Illusional Reality

Illusional Reality book 1

Genre: YA fantasy PNR

Author: Karina Kantas

Publisher: Asteri Press imprint of Bolide publishing

Cover designer: Sharon Lipman from Fantasia Cover Designs

Editors: Michelle Dunbar, Anna Proofing, and Black Cat Edits

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Nobody expects to stare death in the face, only to find out their entire life is a lie.

When marketing executive Becky is saved from near-death by Salco, she is taken to Tsinia, a magical world filled with peaceful people who are trying to forget their land is on the brink of destruction.

Becky discovers that her arrival is no accident and that she is Thya, the heir to the enchanting land. As if that isn’t enough, she learns that an Oracle prophesied that she will save the gentle Tsinians from slavery and domination by Darthorn, the Warlord of Senx.

The Tsinian council and her kinsmen are certain that a union between Darthorn’s son, Kovon, and Thya will create peace between the two lands. However, Darthorn has plans for Tsinia, as does Kovon for Thya.

Her future has been written, and, if she is to save Tsinia, she must marry Kovon, but Thya gives her heart to another – a love that is both forbidden and dangerous.

Illusional Reality is a story about hope, courage, love, and sacrifice.

KINDLE ONLY

https://bit.ly/KIRB1

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Excerpt

The cool air refreshed her, and she was soon wide awake. Alkazar brought a seat out from the room and asked her to sit.

“As I was trying to convey to you, the gift you possess is named Flite. You have the ability to move objects with your mind. All Ganties possess this gift, and tis my pleasured duty to tutor you in the employment of your talents. To move an object, you are required to reach the Owto, a place between conscious and unconscious.”

“Sort of like a trance?”

“Similar to a hypnotic state,” he answered. “You ought to be aware of things around you and pay attention to conversations, yet you need to be able to detach yourself from reality so you can concentrate on what you desire. It is rather like splitting your mind in two.”

“Sounds hard.”

Alkazar laughed. “It can be. It depends on how receptive you are. Let us attempt?”

“Sure, what have I got to lose?”

“Start by relaxing your body. Close your mind and relax in the chair; feel your body loosen. When you think you cannot go further, push your body deeper.” He saw Thya push herself back into the chair. “Employ only your thoughts. Do not employ your physical being.” Thya relaxed once again. “Better. Melt into the chair. Become one with the wood. Breathe deeply. Inhale through your nose, and exhale through your mouth. That’s it. Keep breathing deeper. Good. You ought to feel as though you are drifting.” Thya nodded slightly. “I require you to imagine space as you understand it to be: be darkness all around you, apart from the stars and planets surrounding your view. You are alone, moving through space, drifting. Detach your mind and focus on the darkness – on the silence. Concentrate, Thya.” He paused for a moment. “The stars and planets are fading, and there is naught but utter darkness. Still, you move through the blackness.”

Thya was coming to the crucial part. Alkazar moved closer. He lifted one of her eyelids and saw her pupil was stationary and her breathing steady. Both were good signs. Just for a moment, he felt the urge to lean in and kiss her but pushed the thought aside. He scolded himself. He was supposed to be teaching her how to concentrate yet struggled with his own.

“Continue moving through the darkness,” he continued. “Soon, you will come to a suspended door. Tis grey in colour. When you arrive, grasp the handle until I instruct you to –”

“I sight the door,” Thya called out.

 “Continue to grasp the handle. When I command you to unlock it, I want you to open your eyes. Are you prepared?”

“I am,” she answered.

“Unlock.”

Thya opened her eyes, blinked twice, and then smiled at him. “So, how did I do?”

Alkazar wasn’t surprised she did not reach the Owto; they rarely did on their first arrival at the door. However, he was surprised by how far she had gone.

“Very good. Only you have to concentrate harder. Relate to me, what colour was the door?”

“Umm… a light grey with black marks.”

“You have done well. We will discontinue for the moment. You ought to rest, as you will be tired. I will request that Pertius does not announce himself.”

“Thanks, Alkazar. I do not think I can take any of his talk of doom and gloom.”

Alkazar laughed. “Pertius has much to instruct you about your legacy, the past, and of your future. It does not have to be as doomed as you remark. I am confident that once you have conversed you will find a sudden interest to learn all.”

“If you state so,” she replied casually.

“Rest if you can. However, I declare that after our session your mind will be wandering.” He turned to leave, pausing at the door. “Understand this, Thya. If you ever require me as a friend or as a tutor, you have only to summon and I will attend you. This I vow. For the present, farewell.” He bowed then left.

Prize Draw

Download Illusional Reality now for just $0.99/£0.99 and send proof of purchase to karina.kantas@yahoo.com. You will be entered in the draw for this stunning necklace – identical to the one Thya is given, an heir loom carried through the generations of Ganties, and now it could be yours.

Pre-orders are included in this contest.
The prize draw is open internationally.
No other prize will be given out.

The winner will be announced in Karina’s newsletter.  http://eepurl.com/daKief
This contest is run and organised by the author Karina Kantas.

https://bit.ly/KIRB1

Reviews

“With most books, you have to back up a page or two. That is something I NEVER had to do with this one! It is well written and captures the imagination, guiding you into the new land and language with such easy grace that you hardly are aware of it.”

“This is a unique story filled with intrigue, deception and danger. As you read along so much unfolds.”

“The detailed descriptions let me see the magical land of Tsinia, with it’s tree-top dwellings and it’s friendly and peaceful inhabitants. Senx, the home of her ‘intended’, Kovon and his father, Darthorn, is a much darker and gloomier place.”

