Joseph Hashimoto is happy with his ordinary life. A man who believes in fairness and just action, Joe’s greatest love is his family. But as he moves about his days, he is completely unaware that his actions are carefully observed. With one momentous decision, Joe’s ordinary life is about to transform into an extraordinary existence.
While attempting to save a little girl from danger, Joe is killed in a violent explosion. Instead of dying, however, his soul is brought before the elemental Architects of the Universe, who tell him he has been chosen for a sacred duty. Reborn as Lightrider, the earthly representative of Light, Joe is given leadership of the Elemental Knights, a group of half-man, half-animal beings. Charged with maintaining a delicate balance between good and evil, Joe must police both sides and destroy anyone who threatens to ruin it. As Joe struggles with his conflicting emotions and longing for home, he must face his greatest threat—the ancient Chaos Demons.
In this fantasy tale, a man inadvertently thrust into a world of cosmic forces must come to terms with change and accept what needs to be done for the good of all
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Be sure to take a few moments to read through this fabulous excerpt taken from Lightrider.
Excerpt
He stared at the leather-bound book that
lay on the table. The colors danced beyond the window above it. Though his eyes
stared at the book, his mind saw the outside perfectly—the reds, yellows, and
blacks flashed across the skies, a drunken man’s view of a kaleidoscope. It was
so unlike the plain blue skies of his birth world; he remembered that when he’d
first come to this place, the skies alone had entranced him for hours. Now, he
barely remembered the amazement that had bound him. But the work was still
there. It had dominated his life long enough to kill the joys he’d once felt at
the things he witnessed here. Now, as he stayed in this home, this prison, his
duty was all that kept him alive.
Duty. God, he had grown to hate the very
word. After all these years and betrayals, he no longer knew what it meant.
Hate it all he might, he also knew that the joys duty had brought him would
always be there. That was why he had taken up the book once again. When he’d
looked at it, with its bare, unadorned cover and yellowing pages, he’d set it
aside, thinking it unimportant. Now, in its pages, he thought he might find
understanding of all that had brought him here. It had been so long since he
had allowed the past to truly wash over him, to let it bathe him in its
scalding waters. But what else was he to do?
Slowly, he walked over to the desk. He
waved his hand, and a chair blinked into existence. He sat and waved his hand
again, calling a small jar of ink to appear on the table, a white feather
emerging from its open lid. He reached over and opened the book, seeing the
empty pages, their blank eyes waiting to be colored by the ink of his words. He
let his mind drift, turning back to those early days, until finally, he came to
that moment that would allow him to dip back into the past. He smiled as he
remembered that long-ago time. She’d been lying there in bed, the sunlight
outlining every aspect of her face. God, she’d looked so sweet and beautiful!
That moment had been so ordinary and yet
so joyful. He couldn’t have imagined that things would change so much that
watching the woman he’d never see again sleep would be his happiest memory. But
that was what happened when a man died. And if such a man was like him and made
it past being dead…
“More than just the usual good versus evil theme, it focuses on good not always being right, and evil not always being bad, but there needs to be a balance between the two.” – DB ~ Amazon Reviewer
“I really felt like I was on the sidelines watching it all unfold.” – Ren @ A Little Bit of R&R
“From the first page, I found myself not wanting to stop reading. The story and characters had me completely engrossed, and I think it is a book I'd find myself reading over in years to come.” – Kristen Bapst ~ Amazon Reviewer
“The book was not only believable but spiritual as well as suspenseful. The writing is amazingly descriptive which bring the pages to life in your mind. The imagery is so clear, I could see it on the big screen as I flew through the pages.” Anonymous Barnes & Noble Reviewer
Author Bio:
"When I started the Lightrider Journals, the big fantasy novels of the day were Twilight and Harry Potter. I wanted to avoid being another copy of those at all costs. So I combined all my major influences- Terry Brooks, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Stephen King's The Dark Tower. As I wrote, I wanted to explore a concept that wasn't discussed much in any popular fantasy- the idea of showing good and evil as forces both responsible for and essential to life as we know it. I also wanted to show a more natural form of magic, and show fantasy existing in the real world, which would turn out much bigger then people think.
And finally, I wanted to tell a story about what I was feeling stepping out in the world for the first time- how a man can adapt to a sudden and tremendous responsibility- not just his successes, but his losses as well, and how he learns to live with them. And of course, throw in liberal amounts of magic, characters that would resonate with people, and a sprinkling of humor. I think anyone who reads it will be able to have a good time with all the characters and action, but also see a different version of the neverending battle of good and evil. And most of all, I hope they leave the book with a better idea of how they can face that which seems insurmountable."
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Giveaway info:
The tour wide giveaway is for a Signed paperback copy of The Lightrider Journals.
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