Blog Stop: When Copper Sun Falls

Welcome, welcome! Today, I have a short little blog for you, featuring an excerpt from a YA novel by KaSonndra Leigh. Enjoy!

Here's an interesting character interview to get you more in touch with who's who in When Copper Suns Fall.

Meet Faris:

Can you introduce yourself to us?

Name’s Faris. Faris Toulan. I’m a Caducean, a demon slayer. There isn’t really much else to say. **Glances at me with a set of intense gray eyes that shimmer inside the irises. I wonder if they’re really gray, or could they be silver** People around you might not understand why my skills are necessary in this day and time, but they will. You’ll be glad you had this interview with me.

In what way are you connected to Chela? 

Hmm. **massages the back of his neck as he thinks about this**  Our connection is, well…difficult to explain. You see, if I tell you about it, then you’d be at risk. **I’m dying to know what he means. Before I can say anything, he continues.** That means I’d have to take a part of your memories. I can do that, you know. **I suck my breath. Did he just read my mind?** I’ll do anything to protect Chela. Our connection is beyond words.

What can you say about your life? 

 I told you, there isn’t really much I can say. But I will tell you to be happy with what you’ve got today. Your blue skies, clean air. **he glances toward the window beside us, staring at it a long moment** Are those birds outside? 55 years in the future, that would be in this world after the Tidal Years, there are no birds. They’re gone. Poof. Vanished. You have robots. Big, black, ugly crows with cameras for eyes. They’re looking for me. Or rather, people like me. I’m an outcast according to the new leaders. They blame the Caduceans for what happened in the past: wars, earthquakes, hurricanes.  **A distant look clouds his eyes. I want to know what they’re seeing**

What do you think of the present world?  (2012)

 You’re lucky. Very lucky. See my last answer if you need proof of that.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen here so far? Why?

Everything about this world seems strange since the last time I was here. In my world, you get used to seeing dark stuff everywhere. Black waters, black beaches, gray skies.  **I wonder what he means, but I’ve learned to be patient with him.** I’ve been here before, you know. How is that possible? I can hear your thoughts so easily. **He smiles a drop-down-dead-gorgeous smile with one dimple on the left cheek. My cheeks are probably blushing tomato red**  You’ll have to read about my story to see how I got here. And your outdated cellereaders crack me up. **He means my cell phone lying on the desk beside us. He’s giving it a look of pure pity. I tell him this is the 4G version of the latest Droid. And I’m kinda mad because I used six months worth of my wages to buy it.**  The screen doesn’t have enough pixels. You can’t even read thumb imprints with that thing. Anybody could steal it and use it. **again, he has a point. Sigh sigh**

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve seen here? Why?

As I said, I’ve been here before. But I don’t remember hearing so much laughter.  What surprises me is all the happy-smiley people you have here. In the future, smiles are an endangered species. Enjoy them while they last.

If you had a chance to choose between living in our world and in yours, which one would you choose? Why?

 The mirrorlands, that’s what we Caduceans call your world, can’t touch mine. Ours is older than yours. I don’t mean to sound conceited. But it’s true. My world Bardonia is on the other side of the doorway. It’s parallel to this world. The skies are clear. The waters are sapphire blue and jade green in some places. There’s even this island where the waterfalls flow toward the sky. No pollution. No disease from contaminated waters. So tell me. Which one would you choose? **Does he even need to ask?**

Can you name one thing, event or custom that reminds you of your world?

Bonding. That type of connection Chela has with me, it’s the same way at home. But the thing is I’m not at home. I can’t go back to Bardonia. I’m exiled, cursed to live in the mirrorlands. And not a pretty little place like your 2012 world. In the future, I’m hunted like an animal by the humans. And targeted by our enemies, the Tainted. I guess the answer could be violence, too. That really hasn’t changed much over time. **he sighs deeply, lowers his head, and stays quiet**




When Copper Suns Fall:

In fifteen-year-old Chela Prizeon’s city, alchemy is forbidden, and angels hide among the mortal. With a deadly virus ravaging the globe, Chela’s nightmarish memories compels her to experience a past riddled with gloom, and now her brother is infected.

