Readers’ Favorite recognizes “Sentinals Rising” by Helen Garraway in its annual international book award contest, currently available at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08TV359TD.
The Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest featured thousands of contestants from over a dozen countries, ranging from new independent authors to NYT best-sellers and celebrities.
Readers’ Favorite is one of the largest book review and award contest sites on the Internet. They have earned the respect of renowned publishers like Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins, and have received the “Best Websites for Authors” and “Honoring Excellence” awards from the Association of Independent Authors. They are also fully accredited by the BBB (A+ rating), which is a rarity among Book Review and Book Award Contest companies.
We receive thousands of entries from all over the world. Because of these large submission numbers, we are able to break down our contest into 140+ genres, and each genre is judged separately, ensuring that books only compete against books of their same genre for a fairer and more accurate competition. We receive submissions from independent authors, small publishers, and publishing giants such as Random House, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster, with contestants that range from the first-time, self-published author to New York Times bestsellers like J.A. Jance, James Rollins, and #1 best-selling author Daniel Silva, as well as celebrity authors like Jim Carrey (Bruce Almighty), Henry Winkler (Happy Days), and Eriq La Salle (E.R., Coming to America).
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Readers’ Favorite is proud to announce that “Sentinals Rising” by Helen Garraway won the Honorable Mention Award in the Fiction – Fantasy – Epic category.
You can learn more about Helen Garraway and “Sentinals Rising” at https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/sentinals-rising where you can read reviews and the author’s biography, as well as connect with the author directly or through their website and social media pages.
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Book Two of the Sentinal Series
Books in the Sentinals Series:
Novella o.5: Sentinals Stirring (Free if you sign up to my newsletter.)
I am excited to be joined by one of the authors of the Tales of the Amulet series, Robert Zangari as we chat about his books and how he and his father, Dan, work together. You can check out my book review of the first book in the series, A Prince’s Errand here.
Helen: Welcome Dan! To start us off, tell us about the latest book in your epic fantasy Tales of the Amulet series.
Robert: Taking place immediately after the events of A Prince’s Errand, The Dark Necromancer continues the thrilling adventure set into motion by the discovery on Dalgilur, and the climatic conflict at the Mindolarnian Palace. The story follows Iltar, Cornar, and Elsia as they ward off secret societies, thwart conspiring necromancers, and defy vengeful princes—all while struggling to unearth the truth about the Crimson Eye. But no place, not their homeland nor an island long forgotten, is beyond their enemies’ reach—not even the Translucent Fields of Vabenack.
If you want to hear Michael Kramer narrate those exact lines, you can do so over on the book’s Kickstarter campaign or on YouTube.
Helen: I can’t wait to read The Dark Necromancer. I must admit I fell in love with Iltar and I can’t wait to see how his story pans out, and if he survives the antics of his students! This cover is amazing. There is so much going on, it’s a story in itself!
Robert: Kerem Beyit did a fabulous job capturing our imagination with the cover art for The Dark Necromancer. We wanted a scene with a struggle and he did just that by depicting our main characters climbing the stairs to meet the three powerful mages. We actually had this cover done for awhile, as we commissioned it immediately after the cover for A Prince’s Errand was finished.
We went with a purple tone because my dad’s initial draft of The Dark Necromancer back in 2001 had a purple font colour for the title. It’s just kinda stuck through all the iterations of this story.
Helen: WIth so much thought going into the covers, what about the titles?
Robert: There is a bit of a special meaning to it. Initially my dad had four stories planned; The Dark Necromancer, The Golden Dragons, The Red Ruby, and The Black Knight. The Dark Necromancer consisted of the flashbacks for his original trilogy into one story that revolved around an evil necromancer, Iltar.
Yeah, Iltar was the bad guy that set my dad’s story into motion, and in the original Chronicles of Lorn story he died in the first book, but we got glimpses into his life via flashbacks (it was very similar to what Sanderson has done in the Stormlight Archive). But my dad had ultimately pulled those flashbacks because of feedback he had received from other authors and publishers, saying that method of storytelling doesn’t work (well it obviously does for Sanderson).
