Feel the Music Touch The Magic - Strange Omens by Jim Stein

Feel the music, touch the magic.

Author Jim Stein discusses the concept behind his latest Urban Fantasy, Strange Omens

For anyone who’s run that extra lap or pushed two more reps under the driving beat in your earbuds. For you who’ve toiled into the wee hours, crammed days of work into one, or simply risen to the demands of daily life, all bolstered by your favorite tunes. You, my friends, have touched the magic—that prickling, energizing sensation that strikes chords deep within.

The artists of our airwaves and web, who know our souls so well, have created songs of power, pathways for us to touch the greatness that would otherwise be beyond our reach. Not all music can achieve this, but golden gems that resonate with your being exist right under our collective nose. Listen for it, feel it, use it. You too can have the power.

This notion is what drove the creation of my Legends Walk series and the expanded magic system in book 2, Strange Omens. Through music, Edan Johnson taps into the power of an ancient god’s legacy. As a musician and sound man, Ed has the ear to sort through the morass of uninspired music stained with corporate agendas and finds the glowing gems. His birthright lets him focus those songs of power and call upon the elemental forces of Fire, Spirit, and Earth.

Fire is wild and unpredictable. It can destroy or heal, and proves the most difficult to control. Spirit is elusive, calling for music that uniquely resonates with the caster. Spells won’t respond to the same songs for every mage. From finding lost items to illusion, Spirit is the most adaptable of the magic elements. Earth holds the power to influence rocks, mineral, and metals. It’s guided best with slow, deliberate tunes. When he’s not fighting forces of evil or trying to quell some natural disaster, Ed experiments to tease more potential and uses from each element.  

But there is no free lunch. Even when used for good, controlling the elements demands appropriate music and exacts a toll. Cultivating and training the power takes discipline and practice—something there is precious little time for in the chaotic life that’s been unleashed on Ed. It’s all too easy to lose control of the wild hunger inherent in Fire or the quiet power of Earth. Eternal vigilance is the price of commanding the forces of nature, but always at a cost.

I’ve greatly enjoyed building a magic system around the elemental powers Ed and others possess in Legends Walk thanks to their unique heritage. Native folklore and ceremonies pulled me into regions of the internet to which I’d never ventured. Although I’ve taken creative license with Kokopelli, the horned serpent, and others, I’ve attempted to do so in a respectful manner that doesn’t smack of cultural appropriation.

As the Native American god of song and dance, Legends of Kokopelli fit well into the notion of music as power. I’ve always been fascinated by the reverent teachings of indigenous people and the concept of living in balance with the land. My mother claimed double-digit Cherokee ancestry, which led the family to visit historical sites along the East coast and out to Omaha. Being adopted (like Ed in the series) I hold no such claim on heritage. But who knows, maybe there’s a bit of ancient god in me—although my DNA test didn’t have a column for that marker.

Even if I have no immortal blood, the pull of enchanting rhythms of enticing lyrics reminds me that mere humans can touch the raw energy, draw it into ourselves, and forge the power for what is needed to become…more. This truth lurks just beneath the surface, drawing us instinctively to the music and raw emotional energy—always in the background, supporting and pushing us forward.

So rock on and happy reading, my friends,

Jim Stein

Legends Walk Series

Strange Tidings (Feb 2018)

Strange Omens (Jan 2019)

Strange Medicine (coming summer 2019)

Strange Omens
Legends Walk
Book Two
Jim Stein

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Jagged Sky Books

Date of Publication: 1/11/19

Digital ISBN: 978-1-7335629-0-4

Print ISBN:    978-1-7335629-1-1

ASIN: B07M72B1W2

Number of pages: 331

Word Count: 105,200

Cover Artist: Kris Norris

Tagline: Who wins when gods interfere?

Book Description:

Recent months in New Philadelphia have been pleasantly monster-free, allowing Edan Johnson to focus on launching the band’s new album. Music brought hope, something the world’s dwindling population desperately needed. But when a mysterious promotion company sends the A-Chords on tour and the audience splits into opposing factions, it’s clear that gods and dark forces are once again meddling.

Ed’s command of music and magic grows strong, but an arrogant goddess decrees he must not interfere. Even his own sister scolds him for casting spells. But Ed connects with the band’s free-spirited groupies and vows to keep them safe from the more sinister patrons flocking to “The Company’s” backstage events.

More hangs in the balance than the simple corruption of a few fans. These happy, bright people could be the salvation of the human race, yet are being drawn in like sheep. Someone or something stalks the tour, and evil lurks in the heart of Old Milwaukee.

Magic, monsters, and kindred spirits keep Ed and his friends scrambling to discover what’s going on behind the scenes, but an improbable friendship just might be the key to their survival.

Amazon

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/Wzb45mo6KSM

Excerpt:

“What now, Ed?” Trinity asked from my left.

