Author: Steve Bevil
Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy / Action Adventure
Book Description
A black hooded figure suddenly appeared behind her. She gasped and her brown eyes grew wide. Nathan watched helplessly as a small trickle of blood fell from her mouth.
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Other hooded figures appeared; their silver swords clutched upright against their chests. Nathan held tight to her lifeless body while trying to fight back the tears that swelled in his eyes. “No,” he cried. “No!”
Nineteen-year-old Nathan Urye is supposed to be having a relaxing summer as a camp counselor but ever since he started having nightmares about a beautiful girl being hunted by flesh-clawing monsters, his life has been anything but normal.
Soon, Nathan discovers that the sleepy college town of Cahokia Falls is far from ordinary when two unexplained deaths rock the town and campus. Who or what is behind the murders? Does it have anything to do with the newly-discovered cave symbol? And what about the spine-chilling campfire stories about ancient tribal beliefs and mystical legends?
For Nathan Urye, things just keep getting creepier and creepier, and now it appears that everyone at camp is in danger…
What the reviewers are saying…
"Starting with chapter one this book held my attention. The legends in the book told around the campfire gave me goose bumps and the supernatural creatures; Necrocritters, dark hooded guards with swords and red hooded priests added a lot of layers to this story. Not to mention the Fallen Ones!
At times I wasn’t sure how things would play out because there were so many challenges facing Nathan and his friends. I really enjoyed the climax of the book and could easily see this book adapted as a movie. I can’t wait to see what's in store for Nathan and his friends...but you have to read the book to see if they all make it out" ~Reviewer
"It’s terrific! I love your wise-cracking hero, who finds himself thrust into these bizarre circumstances with no real guide. And I love the set up of the supernatural world and these well-defined characters. The supernatural conflict and the relationships that took root here will be able to take you through book after book. That eerie, spirit realm where everything is gray except for the people – sound doesn't behave as it should – and objects are frozen in place, is really imaginative and creepy. It’s got a strong cinematic feel and it creates tremendous atmosphere. In short, you’ve done some terrific world building here that’s highly imaginative and peopled with appealing, interesting characters we can care about." ~Reviewer
Author Bio
Steve Bevil, the author of The Legend of the Firewalker series, recalls vividly as a child running to the library to check-out and read the latest The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books. He started writing short stories at a young age, but never took writing seriously, and as an adult, would only write to jot down the many storylines and mystical characters he would often fantasize in his head.
Nineteen-year-old Nathan Urye is supposed to be having a relaxing summer as a camp counselor but ever since he started having nightmares about a beautiful girl being hunted by flesh-clawing monsters, his life has been anything but normal.
Soon, Nathan discovers that the sleepy college town of Cahokia Falls is far from ordinary when two unexplained deaths rock the town and campus. Who or what is behind the murders? Does it have anything to do with the newly-discovered cave symbol? And what about the spine-chilling campfire stories about ancient tribal beliefs and mystical legends?
For Nathan Urye, things just keep getting creepier and creepier, and now it appears that everyone at camp is in danger…
What the reviewers are saying…
"Starting with chapter one this book held my attention. The legends in the book told around the campfire gave me goose bumps and the supernatural creatures; Necrocritters, dark hooded guards with swords and red hooded priests added a lot of layers to this story. Not to mention the Fallen Ones!
At times I wasn’t sure how things would play out because there were so many challenges facing Nathan and his friends. I really enjoyed the climax of the book and could easily see this book adapted as a movie. I can’t wait to see what's in store for Nathan and his friends...but you have to read the book to see if they all make it out" ~Reviewer
"It’s terrific! I love your wise-cracking hero, who finds himself thrust into these bizarre circumstances with no real guide. And I love the set up of the supernatural world and these well-defined characters. The supernatural conflict and the relationships that took root here will be able to take you through book after book. That eerie, spirit realm where everything is gray except for the people – sound doesn't behave as it should – and objects are frozen in place, is really imaginative and creepy. It’s got a strong cinematic feel and it creates tremendous atmosphere. In short, you’ve done some terrific world building here that’s highly imaginative and peopled with appealing, interesting characters we can care about." ~Reviewer
Author Bio
Steve Bevil, the author of The Legend of the Firewalker series, recalls vividly as a child running to the library to check-out and read the latest The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books. He started writing short stories at a young age, but never took writing seriously, and as an adult, would only write to jot down the many storylines and mystical characters he would often fantasize in his head.
