Welcome Today's Featured Author
Diana Tyler!!
Age
of the Ashers
(Book 1 of the Petros Chronicles trilogy) by Diana Tyler
Age
of the Ashers is
available and ebook formats on Amazon. It’s free on Kindle Unlimited.
Series
Info: The Petros Chronicles is a young adult fantasy series
inspired by Greek mythology. It follows an eighteen-year-old girl named Chloe
who finds out she possesses supernatural powers, powers that have
not-so-mythological beings trying to destroy her and her family. It’s suitable
for ages 13 and up.
Age
of the Ashers
Blurb:
One power. One prophecy.
One chance to change the world.
Petros is a well-oiled machine of an empire that has
been overrun by evil. Every individual’s life is mapped out precisely, from the
day of their birth until their much-anticipated Coronation at age seventy-five,
when they each become ruler of their own personal paradise.
Eighteen-year-old Chloe Zacharias is content to exist
as a social outcast and virtual recluse. Orphaned at the age of eight, she and
her twin brother Damian live with their aunt and uncle, who only just tolerate
their unwelcome charges. When classmate Ethan Ross gives Chloe a one-day pass
to a newly opened museum, she discovers there’s much more to her utopian city,
and the mysterious government that runs it, than she could ever have imagined.
An ancient prophecy has
plans for Chloe; plans that will catapult her into the middle of an ages-old
war between beings she thought belonged only to ancient mythology.
When it becomes clear to the powers of the Underworld
that Chloe could uncover their secrets and dismantle their world, the rulers
send cunning Hermes, devious messenger to the lords of Hades, on a mission to
destroy her before she finds out who—and what—she is.
Famed poet and romantic musician, Orpheus will do
anything to reunite with his beloved wife Eurydice. Manipulated by Hermes into
believing he can win back Eurydice if he charms a mortal known as “the Vessel,”
Orpheus takes advantage of Chloe’s naïveté and voracious curiosity, and leads
her into mortal danger.
Damian can’t ignore his sister or her strange behavior
any longer. He has discovered that he has an astonishing gift of his own, and
Hades and Apollo are shaken by the possibility that there is not one, but
possibly two, entities with the power to topple the evil world they have
created.
Chloe and Damian must work together, without becoming
paralyzed by fear like their ancestors before them, or the citizens of Petros
will continue to believe and be ruled by the horrific lies that have corrupted
their world.
Filled
with magic, mystery, and sprinklings of Greek mythology, Age of the Ashers is a powerful fantasy adventure for those who
love to lose themselves in the world of make-believe.
What
readers are saying about Age of the
Ashers:
Age of the Ashers is a story
set in a Greek mythological-inspired world of fantasy. With pacy twists and
turns, it is interwoven with warm, real characters, realistic dialogue and
beautiful fantastical descriptions. The beautiful writing evokes a thrilling
wonderful experience as you read.”
Soulla Christodoulou,
London, UK.
“I fell in love with this book, from the world building to the characters. It was engrossing, beautifully written, and a "keep you on the edge of your seat" page turner. I even had to reread certain paragraphs because the prose were so captivating. Diana is an excellent writer who has the ability to make you believe that the world she created in Ages of the Ashers exists.”
Lang Johnson
“A fascinating and
well-written novel, the plot is tightly paced and keeps the reader turning
pages. The concept of the Greek civilisation continuing until modern times, is
both sophisticated and intriguing. The characters are believable and very three
dimensional, in that, as in real life, good people do bad things, and supposed
bad people do good things. It is especially impressive, how the author handles
the jumps between times and locations, never once leaving the reader confused.”
Julia Blake
“Age of the
Ashers was an exciting and mystical read that kept my imagination bubbling
until the very last page. Diana has beautifully merged the mundane
world of the relatable Chloe Zacharias, an eighteen loner with a
fascination of the unknown, with the mystical world of Orpheus, a
damned poet spending his eternity locked away in the playground
that is Hades Underworld. Diana has created each and every
character with such passion that you can't help but be drawn into
their surreal lives of heart ache, corruption and secrets.”
