Book Blast, Giveaway & Interview: The Traveller by @melissadelport

 

 

The Traveller

The Traveller Series

Book 1

Melissa Delport

Genre: Sci-fi romance/action

ASIN: B00IVKXJ7M

Number of pages: approx 253

Word Count: 89500

Available on Amazon

Book Description:

Seven years ago, Rachel gave her heart to a dark, intense stranger, who left her broken and alone.

Every day since then Rachel has thought about Dex, her memories refusing to be silenced.

Now, Dex is back, but this time he is not alone. He has brought a formidable army – their sole purpose to conquer. Fate will bring Rachel and Dex back together, but on opposing sides of a war that threatens to obliterate her world.

Pitted against the power of the elements, Rachel and her friends must survive tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes and fire, all the while being hunted by a powerful enemy who will stop at nothing to pillage her planet.

Fleeing for her life amidst the chaos of a raging, burning city, Rachel realizes man’s only chance of survival lies in the hands of the very person who betrayed her all those years ago.

Earth is destined to fall, but Rachel is determined to save mankind, no matter the sacrifice.

Prologue

He was the most beautiful boy I had ever seen. Although 'boy' was not really the right word - he was slightly too old to be called a boy, but he was still beautiful. I remember that above all else, although what followed should have erased that thought from my consciousness. His hair was black - jet black - and he was tall; well over six feet. I was laughing with Kimberley when I first saw him, lounging against a lamp-post, as though he was waiting for someone. I suppose in hindsight he was. In the instant that our eyes met and that secret smile crossed his face, I could almost imagine that it was me, that I was the one he was waiting for. Of course that was not the case. I know that now.

I had to cross the street close by where he stood, watching me intently, and as I passed I couldn’t help but glance over at him again. His eyes stopped me, literally, in my tracks. They were green; the most startling green eyes I had ever seen, but there was something different about them. It happened so quickly I thought I was imagining it, but, for just a moment, those eyes seemed to glow, an iridescent, brilliant emerald that left me speechless and standing in the middle of the street staring open-mouthed at a beautiful stranger.

“Can I help you?” The deep, rich baritone of his voice was hypnotic and I couldn’t reply – I simply stood there, unable to tear my gaze away. I would have placed him at around twenty-five years old, far older than any of the boys I usually hung around with; far too old for me. At seventeen, in my senior year at High School, what little I knew about boys I had learned from popular culture not real life. He was dressed in black – all in black - and as I stared a sly grin crossed his face.

“I said; can I help you?” he repeated, sounding somewhere between amused and annoyed and my cheeks flushed with mortification.

“No!” I managed eventually, the word ringing out across the empty street. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, willing myself not to act like a fool. “No, thank you. I’m fine.”

He nodded at me, his eyes thoughtful and I remember wondering why he didn’t look away. My parents always said that it’s impolite to stare but that is exactly what he did. He seemed to look right through me with absolutely no embarrassment, and I fought the urge to look away.

“What is your name?” he asked, although it didn’t sound like a question. It sounded like an order, like he demanded to know. I had been taught never to give my name out to strangers but I found myself answering anyway, as though I had no control over my own responses.

“Rachel.” It was barely more than a whisper but I knew that he could hear me. Even from there. Even from thirty feet away. I shouldn’t have been talking to him at all, particularly with the feelings I was having; he was far too old for it to be appropriate. Still, I couldn’t seem to tear myself away.

He was the most beautiful boy I had ever seen. How could I have known the monster that lurked beneath?

Chapter 1

“Rhodes!” Bill Parish barks across the expanse of the enormous mahogany desk interrupting my reverie and snapping me back to the present. I shake my head, focusing my attention back on my portly, overbearing boss. It is always like this when the memories flood back, memories that will not be silenced. I get lost in them, swept up in the emotions that I have so long tried to repress. Even after seven years I still think of that summer, of the boy I met and the precious few weeks we shared. I still see his eyes in my dreams, those vivid, mystical green eyes. It makes me angry that he invades my thoughts; he has no right. He left you, I remind myself firmly.

“I hope we’re not boring you?” Bill stares down at me; his glasses perched crookedly on the end of his long nose which has never mended properly after being broken so many times. Bill was a broadcast journalist for almost twenty years before he was offered the role of News Director at the American Broadcasting Company, New York Office. The rumor is that he turned it down at first, preferring the thrill of being out in the field, but when his much younger third wife threatened to leave him for never being at home, he realized the time had come to settle down. Two failed marriages reflected badly enough and, despite the difference in their ages, Bill adores his current significant other. Now, at 56 years old, Bill is in charge of the news department. As far as everyone in this room is concerned, he is the be all and end all of the network; the only people who wield more power than he does are the company’s presidents, none of whom we have ever met personally.

