Sep 01, 2019 by PD Alleva

Hunter’s Night (part of the Rogue Skies Boxed Set)
By Author Melinda Kucsera

 
Synopsis:

They took her daughter. Now, she’s hunting them.

They kidnapped her baby and vanished without a trace. With no clues to follow and an injured companion to save, Robin must undertake a difficult journey to get help. But a wintry wonderland fraught with dangers lies between her and the one person who could find her daughter. For Robin, failure is not an option. She’ll do anything to save her baby even become the one hunted in a deadly game.

Hunter’s Night is the first book in the Robin of Larkspur series. Christian Fantasy meets epic fantasy in this fast-paced narrative pitting Robin against supernatural creatures who will do everything in their power to stop her.

Fans of Nicholas Eames, Julliet Marillier, Michael J. Sullivan, Mercedes Lackey, Margaret Weis, and Tracy Hickman will enjoy Robin’s struggle to find help for her wounded friend and herself. Read Hunter’s Night today!

Excerpt:

Warrior. Mother. She was both now, but could she continue to be? Robin pondered that as she ignored the snores of her tentmate. Outside, night fell, and snow too, but she was warm enough under three blankets.

Robin turned the broken arrow over and listened to the wind whistling through the nearby mountain pass as she ran her finger along the crack in the arrow's shaft. Three months ago, she’d given birth to the healthy baby girl asleep in the wicker bassinet to her left. But she still felt like this arrow—broken inside.

End over end, the arrow spun in her hands. Maybe ‘broken’ was the wrong word. ‘Changed’ might be more apt. Giving birth had changed her body, making it curvier and fuller in places than before. It had also forced her to face the grim reality of her future as a new mother with no prospects. Sure, Robin had a bow and could outshoot most Rangers, but that wouldn’t put a roof over her daughter’s head, not when a stupid law controlled the number of Rangers a settlement could hire.

The last rejection she’d received echoed in her mind as Robin twirled the arrow around her index finger. “Sorry, lass, we’ve got no room for anyone else on the roster,” the hatchet-faced lieutenant had told her four days ago.

But he’d let her pitch a tent outside the Ranger’s barracks while she’d tried to figure out where to go next. Can’t have a woman and her baby sleep on a bunk in a house full of men. No, sir, that just wouldn’t be seemly. So, Robin had lit out of that forgotten town the next morning without a thought for the weather.

She aimed for a spot well away from her baby and her still snoring tentmate and threw the broken arrow into the darkness. Strella was out cold from the grueling hike up the mountainside, which had become a desperate scramble over icy rocks as the storm raging outside had closed in on them. Robin was just as exhausted, but her mind refused to quiet down and let her sleep, so she stared into the darkness again consumed by worry.

Would Mount Eredren be any different? It was perhaps another two days’ hike depending on the conditions of the trail, and what mother nature had in store for her tomorrow. Mount Eredren was also the next closest settlement and far larger than the two she’d already tried.

“Will they have a place for me, or will they be just as full-up as the last one?” Robin asked aloud even though only her baby was listening. As she shifted on her pallet, that question hung there in the darkness, tormenting her.

Robin rubbed her aching breasts through her red leather brigandine. Though calling the uncomfortably cold thing she lay on a ‘pallet’ was a misnomer. Handfuls of pine needles and leaves on frozen ground with a couple of blankets thrown over them hardly counted as a fit surface for sleeping. But it was the only accommodation available this deep in the hinterlands.

Rosalie whimpered in her sleep, reminding Robin she wasn’t alone in her discomfort.

“I know, girl. This was a bad idea. I should have toughed it out until spring.” Robin sighed and pushed away that regret. It couldn’t warm her or her baby.

Outside, the wind howled as it buffeted the tent again. The storm must be intensifying. But the tent’s construction was sound enough to withstand its onslaught. Thank all that was holy for that small mercy. In the silence between gusts, snow blanketed the precipice and covered the trail she’d hike tomorrow.

“I really must start thinking instead of reacting. A little forethought could have landed us in a much better position.” But her gut had told Robin to grab her daughter and go, and she hadn’t questioned it. Maybe she should have.

Rosalie grunted seemingly in agreement even though she was too young to understand. She was probably just responding to the tone of her voice. Robin wasn't sure she’d made the right decision.

At twenty, she was a single mother with no home, no job, and nothing to her name but the baby listening to her rant and the rucksack under her head. A tear squeezed out before she could stop it. She wanted to scream, but Rosalie beat her to it.

