Welcome to the Blog Tour for Battle for the Crown by Dawn Shipman, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: Battle for the Crown
Series: Lost Stones of Argonia #3
Author: Dawn Shipman
Publisher: Elk Lake
Release Date: October 16, 2023
Genre: YA Fantasy (Clean)
“Adventurous quests, prophetic stones, and forbidden romance! Who could possibly ask for more?” —Lindsay A. Franklin, Carol Award–winning author of The Weaver Trilogy
She’s only seventeen—too young to die.
But the wizard, the ambitious king, and their marauding Borags must be stopped. Fulfilling the prophecy is the only way to defeat them, and after scouring Argonia for the missing gemstones, Lyric and her companions are just steps away from the final, crucial battle.
If they fail, the world they love will sink into a dark night of destruction.
If they fail, they will almost certainly die.
But Lyric is a king’s daughter, and long ago she chose this path. Terrified or not, she will see it to its end, because sometimes, sacrifice is the only way forward.
Dark magic, tragic loss, and tender romance abound in this gripping conclusion to the Lost Stones of Argonia trilogy.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon
More Books in This Series
About the Author
Dawn Shipman knew she wanted to be a writer since Mrs. Juell’s 10th grade Creative Writing class. Since then, she’s written stories, poetry, plays, puzzles, quizzes, and a mass of magazine articles, including interviews, how-tos, and personal experience stories. She believes freelance writing is the ideal occupation for those who are nosy by nature and like asking personal questions.
She is the author of a YA Fantasy series–The Lost Stones of Argonia–-with Elk Lake Publishing in Massachusetts.
Dawn makes her home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest where she lives with her long-haired, IT-guy husband, a gregarious German Shepherd, two disdainful cats, and four horses–two large ones and two very small (but mighty!) ones. She loves reading, writing, riding, and traveling.
Connect with Dawn by visiting dawnshipmanfiction.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.
Author Guest Post
The Inspiration behind Battle for the Crown by Dawn Shipman
Since Battle for the Crown is the third book in my Lost Stones of Argonia trilogy, its basic inspiration lies in the fact I needed to end the series. 😊 I had to tie all the loose threads from the first two books together and bring the series to a satisfying ending. So maybe we can talk about my inspiration for the series? There were several, actually.
I wanted to write an epic fantasy like The Lord of the Rings (don’t we all!) but also a coming of age story from a young girl’s point of view.
In Book One of the series—Kingdom Lost—I introduce Lyric, a young, spoiled, only-child princess of a small medieval kingdom. She has good qualities—don’t get me wrong—but there is a lot of growth she will need before she can accomplish the huge task set before her. As the heroine of this epic story, she will be tested by hardship, loss, and sacrifice. Also, I wanted to include a thread of romance, and a young, female protagonist seemed called for. 😊
I wanted to write about a world that had lost its spiritual balance, a world that had forgotten itself and its beginnings.
I write from a Christian perspective, but all the world’s great religions have a body of written work teaching and directing their followers. Argonia does not. It did once, before the Great War a thousand years earlier, when so much—including the ancient manuscripts—was lost. I wondered how any of us would manage if we based our faith on vaguely remembered stories handed down over the generations by word of mouth only. Lyric’s story begins at that place, but as she takes on the quest to regain her kingdom, her eyes are opened to the original spiritual underpinnings of her world.
I wanted to write a story of redemption.
The only criticism I’ve ever heard about The Lord of the Rings that I thought MIGHT have some validity is that all elves are good, and all orcs are bad. No orcs are ever “redeemed.” I wanted to address that concept in my novel, and hence the invention of “Tahnrak,” a young Borag—a clan that no one in the world of Argonia sees as capable of redemption. I want to believe there is hope for all of us! (And many people have claimed Tahnrak is their favorite character!)
I wanted to write a story peopled with characters readers learn to know and love and will never forget.
I hope I have done this. I LOVE my characters—all of them! (Well, not the bad guys, but the rest of them!) They are very human—even the non-human ones—and have strengths I admire and weaknesses I understand. I wanted a feisty, spoiled-but-learning heroine, the strong, noble love interest, the wise mentor, the eager best friend, and I think I got them. I know I will never forget them. I hope the same is true for my readers.
Tour Giveaway
(2) winners will win Kindle copies of all three books in the series--Kingdom Lost, Quest of the Queen, and Battle for the Crown, plus a $10 Amazon gift card!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight November 28, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on December 5, 2023. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. No country restrictions. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
Sounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteI love Dawn's inspirations! Definitely makes me want to read this series & I don't typically read fantasy :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to read these novels. Thanks for hosting this giveaway.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great book.
ReplyDeleteMarion