Blog Tour: The Marked Ones (+$50 Amazon Giftcard Giveaway!)

Title: Five Corners: The Marked Ones
Author: Cathi Shaw
Series: N/A
Pages: 294
Publisher: Ink Smith Publishing
Date Published: Jan 30th 2014
Format: Paperback
Genre: Fantasy
Source: GoddessFish Tours

Synopsis:
Growing up in a sleepy village untouched by distant wars and political conflicts, it was easy for Thia, Mina and Kiara to forget such horrors existed in the Five Corners. That is until the dead child is found; a child that bears the same strange birthmark that all three sisters possess. A Mark their mother had always told them was unique to the girls. Kiara's suspicions grow as their Inn is soon overrun with outsiders from all walks of life. Strangers, soldiers and Elders who all seem to know more about what is happening than the girls do. After Mina barely survives an attack in the forest, the sisters are faced with a shattering secret their mother has kept from them for years. As danger closes in around them, the sisters are forced from their home and must put their trust in the hands of strangers. With more questions than answers, Kiara finds herself separated from everyone she loves and reliant on an Outlander who has spent too much time in army. She doesn't trust Caedmon but she needs him if she has any hope of being reunited with her sisters and learning what the Mark might mean.

~~~Interview~~~

1. Is your life anything like it was two years ago?

Two years ago I had written Five Corners in my head about a million times but I’d not put it down on paper. Then in November of 2012 I actually sat down and wrote the first draft of the book. It completely transformed how I approach writing.

2. Have you ever had an imaginary friend?

I have never had a specific imaginary friend but when I’m really into writing my books, I wander around talking to my characters constantly. I’m always amazed at what they say back to me!

3. Do you have any phobias?

When I was a young adult I had an extreme phobia of heights. So, in my early 20s, I decided to start rock climbing to conquer the fear. It took a while but I was finally able to put that fear behind me for the most part. I haven’t rock climbed in years now and I'm sure the phobia is lurking in the corners of my psyche.

4. Ever broken any bones?

I’ve actually never broken any major bones. But when I was 15 my horse stepped on my right foot and I broke a little tiny bone in that foot. They didn’t put me in a cast or anything but I had this weird bump on my foot where the bone stuck up for the longest time.

5. Any weird things you do when you’re alone?

Besides talking to my characters out loud, no.

~~~Try an Excerpt!~~~

Kiara stared at the small body laid out in the family's tiny kitchen. She didn't know the child but that didn't stop her heart from jerking in her chest as she looked at the perfect little girl lying in the wooden box. She was dressed in what were obviously her best clothes; her dark hair had been carefully combed and braided. She was only six years old.

Kiara felt her own mother watching her closely. She forced her gaze away from the small lifeless form. Brijit murmured softly to the parents and then moved to Kiara's side.

"Come away from here, Kiara," her mother said firmly.

But Kiara couldn't stop herself from looking back at the child, noting how someone had twined a pretty scarf around her neck, concealing the ugly slashes that she knew were hidden beneath the colorful material. The result of a blade taken to vulnerable flesh. This poor girl had had no chance against her assailant.

Brijit tugged on her arm insistently. "There is nothing more for us to do here," she whispered in a hushed undertone. "Let’s go and give the family some peace."

Kiara felt a sudden wave of shame wash over her. She suddenly wondered what she was doing here?

Don’t try to deny it, she told herself vehemently, you know why you’re here.

She had seen the Mark on the child's shoulder. She resisted the urge to rub her own shoulder where an identical Mark was hidden beneath her tunic. It was something she’d believed she only shared with her sisters. But this child proved different.

And there was no question that this child had been assassinated.

~~~Meet Cathi!~~~

Cathi Shaw lives in Summerland, BC with her husband and three children.  She is often found wandering around her home, muttering in a seemingly incoherent manner, particularly when her characters have embarked on new adventure. In addition to writing fiction, she teaches rhetoric and professional writing in the Department of Communications at Okanagan College and is the co-author of the textbook Writing Today.

Cathi will be giving away a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Giftcard to a randomly drawn follower of the tour! To enter, please fill out the rafflecopter below!

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