Title: Mirrored Time
Author: J.D. Faulkner
Series: A Time Archivist Novel (Book 1)
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: May 7 2014
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
First it was water.
Then blood.
And finally smoke.
Gwen Conway never knew there were so many ways to die. Honestly, it was something she would have been happy not knowing.
Maybe, they really are just dreams. Nightmares. But they won't stop. And dreaming of her death is getting old. Then there's the sleepwalking. She'd like to pass on that too.
Gwen's pretty sure the dreams have something to do with her new job. Which of course, is definitely not just a 'job.'
Don't get her wrong, working for the Archiver of the Time Streams has its perks. Having the power to travel to any past or future time is fantastic. Plus, there's Rafe, the ex-gladiator from the future. She'd like to keep him around too. Not that she would tell him that. It'd go straight to his head.
But she's less than pleased to find herself in the middle of a time travelers' war. Especially against a crazed half-god who has the power to obliterate the existence of any time or place. And the Guardians, her so called allies? All the help they offer are strict rules and smug superiority. Plus, they seem convinced she's already lost, that she's already died.
Gwen is starting to wonder whether she should have read her employment contract more carefully.
Borrowing themes from Greek and Roman legends such as Pandora and the war between the Titans and Olympians, lovers of mythology and fantasy alike will enjoy this mind-bending romp through different times and universes. Well-grounded in the world of today, this urban fantasy stands out from the pack with its complex theories on time travel and unique brand of quirky humor.
Then blood.
And finally smoke.
Gwen Conway never knew there were so many ways to die. Honestly, it was something she would have been happy not knowing.
Maybe, they really are just dreams. Nightmares. But they won't stop. And dreaming of her death is getting old. Then there's the sleepwalking. She'd like to pass on that too.
Gwen's pretty sure the dreams have something to do with her new job. Which of course, is definitely not just a 'job.'
Don't get her wrong, working for the Archiver of the Time Streams has its perks. Having the power to travel to any past or future time is fantastic. Plus, there's Rafe, the ex-gladiator from the future. She'd like to keep him around too. Not that she would tell him that. It'd go straight to his head.
But she's less than pleased to find herself in the middle of a time travelers' war. Especially against a crazed half-god who has the power to obliterate the existence of any time or place. And the Guardians, her so called allies? All the help they offer are strict rules and smug superiority. Plus, they seem convinced she's already lost, that she's already died.
Gwen is starting to wonder whether she should have read her employment contract more carefully.
Borrowing themes from Greek and Roman legends such as Pandora and the war between the Titans and Olympians, lovers of mythology and fantasy alike will enjoy this mind-bending romp through different times and universes. Well-grounded in the world of today, this urban fantasy stands out from the pack with its complex theories on time travel and unique brand of quirky humor.
Places to find: Mirrored Time
Excerpt
Time crept by, and her one accomplishment was listening to
the steady ticking of her clock. With a huff, she shoved away the legal files
and rubbed her temples. She peeked at Alistair’s desk from underneath a curtain
of hair, but he still hadn’t magically appeared. The main office was empty. Just like it had been a few seconds ago.
Going home would be better than sitting here and obsessing.
She slipped on her coat, planning to leave. Her feet stayed rooted to the
floor. Honestly. It couldn’t hurt to
check the mirror before bringing it up to Alistair. She could figure out how
Rafe had tricked her. Then she would have an answer. So I can stop obsessing.
“Sorry, Alistair,”
she whispered to his desk before stepping into the dark hallway of the
Archives. Pausing outside the room, her thumb ran over the cool metal of the
door handle. Whatever happened, it would be the end of the mystery—maybe the
end of her hope. Her aunt’s words echoed in her mind. I would live, my girl, live.
This time there was no glowing light. With more effort than
she would care to admit, she stepped into the darkened room. She needed to know
the truth. And whatever happened, she would never forgive herself for running
away. Lying to herself was no longer an option. As crazy as it was, she wanted
the possibility to be real. What if everything she knew about life was a lie? What if magic did exist?
The room was silent as she stared at her reflection, her
eyes wide but determined. She raised her hand, watching her reflection reach up
to meet her. Her fingers encountered the cool, and solid, surface of the
mirror.
The stab of disappointment was sharp. So, the world was as
she always had imagined it. It didn’t hide any secrets involving magic mirrors.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, you’re not
so special after all.
Her fingers ran over the glass. She didn’t know how Rafe had
done it, but she would figure it out. At the very least, she had revenge. She
smiled at the idea of paying Rafe back. Her reflection’s smile widened with her
own, fingers following the opposite path. There would be hell to pay, that’s
for sure. Didn’t they always say ‘hell
hath no fury like a woman scorned?’ She laughed, palm pushed flat against
the mirror. Magic mirror, indeed. Now
she needed to find Rafe.
With her thoughts so centered on Rafe and her revenge, it
took a moment for her to notice the light. When her palm sank into the mirror,
she stared as liquid silver lapped up her arm. She tried to jerk back but the
mirror wouldn’t let her. It continued to pull her in. Gravity lurched with a
dizzying shift, and she fell into the mirror with a scream.
It echoed in the empty room.
How to Write a
Compelling Book Description…
Author’s Often say the Blurb/Synopsis is Often the Hardest to write so
how do you approach it?
So first, thanks so much for giving me an opportunity to
write a guest post here. Let’s hope I can make it a teensy bit informative, and
perhaps a smidge interesting. Writing a blurb/synopsis is difficult, mostly
because it’s the first real impression someone has of your book. After the
cover, if you don’t snag a reader’s interest with the blurb, forget them
opening the book up.
When starting my blurb for Mirrored Time, I focused on the
main points I wanted the reader to walk away with. If you do research on the
subject, a lot of people (smarter than I) will tell you to narrow your story
down to your main character, the goal of the story, and the stakes/what will
happen if that goal isn’t meet. This basically leaves you with three paragraphs
describing the main arcs of your story.
But regardless of technicalities, to me, the most important
part is adding as much sass, wit and humor (or whatever emotion you want to
color your synopsis) to the main technical bones of your synopsis. I (try to)
write my characters a bit more on the snarky side. Nothing mean-spirited, but I
like verbal sparring. So I wanted my synopsis to mirror (oops bad pun) that
same feeling.
Then after I add as much character as I can to the bare
bones of the synopsis, and I have something I’m happy with: The fun part. My
synopsis isn’t finished until my writing group says it is. Since the synopsis
is the main thing a potential reader will have to judge, I get as much advice
about my synopsis as possible. What jokes fall flat, where do I have too many
plot details, or where aren’t there enough? The main point: Is this a book my
writing group would want to pick up?
Basically there is a lot of deleting and rewriting; endless
tweaking until I finally get something that I am … mostly happy about. But hopefully something my readers are happy
about too. Because for all the rules you may know, at the end of the day, the
synopsis needs to be fun to read. And it needs to make the reader want to turn
to the first page.
Terrifying to write, but well worth the time and effort.
Fingers crossed that work shows in my own synopsis. Good luck to all you fellow
writers out there, don’t give up! And thanks for reading.
J.D. Faulkner lives
in Seattle, Washington. She spends her time reading anything she can get her
hands on; studying Greek and Roman mythology; and avoiding the rain whenever
she can. MIRRORED TIME is her first novel and book one of the Time Archivist
Novels. Currently, she is working on the
second book of the series, FRACTURED TIME.
Places to find: J.D Faulkner
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