Raven, Romda and Ravai: Malketh and the Undead, Vol.2
by Dave Maruszewski
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GENRE: Middle Grade, Fantasy
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BLURB:
Raven, Romda and Ravai are settling into their new knightly duties well. With the Dark Beast defeated, their normal tasks almost seem mundane.
Amidst the boredom, Ravai asks, “Why does no one talk about villains from the past?”
Romda reasons, “What would be the point?”
There is a point. Even though villains may have been defeated in the past, they may still be around, waiting in the background ready to resurface once again.
Malketh has returned to the kingdom, but something is different about him this time. He is back with an entire army … an entire army of undead soldiers!
“Whether you want to read this aloud to your little one or let them explore this magical world on their own, parents can rest assured that this second installment in the Raven, Romda, and Ravai series will be a playful, whimsical addition to their bookshelves.” –The Book Review Directory
“… the squires are appealing characters, as is their comical banter.” – Blue Ink Review
A great story for the fantasy loving youth, this adventure will appeal to those who like action and humor in an easy reading environment.
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Excerpt One:
They keep going until they hear a large rumble. A small mass of rocks fall to the ground. The three look up and see a gigantic figurine of a man holding a giant emerald. Romda puts her lantern up to the emerald, and the light refracts and bounces off the many faces such that the whole room is lit. This brings relief to the three.
Unfortunately, they notice something else. When the room comes up from the dark, Raven, Romda and Ravai notice all these eyes staring at them. The undead are here. The three are surrounded.
Perplexed, Raven, Romda and Ravai freeze. They are scared. However, the entire horde of undead does not approach them. What is wrong with them? What do they want?
At last, the undead begin to slowly stir. They begin to walk slowly. At first they seem to move in random directions. Then, a pattern to their motion becomes apparent. They move about, revealing an opening in their numbers in the shape of a small circle. That opening reveals a hooded figure. The hooded figure says…
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Interview:
Do you listen to music when you’re writing?
Definitely! Nothing too complicated like Classical or my brain starts trying to interpret the music instead of thinking on the subject. So, I usually skip this as well as put the volume to low.
I get anxiety about starting to write. So, if I need a little extra boost, I’ll listen to some loud rock at in the very beginning so that I can get a little adrenaline boost. Then, the volume goes down and it can stay there or 70/80’s R&B, pop or even metal … anything with good guitar and bass.
Do you ever read your stories out loud?
It’s funny. The answer is yes. However, I hate the sound of my voice. So, I wouldn’t if I had the choice. However, some of my stories started out as oral tales that I told to my son.
You would think that now that he is older I would get away from this. However, we are now doing audio books, featuring me. The good news is that I roped my son and wife into it. So, you will hopefully only have to hear me less than 1/3rd of the time.
Tell us about your main character and who inspired him/her.
My books essentially have three main characters, each has been groomed from a real person.
The Ravai character actually came from one of my son’s friends. The more that I wrote, the more he became an amalgam of many of my son’s friends. He tends to have no filter. He’s blunt and very talkative. He’s most likely to make a friend but then also most likely to put his foot in his mouth.
The Raven character is based on my son. He is quieter but will say something insightful when he does talk. He tends to be the glue of the group. He can get along with most people.
The Romda character is a loose interpretation of my wife. I can’t get too close or I might get into trouble. She’s assertive, smart and has a larger interest in the way things work, more so than in people. Contradictory to this, she can be the most caring of the group.
If we were to come to your house for a meal, what would you give us to eat?
If there were a lot of you and it’s cold, I’d cook something from a crock pot. Those make life so much easier. I vote for chili, but I’m open to suggestions.
If it’s warm, let’s get the grill out. Food tastes so much more fun when it is done outside … and I don’t have to clean up. I’m a big fan of doing a barbecue sauce challenge with my son and wife. That is where I make wings, ribs, drumsticks, or whatever with multiple unmarked sauces. Then, we figure out our favorites, and unmask the winner(s) at the end.
Say your publisher has offered to fly you anywhere in the world to do research on an upcoming book, where would you most likely want to go?
I always wanted to do a cruise, even to somewhere close like Bermuda. I’d love to do something different every day and visit a lot of islands or different places. The destinations aren’t as important.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Dave Maruszewski is blessed with a great family. He was originally inspired to write stories by his wife and son.
He strives to develop stories with sound moral values that will be enlightening as well as entertaining to youths and adults. The Raven, Romda and Ravai books are targeted especially for children who shy away from reading. His stories are created from an accumulation of experience from careers/backgrounds as a physicist, engineer, teacher, artist, video game designer and software developer.
In between writing stories and running his own company, Digital Tumult (DigitalTumult.com), Dave enjoys video games, watching internet videos and hanging out with his family.
Book: www.ravenromdaandravai.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dave-Maruszewski-Books-100693982454237/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21946064.Dave_Maruszewski
NetGalley: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/publisher/84200
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dave-Maruszewski/e/B09KQLN57W
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
2 comments
Thanks for hosting!
Thank you so much for having me!