Laury Falter's Blog

After a long...long...long delay, Guardian is going to finally release this Friday! We all apologize, me especially, for not getting it to you sooner. We hope you'll find it worth the wait. The novel has excited everyone who has read it so far, so that's a relief! This book takes you in detail through the last of Maggie and Eran's lifetimes prior to landing in New Orleans, and - to put it succinctly - tells how it all started. If you'd like to learn more, or sign up for an email providing links to where it can be purchased, please stop by my website at: www.lauryfalter.com

We hope you enjoy Guardian!

The next book in the Guardian Trilogy (now a saga!) has been named! Guardian is releasing this fall! Now that title may not seem like a stretch to the imagination, but I reassure you it is aptly titled! The book offers excellent backstory about Eran and his fellow guardians while we watch them being picked off one by one by Eran's evil nemesis. Click here to read Guardian's summary and check back for more details throughout the summer!

Vlad Dorojinksy's Mother of the Universe In the middle of holiday shopping, giftwrapping, parties, and working on my next novel, I try to slow down my end-of-the-year pace by thinking back over the last twelve months, the path I took, and the changes it made in my life. So it's timely and poetic that I recently met a man named Vlad Dorojinksy. He's a Russian living in Southern California with a financial background. He comes across as pleasant, friendly, nothing too extreme or out of the ordinary. And then he tells you about the day he died and how it changed his life forever.

Mr. Dorojinksy seemed like the epitome of a healthy man, right up until the afternoon he was told he had congestive heart failure. The symptoms of his condition sent him to the hospital, where the doctor called in his wife so that she could say goodbye to Mr. Dorojinksy. As he recounts, he remembers his wife's anguished expression, the fluid exit from his body, and hovering pain-free over himself as he went into cardiac arrest. A tunnel appeared in front of him and he began down it, experiencing a feeling of absolute peace. But on his path through the tunnel he realized that his wife was not with him, and he turned around and headed back into his body.

While that would be enough for anyone to change their perception of the world, Mr. Dorojinksy's experience wasn't over. As he recuperated over the next 11 days in the hospital, he began to have visions of structured shapes and colors. And from them, his artwork was born. He now paints formations he envisioned of the universe, each with their own unique story, among other inspirations. Given what he's gone through and how he's sharing it with the world, and how his experience relates so closely to what I've written in my novels, I wanted to introduce you to him. If you're interested in seeing more, his artwork can be viewed/purchased at: http://www.dientra.com/Healing-Art.html

Have a safe, happy holiday season and may the upcoming year be filled with joy, peace, and prosperity.

Due to my notoriously shameful tradition of delinquent updates, I haven't written anything on my website in eons. Annnnd once again, I have to beg for forgiveness. I have no excuse really, other than the pathetic justification that I needed to see the sun for the first time in months after finishing Messenger, the first prequel to the Guardian Trilogy. Now that I've gotten an unremarkable tan on top of my formidable pasty white skin, I'm back. 

First, I want to thank everyone for leaving such sweet reviews and compliments about Messenger. You are the reason I write. Your emails and posts made the success in finishing it that much more rewarding, because I'm not kidding when I say that it was the most challenging book I've written to date. I'm rolling my eyes at this last sentence because deep down I know what an understatement it is. It was sleepless nights, sudden note taking in the middle of the grocery store, dazing out in the middle of conversations, unable to focus on anything but the novel kind of challenging. Thankfully, you seem to be happy with how it all turned out, so the effort was worth it.

With Messenger complete, and the very origin of Magdalene and Eran's love having been told, I'm hard at work on the next "chapter" in their centuries-long romance! In the coming 2nd prequel, informally titled Guardian, Magdalene and Eran's love is tested when no one (including friends) approves. They must stand alone as the Great War between the guardians and Fallen Ones begins. More backstory will be revealed, more origins to certain elements will be explained, more "holes" left in the trilogy will be filled. So if you don't hear from me again for the next several weeks you will know it is because I've once again locked myself in my dark office and have commenced writing. I'll try to surface with updates as I go, but please don't hold your breath. I'm regrettably hopeless in that regard. Have a wonderful summer everyone!

While I don't have a cover yet, or a title yet, or even the time to write much about it (as I'm currently heads down on working on this novel), I still wanted to mention that I'm expanding the Guardian Trilogy into a saga and have begun to put to words the lifetimes that Maggie and Eran have spent together prior to their re-introduction in New Orleans. This new book in the expanded saga will likely be the first of four, and it'll be a chance to see how Maggie and Eran fell in love and built a dangerously notorious reputation among the Fallen Ones. And it'll fill in a few holes and explain a few questions that have been left unanswered. I hope you pick it up when it is released later this year!

