<>

Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Friday, July 17, 2015

She might have exactly the power he needs to succeed - Dissident (Forbidden Things #1) by Nikki McCormack

Ascard power can strengthen, heal and create. It also has great potential to destroy, enough to topple entire governments. Indigo’s country places strict limitations on the use of ascard so she must channel her talents into the healing arts or risk severe punishment. 


Description:

Published: July 9th, 2015

Ascard power can strengthen, heal and create. It also has great potential to destroy, enough to topple entire governments. Indigo’s country places strict limitations on the use of ascard so she must channel her talents into the healing arts or risk severe punishment. An orphan from a disgraced family, trapped by her father’s treason, Indigo struggles to reclaim her place in a society that has driven her into an abusive engagement.

Then a mysterious stranger from a neighboring country contacts her using ascard. He needs help escaping his prison so he can bring an end to his emperor's oppressive rule or die trying. His unshakable devotion to his cause and the passion hidden behind his cool arrogance move her to help him at the risk of being branded a traitor herself.

When the politics of society bring them together a second time, Indigo decides to use her growing powers to help him fight his war. If only she dared fight for her own future with such passion. Perhaps she can find the courage to do so by helping the man she has fallen for win his revolution. She might have exactly the power he needs to succeed.

EXCERPT

Her attention wandered to the fountain sprouting up in the center of a nearby courtyard, simple and elegant like a great stonework lily. A man stood by the fountain, watching water droplets falling with the shimmer of multicolored gems in the bright sunlight. Long silver hair hung to the middle of his back like a frozen waterfall. His smooth pale skin and unusual hair marked him as Lyran, but his regal bearing and rich attire didn’t befit a slave or merchant.

Curious. “Have you seen him before?”

Andrea turned, following her gaze. “Who?”
“The man beside the fountain.”
“There’s no one by the fountain.”

Andrea’s reply tugged at her awareness, but the silver-haired Lyran was turning toward them now. His pale eyes met hers and the air pressed from her lungs as if a corset were being pulled too tight. The buildings lurched and spun in her vision.

“Indigo?”

She sank to her knees. Andrea crouched down with her, her eyes wide and frightened. She held Indigo’s shoulders tight, her lips moving. Indigo heard only the pounding of blood in her ears.

About the author:
Nikki started writing her first novel at the age of 12 (which is still tucked away in a briefcase in her office). Despite a successful short story publication with Cricket Magazine in 2007, she treated her writing addiction as a hobby until a drop in the economy left her with an abundance of free time to focus on making it her career. 

Nikki lives in the magnificent Pacific Northwest tending to her awesome husband, two sweet horses, three manipulative cats, and a crazy dog. She’s a wine and tea fanatic who loves sitting on the ocean in her kayak surrounded by open water or hanging from a rope in a cave, embraced by darkness and the sound of dripping water. She also enjoys horseback riding, archery, PC gaming, dancing, good anime, etc. She studies Japanese and practices Iaido because she believes we should never stop learning. 


75 comments:

Goddess Fish Promotions said...


Thanks for hosting!

Nikki McCormack said...

Thank you for hosting the tour and giveaway!

Danielle merkle said...

Great excerpt, and thank you for the giveaway!

Unknown said...

WOW! I personally think that the book cover is pretty and I like it.
-Kristelle @ Amiabooklover

Victoria Alexander said...

Great post! I enjoyed reading it.. I'm looking forward to checking out the book :)

Nikki McCormack said...

Thanks Danielle! Good luck in the giveaway!

Nikki McCormack said...

I'm always delighted to get a wow! Thanks Kristelle!

Nikki McCormack said...

Thank you Victoria! I'm glad you enjoyed the post. :)

HaveBook WillSurvive said...

I am always looking for a new series. Love your cover.

Nikki McCormack said...

Thank you Havebook willsurvive! I love your username! Thank you for stopping by! :)

Unknown said...

Terrific post! Thank you for sharing!

Nikki McCormack said...

Thanks Betty! Good luck in the giveaway!

wendy Hutton said...

sounds like a great read thanks

Maranda Hymes said...

Did you design this cover yourself? Also how did you get into Iaido?

Nikki McCormack said...

