Donna Galanti - Where heart and hope meet adventure!

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Remixing mythology to create your own story

By Donna Galanti

When I write, I return to the magical worlds of being a kid, where monsters and faeries roam the land. Through my stories I can become these characters, and have their powers. Greek mythology is a great place to find such inspiration!

As writers we don’t have to limit our imagination, It’s also okay to “borrow” from history. Many authors do it! In the Lightning Road series the Greek Olympians have lost their power and their descendants desperately want it back. In creating this world I took many parts of mythology and made them my own. Remixing culture can be fun, to use ideas from different cultures and history to create something new and uniquely yours. Here is a map of the Arrow Realm where beasts and bandits roam from my own imagination! 🙂arrowRealm9

And here are some of the people, places, and beasts in Joshua and the Arrow Realm that I re-mixed to create my own…

ARTEMIS IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY
: Goddess of the hunt, chastity, and the moon. She is the protector of nature and the hunt; both wild and tame animals are under her protection.

ARTEMIS IN THE LIGHTNING ROAD SERIES: Not a protector of the hunt. Not only does she hunt beasts, she hunts children as well.

Artemis excerpt:
“A tall woman strode toward our cell as the soldiers parted. Her head was covered in a crown of twisty thorns, every prickly point encrusted with blood-red jewels and tinged with gold. Her cropped brown hair framed high cheek bones in short curls, and narrowed eyebrows arched over large, brown eyes. Her nose and lips were thin like the rest of her, a face more handsome than pretty. She wore matching plum-colored velvet pants and a hooded tunic that fell to her knees with open slits on either side. A rough-made bracelet of polished braided wood encircled her left wrist. Her white shirt was flecked with gold threads, and billowy sleeves puffed out above her slender hands resting on a burnished metal belt hanging low across her hips. A dagger with an intricate handle dangled from her belt. Form-fitting black leather boots laced up her legs and one foot tapped the floor. The strangest thing about her was the black sunglasses she wore. They had round frames, and the lenses flickered alive with torchlight.”

artemis3KORAX IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY: Or Corax, means raven. Corax was also a scholar.

KORAX IN THE LIGHTNING ROAD SERIES: These are ravens but no ravens we know. They are monstrous beasts that can transport people and act as spies for Artemis.

Korax excerpt:
“As the swarm drew closer, they appeared as monstrous black ravens with a giant wingspan that filled the sky’s empty spaces. Their massive beaks opened and closed with gurgling croaks, but it was their eyes that terrified me. They burned a bright green, shooting us with a mean glare as they torpedoed down. Chanting words echoed across the dark land: light bringers, light bringers. Imagined words? The whirring of wing beats throbbed in my head as they grew closer, matching the beat of my own thudding heart.”

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ZEUS’S LIGHTNING BOLT IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY: A sign of power and of Zeus’s power to rule the sky.

ZEUS’S LIGHTNING BOLT IN THE LIGHTNING ROAD SERIES:  Zeus’s lightning bolt created the Lightning Gate, a portal between Earth and Nostos, the world where the descendants of the Olympians have relocated to as their home. Zeus still rules the sky through this gate as he steals people from Earth along the lightning road that connects both worlds.

Lightning Gate excerpt:
“The gate’s blaze spun a web of brilliance then dimmed and died out, leaving us in deep buyambienmed.com shadows under a rising orange moon. The massive portal filled the small meadow like a tarnished bronze statue that had weathered many storms. Its two Greek columns stood on round stone blocks, and another wider slab overhead connected them. Carved figures and animals moved through the gate’s ancient metal as if alive. The scent of blistered tin blew off the door to another world, still standing after 2,000 years. Built with lost Olympian magic, I’d once again traveled through it to rescue another friend.”
 

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THE CADMEAN BEAST IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY: Known as the Teumessian Fox or Cadmean Vixen, is a gigantic fox that preyed upon the children.

THE CADMEAN BEAST IN THE LIGHTNING ROAD SERIES: Giant beasts with red eyes and flame-throwing breath. Used as guard dogs to watch over captive children, and chase them down when necessary.

Cadmean Beast Excerpt:
“Their heads were even with the shoulders of the men and their legs were as big as a horse’s. Fur covered them in slicked back, shiny spikes. They sniffed the platform and panted, thick tongues pulsing out of their mouths, and saliva dripped down in big gobs. Muscles rippled up and down their bodies  like quivering arrows as their bushy tails swished back and forth. I flinched with each swish, my feet desperate to run, but they were frozen in place. The foxes jerked their heads up in unison, and it felt like spiders skittered up my spine. Red eyes glowed bright like lava and burned fiercely into mine, hungry for what I feared was me.”

 

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AGRIUS BEAST IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY: Is one of a pair of twins, half-man and half-bear. Agrius and his brother grew to immense strength and size and were feral creatures, attacking strangers to eat.

AGRIUS BEAST IN THE LIGHTNING ROAD SERIES: A giant black beast bearing a bear’s body and a wolf’s snout that is hunted by Artemis in the Wild Lands, but also known to befriend some people.

Agrius Beast Excerpt:
“Luck seemed to be all we carried for the moment. I jumped on the back of the creature behind Ash, sinking into its thick fur. She urged Charlie on who stood frozen, mesmerized by the beast’s boulder-sized, shaggy head. Its pointed ears and snout twitched as it trembled, eager to be on the run.”

agriusbeast

 

CRETAN BEAST IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY: Known as the Cretan Bull, it was the bull Pasiphaë fell in love with, giving birth to the Minotaur. The Cretan Bull was feared and eventually captured and sacrificed.

