Welcome to my tour stop! Read a guest post from the author and enter the giveaway below...
Kingdom Above the CloudBy Maggie Platt
YA Fantasy, Christian, Allegory
Paperback & ebook, 239 Pages
April 17th 2020 by Ambassador International
Summary
What if the nine Fruit of the Spirit and the Seven Deadly Sins were locked in a battle for control?
Abandoned as infants, Tovi and her twin brother were raised by an eclectic tribe of warm, kind people in a treehouse village in the valley. After her brother's sudden disappearance Tovi questions her life and her faith in an invisible King. Ignoring her best friend Silas' advice, she decides to search for her brother in the kingdom on top of the mountain.
Above the cloud, the Council of Masters receives their orders. Tovi and her brother are the objectives. King Damien has a plan and Tovi is the key. The Council of Masters want her, but will she remain unscathed?
Amidst the glamour of the kingdom above the cloud Tovi is torn between her own dark desires and unanswered questions. It starts with a snake and a crown. When the ring is complete, will her life be over?
Guest Post: Introducing Adia!
Tovi lived in the land of Adia, a peaceful village nestled in a lush valley. Adians worked hard but didn’t know it, spending their days doing what they loved—building or gathering or anything that was both pleasant and occupying. They delighted in their sweat, blisters, and long days in the sun.
They lived in a sprawling network of tree-top cottages. Instead of inviting others to their homes, they would say, “Come to my tree.” Each little house had a thatched roof and open windows. Some had half doors, but the purpose was to keep small children in rather than to keep others out. Their community buildings were built in the same fashion, only much larger. “Main Street” was a cluster of trees so dense that it was hard to know which limbs belonged to which trees. Everywhere you looked there were bridges, rope ladders, and swinging vines connecting the general store, doctor’s office, cafe, meeting house, and so much more.
Kingdom Above the Cloud’s main character, Tovi Tivka, grew up in Adia. When the story begins, she is there among the treetops, wistfully yearning for more out of life and answers to her deepest questions. To get you better acquainted with this setting, here are some common questions I receive about Adia.
What do the people of Adia look like? Are they fairies? Are they tiny?
I often get questions like these because their homes are up in trees! These are totally normal-sized humans. They live in a forest of enormous trees. One of the most unique things about Adia (and the surrounding villages/kingdoms) is that the people of this world have very vibrant eye and hair colors. Some even have bold markings. Tovi Tivka has navy blue hair and brown eyes that have a little purple star on the edge of the iris.
Why do they live in the trees?
The land of Adia floods once every few years. So, rather than living on the ground where their homes will be washed out, they have adapted by living in the trees.
What does daily life look like?
They are a rustic, pioneer-like society. They hunt, gather, and garden. They make or trade for everything that they own. Few of them specialize in one thing. Instead, they go about their day doing whatever needs to be done, whether it is fixing the roof, going fishing, taking food to someone who is sick, or mending clothing. They help one another often, and there are frequent community-wide parties and celebrations.
What are some of their traditions?
Their most beloved traditions are tied to the floods mentioned a couple of questions ago. As soon as the ground becomes squishy, they know a flood is coming. This gets everyone very excited, and they hustle and bustle to prepare for their weeks (maybe months) stuck up in the canopy. After the flood rushes in, they watch the level of the water daily. On the first day when the water is noticeably receding, there is a big day of gift-giving and story-telling, when the young surround the elderly to hear tales of adventures and heroics. Then, when the ground starts producing food again (this takes many months), there is a giant feast to celebrate the harvest.
How long has Adia existed?
Adia is only about 50 years old, which is much younger than most fantasy worlds. Adia is in a valley, and the people came from a mountain that looms over them. There is a city on top of Mount Damien that is older and more established. This is where King Damien reigns with his evil ideas and manipulative games. When he was rising to power 50 years ago, there were many who resisted. When it became too dangerous to survive, those resistance fighters fled to the valley and established Adia. Tovi’s adoptive grandparents, Ganya and Avi, are two of those resistance-fighters-turned-Adia-founders.
Are there dangers in Adia?
The people there rarely experience serious accidents, and there aren’t any major animal predators. The real dangers come from Mount Damien. As King Damien plays his game and asks an Adian to be brought to him, his stealthy followers sneak into Adia to do his bidding. This introduces dangers - like greed, bitterness, manipulation, wrath, and pride - that Adia has not seen before.
I hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about Adia! If you want to read about Tovi’s adventures (and misadventures) in Adia, check out Kingdom Above the Cloud.
About the Author
Maggie Platt is a writer, traveler, cancer survivor, and dreamer. Her greatest joys are being Auntie M to her amazing nieces and nephew and sitting with students and friends over cups of coffee and deep conversations. She works at her alma mater, Anderson University, and she lives in a cozy little cottage nearby where students come to sit on her couch just to laugh, cry, and talk about life.
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Tour Schedule
Tour-Wide Giveaway
One winner will receive a signed print copy of Kingdom Above the Cloud, map of Adian, bookmark, and sticker (US only)
Ends May 6, 2020
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What did you think of the author's guest post? Would you want to go visit Adia? Will you be reading this one?Ends May 6, 2020
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