In the deep heart of the forest, there are places where no light ever shines, where darkness is folded by pale hands and jewel-bright eyes, where the world is ruled by the wicked and kept by the wraiths. This is where the Sprites of the Sihl live.
But Sprites are not born, they are made. On the path to Spritehood, spritelings must first become shades. They do so by binding a shadow: a woodland creature, who guides them through their training. Together, they keep from the light and learn to enchant living things, to bind them, and eventually, to kill them.
Ahraia is a shade who has bound a wolf for a shadow, as strong a shadow as there has ever been. But while her wolf marks her for greatness, Ahraia struggles with the violent ways of her people. Illicit as it is, she would rather be running wild beneath the moons. But a test is coming, and the further she and her shadow wander out of the darkness, the deeper they wander into danger. Ahraia’s time is coming and what awaits her at the end of her test will either make her or kill her . . .
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Excerpt #1
“Do wolves have names?” Ahraia murmured aloud.
The wolf’s thoughts burned like dim flames, ill-conceived beyond instinct. Her shadow’s ears tucked back nervously. She was thinking of the plains and the moons and her pack.
We tell stories about the moons, Ahraia conveyed, making her thoughts known to the wolf. They were wolves once, like you, sisters who roamed the plains. My people tell the story of the Blood Wolf and the Dark Wolf, but my favorite is the story of the Bright Wolf. Ahraia ran her finger’s through her wolf’s fur, knowing how unspritish that was to admit. The Blood Moon and Dark Moon were smaller and slower—they didn’t burn like the Bright Moon. Her shadow didn’t care. Her ears stood straighter; she was listening.
The Bright Wolf was the strongest wolf to ever walk the lands, Ahraia thought to her wolf. Losna was her name, and it was known from Everdark to Everlight. But one day, Losna’s mother was killed by the Dae-Mon. So bitter and angry was she that she leapt into the sky to chase after the Dae-Mon. Losna became the Bright Moon, the Masah, the great hunter of the night. Now she spends her night ruling over the world and her days chasing the Dae-Mon. That is why the wolves call for her. Because they love her. And they miss her.
Ahraia let her mind fall into silence. They walked for a time, dodging between slivers of moonlight that fell to the forest floor.
Losna, her shadow thought.
“I will call you Losna.” The name rolled off Ahraia’s tongue and rumbled in her heart. She nodded, as though it was decided. “It’s a good name,” she said, running her fingers through her shadow’s fur.
Excerpt #2
Ahraia’s mother knelt before her, a summer breeze rustling the silver-white hairs that had escaped her tarry-vine.
“Do you know the true purpose of our shadows?”
Ahraia used Losna to steady herself, clutching tightly to the thick clump of fur at her neck.
To guide us as shades? she conveyed. Her eyes and ears tipped down as tears dripped over her cheeks.
Three years had passed since she returned from binding Losna, and, since that day, she had heard her mother’s voice many times—but this would be the last.
Fog swirled from the opposite bank, spilling out over the waters of the Winnowlin and hiding the stars above. Her mother’s cheek bled from the Posturant’s cut, her mark of defeat.
Her mark of condemnation.
If she was nervous, she didn’t show it. Her stark-white eyes were fixed on Ahraia, her ears upright and face a veil of calm. Ahraia’s own lip quivered, and she couldn’t help as a stricken sob escaped.
Stop that, her mother conveyed. Golden veins darkened across her eyes, like tendrils of clouds crawling across the Bright Moon. It shows weakness. And you of all shades can’t show weakness.
Ahraia dragged a light-scarred hand across her face and sniffed hard. Losna nuzzled her, her tongue scratching across her wrist.
That’s better. Her mother wiped the remaining damp from her cheek, ignoring her own bloodied face.
“The true purpose of a shadow is not to guide the shade—but to make a sprite of her. Our shadows are a measure of us. They choose us as spritelings, when we are weak and naïve, grown of soft roots—and they leave us as sprites, hardened and sharp, cut from stone. But it’s what lies between that makes us who we are.”
Author Interview:
1: Tell us a little about yourself and what got you in to writing?
Originally, right around the time I graduated high school, I spent most of my days dreaming of adventure and worlds beyond our own. For some reason, I started to write down these thoughts and they quickly turned into a story (I remember clearly that the first few pages were drivel, the likes of which I’m sure the world has never suffered before). From there, I suddenly realized that books came from people and I could be one of those people. Before that, I had just kind of assumed authors were like astronauts and you had to be perfect to make a book. But a compulsion was born and I began to create my own story and have been ever since. That was almost fifteen years ago, and somehow I still feel like I’m just getting started.
