I am so excited to have J.C. Kang here at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway.
Thanks J.C. and CBB Book Promotions for allowing me to join The Dragon Scale Lute Tour!
Please take it away, J.C.!
Tour Page: http://www.cbbbookpromotions.com/tour-sign-up-the-dragon-scale-lute-by-j-c-kang-april-4-15/
For a limited time The Dragon Scale Lute is on sale for only .99 cents for Kindle!
(On April 4th it’s actually free, so if you are hosting that day you can reword it to say it’s free for one day only!)
About the Book
Kaiya’s voice could charm a dragon.
Had she lived when the power of music could still summon typhoons and rout armies, perhaps Cathay’s imperial court would see the awkward, gangly princess as more than a singing fool. With alliances to build and ambitious lords to placate, they care more about her marriage prospects than her unique abilities.
Only the handsome Prince Hardeep, a foreign martial mystic, recognizes her potential. Convinced Kaiya will rediscover the legendary but perilous art of invoking magic through music, he suggests her voice, not her marriage, might better serve the realm.
When members of the emperor’s elite spy clan-- Kaiya’s childhood friend and his half-elf sidekick (or maybe he’s her sidekick?)-- discover mere discontent boiling over into full-scale rebellion, Kaiya must choose. Obediently wedding the depraved ringleader means giving up her music. Confronting him with the growing power of her voice could kill her.
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Excerpts
Kaiya walked up the veranda and stepped over the ghost-tripping threshold.
Inside, three chattering men gestured at the green ceiling panels and gold latticework. Their burgundy kurta shirts hung to their knees, collars riding high on their necks. On their left breasts sparkled an embroidered nine-pointed lotus, the crest of the embattled nation of Ankira.
The visitors’ discussion came to an abrupt halt as they turned to greet her, heads bowed and palms pressed together. Dark bronze skin and rounded features marked them as ethnic Ayuri. Meticulously coifed black hair fell to their shoulders. The centermost man, taller and more handsome than his companions, met her gaze.
With blue irises. Luminous like the blue moon Guanyin’s Eye. They captured her image in their liquid depths and reflected it back, more beautiful than makeup could accomplish. Maybe even as beautiful as Xiulan.
He tilted his head and flashed a smoldering smile.
Kaiya cast her eyes down, only to peek up through her lashes. Her lips twitched, struggling against all discipline in their urge to return the smile. Ridiculous! Where had the carefully crafted mask of an imperial diplomat fled to? She tightened her mouth, squared her chin, and looked up.
When he spoke, his voice flowed out of his mouth like honeysuckle vines, entangling her. “I am Prince Hardeep. You must be the Princess of Cathay. The stories of your beauty do you no justice.”
What? Nobody could say her plain looks warranted praise, at least not sincerely. Yet, his earnest tone sounded nothing like the hollow compliments of court sycophants and suitors.
Heat rose to her cheeks, threatening to melt away her makeup, and the nominally dignified expression with it. Words of his language tumbled off her tongue, accent lilting in her ears. “Welcome to Sun-Moon Palace, Prince Hardeep. I act as the ears of my father, the emperor.”
Cringe-worthy. She could speak Ayuri better than that. Almost perfectly, but —
“And your voice. Saraswati, Goddess of the Arts would be jealous. Perhaps you would sing for me?”
Kaiya’s head swam. Her mouth opened to beg off the unexpected request, but no words came out.
He waved a hand and his tone stiffened. “I forget myself. Your song would certainly invigorate me, and I confess I hoped to catch a glimpse of you during my visit. However, my country’s needs are more pressing. I have a request of your emperor.”
Whatever spell his previous tone had woven through her mind loosened enough for her to find her voice. “I am afraid you misinterpret his intentions. By sending me, he has already denied you.” No. Did she just say that? Kaiya covered her mouth. If only Avarax would swoop in and devour her now.
Kaiya looked at the instrument in her hands, then up at him. Of all the pipas, he had chosen this one. “Do you know the significance of this lute?”
He shrugged. “It drew my eye. It was the most beautiful in the storeroom.”
“Yanyan used it during the War of Ancient Gods.”
His mouth formed a perfect circle. “Then you must play it.”
She studied the pipa. She might be a talented musician, but… “No human in living memory has coaxed a sound out of it.” Hushed rumors spoke of the elf lord Xu playing it for Father twenty-nine years ago; other than that, the last masters to play it lived almost three centuries before, and had all died of bizarre circumstances.
Tapping his chin, he regarded her. “You won’t know unless you try.”
Kaiya’s head spun. If she succeeded where even the best musicians in the realm had failed, it would prove the worth of music. Her worth. Then again, if the pipa didn’t respond, it would only confirm what Eldest Brother Kai-Guo and the other lords believed: her only value was that as a bride to General Lu. Even worse, Prince Hardeep would think less of her. She met his gaze again.
His kind eyes encouraged her on.
Yes. She could do this. Had to do it, even it were just to prove to herself she could. She scanned the music book, memorizing the complex changes. Settling on the edge of the chair, she took a deep breath and plucked out the first note. A beautiful sound emanated from the resonator.
Kaiya’s heart jolted and she nearly dropped the pipa in surprise. It couldn’t be. It had to be her imagination. She looked up to Hardeep.
Beaming, he nodded her on.
Could it be? She strummed a chord, emitting a wondrous sound. There was no mistake. Heavens, she had done it! Something no one else had accomplished in over two centuries.
Plucking each string, pressing each fret, the music came out inspired. The joyous soul of the song bounded off the page, swirling in seemingly tangible currents.
About the Author
A Chinese Medicine Doctor and Martial Artist by trade, JC Kang would have never started writing fantasy stories save for two fluke coincidences.
In the Christmas of 2010, while cleaning out childhood junk from his mom’s house, he came across his old Dungeons and Dragons campaign world. Before relegating the binder of maps and notes to the trash where it belonged, he decided to peek back and see what his 13-year old self had created.
He couldn’t help but laugh at the silly ideas that had crossed his teenage brain. Rivers flowed uphill. Empires produced resources out of thin air. However, a few interesting premises had potential.
For the next six days, he redesigned his world, taking into account things he’d learned over the last 25 years. Advanced stuff like gravity, evolution, and supply and demand.
On the seventh day, he rested. Looking at his glorious creation, he was hit by the realization that he’d never play D and D again.
A month later, the second event occurred: three weeks of major snowstorms. Stuck indoors for days at a time, he used his skills as a professional technical writer and pumped out a 120k word novel set in this world only to find out that fiction writing and technical writing were two different beasts.
He set off to study the craft, and learned advanced ideas like characterization, point of view and tension. After revising the first book, he wrote a prequel. After the prequel, he wrote a sequel. And finally, he wrote the prequel to the prequel: the Dragon Scale Lute.
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GIVEAWAY
One (1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
One (1) winner will receive a paperback copy of The Dragon Scale Lute (US)
Ends April 20, 2016
Prizing is provided by the author, hosts are not responsible. Must be 13 or older to enter and have parental permission if under 18. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win.
Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d3474665496/?
1 comment:
Thanks for hosting a tour stop!
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