I decided to add the BPAFF shamrock pendants like Bree and Cass wear in the series to my Etsy shop, so that anyone who doesn't win the giveaway can still have a chance to get them :)
Just like the agents of BPAFF (Bureau of Protection Against Fair
Folk) You can have a shamrock pendant to help you see faeries and the faerie
world. Shamrocks in traditional folklore don't so much mean good luck as they
help anyone in possession of one to see whether a faerie is trying to use it's
glamour on you, so wearing a four leaf clover as a pendant will help you see
through any deception and keep you safe from the Fair Folk. This pendant is
made of glass with a shamrock inside, attached to a durable waxed cotton cord
that is perfect for everyday wear.
It's finally here! The cover and title revel for Book Three of the Modern Tales of Na Fianna (and a long time coming too, since the title did not want to happen for some reason). But without further ado, here it is!
Title: Scars of
War (Modern Tales of Na Fianna Book Three)
Genre: YA, Urban
Fantasy, mythology/folklore
Release Date:
August 31st
Synopsis:
After the events on Samhain Eve things have calmed down for
High King Eamon and his Fianna. The Unseelie Court is under new rule, and Eamon
is happily married—and with an heir on the way! But just when it seems like
things couldn’t be better, reports of changelings keep coming into BPAFF
(Bureau of Protection Against Fair Folk). With the risk of children being
changed out in their cribs, especially when a royal heir is weeks from being
born, Eamon enlists the help of Aeden Mac Cool, Commander of Na Fianna, and
Cassandra Whalen, Director of BPAFF, to deal with the threat before it
escalates. Riots, Faerie rebels, and road trips with the King of the
Unseelie—it’s just a typical day, right?
This cover features Cass and Aeden. Cass is one of the POV characters in this book, and I'm looking forward to what people think of her. Another fun thing for the cover reveal: I did a time-lapse video while painting it, so you can check that out!
Read an Excerpt!
After
lunch we hit the road and made our way to Carlow, which was about an hour’s
drive from the coast.
“There have been more changeling
problems this year than usual,” Rory was saying as we went along. “After we got
that one last month, I thought I remembered seeing several more case files from
earlier in the year.”
I frowned. I hadn’t remembered there
being more, but then, most of the case files and reports were just things I
heard about while I was working on something else and signed off on before
handing over to Rory. That was why I had him after all, to handle the
paperwork, so I took his word to be correct. “If that’s the case, then we need
to get to the bottom of this. It’s probable they are all isolated occurrences,
and there are simply more of them due to rogue Fae after all the upheaval that
has gone on in the Faelands and the Courts in the last couple years, but if
there’s anything to it, we need to find out before it escalates.”
“Maybe we just need to reiterate the
importance of warding,” Rory suggested. “People have gotten a bit slack with
the new treaties made, but they don’t understand that Faeries are still going
to do Faerie things, even if they are technically
our allies. And it’s really the Lesser Fae who do these things anyway, and most
of them are still as yet unattached to any Court.”
“True,” I nodded. “It wouldn’t be a
bad idea to work on a few new PSAs or, heaven help us, start some new classes.
I don’t think teaching Faerie protection at a lamaze class would be any easier
than trying to beat stranger danger into a selkie’s one track mind.”
Once we got to Carlow I pulled into
the BPAFF station and we found Connell’s secretary there, waiting for us.
“He had to go track the kelpie but
he said to give you the file for the changeling case,” she said, and handed me
a manila folder. I quickly flipped through it but saw nothing out of the
ordinary.
“Thanks, do you have directions to
the house?”
As we got on the road again to go
pay the family a visit, Rory read through the file for me.
“The Dempsey family: two kids—twin
boys, age four. Apparently last week one, Tomas, got up in the morning and
proceeded to eat almost all the food in the pantry, which was likely indication
enough, but he’s been bad-tempered and naughty, even for a four-year-old, and
the parents can’t do anything to control him.”
“Sounds like a routine changeling
case,” I said as I pulled off down the private drive toward a quaint little
yellow farmhouse that looked as peaceful as could be. I noticed as I parked the
Land Rover though, that the back property, though fenced in, backed up against
a wood. I had a feeling that was exactly where the Faeries had come in. I saw
someone had strung bells on the gate as well as some bunches of rowan, but
whether that had been there previously or was a new addition, I couldn’t tell.
In any case, I knew it wasn’t going to keep out any Faerie determined enough to
get in.
I'm running a giveaway for e-copies of the first two books of the Na Fianna series so you can read them before Scars of War comes out on the 31st. All you have to do to enter is comment on any of the cover reveal blog posts. The more you comment on, the more times you are entered to win! I will be doing the drawing on the 23rd so you have until then to win.
You can either leave me your email address in the comment, or your Twitter handle if you have one. If you don't want to leave either, just come to the blog on the 23rd and see if you won, otherwise, I will contact you through your email or Twitter.
But don't forget to visit the rest of the blog posts to read more excerpts! Comment on all of them for more chances to win!
This is a public service announcement from BPAFF (The Bureau of Protection Against Fair Folk)
All Hallows is only two days away, and that means it's time to think about protection before you go out and have your fun on All Hallows Eve. Let's run down the list of what that is:
All Hallows Eve is one of the most dangerous nights of the year to be out because the Veil is thin between our world (the human world) and that of the Fae (or Fairies). All manner of Fae are going to be out, just looking for people to glamour or steal away to their Realm. This isn't a tithe year, so you won't have to lock up your young men, but keep in mind that abduction by Fairies is still a very real threat.
Here's some simple things you can do to protect yourself:
Carry Iron
All Fae are allergic to iron. Any bit will protect you, whether it is a piece of jewelry, a knife, or anything portable. Depending on where you are planning to go on All Hallows Eve, you can decide whether or not you actually need a weapon or just some piece of iron to carry with you.
Four Leaf Clovers
Four leaf clovers will reveal a Fairies' glamour. Fairies can disguise themselves to walk among humans. You may not know you're to be the victim of a Faery abduction until too late. If you carry a four leaf clover, you will be able to see past their human disguise. (Note, three leaf clovers DO NOT work the same, never substitute)
Rowan
If you don't have iron, rowan is a good substitute, and will do the same thing, though it can't be fashioned into a weapon unless you want a cane or club. Perfect for a night on the town though.
Wear Clothing Inside Out
If you're wandering through a place high in Faery activity, wear your clothes inside out to lighten the risk you will lose your way. Doing this will make you immune to their tricks and spells, but don't rely on this alone. Carry some other form of protection against them.
Note that all of these are good ways to protect yourself from Fairies but it is still highly inadvisable to go anywhere near the Faelands on All Hallows Eve at all. Remember, that if you do not bother the Fairies, they will not bother you.
