Title: The PureLights of Ohm Totem
Author: Omon Hart
Genre: Fantasy
Zoey has a dream, one that feels far more real than it should. A strange wolf with a beautiful, violet crystal embedded in his forehead visits her. "Please help us," the wolf implores with sad eyes. "Remember, Zoey, who you truly are." Zoey wakes up, dismissing it as a silly dream. However, she soon realizes that it was far more real than she could've ever imagined.
Coda is Zoey's older brother. Like many boys his age, he has a craving for adventure and a loathing for his younger sister. He can't stand it that she constantly gets in his way, joining in on all his fun, and ruining it in the process. The worst, according to Coda, is that Zoey gets all the attention from their parents. A big drag in his mind.
Then destiny arrives, one that Zoey and Coda must face together - if they want to survive.
Together, they journey to a place deep in the Cornell Forest, beyond the Snow Tree, through a patch of blackberry bushes concealing a secret portal that leads them to an ancient world called Ohm Totem - to the place of the PureLights, the race beckoning for their help. There, Zoey and Coda discover something so unique, so magical, and so sacred within themselves, that even those who called for them could not have known how powerful these two children really are.
Caught between an age old war and finding their way back home, Zoey and Coda go on an amazing adventure, taking them beyond the veils of everything they once knew, and into the terrifying grasp of the unknown.
Author Bio
Omon Hart was born in Portland, Oregon and grew up on the outskirts of the city in a little town known as Gladstone, where he graduated high school and moved on to college. After studying Therapeutic Bodywork at East-West College of the Healing Arts, he excelled in his field, becoming one of the Pacific Northwest's leading Therapeutic teachers and bodywork professionals. After several years, the love for writing tugged at his heart so much that he decided to put things aside and live his passion - write. He's now fashioning story after story, creating imaginative worlds of inspiration and art.
Book Excerpt (Long Version):
Prologue
It
was nightfall. The snow leopard walked toward a split in the river. The wind
howled against her body and fur clung to her skin. She leaned into heavy gusts,
digging her claws deep into the earth, keeping herself upright. Her eyes were
mere slits, protecting her from flying dirt and ash swirling violently in the
air. The once lush, sacred land was now burnt to black cinder. Smoke rose from
the ground, wildly spinning in harsh wind. The old dwellings, formed from earth
and fallen branches, were mostly gone—turned to embers.
She
stopped near the river's edge, facing the mountain range to the west. The
mountains stood like black silhouettes amidst dark gray clouds. She turned her
head to the north, sensing a group of eyes hidden behind a shadow of trees.
They were watching her.
The
snow leopard closed her eyes, then took a deep breath. A flicker of light
flashed above, casting shadows from clouds, trees, boulders, and smoke across
the land.
Opening
her eyes, she sat down on her hind legs, folding her long tail over her paws.
She stared patiently ahead. More than just instinct had led her here.
Another
strong gust of wind lashed against her body, making her grip the earth even
deeper. She closed her eyes again. An instant later the wind calmed, allowing
her to let go of the charred earth. She looked at the night sky as the gray
clouds parted—one half flowed north, the other half south—revealing a
star-filled canopy above.
Suddenly
she winced. A large comet raced across the sky, painting a crystal-blue streak
among the stars above the mountains. Her eyes intently followed the blue comet
as it slowly vanished into the western horizon. Then she nodded to the sky, as
if communicating with it in some mystical way.
The
snow leopard dropped her gaze, eyeing the ground in front of her paws. A rolled
up scroll, which wasn't there a moment before, lay in front of her. Placing her
paw on one end of the scroll, she nudged the opposite end toward the river with
her nose. It rolled out, revealing gold paper thickly outlined in black.
She
stared into it. A word formed, then more, until the scroll was filled with words.
It read:
Two children from a forgotten land, ancestors
of the Island of Ohm Totem, one being of the night walkers and the other of the
sacred heart, will purify the energies, bring back the old ways, and unite the
PureLights once again, putting an end to the coming Shiver.
~ Windstorm Prophecy
She
removed her paw from the scroll, nosing one end closer to the other, and rolled
it up. She gently grasped it between sharp teeth, then stood on all fours. She
sniffed the air. Danger was near.
A
burst of wind buffeted against the snow leopard, slightly unbalancing her.
Closing her eyes, the wind slowed to a slight breeze. Opening her eyes, she
turned and slowly walked to the east, passing several mounds still smoldering
from the fires that had once engulfed them.
She
looked north, feeling a group of dim eyes burning deeply into her snowy pelt.
She knew they'd killed before. She knew they wanted to kill again.
Continuing
to walk eastward, she came to a large dwelling mound half-burnt to the ground.
It gave off heat, but little smoke. She sniffed. It was empty of life. She
glanced once more at the ruined land and a pain of sorrow sank deep within her.
