The Circle is book one of the Sidhe series. Many future events are subtly set in motion in this novel. Readers will resolve some of the mysteries surrounding Emerald Lake in The Circle. However, there are a few seemingly inconsequential events shared in the first book that are very important to the entire series. Don't worry, there are lots of hints sprinkled throughout the novel. It will be interesting to hear reader speculation about why "such and such" is in the story, or how "this or that" will turn out. The entire series of books tells ONE story that spans several years, but if I wrote this as one book, it would be ridiculously long! The characters will grow and mature as the story goes along, growing stronger and smarter to handle what lies ahead.
The inspiration for The Circle came to me while I was in a "time out," for what I don't remember :) I imagined what I might find if I were able to lift one of the tiles in the floor. I envisioned a wise old man hunched over an ancient writing desk. The man was scribbling madly on yellowed parchment paper. This man became Uilleam.
A bit of trivia - Fairy Stone Park is an actual state park in Virginia. It is known for the fairy stones found near the edge of the lake.
The Circle
Calum Ranson is sure of three things: his cousin Finley is alive, Calum will find him, and no one knows Calum and his family are Sidhe. No one until Laurel shows up at his mother's bookstore wearing a dark clan's mark. When Calum learns the details surrounding the disappearance of Laurel's brother, he suspects the evil Hobayeth clan. Calum and Laurel work together in the Realm of Man and the Otherworld to rescue her brother - revealing a connection between Calum and Laurel that may cost Finley his life.
"The Circle is full of magic and mystery. Readers will be engrossed in faerie realms, charming characters, and a state of wonder and imagination. The Circle is for those who delight in reading fantasy and exploring mystical worlds."
--Kathleen Fox, LibraryGames.com
Author Cindy Cipriano
Cindy Cipriano lives in NC with her husband, son, and 27 pets. Okay, more like one cat, three dogs, and many, many fish. Cindy is an award winning science teacher, who this past August celebrated her 12th first day of sixth grade.
“You’ve seen a Shade Wolf? While the sun was overhead?” Chief Draghone asked. The boy nodded. “Then you were too close to their dens. I thought we talked about this Adolphus? You could endanger the entire village with your foolish desires.”
“But you said the Shade Wolves are our friends. That they protect Thornmount and the forest just as we do,” the boy said.
“True, but neither man nor beast likes it when an intruder comes to his home uninvited. And with a new litter coming, you’re lucky they didn’t tear you apart and feed you to the cubs for their first meal.”
Surprisingly the boy did not back down. Mildly irritated, the chief still admired his son’s conviction and passion. “I did no harm, father, I swear it. He even spoke to me. He warned me to go away,” Adolphus said with the excitement only a boy could display.
“And what did this Shade Wolf say?”
“He said run with purpose.”
“And did you?” the father asked.
“Of course. I’ve never run so fast. When I made it back to the village, the wolf was gone,” Adolphus said excitedly.
Thayne Draghone bellowed with laughter, and put his massive arm around his son. They all fear what they do not understand, he thought. That is why you are chief.
“You still have much to learn, young one. Listen closely, son, for this is truth,” he said as he knelt next to his boy so they could see eye to eye. “Run with purpose is not a warning, it is an ancient wolf saying.”
The boy was perplexed; this was not at all what he thought happened during his brief encounter with the wolf. “I don’t understand. What does that mean?”
“Run with purpose. It means do not waste energy, life, seasons. When you hunt, hunt until your prey is in your jaws. If you fight, fight with all your strength until you win your enemy’s throat. If you love, love until your heart stops beating. And if you must run, go swiftly until you run with your pack once more. This is the way of the wolf. This is the way of the warrior. And I pray to the gods it will be your way too,” the chief explained.
Adolphus looked back in the direction of the wolves with a new understanding and appreciation. His fear vanished, replaced with admiration and a sense of wonder. I want to see a Shade Wolf again. I’ll be brave, he thought.
“Come boy, the night grows darker still. Your mother will whip your hide… and mine if we don’t return to the cooking fires soon,” said Thayne.
