The Staff of Beckoning - Book Tour and Giveaway

​When the world is not what it seems, what will Adir do when his identity collides with the destiny existence has in store for him?
​

The Staff of Beckoning
A Symphony of Spheres Book 1
by Praneet Menon
Genre: Epic Fantasy 

"Menon’s storytelling is sharp and deliberate, blending high-stakes action with introspective moments ... Addictively readable!" —BookView Review

The more we know, the less we understand ...

Adir Nathar craved more than what he was born into. And existence obliged.

A mysterious death … an act of revenge! Adir flees Marafel, abandoning friends and family for safety and a fresh start. But, unbeknownst to him, he is pursued by the Khasmia Shadow, a secret society charged with a sole divine purpose—eliminate the destructive venna with the sacred Staff of Beckoning. The world of Leakarha itself is undergoing a seismic shift. Rakhor, terrible demonspawn, are emerging farther south from the Precipice than ever before.

Caught in the middle of it all, Adir is driven deeper into his own shadows, forced to face truths he never knew existed.

But this isn’t just Adir’s story.

From Naven to Ostarium to Cayan, this story unfolds through the eyes of a troubled father, a ruler fighting to secure her legacy, an heiress obsessed with knowledge, a woman torn by love, an archer chasing glory, a man harboring a hidden past, and a noblewoman caught between two worlds—each holding a piece of a greater truth waiting to be uncovered.
The Staff of Beckoning, the first book in the series A Symphony of Spheres, is an epic fantasy tale of identity, destiny, and purpose. Blending elements from science fiction, mythology, and dark fantasy, this gripping narrative is perfect for readers who enjoy complex characters, intricate world-building, and expansive sagas. If you've enjoyed series like The Wheel of Time, The Kingkiller Chronicle, and The Prince of Nothing, then this book is for you.
 

Amazon ebook * Audiobook * Books2Read * Bookbub * Goodreads
​​​
​

​Abruptly, he found himself in a dark, dimly lit alley, with buildings rising up around him. Everything seemed ... slightly off. Hesitantly, he walked down the alley and made a few turns. A few moments of wandering later, he admitted that he was lost and decided to retrace his steps, but it all looked unfamiliar. With no other option he kept walking, hoping to find his way back, when he came upon three men in a dark corner.
“Give it up, you unworthy bastard!” said one of the men, who had a lilting accent. He was clutching another man’s collar in one hand while wielding a knife in the other. A third man stood and watched.
“I did not steal it! He gave it to me!” cried the captive man.
“Do not lie, you swinespawn!”
“I swear by the names of the Miakos. He gave it to me!” The third man still just stood and watched.
Adir wasn’t sure what came over him. Maybe it was his anger and he just needed to let it out. Or maybe he understood how the captive man felt; after all, he had been ambushed a couple of times himself. Whatever the reasoning of his drink-addled mind, he unstrapped his staff and charged.
The man who’d been watching noticed Adir and whirled around, pulling out a knife of his own. However, knives were a poor defense against the long reach of a staff. Adir whipped his staff sideways, cracking the man in the skull, who dropped to the ground, motionless.
The man who held the captive by his collar was startled by the sudden attack and shoved his captive to the ground. The captive lay on his stomach, face cupped in his hands as if trying to shut out his current plight.
Adir felt a surge of energy course through him as he pulled his staff back, preparing for a thrust. He lunged, briefly catching a look of horror on the man’s face, and thrust his staff square into the man’s chest. The impact sent the man flying a few paces before he slammed into a wall and slumped to the ground.
For a moment that lasted one flap of a bee’s wing, Adir saw a rainbow-colored haze on his hand, creeping up his arm. Fearfully, he jerked his hand to his face for a closer examination, but the haze was no longer there.
The once-captive, now-free man looked up from his prone position and surveyed the scene, then stood. “Thank you, master,” he said, bowing and scraping. “I am forever in your debt.”
​

Born and raised in India, Praneet’s life began immersed in a medley of cultural, linguistic, and spiritual traditions that sparked his passion for storytelling. Then, he moved to the United States and has now spent more than half his life there. The two cultural backgrounds have led him to embrace a fusion of Eastern and Western philosophies that deeply influence his writing.
 
Praneet also spent the better part of two decades working as an engineer and flight instructor, which instilled in him a precision that he brings to his existence-building, pursuing that perfect blend of reality and fantasy. His exploration of philosophy and psychology at an early age allows him to imbue his stories with age-old themes of identity, purpose, and destiny. These themes play a central role in his debut novel, The Staff of Beckoning, Book 1 of the series A Symphony of Spheres.
 
