Welcome to my stop on the excerpt tour for Within by Peter Gribble. This tour was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an exclusive excerpt from the book. There's also the tour wide giveaway for a chance to win a $15 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. Be sure to visit the other stops on the tour for more content. Enjoy!
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Title: WithinSeries: The City of the Magicians #2
Author: Peter Gribble
Publisher: Tellwell Talent
Publication Date: January 31st 2022
Print Length: 626 pages
Genre: Fantasy
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Purdu, the barbarian invader, has arrived! How can the pacifist, nonviolent City of the Magicians contain him when one faction appeals to his heart, the other to his ambitions?
Sas and Lalya are envoys of opposing camps, but Purdu throws them together to isolate them from their enclaves and assert his own authority. Yet two others decide to oppose him their way. Hyur, foremost metallurgist, secretly forges a magical weapon to tempt and subvert him. Gleswea, an astronomer, flees south to view skies she has never seen, but is swept into a culture that judges women of ability as necromancing witches deserving death.
Shoan, City strategist, reconstructing his wrecked plans, is unaware these four have slipped his calculations. Sas, Lalya, Hyur and Gleswea are unknowingly inching the City toward an unseen, perilous fate. Will anyone catch it in time?
Within, the second book in The City of the Magicians series, exposes how even as the City's old dream of a rebirth in Magic seems to be happening, traditional institutions are failing. With Purdu spearheading the revival, some Citizens fear the purposes their Magic may soon be turned to.
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IndieBound * Indigo * Kobo * Smashwords
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EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT:
Utter social burglary, having this many uninvited gaining access to the private suites, thought Lady Eiasa, leading the Deliberators and the handsome, bizarrely dressed “visitor from away” up the stairs to her grandnephew Sas’s rooms. Despite the burglary, she was already composing the detailed entry for the Eiasa Family history-saga to record the honor and importance of it.
On the second-floor landing, the Deliberators’ eager air gave Purdu pause. They wanted to see . . . what? His reaction to meeting Sas at last? Ingall had said Sas was gravely ill—the Aristos mess—and may not last much longer. Unknowns spurred the customary stance. The fight was on, his guard was up. I’ll be no sacrifice for your blood sport! Purdu hung back as Lady Eiasa made to open the twin doors to Sas’s suite. “We see him alone,” he announced. “All you remain outside until we have our say with him.”
Their disappointment vindicated his decision.
Miffed, Lady Eiasa opened the doors for him and said, “His sleeping chamber is the first door to your right.”
He stepped in and waited until he heard the doors click shut behind him. An ample, comfortable, yet unpretentious central room fit his expectations. There were so many . . . they could only be books, different in construction from those at the Golden Palace.
I’m about to behold my Sas! Yet, after Aristos, are we even friends? Elder Ingall said we were . . .
Uneasy, Purdu stalled at the door. Sword and scabbard hung from his weapons belt—his Magician had declared a dislike of violence. Best take it off, he thought, and held the belt and scabbard tight to silence them as he laid both on the floor. Removing his helmet felt obligatory too, and he placed it beside the belt.
After an agitated raking of fingers through his hair, he tugged and fussed at his kit, his teeth on edge over the remaining armor. Nothing countered rising guilt. One last halting hesitation and he rapped twice on the door and entered.
He swung the door wide to see an emaciated Sas sleeping on a low, wide bed.
Devastating.
That this skeletal specter at the entrance flap of Death’s Dark Tent was the noble, beloved Sas.
A bloody head wound would have been easier to accept than . . . this. Not even the withering reduced its victims to this state.
His heart lodged in his throat; tears stung eyes.
I’ve done this to him!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Peter Gribble has written for NUVO and other magazines in British Columbia. For over ten years he wrote a monthly gardening column for a local Vancouver paper. The City of the Magicians is his first published series.
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GIVEAWAY:
Peter Gribble will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Good luck!
(All the Ups and Downs is not responsible for this giveaway, its entries, or the prize. Goddess Fish Promotions and the author assume all responsibility over this giveaway.)
My brother would like this book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the contest.
My warm regards to you and your brother, slehan and good luck in the giveaway. Peter G
DeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a really good book. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Stephanie for your interest. Within was lots of fun to write. Peter G
Deletethanks this sounds like an interesting book
ReplyDeleteThanks wghutton, it was interesting to write as the book held surprises I didn't expect. Peter G
DeleteLove the cover and title font. Sounds quite interesting.
