411 on Books, Authors, and Publishing News

Wandering to avoid memories of lost friends and past actions, Zhao

reluctantly returns home to fulfill a promise to his sister. And to proclaim to
the elders of his people that their treatment of Air Elementals is
wrong. His homecoming is met with hostility but not for the reason he
expects. It is far worse.

To protect his gifted niece from a life of hardship and subjugation like
the one he endured, Zhao must rescue his sister. Even if she doesn’t
wish it. Quickly caught once again in events greater than he can
handle alone, Zhao struggles to prevent a personal conflict from
erupting into a larger battle. But friends are distant, and more than
a few are wrestling with new problems of their own.

Welcome BACK to the world of Myrrah full of elemental magic and epic

fantasy adventure!

A new trilogy begins in Games of Fire with book 1, Spark of Defiance.

Named Guardian of the Elemental Spheres, Lavinia seeks the lost gates to
the spirit realm and their ancient guardians. But some of the
guardians have left their duties and those that have stayed may prove
as dangerous as her enemy, whose wrath threatens the world. To end an
ancient punishment inflicted on them by the Goddess for their role in
a forgotten war, the Ashanti will conquer this world and that of
spirit to gain power over death.

Lavinia must close the gates to stop the Ashanti, even though by doing so she

risks ending all elemental powers.

And the act has consequences greater than the ancient guardians imagine.

But one gate has a new guardian as
well as the old, and the last time he saw Lavinia, he tried to kill
her before she stole his power. And he’s been seeking revenge
…

But his defeat at the Earth Gate nearly cost him his life.

Lavinia did not seek to be named Guardian of the Spheres when she touched
each to gain control of elemental power. But now that choice has
propelled her to being the key to stop the Ashanti. She controls the
gates that allow magic into the world. And she must close them or the
Ashanti will cross into the spirit realm and gain power beyond
imagination, enough to enslave or destroy the world they once sought
to rule.

But with the closure of each gate, an elemental power is lost.

Only two gates remain open. Magic is faint. Just when the fight grows the
most desperate. To win needed help, Lavinia has promised a man who
once tried to kill her best friend that she would open the gates and
restore magic again.

Games of Fire trilogy, Spark of Defiance, and continued through book 2,

Gates of Fire & Earth. The
struggle for the power over life and death as well as all the
elements comes to a dramatic conclusion. Can a cruel ancient
punishment be ended without destroying magic or the world? Welcome
back to the world of Myrrah and meet the Elementals of Fire, Earth,
Water, Air, and Spirit who shape it. Pick up book 3 of the Games of
Fire trilogy, A New Goddess, today!

Should you read the Rise of the Fifth Order trilogy before reading Games of Fire?

You should definitely read Spark of Defiance, book 1 of Games of Fire, before reading the Gates of Fire & Earth. I did my best to lightly explain some of the pertinent events from the first trilogy, the Rise of the Fifth Order, in this new epic fantasy trilogy, Games of Fire so that you could start with Spark of Defiance.

But a few readers have said they got a lot more depth for having read the Rise of the Fifth Order first. They suggest you start there! It is certainly a great introduction to the world of Myrrah and the characters by starting with Born of Water, which is free to pick up. But I won’t say you absolutely have to.

Is Games of Fire a continuation of the Rise of the Fifth Order trilogy?

The Games of Fire and the Rise of the Fifth Order trilogies are related in that they are set in the same world of Myrrah, utilize many of the same characters, and are full of elemental magic. Games of Fire begins with Spark of Defiance, which is set six months after the final book, Spirit of Life, of the Rise of the Fifth Order trilogy ends.

New problems have developed, so the Games of Fire story line is stand alone trilogy with the same heroes from the first story. However a few events that happened in the Rise of the Fifth Order are the cause of the new challenges rising in Games of Fire. So the two series are linked, but each consists of a different set of adventures and issues to solve.

I’ve only ever heard of four elements, but these books have five even though it is based on elemental magic?

This is true! Five elements, air, earth, water, fire, and spirit is actually an eastern philosophy. I wish I could say I invented it. Lol. The difference really comes with the element of earth. Only dead things and soil can be controlled by an Earth Elemental, while plants or anything living (like the ability to change into another living creature) is something that a Spirit Elemental controls. Spirit Elementals are also able to control the other four elements, at least to some degree.

Part of the discovery in the Rise of the Fifth Order series is that the ability to control one element might indicate latent gifts in any element. However, it is always difficult to learn to control the element opposing your own. So a Water Elemental might learn to control fire, but only with difficulty! AND a few of the heroes have discovered that if you can learn to control fire, earth, air, and water then no matter what element you are born with, you can unlock some of the gifts of spirit.