Everything around her was dead. Her friends. Her family. Everything.
Lifting
her head, she stared to the north once more, narrowing her eyes as she studied
a thick fog hovering in a stand of sparse trees in the distance. Still
clutching the scroll, she gave a loud moan and watched the fog for several more
moments, waiting for a reply.
Nothing.
Turning
to leave, she noticed something on the ground. Something important. Fresh
tracks. She sniffed intently—panther scent. Her head jerked, her eyes widened.
He's alive and he was here only moments ago. Why didn't she sense him?
Just
then she heard several yelps. She turned to face six white wolves walking
cautiously toward her. Their fur bristled and their ears were pulled back. They
advanced toward her with low growls. It was a display to induce fear, one that
was wasted on the snow leopard.
Backing
up slowly, the snow leopard moved her head from left to right, studying each
wolf as the group began to surround her. The closer they came, the tighter she
held the scroll. Suddenly she stopped, surprising and confusing the pack. Their
usual slaughters involved a chase.
A
flash of light appeared silently above. The pack looked up as the light changed
from white to crystal blue, sending a hue of color against the land, then it
slowly faded away. Something about this omen told the pack that tonight’s prey
was different, something they'd never encountered before.
The
pack leader glared at the snow leopard as he let out a loud, throaty growl,
saliva dripping from both sides of his mouth. The wind from the north picked up
just as the leader crouched and leaped at her with bared teeth.
She
easily side-stepped the attack. The leader landed directly on the spot she'd
just occupied, swiping in vain at empty air. Another wolf sprang. Her back was
to him, but she spun out of the way and swatted his backside, sending him
further along his planned course. His outstretched paws gripped the earth as he
landed, stopping him just inches from a burnt tree.
The
snow leopard sat down, calmly looking back at the leader, then exhaled as she
placed the scroll on the ground. She licked her paw, wiped her forehead, and
picked the scroll back up. She blinked softly, purring. She seemed content with
the situation.
The
leader pulsed with adrenaline as he jumped at her again, thrusting his feet
outward, hoping to knock her over at the shoulders. She crouched, twisted
toward him, deftly moving directly under his body just as he was at full
height. She flipped on her back, facing her belly to his, briskly planting her
feet on his stomach, pushing firmly in the direction he had jumped.
The
wolf, surprised, landed much further away than intended, and lost balance,
somersaulting head over heels as he yelped with pain. When he stopped tumbling
across charred earth, he shook his head, flinging dirt and ash from his fur,
then sprang to his feet. He gave a high-pitched growl, signaling the pack to
form a line in front of the snow leopard. Growling in unison, they obeyed. The
leader barked an order and one by one they attacked her.
And
one by one they missed.
The
snow leopard shook her body like a wet dog, then sat back down on her hind
legs, waiting for the next attack.
The
leader signaled for the pack to regroup. They formed another line, standing to
the east of her, blocking a throng of trees that formed the outskirts of an
enormous forest.
She
stared longingly beyond the pack to the forest’s edge. They knew it was her
only escape.
She
looked up to the night sky as a thin set of clouds whisked by, uncovering a
full moon. Her brow crinkled in worry. She must find the panther. The wolves
crouched low, ready to attack. This time it was the whole pack all at once.
The
snow leopard had had enough. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Instantly, the growls stopped and six thuds echoed through the air. She opened
her eyes. In front of her, the wolves lay on their sides, breathing deeply,
looking as if they were sleeping comfortably in their dens.
She
bowed her head, and then with a flick of her tail sped off toward the wall of
trees to the east. Just before entering the forest, she stopped and put down
the scroll. She nudged it open, peering into it again. She glanced over her
shoulder. The wolves were still asleep. She closed and picked up the scroll and
looked up to the night sky. Blinking softly, she purred in gratitude for the
scroll held in her jaws. A moment later she leaped forward into the thick
forest, vanishing into shadow.
Guest Post:
A Near Death Experience and the Magic of Fantasy
Many
years ago an extremely good friend of mine had a Near Death Experience. When I
first met her, she explained to me that there was nothing “near” about it. She
was as dead as a door nail until someone revived her back to life several
minutes later.
I
had met her when I was getting into the throws of writing. Little did I know
she was about to change my life forever, especially in the writing field (not
to mention every other field I entered into).
Her
name is Deborah B. Gregg, and this is how she died.
She
was standing at the edge of a river, looking down at the water, feeling the
gentle breeze across her body as she pondered if she should take a dive or not.
The instant she jumped, she saw something that the algae in the water had
masked moments earlier—a large boulder inches below the water's surface.