Chela’s only hope is the Caduceans, slayers sworn to protect the last seven Light Keepers and the ancient memories they share. A group led by the sometimes elusive, sometimes infuriating boy who intrigues Chela. But can she trust this boy with the mysterious past, someone who can influence her memories?

With the Caduceans aid, Chela races to defeat her rivals, to unearth dark family secrets, desperate to find a cure…only to discover the glutovirus is far more than a simple disease.

In this haunting debut, KaSonndra Leigh offers an escape into a world as intriguing as The Mortal Instruments and a story as chilling as Enclave. Full of celestial creatures, fascinating villainy, high-stake choices, and a secret romance, When Copper Suns Fall, is a fresh and original urban fantasy—with a dystopian twist—that will take readers on an unforgettable adventure.


Excerpt:

Forcing my eyes to open, I found myself outside the Cradlehack. I was standing in Faris’s arms, my head against his chest, my fingers entwined in his black vest. It was a smooth fabric that felt like silk. A cloth no one had worn outside of ceremonies since before the Tidal Years. This boy was no common citizen. His earthy-sweet smell made me feel hypnotically safe, as we stood among the crowd fleeing down the hillside. He lifted my chin, stared in my eyes. But this wasn’t some dumb player’s move.

No, a mysterious thing stirred behind his silvery-gray eyes.

“Feel better, Chela?” he asked. I nodded.

“Thanks for helping me,” I said, still fighting a light head. Still afraid the dreaded black blobs lingered somewhere around us. Somewhat ashamed I’d spoken so horribly to him moments ago.

“You probably shouldn’t do that,” he said.

"Do what?”

“Thank me.”

"Why? Because I caught you using alchemy? That’s what your kind does. Make magic in the shadows, right?” I said.

His left eye ticked. The girl in the hoodie had called him a Caducean. Could it be possible? Father told me Caduceans were a mythical group—demon slayers from a time long gone. Yet, here I stood with a boy who didn’t deny my claim.

Around us, fewer people were leaving the Shack. They paid no attention to the two idiots standing and staring at each other. Did Jalen and Lexa make it out safely?  They were taking forever to reach me.

Did I really want them to find me?

“They’ll call me, now, and make me a witness against you. I’m sorry, but I already have too many problems. So I—I have to tell the truth,” I said.

“That won’t be a problem.” Faris smiled, a catchy one that lit his face up. I couldn’t decide whether it was angelic or downright wicked. Just like I couldn’t remember where I’d ever heard an accent like his. What kind was it? Old southern? Old English? Irish? It sounded like a mix of all three, but with a deep timbre, making him sound god like. “In a few minutes, you won’t remember me or any of this.”

“Really? How do you figure that?” I asked, heart racing.

“Because my gift to you…” He moved his face closer to mine, pulling me into whatever was happening in his head. “My gift is to remove memories that cause you pain.”

"Okay, um, right.” Had I lost my mind? It probably wouldn’t have hurt to scream.

He held my gaze, locking me into something I couldn’t explain. A tear puckered up in his left eye, and slid down his cheek where it stopped on his top lip. Then he blinked, snapping us out of whatever place he’d taken us to, and glanced behind my head. “Here comes your dark knight,” he said, easing his arms away from me.

He strolled off into the last group of stragglers hanging around the Shack. How did he know my nickname for Jalen?

I wiped away a tear rolling down my right cheek. 

“Chela, there you are. You scared me, girl.” Jalen’s voice cut into the moment. He spun me around to face him. I blinked, clearing my eyes. “What’s wrong? Did you get hurt?”

I glanced around us. The boy was gone. A dull headache joined the fuzziness in my head. Lost inside a clouded mind, I forgot what I wanted to say. The entire night’s events were hazy.

I fumbled with my thoughts.

What happened to me in there?

About The Author:

KaSonndra Leigh lives in the City of Alchemy and Medicine, North Carolina. She likes to write about teens doing fantastical things in magical worlds. Her two sons have made her promise to write a boy book next.

She holds the MFA in creative writing, and loves to play CLUE, Monopoly (the Indiana Jones version), and Pandora’s Box (good writer’s block therapy). She lives in an L-shaped house with a garden dedicated to her grandmother. It has a secret library complete with fairies, Venetian plastered walls, and a desk made out of clear blue glass.

When Copper Suns Fall is her debut novel.

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