TITLE: Ariel, The First Guardian
AUTHOR: Sydney Scrogham
PUBLISHER: Agalrae Creative
RELEASE DATE: June 17, 2016
About the Book . . .
Abuse survivor Ariel Harte doesn’t need anyone. Ever. But her companion animal is infected with a dark, magical force. Only an ancient purification ritual, the mind link, performed with another human can cure this infection.
Ariel must ask her ex-boyfriend, Ryan Tracey, for help.
But she’s racing time. She’s infected, too. All the walls will have to come down so Ariel can heal or she will lose herself to the darkness forever.
Ariel: The First Guardian is a story of true love that wins over time, the power of second chances, and redemption from abuse. This is a prequel to Chase in the Guardians of Agalrae series but can be enjoyed as a standalone novel.
Sydney speaks about her path to self-publishing . . .
My decision to self-publish wasn’t an easy one. In a world where publishing is becoming as diverse as the people behind it, I knew I needed a vision for my next book. If not, someone else would end up turning it into their vision, and that’s not something I wanted to compromise.
Ariel: The First Guardian began as a way to cleanse my emotions from a bad break-up. But it escalated into so much more as I wrote. Ariel Harte, the strongest character I’ve ever written, comes from a background of sexual abuse. Her story packs a powerful message of redemption and finding life after trauma.
I knew I couldn’t surrender Ariel’s story to just any publisher. And so, for the first time in my writing career, I rejected not one but two traditional publishing offers. I don’t say this to gloat, but rather to emphasize that when I say I chose self-publishing, I really chose self-publishing. As a writer wanting to publish for the long-haul, I think it’s important to have a vision for my work. Writing the story is only 2/3 of the battle.
After weighing the pros and cons of traditional and self-publishing, I decided self-publishing was for me because of the control.
Sydney Scrogham
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Sydney Scrogham loves creating happy endings. She started writing when she was 12. Her first book, Chase, was published by Koehler Books in August 2015. When she’s not writing, she’s at the barn with Snowdy or catching up on reruns of the best TV show ever – Castle. She lives in Harrisonburg, Virginia with an adorable dachshund named Zoe.