So, when I was sixteen, my dad re-worked his story and made a prequel of sorts to his Chronicles of Lorn and called it The Dark Necromancer. Our initial debut novel as independent authors was titled The Dark Necromancer, which we released in 2013. When we split the book up we later called it The Dragons’ Legacy, but this current 2022 title are those same events, just told very differently and with some different outcomes.
Book One of the Tales of the Amulet
Helen: I’m in shock! You were going to kill off Iltar? How could you? Setting my horror aside, what made you first begin writing?
Robert: Well, I actually started writing non-fiction in 2010 and published my first book as a tie-in to my martial arts business that I had at the time. But I didn’t get my start in writing fiction until after my son passed away—he was stillborn at 28 weeks gestation. In an effort to ease his passing my father approached me about working with him on finishing his series. It had been nearly twenty years since he began and he was getting nowhere fast.
I was still in school studying Bio-medical Engineering, so I was writing only part time for the first year. Then I decided I loved crafting stories more than designing artificial organs or synthetic body parts, so I switched career paths.
Helen: I truly believe writing is carthartic. I am sorry you lost your son. I began writing after my mother passed, and I truly belive writing my books helped me deal with her passing. What made you write this particular book?
Robert: Well, it’s a sequel so I kinda had to write it. But other than that, I wanted to continue the adventure we set into motion with A Prince’s Errand.
But to better expand on the question, I’ll explain why we wrote Tales of the Amulet. My father has always been fascinated with the fantasy genre, and for as long as I can remember it’s been a part of my life. In fact, this series and the world have been with me since I was five years old.
Throughout the years he worked on the stories but never really made huge progress due to other responsibilities. But when we finally started working together we wanted to produce this fantasy series as if it were finished and published back in the early 1990’s—which was when my father began working on these stories.
We wanted to produce big, thick, epic fantasy tomes, and that’s sort of our motto now.
Helen: You definitely achieved that. The Tales of the Amulet is a wonderfully complex world with amazing world building, characters and magic systems. I don’t think you could not write a tome! Do you have ideas for other books?
Robert: I mostly sit and stew on a premise until I start getting ideas. But fortunately for me, most of Tales of the Amulet is already mapped out for me. So it’s more getting ideas to flesh out the major parts of the story my dad already created.
One of the things I often find myself doing is meditating in the shower to dig deep and find the nitty-gritty details of the story. Sometimes I just go on a drive by myself in my 87’ Pontiac Fiero and let the ideas flow. Other times I will crawl into bed and wrap myself in my covers and see what comes to mind. I’m an introvert, so if I can get isolated the ideas flow.
Helen: Who do you prefer to write villains or heroes?
Robert: Oh, I don’t know. I enjoy writing a fresh POV that I’ve never written in before, as it gives me an opportunity to explore something new. That’s one of the reasons the Greater Kalda chapters are in our main stories. I do enjoy writing from Cornar’s perspective, and I feel I relate to him the most out of those I’ve written. Although writing Iltar’s pain and trauma has been cathartic.
I enjoy both the heroes and the villains. It allows me to explore two polar worldviews and see things from both sides. Plus, there’s something liberating about writing an excellent bad guy/girl. I hate Vaem from The Prisoner of Tardalim but oh was it fun writing her.
Helen: Before we move into talking about your writing process, tell us a random fact about yourself.
Robert: I am an only child, and the son of an only child (my father). When I was a kid I often played out elaborate fantasy scenes with my medieval LEGO sets, and I think that’s marks the beginning of my imaginative madness. And I still enjoy LEGOs.
Helen: We can blame it all on the LEGO!! Do you have a special working place where you find creativity flows the best?
Robert: I have an office in my basement, well as of writing this I don’t have it accessible at the moment. So, I’m up in a makeshift office in a nook in mine and my wife’s bedroom. You can see a quick tour of it over on TikTok. I mostly prefer solitude when writing. I have a hard time writing in groups or in a classroom setting. It’s gotta be the introvert in me, but I feel the creativity flow when I’m just by myself.
Helen: Do you prefer writing or editing?
Robert: Oh, writing all the way. Reviewing next, but editing is rough. For me, editing is work and the writing and reviewing is the fun part. I also enjoy outlining and planning a story, and then writing it and having my plans get messed up by my characters—I like the problem solving that comes from those hiccups.
