Because I am losing my mind to my NaNoWriMo project, I am handing my blog over to my friend Melissa Snark.  Battle Cry, the second book in her Loki’s Wolves series is currently up for nomination on Amazon Scout.  She is also giving away a necklace.

Hello! My name is Melissa Snark, and I’m a fantasy and romance author. If I could have a moment of your time, I’d like to ask for your help as a reader. Please consider nominating my Norse folklore fantasy novel Battle Cry on Kindle Scout.

Amazon’s new publishing program is called Kindle Scout, an innovative platform that provides readers with a sneak peek at unreleased books as well as the opportunity to have a say in what gets chosen. The timing of Scout was amazing. The announcement came just as I neared completion of my novel. The terms being offered are attractive. As a publisher, Amazon has as much clout as one of the traditional publishers. This simply seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass on, so I submitted Battle Cry for consideration.

Per the FAQ: How does Kindle Scout benefit readers?
Kindle Scout readers get to preview new, never-before-published books and influence which ones are made available to millions of readers on Amazon. In addition, any time a reader’s nomination gets published, they will receive a free copy.

I appreciate your support!  To nominate Battle Cry, you only need to be logged into your Amazon account. You can head over to the Kindle Scout website and view Battle Cry’s profile page. If you like what you see, please consider voting for Battle Cry.  Thank you so much!

5 Fun Loki Facts by Melissa Snark

1. 

   Loki sired three children with the giantess Angrboda. The eldest child was a giant wolf named Fenrir. The second child was a serpent called Jormungand. The youngest a girl named Hel who eventually became the Norse goddess of death.

2. Despite what Marvel would have you believe, Loki and Thor were not brothers. Rather, Loki is Odin’s contemporary and his sworn blood-brother. Odin promised Loki that they would always be equals.
3. The Trickster has many names, including Loke, Loder, Lokkju, Lopter, Lopti, and Hveðrungr. His nicknames are varied and creative: the God of Mischief, God of Trickery, Silver Tongue, and the God of Lies.
4. Loki is a shape shifter. During the course of various tales, he appears as a salmon, a mare, a seal, a fly, a hawk, and an elderly woman.
5. After his involvement in the death of the god Baldr, Loki was punished. He was bound with the entrails of one of his sons to a rock. The goddess Skaði placed a serpent above him so venom drips into his face. His only relief comes from the efforts of his faithful wife, Sigyn, who collect the venom in a bowl. Once the bowl fills, she must empty it and Loki endures the agony of venom corroding his face until Sigyn returns.

BATTLE CRY

Book #2 in the Loki’s Wolves series
Melissa Snark
Genre: Norse folklore fantasy
Number of pages: 375 approx.
Word Count: 95,000
Cover Artist: Farah Evers

Goodreads Want to Read

 

Logline: One man dares defy Fate.

Survival demands sacrifices; healing requires forgiveness. 

Men revere him; monsters fear him. Jake Barrett, the notorious Hunter King, values loyalty to family and followers above all else. When the daughter of his closest ally murders Daniel, his oldest son, it sets off a chain reaction of violence and destruction that claims the lives of both wolves and hunters. Determined to avenge his son, Jake seeks the truth at any cost.

After losing her lover and then her mate, Victoria Storm simply wants to get on with building a new life in Sierra Pines, California. A vengeful Jake Barrett and his organization aren’t going to make that easy, especially with the unwelcome attraction between her and the Hunter King’s second son. Perils beyond the mortal coil plague Victoria.

When the Norse Fates predict Victoria will destroy the world, her duties as a priestess of Freya come into conflict with her responsibilities as a Valkyrie of Odin. When they tell her she will do it to save her unborn child, she’s not so sure they are wrong.

Sawyer Barrett has been trying to kill Victoria for so long, he doesn’t know whether he loves her or hates her. Desperate to end the war, he’s willing to take chances with everything–except his heart. The hunter harbors a deadly secret he can’t reveal without risking the ceasefire and his life.

At Sawyer’s urging, Victoria agrees to peace talks with Jake. All the while, an ancient vampire plots the destruction of wolves and hunters alike. If the embittered rivalry between hunters and wolves doesn’t end—and fast—there is no hope for Victoria’s pack… or for their world.

Short excerpt (PG):

Shade enshrouded Skuld, and her voice manifested upon the air, thick and oppressive, closing in from all sides. “Your daughter will not grow to adulthood in Midgard.”

Victoria’s heart slammed against her breastbone. Her breath expelled in a horrified gust. The bowl dropped from her hands and flew to protect her abdomen. “What do you mean?”

“Your daughter will be taken from you on the eve of her third birthday,” Skuld said. “The one you trust most, a member of your own pack, will give the child over to your greatest enemy.”

A growl trembled in Victoria’s throat, and her entire body shook under the dual assault of fear and rage. The suggestion of betrayal from within her own pack filled her with disbelief to the core of her being. It was unthinkable. Gritting her teeth, she sought a solution, refusing to dwell on it. “How am I to prevent this?”

“We speak of what will come to pass,” Verðandi said in a sympathetic tone.

“Your predictions are not carved in stone,” Victoria said. Arguing with Fate was a foolish endeavor, but she refused to accept their prophecy.

The old woman, Urðr, smiled with a frightening gleam in her eyes. “Predictions, carved into the trunk of the World Tree, carved into the spiritual fabric of the world.”

Stubborn determination settled over Victoria like armor. Her mother had taught her there was no absolute fate, just as there was no absolute free will. Life consisted of a wide range of possibilities between the two extremes. She refused to allow her daughter to die at three years of age. She would move worlds, alter fate, slay gods.

Whatever it took.

“Do you wish to save your child?” Skuld asked.

Victoria answered without thought. “Yes. I’ll do anything. Tell me. Please.”

“The final days are upon us,” Verðandi said.

Skuld took over speaking. “To save your daughter, you will side with Loki against the Aesir. You will use your enchanted dagger to cut the binding of the great wolf Fenrir. You will be responsible for freeing the beast that kills Odin.”

Victoria’s stomach turned. Her head shook in automatic denial. “When the gods imprisoned Fenrir, my people pledged fealty to the Aesir. We have served them loyally ever since. Even when we were driven from the homeland, almost a millennium ago, we remained faithful. I will never cut Fenrir’s bonds. To do so would end the world we live in and doom us all.”

Skuld’s gaze held steady. “You will.”

Victoria snarled her denial. “No. I will never become the servant of the Trickster or willingly take part in bringing about Odin’s death.”

Skuld turned her head and pinned Victoria with one black eye that rolled in its socket like a liquid marble. “To save your daughter, you will.”

Nominate BATTLE CRY to Kindle Scout

 Battle Cry Kindle Scout Giveaway

1. Nordic Lights Jewels of the Moon Pendant Amulet Talisman for Psychic Ability by Maelstrom Odssonn 
2. (3) Signed Paperbacks of HUNGER MOON
3. (2) $10 Gift Cards to Amazon

a Rafflecopter giveaway