{Blog Tour Guest Post & Giveaway} The Protector Series Books 1~3 by M.R. Merrick

Check out Stuck in Books for a full Blog Tour Schedule
for more guest posts, interviews, reviews, and chances to win!

Today, I am also reviewing the first three books in The Protector Series.

Check it out!

The final book in the series will release later this year!



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M.R. Merrick is a Canadian writer, and author of Exiled & Shift, the first two installments in The Protector Series. Having never travelled, he adventures to far off lands through his imagination and in between cups of coffee. As a music lover and proud breakfast enthusiast, he's usually found at the computer, between a pair of headphones and in front of a large bowl of cereal.

Check out his website for more about this exciting series! 

Elemental Magic in
The Protector Series

by M.R. Merrick

The elemental magic that exists within The Protector was somewhat of a long-running obsession of mine. Years before I wrote a word about it, I wondered about the ability to create and control the elements. Was it possible? And if it was, what would that be like? What kind of power would you really have? And what would people do with it? I allowed those questions to wander aimlessly through my mind until eventually my curiosity faded and I forgot all about them. And then, years later, I started writing this story. 

I was sitting at my kitchen table, looking for an escape books, movies, and video games couldn't provide. I needed something new to me, and so I decided I was going to make something up. I had no intention of writing a book and no dream of becoming a published author. I only wanted to disappear for a few hours. 

I wrote a scene with Chase in the street of a fictional city, fighting my version of a vampire. All these questions were roaming around me: who was this guy? Why is the demon after him? Why is he all alone? And as those answers started to come to me, the story unfolded, and I knew I had something magical. 

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved a good 'hunters versus demons' story, but I wanted to do things differently. I wanted my monsters to be different than the ones I knew, as well as the opportunity to create new ones, and I wanted my hunters to have different kinds of abilities. I didn't need to spend time thinking about what kind of magic they would have, because it was at this exact moment where all the questions of my past obsession came rushing back to me—elemental magic. There was nothing else that would work for what I wanted to do. And in my mind, what's more powerful than the very world we live in? 

I took that idea and put it on paper. I wanted to bring to life the things we were used to seeing every day and incorporate them into something more. The elements in their natural state can go from one extreme to the other, from immensely beautiful to terrifyingly powerful, and I wanted to show that. Because just like those elements, we all have our extremes and we all have beautiful and terrifying sides to us. This magic not only worked for the story I wanted to tell, but it also brought some of the characters to life in a different manner. 

The elemental magic in this series has been beyond incredible to work with. It's alive in my mind, and I watch it ignite and explode with each story I write. Even now, looking back, I know this was the only way it could have been. In fact, I love the idea of elemental magic so much, that I almost incorporated it into a new series that I'm working on. I had plans to do it in a completely different manner, of course, but I just wanted more. In the end, I decided against it and have gone in another direction, but that's not to say this will be the only series it appears in. For now, the elemental magic of my mind will have to remain among the pages of The Protector. But only for now.  :)

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O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title:  RELEASE
Author: M.R. Merrick

Release Date: Dec. 8, 2012
Publisher: M.R. Merrick

Received: For Review

SUMMARY:

After uniting the shifters and calling in reinforcements, Chase has to face his toughest challenge yet: learning to control his emotions. But as tensions rise and his powers grow, controlling his emotions becomes the least of his problems. 

Terrorized by a multi-shifter who is hell-bent on turning him, Chase questions just how far he’s willing to go to stop his father. Meanwhile, Tiki’s virtuous nature has placed him in the middle of Vincent’s past, leaving Chase to oppose a senate of vampires and defend a demon he hates. 

Trying to balance his friends, his enemies, and his inner demons, Chase is left searching for answers about the Mark, his destiny, and where he can find the next soul piece. Stopping Riley is his top priority, but as more obstacles arise, he finds himself doubting all the decisions he’s made - especially regarding Rayna. 

One thing is for certain: Chase has finally realized that he doesn’t know anything. The light doesn’t always quell the darkness, the monsters don’t always stay in the shadows, and the past doesn’t always stay in the past - sometimes, the demons inside are the hardest to fight.

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****Giveaway*****

 The tour giveaway is AWESOME & is INTERNATIONAL!

Grande Prize Pack (3 Winners)

3x Signed paperbacks (Exiled, Shift, Release)

3x Signed 8x10 posters (Exiled, Shift, Release)

5x Bookmarks

1x Notebook (Winner’s choice of cover)

1x Magnet

Runner-up Prize Pack (5 Winners)

1x Signed paperback (Winner’s choice of Exiled, Shift, or Release) with signed poster

1x bookmark (Winner’s choice)

1x Magnet

Secondary Prizes A (10 Winners)

Release eBooks

Secondary Prize B (10 Winners)

1x bookmark (winner’s choice)

1x The Protector magnet

Winners will be chosen as follows: First 3 names drawn from Rafflecopter will get the grand prize. The following 5 names get the runner-up prize. The following 10 names win ebook copies of Release, and the final 10 names win the swag pack.

There will also be multiple opportunities to win signed paperbacks, signed posters, notebooks, swag packs, and bookmarks throughout the tour on both Twitter (@MRMerrick) and Facebook Fan Page .

a Rafflecopter giveaway