“Not at all, Bill,” I smile sweetly, and he narrows his eyes, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. I know that Bill, despite his gruff exterior, favors me among the motley crew of newscasters, photographers, editors, reporters and studio crew who make up our team. I produce work of exceptional quality, as a result of my four-year degree in videography and camera operation and the further two years I have spent here at ABC proving my worth. I had managed to secure this job straight out of college thanks to a glowing recommendation from my professor who had worked alongside Bill in his glory days. I love my job. I love the ever-changing work environment and the unpredictability of the diverse subjects I film. In news, you never know what you’re going to get.

“Rachel’s day-dreaming again,” Jason Masters sighs beside me, rolling his eyes. Jason is my newscaster, or 'anchorman'. Typically, we work on assignment as a pair, covering assigned events and breaking stories outside the office. We are a dynamic duo, but Jason drives me nothing short of crazy. He is possibly the most arrogant man I have ever met. At twenty-seven, he is only three years older than I am and is handsome in the traditional sense – blond, blue-eyed, with a strong jaw-line and a great body. Unfortunately he is all too aware of this, and he oozes charm and lives for flattery. Jason is so slick he has slept with half the women at the table, and, sadly, most would all too willingly have him back in a heartbeat if he so much as batted those ridiculously long eyelashes at them. I think part of the reason he is so patronizing towards me is that I refuse to sleep with him……….continues……

 

 

Character Name: DEX

Character Bio: A Prince of Venon, Dexon is tall, dark, handsome, and not of this world. He can manipulate our elements and control electrical storms. Seven years ago he ventured to Earth and fell in love with a human girl. Now he is back – his sole purpose to conquer our planet. Until Rachel finds him and his memories of her come flooding back. Now, Dex is torn between the girl he loves, and the King he serves – his own father.

Describe yourself what is your worst and best quality?

 My worst quality is an innate cruelty, something that all Venites possess, we are not a sympathetic race. It is something I fight everyday.  My best quality is the fact that despite my upbringing, I feel compassion for the humans. Rachel is the key to my redemption.

What is the one thing you wish other people knew about you?

 That I oppose my fathers rule, and only pretend to abide by his laws in order to save those that I care about.

What is your biggest secret something no one knows about?

I am planning to overthrow my father. If anyone found out I would be charged with treason, the punishment for which is death.

What are you most afraid of?

 Rachel getting hurt.

What do you want more than anything?

For Rachel to be safe - even if this means I have to leave her.

What is your relationship status?

 Complicated. Very, very complicated.

How would you describe your sense of fashion?

 Black is the new black.

How much of a rebel are you?

 On a scale of 1-10, I would be a 14

What do you considered to be your greatest achievement?

 Saving Rachel and her friends from my own kind.

What is your idea of happiness?

 I have only been truly happy once – seven years ago, when I spent time with a human girl that allowed me to forgot the horrors of my mission. I can only hope that one day I will experience that again.

What is your current state of mind?

 Vengeful, angry, fearful.

What is your most treasured possession?

 Material things hold no value for me.

What is your most marked characteristic?

My ability to control Earth’s storms. An ability that I share only with my father, and my brother.

What is it that you, most dislike?

 Being controlled through quintessence

Which living person do you, most despise?

 My father

What is your greatest regret?

 That I could not stand against my fathers will, but I will not make that mistake again.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

 Courage

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Compassion

Who is your favorite hero in fiction?

 Your heroes could not possibly stand against me and my family. They are weak and unremarkable. 

Which living person do you most admire?

 Rachel for her courage of conviction and my sister Voka for her loyalty.

If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?

I would have been born human. I may have been weak, and perished in the attack, but at least I would have played no part in the murder of innocents.

What is your motto?

 Protect the innocent, punish the guilty

 

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Wife, mother of 3, businesswoman by day and author by night, Melissa Delport is the author of The Legacy Series and Rainfall. She graduated from the University of South Africa with a Bachelors Degree in English in 2000. She currently lives with her husband and three children in Hillcrest, South Africa.

Her first novel, The Legacy, published in 2013, is the first in The Legacy Series trilogy, and is followed by the sequel The Legion. The final book, The Legend is due out in 2014. She has also written an independent novel entitled Rainfall, a psychological romance, and a science-fiction, action-adventure called The Traveler.

An avid reader herself, Melissa finally decided to stop “watching from the sidelines” and to do what is her passion.

“I was driving home from work when inspiration struck, and a storyline started unravelling in my head. For a few days, it was all I could think about and eventually I realised that the only way to get it out of my head, was to put it all down on paper. I started writing, and that was that.”

Website: www.melissadelport.com

Twitter: @melissadelport

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheMelissaDelportBookClub

Blog: www.melissadelport.com

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/melissadelport/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/MelissaDelport

Publisher’s website www.traceymcdonaldpublishers.com