The
Broken Daughter
The
Cursed Kingdom Book 1
by
Aimee Shaye
Genre:
New Adult Fantasy
Long
ago, magick filled the land of Dramolux. But one sorceress delved too
deep into dark sorcery and tainted the creatures inhabiting the land.
In an effort to save all creatures, a noble sentinel locked the dark
powers away. For generations, the dark ones were controlled, passed
down to those who ruled the sentinel kingdom. All is peaceful until
the newest sentinel queen is murdered and all the magick is released
back into the world. It is now up to her daughter, Princess
Aymeri--who has no knowledge of what she truly is--to recapture it.
But another dark sorceress is on the rise. She wants to lay claim to
the magick and wield it herself, in an effort to take all of Dramolux
under her control. The odds are against Aymeri and the magick the
sorceress wants is evil. Aymeri must prepare to battle or die
fighting for the survival of her people.
**Only
.99cents!! **
The
Dead Daughter
The
Cursed Kingdom Book 2
She
was born an ill-fated princess. She was destined to be a
savior.
Princess
Kumud Maudlin of Treoles is a rescued prisoner of her own castle
after twenty-three years of seclusion. Now that she has a second
chance of life, thanks to her rescuer–and sister-Queen Aymeri, she
must learn to speak with her words and control the wayward magick
inside of her.
Meanwhile,
the evil Empress Dimia is advancing toward Treoles with a vengeance
for the magick guarded by Kumud’s sentinel sister, and ruler of
Treoles.
Will
Princess Kumud control her magick and help Treoles retaliate or will
Treoles fall before it even stands a chance?
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Excerpt #1 – The Broken Daughter – Prologue
Veralun. Home of every creature known to mankind. Where humans lived among elves and dwarves played with the giants. Where enemies didn’t exist and light magic and dark magic coexisted in harmony, until one dark day when the skies turned gray and endless thunder and lightning storms purged the land. Beings of all kinds huddled in fear and prayed to their gods for salvation. But even the gods couldn’t stop the fearless sorceress known as Leaniya. With one powerful spell she began to infect all the magical creatures with her hate. Dwarves turned against giants. Elves turned against pixies. Fae turned against sprites. Everyone was at war with one another.
Before long the winds howled for Sentinel Yuria, Queen of the Magical Lands, and in swift motion and an effortless incantation, all the magical beings were nothing but mere inanimate objects strewn over the land. Barriers of fog, sea, and forests split the world away from them and out of it a new land was born.
Sentinel Yuria called this land Dramolux signifying the beginning of something wonderful, a land without magic. A land of harmony. And as all the magic ceased to exist, markings filled her body and the bodies of the other Sentinels of her bloodline.
They were the Maudlins and they were the guardians of peace.
By the time Aymeri’s mother finished, the girl was fast asleep on her mother’s lap and a small sigh escaped her lips. “One day, daughter, you’re going to wish you took these stories seriously and not as the nonsense your father led you to believe they were.”
Queen Ismana closed the book and put it back on the shelf, nestling it between two heavier books so the spine wouldn’t wither away. “One day you will learn, daughter. And I will teach you.”
Excerpt #2 – The Broken Daughter – My Favorite Scene from the novel
Sighing, she straightened her clothes, adorned yet again in the colors of mourning, then found herself parchment and a fountain pen—the ink clearly fresh; she’d have to thank Ser Parzival for that—and folded her hands as she had seen her parents do countless of times as they waited.
It wasn’t too long before Ser Parzival knocked on the door, then introduced her to Prince Drystan of Bréîn. She could not fathom why it was so urgent for him to meet her today.
After dismissing Ser Parzival, she held out a hand toward the seat opposite her and waited for Prince Drystan to get comfortable before leaning forward. “Ser Parzival informed me that it was crucial we meet today, though I cannot fathom what you could possibly need me for that is more urgent than laying my dead mother to rest.”
Prince Drystan briefly bowed his head before looking directly at Aymeri. “I am profusely sorry about the beloved Queen’s untimely death, Princess Aymeri.”
