THE RIVER AGAINST THE SEA by Z. Lindsey ~ Guest Post & Giveaway

The River Against the Sea
by: Z. Lindsey
Genre: New Adult Fantasy
Release Date: December 18, 2023

Some heroes have swords. Essimore Darkenchyl has a pen. But it’s a magic pen.

Some wizards have spellbooks. Essie has Gossen’s Guide to Shipping Law. But it’s a current edition.

Some sailors have . . . experience. Essie has a new diploma and a year-long contract, and her people have won wars with less.

And that’s good, because between stolen weapons, a coup, and a strange disease creeping in around her and the crew, she might need to win a war.

In a world that blends traditional fantasy with the Age of Exploration, Essie knows a pen is mightier than a sword, especially since hers sometimes shoots lightning.

But what she thinks is a routine political dispute turns out to be something much, much more, and she may have finally met the one problem she can’t talk her way out of.

Essimore Darkenchyl gets called a devil a lot, but she doesn’t think that’s fair. So what if she’s descended from the magical beings that keep the secrets of the god of death and she occasionally eats hearts? Her people aren’t as interested in heart-eating as they are in following and enforcing rules, anyway. Although Essie felt the same way, the tiny city in the desert where her people live was too small, and she wanted to see the ocean. That’s why she joined the Blessed Agency of Shipping Coordinators, a quasi-governmental organization that, we hope, she will eventually realize is quite evil.

In this adventure (which stands alone but is the first part of a trilogy), Essie gets stuck in the middle of a civil war with a vile monster pulling the strings.

Since Essie’s fresh out of school and it’s the beginning of her story, Essie doesn’t even know how much she has to fear. She thinks the worst thing she has to worry about is the crew of the ship she’s assigned to, who are behaving a bit … piratey. But when things heat up on the island chain they’re visiting, Essie will have to deal with a creeping illness, dark revelations about her own past, and disgusting food, each which will challenge her in new ways.

But Essie is stubborn. She is very stubborn. She doesn’t back down, even when she should. Don’t mistake her stubbornness for anger, though. She’s not an angry person. She’s got a sense of humor, if jokes about eating people are your thing, and a sense of wonder that no evil monster can kill. These things alone won’t save her. But when added together with a magic pen and the help of a runaway queen, that’s another story.

Essie cleared her throat. From her backpack, she removed the letter of service that granted her travel permission to sail on the ship. It was folded neatly into thirds, with a glittering blue wax seal on it.

“Essimore Darkenchyl at your service, sir. I’m your new fully licensed shipping coordinator with Power of the Pen. It’s an honor to be aboard.”

The captain took the letter without opening it, folded it in half with no regard for the beautiful wax seal, folded it messily again, and jammed it into his pocket. The whole time, Essie winced.

“Right-o.” As he smiled, the older man’s cheeks dimpled and his white teeth shined in the sun. “Well, I thought we were leaving without you, but here you are. Good on you. Great. Yeah.” The captain turned to the teenager at his side. “Grab her bag and get her stuff to her room. She can hang out there til dinner.”

As the teenager shouldered her bag and grunted, she and the captain looked at each other, the captain with his beaming smile. Once the teenager left, she said, “Thanks for welcoming me onto your ship.”

“Yeah. Fully licensed, you say?”

“Absolutely!”

“Okay. Have a nice one. See you at dinner.”

“Don’t we need to . . . uh . . . onboard?”

“You’re already on board. You managed that just fine.”

“But . . . signing things. Paperwork. Reviewing the staff log. Staff log, sir!”

The captain’s smile faded, but reappeared so fast she wasn’t sure if she’d seen it go.

“Okay, fine. Let’s talk in my cabin.”

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Zac Lindsey is an anthropologist and a linguist who focuses on the Maya people of Quintana Roo. Since childhood, he's had a not-so-secret love of weird, silly, and well-structured fantasy. When other people's parents were reading them picture books, his mom was reading him Terry Brooks. He typically writes hopeful and character-driven fantasy.

Today, he lives in Quintana Roo, Mexico with his wife, daughter, and various stray cats.

Places to find Z. Lindsey:

Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

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