Monday, May 9, 2016

Blog tour: The Gladiator and the Guard, by Annie Douglass Lima

I'm happy to be able to participate in the book blog tour for Annie Douglass Lima's new young adult action and adventure novel, The Gladiator and the Guard, now available for purchase! This is the second book in the Krillonian Chronicles, sequel to The Collar and the Cavvarach. 

First Things First: a Little Information about Book 1: 

Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is desperate to see his little sister freed. But only victory in the Krillonian Empire's most prestigious tournament will allow him to secretly arrange for Ellie's escape. Dangerous people are closing in on her, however, and Bensin is running out of time.  With his one hope fading quickly away, how can Bensin save Ellie from a life of slavery and abuse?


What is the Collar for, and What is a Cavvarach?


The story is set in a world very much like our own, with just a few major differences.  One is that slavery is legal there.  Slaves must wear metal collars that lock around their neck, making their enslaved status obvious to everyone.  Any slave attempting to escape faces the dilemma of how and where to illegally get their collar removed (a crime punishable by enslavement for the remover).  


Another difference is the popularity of a martial art called cavvara shil.  It is fought with a cavvarach (rhymes with "have a rack"), a weapon similar to a sword but with a steel hook protruding from partway down its top edge.  Competitors can strike at each other with their feet as well as with the blades.  You win in one of two ways: disarming your opponent (hooking or knocking their cavvarach out of their hands) or pinning their shoulders to the mat for five seconds.


Click here to order The Collar and the Cavvarach from Amazon 

for $2.99 a discounted price of just 99 cents through May 30th!


And now, The Gladiator and the Guard, with another awesome cover by the talented Jack Lin!




Bensin, a teenage slave andmartial artist, is just one victory away  from freedom. But after he is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he is condemned to the violent life and early death of a gladiator. While his loved ones seek desperately for a way to rescue him, Bensin struggles to stay alive and forge an identity in an environment designed to strip it from him. When he infuriates the authorities with his choices, he knows he is running out of time. Can he stand against the cruelty of the arena system and seize his freedom before that system crushes him?


Click here to order The Gladiator and the Guard in Kindle format from Amazon 

for $2.99 a discounted price of just 99 cents through May 30th!

Click here to order The Gladiator and the Guard from Smashwords (for Nook or in other digital formats) 

for $2.99 a discounted price of just 99 cents through May 30th!


An Excerpt:
“There comes Bensin!” Ellie gripped Steene’s hand more tightly. “Finally!”

They watched as Bensin ran out toward the battle, cavvarach at the ready. From the opposite side of the arena, a Yellow Arena gladiator with a scimitar ran to meet him.

“That’s not fair,” Ellie protested. “That guy has a whole shield, and Bensin only has a shil.”

“Yes, but a cavvarach is a little longer than a scimitar. Besides, Bensin gets to kick. He’ll be okay.” Steene refused to let any trace of uncertainty into his voice.

They watched as the weapons clanged together. But after a moment Steene realized that Bensin wasn’t giving it all he had. Was he perhaps still injured from a previous battle? Surely not, or they wouldn’t have chosen him to compete today.

Though he struck out with his cavvarach again and again, Steene could see that Bensin was aiming only for that scimitar, not the Yellow glad’s flesh. Though he kicked again and again, it was apparent that he was trying to kick that shield aside, to knock the scimitar away. What’s he doing? He had an opening right there. He could have cut the guy’s throat!

Steene watched, growing increasingly puzzled. Bensin was focusing mainly on defense, and doing it well. But he knew Bensin was capable of much more vigorous offense. Why wasn’t he trying harder? He could have beaten the Yellow warrior two or three times already.

Gradually Steene realized what was happening. He’s trying not to hurt him. That was the only explanation.

Why would Bensin do that? It was obvious that no one else in the battle cared if they hurt their opponents. Actually, all the rest of them were doing their best to disable their opponents in any way they possibly could. And there was Bensin, making what Steene could now see was a deliberate effort not to hurt the man he was fighting.

Pride welled up in Steene. He wasn’t sure why the kid had apparently made this choice not to be violent in such a violent place, but it seemed he was sticking by his decision in spite of the danger. 

Would it get Bensin killed, though? His opponent clearly felt no qualms about injuring him. 


Annie Douglass Lima spent most of her childhood in Kenya and later graduated from Biola University in Southern California. She and her husband Floyd currently live in Taiwan, where she teaches fifth grade at
Morrison Academy. She has been writing poetry, short stories, and novels since her childhood, and to date has published twelve books (two YA action and adventure novels, four fantasies, a puppet script, and five anthologies of her students’ poetry). Besides writing, her hobbies include reading (especially fantasy and science fiction), scrapbooking, and international travel.

Connect with the Author Online:



Now, enter to win an Amazon gift card or a free digital copy of The Collar and the Cavvarach!
Or find the giveaway at this link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ad2fd99a3/?

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1 comment:

Annie Douglass Lima said...

Thanks so much for featuring The Gladiator and the Guard! I hope your readers enjoy hearing about it!

May 9, 2016 at 3:34 PM

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