“Can’t we stay a while longer? I want to listen. I wonder what they’re saying now, Father,” said the boy.
“When the sun rises I’ll travel to their den and pay my respects. I will offer gifts of meat and dugan entrails in celebration of new life. I was hoping my son could accompany me, but I fear if he doesn’t find his bed soon, he’ll be too weary,” said the chief.
He barely finished his sentence before the boy scrambled down the watchtower and scurried toward home. The father chuckled as he watched his son dash away. Run with purpose, young one. Now you’re getting it, he thought.
More about the book
Trail of Bones
Ready for a new adventure? Are you a fan of fantasy, young adult, science fiction and action stories?
“No mercy, No rules - Welcome to the Trail of Bones!”
Run with Purpose – battle cry of the Shade Wolves
Magnus, the runt of a litter of Shade Wolves, wants nothing more than to be a loyal, strong member of the pack. But when an ancient enemy threatens his friends and family, he faces a choice that could tear him from all he's known and loved.
Born in captivity, the giant panther Kelor knows nothing but suffering and loss. He struggles to find his place in this world of terror, and he battles to protect his family without succumbing to the darkness lurking inside him.
Falling captive to the evil Warden, the two are forced to fight in the battle of the beasts known as 'The Trail of Bones'. How will Kelor and Magnus learn to work together? How will they escape a fate of despair and death? How will their choices affect their comrades? Their enemies? And the forgotten magic that could doom all life of their world?
Let the adventures begin!
A fun, exciting, clean read for teens, young adults, adults and readers of all ages. Pick up your copy of this fantasy adventure today!
Are you a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Robert Jordan, Orson Scott Card, Jim Butcher and other fantasy and science fiction authors? You’ll feel right at home with Trail of Bones. This fantasy story offers a strong moral message, suspense, action, and mystery, in a world full of magic, unlikely heroes, and devious villains.
Editorial Reviews
Salisbury is a rising star in genre fiction. This book makes a unique and exciting contribution in the fantasy realm. The first of great things to come. --Jake Black, "The Authorized Ender Companion" "Smallville" "Ender's Game: Recruiting Valentine"
Amazon Reviews
Conclusion:
A fantasy adventure that features lots of action and intrigue that is geared to a YA audience.
There are moments in this tale that are especially well done... story telling at a level that I'd be interested to see what this author would do with an adult orientated fantasy work.
As a dedicated YA work... 5 Stars.
~ Ray Nicholson
The beginning of a great adventure!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the first book of the Trail of Bones series. It is an unpredictable adventure, with heartwrenching acts of love and friendship. The story ended before I was prepared to put my Kindle down, and now I will wait anxiously for the second book to be published. In the meantime, I think I'll read it again with my eleven-year-old son; I'm sure he'll love it as much as I do. Give it a read!
~ HRLEnthralling story line that really pulls you in
…The characters were some that I will not easily forget because he explains their background in a way that makes the reader really connect and believe they are real. He creates a world that I long to see. I really grew to both love and hate different characters. I think that is a sign of a really great author when they can make us feel so much emotion towards a character.
~ Janason
About Chris Salisbury
Chris Salisbury has been writing fantasy, science fiction, suspense, and action thrillers for years in independent films. Now he’s expanded his love of good movies, such as Gladiator, Counte of Monte Cristo, Saving Private Ryan, Braveheart, Star Trek, to the world of books. Trail of Bones is the first book in a planned four part fantasy, young adult series targeted at readers of all ages.
The father of four enjoys a wide range of interests from scuba diving to softball, coaching basketball to playing Battlefield 3 on his Xbox 360 or NCAA Football with his sons. He is also a big advocate for literacy and reading for young boys. There seem to be few titles that appeal to young boys and young men to hold their attention, trigger their imaginations and create a love of reading. Chris is out to change that.
In addition to the Trail of Bones series, he also has a number of other titles in development including historical fiction, action, suspense thrillers, and several science fiction properties. There’s a lot more on the horizon, so enjoy Trail of Bones but be sure to look for more captivating titles from Chris Salisbury in the near future.