Helen: When writing, do you prefer silence or do you have a playlist playing in the background?
Robert: Yes I do, and it varies for the mood of the scene. I prefer to listen to movie soundtracks, and I often pick a track that was in a scene that matches what I’m writing. That helps me get put the right emotional beats in the scene and helps me stay true to the outline I’ve written.
Helen: Do you plan out every scene or do you pants it and let the story take you where it will?
Robert: Planner all the way and I do stick to a few frameworks that I learned from my writing mentor, David Farland. I try to incorporate a few different story structures, typically the 10-15-25-40-10 rule that you often see in the hero’s journey or the adventure story. Once I get through the first 10% and finalize my inciting incident that gives me a good idea of how long the story is going to be. I notice it more when I am writing a short story or novella, and it’s mostly accurate as the first try-fail cycle takes 15%, the second cycle 25% and the try success taking 40% with a wrap up at the end lasting about 5-10%.
I also try to incorporate a story in the round element that links to one of the main conflicts for the characters. In A Prince’s Errand Iltar at his homestead in the beginning, and at the end of the story he ends up back there again. I did a similar thing with Amendal Aramien in The Prisoner of Tardalim where the story’s initial inciting incident begins at a tavern, the Sea Vistonia, and the book ends at the same tavern. Physical locations are often my go-to for a story in the round element, but I’ve also tried to incorporate an internal revolution for the characters like what we see with Gigaus in the short story Sorter of Mages.
Helen: Do you find you have to do much research for your books?
Robert: It depends on what elements I’m incorporating and how much knowledge I have on the subject matter before starting the story. For instance, I did a good deal of research about Antarctica while writing The Prisoner of Tardalim. I also did a few deep-dives into several different animals to study their anatomy so I could accurately create some variant creatures for the story, since it featured a conjurer as the main character.
Helen: Who was your favourite character to write?
Robert: Zanxsthy’ll, you haven’t truly met him yet if you’ve read A Prince’s Errand. Well, you sort have met him, but you don’t know him by Zanxsthy’ll (that name shows up only once during Lirathy’lu’s point of view in Mindolarn). Zanxsthy’ll embodies everything I hope I can be, the ideals I visual for my best self. He’s more of a background character until later on, but as the series progresses he takes a more prominent role. I’d love to write a series about him one day, in the vein of R.A. Salvatore’s Drizzt books.
Helen: You have some very complex names! I hope you have a glossary and a pronounciation guide. Most writers struggle with distractions and procrastination. How do you fit writing into daily life?
Robert: I try to make it a priority and the best way for me to do that is to do it first thing after I wake up and get ready for the day. I write in the mornings and revise/edit in the evenings. One thing I learned from David Farland was that our brains tend to be more creative in the mornings and more analytical in the evenings.
Since I write full time and work from home it can be challenging. There are some weeks where I only get a few thousand words down, and others where I can get a novella’s worth finished. Part of that is just the ebb and flow of life with four kids. But I feel like I’m still trying to figure it all out, schedule wise. When I think I’ve got a handle life throws a wrench at my gears and cogs.
I notice that taking a shower tends to help me focus on the story. I guess it’s the solitude and the calming of flowing water, but I will get a good deal of “pre-writing” done before hand and often see the scene play out in my mind.
Helen: If you didn’t write fantasy what genre would you like to try to write?
Robert: I’d love to dabble in some science fiction. I adore science fiction, but more of the hard sci-fi and unfortunately I’m just not smart enough for that. I feel like I’d need a doctorate to accurately pull it off. But I’m fascinated with near future Sol system settings. DOOM and Destiny are two of my favourite videogame franchises and both share a similar setting I’d love to explore myself. I guess Star Trek sort of fits into that, especial during the Enterprise show era. But I think it’d be fun to explore the planetoids of our solar system.
Helen: You lead such a busy life, with four children to keep you occupied. When not writing, what do you do to relax?
Robert: Immersing myself in a good story, whether it be movies, a TV show, a story-driven videogame, or going to plays. Before COVID-19 we used to have an annual membership to our local theatre and saw a play almost once a month. I love that experience of watching a story acted out live, and even though I’m sitting in the audience I often feel I’m there participating in the story. As mentioned before, I enjoy putting together LEGO sets, and I’ll often do that with my daughters.
