The 4 Suits: Heart, Diamond, Club, Spade

What do the suits have as their special talents?

Hearts

Talents: Leadership & Healing

Diamonds

Talents: Finance & Preforming Arts

Clubs

Talents: Weaponry & Battle

Spades

Talents: Magical Animals & Plants

Reader's Favorite, "5 Stars" award! Onto the Finals!

Kick up your heels and shout "Hoo-ray!"

We've just won an award today!

"Reviewed By Melinda Hills for Readers’ Favorite

Left with only a partial understanding of her identity after an interrupted mind wipe, Sarah Card is whisked away from her home and parents and crashes onto an unfamiliar city street. The Last Alley: House of Cards Book 1 by Michelle and Trishelle Erickson takes you along on Sarah’s quest to save herself from Lurkers and find the Tapestry, the haven where she was supposed to land. Sarah immediately makes friends as other cards – magic users and magic born – join her in a battle to survive an attack by Lurkers, evil spirits that want to suck the magic out of anyone they can find. With a human to help, the group finds its way to safety and is introduced to Taps, a magical woman who is the keeper of the realm. They attend classes at a special school where Sarah can learn about who and what she is – a special card with an important destiny. As the magic continues to disappear and evil forces get closer to Tapestry, will Sarah be able to find out what she needs to know in time to help save the House of Cards?

The Last Alley: House of Cards Book 1 immerses you in a world that is magical yet exists side by side with the ‘real’ world. A wide variety of unique and interesting characters play clearly defined roles in this quick-paced story that is wonderfully entertaining. There is plenty of action, suspense, emotion and cooperation as Sarah and her friends are confronted with dangers that threaten their world. Michelle and Trishelle Erickson have created a fascinating world that holds your interest and promises more to come.

I enjoyed reading this story and look forward to subsequent volumes! The characters are well developed and interesting and the action keeps you turning the pages. Well done!"

Can I say: "Oh yeah! Oh Yeah!" (High five to Mom) "We did it, we did it!" (Insert funny dance moves)

Mom and Dad entered our book: The Last Alley: House of Cards Book 1, into "Reader's Favorite", an International Reading contest, and this was the result!

Because of this 5 Star Review, we're able to move onto the finals, where we can get: Gold, Silver, Bronze, or an Honorable Mention. Dun-dun-duuuun!

I hope and pray that we can get GOLD!!! If so, big publishers take a good look at your book. Oh please! We need it!


*Author's Note: M&D did pay an entry fee for the contest, but not for the review itself.

-T. Erickson

HoC Bk1 Characters: Emerson

Name: Emerson Devine

Sibling(s): Twin (See Orson )

Relationship Status: Married. (See Principal Lana Devine)

Race: Magick

Spark: Magic Born

Suit: Spade ♠/ Heart ♥

Card Rank: ?

Occupation: Jacob's Case holder

Awards/Recognition: A founder of the Starlight Key School (SKS).

Current Status: Alive

SKS Founder's Badge:

Back to Character List

HoC Bk1 Characters: Orson

Name: Orson Devine

Sibling(s): Twin (See Emerson)

Relationship Status: Married. (See Lacey)

Race: Magick

Spark: Magic Born

Suit: Spade ♠/ Heart ♥

Card Rank: ?
Occupation: Magicanick

Awards/Recognition: A founder of Starlight Key School (SKS). Maker of the Jacob’s Case.

Current Status: MISSING!

Last known location: His wife isn't sure...

SKS Founder's Badge:

Back to Character List

HoC Bk1 Characters: Oni

Name: Onisphere or “Oni”

Relationship Status: Single

Race: Goblin (3 mixed) “Tri-Gob”

Occupation: Polisher, hallway monitor

Known Talent: Polishing and making handkerchief dresses for herself.

Current Status: Alive

Nickname: Oni

Last known location: Tapestry

Back to Creature List

HoC Bk1 Characters: Sissy

Name: Sissy, the Chameleon

Race: Goblin (Full)

Occupation: Street Spy

Known Talent: Finding things

Known Habits: Calling people rude names, minus Taps.

Awards/Recognition: Sissy is a chameleon or tranz-gob. She has the ability to completely transform into a black alley cat. While a cat, she can think, speak, cause problems like any gob can.

Current Status: Alive

Nickname: Sis

Last known location: The alleys

Back to Creatures List

Update on: The Last Alley, HoC Bk1 - New cover in the works

Hello HoC (House of Cards) fans,

I wanted to explain my lack of updating art at this moment.

