Title: Birth of a Destiny by T.R. Milne
Genres: YA Fantasy/Adventure
Evil stalks her. True love finds her. Destiny claims her.
Rose wakes from a coma to find her life has changed forever.
Her parents were killed in the accident that nearly claimed her life. Now orphaned, her mother’s sister brings her to live in the country with her cousins, who quickly make their resentment known.
Once courageous and full of life, she only wants to be left alone to wallow in the murky shades of grief. Yet, evil stalks her dreams, and fate moves her towards her destiny.
Ghostly meetings, attacks under the cloak of storms, and a threatening dark presence brings danger and adventure to Rose, her cousin and new friend. Her special abilities, known to no one, must remain a secret – somehow.
The trio uncover a portal that takes them to a magical kingdom threatened by an evil creature thirsting for eternal darkness. Only one can stop him . . .
Already heart-broken after the loss of her parents, Rose struggles to deal with the hostility from her cousins, the constant danger, and the guilt that keeps her from Diamond, her horse. But, she is totally unprepared for a turn of events that has staggering consequences. Her special abilities are strengthened as she is tested, time and again.
Birth of a Destiny is the first book in the Light Bearer series. It is the beginning of a tale of a lost champion, found by fate and guided by love – growing through adversity and turmoil – on a journey that becomes a crusade. Readers will join Rose, a young girl crossing to a young woman who must travel dangerous and unexpected paths to recapture her warrior spirit, heal her heart and claim her destiny.
About the Author:
T.R. Milne was shaped as a writer by early childhood where she grew up in a haunted house on a farm where her imagination grew wild.
Her love affair with writing began nine years ago, when her first child was still a baby. Since then, between working part-time and parenting a brood of scrumptious children, she has been writing during little stitches of “free” time in coffee shops, kitchen tables, libraries, and her study.
She now lives with her husband and three children in Melbourne, Australia where she is a Change Manager and Author.
T.R. Milne finds inspiration for writing in all the things that bring light into her life T.R. Milne loves writing for Young Adults, stirring their fertile imaginations and eager sense of adventure. Birth of a Destiny, the first in the Light Bearer series, is her debut novel.
Read below for an interview with the author:
Chocolate or vanilla?
Chocolate ice cream, chocolate bars, chocolate pudding, chocolate brownie – chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!
Cats or dogs?
I love dogs and we about to get a new puppy, so we are all very, very excited.
Favorite tv show?
An Australian TV show: OffSpring. It’s quirky, funny and I just love the characters.
Current favorite song?
Cool Kids by Echosmith.
Do you ever experience road rage?
No, but I do talk to myself a lot when I am driving – it’s a running commentary. I had no idea I was doing this until my eight year old recently asked why I talk to myself all the time when I drive.
Favourite Christmas present of all time?
Seeing our children experience the magic of Christmas – doesn’t get better than that.
Santa or Snowman?
Santa all the way.
Is this your first book? How many books have you written prior (if any?)
Yes, this is my first book, but certainly not my last.
What are you working on now? What is your next project?
I need to start editing the second book in the Light Bearer series (title unknown at this stage) after our summer holidays her e in Australia. But, I am itching to write three children’s picture books that are inspired by my three children. I might have to work on both.
What genre are your books?
Magic, mystery and adventure abound in a Australian bush setting and the magical world of Sequimur.
What draws you to this genre?
I just love the imaginative side of fantasy books. It blew my mind when I read Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Slipping into other worlds where magic, mystery and adventure rules is the ultimate for me. There is no limit to what is possible.
Why do you write?
When I talk to students at schools, I get asked this question. I write because, sometimes when I write, I feel a kind of magic. I also feel other emotions at times – like frustration (at how long it can all take), but sometimes I feel magic, and it’s that feeling that keeps me going and makes me know that I am supposed to be writing.
Do you write every day?
I wish! I work part-time and am a parent to three young children, so I don’t get to write every day. When I am writing a draft of my book, I try to write three to four times a week. It is my dream to write every day, so ask me again in a few years and hopefully I will have a different answer.
Do you ever get writer’s Block?
It depends on what you mean by writers block. Sometimes I can get stuck in a particular piece of writing, but I never sit down and feel unable to write. I simply don’t have time to get writers block. When I get time, I know what I must do: write.
Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?
I think writer’s block is either procrastination, or you have taken a wrong turn with your writing. My advice – go back to where your work was flowing and start from there. Works every time. Stopping is usually because you have gone down the wrong path. Don’t despair, there is a more exciting adventure where you haven’t been yet.
How successful has your quest for reviews been so far?
I am only starting out, so I have been so grateful for each and every review someone has taken the time and effort to post. It is a real thrill to see a new review.
What are your thoughts on good/bad reviews?
Of course, it is a wonderful to get a good review and no one wants a bad review. When get a bad review – I will make sure I keep perspective, keep believing in my work and take the positive/ learning from the situation.
Where do you see publishing going in the future?
I am amazed at how the publishing industry is transforming before our very eyes. There are so many services and businesses that can now help self-published writers get out there that are really shaking things up and bringing new energy and ways of working. For example, my editor is American, my book cover designer is American, but he lives in Korea and the artist for my book cover lives in Ukraine.
On the other hand, traditional publishers really still have the most clout, connections, experience and ability to sell paper books in stores, which I know is essential for my readers.
