The
Raveners
Book
1
LD
Towers
Genre:
Paranormal Thriller
Publisher:
BadBird Publications
Date
of Publication: September 20, 2016
Word
Count: 100k
Cover
Artist: Pranav Lohani
Photo
by Blackbird Photography
Book
Description:
On
26 May 1897, Bram Stoker brought us the story of Dracula; an undead
creature who terrorised the living by drinking their blood. He based
his creature on the legends of Ireland and Eastern Europe, bringing
it to life with all the pomp of Victorian literature. What if his
concept was correct, but the execution was not? What if there was not
one creature, but a band of twenty-four? Crusader knights who
committed such a terrible act that the Pope of Rome and the Rabbis of
Jerusalem joined together in petitioning God to bring a terrible
curse upon them.Sentenced to eternal life as punishment for their
crimes, yet hounded by both the clerical and the secular as they
struggle to live them. The Jews called them Ga’ashekelah: the
Raveners. To the Catholic Church, they are the Accursed Ones.
Feasting on the bodies of the living to maintain their power.
What
starts as a simple trip on the Eurostar to the buried trenches of
World War One in Northern France is going to take Imperial War Museum
expert Dr. Alexandra Horne on a journey she could never have
conceived. From the bustling streets of Paris to the azure waters of
Collioure and the very Vatican itself, Lexa will discover the
Raveners and those who have sworn to hunt them down.
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Excerpt:
She found herself
going from map to map. This was sometime around the second phase of
the battle, before Beaumont-Hamel was finally taken. Thiepval as
well. “This must be from the middle of September 1916. Maybe
October. It’s obvious from this that he was trying to bring men
around to penetrate the Allied lines from the areas they couldn’t
budge.” She found herself gnawing on a thumbnail. “Dear God! With
a counteroffensive like this, he might have shifted them. It’s a
bold plan. Whether or not he could have managed it, with the Germans
bleeding to death at Verdun, would have been the question. But damn!
This might have changed the battle. Maybe even the war.”
“I wondered about
that.” Another voice behind her.
Lexa turned and
coloured, realising that in her wonder she had completely ignored the
stranger in the room. “Oh! I am Sorry! Dr. Lexa Horne of the
Imperial War Museum.” She held her hand out.
“Dr. Jack Bennett.
Pleased to meet you.” Bennett was a large, fit man in his mid
fifties with close-cropped, iron grey hair and a face lined from
years digging in the sun. He had a bit of the George Clooney about
him and Lexa was sure that all the archeology undergrads wanted him
as a prof. He was a trifle swoon worthy. “Call me Jack. It was
great that you could come out here at such short notice. We will be
wrapping all this up in the next week or two.”
“The pleasure is
entirely all mine,” Lexa told him in all earnestness. “This is
simply unbelievable. This is like walking into heaven for me.” Ok.
A small lie. Dead men and unexploded ordinance aside, it was heaven.
Bennett gestured
back with his head and stepped aside. “I doubt the major there
would agree.”
Lexa gasped as she
saw the body at the desk. He was perfectly mummified, just as Darby
had told her. He was hunched over, as if sleeping, and his golden
hair gleamed in the light. His skin was the colour and texture of
tanned leather, and his lips under a large moustache had pulled back
to show his teeth. His head lay on on crossed arms, sunken eyes
closed in eternal repose. The fingers were slightly curled; a large
ring on one hand and a wedding ring on another. His light blue
uniform hung on what was left of his frame, but was in decent
condition through the shoulders. In fact, there were no real
decomposition of the fabric. His side arm rested on the chair, the
belt having slid down with time. The silver bullion on his uniform
had a dull tarnish and the aiguillettes on his shoulder seemed
suspended as if by magic. Beside him, his uniform cap was on the
desk.
“Oh dear God!”
Lexa exclaimed. “You’ve just left him there? How could you do
that?”
“The question is
how to get him out of the trapdoor without disturbing him. We have
another specialist coming in from Germany. He is one of theirs, after
all,” Bennett shrugged. “And you know the Germans. They are
trying to find the right person. I would move him, but he is
perfectly preserved. Outside of this environment, I expect he would
not last long. It seems a shame to compromise his remains
unnecessarily.”
The body rooted Lexa
to the spot. She felt a terrible weight on her chest. “I’ve never
seen a dead body before.”
Darby walked over
and put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s ok. He can’t hurt you.”
“It also feels a
bit indecent to be looking at him.” But she found she couldn’t
tear her eyes away.
“We treat all
remains with the greatest respect,” Bennett said quietly. “As you
know, there is a lot we can learn from him. He is so perfectly
preserved. When we have learned from him, we can return him to his
family, if they still exist. He can be reburied with honour. He was
lost and we found him. There is nothing indecent about that.”
“I just feel so
strange with him there. I feel like a thief in his home.”
“The first time
you see remains is always the hardest,” Darby told her. “Just
remember that he is gone. What made him a person is gone. He is in a
better place.”
Lexa nodded and
walked closer to the desk. Her mouth was rather dry but now curiosity
was getting the better of her. They were right. She was just being a
ninny. Yes. This man was dead and he couldn’t hurt her. “Yes. I
suppose you are right.”
