Today Vicki L. Weavil and Month9Books are revealing the cover and first chapter
for SCEPTER OF FIRE, a companion novel in the CROWN OF ICE Series!
Which releases October 18, 2016! Check out the gorgeous cover and enter to be
one of the first readers to receive an eGalley!!
Here’s a message from the author.
Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Ugly
Duckling” and “The Steadfast Tin Soldier,” SCEPTER OF FIRE is a companion book
to CROWN OF ICE, my retelling of “The Snow Queen.” It takes place a few years
later, in the midst of an invasion by a power-mad foreign emperor, and includes
most of the characters from CROWN OF ICE.
However the protagonist in SCEPTER OF FIRE is someone new—17yo Varna Lund,
an ugly duckling among swans, who’s certain her destiny lies in taking on the mantle
of village healer after the death of heraged mentor.
But when a young soldier enlists her aid to care for his injured friend, Varna and her sister, Gerda,
are catapulted into the war that has engulfed their country.
Forced to flee enemy troops with her sister and the two soldiers, Varna must also
evade her mentor, Sten Rask—revealed to be a powerful mage seeking the enchanted mirror
hidden by a former Snow Queen.
To protect the mirror, and their country, Varna, Gerda, and the soldiers join forces
with a sorceress, an enchanted reindeer, a brilliant scholar, and a young woman
traveling with a wolf. But Varna faces a terrible temptation. Promised beauty and power
by the devilishly handsome Rask, she must choose—achieve her own desires,
or protect a society that has never embraced her.
The Cover:
I love how this cover matches the cover of CROWN
OF ICE, and yet is different enough to set the books apart. Both feature
striking young women, but whereas CROWN is glazed with icy blue tones, SCEPTER
is saturated with reds, golds and other fiery hues. If you look closely, you
can even see flames reflected in the girl’s eyes—very appropriate for a book
that deals with sorcerers who wield fire. Although the cover model is not an
“ugly duckling,” she does accurately reflect the protagonist during one portion
of the book, which I will not reveal at this point due to “spoilers”!
Title: SCEPTER OF FIRE
Author: Vicki L. Weavil
Pub. Date: October 18, 2016
Publisher: Month9Books
Format: Paperback and eBook
Sharp as pine needles, and twice as
bitter, seventeen-year-old Varna Lund’s determined to become a healer. At least
patients don’t care about her looks, unlike the young men who spurn
her for eighteen-year-old Gerda or even
her younger sisters. An ugly duckling among swans,
Varna hopes to bury her passionate
nature in useful work.
Her healing skills are put to the test
when Varna encounters Erik Stahl, a young soldier who’s
deserted the battlefield to carry his
injured friend, Anders Nygaard, to safety. Varna, enlisting the
aid of Gerda, cares for Anders in
secret.
But a brutal betrayal catapults the four
young people into life on the run, where Varna discovers
her old mentor is actually a powerful
wizard. Seeking the enchanted mirror hidden by a former
Snow Queen, the wizard hopes to use
Gerda as a pawn in his plan to aid the invading emperor.
Other forces ally against the wizard,
including an auburn-haired sorceress, an enchanted
reindeer, a brilliant scholar, and a
young woman traveling with a wolf. Along with the soldiers
and Gerda, they vow to prevent the
mirror from falling into enemy hands. But tempted with promises of beauty and
power from her now devilishly handsome mentor, Varna must choose
between her own desires and the good of
a society that’s never embraced her.
Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s
“The Ugly Duckling” and “The Steadfast Tin Soldier”,
SCEPTER OF FIRE is a companion book to CROWN OF ICE.
Vicki L. Weavil was raised in a farming community in Virginia, where her
life was shaped by a wonderful family, the culture of the Blue Ridge Mountains,
and an obsession with reading. She holds a B.A. in Theatre from the University of
Virginia, a Masters in Library Science from Indiana University, and a Masters
in Liberal Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. After
working as a librarian at the NY Public Library at Lincoln Center, and the
Museum of Television & Radio (now the Paley Center for Media) in NYC, she
is currently the Director for Library Services at the University of North
Carolina School of the Arts.
Vicki loves good writing in any genre, and has been known to read seven books
in as many days. She enjoys travel, gardening, and the arts. Vicki lives in
North Carolina with her husband and some very spoiled cats.
A member of SCBWI, Vicki is represented by Fran Black at Literary Counsel, NY, NY.
Where you can find Vicki:
1 winner will receive an eBook of CROWN OF ICE and
an eGalley of SCEPTER OF FIRE (when available), International.
Vicki L. Weavil turned her early obsession with reading into a career as a librarian. After obtaining a B.A. in Theatre from the University of Virginia, she continued her education by receiving a Masters in Library Science and a M.A. in Liberal Studies. She is currently the Library Director for a performing and visual arts university.
