After fighting an unknown creature while hiking, Charlie is aided by a friendly stranger, Logan. But Logan is not who he pretends to be…
When Charlie discovers her dark dreams are not just fantasies but linked to missing men in San Diego, she delves into a world beyond her own—a world of darkness, love, and war… The War of Fate.
The Songs of Fate follows Charlie, a widowed doctoral student on her journey into a world of love, darkness, and war… The War of Fate. Charlie finds herself torn between two men—Logan, a man with his own secrets, and a gray-eyed warrior from her dreams. Charlie is split between two very different men with histories that could not be more opposite. However, she craves both. In The Songs of Fate, a darkness is seeping over worlds, destroying them, and Charlie finds herself in the middle of the war. She is destined for a life beyond what she ever imagined. A life she never asked for. In the middle of the chaos, she cannot explain or define what her heart feels, and if it is allowed.
In our society, some are taught love must be a certain way or come from a certain person. For Charlie, she has only known the love of her husband and lost it when he died. Now, she struggles with the question: what do you do when you heart doesn’t fit into the rules of love anymore? She realizes perhaps love doesn’t have rules. But then Charlie is faced with the dilemma—if there isn’t a rulebook for love, how do you know what is fair?
As an anthropology major myself, I have researched the different customs of various cultures regarding marriage, doweries, and kinship, but it seems love is not so clearly defined.
In ancient cultures around the world, polyandry or polygamy were the norm. In other cultures, and in much of today’s society, monogamy and marriage is the standard. Is this because it was the only idea or framework of love taught to us? What if we weren’t shown examples of couples, groups, or ways of love? If we had to figure out what love meant without a background on the subject, I am not so sure anyone would be able to define the word ‘love.’
This concept of love is explored throughout The Songs of Fate with many different characters. Some are born into world where the term ‘love’ does not exist, while others are born into worlds where there are hundreds of words for ‘love.’ As a romantic at heart, I tend to lean toward the cultures that have many different meanings and terms for love. Not just romantic love, but friendship, marriage, child love, parent love, sibling love, passionate love, enduring love, and my favorite—the beginning of love.
I hope you enjoy reading The Songs of Fate—exploring new worlds of romance through the eyes of Charlie as she experiences all the facets of love. I’m always interested to hear your definition of love.
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The story began with a dream of two men—one from another world and one from my world. For many nights a gray-eyed man haunted my dreams. A man of cold eyes, but warm touch. A warrior so lost it physically hurt me to see him fight. I woke-up one night crying after my first dream of what would become the character, Ales.
At the time, years ago, this warrior didn’t have a name, but he had scars. I could envision the marks on his hands and the memories of his home world that branded his mind. This man continued to tug at my heart, and soon I had to explain this warrior on paper.
The character Ales is a hardened warrior who finds hope in a soul he has never met. All this dark warrior knows is duty and honor, a life of war and struggle. Until he dreams of a woman who needs him, his touch, his protection, and his heart.
I decided to write The Songs of Fate from the woman’s perspective as she struggles to understand the images and dreams of this gray-eyed man, instead of from Ales’ perspective. I felt that Charlie was more of a relatable character for the audience to journey into the heart of a war with. But, as you near the end of the novel, Charlie gets glimpses into his mind, Ales’ mind, and his world.
Ales is from a world of darkness and cold, where he fights in the ice pits to earn enough food to live. In his world there isn’t love or compassion, but a will, a drive, to survive. I wanted Ales to come from a barren land that was so different from Earth. He needed to be an alien to love. I enjoyed making the simplicity of a kiss such a foreign concept for him because I wanted the reader to understand how cruel his mortal life and immortal life had been.
I believe the contrast between Logan (a warrior from Earth with a close family) and Ales (a man who choose to fight alone for centuries) is what helps create the disparity and internal struggle for Charlie, and hopefully the reader, too. In ways, I struggled as a writer with the ‘right’ decision for Charlie. I cared so much for both warriors by the end of the novel. I wrote FOUR different endings!
In the novel, I choose to explore the different types of warriors that exist in The War of Fate, purposely showing the divergence between Logan, Cri, Ales, and Leo. Four men of different backgrounds, most of different worlds, and yet all fighting for the same side. I wanted not only their beliefs in the enemy, but their thoughts about relationships, life, and their sense of duty to be mixed and mottled. All of this was done very purposely to extenuate how war brings together people who must fight for the side, but do not believe in the same thing.
I think this happens in real life all of the time. It doesn’t have to be something as brutal and devastating as war that brings people together. Perhaps a long line at the grocery store, a car wreck, a group project, a blind date, whatever it is, people have to come together to create something brilliant, get the job done, or just get through the damn day! My question to you, my dear reader, is how can we see other people’s perspectives, disagree with them, and still create an alliance?
I truly believe it’s understanding that at the core of all people, we are the same. We all want to get our groceries and go home to our family, our dog, or our romance novel. If we can see through our frustration, we might be able to open ourselves up and learn about our fellow humans.
In The Songs of Fate even Ales and Logan, two men, two warriors, who want to dislike each other can’t help but find something very special they have in common… a woman they both love. I wonder if in some ways it is the things we love, the people we love, that will bring us all together. I’d love to hear from you. What has brought you close to a stranger under the oddest of circumstances? What has made you take the leap and choose to see something differently?
Until next time…
The frigid waters cooled my fevered skin and soothed the aching burn deep in my mind. Gentle currents tugged me deeper into the darkness, blanketing me in its icy depths.
My body stilled as I waited. My raven locks ebbed freely through the water, blending with the current until they were one and the same.
I recognized him before I saw him.
He lurked behind the cobalt blue veil of ocean. His perilous warmth reached my body before he extended his hand to me. His palm was embedded with an onyx black symbol. It pulsed with power—a strength that called to me. I paused and looked into his eyes.
His eyes were not just gray. They illuminated the darkness, glowing like liquid silver, twisting and raging in a deadly storm.
I could almost taste the intoxicating notes of citrus and nectar that lingered on his tongue. My hand twitched with the anticipation of touching him again, but with his kiss came so much more.
I swallowed quickly. My throat constricted at the memory.
The water tugged at my clothes. My shirt clung to my shoulders and swayed around my abdomen. The water weighed me down.
Every time we met he seemed closer, more familiar, more dangerous.
I reached for him, craving the sight of his eyes as much as his treacherous kiss.
His bronzed arms were streaked with white scars up to his neck. He came closer, not yet within reach, but I could view a thick brand cut into his bare chest. His torso was lean. His arms appeared to have been sculpted from black obsidian.
I licked my lips. Fear coated my tongue. I couldn’t be here again… I had to escape. I struggled, my hands slicing through the water, kicking away from him.
I knew what he would do.
Gray Eyes continued to grasp for me as the water pulsed around him.
I couldn’t look away from the strange marking on his palm. The lines were sharp and intricate, melding and swirling together. They looked ancient and threatening, like the man that was before me.
I thrashed in the ocean.
He was now only a whisper away from gripping my arm. His opposite hand held a dagger, slightly eclipsed in the murky waters. The knife was long and wicked, forged with a golden-tipped handle and strange markings etched down the blade.
I couldn’t control my movements. My body was not mine anymore.
His hand wrapped around my forearm, and I felt like I was being ripped apart. White lightning struck behind my eyes. My body went still. The pain was ecstasy. I was drawn to him without my consent by a force I couldn’t fight.
He dropped his chin, and his lips brushed mine. A slight kiss. Barely a caress.
Oh yes… this was what I wanted.
His temptingly warm lips whispered foreign words before returning to mine. The sweet taste of his mouth fought for supremacy against the burning in my mind.
I could feel myself lean into his kiss. My hands went to touch him, to sweep the black hair away from his face. I wanted to see the face of the man who had haunted me for years. I had tried so many times, but the darkness always veiled his face.
His arm snaked around my back. His blazing palm pressed me closer to his bare chest, and I kept reaching for him. I needed more. I wanted more.
The cold edge of the blade glided up my arm. The dagger’s edge brushed over my delicate skin. He stroked the tip over my shoulder, teasing me with the blade.
His lips hovered over mine as the silver edge continued its path up my body. My tongue swept out to his lips on its own volition. He withdrew his mouth from mine and firmly held the tip of the blade over my heart…
Raised as an Army brat, K.W. lived all over the southern United States during her childhood. She currently resides in Honolulu, Hawaii with her own warrior husband. When not reading or writing, she can be found running the sandy beaches of Oahu. Okay, that wasn’t completely truthful. More likely, she is staring at the waves with a drink in her hand.
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I liked the excerpt, sounds great.
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ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the beautiful feature. It is a joy to share "The Songs of Fate" with the world. Good luck to all giveaway entries! Sending love from Hawaii. - K.W. Hall
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great book. I like the cover and excerpt.
ReplyDeleteSounds great, the cover is eye catching.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds very intriguing. The cover is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI am so excited to read this book!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read.
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