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It wasn't until he was inspired by the story of author Stephanie Meyer, a stay-at-home mother of three and Christopher Paolini, the author of the Inheritance Cycle, that he entertained the idea of writing a book. Steve recalls sitting at his computer one day, after reading promotional emails announcing the latest books, daydreaming a dialogue between two people.
"It was just so Harry Potter-esque as far as the classic story of good versus evil. I just kept getting more and more detail; it was like the story wanted to be written, there were so many layers to it. I had first and last names, character back history, and everything. Immediately, I started writing."
After months and months of developing the plot and writing, the end result was his first book in the series, The Legend of the Firewalker. The daydream, a dialogue between two of the main characters; Nathan Urye and Stephen Malick, ended up appearing in Chapters 11 and 16.
Steve Bevil graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a Master's degree in Communication. He is a native of Chicago, Illinois and when he isn't writing, enjoys music, watching movies, fitness, and walks with his little Westie, Wyatt.
To learn more you can follow him on Twitter - http://twitter.com/steve_bevil or visit his blog - http://stevebevil.blogspot.com/ or find out news at his Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/stevebevilwriting
Book Excerpts
Book Excerpt #1
Chapter Ten – Blue Flame
Nathan closed the yearbook and placed it softly on his desk. Slowly, he walked over to the foot of his bed. Without thinking about it, he plopped down; almost exposing the scorched bed sheets.
Quietly, he stared at the white brick walls to his dorm room. Does this mean I’m like a psychic or something? he thought. And if I’m not psychic… He examined the palms of his hands. Then, I guess it’s a safe bet that I have some type of power.
He had a solemn look on his face. This is great, I was just dying for a way to be even more different. Yippee! I am so excited to add more weirdness points to my outcast factor.”
Lafonda sat up in her chair and then crossed her arms. “Umm, Nathan,” she said. “Earth to Nathan?
“What?” he uttered, while blinking his eyes.
“Are your hands bothering you again or something?”
“No,” he said. He turned around to look at her. “My hands are fine.”
“Well, you sure are acting weird,” she said, relaxing back into her chair.
Nathan let out a slight chuckle. Weird huh? he thought. You don’t even know the half of it.
He clasped his hands together and then placed them against his mouth. Powers or no powers, the one thing he knew for certain was that Leah was real and so was the blue flame that had scorched his bed. So that meant the red-hooded Twilight – New Moon wannabes were real too and so were their black-hooded doppelgangers.
Hands still clasped together and against his mouth, Nathan took a deep breath and shook his head. He didn’t even want to begin to think about the strange lady dressed in white; let alone her shiny silver dagger. He shook his head again. Yup, we are definitely in danger, he thought. We all are...
Book Excerpt #2
Chapter One –Awake
She was pretty sure everyone knew about her nightmares due to her frequent middle of the night screaming, but she had started to feel proud of herself. It was the end of the school year and even with everything, she had managed to finish the semester without withdrawing from school like Amanda and her mom had wanted her to.
Leah took a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders. She was determined not to let anything get to her. Tomorrow, she would be home in St. Louis and she could put the whole nightmare behind her.
The narrow hallway from the bathroom to her dorm room opened up to the common area that was frequently used by the girls on the floor to hang out. On most nights, you could find people playing cards or studying at the round tables. “Hey, Leah!” one of the girls from the card game called out. “You think we’ll have a chance to get a good night’s sleep with this storm?”
Another girl at the table let out a stifled chuckle. “I mean, it would be nice to sleep through the night for once without your screaming.” Sounds of laughter suddenly filled the room. “Maybe you should sleep with the lights on!” she laughed.
Leah could feel her cheeks turn red as the blood rushed to her head. “Sure!” she let out, her voice shaking with anger.
She walked quickly to her room; trying to beat the laughter before it ended. Forcibly, she closed the door behind her and sighed heavily as she pressed her back against it. “Can this be over any faster?” she yelled. In frustration, she tossed her toothbrush and her towels on the floor. “Ugh!”
