She’s destined to save the world . . . if she doesn’t destroy it first.
Welcome to one of the May 4th stops on the blog tour for The Undine’s Tear by Talena Winters with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, author guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.
Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.
Author Guest Post
What If?
What if… there was a society of mermaids on our own world, completely hidden from view? What if they lived on land most of the time, because they had had to mate with human men for the last three thousand years? What if that’s why sirens are always dragging sailors beneath the sea, and it’s because they can no longer produce their own boys?
But why can’t they?
Those are some of the questions that went through my mind in the early stages of developing the world and story that became the Rise of the Grigori series. I find most good stories start with a question.
What if?
Why?
Why not?
Soon, you are falling down a hole like Alice on the way to Wonderland. And writing a fantasy book is a bit like being in Wonderland—fraught with marvels and perils in equal measure. On the one hand, you get to make up the world, the characters, and a story that delights you. On the other hand, you have to make up the entire world, all the characters, and make sure the story delights other people, too.
It’s enough to make a mermaid want to toss her keyboard and head out sunbathing.
But what if… when you’re done, and you put that book out in the world, you find you’ve succeeded? That readers tell you they couldn’t put it down? That others love living in your world of powerful merfolk and angels that look like sphinxes and dragons, and they want to keep going on the adventure to find out what if right along with you?
About the Book
The Undine’s Tear
Rise of the Grigori Book One
by Talena Winters
Published 1 January 2021
My Secret Wish Publishing
Genre: YA Epic Historical Fantasy
Page Count: 452
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
She’s destined to save the world . . . if she doesn’t destroy it first.
Calandra’s destiny is also her doom. As the most powerful healer since the woman who sank Atlantis, she’s been raised to restore the Heartstone that protects her island from humans . . . before she goes Mad like her mother and all the powerful undine healers before her. When she learns she needs both male and female magic to succeed, she becomes desperate—there hasn’t been an undine male born for over three thousand years. Instead, she’s being pressured to use the siren mind-bond to enslave her childhood friend, the one man she’s sworn to risk a death sentence to free.
When Calandra discovers a cryptic message that shows her exiled mother was not only sane but pregnant with a boy, she questions everything she’s been taught to believe. But revealing the horrifying truth of the bonds could tear her island apart—and concealing it could unleash the Earth’s oldest, most destructive enemy. With insanity looming, can Calandra find her brother and save the Heartstone, the man she loves, her people, and the world . . . before she loses control and destroys them all?
The Undine’s Tear is the first book in the mind-blowing young adult epic historical fantasy series Rise of the Grigori. Packed with complex characters, lush world-building, gritty action, and impossible odds, this intricately woven tale presents mermaids like you’ve never seen them before. Join Calandra in a search for redemption that will threaten the very fabric of the universe. Dive into the adventure today!
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK
Excerpt
“You are wondering how to gain control of your powers,” Damon said without preamble.
Calandra thought about ignoring him or denying it, but what was the point? This was nothing more than a dream, and the slippery logic of dreams fuzzed her will to keep her more rebellious thoughts to herself.
“You know, I shouldn’t even be talking to you. An Unredeemed male. I could get in big trouble.”
The corners of his mouth curved under his trim goatee.
“And who will report you?” He indicated the blackness around them. “Certainly not I. I exist only in your mind.”
She crossed her arms and cocked her head, studying him. “Have you ever been Redeemed?”
His expression became stony. “Redemption is for humans.”
“Redemption is for men. To make them safe. It just happens that the only men are human.”
Thinking of Osaze’s dread, she wondered again at the morality of it. Uncrossing her arms, she shifted her gaze from Damon’s face to his bronze chest.
“And one of them is my friend.”
“All humans should be controlled,” he replied nonchalantly, drawing nearer. “They have not the patience nor discipline to control themselves. And I am not human, yet I am male.”
She looked up at him, eyes narrowed. “I can see that. What are you? I’ve never seen an undine with golden eyes.”
He smiled knowingly. “Not human. But I could be your friend.”
That same feeling of security and warmth from their first encounter enveloped her, as though he were projecting it from himself intentionally. She frowned, wanting to accept it and shake off her heavy heart, but not daring to trust him yet.
“What do you want from me?”
“I want to help you.”
Damon came near enough to touch her but didn’t, pausing before her with his arms to the sides in a placating gesture.
She wrapped her arms around herself and glared into the blackness beyond him. “Yeah, well, you can’t. Not unless you can tell me how to control powers that could sink an island and heal the Heartstone without going Mad.”
“Little lark,” he said, amusement dripping from his voice like honey from a spoon, “that is exactly what I intend to do.”
About the Author
Talena Winters is addicted to stories, tea, chocolate, yarn, and silver linings. She writes page-turning fiction for teens and adults in multiple genres, coaches other writers, has written several award-winning songs, and designs knitting patterns under her label My Secret Wish. Master of the ironic GIF response. She currently resides on an acreage in the Peace Country of northern Alberta, Canada, with her husband, three surviving boys, two dogs, and an assortment of farm cats. She would love to be a mermaid when she grows up.
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Giveaway Alert!
Talena Winters will be awarding a hardback copy of The Undine’s Tear (Rise of the Grigori Book 1) and also The Sphinx’s Heart (Rise of the Grigori Book 2) to a randomly drawn winner (International Giveaway) via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway| Mar 23 | Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews | Mar 30 | Viviana MacKade |
| Mar 30 | Long and Short Reviews | Apr 6 | Write. Read. Live |
| Apr 6 | Character Madness and Musings | Apr 13 | Sybrina’s Book Blog |
| Apr 20 | Andi’s Young Adult Books | Apr 20 | The Faerie Review |
| Apr 27 | All the Ups and Downs | Apr 27 | fundinmenta |
| May 4 | Kit ‘N Kabookle | May 4 | Westveil Publishing |
| May 11 | Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books! |
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Thanks for hosting!
Thank you so much for hosting!
Great post thanks for sharing! Siobhan ♡ | Vegan Babe Life
Thanks for commenting! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it.
The book sounds great. I love the cover.
Thanks, Sherry! 🙂