Helen: What are some of the books you read recently that you would recommend to others?
Robert: I’ve been reading Robert Jordan’s Conan books because I’ve had a Sword and Sorcery itch that I needed to scratch, and they’re great! I love how he writes Conan. As far as indie goes, I highly recommend anything by M.H. Woodscourt. I finished her Wintervale Duology and it was fabulous! I’m also reading David A Trotter’s Birthrights currently, well listening to audio (narrated by Henry Kramer) and it’s one of my favourites I’ve read this year.
Helen: What is the most useful piece of writing advice you’ve been given?
Robert: David Farland (author of the Runelords) was probably the most influential author who’s given me valuable writing advice. Dave was a treasure trove of knowledge. While taking one of his classes I had approached him about a fantasy murder mystery series I wanted to do—the class was his Master Plotting class, so I had brought the series concept to use in the exercises. But, the visuals and story ideas that were coming to me weren’t what I wanted to do. When I told him about the conflict he told me, “You’re not ready to write that series. Go write this adventure instead.” And that is how The Prisoner of Tardalim was born.
Dave was like my author-dad, and he was always so happy to share his knowledge. I miss him.
Helen: His passing was a great loss. I have found authors to be so generous with their knowledge and their time. As a published author what piece of advice would you like to share to new writers?
Robert: Stick with it, no matter what. I know several writers who gave up too soon before they could truly become a published author. The hardest part is getting that first book done, but once you do you know you can write a book. So, writing another isn’t as hard.
Also, practice honing your voice. It’s often said that it takes 10,000 hours to truly master a subject, and I’d agree. I don’t think I settled into my voice until around the one million word mark. That’s one million words of prose.
Short stories are a good way to practice, but they’re not very profitable so I know many authors don’t write them.
I know it can be tempting to publish the first thing you finish, but in my experience that isn’t the best idea for your career as an author. We (my father and I) published our first project together and looking back at it, the story was solid but the writing not so much.
Helen: Thank you so much for spending the time with me today. It has been really interesting chatting with you. Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Robert: You can get a FREE copy of my novella, Beneath the Frozen Wastes featuring two of our main characters, Iltar and Cornar, by joining our mailing list at https://legendsofkalda.com/pages/newsletter-1. And you can also get the first 10% (roughly 77 pages) of A Prince’s Errand when you join.
My next scheduled signing is at Salt Lake City’s FanX (comic convention), September 22-24th, 2022.
About the Author:
Robert Zangari
Robert Zangari is the co-author of the various books which belong to the Legends of Kalda universe. He studied Bio-Medical Engineering at the University of Utah; however, his love for stories and storytelling took him down a different career path. When he’s not writing he enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters, playing video games, practicing martial arts and immersing himself in a good story.
As an Amazon Associate I may earn commission from purchases made using these links.
If you enjoy fantasy romance books then you will love my new release SoulBreather, part of the Realm of Darkness Anthology, and my epic fantasy Sentinal series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.
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I am excited to be joined by one of my co-conspirators from the Realm of Darkness boxet today! I am chatting with YA Fantasy author, Lea Cherry about her contribution to the boxset, Starlight; which releases on October 4th, 2022 and is currently available on preorder.
Helen: Welcome Lea! To start us off, tell us about Starlight.
Lea: My contribution to the ROD set is called Starlight. It’s a fantasy story set in the realm of Elesseand where the Princess of the Kingdom is a Starlight (Someone born of the stars with magical powers) but also a fierce warrior that protects the realm from any dangers with her Legion. I don’t want to give too much away, but there is an assassin, a magi, a shifter, some romance and a lot of dangers to go through.
Helen: Sounds like you packed a lot of elements into your story. I can’t wait to read it. Your cover is gorgeous, down to the font which glistens. What were your thoughts behind the design?
Lea: The cover for Starlight took some creativity. I tried various different things but none of them actually spoke to me, so I decided to create the cover with symbols instead so that later on, I could hopefully create art to accompany the books. The cover shows a beautiful star that represents the Princess Tekana and all the Starlights before her. Even though the star is bright and beautiful, it is sharp and dangerous and should be treated carefully.
