Friday, September 25, 2015

Book Spotlight and Giveaway for Dragon's Eye


Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post to be in the running for some great prizes.
Tour is sponsored by Pride Promotions.

Talking with author Lexi Ander:

What was the Igigi War?

If you've read Surrounded by Crimson, there was the scene where Tristan came upon the depiction of the Igigi War on a cavern wall. What or who are the Igigi? Why were they fighting? What was the outcome?

The Igigi and their war was one of those vague myths that I latched onto. There were plenty of websites where people had ideas and lots of speculation but very little facts. What was thought to be factual was the term Igigi being used for the gods of heaven and Annunaki were the gods of earth. The term was penned during the Babylonian period and said to encompass their ten great gods. Sometimes the term used was synonymous with the word Annunaki but evolved to refer to all the gods of heaven. Igigi was also thought to be the younger gods, the 6th generation, who were servants/slaves to the Annunaki until they rebelled and they were replaced by the creation of humans. In the Babylonian Epic of Creation, the Igigi numbered three hundred.

Like I said, there was very little in the ways of facts, so I took Igigi to mean a group of gods and then I labeled the biggest battle between the gods as the Igigi War, a civil war that drastically changed who ruled. I'm going to do my best to generalize because I don't want to lose you to the details. Those details will be made into separate blog posts that focus on the information about the gods and their personalities. So here we go.

Tiamat and Abzu filled the cosmic abyss. Abzu fathered on Tiamat the elder deities and from the elders more gods were born creating a great havoc that annoyed Abzu to no end. He'd had enough and planned on murdering the lesser gods so he could start over. Tiamat loved all her children and went to her favorite grandchild, Enki, confiding in him what Abzu planned.

Armed with this information, Enki battled with Abzu, captured him and put Abzu to sleep in the waters under Enki's temple. Tired from the fight, Enki fell into a deep asleep next to Abzu and began to absorb Abzu's creation power. Kingu, a son of Tiamat and Abzu, had aspirations to become the ruler of the gods and he ran to Tiamat telling her consort was murdered and Tiamat loses her shit.

She created and army of gods to battle those who killed her mate. Tiamat took Kingu as her lover and bestowed upon him the Tablets of Destinies. Three clay tablets that Kingu wore as a breastplate giving him immense power and she made him the general of her army.

Meanwhile, Enki's mother attempted to wake him from his sleep because if anyone could talk sense into Tiamat, it was her favorite. But Enki was too exhausted and didn't wake. Enlil stepped up and extracted a vow from all the gods defending against Tiamat that he would be made "king of the gods" which, of course, they agreed to. With a net, arrows, club, and an invincible spear Enlil battles with Tiamat, splitting her asunder. Her ribs were made into the vault of heaven, her weeping eyes became the source of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and her tail made into the Milky Way. The Tablets of Destinies were taken from Kingu and Enlil donned them becoming the king of the gods. Even though Kingu fled, he was captured and later killed. The gods Tiamat created for the war were subjugated and in later texts they were depicted as servants.

In some accounts of the creation myth, there were a few of the lesser gods who sided with Tiamat. In Surrounded by Crimson, the God Ashur revealed that he didn't side with Tiamat and therefore had been separate from her. That was the reason he could teach Tristan the songs of the earth but the Earth didn't respond him. In his own way, Ashur seeks forgiveness through teaching Tristan and Ushna.

This is what I called the Igigi War. There was another smaller skirmish that led to the creation myth of humans… but that is another story.


A huge thank you for allowing me to be a guest on the blog today! Throughout the blog tour for Dragon's Eye, I hope you enjoy the behind the scenes look at the gods and mythos, and how they play a part in Sumeria's Sons. For a visual representation, please visit my Pinterest page. (https://www.pinterest.com/lexiander1/sumeria-sons-inspirations/) During the tour I discuss the Sumerian pantheon, about who and what the Gods/Goddess are, and how I use them. Make sure you stop by the other blogs to get a complete look at the Gods and Goddess the Lycan's follow.

Also, Less Than Three Press is running a special sale on Sumeria's Sons from September 23rd  through October 7th (dates inclusive).

Twin Flames is $0.99.




25% off Songs of the Earth





25% off Dreams of the Forgotten





25% off Surrounded by Crimson




Thank you for stopping by and reading!

Now onto Lexi Ander's Dragon's Eye....


Cover Artist: London Burden
Series: Sumeria’s Sons
Book Number: 5
Series should be read in order. 
Release Date: October 7, 2015

In the wake of birth and betrayal, Ushna takes the God Ashur to Tristan in a last desperate bid to save Tristan's life—and is helpless to do anything but watch as Ashur instead buries him in a grave. Though he has no desire to go on living, having now lost Brian and Tristan, Ushna has no choice. Not only do their children need him, the mysterious Simurgh has come out of hiding and forces him to continue on—for there is much to do and little time to do it, especially with treachery and danger closing in on them from every side.


Pages or Words: 98,000 words

Categories: Fantasy, M/M Romance, Menage/Poly, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy



Exclusive Excerpt:

Chapter One

**Ushna**

The God Ashur followed behind me carrying Tristan, whose body was battered and broken. The cry of our newborn pups preceded me. Their birth was supposed to be a wondrous occasion, but through treachery and lies, that was stolen from us. Instead of enjoying the happy moment, I feared Tristan was dying.

There was so much blood. The damage to his body overwhelmed my senses. I was afraid if I didn't keep my eyes on him, if I turned my back for a second too long, his Flame would slip away. We ran through the cursed caverns that wouldn't allow me to touch my wolf or feel the song of the earth. Ashur's harsh commands to hurry spurred me on faster but I had to look behind me, I had to see with my own eyes that Tristan was still with us, still fighting.

