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Better Luck Next Time is the first book of the Nothing But Time paranormal fantasy series by Aralyn Kraft.
Blurb
In a secluded cabin deep in the woods, Raven has lived most of his life sheltered and content to hunt side-by-side with his best friend, far away from so-called civilized society and all the darkness that brews within. Parts of this world aren’t kind to half-elves, nor any sort of magic. In the forest, Raven and Sebastian can find peace and avoid all those who would prosecute them.
That is, until Sebastian’s mysterious death. With his beloved home destroyed and only a magical—and perhaps deadly—book to guide him, Raven must set out on a journey to understand the book’s cryptic prophesies of war and assassination in a faraway land.
But Raven is not alone in his quest, and soon he finds himself traveling with a Healer whose talents conflict with his pacifist morals, a promiscuous and self-destructive mage, and a lore priestess with a secret she’s determined to keep quiet.
Incredibly outnumbered and with the clock working against them, the four must fight to stop the impending massacre of an entire kingdom, defeat a secretive foe, and save thousands of innocents from a terrible fate. But as it turns out, all this has happened before…and last time, they lost. With threat of failure urging them on, it won’t be long before the past catches up to them.
Can they change the course of history or will time run out and leave the world forever scarred?
A Word from the Author
Once upon a time, a tad over twenty-five years ago, a notion wormed its way into my brain as my hubby and I were playing a role playing board game with some friends. We started a new campaign and told the people they needed to play with a back story for their creation and use real time physics to qualify certain events. Over the course of the next year – with lots of pizza, chicken wings, and fun, was born the main characters for this book based on our friends who played, instead of the characters they’d chosen.
Each one is a culmination of their own unique views and flaws, courage and cowardice that was drawn partially from real life and some from my imagination. When I began writing Raven’s character, I knew there was going to be a lot of research into phobias, anxiety, and loneliness. Can a person be lonely and not know it? Can a person be in a crowded room and still feel like there’s no one there? Then we have Gillian who is brash and promiscuous and yet a little shady as opposed to Nebroc who is just – well, Nebroc. He’s funny, loves jokes, is an outcast for being a passive Healer who won’t fight. There’s truth to each personality, but I had to dig to bring them to life.
With quite a few tweaks and eleven p.m. through three a.m writing, came what I’ve cherished since publishing it – a story I’ve enjoyed putting heart and soul into writing and sharing.
(Aralyn Kraft, June 2017)
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