Hello, lovelies!! It gives me great pleasure today to host Ross MacKay and his new book, “Will and the Whisp,” here on FAB!! For other stops on his Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $10 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Ross and to increase your chances of winning!!
Thanks for stopping by!! Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!
Will and the Whisp
by Ross MacKay
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GENRE: Fantasy
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BLURB:
“The voice was coming from inside him … But it wasn’t his.”
The Whisp is a fugitive. Living in between worlds, she flees from veteran hunters and the General who wishes to corrupt her power. For Will Devine, nothing could be worse than someone else knowing his thoughts. When an unfortunate incident in the boy’s toilet mysteriously binds the two souls together, Will is horrified to find he is no longer the only voice inside his mind. With no way apart, the two of them must work together to find a solution.
But with one teacher dead and another student’s life on the line, can they survive long enough to escape from each other?
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EXCERPT ONE:
The
Whisp hurtles down a side street and then spins to the left.
Faster and faster, as fast as she can.
She hears heavy boots on the damp cobbles and the howls and whoops behind her. A glance back shows some of the Hunters grasping electric spears, running them against the granite walls. The sparks crackle in the air as they singe the old stones black. The rain lashes down onto the old slate roofs making the whole city bristle with noise.
Amongst all of this chaos, she keeps running, tries hard to concentrate on the sound that beckons. It's fragile, like fine thread unwinding from a spindle. She knows if she loses it, inside the noise of the chase, it might never be found again.
The sound is hope.
The Whisp propels herself forward. She has never heard the song of the Thresholds until this night. She didn't even exist when they were last open. But if a Threshold was open and singing to her, then there was a chance … A small chance, she might escape with her life.
The city is woven like a tightly gnarled knot through which she twists and turns, doubling back on herself when she comes across another squad of Hunters in the alleyway ahead of her. They are systematic, cutting off streets, encircling her, trying to pen her in. She works fast to plot a new route in her mind, turning towards the sound whenever she has the chance.
The Hunters are like a pack of wild dogs catching the scent of prey in their nostrils. They will not lose her. She is quicker than them, but they are relentless. And while she may be invisible, the lashing rain runs down her body, making her shimmer.
They are swooping upon her, again and again. Each trying their best to seize the Whisp in their talons. But agile and quick, she darts across a city square into another crumpled heap of side streets.
The Whisp tries to turn another corner but misjudges the pivot and crashes hard into a wooden door that rattles on its hinges. Trying to correct her balance, she slips as the wet gravel beneath her gives way. Landing in a heap, she looks up and notices a looming shadow in front of her.
The only humans ever out at this time of night are Hunters.
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GUEST POST:
Describe Your Book Cover and How It Came About:
The adage, never judge a book by its cover, is a compete lie. I always judge books by their covers. When I go into a shop, I will always pick up the book with a title or an image that grabs my eye, turn it over and read the blurb. But if that cover isn’t eye catching, I am never going to pick it up. No one goes into a book shop and reads every blurb. They just don’t. Cover’s matter.
A good cover can convey the tone, the style, and the vibe of a book (I am sure there will be a great German word for the vibe of a book – Buchenvibe??). A great cover gets the reader excited before they even begin.
I think a brilliant cover also demonstrate the love and care that has went into the book. The publishers, the writers, the marketing teams have carefully considered what the book is about and how the right image can attract the right reader to the book.
Full credit for my cover goes to Diana at Triumph Covers. She has made something that I love. It bristles with energy. It promises secrets and magic and the ancient and the modern all at the same time. I hope my book lives up to that promise.
When
chats began about my cover, I had an idea in my head that the pandora jar, an
old Greek style vase, would be a brilliant symbol for the book. I imagined it
almost breaking apart as electricity burst out from it.
I then looked at book covers in shops and in my own bookcases and made a small set of example pieces. I sent the idea, and this set over to Diana, listing why I was drawn to each cover.
These are some of my notes below:
“In the text – the Whisps are caught within Pandora Jars.
Pandora’s Jar are shaped like the vases referenced here.
“It was a thing of beauty. Exquisite blue patterns swirled around the pure white clay at the widest point and again at the rim.” From the text.
I envisage it cracking with the blue electric lightning energy of the Whisp held inside.
At one point it is held over a flame – which might give contrast.”
I love the coloring on this book. I like the gold and silver lettering. I also enjoy the thinness of the lightning bolts in Percy Jackson. I envisage the jar shaking with energy – pulsing.
I loved His Dark Materials cover when I was younger. I love how exquisite the object feels. I wonder if the vase could have that detail and sheen.
As you can see, Diana took all these ideas and created something unique. I feel very proud of my cover, and it is often the first thing people remark upon when they see my book.
If the cover for Will and The Whisp intrigues you, then the book might be your cup of tea too.
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AUTHOR BIO:
Ross MacKay lives in the village of Aberdour in Scotland with his wife and young son, Noah.
Ross previously worked in theatre as the artistic director of Tortoise in a Nutshell. His productions toured all over the world. His shows have received numerous prestigious awards including a Scotsman Fringe First for New Writing and a Critic’s Pick from The New York Times.
In 2020, Ross was the recipient of the William Soutar Award for Poetry and a Tom McGrath Trust Maverick Award. He has been commissioned to write poetry for libraries in Fife, to open a festival in Perth and for two books published by Tippermuir.
Ross’ first picture book, Daddy’s Bad Bed Day will be published in 2022 by Curly Tale Books. The book has been created to help young children with parents with poor mental health. Research for the book has been supported by numerous children’s charities in Scotland.
When Ross isn’t writing or making shows, he spends his time in his inflatable kayak, trying to steer it as best he can. He loves gardening and is currently engaged in a fierce battle with a collection of snails who seem to love the rhubarb and potatoes just as much as Ross.
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CONNECT WITH ROSS:
Website:
https://rossmackaystories.com/about
Facebook:
http://facebook.com/rossmackaystories
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/rossc_mackay
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/rossc_mackay
Goodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22526825.Ross_MacKay
Goodreads Book Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58550320-will-and-the-whisp
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AMAZON BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon US Kindle eBook:
Amazon US Paperback:
Amazon CA Kindle eBook:
https://www.amazon.ca/Will-Whisp-Ross-MacKay-ebook/dp/B0BBDB7V9S
Amazon CA Paperback:
https://www.amazon.ca/Will-Whisp-Ross-MacKay/dp/1956183817
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Ross will be awarding a $10 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome giveaways on here**
This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Hi Ross ~ Welcome to FAB!! It is so nice to have you here!! Congrats on your new book and good luck on the book tour!! :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDelete