Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Guest Blogger Terri Talley Venters. Author of Copper Cauldron and Carbon Copy


Copper Cauldron

Penelope Manchester, a good witch with one green and one blue eye, awaits her destiny: a warrior of God with the face of an angel, the heart of a saint, and eyes which match her own. St. Michael the Archangel flies into her life and sweeps her off her feet. Meanwhile, an evil sorcerer captures witches, steals their powers and most of their nine lives, and shrinks them to the size of a doll--a Nürnberg, doll. But when he turns two of the Manchester witches into dolls, the Manchester clan fights back with St. Michael and divine intervention. Armed with the legendary copper cauldron, a fire breathing dragon, and an arsenal of spells, good battles evil.

Excerpt from Copper Cauldron

By: Terri Talley Venters

 

“Ah, here it is.” Violet’s frail fingers touched the ancient book in the Manchester library. She tried to retrieve it from the bottom of the twelve-foot book shelf, but the weight stopped her.

“Here, let me help you.” Penelope pulled the enormous text out with ease.

Violet sat in one of the two wing-backed chairs in front of the fireplace, looking exhausted by her efforts.

Penelope carried the book to her great-grandmother. The scene reminded her of her childhood. She recalled hearing tales of her ancestors in front of the fireplace under the portrait of St. Michael the Archangel. She gazed up at the portrait of her family’s patron saint and smiled. He looked like the man she saw at St. Michael’s in Munich.

Violet opened the ancient book as the other four witches perched around the chair looking on. Dust flew as she delicately turned the thick parchment paper. The vibrant colors of the drawings leapt from the pages. Meticulous, handwritten words filled the pages opposite the pictures.

“How old is this book, Violet?” Cat asked.

“It’s over one thousand years old. But many of the legends were added as the centuries passed.” Violet still turned the pages towards the back of the book.

“Ah, here it is, the legend of the Nürnberg Dolls,” Violet read.

Penelope stared at the pictures in the book. It showed the dolls of shrunken, comatose witches whose powers and lives were stolen. She recognized the drawing of Nürnberg Castle, the Hexenhäusle, and the interior of Marcus’s coven.

Violet read the meticulously scribed text from the book.

Once upon a time, an evil sorcerer lived in Nürnberg. Marcus wanted to be the most powerful sorcerer in the world and live forever. He lured unsuspecting witches and wizards into his lair beneath Nürnberg Castle and then charmed them with his eyes and promised them rare potion ingredients for the price of a mere kiss. After he seduced them, he cast a spell to steal their powers. Once the witches lost their powers, he used the gilded-silver double cups to cast the antispell of the Copper Cauldron’s life-saving one. Instead of saving a witch’s life, the antispell transferred the witch’s remaining lives to the invoker of the spell. But just before the last life left the witch’s body, the evil sorcerer stopped the spell, leaving the witch with only a fraction of one life. With only a fraction of life remaining, the witch shrank to a fraction of her size--the size of a doll. The evil sorcerer, Marcus, collected the dolls as the centuries passed. His most prized dolls carried the one blue, one green eye trait.

 


 

Terri Talley Venters,

Author of Carbon Copy, Tin Roof, Body Of Gold, and Copper Cauldron

Terri received her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Master’s degree in Taxation from the University of Florida. She is a licensed CPA and a Second Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. She lives in St. Augustine, Florida, with her husband, Garrison, and their two sons.
Carbon Copy, currently available from Wild Child Publishing, is the 1st thrilling novel in the Elements of Mystery Series. The title of each novel will contain an element from the Periodic Table of Elements. Tin Roof, the sequel to Carbon Copy, coming soon from Wild Child Publishing. And Terri’s romantic/suspense novel, Body of Gold, is coming soon from Freya’s Bower. Terri just finished writing, Silver Lining, the final book in the Carbon Copy trilogy. For more about Terri’s upcoming releases, please visit her website http://www.elementsofmystery.com/ Terri is the daughter of Leslie S. Talley, author of Make Old Bones which is also available from Wild Child Publishing.









 

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