Dragon's Eye by Lexi Ander Blog Tour, Guest Post, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway!

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Hi peeps, we have Lexi Ander popping in with her upcoming release Dragon’s Eye, we have a fantastic guest post, a brilliant excerpt and an incredible giveaway, so enjoy the post and click that rafflecopter link <3 ~Pixie~

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Dragon’s Eye

(Sumeria’s Sons 05)
by

Lexi Ander

In the wake of birth and betrayal, Ushna takes the God Ashur to Tristan in a last desperate bid to save Tristan’s life—and is helpless to do anything but watch as Ashur instead buries him in a grave. Though he has no desire to go on living, having now lost Brian and Tristan, Ushna has no choice. Not only do their children need him, the mysterious Simurgh has come out of hiding and forces him to continue on—for there is much to do and little time to do it, especially with treachery and danger closing in on them from every side.

Release Date 7th October 2015 Pre-order LT3 Press

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The Mythology of Me

By Lexi Ander

No matter how it sounds, the Me is very different from me. The Me is a group of one hundred decrees that make up the conditions of civilization. From moral behavior to technology, the Me was fundamental to understanding the relationship between humans and gods. The God Enki was responsible for handling them and doling out the information to the cities and assigning each area of responsibility to a god. This was the reason why one of Enki’s titles was “Master Shaper of the World”.

He parceled out responsibilities for various crafts and natural phenomena (i.e. weather) to the lesser gods. Inanna complained that she’d been shorted on the divine spheres of influence handed over to her. Enki tried to placate her but she comes back later to bug him about the Me again. As the tutelary deity to the city ruler of Uruk (the city Gilgamesh ruled over), Inanna wanted to increase the influence of her city and visited Eridu where Enki resides. After getting Enki drunk, she asked for the Mes and he gave them over. After sobering up and being told what he did, he tried to get them back but failed.

What does the Me look like? No one seems sure. Some of the Me can be represented by objects. The poem of Inanna’s return to Uruk with the Mes sounded like she brought back a bountiful treasure that she displayed to the people. The instruments represented music but the abstract Mes such as Shepherdship or Truth didn’t seem to have physical representations.

Just in case you’re curious, here is a list of the Mes:

Enship (Ruler-Priest or High Priest/Priestess), Godship, the exalted and enduring crown, the throne of kingship, the exalted sceptre (the staff or wand of the ruler), the royal insignia, the exalted shrine, Shepherdship, Kingship, Lasting ladyship, “Divine lady” (a priestly office), Ishib (a priestly office), Lumah (a priestly office), Guda (a priestly office), Truth, Descent into the nether world, Ascent from the nether world, Kurgarra (a eunuch, or, possibly, ancient equivalent to modern concepts of androgyne or transsexual), Girbadara (a eunuch), Sagursag (a eunuch, entertainers related to the cult of Inanna), The battle-standard, The flood, Weapons, Sexual intercourse, Prostitution, Law, Libel, Art, The cult chamber, “hierodule of heaven”, Guslim (a musical instrument), Music, Eldership, Heroship, Power, Enmity, Straightforwardness, The destruction of cities, Lamentation, Rejoicing of the heart, Falsehood, Art of metalworking, Scribeship, Craft of the smith, Craft of the leatherworker, Craft of the builder, Craft of the basket weaver, Wisdom, Attention, Holy purification, Fear, Terror, Strife, Peace, Weariness, Victory,

Counsel, The troubled heart, Judgment, Decision, Lilis (a musical instrument), Ub (a musical instrument), Mesi (a musical instrument), Ala (a musical instrument).

As you can see, not all the Mes were admirable or desirable traits. That was something that I really liked as I researched the belief system. Sumerians seemed to consider such “evils” and “sins” as an inevitable part of being human and living. Another aspect that I like is the non-Patriarchal nature of the gods in this pantheon. The female deities held equal power and were dealt with as peers and not as lesser. Sumeria’s openness with sex and sexuality was lost as new religions evolved and did their best to distinguish themselves from the Sumerian culture. Like the Tablets of Destinies, the Me was passed around the cities until they were eventually lost or destroyed or simply forgotten.

