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Thursday, February 9, 2012

The Elven Lords Blogger Hop - Stonehame

Today I am pleased to host Kathryne Kennedy as part of The Elven Lords Blogger Hop.


Stonehame

The elven lady La'laylia rules here, with her lavender scepter attuned to the gemstones of the earth. The palace is constructed of one gigantic piece of amethyst, and the very air within the court seems to be tinted with shades of purple. The courtiers sparkle with jewels on fingers and gowns, in lappets and stockings, but none of them dazzle the eyes as much as the elven lady herself, in a gown woven of diamonds.

Excerpts featuring Stonehame, from The Elven Lords Series by Kathryne Kennedy:

A City and the Palace:
The crowds thinned as they reached the edge of the city, stately mansions replacing the brownstone shops. Gems glittered in the very bricks of the homes, winking in a myriad of colors. Statues carved of crystal into the shapes of animals and birds glowed softly from cornices above, and beside the stairs of grand entrances below. Lions roared, dragons spread their wings, and gargoyles leered.

***

It seemed that the cities had grown more brilliant the farther they rode into the interior of Stonehame, their construction enhanced by the local crystal called from the depths by La’laylia of Stonehame, the crystal itself often colored and striated with vibrant hues.

Cecily could not imagine what Stonehame Palace might look like, for Giles had told her it had been crafted entirely of amethyst.

The Land:
At first it felt odd to see a crystal spire jutting from the middle of a swath of grassland, but Cecily had become accustomed to it the farther they had traveled into the sovereignty. But the mountain of stone that came into view once they’d cleared the buildings of the city astonished her.

Gray clouds moved over the skies, covering the brief morning sunshine, but even in that dimness the mountain of crystal blazed, as if it possessed some inner light. It sat in the middle of a field of tall grass, the enormous base of it a cluster of square-shaped stones angling inward toward the top into four-sided capped spires.

The dragons:
She had heard the dragons of the six other sovereignties had different powers associated with their elven lords: the black dragon of Firehame could breathe fire; the blue dragon of Dewhame, lightning; the green dragon of Verdanthame could breathe a mist that grew tangled briars and enormous trees. The silver dragon of Bladehame spat molten metal, the brown dragon of Terrahame emitted a roar that cracked the earth, and the violet dragon of Stonehame could turn anything to stone with his breath.

SEE GIVEAWAY BELOW: Question for readers to answer to be entered in the contest:
Amethyst plays an important role in Stonehame… What is your favorite type of jewel or gem?

 Follow the Tour
Elven Realm Blogger Hop Schedule
Featuring the Elven Lords Series by Kathryne Kennedy


2/6 “Dewhame”—hosted by Star-Crossed Romance http://star-crossedromance.blogspot.com/
Grand Prize: Small Desktop Fountain + signed copies of all three books in The Elven Lords Series
Runner-up Prize: All three books in The Elven Lords Series






2/7 “Firehame”—hosted by Books Like Breathing http://bookslikebreathing.blogspot.com/
Grand Prize: Red Candles (battery operated) + signed copies of all three books in The Elven Lords Series
Runner-up Prize: All three books in The Elven Lords Series




 
2/8 “Dreamhame”—hosted by SOS Aloha http://www.sosaloha.blogspot.com/
Grand Prize: Pretty Sparkly Make Up + signed copies of all three books in The Elven Lords Series
Runner-up Prize: All three books in The Elven Lords Series






2/9 “Stonehame”—hosted by Book Reviews by Martha’s Bookshelf http://marthasbookshelf.blogspot.com/
Grand Prize: Purple Jewelry + signed copies of all three books in The Elven Lords Series
Runner-up Prize: All three books in The Elven Lords Series

2/10 “Bladehame”—hosted by The Royal Reviews http://theroyalreviews.blogspot.com/
Grand Prize: Sword Letter Opener + signed copies of all three books in The Elven Lords Series
Runner-up Prize: All three books in The Elven Lords Series

2/11 “Terrahame”—hosted by Debbie’s Book Bag http://debsbookbag.blogspot.com/
Grand Prize: Terra Cotta Wind Chimes + signed copies of all three books in The Elven Lords Series
Runner-up Prize: All three books in The Elven Lords Series