First, I have to apologize to my readers who have been waiting for this release. I try incredibly hard to meet my deadlines, self-imposed or those directed by my editors, because I don't want to let you down. I'm truly sorry that Resurrection wasn't released sooner. This book has been a challenge to finish for one primary reason...Days after I released Haven my husband and I were in a multi-car pileup on the freeway, ending with us wedged between vehicles after a 15-passenger van plowed into us from behind. Yeah, that wasn't fun. What followed were seemingly endless doctor visits, tests, and (this took me by surprise) 12-14 hours a day of sleeping as my body recovered. All this kept me away from my computer and slowed Resurrection's release. 

All that said, I powered through it as best I could and, despite the accident, I truly feel this is my best book yet! Resurrection has a great blend of action and romance. It's funny at times and heart wrenching at others. The characters developed exactly as I'd planned. The plot is fast-paced and entertaining. So, I hope you pick up Resurrection on Saturday, January 18th and that it enthralls you as much as it did me while writing it!

It seems poetic that my good friend, Erika, whose mother passed on from cancer and inspired Maggie's gift to visit the afterlife, has now written her own book, a cookbook filled with healthy, yet tasty, recipes for children. I've tried a few of the dishes and I have to say I thought I was eating dessert, not a mixture of veggies. Weird, but so good! If you have children (especially those with food allergies) I thought you might like to know a little about Erika and her cookbook. 

Erika, why did you write this cookbook?
My son has numerous food allergies and I found so few nutrient rich baby puree recipes.  Most purees were just one vegetable.  Most prepared baby food had preservatives and were pureed turkey and peas.  Have you ever tried any of the generic processed baby foods?  One bite and you know why there is a void out there that needs to be filled for yummy and nutrient rich recipes.  

The idea behind this cookbook - tasty, all natural food for children - is such a great idea, how did the concept evolve? Were you standing in your kitchen one day and thought "You know, I'm going to write a cookbook"?
I just starting making my own food and knew that I wanted to have more children.  So, I started writing the recipes down so I would remember them later with my next child.  I had friends then ask for the recipes for their children.  I'm just a regular mom who wanted to make sure my kids have a Fresh Start to their food habits.  And so it began....

What's your favorite thing about this cookbook?
My favorite thing about this cookbook is that each recipe is nutritionist approved.  I am a Community Leader for The First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move Initiative.  The program works with Choose MyPlate.  MyPlate is the new food pyramid.  So what I did was include the MyPlate image with each recipe featuring what food groups are included. That way a parent can make sure that their child is eating the proper nutrients.  I even made up weekly menus for the busy parent to follow that ensures their child is getting the proper nutrition.  

I remember your meatloaf, and how I would devour it, but I never actually asked before…Have you always liked to cook?
My mother was, let's just say, not the best cook.  I have always loved to cook so my mother encouraged this so she didn't have to!  It was a win win situation.  It's a tough transition for me though now.  I was raised on comfort foods, which aren't always exactly the healthiest of foods.  Having my children follow such a well balanced healthy diet has forced me to also choose healthier food options.  I'm so thrilled now to see myself pull out a banana as a snack and see my children get really excited that blueberries are dessert - not ice cream.  

What would you say to mothers who stop to look at this cookbook?
Buy it! :)  Oh, other than that?  I'd tell them to remind themselves that we always want better for our children and their children are a Fresh Start.  Just because chicken nuggets and french fries can be more convenient, they are responsible for shaping their child's food choices.  Raising my children on a farm-to-table, plant-based diet is a way that I feel that I can contribute to their future - with their health, their environment, and teaching them a lesson in animal compassion.  I just would hope that any one of these is reason enough for any parent to want the same for their child.  I promise - it's easier than it sounds.  If I can do it, they can do it!

Where can readers buy it?
Readers can purchase the book on Amazon or they can purchase autographed copies from the website  www.FreshStartCookbook.com. Readers should also like the Facebook.com/FreshStart and keep an eye out for my next book that I am currently working on which will feature farm-to-table fun foods for even the pickiest toddler.  As I'm seeing the popularity of this cookbook in the allergy community, the next book will also be free of egg, peanut, dairy, and meat.  I will also include many more gluten free recipes! 

Fun Facts About You…
Salt or Sugar?  Neither!!  Savory :)
Favorite Snack Food?  Mine is a fruit and soy yogurt smoothie .  My kids' favorite snacks are Nori (seaweed) and cherry tomatoes we pick from our garden.
Early Morning or Late Evening? Definitely Late evening!
Favorite Quote? SOOO many!  But, one of my favorites: “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”  Mother Teresa
Name three items you'd want if you were stuck on a deserted island. 
Hmmm, besides my family and friends of course?  A good Hefeweisen, vegan dark chocolate with almonds, and a boat to leave when I'm done with the beer and chocolate!