Praneet lives in Vermont, embracing a homesteading lifestyle, community involvement, and writing while pursuing a master’s in counseling.
 

Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
​
​

​From Farm to Table
A Passion Beyond Writing

Instead of doing an article on my writing, I figure I’d give you guys a glimpse into another passion of mine. Self-sufficiency. That’s one of the reasons my family and I moved to Vermont and grow our own vegetables. We want to be mindful of the hard work it takes to feed and sustain oneself, let alone a family or a community.
Vermont’s short growing season demands careful timing to ensure a bountiful harvest. Land preparation begins in the fall of the previous year when we spread natural fertilizer sourced from our very own laying hens (their eggs are marvelous). With the winter snow and spring melt, the fertilizer works itself into the soil, enriching it with nutrients.
Depending on the warmth, the seeding/planting begins in late May or early June. The vegetables we grow include peas, carrots, bush beans, onions, potatoes, and tomatoes. I direct-sow everything but the tomatoes, which I’ve found to be quite temperamental when starting from seeds.
To direct sow, I usually dig a narrow trench at the recommended seed depth, add some supplemental fertilizer, and cover it up with the soil. I do not till my land, as I find that it kicks up a lot of weed seeds from below, and the rest of the season gets very unmanageable very quickly. The tomatoes are first hardened for a couple of weeks before planting so as not to shock them with an environment quite a bit harsher than the nursery. This is accomplished by slowly increasing the time the plants spend outside till they can handle the colder nights.
If the rains don’t wash the seeds out, we start to see the sprout in a few weeks. During this time, and for the rest of the growing season, the area is watered (depending on rain) and cleared of weeds almost daily. The plants also need to be defended against Japanese beetles and deer. A 6-ft tall temporary fence usually does the trick with the deer, but the Japanese beetles are another matter. We place several beetle traps downwind of our garden, and this usually pulls most of them away. Some insect netting and hand-picking take care of the ones that make it to the plants.
Harvest season starts around mid-to-late July, depending on the maturation of the vegetables. Potatoes are usually the last to be harvested. The peas, carrots, and beans are blanched and frozen, while the tomatoes are “canned” in mason jars. The onions and potatoes are cured for a few weeks before storing them in a cool, dark place (our root cellar).
My current setup isn’t as large as it needs to be to feed my family only with the food we grow, as I’ve been slowly learning how nature works here. Lessons learned this season can only be applied several months later, assuming conditions remain the same. For now, an annual harvest can last us anywhere between 6-8 months. What’s encouraging is that our yield has increased year-over-year.
While there is still much to learn, each season is a new chapter, with every harvest adding to our understanding of the land and the gifts it provides.

​

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
 
Jan 6
kickoff at Silver Dagger Book Tours
 
Jan 7
Bedazzled By Books
Insane Books
 
Jan 8
The Library of Erana
The Dungeon Crawlers – GUEST POST
 
Jan 9
Introvert Booklover
Wine Cellar Library
 
Jan 10
Watch Us Sparkle Blog
Haley Cavanagh Books
  
Jan 13
Webs and Blogs For Writers
Books all things paranormal and romance
 
Jan 14
Jody's Bookish Haven
 
Jan 15
Author Sahara Foley
☼  A Place In The  Spotlight ☼  with M.C.V. EGAN
 
Jan 16
J.M. Northrup
 
Jan 17
Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree
Country Mamas With Kids
 
Jan 20
Literary Gold
My beauty my books
 
Jan 21
Girl with Pen
 
Jan 22
ⒾⓃⓉⓇⓄⓈⓅⒺⒸⓉⒾⓋⒺ ⓅⓇⒺⓈⓈ ASTROLOGY
Scrupulous Dreams
 
Jan 23
Inside the Insanity – GUEST POST
 
Jan 24
Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin'
Trixie Reports Books
 
 
Jan 27
Book Bites....with a side of coffee
C.A.Milson
 
Jan 28
Twisted Book Ramblings
 
Jan 29
Royally Insane Books
 
Jan 30
Painting With Words
Sylv.net
 
Jan 31
M.C.V. EGAN ❧Defining Ways❧
Celticlady's Reviews
 
Feb 1
Ellwyn's Blog
 
Feb 3
The Book Dragon
The Scratching Post
 
Feb 4
The Bookshelf Fairy
 
Feb 5
Craving Lovely Books
 
Feb 6
Midnight Book Reader
  

a Rafflecopter giveaway