Book Promotion: The Black Lotus

4:43 AM Sarah Koves 0 Comments

 The opinions and words here are 100% mine!  This post contains referral links that provide a reward for me at no cost to you if you choose to shop.
The Black Lotus
By Claire Warner

Melissa looked away and back out of the window, the view through the small portal was smeared and hazy. In the increasingly heavy rain, they rattled through the villages that lay closest to the manor. As the carriage rumbled along the familiar roads, she marked each well known sight with increasing depression. The village inn, the church, the green, all went by with a dreary familiarity. With a jolt, they took a left at the mile marker and headed along the roads that led towards the manor. As the carriage jolted and jerked along the muddy thoroughfare, Melissa stared at the damp landscape.



“Marcus?” At her call, he looked up from his light doze. “Look at that,” Grumbling lightly under his breath, Marcus stretched across his sister and stared out at the landscape.

“What am I looking at?” He enquired, his sleepy brain finding it difficult to sort out landscape from rain spatter.

“Someone’s put a gate up at the ruin next to us.” She pointed at the newly acquired gate, as they slowly moved past it. Marcus sighed and settled back against his chair.

“Don’t you pay any attention to local gossip?” He exclaimed as the gate passed out of sight. “That place has been sold for about six months.”

“I don’t pay attention to gossip,” Melissa retorted, as she craned her neck and tried to see into the overgrown estate.

“Clearly, if it wasn’t for Mother, you wouldn’t know who the king was.” He winced as Melissa thumped him. “Well that’s dashed unladylike, you’re not supposed to go around thumping me anymore.”

“We’re not in the middle of some party now.” A mischievous gleam chased away the melancholy look in her eyes that had haunted her all morning. I can slap you whenever you deserve it.” She grinned at her brother, who rolled his eyes. “Who would buy that place?”

“Justin Lestrade apparently,” Marcus replied, not missing the interest spark in his sister’s eyes as he spoke the words. “No one knows why, but he brought the place and is refurbishing it. It’s taking an age though, as the debris in the place goes back several decades.”

“I can imagine,” She murmured remembering the sight of that crumbling relic of a bygone age. As children they had run through the woods between the estates and run through the overgrown gardens. The house had loomed over the surrounding grounds, its walls ruined and overgrown. Only part of the building seemed standing, the rest was a brooding wreck, its stones scorched by a fire in its distant past.
“Surely he has his family estate?”

“By all accounts that is his family estate,” Marcus replied, leaning forward to stare at the weed choked land. “Apparently after the fire, his family went to the Americas and made more money. He returned last year after the death of his father.” The overgrown estates disappeared behind the hedgerows and Marcus sat back in his chair.

“It must be costing a fortune to rebuild that ruin.” Melissa mused as they trundled closer to the gates of their estate.“I daresay,” Marcus replied, losing interest in the conversation as they drew closer to home. “Still if he wants to waste his money then who are we to argue.”

The carriage turned towards the gatehouse and trundled along the drive towards their home. The house had only been built in the last forty years. Its façade was in pale cream stone and large windows overlooked formal gardens. The carriage rolled to a stop before the main doors and their mother woke.  As the footman placed the steps before the door, Melissa caught hold of her brother.
“What is it Melly?” He asked, pushing the carriage door open as he spoke.

“Sorry,” She muttered as the footmen reached forward a hand and helped her from the coach.

“For what?” Marcus stepped down after her and began walking to the main doors, shoulders hunched against the rain.

“For this morning, I shouldn’t have snapped as I did, you were only trying to..”

Marcus held up his hand and stopped her. “Don’t fret about it,” He caught hold of her arm and escorted her to the door. “I know you hate being helpless,”




About The Author:

When I was a child, I made up games and characters when my sister and I played with dolls. As I grew older, I would make up scenarios and scenes, fully intending to write them down but never finding the time. In my late teens, I discovered the world of role playing and settled into an avid ‘geeky’ life of D&D, comics, sci-fi and fantasy fiction. Years passed and I finally gave voice to the stories in my head. I write romance, fantasy, action and adventure. I love tales of steampunk and history, tales of magical powers and dark curses lurking in the shadows. Though The Black Lotus is not my first attempt at a novel, it is the first I have finished.
And some fun facts about me:
I sew. My favourite Disney film is Atlantis. I’ve been a film extra and stood 5 feet away from Sam Rockwell. Babylon 5 is my fave sci-fi show. I cried at the end of Toy Story 3.

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