At the same moment, a gust of wind rushed violently through the open window, knocking the lamp on her desk onto the floor. The room was suddenly in complete darkness. “Grrreat!” she said in a drawn out huff.
She bent over to pick up the lamp but felt a little uneasy as lightning from the approaching storm created strange shadows around the room. As the sound of thunder filled the room, she stumbled to find the socket to plug in the power cord. Duh, she thought. I should just turn on Amanda’s lamp. As she reached out to turn on the lamp, she paused. She had an eerie feeling that someone was standing behind her. No one is behind me, she thought, as she extended her arm to turn on the lamp.
“Aaah!”
There was a burst of light in the room followed by a loud crack as the light bulb from Amanda’s lamp shattered into many pieces; landing across the table and the floor. Startled, Leah jumped back; withdrawing her hand. At the same time, the door to her closet slammed shut, causing her to let out a stifled scream. Quickly, she spun around; her heart pounding against her chest.
Leah stood in the dark frozen with fear. Through the darkness, she could see that a strange mist began to fill the room, and when lightning struck, there was no thunder to follow…
"It was just so Harry Potter-esque as far as the classic story of good versus evil. I just kept getting more and more detail; it was like the story wanted to be written, there were so many layers to it. I had first and last names, character back history, and everything. Immediately, I started writing."
After months and months of developing the plot and writing, the end result was his first book in the series, The Legend of the Firewalker. The daydream, a dialogue between two of the main characters; Nathan Urye and Stephen Malick, ended up appearing in Chapters 11 and 16.
Steve Bevil graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a Master's degree in Communication. He is a native of Chicago, Illinois and when he isn't writing, enjoys music, watching movies, fitness, and walks with his little Westie, Wyatt.
To learn more you can follow him on Twitter - http://twitter.com/steve_bevil or visit his blog - http://stevebevil.blogspot.com/ or find out news at his Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/stevebevilwriting
Book Excerpts
Book Excerpt #1
Chapter Ten – Blue Flame
Nathan closed the yearbook and placed it softly on his desk. Slowly, he walked over to the foot of his bed. Without thinking about it, he plopped down; almost exposing the scorched bed sheets.
Quietly, he stared at the white brick walls to his dorm room. Does this mean I’m like a psychic or something? he thought. And if I’m not psychic… He examined the palms of his hands. Then, I guess it’s a safe bet that I have some type of power.
He had a solemn look on his face. This is great, I was just dying for a way to be even more different. Yippee! I am so excited to add more weirdness points to my outcast factor.”
Lafonda sat up in her chair and then crossed her arms. “Umm, Nathan,” she said. “Earth to Nathan?
“What?” he uttered, while blinking his eyes.
“Are your hands bothering you again or something?”
“No,” he said. He turned around to look at her. “My hands are fine.”
“Well, you sure are acting weird,” she said, relaxing back into her chair.
Nathan let out a slight chuckle. Weird huh? he thought. You don’t even know the half of it.
He clasped his hands together and then placed them against his mouth. Powers or no powers, the one thing he knew for certain was that Leah was real and so was the blue flame that had scorched his bed. So that meant the red-hooded Twilight – New Moon wannabes were real too and so were their black-hooded doppelgangers.
Hands still clasped together and against his mouth, Nathan took a deep breath and shook his head. He didn’t even want to begin to think about the strange lady dressed in white; let alone her shiny silver dagger. He shook his head again. Yup, we are definitely in danger, he thought. We all are...
Book Excerpt #2
Chapter One –Awake
She was pretty sure everyone knew about her nightmares due to her frequent middle of the night screaming, but she had started to feel proud of herself. It was the end of the school year and even with everything, she had managed to finish the semester without withdrawing from school like Amanda and her mom had wanted her to.
Leah took a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders. She was determined not to let anything get to her. Tomorrow, she would be home in St. Louis and she could put the whole nightmare behind her.
The narrow hallway from the bathroom to her dorm room opened up to the common area that was frequently used by the girls on the floor to hang out. On most nights, you could find people playing cards or studying at the round tables. “Hey, Leah!” one of the girls from the card game called out. “You think we’ll have a chance to get a good night’s sleep with this storm?”
