and a member of a magical race known as the Vallen. One of the Children of Avalon, he knows he is strong enough to defeat Lady Nimuë. But when Dylan thinks he can take her on on his own, he is quickly shown otherwise.
When not even the love of a beautiful and powerful woman is enough, what will it take for Dylan to prove that he is worthy of taking on the greatest threat Britain has ever faced?
Fire: Nimuë’s Destiny
Bridget isn’t sure she has what it takes to be a leader, but she’s about to find out. The witch hunts are getting worse by the day. But when Lady Nimuë kidnaps Bridget’s own family things get personal. Only Bridget, the brilliant Scai and powerful Dylan—the prophesied Children of Avalon—have the power to defeat Lady Nimuë. The question is, does Bridget have the strength of will to lead them through to the end?
When Scai’s childhood friend, Aron the blacksmith, joins their group, Bridget is suddenly faced with a new challenge—this one from her heart. Will her love for Aron get in the way of defeating Nimuë, or will it give her the confidence she’ll need?
Buy Links
Air
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/AirMC
Barnes & Noble: http://smarturl.it/AirBN
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/air-14
Apple: http://smarturl.it/AirApple
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/408750
Water
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/watera
Barnes & Noble: http://smarturl.it/waterbn
Apple: http://smarturl.it/waterapple
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/water-44
Fire
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Nimues-Destiny-Children-Avalon-ebook/dp/B00K6Y3U2K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400122865&sr=8-1&keywords=FIRE+by+Meredith+Bond
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fire-meredith-bon/1119450056?ean=2940149293292
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/fire/id872612101?mt=11
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/435951
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/books/fire-48/XCaHDN-RF0m5kloAsXjjPQ?MixID=XCaHDN-RF0m5kloAsXjjPQ&PageNumber=1
Link to Follow Tour: http://tastybooktours.blogspot.com/2014/05/now-booking-tasty-virtual-tour-for.html
Meredith Bond is an award–winning author of a series of traditionally published Regency romances and indie–published paranormal romances. Known for her characters “who slip readily into one’s heart”, Meredith’s heart belongs to her husband and two children. Her paranormal romances include Magic In The Storm, Storm on the Horizon, and the short story “In A Beginning”. Her traditional Regencies include The Merry Men Quartet of which An Exotic Heir and A Dandy In Disguise have recently been republished. Meredith teaches writing at her local community college. If you want a taste of her class in book form, Chapter One is available at your favorite e–retailer.
Want to know more? Come visit Meredith at her website or chat with her on Facebook or Twitter @merrybond and find her at Goodreads. If you’d like to be one of the first to know of Meredith’s new releases and get a free vignette four times a year sign up for Meredith’s newsletter here.
Author Links
http://www.meredithbond.com
https://www.facebook.com/meredithbondauthor
https://twitter.com/merrybond
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/847484.Meredith_Bond
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