Book spotlight ~ "Dark Eagles: First Fligth" by David R. Smith

The Dark Eagles:First Flight

Book description: 
A Tale of Adventure and Freedom
Kief loves exploring the rugged mountains on his horse, Natch, with his
best friend Tarc.  But when he receives a mysterious map on his birthday,
left behind for him by his dead grandfather, Kief is thrown into an
adventure beyond even his imagination.
Leaving home to pursue his childhood dream of attending the merchant
academy on the coast, extraordinary events unfold propelling Kief, along
with his friends and his map, toward the same perilous destiny.

 

Guest Post from David R. Smith:

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I believe there is a careful balance between elements of reality and elements of fantasy that makes a great fantasy story.  The more real fantasy is, the greater the ability it has to carry us away from our own reality.  I think that is one of the many elements that made Rowling’s Harry Potter so successful.  With Diagon Alley located in London and Hogwarts in Scotland, she tied the real world of common Englanders to a hidden world of wizards.  We feel like we can visit these places and ‘almost’ pass over to the wizarding world of Harry.  Tolkien did something similar.  His world of hobbits and goblins takes place on Middle Earth, an ancient period of our own Earth.  It makes his world more real.  We can almost believe the legend of the ring.

With my novel, The Dark Eagles, I did something similar.  I created an astronomically correct and similarly geophysical world to our Earth.  Maps, calendars, times, celestial bodies, orbital periods and revolutions add to the reality of the world of Fundautum.  In the charts, readers can discover what their age would be in relation to Kief.  Or they can see how much they would weigh.  A relatable fantasy world has power to draw in the readers and more easily transport them to a new place. 

There are many elements that make a story great.  Human relationships is one of them and is something I’ve tried to focus on in The Dark Eagles.  I find the carefree interaction between teenage friends especially amusing and profoundly insightful.  The innocence and simplicity of young people seem to get right to the point of things without all of the guards and facades we adopt when we become adults.  The line between right and wrong can become blurred through justification as we grow older.  The young see right and wrong more black and white even though their unchecked selfishness can sometimes get the best of them.

In the first book of the series, The Dark Eagles – First Flight, Kief finds himself battling his own selfish impulses time and time again putting his friends’ lives, and his own, in danger.  Like true friends do, they candidly call him on it and united they do what grownups should have done. 

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About the Author: David R. Smith

David was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and spent most of his childhood on a farm in Heber City, located in the Wasatch Mountains. He loved exploring the mountains on his horse looking for adventures to follow. Growing up, he wanted to be a movie director and used his own Super 8 camera to make
silent movies with his friends and brothers and sister. Instead he earned a Bachelors in Engineering at the University of Utah. While there, he met the love of his life, Jenelle, and they were blessed with three amazing sons: Josh, Tate, and Porter. David later earned his Masters in Business
Administration from Northwestern University and pursued a path in the corporate world. But his creative side continued to tug at him for years until finally through the encouragement of his wife and boys, he realized that it’s never too late to follow your dream. So David set off to write an epic adventure of a boy and his horse and created a story of freedom,
adventure, love, courage and sacrifice. When he's not writing, David enjoys outdoor activities with his family, and especially loves surfing
with his three boys in Southern California where he resides.

Visit the website: http://www.thedarkeagles.com/

Find him on Facebook:   http://www.facebook.com/thedarkeagles

 “Author David R. Smith does a fine job with his dialogue, which flows smoothly and wittily throughout. His interactions between characters are genuine, and the portrayals of his young female characters in particular are refreshing.”

The Deseret News, Salt Lake City, UT

Blog Tour Schedule for The Dark Eagles: First Flight
12/5/12       www.ordinaryhappilyeverafter.com
12/6/2012    http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com
12/7/2012    http://gettingyourreadonaimeebrown.blogspot.com/
12/10/2012    http://mybookaday.blogspot.com/
12/11/2012    http://moniquebucheger.blogspot.com/
12/12/2012    http://www.tanyaparkermills.com/
12/13/2012    http://debbiesinkspectations.blogspot.com/
12/14/2012    http://davidpowersking.blogspot.com/
12/17/2012    http://renaeswritespot.blogspot.com/
12/18/2012    http://www.rashelleworkman.com/
12/19/2012    http://tamarahartheiner.blogspot.com/
12/20/2012    http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/
 
1/2/2013    http://rachellewrites.blogspot.com/
1/3/2013
1/4/2013    http://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/
1/4/2013
1/5/2013    www.astorybookworld.blogspot.com

I received a copy of this book and I look forward to reading it and sharing a review with you at a  later date.