Blog Tour / Excerpt - Beyond the Moon by R J Wood

This is my stop during the blog tour for Beyond the Moon by R.J. Wood. This tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 11 till 24 June. See the tour schedule here.

Beyond the Moon (The Voyages of Jake Flynn #2)
By R.J. Wood
Genre: Fantasy/ Science Fiction/ Sword and Space/ Space Fantasy
Age category: Middle Grade/ Young Adult
Release Date: June 1, 2018

Blurb:
Beyond the Moon picks up after the battle above the ice planet Nystal, where Earth-kid Jake Flynn and crew have recently escaped from the Crimson Cabal. Their voyages continue on the other side of the galaxy where magic has displaced technology and monsters are real. Jake continues to grow in his new abilities to channel energy and fly tall wooden ships in space, but struggles with having been named the Justicar, a prophesied champion of the light. Pushing forward, he sets course for new planets in search of allies who will stand with him and help stop the cabal from resurrecting a long dead queen. To succeed, Jake must learn more about channeling and how to balance his new and unwelcome responsibilities with the continued search for his missing parents and a way home to Earth.

Aided and mentored by the young Life Magian, Starla Silvertree, her aged protector, Ottomeyer Riversend, and assisted by veteran sailors Jehnna Marik and Captain Billy Goldbar, Jake must make heavyweight decisions with deadly consequences.

Unicorns, ghost ships, pirates, space battles, magi wielding lightning and fire, dinosaurs, and a Valkyrie – Jake must face them all in this epic sword and space adventure. By the end, Jake will take another step toward adulthood, discover truths about his parents’ fate, suffer the death of a comrade, and muster the courage to charge into a final showdown with the terrifying snake-woman, Celia Sable.

You can add Beyond the Moon to your to-read list on Goodreads

You can buy Beyond the Moon here:
- Amazon ebook
- Amazon paperback

Excerpt :

The room at the top of the Sun Tower was circular. Its wood floor was mostly covered by a round white rug. Above her, a large chandelier hung from the cross supports of the conical roof. Simple benches of light birch were placed before each of four large lancet windows that faced the directions of the winds. Sisters of the order would come here for prayer and contemplation, to watch the sun rise in the East or set in the West, to look out over the blue ocean to the South, or to gaze upon the green forest to the North. Starla came for none of these thing.

The Mother stood alone at the north window where she watched the battle below. Tamara Fallingleaf’s face was folded with the wrinkles of a thousand years. Her eyes held the wisdom of them all. She was dressed in dark green robes, the hems and sleeves embroidered with silver thread. The gray and green sash tight around her waist ended in a single tassel double bound with gold. Upon her head, pressed into her gray hair and forehead, was a circlet of hand-worked Duranium adorned with glittering emeralds. A thick silver chain hung from her neck and disappeared beneath her robe

Starla approached. She found it strange to see The Mother here by herself. Usually, she was surrounded by guards, servants, and the other high-ranking Life Magi that served as her advisors and aids. Now everyone was gone, and for a reason that Starla could not begin to comprehend, The Mother wanted to speak to her, the lowest of her children, for the very first time, right now.

Starla paused a few feet away and gulped for air. Seconds seemed like hours as she waited to be acknowledged. She listened to the din of the battle outside. Her heart pounded away in her chest with such strength that she heard it. She wondered how long the youthful Blade Dancer with green eyes would live this day; how long she herself would live. It would have been nice to know his name.

She did her best to push back the fear. Finally, she could take no more and for a third time that day she broke discipline and spoke to The Mother first.

“Mother, you sent for me?”

The elder woman made no reply and continued to watch the battle unfold at the temple gates. Starla had heard some of the others talking outside. There was still a small chance. The terrain made it difficult to attack any but the one wall. Life Magi could not harm others themselves, their vows forbid it, but they could keep the Blade Dancers alive and return them to battle quickly.

The smaller temple force might hold out that way long enough for help to arrive from Strongbow province or a Corsair ship. It was a fleeting hope. Even if word had already been sent, it would take days for any ground force to arrive here by land, maybe the Sisters of the Horn could be here faster. Until then, they were outnumbered twenty to one.

“They’re cutting down the heartwood trees,” the older woman said calmly. Starla’s heart jumped into her throat.

“The trees?” she asked weakly, unable to even comprehend such a despicable action.

“The last was bonded to Tara Mosswood. When it fell, she collapsed and toppled from the gatehouse. She was my first student. I don’t know if you knew that.”

Starla did not know that, but she knew Sister Mosswood as a stern and gray-haired instructor that disliked mirth in the classroom. The loss was unbelievable. That anyone would target the heartwood trees was unimaginable. Life Magi bonded with heartwood trees as part of their initiation. The bond gave a Life Magian her connection to the greater forest and circle of life; it also gave a Life Magian their extended longevity. As long as the tree lived, the magian did as well, and vice versa. Nearly all of the Life Magi planted and bonded to heartwood trees near the temple. The emotions gathered as tears in Starla’s eyes and her throat tightened further.

“I didn’t know Sister Mosswood well,” she squeaked.

“She had a keen mind and a dry wit at times,” Tamara said, “a bit of a prankster in class, but she did not show that side often later in her life. The world will miss her. I…will miss her.” She turned from the window, and gave Starla a long look. Starla could no longer hold back the tears and they began to stream down her cheeks.

“We are pacifists, Mother, why would someone do this to us? We are no threat to anyone, it goes against every–” she didn’t finish the emotion too strong.

“It is partly my own fault child. We grew lax and overconfident. When I was a girl, the remnants of a second outer wall sat beyond the clusters of heartwoods. We were also better hosts then, and this temple opened its doors to enclaves from the other magi orders.” She sighed. “The wall was eventually removed instead of repaired, and the other orders were pushed away.” She shook her head. “I wish that I had time to tell you everything child, but they will reach my tree soon. It is enough for you to know that the forces of the Destroyer are at our gates and the Creator needs your service. Is it true that you chose the ancient way and have bound yourself to a young tree somewhere deep in the heart of the forest?”

“Yes,” Starla said as she wiped a tear with her hand. “It is a tradition of House Silvertree that goes back thousands of years to the first Life Magi to come from our house.”

“Well, your house traditions seem to have spared your life this day, the Creator be praised. I suspect within the hour you will be only one of a few Life Magi still living.”

Check out Destiny’s Gambit (The Voyages of Jake Flynn #1)!

A resourceful boy takes a glowing sailboat across the stars to search for his long-missing parents and becomes the target of pirates and an evil cabal with a sinister agenda.

You can buy Destiny’s Gambit here:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Kobo
- Smashwords

About the Author:
R. J. Wood has been creating stories and adventures for others since 1979. A bard at heart, he trained in Drama (BA) and History (MA) while at university. He currently lives near Snoqualmie Falls in Washington State with his wife and children. There he does a little fishing, some adventuring, and of course, his writing.

Like everyone of my generation and beyond I have been heavily influenced by film. I like to think of my books as movies in my mind. I developed my creative writing through fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal RPGs. My degree in drama helps me with story, characters, and especially dialogue. Having an advanced history degree is excellent for plots and characters, but it also helps me with world building.

You can find and contact R.J. Wood here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Amazon
- Instagram

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Beyond the Moon. One winner will win a $25 Amazon Gift card.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
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