Today I am so pleased to welcome Zaya Feli to Joyfully Jay. Zaya has come to talk to us about her latest release, Wild Sky. She has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

Excerpt

Even before noon, the heat was intense. Outside the city, on the open road, there was no shade or shelter.

Tauran kept his horse at a comfortable pace, but the mare was still covered in sweat before the falls were even in sight.

As he approached the bank, the white canvas of a tent came into view. Hitching posts were set up in the shade of the cliffs leading up to the plateau, and he steered his mare there, tying her close to the water troughs. Already, two dozen horses lined the posts, flicking flies with their tails. Murmured voices filtered from the tent.

“Tauran?”

Tauran turned.

Catria stood before him, dressed in her finest, boots shining and glittering medals pinned to her shoulder. “What are you doing here?”

“Falka asked me to come,” Tauran said.

She waved him toward the tent, and he followed quickly. He didn’t want to spend any more time in the sun than necessary.

Catria steered for the corner, taking a seat on one of the empty stools. She looked at Tauran with concern. “Do you really think it’s a good idea for you to witness a death drop?”

Tauran hesitated, then sat on the stool Catria pushed toward him. ‘Leap of Faith’ was the act’s official name. When Tauran and the others had graduated, Leaps of Faith had been performed over solid ground.

The recruit and their dragon would perch at the top of the plateau and throw themselves off the cliff. A bright white line, one for each species of dragon, painted with chalk on the cliff side marked the spot below which the dragon must unfold its wings and stop its fall. Above the line and you fail the test. Too far below and you and your dragon crash. The ultimate show of strength, bravery, trust and teamwork.

Tauran didn’t want to answer. Instead, he said, “This isn’t the usual spot.”

“No,” Catria said, pausing when laughter erupted from a nearby group of guards. “After the battle, Falka decided we could no longer justify letting the recruits risk the lives of their dragons by dropping over ground. He moved the death drops to the waterfall. If they mess up, falling into water won’t kill a dragon.”

“But it could kill a rider.”


Blurb

Tauran Darrica has been retired from the Valreus Sky Guard for four years following the Battle of the Broken Wings that resulted in the death of his dragon. Now, all Tauran wants to do is spend his days forgetting the past and gambling his way to an unsteady income.

So when his old general from the Sky Guard hunts Tauran down to request his help with staving off the increasingly aggressive wild dragon population, Tauran refuses. But a fire ruins his rented room and leaves him without a place to stay, and Tauran finds himself on the road to Valreus, after all.

Tauran is determined to stay as far away from dragons as he can get, but a starry-eyed young man from Sharoani, land of the wild dragons, might just ruin his plans.

Kalai Ro-Ani has spent his life watching the stars, knowing he could never reach them.

With his wild dragon Arrow, he sets out for the city of Valreus in the hope of building himself a better future than he could have stuck at the foot of the Kel Visal dragon temples.

But nobody told Kalai that only the Sky Guard is allowed to own dragons, so when Arrow kills a guard in Kalai’s defense, it looks like his adventure might be over before it can begin. But a chance encounter at the old Valreus archive offers Kalai the future he’d been hoping for. In the span of a single day, he has a home, a job, and a purpose.

In Valreus, something much bigger falls into his lap – along with a tall and striking Valrean man with a rather strange disposition.

A new, LGBT+ fantasy story from Zaya Feli, featuring dragons, aerial battles and epic journeys through dangerous wilderness.


Bio

Zaya Feli grew up in various small towns in eastern Denmark where she spent most of her childhood and youth daydreaming about strange and incredible fantasy worlds. In 2018, she moved to northern Denmark with her pet snake, Helix, to work as a web developer, and is now dedicating all her free time turning the fantasy worlds inside her head into words and illustrations on the page.

An avid sci fi and fantasy fan since childhood, she also has a deep love for history, archery, nature, language and art.

Zaya Feli released her debut novel, Stag’s Run, in November 2016, and has since released four more full length novels and a short story. Her favourite genres are fantasy and sci-fi with a sprinkle of romance.

Connect with Zaya: Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Website


Giveaway

Zaya has brought copies of backlist books to give away on her tour. Follow the Rafflecopter below to enter. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


  • By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • By entering you are agreeing to the Terms and Conditions set out by Rafflecopter for entries.
  • Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
  • Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize. In order to facilitate prize distribution, the winner name’s and email may be provided to a third party awarding the prize.
  • By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
  • Void where prohibited by law.
FILED UNDER: Excerpt, Giveaway
TAGGED: