Hi friends! This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author, C.B. Lyall, will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter at the end of the tour. Make sure you check out the pages of the other tour hosts as well (the schedule is linked below) - the more you comment, the more chances you have to win!
The Virus of Beauty Series by C.B. Lyall Tour Schedule (Goddess Fish Promotions)
About Book 1, The Virus of Beauty
Ugliness is power, and the Virus of Beauty is spreading causing panic throughout the witch population.
Wilf Gilvary is a teenage wizard who is terrified of using magic. When his father dies under mysterious circumstances, the same day the Mages Crystal shatters, Wilf is plunged into the middle of a political struggle between the witches and wizards in the Magical Realm. He’d rather play soccer than practice magic, but he’s forced to make a choice between the life of a normal Hong Kong teen and one of wizardry after a powerful virus begins to decimate the witch community. The cure is spellbound in a journal Wilf inherited from his father and when his friend Katryna contracts the virus, Wilf understands that he must overcome his fear of magic to unlock the journal’s secrets – but will it be too late to save her?
About Book 2, The Veil of Corruption
Witches and magic are taking over Wilf's life.
After being thrust into a long-standing conflict between the witches and wizards that has destabilized the Magical Realm and finding the antidote for the Virus of Beauty, Wilf would like to return to his normal soccer playing teenage life. But he can’t rest until his stepsister, Myra, is caught and brought to justice. It’s been three days since Myra took to the skies above Hong Kong and disappeared. Now Wilf is accused of corrupting the Veil, a defensive barrier between the witch and wizard cities. As the spell expands throughout the magical realm it is attacking witches and wizards. But Wilf would rather embrace his witch friend, Katryna, than his wizard powers. When evil forces have other plans and they kidnap Katryna, Wilf realizes that he’d do anything to save her and the Magical Realm, even if it means risking his own life by connecting to the primary source of all magic.
About Book 3, The Vassal of Magic
Wilf Gilvary is a slave to the magic he hates.
Yet his powers seem a solution for saving the Magical Realm and Katryna, the girl he loves. If only he could figure out how to tap his magic’s full potential.
As factions of witches and wizards vie for control of the Magical Realm, Wilf embarks on a harrowing journey that plunges him into the realm’s ancient secrets. At first, Wilf begins to doubt everything. His affection for Katryna might be the remnants of a broken love spell. And he still struggles to control his magic.
But Wilf risks his life to learn more about his powers and his destiny. It leaves him facing an impossible choice: forever abandon his dreams of life as a Normal in Hong Kong, or allow magic and the Magical Realm to perish from the world.
Check out this excerpt from the first book!
The Virus of Beauty – Book 1
“Wilf, is that you?” Reginald’s shout was followed by a creaking sound from the basement stairs.
Wilf bolted for the front door. His shoes crunched on the broken glass. He jerked open the door and the bell gave a traitorous jingle. He shot out of the store and back into their living quarters. He barged into the kitchen.
“What happened?” Myra asked, putting down the bread knife.
He threw himself onto a chair, poured cornflakes and milk into a bowl, and shoveled a spoonful into his mouth.
“Wilf,” Myra said, taking on the adult tone she’d started using two years ago, when she’d turned eighteen. “I take it you didn’t find your card in the store.”
“It wasn’t me,” he mumbled through his mouthful of cereal. “But I’ll be blamed. Tell him I was here, having breakfast.”
“Why am I covering for you again?” She folded her arms and tried to look more imposing than her five-foot, two-inch height would allow.
Wilf’s spoon leaped from his hand and splashed into the bowl with the first heavy footstep on the stairs. The faucet stopped dripping and the clock held its next tick. The small kitchen in the Gilvarys’ Hong Kong apartment held its breath.
The kitchen door flew open, and revealed his father, shaking with rage. After a moment, Reginald thrust his hands into his pants pockets.
“You’ve shattered the Mages Crystal.” His lips formed a thin line on his angular face. “It’s been in our family for generations.
Q&A with C.B. Lyall
What are four things you can’t live without?
A laptop – During hurricane Sandy we didn’t have electricity for 13 days and at first it was difficult to get gas for the car. Fortunately, we did have a gas fire to heat the room and I had a gas stove to cook on. I spent my days writing on my laptop, reading, and playing music.
My friends and family – During COVID-19 it was great to still see people over zoom. It wasn’t the same, and did bring home how social contact is essential to happiness.
My husband and children – they are what makes life so special. I couldn’t imagine life without them.
Books – I have a lot of old friends here. They’ve traveled around the globe with me. I love them being with me.
What is your favorite television show?
My new favorite is “Discovery of Witches” the adaptation of Deborah Harkness’s All Souls Trilogy on Sundance.
If you could be any character, from any literary work, who would you choose to be? Why?
