Alexandria Rising Chronicles by Mark Wallace Maguire - Book Tour + Giveaway
Alexandria Rising
Alexandria Rising Chronicles Book 1
by Mark Wallace Maguire
Genre: Action-Adventure, Conspiracy, Suspense
Rand O'Neal, an ambition-less newspaper reporter, is given a single task
upon the death of his grandfather: Destroy a mysterious map. What
should be a simple errand thrusts Rand into a journey across three
countries chased by unknown pursuers into a world he never could have
imagined. The novel has been reviewed as, "Superb,"
"Amazing" and "Extremely well written" and has
drawn comparisons to Dan Brown, Ian Fleming and Robert Ludlum.
The book is labelled an action adventure, but contains elements
of science fiction, suspense and mystery. It is also linked to
a multi-media website which allows readers to engage with the
experience in video, images and interactive appendices.
.
upon the death of his grandfather: Destroy a mysterious map. What
should be a simple errand thrusts Rand into a journey across three
countries chased by unknown pursuers into a world he never could have
imagined. The novel has been reviewed as, "Superb,"
"Amazing" and "Extremely well written" and has
drawn comparisons to Dan Brown, Ian Fleming and Robert Ludlum.
The book is labelled an action adventure, but contains elements
of science fiction, suspense and mystery. It is also linked to
a multi-media website which allows readers to engage with the
experience in video, images and interactive appendices.
.
Excerpt
PROLOGUE
London
1603
The city stank.
It always stank
in summer when the scents of the clogged drains, rotten food and sweating
bodies combined for a noxious fog that hovered over its hills. Even the Thames
stank, its shores lined with flotsam from forgotten ships, animal carcasses and
mounds of refuse washed on the rising tides and left for the foragers from the
sky and the beggars from the cracked cobbled streets.
But he ignored
the stench. Stood at his windows opened defiantly, inhaled deeply, begging for
a breeze to cool his beaten brow. Even a simple draft to flutter the tattered
drapes would be welcome. Anything to soothe his fevered head, to alleviate the
sweat bullets lining his chest, rivulets streaming down his arms, his legs.
He brushed a
piece of lank hair from his forehead, sat down to his pockmarked desk, took
another sip of watered-down wine and pressed the quill to the piece of
parchment. His hand shaking, he pushed the words from his mind, half-muttering
to himself as the black ink stained the yellow paper.
“The sight is dismal;
And our affairs from England come too late:
The ears are senseless that should give us hearing,”
He took another
deep breath, dipped the quill in the inkpot again. Started to write. Had to
take a break. So hot. Leaned back his chair. A breeze? My soul for a breeze, he
thought. Beneath his opened shirt, attached to a leather band, a sliver of
translucent stone lay on his chest. It shifted colors in the half-light of the
candle. Sometimes azure. Other times silver. A passing hue of cobalt. He
clenched it. Inhaled again. Opened his eyes and grabbed the quill. Attacked the
parchment.
“Let us haste to hear it,
And call the noblest to the audience.
For me, with sorrow I embrace my fortune.”
He leaned back
again. Closed his eyes. Focused. Listened. Heard the sounds of the streets
below. The usual calls of the pedestrians, the hawkers, the laughter of
children, the occasional neigh of a horse or the bellow of a cow being led to
slaughter. He heard clattering in the streets, the distinct sound of wagon
wheels grinding on cobblestones, a sharp rapport.
He knew that
they had come. Come for him. He was late. Again. But, there was so much
perfection to do. So much to finish. So much yet to rewrite. But, his time was
up. And he needed the money. The squeak of a carriage door, he could even hear
the footfalls, knew it was him. The benefactor. Then the words shouted above
the din of the crowd.
“William!”
He ignored it.
Clutched the stone in one fist. Gulped down the last of the drink with the
other. And began writing again, the thoughts racing now, he had to force
himself to slow down, lest the writing be unreadable. The shout again from the
streets.
“William! Where is it? I need it now. I am coming up and Martin
is coming with me. I know you’re there. They told me you were at home at The
Fox and The Hound. I see your window is open. Unlock your door.”
He knew he could
no longer wait. It was time. He wrote quickly. Dipped the quill in the inkwell
for a final push and then finished the last few lines.
“The soldiers’ music and the
rites of war
Speak loudly for him.
Take up the bodies: such a sight as this
Becomes the field, but here shows much amiss.
Go, bid the soldiers shoot.”
Heavy thud of
big boots on the worn wooden stairs. A knock at the door. He scribbled a title
on the first page. Blew on the ink. Rolled up the parchment, wrapped a ribbon
around it. Took the chain from around his neck. Lifted the lid of a wooden box
on his desk. Dropped it in. Cinched up his shirt. Lumbered to the door. Opened
it.