2/12 “Verdanthame”—hosted by Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell http://books-forlife.blogspot.com/
Grand Prize: Fairy Garden Orament + signed copies of all three books in The Elven Lords Series
Runner-up Prize: All three books in The Elven Lords Series

2/13 Elven Realm Blogger Hop Grand Prize Announcement—hosted by the Sourcebooks Buzz Blog http://www.sourcebooks.com/authors/the-buzz-sourcebooks.html
Anyone who comments on the other blogs throughout the blogger hop will be eligible for this overall grand prize, too-
Grand Prize: $100 B&N Gift Card + signed copies of all three books in The Elven Lords Series
Runner-up Prize: All three books in The Elven Lords Series

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Kathryne Kennedy for inviting me to participate in this Blogger hop and for providing the prizes!
Grand Prize: Purple Jewelry + signed copies of all three books in The Elven Lords Series
Runner-up Prize: All three books in The Elven Lords Series
This is the purple jewelry: lovely purple earrings:

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY: 

REQUIRED:  Leave a comment answering Kathryne's question above in red.  Make sure you leave your email as well.

THERE WILL BE A GRAND PRIZE AND RUNNER UP WINNER here and entrants have a chance for the Overall grand prize - see the 2/13 blog stop information.
* This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.
* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons.
* Limit one win per household.
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on February 19, 2012.
The winners will be randomly selected from all entries and announced on February 20 with 72 hours to complete the winners form.

39 comments:

  1. My favorite type of gem is turquoise because my mom once gave me a ring with a turtle on it made out of turquoise because that gem is supposed to be one of protection. And turquoise means Turkey, which is where my grandmother is from. So whenever I see a turquoise stone, I think of family. ^_^

    ~Amanda
    miaoxixian@hotmail.com

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  2. My favorite type of jewel/gem is a Fire Opal. I love the look of the the stone's inner beauty shining thru the cloudy/murky background, almost like a vision of greatness hidden within. Thanks for the opportunity! richnkathy718 (at) msn (dot) com

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  3. I love just about ALL jewels, especially Cat's eye, Tiger Eye, Opal and of course Amathyst. Love today's excerpt Kathryne, I've GOTTA get those books!

    Mindy :)
    Birdsooong@aol.com

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  4. That's a difficult choice! I'd say my favorites are garnet, onyx, amethyst and moonstone. If I had to pick a top favorite, it would be garnet.

    Diana
    bookofsecrets(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  5. I am so excited about these books. My favorite stone is sapphire. I don't know why but I've always love it! Thanks!
    slinkydennis@yahoo.com

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  6. I really love moonstones and sapphires, but I think all stones can be cut really beautifully. My boyfriend gave me a ring with a emerald in it, and I've grown to absolutely love it. I was confused at first, because everyone knows that I love blues, but he said it was perfect because it made him think of my eyes.

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  7. My favorites have always been moonstones and sapphires, blue being my favorite color. I do love all sorts of other gems. My boyfriend gave me a beautiful ring with a emerald in it, and I've really grown to love it. Originally I was confused though, because he knows my favorite color, but he told me he chose emerald because it matches my eyes better. ^-^ So now I love emeralds, moonstones, sapphires, and all sorts of colors.

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  8. My favorite is the ruby, probably because I love the color red. Thanks for the excerpt, even more excited about reading this story now.
    skpetal at hotmail dot com

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  9. Hi Kathryne, Your books always look so beautiful. I love looking at the covers. My favorite gems are rubies and diamonds. I love both equally.

    ~Brandy
    brandyzbooks at yahoo dot com

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  10. Hello Martha! It's such a pleasure to be here today! Thanks so much for being a hostess for the Hop. I am so loving the questions you bloggers are coming up with...all my favorite subjects! If you've been to my website, you know I love sparklies!