Robin snapped out of her funk into full-mother mode. She might have screwed up their lives for the time being, but she would be the best damned mother despite that.

“Don’t cry, sweetheart, Mama’s here. I’ll fix whatever’s wrong. I promise.” Robin swiped another tear from her eyes and levered herself up but stopped halfway when a cold, hard object touched her throat. “What the—”

A knife resolved out of the shadows and above it, two startlingly bright eyes that seemed to glow a soft green. They seemed to float in the darkness above Robin. Watery light crept into the tent, revealing the rest of the intruder, and shewas definitely not human.

Robin wanted to kick herself for not hearing the strange creature's approach. That’s what she got for letting her insecurities out to play when she should have been on guard. Damn it; she was the daughter of a Ranger. This bitch should not have gotten the drop on her or her tentmate, but she had, and Strella was still dead asleep. If Rosalie’s scream hadn’t even woken her, would Robin’s?

Probably not and the idea of screaming for help like she was some waif in need of a rescue galled Robin. Her pride wouldn’t allow it as she matched stares with the intruder, who was not as solidly built as she was. If she could just get her hands on a knife... Robin hid a smile as a plan formed.

Publication Date: September 17, 2019

Publisher: Carter & Bradley Publishing

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Purchase Link: https://www.books2read.com/rogueskies

Author Interview:

Do you have a pen name and why?

No, I’ve always wanted to see my name on the cover of a book. It was a lifelong dream.  

What was the defining event that made you start writing?

One day back in the 1980s, I was looking out of my window, and a couple of characters in strange garb walked out of a shaft of light shining on the backyard of my parents’ house. I was just a little kid then and curious to boot, so I went out to talk to them. 

My mom was always telling me to write down the stories I liked to tell everyone I met, but my handwriting was terrible, and my spelling was even worse. But I brought a pencil and a notebook with me anyway even though anything I wrote would be illegible. 

I didn’t write anything that day or the next one, but eventually, I had to write to it down because the story was growing too large for me to hold it all in my head along with all the stuff I was learning in school. 

Fast-forward to 1995. I’m in our local library and looking for my mom for some reason. I was fifteen and still hadn’t found anything to read. The library is a two-story house with an extension put on it, so it’s not that large. 

But as I wound through the stacks that summer afternoon, I found a small bookcase tucked away in a corner I’d never seen before. It held the library’s small collection of fantasy and science fiction novels. I picked one at random from the shelf that was level with my eyes and started reading my first fantasy book—the Winds of Fateby Mercedes Lackey, and I was blown away. 

Until that moment, I hadn’t known there was a market for the kind of stories I liked to write. That day changed everything for me.  

What other writing have you done?

In addition to writing a Hunter’s Nightfor the Rogue Skies Boxed Set, whichstars a brand-new heroine, I also write a father-son fantasy series about a curse breaker. The first book of that series is Curse Breaker: Enchanted. 

What made you choose this genre?

It chose me. Fantasy characters keep showing up on my doorstep asking me to write their stories. If I don’t, who will? 

What’s the basic plot of your book or series?

Hunter’s Night, part of the Rogue Skies Boxed Set https://www.books2read.com/rogueskies is a mother-daughter fantasy series. I already have a father-son fantasy series (the Curse Breaker series https://melindakucsera.com/the-curse-breaker-saga/), but I’ve always wanted to do an adventure series that stars a mother raising her daughter while they solve magical problems. So Hunter’s Night, part of the Rogue Skies Boxed Set https://www.books2read.com/rogueskies, is the first book of that mother-daughter series, and it’s about a mother searching for her kidnapped baby. Robin will do anything to save her daughter.   

Which is your favourite character and why?

This is a hard one. I have several favourites, and I love writing about them so much; they star in my weekly adventure series in between books. 

But if I had to pick just two of them, I’d choose Sarn, the hero from my Curse Breaker series, and his son and sidekick, Ran because they’re a package deal. Ran also runs my weekly newsletter. Yes, he’s fictional, but that doesn’t stop him. There’s a portal in my living room that connects to the cave where he lives, and he pops over once a week to use my computer. If you’d like to receive those adventures in your inbox every Monday, sign up here: 
http://www.mkucsera.com/welcomecharacters

You can be any fictional character for one day. Who would you be? 

I’d be myself, of course, Melinda Kucsera. I’m not just the scribe, but I’ve also been a fictional character in a long-running web/email serial book series since 2015. New episodes are sent weekly to my subscribers. 