I started keeping a journal for
my daughter before my husband and I left for China to pick her up. I
wanted to keep a record of our trip for her, but more than that, I
wanted her to understand that her birth parents had given her up not
because they didn’t love her but because they couldn’t keep her.
China has a one-child policy, handed down by a government trying to
control the country’s vast population.
It’s because of that law that
many babies there end up in orphanages. But it is also because of
that law that I have a beautiful, wonderful, sweet, intelligent
daughter.
When I was a student in high
school, history class seemed tedious, boring and irrelevant. History
was just that…history. No use dredging it up and making us memorize
a bunch of dates.
Now I know better.
Every one of our lives is
affected and shaped by not only the events of the present but also
those of the past. To paraphrase C. Wright Mills, our lives are lived
out at the intersection of history and biography. None of us lives in
isolation, untouched by the long seamless tapestry of world events.
That’s why I enjoy setting my
stories against the backdrop of major world happenings: the two World
Wars, the Great Depression, the 1960s Civil Right Era, the 1918
Spanish Flu epidemic, the 1948 polio epidemic. And in my newest
story, Sweet Mercy,
Prohibition and the Golden Age of Gangsters.
I love to examine how these large
events affect one small group of people, or one family, or even one
person. Where a history class may be cold and objective and sweeping,
individual stories tell us what really happened. Through stories we
see how people’s lives are broadsided, turned upside down, knocked
onto a different course, made worse and, yes, sometimes made better
by these overarching events that become World History. For my
stories, I’m particularly interested in the good that comes out of
the bad.
My grandfather lost his first
wife during the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic, but then he married my
grandmother and my mother was born. My father was set to go to Japan
with his unit, but then World War II ended and he came home safe and
sound and met my mother. China instituted the one-child policy in
1979 and then….well, whoever would have thought that such a law
would give an American woman her much-loved daughter in 1998?
The ripples of history are
far-reaching, and while they are often full of heartache, they
sometimes carry blessings too.
MORE ABOUT THE BOOK
Sweet Mercy
Stunning coming-of-age drama set during the Great Depression and Prohibition
When Eve Marryat's father is laid off from the Ford Motor Company in 1931, he is forced to support his family by leaving St. Paul, Minnesota, and moving back to his Ohio roots. Eve's uncle Cyrus has invited the family to live and work at his Marryat Island Ballroom and Lodge.
Eve can't wait to leave St. Paul, a notorious haven for gangsters. At seventeen, she considers her family to be "good people," not lawbreakers like so many in her neighborhood. Thrilled to be moving to a "safe haven," Eve soon forms an unlikely friendship with a strange young man named Link, blissfully unaware that her uncle's lodge is anything but what it seems.
When the reality of her situation finally becomes clear, Eve is faced with a dilemma. Does she dare risk everything by exposing the man whose love and generosity is keeping her family from ruin? And when things turn dangerous, can she trust Link in spite of appearances?
Ann Tatlock is the author of the Christy-Award winning novel Promises to Keep. She has also won the Midwest Independent Publishers Association "Book of the Year" in fiction for both All the Way Home and I'll Watch the Moon. Her novel Things We Once Held Dear received a starred review from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly calls her "one of Christian fiction's better wordsmiths, and her lovely prose reminds readers why it is a joy to savor her stories." Ann lives with her husband and daughter in Asheville, North Carolina.
Tour Giveaway
1 winner will receive a copy of 3 of Ann's Books
Sweet Mercy, Travelers Rest and Promises to Keep
Open to US & Canada Only
Ends 5/21/13
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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The Circle
Calum Ranson is sure of three things: his cousin Finley is alive, Calum will find him, and no one knows Calum and his family are Sidhe. No one until Laurel shows up at his mother's bookstore wearing a dark clan's mark. When Calum learns the details surrounding the disappearance of Laurel's brother, he suspects the evil Hobayeth clan. Calum and Laurel work together in the Realm of Man and the Otherworld to rescue her brother - revealing a connection between Calum and Laurel that may cost Finley his life.