ReplyDeleteThanks Katioscarlet, Within's cover came out so well, I had the designer redesign the cover for book one, Threat to match it! Peter G
DeleteWhat caused you to start writing?
ReplyDeleteHi Jamie! Great question.
DeleteI always enjoyed writing when I was young. It was like drawing, (which I also liked) but with words. How I started The City of the Magicians series you can read on the author website: https://petergribble.com. Thanks for visiting. Good luck with the giveaway and happy reading! Peter G
Really nice cover and excerpt, looking forward to reading this!
ReplyDeleteThanks, xjanel78, I love the cover, too. Both it and the excerpt are inviting yet ominous . . . and then there's what follows. Peter G
DeleteA note from author Peter Gribble:
ReplyDelete"Good morning, book lovers and welcome to the blog tour for The City of the Magicians series, book two: Within. A big, warm thank you to Heather of All the Ups and Downs and Goddess Fish Promotions for hosting! I'll be checking in during the day from time to time to answer questions and reply to comments so feel free to post. Good luck on the giveaway, enjoy the excerpt and happy reading! Peter G."
Thank you for the lovely comment and for visiting my blog. =)
DeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteWait until you read what Lady Eiasa has to do when she's obliged to prepare a feast for Purdu, the barbarian! Peter G
DeleteSounds like a good book, I like the cover and excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThank you susan1215. I am very pleased with the way Within turned out. Happy reading! Peter G
DeleteI liked the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteNice to see you again, Rita and thanks! Collect all the excerpts and you'll have a good idea where the story and its people may be going - but there are surprises! Peter G
DeleteCongratulations on your release of Within, Peter, I enjoyed the excerpt and your book sounds like great book for me to read! Good luck with your book and the tour! Thanks for sharing it with me and have a spectacular day!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your support, Stormy Vixen! You'll like Lalya, a main character in the series (though not seen in this except) - she's a bit of a stormy vixen, too! In Threat, book one, she had to hide it to survive but in Within she comes into her own . . . with qualifications, of course! Happy reading! Peter G
DeleteNice cover! Sounds like great story!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kim, I love the cover, too. As I was writing it, I loved how the story was developing but then something happened to one of the main characters I wasn't expecting. It blew the series wide open! You find out in book three, Quickening, coming out in 2023! Good luck with the giveaway! Peter G
DeleteThis sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.
ReplyDeleteabfantom at yahoo dot com
Thanks, abfantom. It was fun to write. Think of the cover as your personal invitation to enter the City of the Magicians and explore. Welcome and happy reading! Peter G
DeleteI like the cover, blurb and excerpt, Within sounds like an awesome read and I am looking forward to it. Thank you for sharing your bio and book details
ReplyDeleteHello again, Bea. Thank you for your continued interest. As you collect the excerpts on the tour, you'll get a fair idea of what's going on at the City. The cover is your personal invitation to enter the City of the Magicians and explore!
DeleteInteresting book cover, makes me think about reading the book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Deb. The cover is your invitation to enter the City of the Magicians and explore. Welcome and happy reading! Peter G
DeleteCongrats on your tour!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Thomas. It's my first . . . on many levels!
DeleteWhat would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
ReplyDeleteI probably have quite a few. Writing about writing might be one of them since I'm currently working on a blog on my author website www.petergribble.com called "How To Write a Fantasy Series." There is only one post at the moment but the second is coming in a day or so. A future post will be called "Writing Habits." - Peter G
DeleteHappy to find a new to me author, I need more summer reads.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the excerpt. Thank you for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThank you Debbi. Glad you liked it. Good luck on the giveaway and happy reading! Peter G
DeleteWithin by author Peter Gribble sounds like a fabulous book that will sweep readers away!
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Thank you so much, Nancy! I hope readers will feel like Citizens of the City of the Magicians once they've finished reading it!
Deletehave you started any other books
ReplyDeleteHello again, wghutton! Yes indeed! Book three, Quickening is finished and undergoing a final tidy-up before being sent off to the editor for the first substantive edit. It comes out in 2023 while books four, five and six have been emerging from the shadows for some time now! Peter G
DeleteHappy Wednesday!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Thomas. You, too. Happier Thursday! - Peter G.