“And yet, how sorry can you truly be if you have called for this appointment on the day when you knew my mother was to be laid to rest.” Easy Princess, he is an asset. Aymeri rolled her eyes at the voice in her head, who clearly did not know what she was talking about. What asset could a narcissistic prince, of some unheard-of country, be?
“The matter is such, Princess, that I must put my people before all else.”
Aymeri tried to size him up. His answer seemed genuine and his tone posed no threat. Nor did his body language. He was sitting squarely in his seat, his eyes making constant contact with hers. Her gut gave her no warning, no inkling that he was up to no good. But still there begged a question: “What do your people have to do with me, Prince Drystan? We owe you nothing.”
Excerpt #3 – The Dead Daughter – First 5 paragraphs of Chapter 1
No! Go away! Don’t touch me! Her muffled, almost incoherent screams jerked her out of her sleep. Electricity jolted across the room, breaking various ceramics in its wake. Her dark hair was plastered to her face by the salty tears and sweat which coat it. She heard nothing but the pounding of her heart and her ragged breaths loud in her ears. While night terrors were nothing new to her, it had been some time since the last one. Though it had not been nearly as tense nor as long as what she just experienced. What is wrong with me? The question constantly crossed her mind. For her actions and thoughts to be as cynical as these, something had to be wrong with her. She knew she was out of harm's way, and yet fear still weaved itself into her thoughts. Still grabbed hold of her.
She clutched her hand to her nightwear and sat up in bed, her back against the smooth headboard. You are no longer in that hell, she reminded herself. You are free now. Surrounded by people who love you. Although she knew this, there was ever the notion that something terrible would happen at any moment and ruin the happiness they all found.
For the first time in twenty-three years, she was amongst people. She could hug them. She got to know them. She finally sat with her sister and conversed with her. She had to admit it, Aymeri’s ability to learn was quick; she was able to talk in full sentences using only her hands. While she would speak aloud on occasion, it was only to help Kumud form words. They were taking it easy, but she got the hang of small ones. She was able to say her name and those of the people who surrounded her: Jorlyn, Breya, Drystan, and Madam Bheva. Those were the ones who mattered the most.
“Kumud!” Aymeri crashed through the room door in her nightwear, immediately using her magick to light the candles in the room, and gathered Kumud into a hug. Kumud hugged her sister in return, thankful for the familiarity of her touch as her sister smoothed her hair and tucked the loose strands behind her ears. “Are you okay?”
Kumud pulled out of the hug to use her hands to answer her sister. I had another nightmare. I was chained to the bed again. She paused as tears spilled out of her eyes. When will these dreams stop?
Excerpt #4 – The Dead Daughter – A piece of Chapter 4
Kumud’s left shoulder ached and burned as she fell to her knees in pain. She gritted her teeth and grunted while she placed her hand on her shoulder to calm the pain. Drystan was at her side in mere seconds and coached her to breath while he assured her the pain would soon pass. She could barely move her left arm as the pain surged through her as though someone used a sharp, hot object to carve her flesh. Without an explanation, she knew it was her very own rune, just like Aymeri had between her shoulder blades. Before the pain became too intense, Lady Breya placed a hand over the shoulder that ached and the pain vanished.
Kumud looked up at her in askance. “I am Fae,” Lady Breya stated. “My kind are known for using nature and natural instincts. My abilities allow me to soothe.”
Kumud smiled brightly. Why were magickal creatures thought to be dangerous when so many were harmless? She had a lot to learn about the magick that had once been banned, but one thing was for sure: all parties were misunderstood.
By the time they finished sparring, the sun started to set and Ser Racquol called upon them for dinner. Although Racquol was King Drystan’s royal adviser, he had taken to help Aymeri as well. In the past few months, Kumud had become quite fond of him--in a friendly way. She still had to get accustomed to the people of the palace, especially the men. After everything Ser Parzival did to her, she was peculiar about who she wanted around.
“Congratulations on your rune, Princess.” Ser Racquol held out his arm to escort her back into the palace.
What inspired you to write this book?