We crouched behind a rotting car covered in vines and watched the Grims. Bald Jim looked to be in charge. Shawn sat on the ground at Dan’s feet, head hung low. The bruise around his eye and dried blood on his lip testified to the fact he had gone down fighting. Dan probably wore the Hawaiian shirt and posed as a victim.

Trinity had enough sense to tail them without trying a rescue. We caught up to her just before the Grims stopped at a massive bronze doorway totally at odds with the architecture of the ruined city. The thing was better suited for a medieval castle, though I had to admit it was effective. Jim and Dan argued over how best to get inside.

“Five of them and four of us,” I said.

“They’re bruisers,” Quinn whispered. “No offense, but we couldn’t take any of them, except maybe scraggly Dan.”

“Where’s it lead?” Trinity asked.

Good question. The out of place obstruction melded into the stone archway across a low entrance to what might be a basement level. The arguing continued as Jim tried an incantation. The door rebuffed his attempt. Oily bits of the magic passphrase dripped to the ground. Though a simple spell, the darkness of it differed from the elements Quinn and I used.

“You’re doing it wrong,” Dan complained to the men gathered at the door.

“He’s such a little shit.” Trinity’s lip curled.

“For once that’s working in our favor,” Quinn said.

Dan stalked over to the others, grabbed something small and metallic out of Jim’s hands, and examined the door. Magic formed around another incantation. Shawn sat unguarded at the entrance to the alcove. We scurried out from behind the car, circled the intersection, and crept along crumbling brickwork. The line of the alley kept us out of sight until I peeked around the corner. The Grims argued on, ignoring their dejected captive. Shawn stared at the pavement.

“Shawn.” No response. “Shawn! Time to go.”

Bleary eyes ringed with bruises met mine. He must have taken a good shot to the nose for double shiners to be rising so quickly. Recognition slowly dawned, followed by half a smile that dropped away. Shawn held up his hands. I’d missed the thin cord that bound wrists to ankles. It was silvery gray, looking more like yarn than rope.

“For crying out…” Quinn whipped out a knife and crept forward.

The moment her blade touched the cord, there was a flash. Quinn yelped and dropped her knife.

“Hey!” Dan looked up from the brass key in his hand.

“Just grab him!” I shouted.

Quinn hauled Shawn up by his armpits and pushed him forward. The cord forced him into an awkward half-crouch. I grabbed his arm to haul him down the street, but he stopped short and fell to the ground. Quinn and I pulled but couldn’t budge him. No one weighed that much. The cord flashed and flared, its strange power anchoring Shawn to the spot. More than that, a tether of power slowly dragged him back toward the doorway as the Grims advanced.

“Leave him. In fact, leave the girl. Two for the price of one!” Dan grinned his stupid parody of a Bright’s smile.

Each man carried a small club, undoubtedly weighted for maximum punch. Quinn worked at the bindings. Her strange watery power flowed along the cord looking for a way to loosen the knots. The Grims strode forward, in no hurry and—I like to think—wary. I could have taken Dan and the freak sporting a Mohawk. But I’d spent all year practicing my spells for a reason.

I reached for Earth to throw up a barrier and buy us time. Just as I was about to cast, flames leapt up between us and the men, effectively sealing them in the alcove. Trinity stood rigid, locked in concentration as she poured on more Fire and drove them back amid squawks of protest.

“Let me try.” I hunkered down to examine the cord.

Earth was ready at my fingertips, but when I tried to manipulate Shawn’s binding—as I would stone or metals—there was no purchase. The men tried end runs around Trinity’s flames, holding the woman’s concentration and forcing her to expend too much power. Another minute and we’d have to carry her out. Quinn saw it too.

“Help her!”

I dredged up a bit of old-school metal, Metallica’s “Seek and Destroy,” forging Fire to bolster Trinity’s spell. I split off a portion to attack the ropes. Fire was an enigma, representing the most restorative and destructive of the elements. I honed the lyrics down to a laser focus, emphasis on the destroy part of the tune to cut and burn. The cord swelled, resisting the heat, but frayed edges soon curled away from the core.

Shawn’s invisible bond contracted, yanking him toward the wall of fire. Quinn grabbed him around the waist but was dragged along. Even if Trinity and I cancelled our spells, they would be pulled across searing concrete into the midst of the waiting Grims.

About the Author:

Jim Stein’s hunger for stories transporting the reader to extraordinary realms began under one meager bulb, a towel stuffed beneath his door to avoid parental censure. He huddled with Tolkien, Asimov, and all the greats and unknowns plucked from the drugstore shelves to spin tales of the imagination.

After writing short stories in school, two degrees in computer science, and several decades as a Naval officer, Jim has returned to his first passion. He writes speculative fiction advocating the underdog and embracing protagonists with strong moral fiber, often overlaid with supernatural elements and a few dark twists. Jim lives in northwestern Pennsylvania with his wife, Claudia, and his muse, Marley the Great Dane.

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