“Karina sets up some great and compelling characters. Thya, Alkazar, Omad, Kazer, Kovon, Siren are all intriguing for their own reasons. We love them, we hate them. I’ll let you make your own opinions.
This truly is a fantastical world with magical gifts, a reluctant princess, an angry warlord and oracles, and contains lots of espionage, treachery, suspense with a bit of romance thrown in.”

“What a delightfully touching love story! Our author entwined our world with a fantasy one with action, magic and of course, love.”

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• 

  Meet Thya        

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  Meet Alkazar

Author’s Bio

Karina Kantas was born in the Midlands, UK, and has lived on the island of Corfu for twenty-seven years.

Karina Kantas is an award-winning, prolific author of thirteen titles, including the Outlaw books—the gritty MC thriller series—and the exciting YA fantasy duology, Illusional Reality.

She also writes short stories, and, when her imagination is working overtime,  thought-provoking, dark flash fiction.

Karina is the author of TOXIC – an Electric Eclectic book. https://amzn.to/3cVnG2W

There are many layers to Karina’s writing style and voice, as you will see in her flash fiction collection, Heads & Tales. In Undressed, she opens up to her fans, giving them another glimpse into her warped mind.

Karina writes in the genres of fantasy, MC romance, young adult. sci-fi, horror, thrillers and comedy, romance, paranormal romance, dystopian, and erotica.

When she’s not working on her new books, she helps her clients by offering affordable Author Services five days week.

Titles To Date

The OUTLAW series  – MC thrillers
In Times of Violence
Huntress
Lawless Justice
Road Rage

Collections
Heads & Tales – mixed genres
UNDRESSED – poetry, prose, short fiction mixed genres
A Flash of Horror

In Times of Violence Young Adult Edition – MC romance
Stone Cold – YA supernatural thriller
Toxic – dystopian erotica

Illusional Reality duology
Illusional Reality – YA romantic fantasy
The Quest/fantasy – YA paranormal romance

WIP
Broken Chains (Mafia Romance) currently on Wattpad

Author Links

http://bit.ly/FBFPKK – FB fan page
http://bit.ly/INSTKK – Instagram
http://bit.ly/TwittKK – Twitter
http://bit.ly/BLOGKK – Website
http://bit.ly/KKGRE – Goodreads

Facebook pages:

http://bit.ly/IRFBPAGE – Illusional Reality FB page

Writing for Healing

In 2013, I received the most devastating news anyone could ever hear. I was diagnosed with cancer. More specifically, I had AML, a type of leukaemia, a blood cancer.

I was 37 years old.

The next eight months of my life are still a blur in my memories. Chemotherapy and everything that goes along with the treatment of cancer is incredibly stressful on one’s body and spirit. Many of the drugs cause damage to cells other than cancer cells, and this takes its toll. During this treatment, and for a long time afterwards, I was unable to work.

I published my first book in early 2012, a novel I began writing while still in high school. After recovering from cancer, I was still unable to work outside the home, and so I returned to my love of writing to keep my mind occupied.

Just like reading, writing can be very cathartic. When you read a book, you step into the world of the author, meeting new characters and falling in love, rejoicing, and grieving with them as they journey through their lives. Writing is also a good way to escape your world while you create another one. Your characters become your children, in a sense, as you give birth to them and nurture them.

But writing for healing doesn’t have to involve a novel. Even keeping simple journal entries each day can help you express feelings you can’t quite get a grip on. Or short stories where you explore dreams and desires that you can never experience in real life can provide you with an outlet for emotions. You can write as much or as little as you want, without putting any specific goals on yourself.

So, how do you begin to write for healing?

Maybe you think you’re not creative or have no idea for starting something like this. My advice to you would be to start with your dreams. Keep a pad of paper and a pen (or a notes app on your phone if you’re more technologically savvy) next to your bed. As soon as you wake up in the morning, jot down what you can remember from your dreams. Many people might say they don’t remember their dreams, but if you do this when you first wake up, you might be surprised what you can recall.

The idea for my Undead Unit series actually stemmed from a dream. It was like a spark lit in a dark cavern, and I could see my characters in vivid colour. I had a plan formed and a sense of where the characters (in general) might go.

Now, 6 years later, I have 6 books wrapped around these characters, with more to come!

Once you have several dreams in your notes, go over them when you have time and see if there’s anything you can make a story about. Don’t worry about punctuation and grammar (unless you’re really picky like I am), just start to get the bare bones down. Any refining, should you choose to do so, can come later. Just sit down and let the words flow and see where your imagination takes you.

If you really can’t remember your dreams, think about something you would really like to do but can’t (skydiving, horseback riding, whatever it may be). Or imagine going to a foreign country or into outer space. Maybe you like medieval history or camping in exotic places. Find something that interests you and do some research.

My Pharaoh Queens series began because I have an intense interest in ancient Egyptian history. More specifically, I was intrigued by the first female Pharaoh, King Hatshepsut, who lived in 1400BC. Her story, as history knows it, is so fascinating because she was a strong female figure in a male-dominated culture.

The series originally started out with a single book called The Pharaoh’s Destiny, but in my time researching and writing this character, I discovered other ancient Egyptian women who were just as interesting, and so the book expanded to a series of three and then four other stores.

 

 

Liberty is an Electric Eclectic novelette that explores another possible ending to the story in The Pharaoh’s Destiny. Check it out if you would like a quick read about an ancient time.

 

 

Today, I have been in remission from leukaemia for more than 6 years, so medical science considers me “cured”. I have returned to work full time and, though I’m not as strong or healthy as I was before cancer, I’m doing fine.

However, without my writing, I wonder if I would have made it this far.

Perhaps, but perhaps not. All I can say is I’m thrilled my journey included creating these wonderful worlds and characters!

Writing healed my spirit. I hope it can heal yours, too.

For more about me, check out my Amazon page or visit my website at www.metamorphpublishing.wordpress.com.

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