The scars… I couldn't care less but Tristan might. I vowed I would spend the rest of my life showing him how beautiful he was to me—but first we had to get him out into the open.

I glanced back. "Hurry, Ashur."

The corridor seemed much longer than when we'd come in. Glancing over my shoulder again to ensure Ashur followed closely, my impatience caused a snarl to rumble in my throat. Tristan's skin was a gray-blue, stark and sickly against Ashur's rich mahogany tone. With every passing moment, we were losing him.

"Please." I don't know if I begged Ashur to go faster or if it was a plea to the Gods to spare Tristan's life.

When we entered the darkened corridor carved from the bedrock, I heard Tristan sigh. For months, he'd been teaching me how to listen to the Earth and I could practically feel her rush to him. I climbed the stairs, my foot slipping on the wet step in my hurry to get outside.

The open air had never smelled so good, filling my lungs with the scents of life. My wolf stirred, frantic for our mate. I reached to take Tristan from Ashur, but he dodged my grasp, moving off to the side. His low voice had a musical tone as he chanted in a language I didn't recognize and next to him, a hole formed in the ground.

"What are you doing? You said all we had to do was get him outside!" Why was Ashur not singing the song for healing? I reached again to take Tristan from Ashur's arms. Tristan was teaching me the complex chant, but Ashur was Tristan's tutelary. He knew what to ask the Earth for and how. Why was he not begging her to save Tristan's life? She wouldn't say no. She'd never say no to Tristan because she adored him.

It took a moment for the haze of my frantic thoughts to subside enough to realize Ashur was talking and then another for me to process the meaning of his words. What did he mean he couldn't restore Tristan's health?

With rising alarm, I said, "You've been teaching him how to sing to the Earth. Why can't you do that now?"

Ashur dodged me, laying Tristan in the hole atop the dark loamy soil. Something eased in me seeing Tristan in contact with the ground, although the Earth didn't rush up to him as I'd expected. She never missed an opportunity to touch him… until now. Instead, I felt power build until my bones ached and the snakes on my chest writhed in discomfort.

Staring down, I searched for the source of the energy, sure that at any moment, whatever it was would show itself. My gaze continued to return to Tristan with his ruined eyed, his torso ravaged and gaping. Never had I seen him so vulnerable, so small, the very sight calling to the caretaker within me.

Tearing my gaze away, I confronted Ashur who was pleading with me. "I teach him the songs but She doesn't respond to me."

An ancient sadness shone in Ashur's visage but I didn't care. I had trusted him to save Tristan. Never before had I been filled with such useless rage. I didn't understand what Ashur was saying. Who was he talking about? The Earth? He was the king's tutelary, so why wouldn't the Earth answer his call?

Desperation rose up and I barked, "Why the fuck not?"

"Because I took the wrong side in a war, now I'm forever separated from Her."

What did that have to do with the here and now? What did it matter he'd lost something or someone? My Tristan was dying and all he could do was talk. Ashur's pleading gaze held mine and I suddenly understood. I glanced back down at Tristan, lying in a bed of fresh dark soil.

A grave.

"No! You cannot mean to do this. He's not dead!" I jumped into the hole; Tristan's single eye stared at me with clarity, despite the state of his body. His chest rose and fell with each labored breath. There was still time. I could save him.

With the strength of the God he was, Ashur wound his arms around my waist and easily hauled me away from Tristan.

I went mad.

I fought, screamed and begged. First Brian and now Tristan. How was I to stay behind? I pleaded with Ashur to allow me to go with Tristan. We'd travelled through the Earth together before, we could do it again. I could sing to the Earth and beg for Her help.

It wasn't too late.

Then Ashur chanted and the soil covered Tristan, taking him from my sight. I roared with fury, thrashing and clawing at Ashur's hands. I vowed vengeance for this act of betrayal. Silently, Ashur held me as I beat and wailed upon him, trying to free myself from his steely grasp. He whispered continuously, "I am sorry but this had to be done," in my ear. Tears of grief stained my cheeks and I hated him all the more because it didn't have to be like this. He had no right to take Tristan from me.


How was I to know I'd have only a few short months with him? Never once did I consider I would be left behind again. Who'd keep me grounded now? I was hollow, less than half of who I once was because two essential parts of me were missing, leaving me a mere shadow of who I used to be. What was left for me now? All I wanted was to follow Tristan.

I clenched the loamy soil between my fingers, startling at the harsh cry of a babe. One, then two, followed by a third wail of infant voices filled the silence. Each tiny bellow wrapped around me and I hung my head feeling wrung out and defeated. What would anchor me to this world, indeed?


Tour Dates & Stops:

Meet Lexi Ander:
Lexi has always been an avid reader, and at a young age started reading (secretly) her mother’s romances (the ones she was told not to touch). She was the only teenager she knew of who would be grounded from reading. Later, with a pencil and a note book, she wrote her own stories and shared them with friends because she loved to see their reactions. A Texas transplant, Lexi now kicks her boots up in the Midwest with her Yankee husband and her eighty-pound puppies named after vacuum cleaners.

Where to find Lexi Ander:


Rafflecopter Prize:
1.       Prize offered: Prize offered: $20 Amazon Gift card, $20 All Romance Gift card, hard copy of Dragon's Eye, swag (pens, bookmarks)
2.        $20 All Romance Gift card, hard copy of Dragon's Eye, swag (pens, bookmarks)
3.        hard copy of Dragon's Eye, swag (pens, bookmarks)
4.        e-book copy of Dragon's Eye
5.        e-book copy of Dragon's Eye


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3 comments:

Lexi said...

Thank you for hosting me!

Suhely said...

Biting my nails waiting for release day...

Lexi said...

Three more nights to go!

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