“Is it ready?”
“Of course, I was just taking a nap.”
The man snatched
the roll from his hands. Slid off the ribbon, opened it up. Read the first few
lines.
“A nap….Mmmmmm,” a low groan, then, “Interesting opening. I like
ghosts. Audiences love ghosts. A good start.”
“Here,” the playwright said. “Flip to Act III, yes, there a few
lines down.”
The man did so,
patiently, eyes intent.
Then reading.
The lines of angst giving way to surprise, then relief. A smile.
“Late as usual old friend, but it looks good. By Jove, I do love
these lines here in this act. My God. Very powerful. The very sense of the
universe itself isn’t it? The only thing I don’t like so far is the title.
Usually you’re very succinct on these, but it looks like this was an
afterthought, ‘Hamlet.’ It could be a play about a small village and that
wouldn’t draw the crowds would it?”
The playwright
ran a hand through his hair. His mind still reeling.
“How about, ‘The Tragedy of Hamlet, The Prince of Denmark’? Yes,
a bit more detail. Will that work?”
The man looked
at him. Peered deep into his eyes. The playwright answered his own question.
“Yes. That’s it. ‘The Tragedy of Hamlet, The Prince of Denmark.’ By
William Shakespeare.”
The man shook
his head, let forth a small chuckle.
“It is a bit wordy, like I have a mouthful of stones, but it will
work. And I am sure once people see it, they’ll remember it. I don’t see how
you do it and keep doing it. You may be late, but you’re good son. You are
good. Time may forget you, but I won’t.”
“Time forgets us all, my friend, but for some it takes longer
than others.”
Alexandria Reborn
Alexandria Rising Chronicles Book 2
He can't go home. He's dead in the real world. Everything has changed.
Forever. In, 'Alexandria Reborn,' the anticipated sequel to
'Alexandria Rising' Rand O'Neal rises from the ashes to join an elite
team in an effort to shift the power struggle set in motion by
control of the alchemistic Slendoc Meridian. As this fast paced
adventure continues, Rand will discover the answer to many of this
questions, but will he lost Hope in the process?
Forever. In, 'Alexandria Reborn,' the anticipated sequel to
'Alexandria Rising' Rand O'Neal rises from the ashes to join an elite
team in an effort to shift the power struggle set in motion by
control of the alchemistic Slendoc Meridian. As this fast paced
adventure continues, Rand will discover the answer to many of this
questions, but will he lost Hope in the process?
As a preacher’s son, Mark Wallace Maguire spent his childhood
crisscrossing the South soaking in the lilting dialects, oral
traditions and cultural idiosyncransies. After a brief career in
music, he settled behind the desk as a reporter at the Marietta Daily
Journal and has spent the last 20 years as fixture in the metro
Atlanta media scene. He currently serves as director of Cobb
Life magazine and Cobb Business Journal. His writing has been
published in many regional and national publications including Snake
Nation Review, Reach of Song, Cobb Life magazine, Neighbor Newspapers
and The Blood and Fire Review. He has been honored for his writing by
several organizations including The Associated Press, The Society of
Professional Journalists and The Georgia Poetry Society. In 2005, he
was named the Berry College Outstanding Young Alumni of The Year. In
2017, he was nominated for Georgia Author of The Year for his first
novel, “Alexandria Rising” which was described as “magical”
and “phenomenal.” “Letters from Red Clay Country: Selected
Columns” was published in 2015 and features the best of his
award-winning newspaper and magazine columns. When he’s not
writing, Maguire produces musical projects inspired by his favorite
authors and books as well as painting, gardening and making Star Wars
puns with his sons.
crisscrossing the South soaking in the lilting dialects, oral
traditions and cultural idiosyncransies. After a brief career in
music, he settled behind the desk as a reporter at the Marietta Daily
Journal and has spent the last 20 years as fixture in the metro
Atlanta media scene. He currently serves as director of Cobb
Life magazine and Cobb Business Journal. His writing has been
published in many regional and national publications including Snake
Nation Review, Reach of Song, Cobb Life magazine, Neighbor Newspapers
and The Blood and Fire Review. He has been honored for his writing by
several organizations including The Associated Press, The Society of
Professional Journalists and The Georgia Poetry Society. In 2005, he
was named the Berry College Outstanding Young Alumni of The Year. In
2017, he was nominated for Georgia Author of The Year for his first
novel, “Alexandria Rising” which was described as “magical”
and “phenomenal.” “Letters from Red Clay Country: Selected
Columns” was published in 2015 and features the best of his
award-winning newspaper and magazine columns. When he’s not
writing, Maguire produces musical projects inspired by his favorite
authors and books as well as painting, gardening and making Star Wars
puns with his sons.
Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
1 Comments
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