Thanks Wendy and thank you for stopping by! :)

Nikki McCormack said...

Hi Maranda! The cover was a piece of my original idea combined with the ideas of my cover artist Raquel Neira.

As for Iaido, I had a strong interest in Japanese culture and history. I also wanted to know, for the sake of my books, what it felt like to handle a sword. It made sense to me to combine the two and take up Japanese swordsmanship. I didn't realize I would love doing it as much as I do, though I've had to take a long break due to a shoulder injury.

Thanks for stopping by and good luck in the giveaway!

Unknown said...

LOVE the cover! Great post! Thank you for sharing!

Maranda Hymes said...

Awesome, not the shoulder injury of course, I hope that heals up quickly! I've always wanted to learn fighting because it interests me, Krav Maga mostly. But really all kinds interest me, with weapons or without. Thank you, and I hope your books gets tons of attention, the positive kind of course. Especially since we share many similar interests apparently, archery, PC gaming, and anime to name a few. Good tastes :)

Diane Elizabeth said...

I really enjoyed the excerpt, looking forward to reading the entire book!

barkergirl33 said...

This looks excellent, I'm always searching for new reads and authors. Very refreshing story, I can't wait to read it! ( Raine on RC buzzyngabe at yahoo dot com )

lemonlaurie said...

When did you first start writing?

Bella Martinez said...

I LIKE THE EXCERPT! It drew me in and I wished it was longer! Great dialogue.

Nikki McCormack said...

Thanks Betty! I'm excited to see the cover getting positive attention. I was very happy with it. Thanks for stopping by!

Nikki McCormack said...

Thank you Maranda! We do seem to share several interests. I'd like to learn jiu-jitsu as well. I haven't looked into Krav Maga though. I will have to investigate that. :)

All the best!

Nikki McCormack said...

Thanks Diane! I hope you enjoy the book too! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Nikki McCormack said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Nikki McCormack said...

Thank you barkergirl33! I'm always looking for new reads and authors too. It's amazing to be the one whose books people are discovering. :) I hope you enjoy the book! Good luck in the giveaway!

Nikki McCormack said...

Hi lemonlaurie! I started writing my first book when I was 12 after reading Birth of the Firebringer by Meredith Ann Pierce. The book was terrible, but it got me hooked on creating my own worlds and telling stories. I'm hoping I've improved a lot since then. ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

Nikki McCormack said...

Thank you Chris! That's funny because I was looking at the excerpt yesterday and thinking I should have included a little more. ;) Thanks for stopping by!

katieoscarlet said...

I wonder if the author ever thinks about reviewing that first novel she started at age 12 and giving it a facelift and possibly publishing it

kari728 said...

Love the artwork!

wendy Hutton said...

thanks for hosting

Natalie said...

I am in love with the cover! I wish I could have that design on my back.

Ally Swanson said...

I enjoyed reading the book description and the excerpt. This book sounds like a very interesting read. The book cover is also very pretty!

Unknown said...

i love the book design..this will be a great gift for my wife

Nikki McCormack said...

Katieoscarlet, I bet most authors do. Every time I pull my novel out that I wrote when I was 12 I'm so horrified by the writing I have to hide it away again. :)

Nikki McCormack said...

Thanks Kari728! I am really happy with the cover. I'm delighted so many other people have liked it too. Thanks for stopping by!

Nikki McCormack said...

Thank you so much, Natalie! I have a blue rose on my back because of this book, but it's different from the one on the cover. I'm really happy with how the one on cover turned out. :)

Good luck in the giveaway!

Nikki McCormack said...

Thanks Ally! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by!

Nikki McCormack said...

Thank you so much Alessandro! I hope she enjoys it! Thank you for stopping by!

barkergirl33 said...

I'm a crazy cat girl and book addict who loves Seattle but gas dreams of moving to Oregon. I would love to have the chance to meet you, I bet we'd get along great. I'm so glad you were able to pursue your dreams. Raine on RC buzzyngabe at yahoo dot com

Nikki McCormack said...

Hi again Raine! Nice to meet another Seattle person (and crazy cat lady). I grew up in Oregon actually, so I'm pretty familiar with it. I'll drop you a note. :)

Jeffrey said...