DeleteSounds interesting. Looking forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteThanks diannekc. Hope you enjoy it. Good luck with the giveaway and happy reading always! Peter G
DeleteWhat is your favourite breakfast treat?
ReplyDeleteFour slim squares of 100% cocoa with a fresh cup of coffee! - Peter G.
DeleteIf you could meet your characters, what would you say to them?
ReplyDeleteIt depends where in the series this might occur. I would probably just exchange the simplest pleasantries and sincerely wish them well. I doubt they’d take advice or warnings from me because they’re already trapped in a story arc. Peter G
Deletedid you always want to be a writer
ReplyDeleteNo, I wanted to be an artist first. I could draw fairly realistically as a young boy and loved going to art galleries. Around the age of thirteen, I discovered the pleasures of writing but I kept it a very private hobby. In Grade 9, when my English teacher, Mrs King declared Mondays were to be composition days - I was liberated! - Peter G.
DeleteThe pacifist, nonviolent City of the Magicians sounds like a very interesting place to live.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Thank you, Nancy. I've long felt such a place was essential in exploring a pacifist vs barbarian interaction. On my website blog, "How To Write a Fantasy Series" (www.petergribble.com) the reasons are explored more fully. - Peter G.
DeleteDo you have any pets?
ReplyDeleteI currently have one black cat, Raven (who is camera shy) but if you want to see a picture of Hopsy, dear, big, old tank of a cat, check out the bottom photo on the “About the Author” page on the website www.petergribble.com where Hopsy is sunning himself above the Folio Society shelf. Sadly, he departed for the more spacious book shelves in the sky two years ago. Peter G
DeleteHappy Thursday!
ReplyDeleteWhat was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
ReplyDeleteListening to the characters suggestions for what they’re doing next or their unexpected remark in dialogue. Suddenly there’s an additional depth and dimension to them. They are right there and very real! I love it when this happens. Peter G
Deletehave a wonderful weekend
ReplyDeleteWhat is your pets' names?
ReplyDeleteDo you dream about a book you're writing?
ReplyDeleteVery, very rarely. Twice, I think, I’ve dreamed about wandering the City around where Pilgrims Way turns north again between the Guild of Porters & Couriers and the Guild of Weavers south of the market and the Temple. If you’re interested, check out the maps just inside the front covers of both Threat and Within. Peter G
DeleteI like everything about this book - genre title and cover!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this.
Thank you, Barbara. Think of the cover as your personal invitation to enter within and explore the City of the Magicians! Peter G
Deleteis there an author that inspires you
ReplyDeleteHave you read any of the old classics? What did you think of them?
ReplyDeleteMany of them. They are essential foundations for learning your writing craft. There’s a lovely saying, “Good books make you want to read; great books make you want to write!” Peter G
DeleteWhat's your go to breakfast?
ReplyDeleteEach morning I mix a variety of nuts and berries and top it off with yogurt that I spice up with cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and allspice. I finish with a cup of coffee and three slim squares of 100% cocoa. Peter G
DeleteHappy Friday!
ReplyDeleteThe book cover invites you along a path leading to more magic.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sunnymay. I like to think the cover is your personal invitation to enter the City and explore! Welcome and discover your own Magic! Peter G
DeleteWhat do you think makes a good story?
ReplyDeletePick and choose from the infinite possibilities! I’ve noticed you’ve been asking writer’s questions, which suggests you’re a writer! If you’re interested, check out the blog page of www.petergribble.com where I’m writing a series called, “How to Write a Fantasy Series.” There are only two posts at the moment but more are coming. Peter G
Deletethanks this sounds like an amazing book to read
ReplyDeleteThanks again, wghutton. Welcome within to the City of the Magicians and explore! Peter G
DeleteHappy Sunday!
ReplyDeleteYou have a happy week, too, Thomas! Peter G
DeleteHave a great week!
ReplyDeleteThank you Debbi. I write every day and a whole week of successful writing adds up to a great week! You have a great week, too! Peter G
DeleteHope you are safe from weather problems.