A huge thank you for allowing me to be a guest on the blog today! Throughout the blog tour for Dragon’s Eye, I hope you enjoy the behind the scenes look at the gods and mythos, and how they play a part in Sumeria’s Sons. For a visual representation, please visit my Pinterest page. (https://www.pinterest.com/lexiander1/sumeria-sons-inspirations/) During the tour I discuss the Sumerian pantheon, about who and what the Gods/Goddess are, and how I use them. Make sure you stop by the other blogs to get a complete look at the Gods and Goddess the Lycan’s follow.

Also, Less Than Three Press is running a special sale on Sumeria’s Sons from September 23rd  through October 7th (dates inclusive).

Twin Flames is $0.99.

Amazon LT3 Press

25% off Songs of the Earth

Amazon LT3 Press

25% off Dreams of the Forgotten

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25% off Surrounded by Crimson

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Thank you for stopping by and reading!

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General Excerpt

Chapter One

**Ushna**

The God Ashur followed behind me carrying Tristan, whose body was battered and broken. The cry of our newborn pups preceded me. Their birth was supposed to be a wondrous occasion, but through treachery and lies, that was stolen from us. Instead of enjoying the happy moment, I feared Tristan was dying.

There was so much blood. The damage to his body overwhelmed my senses. I was afraid if I didn’t keep my eyes on him, if I turned my back for a second too long, his Flame would slip away. We ran through the cursed caverns that wouldn’t allow me to touch my wolf or feel the song of the earth. Ashur’s harsh commands to hurry spurred me on faster but I had to look behind me, I had to see with my own eyes that Tristan was still with us, still fighting.

The scars… I couldn’t care less but Tristan might. I vowed I would spend the rest of my life showing him how beautiful he was to me—but first we had to get him out into the open.

I glanced back. “Hurry, Ashur.”

The corridor seemed much longer than when we’d come in. Glancing over my shoulder again to ensure Ashur followed closely, my impatience caused a snarl to rumble in my throat. Tristan’s skin was a gray-blue, stark and sickly against Ashur’s rich mahogany tone. With every passing moment, we were losing him.

“Please.” I don’t know if I begged Ashur to go faster or if it was a plea to the Gods to spare Tristan’s life.

When we entered the darkened corridor carved from the bedrock, I heard Tristan sigh. For months, he’d been teaching me how to listen to the Earth and I could practically feel her rush to him. I climbed the stairs, my foot slipping on the wet step in my hurry to get outside.

The open air had never smelled so good, filling my lungs with the scents of life. My wolf stirred, frantic for our mate. I reached to take Tristan from Ashur, but he dodged my grasp, moving off to the side. His low voice had a musical tone as he chanted in a language I didn’t recognize and next to him, a hole formed in the ground.

“What are you doing? You said all we had to do was get him outside!” Why was Ashur not singing the song for healing? I reached again to take Tristan from Ashur’s arms. Tristan was teaching me the complex chant, but Ashur was Tristan’s tutelary. He knew what to ask the Earth for and how. Why was he not begging her to save Tristan’s life? She wouldn’t say no. She’d never say no to Tristan because she adored him.

It took a moment for the haze of my frantic thoughts to subside enough to realize Ashur was talking and then another for me to process the meaning of his words. What did he mean he couldn’t restore Tristan’s health?

With rising alarm, I said, “You’ve been teaching him how to sing to the Earth. Why can’t you do that now?”

Ashur dodged me, laying Tristan in the hole atop the dark loamy soil. Something eased in me seeing Tristan in contact with the ground, although the Earth didn’t rush up to him as I’d expected. She never missed an opportunity to touch him… until now. Instead, I felt power build until my bones ached and the snakes on my chest writhed in discomfort.