    Hi Amanda! What a wonderful reason to love a particular gemstone. I live in Arizona, where the bulk of turquoise is mined, so I have almost grown up with the gem. :}

    Hi Kathryn! Love your name. :} The 'e' on the end of mine is so often dropped, although my editor and agent never have, bless them. Such a beautiful gem choice...now that would be perfect for the realm of Firehame!

    Hi Mindy! Well, that's music to my ears. :} And yes, I can't think of a gemstone I don't love.

    Hi Diana! Garnet is also a particular favorite of mine. And I just wrote a new book in the Relics series that features a moonstone, so when I'm ready to launch that book, I'll have contests for that gemstone. Love how that ties in! :}

    Hi Rhonda! I'm excited for you all to read them. Magical people often love magical books. :} Sapphire is deep, dark, and mysterious. Maybe that's why?

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  11. I too am very excited about this series and many of Kathryne's books! As to stones, I think they are all gorgeous from the very polished to the raw and natural ones. My birthstone is yellow topaz or citrine which I'm very partial too :)

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  12. Though the amethyst is my birthstone, I also adore emeralds and diamonds!

    Thanks,
    Tracey D
    booklover0226 at gmail dot com

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  13. I have two favorites. I love opals and amethysts. There so pretty! Purple is my favorite color and the stone itself is a protection stone, it repels negative energy and its so pretty! I like opals too, the colors, the stone is so shimmery. My dad gave my mom this gorgeous opal ring when they were childhood sweethearts and my mom gave it to me. I adore this ring. Thank you for sharing and for the giveaway! shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

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  14. I am always drawn to sapphires, they are perfection to me.
    I love La'laylia and her beautiful purple! I would so live there in a heart beat. So beautifully descriptive.

    eyesofblueice (at) gmail (dot) com

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  15. My favorite stone is an emerald. Thanks for the giveaway.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  16. Funny you should ask, actually ironically enough my favorite gemstone is Amethyst, not only is it my birthstone (My birthday is actually coming up the 25th of this month!) but it is also my favorite color, I love the color purple, and I actually own many Amethyst's! They go with pretty much anything and Everything too!

    Question ... I read somewhere that this series was ponly gonna be a trilogy, please tell me there are gonna be more books after this one, Kathryne Kennedy is one of my most fave authors, and I am completly in love with the elven lords books, it would break my heart if this is to be the last one :'-( I also love the Relics of Merlin series, and am so excited the series is continuing, and I loved Beneath the Thirteen Moons, I wish that was a continuing series as well!

    Disturbed_Godsmack_Chick@Yahoo.com

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  17. I adore gem stones - the way they sparkle and glow is magical in and of itself. My favorite gemstone is the garnet - my birthstone - its deep red color like a luscious cordial. I love fire opals too - their multiple colors are fascinating and no two are ever the same. I would so love to win a copy of LORD OF ILLUSIONS especially, to complete the terrific trilogy. Thanks so much.
    Amy Harlib aharlib@earthlink.net

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  18. I've always been fond of emeralds :-)

    justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

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  19. Mm, I would have to say opal. My belated grandmother had a lot of them because it was her birthstone but there is just something about the opal that draws one's attention. The opaque coloring with the pastel colored veins.

    Yeah opals have a bad rap in the magic world but I still think they are just the beautiful stones out there with amethyst and my birthstone coming up second

    Raonaid at gmail dot com

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  20. My favorite stone is the emerald because it is my oldest daughter's birthstone as well as my mother's, and I've just always thought it was beautiful :D Thanks so much for the chance to win a copy of these books! I'm dying to read them!
    Julie Witt, jwitt33 at live dot com

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  21. Hi Alyssa! What a sweet boyfriend! He’s a keeper!

    Hi Jean! Rubies are gorgeous! So glad you enjoyed the excerpt!

    Hi Brandy! Great to see so many of my readers here today! So glad to hear you enjoy the covers. And rubies and diamonds are a wonderful combination.

    Hi Catslady! I always love hearing from you! Ah, the golden citrine, perfect for The Lord of Illusion. :}

    Hi Booklover0226! One of the elven ladies has a palace of amethyst…perfect for you!

