Hive By: Marc Davies *Guest Post & Excerpt & Giveaway*

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Title: Hive

Author: Marc Davies

Date Published: August 6, 2012

Publisher: Champagne Books

Buy At: Amazon & Burst Books 

Synopsis

For centuries the Hive has waged a secret war, pitting psychic powers against the monstrous appetites of the Silencers.  Now its visionary leader has an ambitious plan to tip the balance, and the conflict threatens to boil over onto the streets of modern day London.

Nineteen-year-old Luke is thrust into the conflict when he foils an assassination attempt on the charismatic Dr. Jean-Paul Lysayer, a world renowned expert on telepathy.  Down on his luck, and torn between an old flame and blossoming desire, the last thing Luke needs is to be used as a pawn in the eternal conflict.

But the Hive needs Luke's unique abilities, and when he uncovers evidence of a conspiracy it will take all his street-smarts to stay alive long enough to separate friend from foe. 

Excerpt

An inferno roiled where the briefcase had been only moments before, held back by an invisible, sphere-shaped barrier. It seethed with barely contained violence, testing the limits of its prison with fingers of fire.

Lysayer stood in front of it, legs planted wide and arm locked rigid as if pushing against an invisible force. A howling wind tore at his leather suit, streaming through his blond hair. His entire body shuddered with strain, and sweat ran down the back of his neck. Excess Psi traced his back in dancing, red flames.

The explosion appeared to get the better of him. Half a dozen fiery fingers escaped their cage, reaching for me with hunger. The sphere wobbled, and I threw my hands up to protect my face. But Lysayer twisted his wrist, and the inferno shrunk into a pinpoint of space with the howl of displaced air.

Guest Post By Marc Davies

A question I often get asked is, “When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?”

I made my first attempt to write a novel when I was fourteen, and I still remember it vividly. The plot basically consisted of a superhero-type male character going around beating up monsters. I’m sure there were a couple of Lord of the Rings-style demons in there, and at least one dragon too--all ultimately slaughtered by my super-powered hero.

Not surprising for a teenage boy, I suppose. In my defence, there was some character development and a brief romance between my hero and a buxom bar lady. Probably the most surprising thing was that I stuck with it for as long as I did. I got very close to finishing the book, ending at about 350 pages. Not bad for a fourteen-year-old boy.

My love for writing must have started before that, though, or I would never have made the attempt in the first place.

After some reflection, I think the earliest memory I have about writing is of a skiing holiday one year earlier. My father took my two brothers and me to a ski resort in New South Wales, Australia. It wasn’t the first time I’d been skiing, so I suppose I was reasonably accomplished for a thirteen-year-old. But that year I wasn’t much interested in skiing because I’d recently discovered books.

I remember that I had a short, mass market fantasy novel with me at the time. Unlike most young adult books now days--which are mostly written for young women--this one was aimed at young men. I can’t for the life of me remember what it was, but it would be safe to assume something from the Forgotten Realms franchise. I was interested in Dungeons & Dragons at the time.

While my brothers and father skied, I stayed in the resort reading by the open fireplace. Curling up in front of an open fire with a good book is still my idea of heaven. The others couldn’t understand why I’d want to do that instead of skiing, but even to this day I’m pretty confident I’ve got the right of it.

Anyway, the book wasn’t as good as I hoped and I found myself getting bored. That was when a dog-eared paperback in the communal book basket (yes, they had them dumped in a wicker basket by the fire--sacrilege!) grabbed my attention.  It was Magician by Raymond E Feist, a classic by today’s standards. At some 500 pages, it was quite a long book for my age, but to my surprise I was hooked within a couple of pages.

I might not like Magician if I picked it up now, but Feist had me spellbound with his story-telling ability. I think I read the whole book over the next four days, much to the chagrin of my brothers who wanted me to go skiing with them.

By the time I was finished, I’d come to a realization. This ability to spellbind readers, to make them forget the real world for a while, was pure magic. And I wanted more than anything in the world to be able to do it myself.

There have been other moments that were probably just as influential in my desire to become a writer, but I think this was the earliest. It was then that my relationship with books developed from enjoyment in reading into something more.

And I’ve never looked back. 

Author Bio

Marc started writing as a teenager, and has always been obsessed with science fiction and fantasy. He has a soft spot for books with fast plots, unusual characters and twisted humor. The more unusual, the better. He predominantly reads sci-fi and fantasy, depending on mood.

Marc is an active member of several writers groups, including the Online Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, and maintains a blog at www.marcdavies.net.  He lives in an old house owned by a Golden Retriever and a Labrador, with a mountain of books, an impressive collection of half-finished wine bottles, and the occasional ball of drifting dog hair. 

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