We had to go through some final edits and changes on the book. We now feel the book is the best that we can make it. We're really close to getting the book ready for release! 

All we're waiting for is a new cover. Mom's regular artist is busy on a huge project at the moment. But once he finishes the cover, all we have to do is upload it and the first book in the House of Cards series will be ready for reading!

As for the character/creature art that I've been posting, I'm not done yet. ;) Though all of the main and secondary characters are posted - I still have more things to upload! Including a large game event.

Here's to a good book coming your way!

-Strav (T. Erickson)

HoC Bk1 Characters: Lurker King

Name: Lurker King

Race: Lurker
Class: ZZZZ

Weapon of Choice: His entire body

Skill of Choice: Words

Known Talent: Summoning other lurkers and forcing them to do his bidding.

Known Habits: Sucking the magical world and its occupants of their magic.

Current Status: Alive (unfortunately)

Nickname: Unknown 

Last known location: Outside The Last Alley


Back to Creature List

HoC Evil Creatures: Lurker Bosses: DeathWings

Name: Deathwings

Species: Former Magic Born - Heart Royalty

Class: ZZZ

Description: Their wing prongs are more decorative and much larger. Their sockets glow with a pattern of red and white circles.

Special attack(s): They will lurk in the shadows and call any lurkers (bosses or regular) in a 20 mile radius to them. They will then assume control of the entire flock.

Defense(s): They will use every minion under their control to thwart you from injuring them. They generally stay hidden in surrounding shadows so you can’t spot them so easy.

Known facts:  To display dominance, it will give out two calls. All the lurkers will bow and acknowledge them as the head Boss.

The Deathwings will delegate positions and plans of attack to the other bosses (if there are any), and seek out the nearest magical town so they can feast and add to their numbers, leaving a ghost town behind.

If there is a victim of high power and other boss lurkers have trapped them, the lower ranking lurkers must give way for the Deathwings. If another lurker hasn’t noticed them, the Deathwings will snap its wings over the other lurker and disintegrate them, sucking up whatever magic they may have had.

It will then suck its victim up, if they’re MB. If they’re a MU, the Deathwings will call a Wrapper/Slicer or a Wrapper/Basher pair if they’re available. Once they remove the spark from the MU, they will fly away as fast as possible before the Deathwings sucks up not only the spark but kills them as well (so they don’t eat the spark).

If there is another Deathwings in the area, there will be a death battle for the ultimate tyrant.

The small points on their wings stand for 10 regular lurkers, the large ornate points stand for single boss lurkers under their command. A single set of wings can extend to having 160 lurkers (regular and bosses) under their rule. They will grow another set if they are over more than that.

How to kill it: Light up the shadows, force it out of hiding. These are better killed with range weapons (legendary). But keep in mind, the Deathwing will always have a trick up their sleeve near the end of their life.

Nicknames: Caller, Shrieking Shadow

Back to Creature List

HoC Evil Creatures: Lurker Bosses: Slicer

Boss Lurkers are like regular lurkers, with a few exceptions:

Name: Slicer

Species: Former Magic Born - Club Royalty

Class: ZZZ

Description: Their wings are their weapons. The tips, spikes, and arches become physical when engaging in combat. Their eye sockets glow green.

Special attack(s): Its wings will become tangible, razor-sharp blades when it spins in its tornado-like ‘slice-n-dice’ dance. It will strike out, using the first (and longest) prong of its wing like a master swordsman.

Defense(s): It can use its wings as iron shields. The spikes are to catch the weapon aimed at them while they slice at you with their opposite wing.

Known facts: To display dominance, it will stretch out its wings. Then, the other former Club lurkers will bow their heads in subjection.

Slicers are the most aggressive out of the Bosses. They will cut ANYTHING in their path, magical or not, if something is barring the way of their intended victim. Depending on the thickness and durability, they have been known to slice their way into magical homes or cars if they sense targets inside.

They will cut a victim’s feet out from under them or slice off any limb to render their prey vulnerable to their feeding.

If a MU is captured by a Wrapper, the Slicer will preform its ‘slice-n-dice’ dance. (It turns into a blender and hacks your torso up like sausage). The spark will be released and sucked up.

If alone, the Slicer will use its wings to gut the MU, releasing their spark, and sucking the spark up. The MU has a brief chance of survival: If there’s a Heart or a Card Doctor on the field of battle, the former MU can be saved, but they suffer a sad fate.

How to kill it: Damage its wings enough so it can’t fly anymore. Then destroy it like a regular lurker.

Nicknames: Slasher, User Bain, Gutter

Back to Creatures List