Saturday, May 23, 2020

Burn’s Magical Mystery Tour of Artifacts



Life: 1. Brenna James: 0. 
An AWOL talent, an enemy-occupied hometown, and a Life Shade boyfriend—Brenna James just wants something to go right. Although her family has been given sanctuary in Syeira, Brenna will never be safe as long as Rune is hunting down and killing Firebrands. 
Can someone please wake her up already? 
When a prophecy sends Brenna and Baldwin on a confusing quest, they aren’t sure where to begin. They must find the Caelestis Staff, a powerful object that both cuts and mends space itself. Rune wants it too, and he’ll use any lethal tactics necessary to obtain it. 
Yeah, nightmare material right there. 
A traveling oasis, plenty of man-eating mermaids, and one Skeleton King later, Brenna seriously doubts she has the edge she needs to confront Rune. When Brenna’s faced with the biggest test of her life, will she burn like the Firebrand she is? Or will she burn out? 

Fantasy isn’t just elves, dwarves, and dragons. And it isn’t just magical spells either. Imagine Harry Potter without The Golden Snitch. Or Percy Jackson without Riptide, his sword he wears around his neck. Or the Chronicles of Narnia without the wardrobe. Sometimes, it’s the draw of a magical, mystical item, something the hero can find or use that adds wonder to our stories. I love creating magical items, and here are a few that found their way onto the pages of Burn. 
The Stones of the Spring are like crystal-lined geodes that filter out sicknesses and bacteria for the citizens of Ginselwyn. While these went missing in Flare, we find out what happened to them in Burn.

The snake medallions are medals with a crystal-studded snake on the front. Many of Rune’s soldiers wear one hanging from the front of their breastplate. When Brenna finds one, she can’t bring herself to get rid of it, although the beautiful design is a reminder of the man who wants her dead.

When Brenna and Baldwin go on a short quest, they find a leather journal and a bottle labeled Respiraqua. They’re not sure what the substance does or why it was hidden. When Abira discovers its purpose, more questions are raised. Can they still use it? Should they? Or does this kind of thing have a short shelf life?
 
Dragonscale silk is a lustrous, satiny material made from the scales of a real dragon. And best of all? It’s fireproof!

With Rune searching for the Caelestis Key (which should lead to the powerful Caelestis Staff), Brenna and Baldwin must find it before he does. Since no one knows what the staff or the key looks like, this is a difficult mission.




I had such fun creating all these items. I hope you enjoy reading about them!

Burn is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBook, Kobo, and any other online retailer, and Burn can be requested at any bookstore or library.



3 comments:

Laura A. Grace said...

I definitely wouldn't mind having some Dragonscale silk! That could come in handy when facing any potential dragons! Fun post!

J.M. Hackman said...

I agree, Laura--I'll pick some up for you next time I'm in the Jasper Territory! ;-)

J.M. Hackman said...

Thanks, Annie, for letting me share my visual post of magical artifacts! 💜