Helen: Readers be warned! What made you write a novel for an anthology?
Lea: I love reading fantasy and thought that this was a great opportunity to write one myself. I usually dabble in other genres, YA and horror to be more specific, but thought that if I could write my own fantasy, the possibility of what could happen would be endless, so here I am.
Realm of Darkness Anthology
Helen: I called you a YA Fantasy author but you actually write a range of YA genres, don’t you?
Lea: I usually write Young Adult books in various subgenres as I enjoy the way the young characters discover themselves and evolve into people that are strong, independent and overall great humans. I also enjoy writing horrors because I just love it and want to test myself with writing one that can scare the pants off the readers. I’m kind of wired that way.
Helen: That is mean! I am not a fan of horror, I have too creative an imagination. Tell us about some of your other books.
Lea: My two horrors are Chimera and Devil’s Doorway which were my first trials into the genre. I have also written two YA Urban Fantasy books for a series, currently busy with the third book, that is about a girl that learns she’s a descendant of a very powerful magical race known as the Pure and that she must learn to harness her powers before the Tainted (villains) can claim her soul to resurrect their leader. There is also a poetry journal that I co-wrote with another author as a companion book for her dragon series to give her main dragon character a poetry voice.
Helen: I bet that was a fun project, especially with dragons involved. You are multi-talented for sure. Many writers find inspiration from music, when you are writing do you listen to music?
Lea: I can’t, at all. If I listen to music, I find myself singing along and then I can’t concentrate of what I’m writing. If I listen to something, it is usually instrumental music that sounds like it could have been on the book’s soundtrack. Like Celtic instrumental songs for my fantasy stories. I do however listen to certain songs before I write to get me into the scene, like rock music before I write a fight scene, or something emo and sad for the heart-breaking stuff.
Helen: When I’m editing and solving plot knots it has to be instrumental, as like you I get distracted by the words of the song. But when I’m writing that first draft, anything goes. Do you plot out your novels or are you a pantser?
Lea: You could say I’m a plantser. I plot out the basics of my story, the most important things like characters, settings and the plot of how the story should go, but then I pants a lot of the story to give myself or rather my characters the freedom to sometimes roam free and choose other paths to get to their goal.
Helen: Characters do tend to have a mind of their own and go off on unplanned tangents. Do you have to much research for your books?
Lea: Sometimes way too much. I tend to fall into the rabbit hole with research, but only when I feel that there should be more and especially if the subject I’m researching is very interesting.
Helen: Tell us something random about yourself.
Lea: I’m from South Africa and English is my second language, is that random enough?
Helen: Wow! And you are writing in English which makes your work even more amazing. Thank you so much for chatting with me today. It’s been such fun talking shop. As we reach the end of our time together just to finish, when not writing what do you spend your time on?
Lea: My hobbies include watching movies, reading and painting. I have started teaching both my daughters to draw and they love it so a lot of the time they want to know how to draw something so if I don’t know, then we all learn something new that day. On a different note, just because I enjoy it doesn’t necessarily mean I’m great at it.
Helen: Thank you for joining me tody Lea. I am so excited to be part of this anthology, it has been a great experience, and I can’t believe the launch is only a month or so away. It has come around so quickly! You can preorder the anthology here for the insane price of 99c/79p!
Make sure you can check out some of my other posts as I spotlight the authors as they reveal their covers!
About the Author:
Lea Cherry
Lea Cherry is an international bestselling author residing in South Africa with her husband and two daughters. With a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing, she shares the spark of language in Young Adult, Fantasy, Horror, and Thriller. When she is not crafting stories, she shares her time with her family watching movies, painting, and reading up a storm when she is not exploring the outdoors on camping trips. Her first book in the Descendant series is set to arrive in 2021 and is filled with magic and adventure that will keep you wanting more.
As an Amazon Associate I may earn commission from purchases made using these links.
If you enjoy fantasy romance books then you will love my new release SoulBreather, part of the Realm of Darkness Anthology, and my epic fantasy Sentinal series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.
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A man searching for his purpose. Another determimed to redeem past failures.
The Sentinal series is a rich and complex story of two men walking the convoluted path set them by Lady Leyandrii, the Goddess of the world of Remargaren.
