Book Blitz: Counting Shadows by Olivia Rivers

Counting Shadows

Series: Duplicity #1

Author: Olivia Rivers

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Publication Date: June 30th 2013

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Synopsis

Two hearts, one kiss…

…Nothing left.

Faye’s soul-mate is everything she should hate—an Angel, an outcast, an enemy. Ashe is just one more imperfection in her life that somehow makes everything… perfect.

Until he’s murdered.

With the only person she loves ripped away, Faye sets out to avenge Ashe’s death. The task seems impossible, until she finds Lor—an Angel who looks nearly identical to Ashe’s killer. Arrogant and hot-headed, Lor is everything Ashe wasn’t. But Lor is connected to her soul-mate’s past, and Faye needs him to find the killer—even if Lor is potentially deadly.

But when Faye discovers that Ashe’s past isn’t as black and white as she thought, she faces an impossible choice: Give up the hunt, and risk the lives of others. Or continue pursuing Ashe’s murderer, and forfeit the lives of everyone in her family—including herself.

Excerpt

His black eyes settle on mine, the pain in them a silent accusation. Ashe knows he’s about to die. And he knows I’ve lied about his Fate.

I can’t feel guilt. I can’t feel anything. There’s only my ragged breaths and the tears pressing against my eyes. Ashe steps toward me, even though I’m in the opposite direction of the door. No, I silently beg him. Run. I don’t realize I’m shaking my head until he falters.

“Stop,” one of the guards hisses, even though he already has. “Don’t go near the Lady Faye.”

My heart pounds wildly. “Just count the beats when you get scared,” Ashe told me months ago, as he pressed his palm over my heart. “Remember that I’ll protect you until the day they stop. And don’t be scared anymore.”

I gasp in air. One, two, three, four…

He walks toward me, his face hard with determination.

Five, six, seven…

One of the guards shouts and stabs his spear forward. At Ashe. My Ashe.

My heart stops.

I scream at the guard, telling him to stop, to leave, to disappear and never show his face again. But my words are a jumbled mess, and it’s too late. The spear pierces Ashe’s right wing, drawing blood. Nausea fills me as the red blood mingles with his crimson feathers. I’ve always loved his wings. They mark him as an Angel, the one bit of perfection in my life.

Now those wings are ruined.

Ashe’s eyes never leave me, even as the guard tears his spear out of the wound. I swallow hard. I’ve never stared into his eyes for too long, knowing I’d probably lose myself in all the pain and loneliness in their depths. Now I never want to look away.

“Get moving,” the guard with the bloodied spear growls. He stabs at Ashe again, but Ashe grabs the shaft of the spear before it strikes him. He yanks the spear from the guard and snaps it in two. Ashe allows one of the halves to clatter to the stone floor, but keeps hold of the sharpened end. His gaze slowly sweeps over the four guards with weapons, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

“You can’t do this,” I say, finally finding my voice. “My father would never allow it.”

“Your father ordered this,” snaps the guard without a spear. He braces for an attack, as do the others.

Then their leader takes a step forward and pushes out a staying hand. “Wait.”

I recognize this leader as Jolik. He was my bodyguard for awhile before Ashe became my Guardian. I’m not sure how many bodyguards I went through—five, six?—but they never lasted long before I excused them.

Jolik nods to Ashe. “Let him say goodbye.”

The weaponless guard speaks up. “He could kill her.”

“He won’t,” Jolik says, shaking his head.

Ashe doesn’t wait for Jolik to change his mind. He drops the broken spear and rushes to me. Cupping my face with one hand, he uses the other to press me against him. Familiar heat radiates off him this close. He tilts my chin up and kisses me so gently, I barely feel his lips against mine. But I can feel the desperation, and as he presses me a little closer, I know this is a goodbye.

The kiss only lasts a moment. Then the guards drag him away, and those threatening tears finally spill. I’m not sure if the tears are angry or anguished. Or maybe just broken.

“You’re right, little sparrowhawk,” Ashe says over his shoulder. “Everything is going to be okay. I promise.”

I don’t get to respond. The last guard exits my chambers and slams the heavy door closed, leaving me truly alone for the first time in years. I take a shuddering breath, willing the doors to burst open, for Ashe to come rushing back to me.

They don’t. Silence settles over the room, screaming the truth:

Nothing will ever be okay.

Character Interview

Character Interview with Faye from "Counting Shadows"

Q: You fell in love with Ashe at a very early age. How did this happen?

I'm not exactly sure. At first, I think Ashe just felt gratitude toward me for saving his life, and I was just grateful to have a friend. But that very quickly changed, and we were both in love. Maybe it was because we were both seen as outcasts, and we bonded over that. Or maybe it was just Fate that brought us together.

Q: Do you feel responsible for Ashe's death?

On one hand, I know it wasn't me who wanted him dead. But on the other hand, I just keep replaying all the things I could have done differently. Maybe if I'd found out the murder plan earlier, or ran away with him, or never even met him… I don't know. What happened has happened, and now all that matters is revenge.

Q: You want revenge for Ashe's death. Why? Wouldn’t it be better to let go of the past?

Of course not. Ashe's murder isn't something I can just "let go of". The man who killed him deserves to be punished, and if no one else will do it, then I will.