-Sarah Walden
“Once again, Diana Tyler has written characters that
resonate with my soul … I wanted to punch bad guys in the face, I wanted
to hold poor Chloe, and I wanted to high five Damian. If you are a fan of
mythology and magic, you will love this book.”
-Thoughtsfromlillian.com
Excerpt:
She
got into her car, happy to see that the rain had let up and there was still
enough daylight to keep her drive down the mountain safe from her made-up,
horror-movie scenarios. She put the car in reverse, looked in the rearview
mirror, and then screamed as her heart leapt into her throat. Sitting in the
backseat, looking back at her in the mirror, was a girl.
“Who
in Zeus’ name are you?” Chloe shouted as she turned to face the interloper. She
pulled a bottle of pepper spray out of the console.
The
girl smiled softly and folded her hands, clearly unalarmed by Chloe’s threat.
“Do
you know what this is?” said Chloe. “It’s pepper spray. It burns really, really
bad. Get out of my car or I’m going to blind you with it.” This made the girl
giggle a bit and twirl the ends of her wavy, auburn hair. “You think that’s funny?” That made the girl
giggle even louder, and Chloe began to wonder if she was a bit slow. “Are you
deaf?” Chloe said, raising her voice and enunciating each word so much that her
jaw popped.
The
girl stopped laughing and shook her head, then she opened her mouth and said,
“I can only speak what I’ve been
sent to say,
So listen well before I fly aw—”
“Why
are you talking in rhymes?” Chloe interrupted. “Wait. Are you…are you…” She
could feel her chin quivering as the answer to her own question was becoming
all too clear.
Carya.
Was
she hallucinating as she had in the treehouse? She pinched herself up and down
her arms. She tugged on her ears. She was tempted to spray herself in the face
with the pepper spray just to ensure she wasn’t dreaming.
Then
the girl spoke again.
“Do not harm yourself; you’re
wide awake,
But you must know what steps to
take.
If more of the past you wish to
see,
Take and eat from the walnut
tree.”
The
girl held out both fists and opened them. In the center of each ivory palm sat
a walnut still in its shell.
As
Chloe stared at the walnuts, she noticed that her car had never smelled so
good, not even when Damian had put a wintergreen-scented air freshener in it
after Chloe spilled a milkshake in the backseat and waited five days to clean
it up. Now it smelled like lemon and lavender, rosemary and thyme all mingled
together.
Before
Chloe could ask another question, the girl began to speak again, only this time
her voice was louder as she pronounced every syllable with urgency.
“There’s just one warning you
should heed:
Do not eat of the enchanted
seed.
Take a lesson from Hades’ wife,
Who descended to hell, though
she kept her life.”
“You’re a funny little thing, you know that?”
Chloe turned back toward the steering wheel, where the car didn’t smell so
fresh. “Now get out of here before I—”
Before
she could finish her sentence, the image of the stranger vanished from the
rearview mirror. The only sign she had ever been there were the two walnuts
hovering in the air where her hands had held them up.
“This
birthday just gets better and better the crazier I get,” Chloe muttered. Then
she took the walnuts and stuffed them in her purse, wondering why in the world
she wasn’t hurling them out the window instead.
Author
Bio:
Diana has been writing all her life, starting with her
own versions of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle comics when she was four. She’s
always been fascinated by Greek mythology and comic-book superheroes, all of
which inspire her fantasy novels. She’s also a gym rat who loves to pretend
she’s Wonder Woman while lifting heavy weights, and swinging from rings and
pull-up bars. She co-owns CrossFit 925 in San Antonio, Texas with her husband
Ben.
Diana currently writes entertainment and media-related
articles for movieguide.org, and contributes regularly to charismamag.com. When
she isn't writing or working out, she can be found playing Scrabble with her
husband, watching Marvel and Pixar movies, and pinning recipes on Pinterest
that she never gets around to cooking.
Author
social media links:
Website: http://www.dianaandersontyler.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authordianatyler/
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/dandersontyler/
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