Which one of your characters would you like to be (a picture would be great if you have one)?

I’d like to be me, Melinda Kucsera. I already am a character in my newsletter adventure series, sign up here: http://www.mkucsera.com/welcomecharacters to receive them. Every week, the characters from my book travel through a portal I accidentally created in my apartment. Much chaos generally ensues. Sometimes, that mayhem splills over into my day gig. Those adventures are coming to eBook in 2020. 
 

How did you go about developing your cover artwork?

The cover the Rogue Skies Boxed Set https://www.books2read.com/rogueskies was commissioned by the publisher, Carter & Bradley from one of the best indie cover designers on the market, it’s breathtakingly beautiful. 

For my other covers, I either buy a premade I like, commission a cover from a designer or make the cover myself. It depends on my budget that month.

What is your favourite quote?

“Not all those who wander are lost.” – J.R.R. Tolkien. My sister, who passed away in 2014, gave me a bracelet with that quote on it, and I come back to it time and again when I feel lost. 

Do you have a blog?

Yes, I do. It’s run by a fictional child named Ran who co-stars in my Curse Breaker series. You can find our blog here: https://melindakucsera.com/blog/ But I have to warn you. The dragon who delivers our weekly newsletter to the inboxes of our subscribers has been tinkering with it. I did mention she’s digital, right? 

But don’t worry. Many fictional characters have braved her wrath to organize the site so the most recent content is right where you enter. When you visit, you’ll find all our past newsletter adventures in reverse chronological order. Sign up here if you’d like to receive them in your inbox each week: http://www.mkucsera.com/welcomecharacters

What do you write about in your blog?

I post weekly episodes about what Ran, Sarn and the other characters from the Curse Breaker series are up to. They often crossover from their world to ours, and as you’d expect, they get into a lot of trouble. Adventures always ensue. Happy reading. 

Don’t worry, those adventures will be coming to eBook in 2020, so you don’t have to try and figure out our dragon’s digital filing system. Did I mention she’s frequently the villain in those weekly adventures?  Because she so is. Just don’t tell her I said that, okay?

What are your writing plans for this year?
On Sept. 17, Rogue Skies, https://www.books2read.com/rogueskies, publishes. Ten days later, the sequel, Rogue Night, will publish. After that, the sixth book in the Curse Breaker series will publish, Curse Breaker: Hidden.

 

What are your writing plans for this year?
On Sept. 17, Rogue Skies, https://www.books2read.com/rogueskies, publishes. Ten days later, the sequel, Rogue Night, will publish. After that, the sixth book in the Curse Breaker series will publish, Curse Breaker: Hidden. 

After Hidden, it depends on my characters. Would you believe they have a list of books they want me to write? 

Well, they do. So, I’ll have to hold a vote or something to figure out which book to work on next because I doubt they’ll let me pull an unfinished story from my To Write List. The sequel to Rogue Nightis at the top of that list, in case you were wondering. Its star, a new character named Robin, is turning into a very interesting hero. I look forward to seeing where she goes and to getting to  know her and her daughter better through their adventures. Who knows? Maybe they’ll join my newsletter adventures? 

Do you prefer eBook or hardcopy?
That’s a tough one. I love Audio books for actually consuming stories because I can listen to a great story while I drive, do housework, shop and work at my day gig, etc. Audio books are my constant companion. But for my own books, I love the tactile feel of a paperback. My books aren’t real until I can hold them in my hands.

Author Bio:

Melinda Kucsera writes fantastic short stories, novels, and books when not being kidnapped by dragons or chased by armies of fictional creatures. (We do, on occasion, rescue her.) She leaves the running of her newsletter to a cast of lovable characters who hog her inbox.

Enough about her, it’s us you’re really interested in, her cast of characters. Join us every week for a new story at www.mkucsera.com/welcomecharacters. Let us take over your inbox. We promise to behave.

Read More from Melinda Kucsera
https://melindakucsera.com/the-curse-breaker-saga/

LINKS:
Website: https://melindakucsera.com

Blog:  https://melindakucsera.com/blog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inmediasresbymelindakucsera/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14834984.Melinda_Kucsera

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MelindaKucsera/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Melinda-Kucsera/e/B01LXP520W

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/melinda-kucsera

IG: https://www.instagram.com/MelindaKucsera28/

Link for Rogue Skies: https://www.books2read.com/rogueskies

Newsletter: http://www.mkucsera.com/welcomecharacters

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