CRETAN BEAST IN THE LIGHTNING ROAD SERIES: Half lion, half bull. It’s held captive in the Wild Lands and hunted by Artemis.cretan

Cretan Beast Excerpt:
“I skidded to a stop, riding wet leaves. Charlie’s eyes blinked with surprise as I shoved him aside and turned to face the unleashed creature. It flew over my head—an exploding mountain of fur and legs and tail—and slammed onto the ground. It turned to face me, panting. Pacing back and forth, its massive paws glinted with curved nails as it smashed the mud. Steam bellowed from its giant nostrils and horns protruded from a head covered in a shaggy brown mane. Tinted burnt orange, the beast raged part lion, part bull. I backed away from the monster, hauling Charlie with me.”

I love to write about monstrous people and beasts. I get to face my own fears by writing about them.  I’ve always loved Greek mythology which has lots of monstrous creatures in it.  And sometimes the monsters we fear are not the ones we should be afraid of – it’s the ones who don’t appear monstrous that can be the most evil.

Pre-Order Giveaway for Joshua and the Arrow Realm!

By Donna Galanti

Thunderclap 1200x627 1One month from today Joshua and the Arrow Realm, book two in the Lightning Road series, releases!

Join in the fun! From today through midnight August 14th I’ll be running a pre-order giveaway. Pre-order Joshua and the Arrow Realm in any format and be entered to win a paperback copy of book one, Joshua and the Lightning Road – PLUS all these goodies below!

Email your receipt here and be automatically entered to win! The winner will be announced on my blog August 15th. Comment on this post and receive an extra entry!

Pre-order now:

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One winner will receive the grand prize of a Lost Realm map poster, lightning orb light-up ball, $25 B&N gift certificate, and paperback of book 1 in the series, Joshua and the Lightning Road. (U.S. Only). Send your receipt here.

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How else can you join in the fun? I’d love for you to support my Thunderclap campaign through social media and zap the world with so many others about the release of Joshua and the Arrow Realm on August 30th! It’s free and takes seconds to sign up HERE.

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And bloggers buy levitra there’s still time to  sign up here for the book trailer reveal on August 15th that includes a giveaway too!

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If you haven’t visited my Facebook page, I’m sharing snippets of the map of the Arrow Realm plus book excerpts there all month long until book release day. Pop by and see! Here’s one to share for now 🙂 .

Draft illustration and excerpt of the Arrow Realm tree houses where the Wild Childs live:

“Ash motioned us to leave with her when they were all gone, and we stepped outside onto the tree house platform. Purple night deepened and long shadows softened the craggy world. We stood on a plank road with roped netting rail that zigzagged from house to house and floated under the forest’s canopy in a sea of darkness. Green lights glowed soft through lopsided windows, and branch shadows wrapped the tiny shacks in prickly fingers. Leaves battered the houses in the sharp wind as the Wild Childs skulked amongst the trees.”

TreeHouse

Thanks for all of your support everyone! 

 

 

Joshua and the Arrow Realm Book Trailer + Sign up for the Reveal!

By Donna Galanti

Thunderclap 1200x627 1I can’t believe Joshua and the Arrow Realm comes out next month! On August 30th take the lightning road back to a world of beasts, bandits, and heroes in book 2 in my Lightning Road series! Join Joshua in a new fight for power in the Arrow Realm. Kids are heroes too but can Joshua and his friends conquer an unstoppable evil? Perfect for reluctant readers and adventure lovers. READ the first two chapters! 

Pre-order now!
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And one month from today, August 15th, I’ll be doing an AMAZING book trailer reveal across many wonderful blogs.

The book trailer reveal includes:
Exclusive excerpt plus one grand prize of a Lost Realm map poster, lightning orb light-up ball, paperback of book 1 in the series, Joshua and the Lightning Road, and $25 Barnes &Noble gift card.(U.S. Only). Bloggers sign up here! 

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Check out a video of the “lightning orbs” my son and I goofed around making!

 

Want more? Check out all the great book blogs where I’ll be revealing the book trailer on August 15th and enter the giveaway too!

Book Hounds YA
Don’t Judge Read
Flashlight Reader
Fundimental
fuonlyknew
Greg Pattridge
Joe McGee
Kerry Gans
Karen Pokras Toz
Linda Smith
Log Cabin Library
Michelle Eisenhoff
Middle Grade Mafioso
Middle Grade Ninja
Nayu’s Reading Corner
Randomly Reading
Teaching My Baby To Read
The Author Chronicles
The Book Cellar
The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow 
This Kid Reviews Books

I am extremely grateful for all of your support! Your words as individuals are so meaningful, but together they can really impact the awareness of Joshua and the Arrow Realm on its release date.

To that end, I am using Thunderclap to gather all the social posts of support in advance so that they all launch simultaneously on August 30th, 2016 at 9am! With your help, my on-sale date will make a HUGE social impact!

My goal is to have 150 supporters and a reach of 500,000. I’ve over half way there!

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Join me now in helping to reach the world with one message by signing up to this Thunderclap campaign. We will zap the world with our lightning message! Thank you for lending your voice to help make my book a success!

xxoo-Donna

 

 

 

 

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