Another girl at the table let out a stifled chuckle. “I mean, it would be nice to sleep through the night for once without your screaming.” Sounds of laughter suddenly filled the room. “Maybe you should sleep with the lights on!” she laughed.
Leah could feel her cheeks turn red as the blood rushed to her head. “Sure!” she let out, her voice shaking with anger.
She walked quickly to her room; trying to beat the laughter before it ended. Forcibly, she closed the door behind her and sighed heavily as she pressed her back against it. “Can this be over any faster?” she yelled. In frustration, she tossed her toothbrush and her towels on the floor. “Ugh!”
At the same moment, a gust of wind rushed violently through the open window, knocking the lamp on her desk onto the floor. The room was suddenly in complete darkness. “Grrreat!” she said in a drawn out huff.
She bent over to pick up the lamp but felt a little uneasy as lightning from the approaching storm created strange shadows around the room. As the sound of thunder filled the room, she stumbled to find the socket to plug in the power cord. Duh, she thought. I should just turn on Amanda’s lamp. As she reached out to turn on the lamp, she paused. She had an eerie feeling that someone was standing behind her. No one is behind me, she thought, as she extended her arm to turn on the lamp.
“Aaah!”
There was a burst of light in the room followed by a loud crack as the light bulb from Amanda’s lamp shattered into many pieces; landing across the table and the floor. Startled, Leah jumped back; withdrawing her hand. At the same time, the door to her closet slammed shut, causing her to let out a stifled scream. Quickly, she spun around; her heart pounding against her chest.
Leah stood in the dark frozen with fear. Through the darkness, she could see that a strange mist began to fill the room, and when lightning struck, there was no thunder to follow…
Book Excerpt #3
Chapter Eight – The Fallen Ones
Nathan raised his eyebrows and shrugged. He wasn’t even sure if he knew the story let alone anyone else. “Probably,” he replied, slowly.
Suddenly, Jonathan perked up; his tired blue eyes getting some life to them. “Nathan here has Cahokia ancestry,” he smiled and with a nod. “His mother’s tribe was a descendant of the Cahokia American Indians.”
Jonathan paused as if he was waiting for Nathan to say something. Nathan looked embarrassed as Samantha, Christina, and Eva Marie stared at him. Over the flames of the fire Nathan could see that
Malick was looking at him too but Nathan wasn’t sure if he had heard what Jonathan had said. Most of the people around the fire, including Lafonda, were still having their own separate conversations.
Christina threw back her long brown hair and leaned in towards Nathan. “Is it true?” she asked.
Nathan answered slowly. He wasn’t too thrilled about the sudden attention. “Yes,” he said.
Both Christina and Eva Marie grinned at each other and then beamed at him. “That’s awesome,” they giggled in unison.
“Indeed, it is awesome,” added Jonathan, excitedly. “See, years ago, when they started excavating the caves and mounds in this area they found that almost every wall had the same symbols written on them. When the symbols were finally deciphered and the walls translated, they all included some aspect of the story about The Fallen Ones.”
He paused to reposition his glasses again. “Most scholars agree that the Legend of the Fallen Ones is a part of Cahokia mythology on how the world began; you know – their creation story.”
“This is exciting!” shrieked Eva Marie. “Tell us the story – or legend.”
“Does it involve any cute guys?” asked Christina enthusiastically.
Samantha, Christina, and Eva Marie looked at each other and laughed.
“Cute guys?” shouted Angela over the fire. “I have to hear this story. I’m in.”
Jonathan smiled as everyone around the fire including Lafonda, Erin, Alan, and Malick listened closely. “There really isn’t a Cahokia symbol for cute,” said Jonathan. “But the symbols tell a story about five angels that were created out of the heavens in the beginning and shared in the power with the creator of the heavens as givers of light.”
“Cute male angels,” said Angela. “I love it!”
He laughed. “Well, I don’t know how cute you will find them by the end of the story,” he grinned. “See, according to legend and the hieroglyphs found in the mounds and on cave walls, one of the five Angels of Light, as they are sometimes referred to, had a thirst for power and wanted dominance over all of the heavens.” He held up a page in his black and green spiral notebook. “The Cahokia Indians used this symbol quite frequently when talking about this angel.”