Perhaps these two ways of publishing will merge together more, offering all parties concerned more choice and more creative freedom. I am looking forward to finding out.
Read below for an excerpt from Birth of a Destiny:
Chapter OneThe Creature
There is a time just before a storm hits when everyone is lulled into a false sense of security, so that when the storm arrives, the splendour of its power weakens knees. Rose was in that moment – the summer air was saturated with heat, the sky bruised, the light bursting its final golden shower; everything felt suspended – like a time that wasn’t supposed to exist. It was beautiful, yet deep down and against every bit of logic, Rose wanted no part in it – she wanted it to be over, she wanted the storm to unleash itself upon her.
And, then it did.
The light faded across the open field as a grey wall of clouds prepared for battle. Rose raised her eyes as lightning punctured then tore across the sky. Thunder replied by rumbling and stomping through the trembling valley. Then the rain came, falling softly at first, but soon pounding the steaming earth. Her body stung from the rain’s assault and woke her from a daze.
‘Claudia!’ she yelled, but the wind arrived and blew away her words. Running forward into the downpour, shielding her eyes from the rain, she searched the bushes around her. She couldn’t see more than a foot in front of her. How could she possibly find her cousin?
‘Damn it!’ she cried out.
She knew, in the place that told the truth, something was terribly wrong. Claudia hated storms with a passion and if there was any way she could have made it back to the farmhouse she would have.
As she ran toward another group of bushes, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating a dark shape that seemed to be looming over something – or someone. She stopped running; causing James to run into her and push her flat to the ground, landing so hard that the wind was knocked out of her. She swiftly rolled over, gasping for air.
‘Are you okay?’ James leaned down and touched her cheek, asking, ‘Are you hurt?’
Rose pushed his hand away, annoyed at how her face tingled where he had touched her. She tried to sit up, but couldn’t quite make it, so made do with leaning back on her elbows.
‘What do you think you were doing?’ she gasped, still struggling for breath.
‘I was running behind you, and then you just – stopped, and I ran into you. I’m very sorry.’
The memory of the dark figure in the bushes rushed into Rose’s mind. She lurched forward, trying to stand up, but it was too soon and she started to fall back down.
James stopped her fall and yelled through the rain. ‘Hey, what are you doing? What’s the matter?’
‘I saw something,’ she pointed to the bushes where she had seen the figure, ‘when the lightning flashed – I saw a dark shape over there.’
She felt James’ warm hand find hers. For a split second it felt so natural, but then she remembered, and immediately pulled away.
‘Let’s go check it out,’ she said, walking slowly toward the bushes.
With each step forward, she felt as though the darkness she kept locked inside was being released and spreading through her. Somehow, James’ hand had found its way back into hers and now she clung to its warmth.
A scream ripped through the rain, Claudia’s scream, and the story it told reached in and squeezed Rose’s heart. Letting go of James’ hand, Rose lunged forward. Two steps further into the bushes brought her to Claudia huddled into a ball against a tree and staring, transfixed, at the rain-shrouded figure in front of her.
‘Oi!’ Rose shouted. ‘Leave her alone!’
‘Get away from her!’ James roared in a voice Rose didn’t know he possessed.
Lightning filled the sky, exposing the creature, for that is what it was. Covered in a black cloak from head to foot, the only thing she could make out was a face that appeared shrivelled upon itself, with skin so thin it was transparent; revealing no blood in the veins beneath it. The mouth was an ebony pit filled with a red tongue that licked at crumbling teeth. The nose, long and narrow, hooked downwards.
But, it was the creature’s eyes that told his story – black holes that spoke of a thousand years spent in the darkness with only hatred, evil, and death for company. Every part of Rose’s being was sickened and repulsed, yet she knew that the thing possessed a dark power beyond any she had ever known. She knew they were lambs before a wolf.
The dark creature turned and moved toward Claudia.
‘Get away from her!’ Rose screamed. It didn’t hesitate. ‘Claudia, RUN!’
‘Rose!’ Claudia called out her.
‘Run!’ screamed Rose.
‘Rose, wake up!’ yelled Claudia. ‘You’re having another nightmare.’
With a jolt that left her breathless, Rose awoke.
‘Are you okay?’ asked Claudia. ‘What was it about?’
Rose sat up, drenched in sweat.
‘You were lost in a storm and I found you, but then I saw the creature.’
‘The creature,’ said Claudia. ‘What kind of creature?’
Rose knew they were safe, but she couldn’t stop her heart from racing as she remembered the creature’s face as it stared at Claudia like she was his prey.
‘It was from another world,’ said Rose, and as she said the words out loud she knew them to be true.
‘From some far-away magical land, was it? Where your ghosts live?’
The hot room they shared suddenly felt suffocating. ‘What do you mean, where my ghosts live?’
‘You think this is the first time you’ve talked in your sleep?’ said Claudia, hopping back into her bed.
‘What did I say?’
‘It’s more a question of what haven’t you said. All I can say is you have one hell of an imagination. Magicalworlds. Creatures. Ghosts. As if.’
Claudia turned away in a huff and pulled her sheets up to her neck. In seconds, she was fast asleep.
No doubt dreaming of sunsets, ice creams, and beaches with palm trees. If only she knew!
Rose threw off her sweaty sheets and stormed toward the French doors that led to the veranda. Sleep, which came so easily to Claudia, was no longer a friend of hers.
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