Sign of the Throne: Book One in the Solas Beir Trilogy

SIGN

OF THE

THRONE

BOOK ONE IN THE SOLAS BEIR TRILOGY

MELISSA ESKUE OUSLEY

Renton, Washington

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used
or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations

embodied in critical
articles and reviews.

Castle Garden Publications

A Division of Gazebo Gardens Publishing

www.GazeboGardensPublishing.com

Edited by

Laura Meehan,
S. C. Moore, and C. E. Moore

Cover Art by Aaron Cheney

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this book are either products of the author’s imagination

or are used fictitiously.

Printed in the United States of America.

Copyright 2013

www.
MelissaEskueOusley.com

978-1-938281-32-7  (hardcover)

978-1-938281-33-
4  (paperback)

978-1-938281-28-0  (e-book)

Library of Congress Control Numbe
r:  2013935542

For my Father,

for whom nothing is impossible,

For Chris, Aiden, and Elliot,

the loves of my life,

And for my dad,

the first writer I ever met.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Shelley and Caitlyn Moore and Gazebo Gardens Publishing for taking a chance on a first-time author. Shelley and Caitlyn, your guidance, editing, and openness to exchanging ideas have been invaluable, and I’m thrilled I’ve gotten to work with you.

My appreciation to Jessica Glenn and MindBuck Media for finding a publishing home for
The Solas Beir Trilogy
, and for your wonderful guidance promoting the series.

Thank you to Laura Meehan and the crew at Indigo Editing and Publishing for editing the manuscript. Laura, I appreciate your friendship, advice, and encouragement, and that you tell me what I need to hear to strengthen my writing.

My thanks to Aaron Cheney for your incredible work on the book cover and the Cai Terenmare map.

My gratitude to Jessica Morrell for your amazing writing advice and mentoring at Summer in Words.

I have been so blessed with love and encouragement from my wonderful family and friends. There are too many of you to mention by name, but please know that you are in my thoughts and have my gratitude. I must list a few people who have been unceasing in their support, cheering me on through each step of this journey.

Thank you to my sweet husband, Chris, and to the coolest boys on the planet, Aiden and Elliot, for the sacrifices you made in giving me the opportunity to write. Thank you to my parents, Rick and Beverly, for your unconditional love and support. Thanks to my brothers Michael, Nathan, and Roman, and to my sisters-in-law Lisa and Tanya, for your encouragement from the very beginning. My appreciation to Sandy, my fabulous mother-in-law, for being a strong woman I admire and one of my most vocal supporters. And last, but not least, thanks to the beautiful, amazing friends who have encouraged me and indulged me as I’ve chatted about the folks living in my head: Deb (“The Force of Nature”), Jessie, Djay, Z, Justin, Pefy, Jen, and Kristina.

Reviews

“
Portals, parallel worlds, monsters and kidnapped heirs are all part and parcel of Young Adult fantasy stories. It is not so much that a story contains these elements as it is what the author does with them. Melissa Ousley wields and shapes these elements with an almost preternatural ability that makes the process of writing appear to be an effortless exercise
.
Sign of the Throne
is Melissa Eskue Ousley’s debut novel and she is off to a brilliant start. The reader will find it hard to believe that she is not a more experienced writer, but there is nothing amateurish with this book.
Sign of the Throne
is an extremely well written story that is remarkable in its clarity of concept and execution. This is what outstanding writing both looks and reads like. In the final analysis,
Sign of the Throne
is a book which stands head and shoulders above a considerable amount of current Young Adult fiction. Given the intense reading experience provided by
Sign of the Throne
, this reviewer can hardly wait for the next installment in this series.”

–
Howard Parsons, The Parsons’ Rant

“From the first few pages of Sign of the Throne, readers will be pulled into Eskue Ousley's carefully crafted world and characters. The complex world of Cai Terenmare sets the stage for this rich fantasy and introduces readers to a new breed of magic. The depth, captivating histories, and motivations of the characters will draw readers to care about their plights and keep readers turning page after page.”

–
DelSheree Gladden,
author of
The Twin Souls Saga, The Destroyer Trilogy,
and the
Someone Wicked This Way Comes
series

“
Melissa Eskue Ousley’s
Sign of the Throne
is a beautifully written tale that will captivate readers from the first page until the very last page. Eskue Ousley has created a fantastic new world that is full of magic and peril with complex characters that the reader can relate to.
Sign of the Throne
is a perfect combination of contemporary fiction, fantasy, and folklore. Eskue Ousley has taken the best aspects of the three genres and combined them to create an exquisite tale. The use of historical and mythological references (sirens, pixies, da Vinci, Homer…etc.) enhances the story line and binds the two worlds together seamlessly. Readers will find themselves getting lost in Eskue Ousley’s fantastic tale of magic, danger, and adventure as Abby attempts to fulfill her destiny and save Cai Terenmare.
Sign of the Throne
is rich and gripping—it’s a story worth getting lost in.”

–
Kira Watson, My Dear Bibliophage

“I love YA romance. I love fantasy adventure books with castles, kings, and battles to the death. And I really, really love Mythology! Sign of the Throne was like an enchanting fairy tale with all of this, and a magical portal to another world! The characters are so vivid, both in Newcastle Beach, and Cai Terenmare. The battle of Light vs. Darkness will undoubtedly rage on, and I can't wait to find out what happens next for Abby and David in the next installment of this trilogy.”

–
Paula Fetty-King, Goodreads

“I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of a parallel world connected to ours by magic portals. The characters are rich and relatable to ‘tweens on up. The story is beautifully told and kept me enthralled from the first chapter to the last and looking forward to more. Great read for any age! Kudos to Melissa Eskue Ousley!”

–
Signe Hill, Goodreads

“
A beautifully descriptive book filled with imagination, brave gorgeous lads, ravens, black cats, shadows, nightmares, dreams, a Nixie, a Queen who won’t give up on her son, and a love that was inevitable, making for a great start to Melissa’s trilogy.”

–Michelle Auricht, Novels On The Run, Australia

“Wow. This book is simply amazing. I was sucked into the story from page 1 and I did not put this book down until I was done. By the end, my eyes just couldn't read fast enough; I was on the couch with my knees tucked under my chin with the suspense. The characters are great, the plot is fantastic, I can't recommend this book enough. For those interested, this is a clean book.”

–Cyndi, Goodreads

“
The writing style is narrative and it's very well written. I loved the storyline. This book was very imaginative and I loved the characters and the way they were described. It was full of imagination, action, romance, affection, and power. And it was a nice…reading about the other parallel world filled with some other creatures and not fey in particular.”

–
Simmaron, Goodreads

“I love the cover, I love the synopsis, and I especially love the ‘lost heir, doomed world, random girl in the middle of it all’ theme. Melissa Eskue Ousley is a master when it comes down to fabricating magical worlds and creatures. Her writing style is smooth and that's why the book is so fast-paced…”

–
Daniela Castro,
Silver Inked Sky

“As a teacher of middle school students, I always read the books I place in my classroom for my students. I have just finished reading Sign of the Throne, and this is a book that will be well loved in my classroom library. The images Melissa Eskue Ousley has created with her writing connect the mystical and present daydreams of many. My love of Celtic lore, mythology, and strong, compassionate heroines was fulfilled in Melissa's book. I cannot wait for Book Two of the Solas Beir Trilogy.”

–
Deborah Parker, Goodreads