"Game of Shadows"

Erika Lewis graduated from Vanderbilt University and went on to earn an Advanced Certificate in Creative Writing from Stony Brook University. She has had a successful career in television production.

Lewis applied the Page 69 Test to Game of Shadows, her debut novel, and reported the following:

From page 69:

Sun cascaded through three small windows as they stepped inside the biggest bedroom Ethan had ever seen. His whole apartment could have fit inside, twice. On one side stood a four-poster bed that could sleep a family of five, easily. Directly across was a wall lined with cabinet doors. There was also a sitting area with a couch, two chairs, and a small table in front of a fireplace.

“This whole room is just for me?”

“Of course. Were you expecting someone to sleep with you?” Christian teased. “Do you get scared at night?”

“Sometimes,” Ethan admitted. “You would too if you saw...” The word “ghosts” stuck in Ethan’s throat, his mother’s warning never to talk about his gift echoing in his ears.

Christian’s smug grin fell into a grimace. Ethan hadn’t realized what he’d said until that moment.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean that the way it came out.” Christian leaned over him. “Look, if you want the gift it’s all yours. Seriously, you be king. I just want my mom back.”

“Do you now?” Christian fisted his shirt and leaned over him.

What the hell? Ethan’s entire life had been turned upside down. His mother was missing. Their apartment had been trashed. He’d been knocked out and kidnapped from the only place he’d ever lived. After practically drowning on the trip here, he had been thrown off a horse and threatened with disembowelment. And now his cousin was going to pommel him for what? A slip of the tongue? He had been tortured enough for one day.

He shoved Christian, hard. “Get out of my face. I said I was sorry.”

Instead of pounding him, Christian smiled, causing Ethan to wonder what kind of psychosis his cousin suffered from. “Well done. You didn’t cower or run.” He swatted Ethan’s back. “Those instincts will serve you well.”

Ethan slid around him and walked toward the window, keeping Christian at a safe distance.”

Page 69 of the novel is Ethan Makkai’s first time in Weymiss Castle, his mother’s childhood home. His cousin, Christian Makkai, someone he’s just met, leads him to his “new” room. The page is a very good indication of Ethan’s character. Full of grit and shear determination, Ethan’s never one to back down from a fight—which isn’t always the smartest thing to do. This natural instinct gets him in trouble over and over again. Also, on this page, his older cousin Christian, the son of the dead king, would be king if it not for the law in Landover that only the one who possesses the sacred gift of seeing spirits, radharc, can rule. That was bestowed upon Ethan, not Christian. Ethan clearly has no interest in being king of anything. Christian’s reaction is unexpected, and that’s a clue into his nature as well. He’s always keeping Ethan guessing. The dynamic between these two as well as the premise for the book is spelled out on this page. Can Ethan accept his destiny? Will he ever stop being so hot headed and listen to what someone else tells him? Can Christian turn him in to the King Landover needs him to be? Only reading more will tell…

Visit Erika Lewis's website.

--Marshal Zeringue