2: Do you have a favourite time and place where you write?
I like to write in the mornings, typically, as early as I can physically get up (used to be four o’clock but now is five —kid’s make everything tougher). I used to be a night owl, but I never got anything done. Now, I wake up and the world is quiet. Everyone is sleeping, and it seems easier to get my mind going. I’ve gotten to the point where I can write anywhere, but I prefer to be at my desk, in my office. I was particular in the desk I bought, and the chair too. They’re both comfortable and big. I would consider them as my favorite items in my house. In recent years, I’ve come to enjoy writing on vacation as well, particularly if there’s a good place to sit in the mornings, preferably with a view.
3: Where do your ideas come from?
That’s a great question and one I couldn’t possibly begin to understand. To be totally honest, I don’t know. I used to think they were from me—some amalgamation of my life experiences jumbled up and spit out by my subconscious—but nowadays, I don’t know. I’m starting to ascribe to the belief that they don’t necessarily come within. I think there is truth in the idea of muses and right now they aren’t happy with me because I’ve spent too much time getting this book out there rather than writing my next!
4: Do you have a plan in your head of where the story is going before you start writing or do you let it carry you along as you go?
I generally have a good idea of the direction and overall framework of the story. I can’t begin to write without knowing the premise, and that generally drives the structure. Within that framework, however, I have no control. Sometimes, I get into a scene or piece of dialogue and things go haywire. Sometimes that’s a great thing, while at other times, it can derail me for weeks. It all depends on a clear understanding of the characters and their motivations. If I know their driving forces well, the scenes that go off script generally work out for the best.
5: What genre are your books and what drew you to that genre?
I write fantasy. Initially, I was drawn to the genre for the adventure and for the wonder it presented. Now, those reasons continue to a source of joy, but the main reason I write fantasy is because of the range of issues it lets me approach. Fantasy can be dark or light. It can be deep or frivolous. It can deal with personal stories or epics. And it does so in ways that can still be an adventure.
6: What dream cast would you like to see playing the characters in your latest book?
For my other books (not yet released), I have most of the cast chosen. But for this one, it’s different. Between the Shade and the Shadow is a story of sprites— elf-like creatures of the night, and so no human cast really fits my ideal character. So in this case, I would want a bunch of unknowns!
7: Do you read much and if so who are your favourite authors?
I try to read a lot, and I generally have one or two audiobooks queued up as well. My favorites include Patrick Rothfuss, J.K. Rowling, Tolkien, Brandon Sanderson, and Pierce Brown. I read a lot of non-fiction as well, though that depends on what I’m trying to immerse myself in at the time.
8: What book/s are you reading at present?
I just finished up the third book in Pierce Brown’s Red Rising Series. I haven’t decided what I want to do next.
9: What is your favourite book and why?
The Name of the Wind is my favorite book. The music alone (in a book!) gives me the chills and the writing is phenomenal. Harry Potter is the series I wish I could re-read from scratch because the characters feel like close friends and I regret every time I finish the books. The Lord of the Rings is my all time favorite and sparked my interest in fantasy. And lastly, I love The Slow Regard of Silent Things. I think it’s such a unique book about a strange and broken creature. I do NOT recommend this book unless you are a fan of The Name of the Wind AND a huge Auri fan. So, as you can see, I don’t have an answer.
10: What advice would you give for someone thinking about becoming a writer?
I think you have to cultivate the mindset of always trying to grow and learn. No one is a great writer from the get-go, and so you have to be willing to improve incrementally and continually. My favorite books on writing are Steven Pressfield’s, The War of Art, and Steven King’s, On Writing. Both have helped me immensely, and I think it’s better to take advice from someone like them rather than me.
11: What are the best Social Media Sites for people to find out about you and your work?
My website: therealmless.com
My Amazon Page: www.amazon.com/Coleman-Alexander/e/B07BTJNCPR
My Goodreads Page:
www.goodreads.com/author/show/17903186.Coleman_Alexander
About the Author:
Coleman Alexander lives and writes in Portland, Oregon. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, exploration runs deep in his blood. Whether visiting the remote wilds of Alaska or the imaginary lands of his books, he is happiest with his head in the woods or the mountains. The farther off the beaten path the better.
His favorite author’s include J.R.R. Tolkien, Patrick Rothfuss, and J.K. Rowling, and his work is influenced by a great number of fantasy and science fiction movies and books. Music plays an integral part of his writing process, and he is always diving down the rabbit hole for new musicians.
Between the Shade and the Shadow is his debut novel, but is only the first piece of a much greater world he is creating, the world of The Realmless.