So, The Broken Daughter was actually a project for one of my master classes at Southern New Hampshire University. I’m currently enrolled in their English Literature & Creative Writing Master’s Program. I was inspired to write it when I saw a few covers with crowns on them while pursuing covers in the royal fantasy genre. The idea instantly came to me and I sketched what I wanted my covers to look like and the story flowed from there. It really helped me to have a visual to keep me motivated! I was also inspired by several shows and movies such as Resurrection: Erturgul (A Turkish historical drama) and Koi Laute Aaya (a Hindi drama). Turkey and India inspired the world and cultures of my characters while Koi Laute Aaaya inspired the palace of many secrets (this is a theme that returns in The Dead Daughter).
The Dead Daughter is the sequel to The Broken Daughter.
What can we expect from you in the future?
You can expect more books like The Broken Daughter and The Dead Daughter in the sense that future books will be plot heavy with lots of character development. In fact, The Cursed Daughter, the closing novel to this trilogy, is currently in the planning stage. The cover reveal will be October 17. You can also expect fantasy without the romance subplot. There will be romance but it will be in the background and hinted at whenever there is romance. You can also expect novels with vampires, werewolves, demi-gods, and shifters in the future!
Do you have any “side stories” about the characters?
I do, actually. After The Cursed Daughter is released, there will be a sequel titled The Mad Queen which will be about Queen Ismana. I think it’s important for the readers to see who Queen Ismana really was because they never got to meet her. Whatever they know about her is all through the eyes of Aymeri, Drystan, Kumud, Madam Bheva, and eventually self-declared Empress Dimia.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in (Name of book)?
All of the characters in The Broken Daughter are the same characters that appear in The Dead Daughter.
Aymeri: Aymeri is the main character of The Broken Daughter and she is the twenty-three year old princess of Treoles who has to learn how to run her kingdom after she finds her mother dead. She is headstrong and sensitive and not your typical princess. She shows her emotions and doesn’t just steel herself and act like everything is okay. She doesn’t need a prince to save her and she’s very compassionate. She is a sentinel being (a guardian) and is in charge of keeping dark magick out of the hands of anyone who might misuse it.
Drystan: Drystan is the protagonist of The Broken Daughter who knows more about Queen Ismana then her own daughter, Aymeri. Like Aymeri, he too had to run a kingdom, Brein, after he finds his father dead. He is compassionate and wants to help Aymeri but knows that she wants to figure things out on her own. Eventually he becomes her confidant. He is also a merchant king because Empress Dimia closed all trade to his kingdom and his people are suffering. As a result, he’s taken to mercantilism and sells goods that are made within his kingdom or artifacts from his castle that have no importance but monetary significance.
Jorlyn: Jorlyn is Drystan’s sister and is the head assassin of their kingdom. She steeled herself from hurt when her mother and father passed away and refused to run the kingdom even though she was better suited for it. I cannot say much about Jorlyn because of spoilers!
Empress Dimia: Dimia is the antagonist rules the kingdom of Aixeris and proclaims herself the Empress of Dramolux as she starts to overtake the other kingdoms. She wants to claim Treoles for her own and get her hands on the dark magick that is being guarded by the kingdom.
How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book?
I came up with the concept I wanted to write the next Game of Thrones—or so I thought! Originally, The Cursed Kingdom series was supposed to be three sisters fighting each other for their right to the throne but then it sort of took a life of its own and actually became a series of keeping the magick at bay and getting the continent of Dramolux back to the way it originally was: crawling with creatures and magick. The characters were my imagination but inspired by Turkish and Indian culture. Resurrection: Ertugrul (A Turkish historical drama) inspired the world-building and Koi Laute Aaya (A Hindi drama) inspired the plot of the palace with hidden rooms.
Where did you come up with the names in the story?
I usually use the website FantasyNameGenerators.com. I don’t take the exact name that they deliver, instead, I put names together to create new ones. Fantasy Name Generators allows you to choose from different creatures, fictional worlds, and countries/cultures all over the world! It’s really a saving grace!
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
What didn’t I enjoy? Before writing The Broken Daughter, I had never planned a novel before. I usually just sat down and wrote and fixed it in editing. However, being enrolled in a Master’s English program at SNHU, there was a class where we had to sit down and really plan a novel. The Broken Daughter was that novel! I enjoyed the whole process from plotting, writing, editing. There was nothing I didn’t like. That being said, I had the most fun developing my characters. We had to use two different character guides to flush our characters out and the best part was that we had to write the answers to the question from the characters’ perspectives. It was so much fun to get inside my characters’ heads and let them do the talking instead of me! I also enjoyed watching my characters come to life. It had been a while since I wrote—I took two years off from publishing and have since taken my earlier works down to work on them—so to be back in that positive mind space was amazing!