Don't forget to pick up Erika's cookbook! She offers autographed copies too!

So I have this little voice inside my head...Sometimes it tells me not to order that chocolate cake and other times it tells me to get out of bed and to the gym. Sometimes I listen, sometimes I don't. But I'm listening this time because I like what it's telling me...to return to the Guardian Trilogy and give you the history between Maggie and Eran and Abaddon and the whole batch of other characters who deserve credit in shaping Maggie and Eran's love. So in the early part of next year, I'll be starting to release the books. I hope this comes as good news! Please check back toward the end of this year for a firm release date.

As a special Labor Day treat, I wanted to introduce to you a new, up and coming author who is giving her book away for free for a short time. Tara Maya has written The Unfinished Song (Book 1): Initiate and from what her publisher sent me it sounds good! Here's a little blurb on it...

DEADLY INITIATION 

A DETERMINED GIRL...
Dindi can't do anything right, maybe because she spends more time dancing with pixies than doing her chores. Her clan hopes to marry her off and settle her down, but she dreams of becoming a Tavaedi, one of the powerful warrior-dancers whose secret magics are revealed only to those who pass a mysterious Test during the Initiation ceremony. The problem? No-one in Dindi's clan has ever passed the Test. Her grandmother died trying. But Dindi has a plan.

AN EXILED WARRIOR...
Kavio is the most powerful warrior-dancer in Faearth, but when he is exiled from the tribehold for a crime he didn't commit, he decides to shed his old life. If roving cannibals and hexers don't kill him first, this is his chance to escape the shadow of his father's wars and his mother's curse. But when he rescues a young Initiate girl, he finds himself drawn into as deadly a plot as any he left behind. He must decide whether to walk away or fight for her... assuming she would even accept the help of an exile.

And an excerpt to whet your appetite...

Blue-skinned rusalki grappled Dindi under the churning surface of the river. She could feel their claws dig into her arms. Their riverweed-like hair entangled her legs when she tried to kick back to the surface. She only managed to gulp a few breaths of air before they pulled her under again.

She hadn't appreciated how fast and deep the river was. On her second gasp for air, she saw that the current was already dragging her out of sight of the screaming girls on the bank. A whirlpool of froth and fae roiled between two large rocks in the middle of the river. The rusalka and her sisters tugged Dindi toward it. Other water fae joined the rusalki. Long snouted pookas, turtle-like kappas and hairy-armed gwyllions all swam around her, leading her to the whirlpool, where even more fae swirled in the whitewater.

"Join our circle, Dindi!" the fae voices gurgled under the water. "Dance with us forever!"

"No!" She kicked and swam and stole another gasp for air before they snagged her again. There were so many of them now, all pulling her down, all singing to the tune of the rushing river. She tried to shout, "Dispel!" but swallowed water instead. Her head hit a rock, disorienting her. She sank, this time sure she wouldn't be coming up again.

"Dispel!" It was a man's voice.

Strong arms encircled her and lifted her until her arms and head broke the surface. Her rescuer swam with her toward the shore. He overpowered the current, he shrugged aside the hands of the water faeries stroking his hair and arms. When he reached the shallows, he scooped Dindi into his arms and carried her the rest of the way to the grassy bank. He set her down gently.

She coughed out some water while he supported her back.

"Better?" he asked.

She nodded. He was young--only a few years older than she. The aura of confidence and competence he radiated made him seem older. Without knowing quite why, she was certain he was a Tavaedi.

"Good." He had a gorgeous smile. A wisp of his dark bangs dangled over one eye. He brushed his dripping hair back over his head.

Dindi's hand touched skin--he was not wearing any shirt. Both of them were sopping wet. On him, that meant trickles of water coursed over a bedrock of muscle. As for her, the thin white wrap clung transparently to her body like a wet leaf. She blushed.

"It might have been easier to swim if you had let go of that," he teased. He touched her hand, which was closed around something. "What were you holding onto so tightly that it mattered more than drowning?"

You can find Initiate and a little more information about Tara at the following links:
Tara’s blog http://bit.ly/12dFdNy
Tara’s Twitter http://bit.ly/162sCtE
The Unfinished Song on Facebook http://on.fb.me/1400mMq
Amazon http://amzn.to/15ciwYc
Barnes and Noble http://bit.ly/13yM5Dr
Kobo http://bit.ly/1aFhg1P
iTunes http://bit.ly/1baddhN
Smashwords http://bit.ly/17zK8Xn

Happy Labor Day!

If you're interested in a free signed copy of Haven, here's your chance! The first 30 people to post a review on Amazon and send me a screenshot of it to laury@lauryfalter.com will receive a personally signed copy!