Growing up it was Jo from Little Women and I guess it still would be as she became a writer. She was a strong female character. There were not too many of them around in novels in the 1960’s. Growing up, I read a lot of Enid Blyton and loved the mysteries, but the boys were always in charge.
What have you got coming soon for us to look out for?
I’m working on the first draft of a fantasy historical novel sent in the period before WWI which I hope to publish late 2022 or early 2023. I’m also plotting a new series around Myra – a character from The Virus of Beauty Series.
What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordon/Brandon Sanderson, The Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind and David Gemmel’s fantasy series developed my love of fantasy. Now I admire Cassandra Clare, Sarah J Maas, Luanne G Smith, Louisa Morgan and V.E. Schwab as authors of fantasy novels.
In the historical fiction I love anything by Ruta Sepetys. I recently read Kate Quinn’s book The Alice Network which I highly recommend for anyone who likes stories about women spies in WWI.
About the Author
Carolyn Lyall was born in Stockton-On-Tees, United Kingdom. As a child Carolyn growing up in Northern England in the sixties Carolyn loved sports, reading and amateur dramatics. She joined a renaissance group, practiced the broadsword and dreamed of visiting other worlds. Her
passion for what could be drove her forward when faced with everyday struggles. Her first memorable skirmish with gender inequality came at nine-years old when she was told that only boys were allowed to play soccer. In response, she simply refused to do any classwork until
they changed their old-fashioned policies. She won that battle.
At the age of 18, she took a role as typist for a nursing school in Middlesbrough. She then moved to London and enrolled in night school. She was quickly recognized for her ability to fit in anywhere and for not being afraid to push back on the predominantly male leadership. She
eventually became a project manager in software development and micro-computers, bridging the gap between computer programmers and management.
Her dream to travel was finally realized in 1990 when she moved to New York City, USA with her husband and the first of three sons. This was the steppingstone to a lifelong adventure that has taken her and her family to India, Belgium and Hong Kong.
Raising her family in multiple countries around the world, she saw that each move, while a shock, was an opportunity for her sons to redefine themselves against new challenges and different cultural norms. Now, that her sons have left home, Carolyn has used her passion for
the fantastic to create a world where every day gender inequalities are at the forefront of a world ending conflict. She shares this story through the eyes of a young man who is suddenly thrust into this new world along with all of his own woes and prejudices. The introduction to this world
is in Carolyn’s debut YA fantasy novel, “The Virus of Beauty,” due to be released July 31, 2019 under C B Lyall.
Carolyn has published two short stories in an annual anthology by 25 Servings of Soop. She wrote a number of articles for the American Women’s Associates Magazine. Fueled by her love of the works of Terry Pratchett, Sarah J Maas, Cassandra Clare, Brandon Sanderson and
others, Carolyn has completed a number of writing courses, which included a Master Fantasy/Science Fiction writers course with Gotham Writers’ Workshop, a YA Voice class and Advance Novel Writing course at Sarah Lawrence College’s Writing Institute.
Website: cblyall.com
Facebook: @CarolynBLyall
Twitter: @cblyall
Instagram: @carolynlyall
Amazon buy link:
Book 1: https://www.amazon.com/Virus-Beauty-Book-1-ebook/dp/B08NF1L94T/ref=sr_1_1
Book 3: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09WZJ18R5?notRedirectToSDP=1&ref_=dbs_mng_calw_2&storeType=ebooks
Series Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08NGNYQL3?ref_=dbs_p_mng_rwt_ser_shvlr&storeType=ebooks
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteOf course! It was my pleasure :)
DeleteThank you for sharing your interview and books' details, I have enjoyed reading about you and your work and I am looking forward to reading your stories. On a personal note, I love the A Discovery of Witches series as well, I have read all of the books to date and have watched every season more than once
ReplyDeleteI've heard so much about A Discovery of Witches, I'll have to check it out. Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog Bea - I hope you have a good rest of the week! :)
DeleteThank you for hosting my series.
ReplyDeleteI also have read and loved the Discovery of Witches series. I thought the adaptation for TV was well done.
The Virus of Beauty series is available on Kindle Unlimited for free and I've also discounted the Kindle version of Book 1 to only $2:99 during the blog tour.
Of course! It was my pleasure. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions for the post, and for the details about the sale :) I've heard so much about the Discovery of Witches series, I'll have to check it out soon!
DeleteSounds like a great series.
ReplyDeleteI think so too! Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog Rita - I hope you have a great rest of the week :)
DeleteI enjoyed the excerpt, and I love the cover.
ReplyDeleteThe covers for this series are awesome! Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog Sherry - I hope you have a good rest of the week :)
DeleteThese books all have colorful and eye catching front covers.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
I love the covers for this series - definitely eye catching and colorful! Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog Nancy - I hope you have a good rest of your week :)
DeleteI enjoyed the Q&A and the excerpt is great, The Virus of Beauty series like that I would enjoy binge reading! Thanks for sharing it with me and have a beautiful day!
ReplyDelete