A Dream Within A Dream: The Darkening Dream Blog Tour: Character Bios & Giveaway

The Darkening Dream
Author: Andy Gavin
Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal
Release Date: January 10, 2012

Description:

The Darkening Dream is the chilling new dark fantasy novel by Andy Gavin, creator of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter.

Even as the modern world pushes the supernatural aside in favor of science and steel, the old ways remain. God, demon, monster, and sorcerer alike plot to regain what was theirs.

1913, Salem, Massachusetts - Sarah Engelmann's life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand.

With the help of Alex, a Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex's elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah's own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah's continuing visions reveal?

No less than Gabriel's Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be herself.

Online Reviews:

"Wonderfully twisted sense of humor" and "A vampire novel with actual bite" -- Kirkus Reviews

"Inventive, unexpected, and more than a little bit creepy!" -- R.J. Cavender, editor of the Bram Stoker nominated Horror Library anthology series

"This book will satisfy any fan of the vampire genre and then some!" -- Must Read Faster

"In a similar vein to George R.R. Martin's writing style, Gavin often dangles his characters in the maws of danger and doesn't shy away from ... their blood being spilled." -- Andrew Reiner, executive editor of Game Informer magazine

"Now this is a vampire novel! It flows so perfectly between character point of views, it's a great blend of historical fiction, mythology and paranormal." -- Little Miss Drama Queen Reviews

"Action-packed and suspenseful, and there were twists all over the place." -- Les Livres

"Andy Gavin has taken a bevy of supernatural elements, compelling characters, and an intricate and superbly developed storyline, and expertly weaved them together to create an original and enthralling book." -- Word Spelunking

Character Bios:

Alex Palaogos: The exotic newcomer

Alex's life right now is boring, and he knows it. Sure the move to America was exciting: the train ride across Europe followed by the luxurious ten-day party that was the steamer crossing. But after unpacking last May, he settled into a monotonous regimen. He reads, wanders around the yard, rides his horse Bucephalus, or plays chess with tight-lipped Dmitri. In the evening or early morning Grandfather is more likely to be awake, but even when they do talk, the old man is usually distant and distracted. So when he meets Sarah and her friends, the opportunity to talk to people who aren't servants or wheelchair-bound octogenarians is just too good to pass up. Besides, she's a girl, and a smart and beautiful one at that. Hell, if he was bound to a post and forced merely to watch her, he'd count the day well spent. Then they find the body - and common as ordinary evil is, Alex knows better. Grandfather does to. It has to be one of them. One of those things. New world or not, wherever you go things stay the same. The old man insists Alex stay out of it. But standing on the sidelines is no way to impress a girl.

Sarah Englemann: Our Protagonist

Sarah thinks of herself as a normal seventeen year-old. Well that's not exactly true, she's pretty sure she's exceptional, but only when it comes to school and books. The rest of it: fitting in, boys, that doesn't come as easy.

And she certainly doesn't believe corpses can leave their graves and try to kill you! But the undead can be convincing. Not to mention that she keeps having these horrible visions. The bookish thing, that she gets from her father. And he isn't exactly Joe cool either, even if he is named Joseph. But things are clearer for him. He doesn't have to fit in, he's got his Rabbi cronies from the old world to hang with. But this is 1913, and Sarah's a modern woman. No way she's going to put up with corsets, no vote, and popping out a big brood. Again, none of this takes into account what happens when something really old takes an interest in her. A sorcerer who was ancient when Sarah's people crossed out of Egypt has turned his evil eye her way. And Papa Joseph has his secrets too. Turns out the family wasn't the only thing he brought to Massachusetts from Europe. But he's sure all that is ancient history. However the dead have all the time in the world. The vampire Nasir has been sent to sniff around. And he loves a good hunt. To further complicate things, this is finally the year when Sarah meets that boy.

Andy Gavin is a serial creative, polymath, novelist, entrepreneur, computer programmer, author, foodie, and video game creator. He co-founded video game developer Naughty Dog and co-created Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter. He started numerous companies, has been lead programmer on video games that have sold more than forty million copies, and has written two novels including The Darkening Dream, a dark historical fantasy that puts the bite back in vampires.

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