Bennett quirked up a
little smile. “Just don’t touch him.”
It was the
moustache. The moustache was so familiar. Even in death, it had that
upwards curl which was so familiar. A vain bushiness. When she had
seen it in pictures, it always made her smile. “I think I know who
this is!” Lexa exclaimed and reached into her bag for her iPad.
About
the Author:
LD
Towers travels the world like a rootless vagabond! A military
historian, she searches out places of conflict to find a deeper
insight to the things she writes about. Presently enjoying the warm
weather and azure seas of Central America, she has lived all over
Western Europe, including 5.5 years in the incomparable Berlin.
Primarily
working in Historical and Military Fiction, LD sometimes sneaks in
the odd Dystopian or Modern Thriller piece. In fact, her new book is
a complete redo on the vampire concept. Look for The Raveners; coming
September 20, 2016.
https://ldtowers.net
Hello! Thanks so much for the opportunity to be on your blog! :)
You're welcome :)
Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?
Pants pants pants! I don’t plan anything.
Do your characters ever want to take over the story?
Frequently and usually I give in to them! It’s not my story- it’s theirs. I let it go where they take it.
What is your favourite food?
Cherry Chip cake. I love that. I think it’s a Canadian thing. I’ve not heard of it in the US. Up on the list are fried chicken and popcorn. And I wonder why I’m fat.
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
I’m often both. Sometimes I end up burning the candle at both ends a bit too much. I like it when the world is quiet. I would say that the time i don’t like is the afternoon. Because my ‘day’ job often requires split shifts, I often have a little nap between 1-3.
Where do you dream of travelling to and why?
I’m a frequent traveller but I have to say that South America is calling. I’ve not been in that part of the world yet. I’m also planning to return to Europe fairly soon.
Do distant places feature in your books?
The Raveners is set in France and Italy if that counts? Most of my books are Eurocentric. I am planning on a book set during the American Civil War. That could be distant for some.
Do you listen to music while writing?
Always. You don’t want to know what I’m listening to right now! :) I have a youtube playlist for The Raveners.
Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?
Sadly, I find a lot of the recent versions of vampires are a little… toothless. I wanted to bring them back to the original idea in a world where the power of God and the Earth are a little more front and center.
The Raveners were a band of Crusaders and their followers who were ordered to retrieve an artifact of the Second Temple of Jerusalem by the Pope. Instead of taking it back to Rome, they decided to keep it for themselves and carve out their own kingdom in Judea. The Jews— angry that their artifact is being used against them— and the Church —angry that the knights defied their orders and kept the artifact— band together to call on the power of God to curse these renegades. They are forced to eat the flesh of the living; both a Christian and Jewish punishment as this makes one unclean. But Jewish curses and warnings are very interesting. In Jewish culture, one should have time to remember one’s sin so The Raveners are given immortality to never be able to escape their crimes. Always unclean and unable to die.
There are 24, and they are in varying degrees of repentance. The Raveners is sent in the current time, and it is the story of the leader of this group.
What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?
It’s a lot of work and success is much harder than one would think. It’s such a game of chance. Sometimes I wonder why I’m putting myself through all this. Then I get a message from a fan and that’s why!
Is there anything you would do differently?
I’ve not written the most commercial of work. Maybe I would try being more so. At the same time, I have to be true to myself and what I write, so I don’t know. It is what it is. If I could go back? I would have put my earlier stuff up on Kindle WAY sooner. I was dumb.
Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?
David Eddings, the fantasy writer, was a huge influence to me. His dialogue is fantastic.
Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?
ROFL don’t do it for the money. Do it for the love.
What are three words that describe you?
Eccentric. Messy. Loyal.
What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?
David Eddings. Favourite writer and influence. The other one would be Laura Ingalls Wilder. Strange by true. I read her books whenever I’m sick.
Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book
On 26 May 1897, Bram Stoker brought us the story of Dracula; an undead creature who terrorised the living by drinking their blood. He based his creature on the legends of Ireland and Eastern Europe, bringing it to life with all the pomp of Victorian literature. What if his concept was correct, but the execution was not? What if there was not one creature, but a band of twenty-four? Crusader knights who committed such a terrible act that the Pope of Rome and the Rabbis of Jerusalem joined together in petitioning God to bring a terrible curse upon them.Sentenced to eternal life as punishment for their crimes, yet hounded by both the clerical and the secular as they struggle to live them. The Jews called them Ga’ashekelah: the Raveners. To the Catholic Church, they are the Accursed Ones. Feasting on the bodies of the living to maintain their power.
What starts as a simple trip on the Eurostar to the buried trenches of World War One in Northern France is going to take Imperial War Museum expert Dr. Alexandra Horne on a journey she could never have conceived. From the bustling streets of Paris to the azure waters of Collioure and the very Vatican itself, Lexa will discover the Raveners and those who have sworn to hunt them down.
List of previous books if any
Teufel, New Austrian Order, The Airport
Thanks again for your help and time bringing my new work to the world! :)
***
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