Tell us about your main characters- what makes them tick?
Aymeri is moved by her people. She is selfless and in tune with her emotions. She wants what is best for everyone and will stop at nothing to please others. However, she is fierce and tells it like it is. You will see her butt heads with Drystan often when he is first introduced and when you read that scene, you’ll understand why!
Drystan is also moved by his people. He will do anything to make sure they survive and are taken care of. In fact, he sells artifacts from his own castle to make money to ensure that everyone has enough food and materials to take care of themselves.
Jorlyn is independent and her heartache is what makes her tick. She wants to protect people.
Kumud…I’m still unsure of. She’s been through a really tough time and she’s really trying to make it work out. I don’t want to give too much away, but you’ll understand this once you read The Dead Daughter.
How did you come up with the title of your first novel?
Oooh, I love this question! My first novel was titled Destroyed but it is currently not in print as it’s getting a total makeover! Original readers won’t even recognize it anymore! I came up with this title because the main character, Jaden, goes through so much heartache and it’s always one thing after another, that he is literally destroyed by it. He keeps his feelings inside, is very stoic, and really tries to hate everyone but his friends all know better. He’s not an acerbic jerk, but he is very hard-hearted.
Who designed your book covers?
My husband, Matthew of Sentinel Designs, designs my book covers. We met when we were in college and he was a graphic design major. I had a huge crush on him and didn’t know how else to spend time with him (I was so awkward then) so I asked if he would design my covers while building his portfolio and well, the rest is history! You can check him out on www.sentineldesigns.net
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
Absolutely…not! I love everything about it! There isn’t a thing I would change. I worked so hard on planning and getting everything correct in the planning and re-planning stages that I don’t think it could be any better. Many readers have told me there’s not a book like it that they can compare it to and that in their eyes, it’s a good thing!
Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?
I did! I learned that I need to just let the words come and edit later. I’m so used to editing as I write and it in the end it ends up getting the better of me. This time, I waited until the end and I couldn’t be happier with the way it all came out. I also learned that my writing has really developed and come a long way. I finally found the balance between dialogue and description and found my niche in third-person limited!
If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?
Many people won’t know who she is but her name is Jennifer Winget. She is a Hindi drama/soap opera actress and has done some Bollywood films. She was truly the inspiration for Aymeri’s character.
Anything specific you want to tell your readers?
Yes! Please, please, please reach out to me! I love hearing from my readers and I love interacting with them! Feel free to message me or email me anytime! Let’s be friends!
How did you come up with name of this book?
I wanted Aymeri to be authentic and to grieve for her dead mother the way an everyday person would and when I thought about what it would feel like to lose one of my parents, one word came to mind: broken. So there you have it: The Broken Daughter.
I can’t reveal why I came up with the title The Dead Daughter. I’ll let you all interpret that as you will! I don’t want to give away The Broken Daughter if you haven’t read it yet!
What is your favorite part of this book and why?
My favorite part of The Broken Daughter is when Aymeri meets Drystan for the first time because this is the first time the reader sees her stick up for herself and truly say what is on her mind.
My favorite part of The Dead Daughter is the battle in chapter 15! This is when the characters really shine.
“I
am many things but normal is not one of them,” says Aimee Shaye
when asked to describe herself. She is a novelist whose genres
include Fantasy and all its subgenres. When asked what drives her,
Aimee says, “The world around me. The people I know. The love and
support of my family." Aimee is a family-driven person and
enjoys meeting and getting to know her readers. She is full of life
and down-to-earth. She has a personality that fills the room. More
than that, Aimee is someone people easily open up to. Her passion for
life, reading, and writing are evident in her novels and she leaves
no stone unturned in showcasing real emotions even in a fantasy
world.
Readers
from all of the world enjoy reading her novels which are suitable for
all ages, despite her characters being in their late teens and early
twenties
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