Self Published Sunday: The Serpent's Ring

H B Bolton has joined us today to share a tasty morsel from her latest book, The Serpent’s Ring.
A middle grade fantasy adventure,The Serpent’s Ring, features fantastical creatures and elements of norse mythology.
Although an established self published author this is H B Bolton’s first book for children.
Check out the other stops on The Serpent’s Ring blog tour via Candace’s Book Blog.
Evan and Claire Jones are typical teenagers, forced to go with their parents to yet another boring museum…that is, until something extraordinary happens to make their day a little more than interesting. After following a strange little creature into a closed exhibit, Evan and his older sister, Claire, discover the Serpent’s Ring, one of the magical relics formed from the shattered Mysticus Orb. Purely by accident, they have awakened its powers and opened a portal to Sagaas, land of ancient gods.
Before the siblings can comprehend what has happened, the Serpent’s Ring is wrenched from Evan’s hand by an enormous bird and flown back to Aegir, the Norse god of the sea. Evan and Claire, accompanied by a band of unlikely heroes, must retrieve the Serpent’s Ring before Aegir uses its immense powers to flood all the lands on Earth.

Popping Out and Dropping Down
Book Excerpt

“It won’t take long for Aegir to figure out how to use the Serpent’s Ring,” Vor continued, but he’d already lost Evan’s attention.
Dunkle and Barfel were far more amusing, as they were attacking treats with a vengeance. Their movements so fast, they were a blur. They were loading up their arms with puffed pastries and other goodies, and stuffing their faces with rainbow-colored tarts. Crumbs flew everywhere, landing across the room on a shaggy, white rug. Evan was transfixed by the spectacle and had trouble looking away.
He grabbed a round puffed pastry. Unlike the imps, he wasn’t going to gobble up the whole thing in one bite; he wanted to enjoy his treat. After all, he wasn’t sure how long it would be before he could eat again. Besides, he felt manners were in order while in the company of a Norse goddess and an ancient professor.
“Excuse me,” Evan interrupted. “What’s this called?”
“A Poppin-Droppin,” Vor said and continued with her tale.
With a strange name like Poppin-Droppin, Evan wasn’t sure what to expect. The soft pastry smelled like sweet-cream butter, so he knew it must be good. He shrugged his shoulders and bit it in half. To his delight, the Poppin-Droppin’s layers flaked apart, melting in his mouth. Its center was filled with whipped chocolate, delivering the most incredible sensation Evan had ever experienced. That was until the remaining bite in his hand sprouted out another pastry, and then another and another. Poppin-Droppins multiplied, popping out and dropping down so rapidly that Evan couldn’t catch them. It didn’t take long for him to realize how the Poppin-Droppins came by their name.
Dunkle stopped devouring food long enough to say, “You must eat that particular pastry all in one bite; do not leave even a crumb. Otherwise, it will multiply and make a mess.”
Evan stuffed Poppin-Droppins in his mouth as quickly as he could. Dunkle and Barfel helped by shoveling in bouncing pastries. Thank goodness the professor and Vor were too busy talking with Claire to pay much attention to the spectacle.
Evan hoped Claire was listening to Vor’s advice closely, because at that moment, he was preoccupied.
Currently, Barbara Brooke resides in sunny Florida with her supportive husband, two adorable children, gorgeous greyhounds, and scruffy mutt. She is actively creating new worlds and interesting characters for the next book in one of her series. Shhhh, can you keep a secret? Not only does she write spellbinding, heart-pounding women’s fiction, she also writes books for the young-at-heart, adventurous sort who yearn to dive into a good young adult fantasy story. These particular books are written under the name H.B. Bolton, but that is another story altogether.
Magic and exotic treats are sprinkled throughout The Serpent’s Ring. Like most boys, Evan is on the constant lookout for something to help ease the rumbling in his stomach. While in Asgard, he discovers there isn’t a food or drink he isn’t willing to try: Poppin-Droppins, Fizzy Whizzles, Woof-Out Bars…thank goodness, not all of them cause bizarre side effects.

Food is comfort. Food is familiar. Food is something people have in common.
And although few people have eaten pastries with magical properties, who couldn’t relate to sinking one’s teeth into soft, buttery pastry? By bringing Poppin-Droppins to life, Evan is able to not only share his experience, but to heighten the readers senses and bring the reader into the room with him. The reader can smell the doughy goodness, feel the moist layers, and taste the gooey chocolate.
Sure, it’s important for a novel to have a strong sense of plot, realistic and interesting characters, and believable dialogue, but what about the extras? such as Harry Potter’s butterbeer, Alice’s “eat me” cakes, and Bilbo’s ale bring life to a story.
Extras like Dorothy’s sparkling shoes, Snow White’s poisoned apple, and Tinker Bell’s pixie dust bring richness to a scene. Many readers yearn to be a part of a world where enchanted items exist —have a replica of Dumbledore’s wand and a chocolate frog to prove it.
What item do you wish had magical properties? What food or drink from a movie would you like to try?
Guest post by H B Bolton
Photo Credits
1 Rainbow Pastries
photo credit: starbooze via photopin cc
2 Puffed Pastry
Photocredit: Minette Layne via photopin cc bochallavia photopin cc
4 Honeydukes
photocredit: Orihimehimex3 via photopin cc