As her arms splashed into the
water, she felt her hands hit the boulder. She pushed against the boulder in an
attempt to guide her body away from it. Her hands slipped and she hit her
forehead against the large rock, splitting her head open, tearing several
ligaments in her neck, and temporarily paralyzing her.
She
said she did the dead man's float—face down, bobbing up and down, unable to
move. All she could do was watch the flurry of tiny fish swimming around,
observe the busy water bugs moving about, and look at the beautiful sand
stirring into a cloud, then settling to the bottom; all along not being able to
do anything except wait to die.
And
it wasn't a terrible death. It wasn't ghastly, horrific, or terrifying. No
demons came out of the ground and snatched her, taking her to the depths of an
unforgivable hell. It was the opposite. It was peaceful and the most loving
experience she had ever had.
When
the last seconds of her life started to fade, she popped out of her body, went
up a tunnel, had a life review where she felt the wrongs and rights she did to
others, then spoke with someone she called her “guide”—all in a place where
time doesn't exist. She was told wondrous things and given many insights.
When
she came back, it was to a very broken body. A body she had to learn to live
with in order to cope with the horrible pain that accompanied such a tragic
accident.
It
was years after her Near Death Experience when I met her. Fifteen years later
we're still friends.
As
I've stated above, she learned a great deal during her Near Death Experience,
most of which I've been able to listen to and incorporate into my own life,
leading me to success in many endeavors. In fact, I've learned just about
everything I know through her Near Death Experience, even writing.
Yes,
writing.
I'm
a writer, or at least that's what I told her when I first met her. I had no
idea at the time that I had to be a “good” writer in order for others to
understand what I was trying to communicate. She pointed that out many times,
making me practice and practice this sacred art. It helped that she was a damn
good teacher and a literary genius to boot—something her “guide” also told her
during her death experience.
Then
it happened. A day I won't ever forget. A writer's dream come true.
I
was walking into my bedroom after a long day of work when an inspiring idea, or
rather a story, exploded in my mind. The detail, the story line, the
characters—everything—was so vivid and real. I don't know how long I was
standing in my room, silent, staring at nothing but the book showing itself in
my mind, but when it stopped I immediately wrote down the summary of what I
saw, thinking that I'd get writing as soon as possible.
Two
years later, I had the summary and a couple of completed chapters. Life had
gotten in the way and I hadn't written much.
Then
it happened again. This time I was asleep, dreaming.
I
was dreaming of the book, the characters, the dialogue, the landscape, the map,
and much more—for months! This prompted me to start writing and writing. Everywhere
I went—to work, the park, a restaurant, you name it—I carried a pad and pencil,
jotting down the story as I saw it, weaving Deborah's words and wisdom of her
Near Death Experience into it. I even made a character with her personality. I
named her “Snow Tree”, using her voice to carry us into the profound texture of
my book. When I got deeper and deeper into the story, I realized that Nova, one
of my main characters, was taking on a portion of my friend's disposition.
Nova's dialogue was very similar to Deborah's, almost mimicking the way she
spreads her sage-like advice and important messages.
It
wasn't until the middle of the book that I realized the name of it, “The
PureLights of Ohm Totem”. It made perfect sense. You'll understand its titled
when you read it. It's a fantasy built in a world like none other, with
characters like nowhere else, simply because it originated from a unique point,
the point where the story exploded in my mind, offering itself to me on a
silver platter, finishing with a series of dreams, and combined with fifteen
years of study and friendship with my Near Death Experience friend, Deborah.
A
reviewer said it magically: “I couldn't put it down. I liken this book to doing
yoga—it allows your mind to escape the daily trials and tribulations of life
while simply being reminded to breathe. It is as much a spiritual retreat as it
is a great fantasy adventure. I loved this book as it took old themes of
warring groups and put a completely new twist on it. The book becomes a philosophical
journey around fears and insecurities and what the usual physiological
responses are but then explores creating new responses and a different way of
being. All the while the author has crafted a book with all the tension, drama,
humor and excitement of any great fantasy book.
“The main characters are
siblings named Zoey and Coda who happen to wander into a mystical world of
spirit animals. The reader is quickly thrown into the action as conflict erupts
between the Dims and Sihu Tribe. As the story develops, the characters struggle
with their responses to conflict while being gently guided to respond in new
ways.”
-
chbaileyOR
By
combining the insights of a Near Death Experience with the magic, intrigue, and
plot of fantasy, you come away with a very rich experience. One that I think
you'll love and enjoy.
If
you feel drawn to my book, “The PureLights of Ohm Totem”, then I hope you feel
transported to a new, incredible world where adventure mixes with a myriad of
important life lessons, taking place in a world where dreams and reality merge
into one—the world we call Fantasy.
Thank you very much,
Purchase The PureLights of Ohm Totem for
.99 cents at: http://goo.gl/a2Uoy
.jpg)