ReplyDeleteThank you, MargaretAnne for your good wishes. I live near Vancouver, British Columbia on Canada’s West Coast, which has just had its heat warnings lifted but there are wildfires in the interior we all hope will get under control soon. We have the rest of August to get through. I sincerely hope that you are safe as well. Peter G
DeleteThis sounds like a great read and I love the cover.
ReplyDeleteheather
Thank you, Heather/bellagirl07. I’m also very pleased with the cover. It’s an invitation to open the book and explore the City of the Magicians. Welcome within and happy reading! Peter G
DeleteAre you a morning or a night person?
ReplyDeleteI have been both but I’m very gradually reverting to being a morning person again. Sorta. Peter G
DeleteWhat author do you look up to the most?
ReplyDeleteEach author offers something different and when I was a teenager I went through phases where I would read – consume – whole authors at a single stretch. I remember, in particular, phases of Daphne du Maurier, Somerset Maugham, Isaac Asimov and Olivia Manning. Nowadays my explorations are seldom obsessive . . . not counting J.K. Rowling, of course. Peter G
Deletehave a good week of writing
ReplyDeleteThank you wghutton. Peter G
DeleteIt is wonderful when an author can sweep readers away to another time and place like the City of the Magicians.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Thank you so much, Nancy. When you enter the City of the Magicians series you’ve become a Citizen! I suspect when someone finishes reading the first trilogy (book three, Quickening will be out in 2023), they’ll be able to claim long-term residency! Peter G
DeleteHappy Monday!
ReplyDeleteAnd to you, too, Thomas! Peter G
DeleteHappy Colorado Day!
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed - Happy Colorado Day! Such a gorgeous state! Peter G
DeleteWhat book are you the most proud of writing?
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, I'm very pleased with Within but book 3, Quickening is coming along very nicely (out sometime in early 2023!) Peter G
Deletethanks for the contest
ReplyDeleteGood luck in the draw! Peter G
DeleteWhat is your favorite season?
ReplyDeleteI'm a gardener who also wrote gardening columns for years. Every day, week, month and season as it happens is a miracle. Even winter. Peter G
DeleteWhat’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
ReplyDeleteWhen it came out, The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier was damned with faint praise. The protagonist's repeated trips 600 years into the past was original, compelling and well done. Peter G
Deletehope you are having a great tour
ReplyDeleteThank you wghutton. Good luck with the draw. Peter G.
DeleteEnjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteWhere is the farthest place you've traveled?
ReplyDeleteWhat is a significant way your book has changed since the first draft?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Janel for asking your continued great questions! The trilogy was initially one big book but the ending of what is now Within rewrote itself and changed everything. In that moment, the one book became the series, something I had not anticipated but am having a wonderful time with! Sorry, there are no spoilers but there are a few more hints on the author website blog. Then there are the first two books themselves! Peter G
Deletesuch a wonderful cover
ReplyDeleteThank you wghutton. It's inviting yet ominous - in short: everything it should be! Peter G
Deletelooks like a fun one
ReplyDeleteThanks Daniel. It was certainly fun to write, too. Peter G
DeleteI really like the concept of a Pacifist city dealing with an invasion, sounds pretty interesting.
ReplyDeleteThank you Chrysalis. It was a very interesting premise for me as well. If you want to see how it came about, check out the author website blog, "How to Write a Fantasy Series, Part Two!" Happy reading! Peter G
DeleteI love the cover. It's very intriguing, and looks like a place I'd like to explore.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christy. I love the cover, too. It acts like a doorway, a welcoming invitation to come within and explore. Peter G
DeleteThe book sounds interesting and I like the cover
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anita. Welcome to the City of the Magicians - enter and explore! Peter G
DeleteHappy Thursday!
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend, Thomas! Peter G
DeleteLAST DAY
ReplyDeleteThanks for the contest.
Thank you, slehan. Good luck on the draw! Peter G
DeleteThank you again for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Debbi. Gook luck on the draw! Peter G
DeleteHope you have a great Friday and weekend!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Janel for your great questions. They were much appreciated. Keep writing and as always, I wish you happy reading. Peter G
Deletehave a great weekend and thanks for the giveaway
ReplyDeleteThank you wghutton for following the whole tour. Hope you enjoyed it. Good luck on the draw and happy reading! Peter G
DeleteCount your blessings!
ReplyDeleteSounds great! Thanks for sharing! Btw who’s your favorite character?
ReplyDelete