    Hi Shadow! Love seeing so many familiar names here! My sister loves opals. Your Mom is awesome! :}

    Hi Lexi! La’laylia is kinda wicked though. It would be beautiful to live there, but I’m not sure how safe it would be. Great to hear from you!

    Hi Magen! Happy almost-birthday! :} I do hope to write another Elven Lords book someday, but right now I have another world calling to me. But, you’ll be happy to know that I have written a fourth book in the Relics of Merlin series, Everlasting Enchantment. It’s scheduled for release Spring 2013 (my publisher is re-releasing the first three books in the series, so they have scheduled it accordingly.)

    Hi Amy! Love your gemstone descriptions! There will be lots of opportunities to win, as I have my regular blog tour in addition to this Elven Hop. Just check the schedule on my blog to keep up with me this month. :}

    Hi Chelsea! Emeralds are the birthstone and fav of my younger sister.

    I think we had a little snafu today, ladies, as I replied to you all this morning but it didn’t pop up until this evening…my apologies on my late response. Thank you all for commenting today, it was fun learning about all your favorite gemstones. Sparklies are a terrible weakness of mine. :} Thank you for having me here today, Martha. I appreciate you participating in the hop, and it’s always a pleasure to visit your blog. Hope to see some of you ladies again tomorrow! So looking forward to your answers to the next question! Big hug, Kathryne

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Kathryne for sharing here at my blog and responding to all the comments. The delay was mine as I have the blog set on moderation and I was traveling for eight hours today and didn't even think to try to access the net earlier to approve comments. Sorry. But I'm glad you wrapped the day up so nicely! Have fun the rest of the tour.

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    2. Good to know...now I better go see about making a dragon my friend =)

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  22. I love my birthstone of Aquamarine. The blue is my favorite color.I am enjoying the descriptions of all these worlds Kathryne.See you at the next stop.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

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  23. Peridot is my favorite.

    lag110 at mchsi dot com

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  24. I have always loved amethysts-ever since seeing them in the Field Museum :) edysicecreamlover18@GmailDOTcom

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  25. I love opals (my birth stone) as well as blue diamonds.

    elizabeth @ bookattict . com

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  26. Hi! Nice giveaway! Thanks for this chance! What is your favorite type of jewel or gem? I love Black Diamond! They are so pretty and unusual! Thanks again!

    Proserpine Craving Books

    proserpinecravedfor(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  27. My favorite gem/jewel is Amethyst is because that's my birthstone, plus purple is my favorite color. But I also like Ruby, Aquamarine, Onyx, and Aquamarine.

    exseduem@yahoo.com

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  28. My favorite is ruby which is my birthstone. I also like opal. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

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  29. The first ring Honey gave me other than my
    wedding ring was a star sapphire, so that has always been my favorite. He found a gorgeous
    diamond and star sapphire a few years back
    that lives on my hand! I also like peridots
    (birth stone) and turquoise.

    Pat Cochran
    p-cochran@juno.com

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  30. My favorite color is purple, so my favorite jewel is amethyst.I've just found out about your book tour. I must say I gotta have these books! Thanks for the chance to win.
    luvfuzzzeeefaces at yahoo dot com

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  31. I love rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. If I had to choose one, it would be the sapphires. I love any kind of jewelry though.

    rrbcpa@bellsouth.net

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  32. At the moment I'm rather taken with smokey topaz. I'm a gold jewellry wearer and the topaz and gold compliment each other.

    thanks for hosting on the tour.
    heatherdpear at hotmail dot com

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  33. I really like emeralds probably because green is my favorite color.
    mittens0831 at aol dot com

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  34. My favorite would be Emerald. I love green. Thanks for the tour.

    Rachel V
    pefrw at yahoo dot com

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  35. I like turquoise and sapphires. Turquoise is my birthstone - I still have earrings given to me by my mom and dad when I was a little girl.

    ty for hosting Martha and I enjoyed your review on the Lord of Illusion btw!

    pams00 at aol.com

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  36. My favorites are probably sapphires, but I love opals and amethysts as well. :)

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    liedermadchen(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  37. Anything sparkly is nice for me but I do have a fondness of rubies.

    Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com

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Your comments are always appreciated!