Q: Your country accuses you of being a magic-user. What do you say to this?

It's ridiculous. I've never used the dark arts, and I never will. My visions of the past just come to me, and I don't know why. But it's certainly not magic. Besides, it's not like my visions hurt anyone.

Q: How do you feel about the Angels?

I loved my Ashe, but he was different from most Angels. He was kind and quiet and loving. But I've heard the stories of what real Angels are like; they're angry and deadly. I think it's a good thing the Angels were banished from our continent.

Q: What about the Fae, Dragons, and all the other species who still live on your continent?

I don't really know what to think of them. My country, Irrador, has banned most of their species from crossing our borders. Only humans are truly accepted here. We trade with the other species and try to keep peace between our countries, but I don't know much else about their kind.

Q: What will you do in order to catch Ashe's murderer?

Anything. Absolutely anything.

Q: And what will you do when you find the murderer?

I'll give him the only thing he deserves: Death.

About the Author

Olivia Rivers is the author of five novels, ranging in genres from Epic Fantasy to Contemporary Romance. Along with being a writer, she’s a freelance digital artist, a literary agent assistant, and a high school student. She’s a nerd at heart, and is a hopeless fan-girl for Doctor Who and Pokémon. Olivia lives in California with a dog who thinks he’s a cat, a cat who thinks he’s a dog, and a kitten who is just generally confused.

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Revealing Truths by Olivia Rivers

There are many things I love about writing, but perhaps my favorite is being able to send a message to readers. Some of these messages are simple and are found in many books: love, hope, courage. But there's one message that seems to be missing from many books: acceptance.

To me, this is the most important message of all. How can you truly love someone if you can't accept who they are? How can you find hope, if you can't accept the possibility of a happily-ever-after? How can you have courage if you don't accept your beliefs and actions to be right? Acceptance is something so vital to living fulfilling lives, yet it's strangely missing from so many books.

This is the reason I focus so much on acceptance in my novels. More specifically, on accepting people for who they are. I have disabled characters in my novels, who face health challenges very similar to my own. I have LGBTQ characters, who confront a hatred I will never know, but will always fight against. I have characters of different races, cultures, religions, and mindsets.

All these people in my novels create diverse, yet integral, parts of the story. They're not always easily accepted within the novels; but the important thing is that they all fight for acceptance. They believe in who they are, even if it makes them different in the eyes of others.

And, most often, those "differences" don't make much difference to the story at all. My character Matthias, from the "Tortured Elements" series, is blind and gay. That doesn't stop him from being the most powerful magician alive. Cyrus from "Counting Shadows" is mentally ill, but he still saves many lives. Kilimanjaro, a character from one of my currently-unpublished novels, is bi-racial and often discriminated against. However, he still manages to be an influential celebrity.

These characters accept who they are, fight for who they are, and live as they are. And if there's anything I want my readers to take away from my novels, it's that they can do this, too.

Oh, and one other thing. Whenever I talk about diversity in writing, I like to remember a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures." So who knows? Maybe with a little more help from fictional worlds, the real-world will become more accepting, too.

Author Q&A

Q: What inspired you to write "Counting Shadows"?

A: I've always loved Epic Fantasy, whether I'm reading it or writing it. One day, about a year ago, I had this random thought of, "What if I took a bunch of Urban Fantasy creatures, and transferred them into an Epic Fantasy world?" And voila! "Counting Shadows" was born.

Q: Is there ever going to be a romance between Lor and Faye?

A: Perhaps. Faye will definitely end up in a serious relationship, as will Lor. But whether or not they'll end up together is a question only answered in the next book in the series.

Q: Who is your favorite character to write in the "Duplicity" series?

A: Cyrus, most definitely. Readers see very little of him in "Counting Shadows", but he plays a major role in the rest of the series. He's a Dragon/Fairy hybrid, who is slowly going insane, like all hybrids eventually do. He also happens to have a major crush on Lor. His insanity makes him a difficult character to write, but also an extremely fun one. Also, his history with Lor is so heartbreaking that it makes me wish Cyrus was a real person, just so I could give him a hug.

Q: You're currently a high school student. How does your young age influence your writing?

A: It really doesn't influence my writing very much. I go through the exact same process as any other author: drafting, rewrites, alpha readers, beta readers, line edits, ect. I try not to let my age get in the way of creating a good book, and I never use it as an excuse for my mistakes.

Q: Who did the cover for "Counting Shadows"?

A: I do all my own covers. It's a time-consuming process, but I adore digital art, and I just love having control over this aspect of publishing.

Q: What's the hardest part about being an author?

A: For me, it's the first draft. I despise first drafts with a passion. They're so messy and bad and icky. I always celebrate when I finish a first draft, because I know the worst part is over, and I can have fun rewriting and editing.

Q: What's your favorite part about being an author?

A: My readers are by far my favorite part. It's the absolute best feeling in the world to have people contact me about my books. I've had people from practically every continent email me about my novels, and it's a wonderful feeling to know that my writing gives some people joy.

Q: When will the next book in the "Duplicity" series be coming out?

A: "Eluding Light", the second book of the "Duplicity" series, will be out March 2014.