Nathan squinted and cocked his head a little. He was trying to make out the sketch in Jonathan’s notebook. After a few moments, he could see that he was staring at a drawing of a broken wing that was engulfed in flames and constricted by a serpent…
Chapter Eight – The Fallen Ones
Nathan raised his eyebrows and shrugged. He wasn’t even sure if he knew the story let alone anyone else. “Probably,” he replied, slowly.
Suddenly, Jonathan perked up; his tired blue eyes getting some life to them. “Nathan here has Cahokia ancestry,” he smiled and with a nod. “His mother’s tribe was a descendant of the Cahokia American Indians.”
Jonathan paused as if he was waiting for Nathan to say something. Nathan looked embarrassed as Samantha, Christina, and Eva Marie stared at him. Over the flames of the fire Nathan could see that
Malick was looking at him too but Nathan wasn’t sure if he had heard what Jonathan had said. Most of the people around the fire, including Lafonda, were still having their own separate conversations.
Christina threw back her long brown hair and leaned in towards Nathan. “Is it true?” she asked.
Nathan answered slowly. He wasn’t too thrilled about the sudden attention. “Yes,” he said.
Both Christina and Eva Marie grinned at each other and then beamed at him. “That’s awesome,” they giggled in unison.
“Indeed, it is awesome,” added Jonathan, excitedly. “See, years ago, when they started excavating the caves and mounds in this area they found that almost every wall had the same symbols written on them. When the symbols were finally deciphered and the walls translated, they all included some aspect of the story about The Fallen Ones.”
He paused to reposition his glasses again. “Most scholars agree that the Legend of the Fallen Ones is a part of Cahokia mythology on how the world began; you know – their creation story.”
“This is exciting!” shrieked Eva Marie. “Tell us the story – or legend.”
“Does it involve any cute guys?” asked Christina enthusiastically.
Samantha, Christina, and Eva Marie looked at each other and laughed.
“Cute guys?” shouted Angela over the fire. “I have to hear this story. I’m in.”
Jonathan smiled as everyone around the fire including Lafonda, Erin, Alan, and Malick listened closely. “There really isn’t a Cahokia symbol for cute,” said Jonathan. “But the symbols tell a story about five angels that were created out of the heavens in the beginning and shared in the power with the creator of the heavens as givers of light.”
“Cute male angels,” said Angela. “I love it!”
He laughed. “Well, I don’t know how cute you will find them by the end of the story,” he grinned. “See, according to legend and the hieroglyphs found in the mounds and on cave walls, one of the five Angels of Light, as they are sometimes referred to, had a thirst for power and wanted dominance over all of the heavens.” He held up a page in his black and green spiral notebook. “The Cahokia Indians used this symbol quite frequently when talking about this angel.”
Nathan squinted and cocked his head a little. He was trying to make out the sketch in Jonathan’s notebook. After a few moments, he could see that he was staring at a drawing of a broken wing that was engulfed in flames and constricted by a serpent…
Book Excerpt #4
Chapter Three - Party
“You have strong arms,” grinned Amanda, squeezing Nathan’s bicep.
Abruptly, Lafonda grabbed Jim’s hand to stop him from snapping his fingers. “Not right now, babe,” she said, forcing a smile. “How about you go get us some punch?”
“But, I’m not thirsty,” whined Jim, sounding disappointed.
Lafonda crossed her arms; frowning at him and Jim lowered his head. “Okay,” he said, reluctantly walking away.
“And you,” she said, grabbing Nathan’s arm, so that Amanda dropped his hand. “If anyone is going to be dancing, it’s going to be the birthday girl.” She leaned in and then took him by the hand. “You owe me the first dance, remember?”
“Uh – Lafonda!” Amanda moaned.
“Uh – Amanda?” protested Lafonda. “Go find Steve!”
Triumphantly, she led him out to the dance floor and Nathan nonchalantly followed. “Lafonda,” he said, slowly. “Um – what just happened?”
