Launch Day: Victory’s Voice by Erika Mathews – Spotlight + Excerpt

Before we get on to today’s post, I have a special announcement. This is my 50th post on Living Outside the Lines! 🎉 ^_^ I can’t believe it’s already been almost seven months since I started this blog, it feels like just yesterday I published my first post, my heart filled with joy, hopes, dreams, and just a bit of anxiety, haha. And now, here I am with so many wonderful people who come read my posts, even when they’re a bit crazy or two and three a week *squints at February*. Thank you all for making Living Outside the Lines such a wonderful little community you guys are the best! ❤

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Happy Launch Day to Erika Mathews!

A new Christian kingdom adventure fiction novel hits the shelves! Victory’s Voice by Erika Mathews, an indie author of Christian fiction and non-fiction for all ages, is book two in Truth from Taerna, and my post is part of the virtual launch tour. You can pick up the paperback and ebook on Amazon here. 

Join the fun!

• Click here to read the first chapter for free!
• Buy the paperback here. Or buy the ebook on Amazon.
• Review the #VictorysVoiceChallenge on Instagram for insights into key Scripture verses that inspired the book.
• Join the #VictoryContest – a creative photo contest.
• Check out the rest of the blog tour stops for character spotlights, interviews, and snippets.
• Leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads.

About the book

When an extroverted bookworm discovers the hidden power of spoken words, death and life tremble in the balance on the tip of her tongue. But not only figuratively.

At seventeen, Ellisia’s passion for learning and books dominates her small-town existence. No wonder she’s elated when an opportunity to attend Academy arises: she can finally fulfill her lifelong goals to further her education and see the famed Palace BookHall. But as she begins to discover the true power of the spoken word, she faces a choice: join forces with a foreign physicist or relinquish her dream to someday work in the BookHall. Loyalties and ambitions war within Ellisia once the scientist’s projects begin to threaten her family’s safety. When impending crisis brings a clash of spiritual kingdoms, Ellisia must once for all choose how she’ll harness the power of words. Spoken words transcend her reality, uniting heavenly with earthly and commanding the forces that drive the physical world, and Ellisia’s voice will be the catalyst for sure defeat—or decisive victory.

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About the author

Erika Mathews is an author and editor who lives in the farm country of Minnesota with her husband and children. She’s a homeschool graduate with a Bachelor’s in Communications, a Master’s in Biblical Ministries, and a passion for sharing Jesus Christ and His truth. When she’s not working with books, she enjoys reading, outdoor activities, piano and violin, organizing, and using the Oxford comma. You can connect with Erika at restinglife.com.

Website: restinglife.com

Blog: writtenrest.wordpress.com

Instagram: instagram.com/ErikaMathewsAuthor

Facebook: facebook.com/ErikaMathewsAuthor

Amazon: amazon.com/-/e/B06XK4TFQL

Goodreads: goodreads.com/resterwen

Pinterest: pinterest.com/resterwen

Visit the Tour Kick-off Post on Erika’s blog.

Excerpt

Back in the comfortable familiarity of her room, the single inch of candle on the desk flickering at regular intervals, the warmth from the fire downstairs radiating up to spread across her toes, all the house below soundly asleep—Ellisia sank down on the bed, shut her eyes, and let her imagination run wild. Words—words flying out of her mouth. Flying to the end of the Taernan borders, to the end of the world. Words shaping their path before her eyes. Words doing whatever she wished, pushing all before them to her whim. She saw men, women, and children running out of their homes to stare at the unstoppable flow of her words. She saw herself exalted on a mountaintop, the wind whipping through her hair and words pouring out of her mouth faster than she could stop them. She saw them tumbling and swirling, waving and lilting, glittering and glowing, in an exquisite dance with the air as they passed through, leaving their subtle mark on whatever they touched. Carefree words, beautiful words, grateful words, healing words, helping words, breathtaking words—words of passion, of grace, and of calm.

Then the scene changed. Words still flowed from her, but the atmosphere had darkened. No longer did they seem to glow—they were turning murky and almost unreadable, pulsing in jerky waves through the air before her. What was she saying? What was she thinking? Glee rose in her heart, and the words kept coming. Twisting and writhing, swirling, turning, and tumbling, driving all on before them. A veritable thunderstorm cascaded from her mouth. The ground under her trembled in a low quake, echoing the pattern of vibrations in the air. Muffled shrieks came from the houses to which the people had fled. A dark wall of words came rushing upon the town, engulfing it in darkness . . .

Ellisia snapped to attention, sitting up suddenly. Where had that come from? She lay back down, carefully focusing her imagination. Surely she could regain control and dream on.

Now the words tumbled again, like a light breeze. The air before her once more held a faint glow, as if illuminated by the words she spoke, her voice lower now. People reemerged from their homes and laughed to see the words coming. Some of those from poorer homes began shouting about newfound riches and prosperity. Others began to sing and dance in the joy of restored lives granted to them. One man came racing out of the servants’ quarters behind the palace, shouting about freedom and life and light. Ellisia, from the mountaintop, grinned. The words kept coming. She started shaping them, arranging them, playing with them, making them beautiful before her eyes. Books began pouring from the sky down to the people’s homes. Some ran out and began reading immediately. Others took them inside, already buried in study, then never again emerged. Still others shrieked in terror and ran indoors to hide from the torrent of books bombarding their homes. Ellisia merely chuckled. She was seeing her dream before her eyes. She continued manipulating the words, using her entire body now, the power of an exalted soul squeezing through her heart and up her throat and out of her lips. Now it wasn’t books raining down but knowledge—pure, unadulterated knowledge. Many drank it in greedily, but somehow each one seemed to be inebriated with knowledge, no longer behaving rationally. Others shrank from the flood. Many picked up pieces of it and began using it for their own gain. And as Ellisia continued perfecting her skill, many others came to her—though they could not approach her as she stood on the mountaintop. Still, they tried their best to get as close as they could, throwing themselves on their faces before her and bringing her every sort of gift and bounty and blessing imaginable. She grinned and sent another torrent of words to gather up the gifts and bring them to herself. They spun themselves into a beautiful mansion on the mountainside and created a sort of elevated throne underneath her from which she continued to pour words down the mountain.

After a time, she began to wonder what had happened to the people who had brought the gifts. She craned her neck to see over the mountainside to where they had been, but she could see nothing but a great pool of words.

And still the words kept coming, dancing and writhing and twisting. Soon she lost all sight of all else, forgot to wonder about the rest of the world, and simply reveled in words. Words spun around her. Words engulfed her. The entire world was nothing but glowing, blossoming, enchanting words.

Her head sank down and she knew no more for a time.

When she finally began to stir, light crept in the western window from the reflection of a red sunrise.

Every muscle in her upper body ached. She stretched backwards, trying to relieve the pressure, but her head began to throb. Why had she slept in her clothes? And why hadn’t she gotten into bed properly?

She stretched until she was flat on the bed, then closed her eyes. Coherent thought refused to come. Gradually it returned to her. The people. The words. The mountaintop. One memory stood out more clearly than any others—a glowing, a shining. A feeling of perfect joy and contentment. A feeling of right, of delight in who she was, of harmony and power and beauty and gifts. Oh, she would give anything to feel that again. What had caused it? Was it the talking? Was it her reading? Eventually she concluded that it must have been the beauty of the words themselves. As she closed her eyes, the memories of the dream enveloped her mind—she could remember the soft inner glow, the comfort of it all.

It was a dream. But all dreams had a basis in reality. And in this one, she’d tasted just a draught of her life’s purpose.

Yes, words were her life. From henceforth she would devote herself to their study and application.

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Launch tour stops:

3/15/2021: Victory’s Voice comprehensive book review by Chelsea at Sheep Among Wolves Publishing

3/18/2021: LAUNCH DAY! Read Victory’s Voice on Kindle today!

+ Character spotlight on Caeleb (27-year-old friendly elder-brotherly friend), shared by Abigail Kay Harris at Read Review Rejoice.

+ Character spotlight on Jolyn (an Academy student) shared by Tara at Tower in the Plains

+ Book spotlight & excerpt shared by Jenavieve Rose at Living Outside the Lines (You are here.)

+ Special release day post at Resting Life Resting Life

3/20/2021: Book review by Katja at Old Fashioned Book Love

3/22/2021: Character interview with Carita (Ellisia’s older sister who is devoted to God) shared by Chelsea at Sheep Among Wolves Publishing

3/25/2021: Character spotlight and interview with Aethelwyn (Wyn – a bubbly Academy student who plays cello) posted by Katja at Little Blossoms for Jesus

3/26/2021: Promise’s Prayer and Victory’s Voice book reviews by Jenavieve Rose at Living Outside the Lines

3/31/2021: Last day to enter the #VictoryContest

Stay tuned for a special giveaway to come!

Does this sound like a book you would read? What did you think of the excerpt? Don’t forget to check out the other stops!

Let’s Chat! 😀