Marketing Madness

The first of this month's featured author's is JC Hall. Her upcoming book is called Lady of the Lake.
Publisher: Zumaya Otherworlds, SF/F Imprint of Zumaya Publications
Publishing Date: March 2007
Genre: Fantasy
Subgenre: romance, sword-and-sorcery

"She knew only the importance of duty and honour. He understood that devotion could transcend time, space and worlds."

Unwittingly burdened with a devoted new squire, Jess Lochlen must teach him the skills he must have in order to be of any use to her. For she is on a double mission—to recover her captured infant cousin, and to determine if treachery is stalking the Rogrovian throne. Her cousins and brothers-in-arms turn out to be more hindrance than help, and she's in dire need of all the help she can get. But as her young squire's feelings turn from loyalty and devotion to love and desire, and their journey across his homeland becomes a race against time—to save not just her infant cousin but the Rogrovian King—she finds herself wondering if he's any help at all.

Just a song. Just another sad, love song, that was all, naught more. But a song that made a grown man’s color fade from his face. A song that made his lady cry. A song that spoke of love and loss, and more, of worlds where time was a factor gone astray. Where a traveling stranger went away for a hand of years and returned to find half a century gone by.

Different worlds kept different times, he supposed that was the moral behind the tale.As if there were truly worlds and worlds, as natural as lands and lands.

Land and land, world and world—she had once said, long and long ago—one is much like another.

He chewed his knuckles to the bone, thinking and thinking himself to sleep. Dreams assailed him throughout that long night, dreams of him and his lady separated, rent apart by the vagaries of time and space.

And in his dreams, he kept losing her, following and searching the heavens from afar. And in his dreams, the Argentene no longer shone, less the one significant star.

And in his dreams, his lady’s footsteps faded into the Lakes, the unhallowed lakes through which he could not follow. And in his dreams, the seasons slowly passed, till the fertile earth turned fallow.

And still, still, still he found her not.

And in his dreams, he feared he would grow old while searching his world for her. Till he threw himself in one unhallowed lake, and passaged his way to the stars.

Tags: Book Marketing; Gloria Oliver; Madten