Lafonda looked up towards the ceiling and then quickly rolled her eyes. “I don’t know,” she said. “You tell me.” She relaxed her arm a little, so that he could lead. “One second you wanted to sit down and then suddenly, you wanted to cut a rug with Amanda.”
“I, I, don’t remember,” he said, sounding flustered.
She glared at him. “You don’t have to play dumb,” she said. She gestured in Amanda’s direction; she was standing with her entourage of admirers again. “Amanda has that effect on men.”
Nathan slightly shrugged and then shook his head. “Who is Steve?” he asked.
“Steve is Amanda’s boyfriend,” she grinned. She tilted her head to look around the room. “And I don’t even think he’s here.”
“Lafonda,” he said, taking a pause. “I apologize if things got weird back there.” He recalled what he had overheard from them earlier. “Things have been a little – strange lately.”
“Yeah, for both of us,” she said, after catching a glimpse of Jim watching them on the dance floor with two drinks in his hand. “You know, Nathan,” she continued. “You’re not that bad of a dancer – when you’re not thinking about it.”
“Oh,” he responded, sounding surprised. “I didn’t realize moving to this slow of a song is considered dancing.”
She smiled. “Nathan,” she uttered, softly. “What happened to us – I mean, to our friendship?” She looked longingly into his eyes. “I almost never saw you at school and you barely even speak to me now that we’re home.”
Nathan twisted his lip. Well, he thought. You and your friends are rich and I’m not and I feel like an outsider because of it. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. And to top things off, I keep dreaming about a girl that I believe is being attacked by monsters. He sighed. “It’s complicated,” he finally responded…
Chapter Three - Party
“You have strong arms,” grinned Amanda, squeezing Nathan’s bicep.
Abruptly, Lafonda grabbed Jim’s hand to stop him from snapping his fingers. “Not right now, babe,” she said, forcing a smile. “How about you go get us some punch?”
“But, I’m not thirsty,” whined Jim, sounding disappointed.
Lafonda crossed her arms; frowning at him and Jim lowered his head. “Okay,” he said, reluctantly walking away.
“And you,” she said, grabbing Nathan’s arm, so that Amanda dropped his hand. “If anyone is going to be dancing, it’s going to be the birthday girl.” She leaned in and then took him by the hand. “You owe me the first dance, remember?”
“Uh – Lafonda!” Amanda moaned.
“Uh – Amanda?” protested Lafonda. “Go find Steve!”
Triumphantly, she led him out to the dance floor and Nathan nonchalantly followed. “Lafonda,” he said, slowly. “Um – what just happened?”
Lafonda looked up towards the ceiling and then quickly rolled her eyes. “I don’t know,” she said. “You tell me.” She relaxed her arm a little, so that he could lead. “One second you wanted to sit down and then suddenly, you wanted to cut a rug with Amanda.”
“I, I, don’t remember,” he said, sounding flustered.
She glared at him. “You don’t have to play dumb,” she said. She gestured in Amanda’s direction; she was standing with her entourage of admirers again. “Amanda has that effect on men.”
Nathan slightly shrugged and then shook his head. “Who is Steve?” he asked.
“Steve is Amanda’s boyfriend,” she grinned. She tilted her head to look around the room. “And I don’t even think he’s here.”
“Lafonda,” he said, taking a pause. “I apologize if things got weird back there.” He recalled what he had overheard from them earlier. “Things have been a little – strange lately.”
“Yeah, for both of us,” she said, after catching a glimpse of Jim watching them on the dance floor with two drinks in his hand. “You know, Nathan,” she continued. “You’re not that bad of a dancer – when you’re not thinking about it.”
“Oh,” he responded, sounding surprised. “I didn’t realize moving to this slow of a song is considered dancing.”
She smiled. “Nathan,” she uttered, softly. “What happened to us – I mean, to our friendship?” She looked longingly into his eyes. “I almost never saw you at school and you barely even speak to me now that we’re home.”
Nathan twisted his lip. Well, he thought. You and your friends are rich and I’m not and I feel like an outsider because of it. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. And to top things off, I keep dreaming about a girl that I believe is being attacked by monsters. He sighed. “It’s complicated,” he finally responded…