Staring down, I searched for the source of the energy, sure that at any moment, whatever it was would show itself. My gaze continued to return to Tristan with his ruined eyed, his torso ravaged and gaping. Never had I seen him so vulnerable, so small, the very sight calling to the caretaker within me.

Tearing my gaze away, I confronted Ashur who was pleading with me. “I teach him the songs but She doesn’t respond to me.”

An ancient sadness shone in Ashur’s visage but I didn’t care. I had trusted him to save Tristan. Never before had I been filled with such useless rage. I didn’t understand what Ashur was saying. Who was he talking about? The Earth? He was the king’s tutelary, so why wouldn’t the Earth answer his call?

Desperation rose up and I barked, “Why the fuck not?”

“Because I took the wrong side in a war, now I’m forever separated from Her.”

What did that have to do with the here and now? What did it matter he’d lost something or someone? My Tristan was dying and all he could do was talk. Ashur’s pleading gaze held mine and I suddenly understood. I glanced back down at Tristan, lying in a bed of fresh dark soil.

A grave.

“No! You cannot mean to do this. He’s not dead!” I jumped into the hole; Tristan’s single eye stared at me with clarity, despite the state of his body. His chest rose and fell with each labored breath. There was still time. I could save him.

With the strength of the God he was, Ashur wound his arms around my waist and easily hauled me away from Tristan.

I went mad.

I fought, screamed and begged. First Brian and now Tristan. How was I to stay behind? I pleaded with Ashur to allow me to go with Tristan. We’d travelled through the Earth together before, we could do it again. I could sing to the Earth and beg for Her help.

It wasn’t too late.

Then Ashur chanted and the soil covered Tristan, taking him from my sight. I roared with fury, thrashing and clawing at Ashur’s hands. I vowed vengeance for this act of betrayal. Silently, Ashur held me as I beat and wailed upon him, trying to free myself from his steely grasp. He whispered continuously, “I am sorry but this had to be done,” in my ear. Tears of grief stained my cheeks and I hated him all the more because it didn’t have to be like this. He had no right to take Tristan from me.

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Exclusive Excerpt 03

Torn between following my pups and the need to stay with Tristan, I stood there. Jory veered away from the group, one of the newborns swaddled in his jacket. Without hesitating, he thrust the babe at me. Instinctually I took the boy from him, afraid Jory would drop him. Peering into the folds, my breath was stolen away with one look at the child Tristan and I created.

Gently grasping my elbow, Jory led me down the pathway. Vaguely I realized Juan and Michael had joined me within the protective circle of warriors; I was too enthralled with my first real look at my pup. Sure, I’d been there when they were born, but my attention had been for Tristan. My heart twisted with a new pain. In any other circumstance, I would’ve memorized every single moment of their birth.

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About Lexi

Lexi Ander BioLexi has always been an avid reader, and at a young age started reading (secretly) her mother’s romances (the ones she was told not to touch). She was the only teenager she knew of who would be grounded from reading. Later, with a pencil and a note book, she wrote her own stories and shared them with friends because she loved to see their reactions. A Texas transplant, Lexi now kicks her boots up in the Midwest with her Yankee husband and her eighty-pound puppies named after vacuum cleaners.

Where to find the author:

Web site | Facebook | Twitter | Blog E-mail: lexi.ander.author@gmail.com

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Giveaway!

1. Prize offered: Prize offered: $20 Amazon Gift card, $20 All Romance Gift card, hard copy of Dragon’s Eye, swag (pens, bookmarks)
2. $20 All Romance Gift card, hard copy of Dragon’s Eye, swag (pens, bookmarks)
3. hard copy of Dragon’s Eye, swag (pens, bookmarks)
4. e-book copy of Dragon’s Eye
5. e-book copy of Dragon’s Eye

(Just click the link below)

Lexi Ander Rafflecopter giveaway!

(Ends 14th October 2015)
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