The Kingdom Lights Blog Tour and Giveaway with Steven VS

Today I’ve invited Steven Seng, author of the Kingdom Lights to come do an interview with us here on Shelf Full of Books and share an excerpt from his new book Steven’s book is a steampunk adventure written for 9-12 year-olds which he wrote while studying for his medical degree in Sussex England. Welcome Steven!

Any weird things you do when you’re alone?

I like to act out scenes from my favorite movies and television shows. Yes, I play all the characters. No, I’m not very good.

What is your favorite quote and why?

Hero, villain, savior, conqueror, you are all these things and yet you are nothing. You will never truly belong to the light or the dark. You will forever stand alone. I heard this quote when I was young and I like it because it made me understand that there was light and dark within all of us and that it was our choices that mattered.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Any kind of ice-cream that is made by Haagen-Daaz. Is that how you spell it?

 Which mythological creature are you most like?

Good question! I always quite liked the Roc from Egyptian mythology who was a giant bird and carry people around. I’d like to think I was reliable and that I helped people – see the connection?

 What are four things you can’t live without?

I can’t live without internet – it’s so awful but I am completely addicted to it, and cannot do anything without it anymore. I rely on it for pretty much everything. Pizza – if I didn’t care about dying at 40, I would eat pizza all the time Wikipedia – I am nearly always on this and use it for everything from medical studies to learning about history to finding out which actors were in my favorite films. I also am pretty addicted to my smart phone, though I mainly use it to play Pokemon on a great Nintendo DS emulator.

The Kingdom Lights

By Steven VS

Publisher: Neverland Publishing Company

Published: Oct. 17, 2014

ASIN: B00ONEAB4O

Amazon Synopsis:  

Age Level: 9 - 12

In a world where cities float, airships sail the skies and mythical creatures are summoned in a pinch, Celes Vale is distinctly average. Living in the shadow of his talented cousin and his powerful aunt and uncle, Celes is resigned to a future of soot, factories and well, more soot.

But on the night of his twelfth birthday everything changes. A blinding light, a whispered voice and in an instant Celes becomes the first ordinary child in history to develop magic, sending him on a fast-track ticket to the greatest of the floating cities, Gardarel. Boasting grand, elegant buildings wrought from shimmering white stone, the entire city appears as though it has been built from light, and so it has come to be called the Kingdom Lights.

Though some welcome Celes, others want the dirt-ridden up-start off their city preferably head first. Nowhere is this clearer than in the attitude and actions of the beautiful and haughty Lady Ban and her sneering nephew, Marcus Blackwood. But Blackwood, with his gang of goons and unimaginative one-liners, is soon the least of Celes s problems.

With a little magic and a lot of detective work, Celes and his group of Scurriers and Wisps unravel the dark truth behind Lady Ban s prim, perfect smile an alliance to the villainous Wardens and the masked man who leads them. However, in his attempt to expose Lady Ban, Celes unwittingly stumbles onto an even darker conspiracy a plan that could lead to the complete destruction of Gardarel itself.

Book Links

Amazon  *  Goodreads

Enjoy an Excerpt:

Tidus was crying. Tidus often cried and Zephyr wondered how best to cheer his friend up this time. 

“It won’t be so bad. I mean, we’ll be in different schools, but maybe your magic is just getting started.” That’s a good approach, thought Zephyr. The tears ebbed and Zephyr thought he heard a sniffle. “I’m sure it’s taking a bit longer…bit longer than normal. But I bet… I bet when your magic does come, it’ll be really strong!” he finished enthusiastically. Tidus howled. Oh no, maybe it’s not working at all.  

Barely four foot tall, Zephyr was small even for a Wisp. Covering his entire body was a thick robe that extended all the way over his head, upon which it became a large furred cowl. Being made of a great deal of spirit and magic, Zephyr’s face was rather hard to see and appeared as no more than a haze; dark as midnight, punctuated by two large silvery eyes that shone as bright as lighthouse beacons, hiding the pale skin that lay beneath.  

“You’re just saying that,” sniffled Tidus, another Wisp with crackling eyes of electric blue and a full year younger than Zephyr. “You’ll go to the Anchor School in a few weeks then you’ll go to the Lunar Academy next year and I’ll be…I’ll be…” He hiccoughed, his whole body jolting. “I’ll be all on my own!”  

“No, no, no. We’ll still be friends!” he said, giving Tidus a small pat. “And you’ll have so much fun at your new school, you won’t even notice.” 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

About the Author:

A resident of the sleepy coastal town of Bexhill, East Sussex, England. Steven graduated in the summer of 2013 from the University of Southampton with a Bachelor of Medicine Degree and a Master’s Degree in Global Health from Sussex University – where he spent the majority of his time in Shawcross writing this novel!

In between writing and dreaming Steven is a medical doctor and has worked at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire and the Princess Royal where he fights the system with quirky lanyards.

Steven’s debut novel steampunk fantasy The Kingdom Lights is out on October 17th published by Neverland Publishing.

Author Links

Website  *  Goodreads  *  Facebook

Giveaway:

One randomly drawn commenter will receive a $50 Amazon/BN GC The more you comment, the better your chances of winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This blog tour was sponsored by: