Good morning, bloggers!!
I am so pleased to welcome Vashti Quiroz-Vega, Author of THE FALL OF LILITH. Please help me in supporting her today as the Spotlight is shined on her.
When Lilith arrived at the tree, she marveled at its brilliance. She coiled her tail around its base, slid to a branch, and plucked one of its blushing fruit. She stared at it, but hesitated to put it in her mouth, recalling what happened when she bit into the fruit from the other tree.
The fruit was like none she had ever seen, draped in shiny reddish-gold. It was cold and smooth in her hand. She placed her mouth over it and sank her bloodstained teeth into its crisp, delicious flesh. The fruit squirted its sweet, succulent juice into her mouth. Its scent swathed her like a dip in a pool of warm water, conjuring images of Heaven’s light and bathing in the River of Life. The aroma was bright, cheerful, and more fragrant than any flower in Heaven’s Triumph Gardens.
Upon finishing the magnificent fruit, she began to undergo a transformation. She grew stronger, full of energy and vitality. The eyes on her wings gained the power of sight, having been of no use in the past. Now she saw in every direction at once, except directly behind her. The feathers in her wings became lustrous and able to withstand extreme temperatures. The inner frame of her wings became stronger, capable of enduring powerful impacts. Her tail grew longer and robust. The colors of her lower half were alluring and intense. She knew she was becoming godlike.
Blinding flashes of lightning sliced through the sky. Thunder, which followed closely, shook the ground. As the wind grew stronger, the numerous trees in the Garden began to disintegrate one by one. The dust left behind by the crumbling trees blew to and fro in the increasing wind. Flowers and greeneries no longer crooned melodies. The vegetation wailed and screeched as it ceased to exist.
Lilith scanned her surroundings. The colors of the Garden were gone, and only dreariness remained as it all turned to sand. She released the Tree of Life and leapt to the ground before it, too, dissolved. She lifted her eyes to the sky, now an ominous dark gray. A jagged bolt of lightning struck nearby; she screamed. Overhead thunder continued to rumble, boom, and clash. She jumped as her hands flew to cover her ears. She slithered ahead, leaning into the wind. Dirt and debris whizzed by her, whipping her face and body. She pressed her eyelids together against the sting of the violent wind. A heavy, humid smell spread through the air. The Garden of Eden was in turmoil. If she did not exit soon, she would suffer the wrath of God.
She flapped her wings. Thick, turbulent winds attacked her from every direction, making it difficult for her to take flight. Beating her powerful wings faster she lifted herself off the ground. She moved through the dense, forceful atmosphere, and finally escaped. Had she not eaten from the Tree of Life and gained supernatural powers, she would have perished. Once more, she headed to the cover of the forest. She settled on the tallest tree where she could overlook the destruction of paradise.
♦
The wind grew stronger
Garden trees turned to grey dust
Eden’s colors blown
♦
Flowers no longer sang, but
wailed as they ceased to exist
* * *
Vashti Quiroz-Vega is a writer of fantasy, horror, and suspense/thriller. When she isn’t creating extraordinary worlds or fleshing out powerful characters, she enjoys reading, traveling, kayaking, photography, and seeking adventures. She lives in Florida with her husband and fur baby, a Pomeranian named Scribbles (who’s also her writing buddy).
Twitter – @VashtiQV
Facebook – http://on.fb.me/1g0da7d
Website – http://vashtiqvega.wordpress.com
* * *
In The Fall of Lilith, Vashti Quiroz-Vega crafts an irresistible new take on heaven and hell that boldly lays bare the passionate, conflicted natures of God’s first creations: the resplendent celestial beings known as angels.
If you think you know their story, think again.
Endowed with every gift of mind, body, and spirit, the angels reside in a paradise bounded by divine laws, chief of which are obedience to God, and celibacy. In all other things, the angels possess free will, that they may add in their own unique ways to God’s unfolding plan.
Lilith, most exquisite of angels, finds the rules arbitrary and stifling. She yearns to follow no plan but her own: a plan that leads to the throne now occupied by God himself. With clever words and forbidden caresses, Lilith sows discontent among the angels. Soon the virus of rebellion has spread to the greatest of them all: Lucifer.
Now, as angel is pitted against angel, old loyalties are betrayed and friendships broken. Lust, envy, pride, and ambition arise to shake the foundations of heaven . . . and beyond. For what begins as a war in paradise invades God’s newest creation, a planet known as Earth. It is there, in the garden called Eden, that Lilith, Lucifer, and the other rebel angels will seek a final desperate victory—or a venomous revenge.
Thank you so much for visiting with us today.
Until next time……………………… Love & Blessings!!
Another great post. Loved the illustrations!
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Thanks for stopping by!
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Thank you, D.L! I’m happy you enjoyed the excerpt from, The Fall of Lilith. It’s great to see you at all the stops of this blog tour. I appreciate you. ❤
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Reblogged this on Adam Boustead's Blog.
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Thanks for reblogging, Adam! 😀
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Good excerpt. The illustrations are fabulous. Congrats Vashti. Thanks, Marlena for hosting
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Appreciate you visiting, John!! 🙂
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Hi John! I’m glad you liked the excerpt and illustrations. Thank you for following the tour. I appreciate your support. ❤
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BEAUTIFUL!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE your page!
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Thanks so much, Lynda! Appreciate you stopping by!
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Hi Lynda! Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed the excerpt from, The Fall of Lilith. 🙂
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Wow! This was a GREAT excerpt, Vashti. I can’t wait to dive into this book.
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Thanks for visiting with us, Jan!
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Hi Jan! I’m happy you enjoyed the excerpt. Thank you for your continual support! ❤
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Excellent excerpt. I have The Fall of Lilith on my Kindle. I am eager to get to it. Best wishes, Vashti.
Thanks for always being supportive, Marlena.
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Thanks so much, Beem!!
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Hi Beem! I’m so happy you enjoyed the excerpt. That’s wonderful! Thank you!
Marlena is amazing! ❤
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Really enjoyed the excerpt! Have a great weekend, V! Marlena, thank you for hosting another great author, cheers! 😀
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Appreciate you visiting, Kester!!
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My buddy, Kester! I’m glad you enjoyed reading it the second time around! Have a great weekend too! ❤
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Hi Marlena! Thank you for the wonderful feature! You’ve done a marvelous job! I am so grateful to be here. ❤
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I love how descriptive you are, Vashti. I can’t wait to read more! Marlena, thanks for hosting her! I love your #ReadMe slideshow! 🙂
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Hello Yvette! It’s lovely to see you here! I’m happy you enjoyed the excerpt! Thank you for following the tour. ❤
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Thank you so much, Yvette!! I actually need to update that. It’s been awhile. lol
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Great excerpt, Vashti! I’m enjoying your tour. Thanks for hosting, Marlena.
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That’s wonderful, Linda! I’m glad you liked the excerpt and are enjoying the tour. Thank you for all the support you’ve shown me. ❤
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Glad to!
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Thanks for visiting, Linda!
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I loved those pictures, and the excerpt was quite…interesting. Lol I’m looking forward to being able to read it. 😀
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Hi Rhani! I’m happy you enjoyed the excerpt. Luis Royo is one of my favorite Fantasy artists. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! 😀
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Appreciate you stopping by, Rhani!!
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Vashti that excerpt was so powerful. I honestly don’t know how to take it. Who puts their own spin on heaven and hell? Does it cross a line?
It’s something to talk about.
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Thanks for visiting, Shirley.
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I guess it goes back to being a pre-teen/teen in school (private school) and not getting answers to the many questions I had about these subjects. Many teachers either didn’t have the answers or didn’t want to take the time or so I thought. As an adult, I realized that there are no answers to many of the questions I had. There are many books written throughout history about God, heaven, hell and the devil. I’m not the first nor the last to write of such things. Did John Milton cross the line with his novel, Paradise Lost? Did Dante Alighieri cross the line with his book, Inferno? Or the entire Divine Comedy for that matter? Did Virgil cross the line with his book, Aeneid? Is Mythology as a whole, crossing the line? I’m not comparing myself or my book to these classic works, but they all touch on the same subjects and are the stepping stones to many books, including The Fall of Lilith. There is no crossing the line in literature or at least there shouldn’t be. Otherwise, we’ll go back to burning mounds of books and calling writers heretics. The Fall of Lilith is simply a fiction fantasy story where I draw from books I’ve read, movies I’ve seen, dreams/nightmares I’ve had and beautiful lands I’ve visited to come up with my version of heaven, earth, hell and the many other worlds I describe in the book. I wrote the book to entertain the reader and to teach the consequences of lawlessness and the chaos that can pursue when free-will is exploited without thought of consequences. But yeah, we can talk. 😉
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Beautifully said, Vashti. 🙂
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Thank you, Marlena. 🙂 xx
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Thanks again for another great post, Vashti! Thanks for hosting, Mar!
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Thanks so much, Laura!!
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Thank you for visiting and reading, Laura! 😀
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I remember that scene, too, Vashti. I hated the fact that Lilith could gain life everlasting by eating that fruit. 😀 Devil gained life everlasting by eating that fruit, but if God wants him to die, he will die. Thank you, Marlena, for hosting her.
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Thanks, Joy!
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In my book, God is all powerful and if he wants Lilith to disintegrate in a sheet of searing flame, she would do just that. But she has to make several appearances, as the villain of my next book, so she’s very much alive. And just because she thinks she’s completely immortal doesn’t mean that she is (hint, hint). By the way, the biblical snake never ate of the “Tree of Life”. He knew better. 😀 xx
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Strong stuff, Vashti 😀
Thanks for hosting us, Marlena 🙂
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Thank you, Jan!!
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Hi Jan! It’s nice to see you here. Thank you! 😀 xx
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Great illustration–her having a tail surprised me. Again you draw me right into the book with Lilith–quite a talent. Loved the Garden of Eden excerpt.
Marlena thanks for hosting this talented author!
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Thanks so much, Micki!
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Hello Micki! I appreciate your comment and I’m happy you enjoyed the excerpt. I think you would find a lot of surprises in the book. 😉
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Nice excerpt! Love the illustration!
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Thank you, Michelle! The illustration at the top is by Fantasy artist, Luis Royo. He’s one of my favorites. I’m happy you enjoyed the post. 😀 xx
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Thanks for visiting!
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Lilith has no boundaries!
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Hi Wendy! Lilith continues to develop in the second installment of my Fantasy Angels Series. She’s not the main character in the second book, but she is the villain. 😉
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Appreciate you stopping by, Wendy!!
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Looking forward to this read!
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I’m happy to hear/read that, Jenny! Thank you! 😀 xx
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Thanks for stopping by, Jenny!
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Hi Vashti – thank you for the excerpt – very spirited writing!
Best regards to all – MikeL
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Thanks for stopping by, Michael!
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Hi Mike! Thank you! I’m happy you enjoyed the excerpt. All the best!
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Loved the excerpt! You have a great way with words. ♥
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Thanks for stopping by, Gwen!!
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Thank you, Gwen! I love words. Right now, I’m playing with nouns; seeing which ones I can turn into verbs. 😉 I’m glad you enjoyed the excerpt.
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