Guest blogger: Louise Cusack

Do you like ‘stranger in a strange land’ romances?

Me too! Ever since I first read Alice in Wonderland as a child I’ve been drawn to the idea of unknown worlds connected to our own. As a teenager I devoured the Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter novels, Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, and anything that had a character from our world going into a different one. So it was no surprise that I should dream up my own world with a princess whose steadfast (and scrumptious) champion protected her from the mystical dangers that surrounded them. After many years of development this world finally became the sepia kingdom of Ennae in my Shadow Through Time trilogy.

The main character Catherine is a modern woman from our world who is pulled into Ennae and thrust into the political intrigues that are tearing the kingdom apart. Catherine discovers that she was the Princess Khatrene of Ennae whose memories of her childhood were stripped from her before she was exiled to our world to protect her from enemies of the throne—enemies who may yet try for her life. Fifteen years of McDonalds and Maybelline haven’t prepared her for Ennae or her life as the sister of the ruling king, and she relies heavily on her champion Talis to help her navigate the unfamiliar terrain and customs, unaware that he’s fallen in love with her.

Filled with vivid and memorable characters who either help or hinder Khatrene in her quest to protect her twin brother, Destiny of the Light is the first novel of the Shadow Through Time fantasy series. As one recent review said: ‘If you love your fantasy to be slightly gritty but with plenty of swoony romance, Destiny of the Light is for you!’

I hope you’ll enjoy this series which is currently available as ebooks published by Pan Macmillan’s digital arm Momentum Books. To commemorate my first guest blog for ARRA, the price of the lead title—Destiny of the Light—has been reduced for a limited time only.

Louise Cusack was born and raised in Brisbane where her son and daughter still live. After four years of house-sitting to distract her from her empty nest, she’s now settled in a tiny coastal village on the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, but is looking forward to meeting ARRA members at the Gold Coast book signing event in 17 August.

DESTINY OF THE LIGHT

Ennae is a parallel world joined to our own world by the Sacred Pool, a portal that can only be opened by one with the Guardian blood running through their veins. It is through this watery gateway that Khatrene leaves her modern-day life behind forever, drawn into a quest that will take her into the depths of the unknown.

Khatrene must fulfil her destiny as The Light, the woman whose child will unite the four elemental worlds. At each turn are real and imagined enemies who will do everything in their power to prevent her from fulfilling the prophecy, including the ethereal and erotic shadow woman, the enigmatic tattooed man, even her beloved brother Mihale.

Talis, her appointed Guardian, must help her through the dangerous terrain of Ennae, sacrificing everything to ensure her safety in a land where magic prevails and nothing is as it seems.

From an exciting new voice in Australian fantasy fiction comes the first book in the Shadow Through Time trilogy. Beautifully crafted and written, Destiny of the Light combines intrigue, magic and horror to create a reality that is out of this world.

You can find Louise at:

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For a chance to win a free ebook copy of Destiny of the Light tell us who your favourite protective hero is and why (champion, bodyguard, law enforcement office, FBI agent, Dom). (This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Tien.)