When you're writing, what is the most difficult part of the writing process?

Nikki McCormack said...

Hi Jeffrey! Honestly, I would say believing it's going to be good when I'm done is the hardest. There always seem to be those points I hit where the words aren't flowing and I start to doubt the entire story. In those moments, it is really easy to find excuses not to write or let myself be distracted by the internet. Outside of that, the next hardest thing is getting the editing process rolling, but once I get past the initial reluctance, it usually goes very well.

Thanks for stopping by!

Unknown said...

I would enjoy the book. I am laid up in bed for months so reading and playing online is my thing right now. Sounds interesting.

barkergirl33 said...

I just wanted to say that I think it's great that you choose to turn your 'hobby' into something much more. That takes a lot of courage and I find it an inspiration, I realize I hold back a lot in life and success stories like yours make me want to do more that I want to, not what's the 'norm'. Raine buzzyngabe at yahoo dot com

Nikki McCormack said...

Hi Linda! Sorry to hear you're laid up. That is never fun. May you have many good books and get well soon. Thank you for stopping by!

Nikki McCormack said...

Hi again Raine! I feel incredibly fortunate to be doing this. I hope you the chance to do what makes you happy too. :)

Bridgett Wilbur said...

This book sounds great and I would love to read this. Ty

Nikki McCormack said...

Hi Bridgett! Thank you! I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for stopping by. :)

barkergirl33 said...

I'm curious about any of your favorite authors and TV shows, even guilty pleasures. :) Raine buzzyngabe at yahoo dot com

Nikki McCormack said...

Haha! That'd be almost a novel unto itself. A few favorite authors are C.S. Friedman, H.P. Lovecraft, Anne Bishop, and Jay Kristoff. TV shows would require a loving lament for Firefly and Carnivale. More recently, I've taking a liking to Penny Dreadful and have several others I watch on occasion including Orphan Black and Hannibal. My guilty pleasures include video games (Witcher 3 anyone?), a lot of anime and an odd new addiction to Witches of East End.

Stephanie LaPlante said...

The excerpt has me wanting more!

Nikki McCormack said...

Thank you Stephanie and thanks for stopping by! :)

Unknown said...

I like cats and would enjoy reading your work.

Judy Thomas said...

There is nothing like kayaking on the ocean :)

Nikki McCormack said...

Hi Robyn! I'm a serious cat person, though I have recently upset the order by adding a DOG to the house. My cats were very annoyed. ;)

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Nikki McCormack said...

Hi Judy! I agree fully. I love being out on the ocean in my kayak. It can be so peaceful and beautiful while also very challenging. It's a great feeling.

Good luck in the giveaway!

Unknown said...

Thank you for the post and the giveaway! I want to read more!

Nikki McCormack said...

Thanks so much Ree Dee! I'm happy to have you along on the tour!

Dan Denman said...

I like the cover and the excerpt. This sounds like an interesting story with good characters.

Nikki McCormack said...

Thank you Dan! Good luck in the giveaway!

Unknown said...

I love your hair, purples my favorite color!!

Nikki McCormack said...

Hi Lanie! You have excellent taste in color. ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

Juana said...

I liked both the excerpt, and the beautiful book cover.

Arf2-D2 said...

cool cover!

Arf2-D2 said...

I wonder if his revolution is "just" or if she has been duped. hmmmm. :-)

Nikki McCormack said...

Thanks Juana! Good luck in the giveaway!

Nikki McCormack said...

Hi Arf2_D2! Only one way to find out. ;)

I'm delighted you like the cover. Thanks for stopping by!

Unknown said...

I love your books.

Unknown said...

I love to read and these books are so good.

Nikki McCormack said...

Thanks Tamara! I hope you enjoy this one. :)

Nikki McCormack said...

Hi James! Thank you for stopping by! I hope you enjoy the book. :)

debbie said...

I think it is fantastic that you believe we should always be learning

Nikki McCormack said...

Hi Debbie! I've found that the craft of writing requires constant learning and I think it helped me discover that most of life is richer if you take advantage of opportunities to learn new things. :)

Happy learning! Thanks for stopping by!