Jerrol is a King’s Ranger, quiet and tenacious. Birlerion is a Lady’s Sentinal, silent and deadly. Together they will change the history of Remargaren.
This week, the first book in the series, Sentinals Awaken, hit number 13 on the Amazon Top 100 Bestseller list for Classic Fantasy ebooks, having consistently been in the top 30 for the past three months. The second book, Sentinals Rising, hit number 10 on the Amazon Top 100 Bestseller list for Religious and inspirational Fantasy ebooks.
It is so rewarding to know your books are being enjoyed by many readers and garnering the recognition they deserve. Sentinals Rising also recieved a Readers’ Favorite Five Star Review, you can check it out here!
I am excited to share that I am working on the next book in the Sentinal series, the title of which my Patreon and newsletter subscribers are currently voting on. Want to get involved? Then sign up to my newsletter or Patreon at the link via linktr.ee/HelenGarraway.
There is a lot more happening:
Sentinals Rising narration is almost finished and releases on audiobook in September.
The first book of my new SoulMist series, SoulBreather, releases in paperback in September, you can add it to your TBR shelf on Goodreads here.
Hardcover of SoulBreather will also release in September.
SoulBreather ebooks releases as part of the Realm of Darkness Boxset on October 4th. Preorder for 99c now!
I am excited about the release of my new SoulMist series, which is a fantasy romance series about Solanji, a young woman with a secret and Mav, a tortured fallen angel.
SoulBreather is the first book I have written to an extenal deadline and in a new world. So that was a bit scary as well as exciting!
Initial ARC review have beeen positive, in fact, I could say they have been downright enthusiastic, along with demands for book two, which is very reassuring. You can find them on Goodreads!
Interested in learning more about SoulBreather?
If you fall in love with the shadows, does that mean you are fallen too?
A dying angel. A fractured realm. The SoulBreather who might be able to save them both.
Solanji has a secret. One that is becoming increasingly difficult to keep. She can touch souls and see into a person’s inner thoughts. Soulbreathing is exhilarating and addictive, until the day Solanji caresses the wrong person’s soulmist.
Dragged into a long forgotten angelic mystery, she is forced to venture into Eidolon, the godforsaken last resort for those without souls. In order to save her brother, she must rescue a broken and tortured man. Can she save him from the shadows? Does he even want to be saved? And can she find a way to return to the light before the darkness engulfs them both?
Follow me on Amazon, Goodreads or Bookbub to get notified when SoulBreather releases. I hope you pick up my new book, and enjoy the new world I’m building. There is plenty more to come.
Thank you for joining me on the journey, hope you stay for the aventure!
If you enjoy fantasybooks then you will love my epic fantasy Sentinal series. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.
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Today I am chatting with Elle Hartford who is celebrating the release of her cozy mystery/fairytale retelling Beauty and the Alchemist which releases today, August 12th, 2022.
Helen: Welcome Elle. Congratulations on the relase of your new book Beauty & the Alchemist. It seems like it’s a mixture of multiple genres, tell us a little about it.
Elle: Hi! I’m really excited for this book. It’s called Beauty and the Alchemist, and it’s a cozy mystery retelling of Beauty and the Beast. My main character is an alchemist named Red, who’s really just trying to live her life making potions in fairy tale Belville. But when a criminal is found murdered in a nearby haunted castle, and Red’s best friend takes the blame, she has to jump in and find the truth. There’s ancient curses, supportive friends, and–of course!–a huge library.
Helen: Oh, and you’re playing with fairytales as well. You are mixing up the bag! How did you come up with idea to mix genres?
Elle: My friends on social media have accused me of making up my own genre, and I guess they’re right! But that’s not what I set out to do. I’ve been a long time reader of cozy mysteries (mysteries where the focus is on the puzzle and the community, not so much on grim crimes or police procedure). A lot of cozies have a witchy or “paranormal” theme, so to me, it seemed natural to extend that just a little bit, to include fairy tales and magic creatures. So, often I’ll describe my subgenre as “fairy tale-inspired cozy” or even cozy fantasy. I just love it, because it takes the warm feelings and brain teasers of cozy mystery and adds magic–what could be better?
Helen: Sounds like an excellent new genre to me! I always think covers are the most difficult to create, how about you? How did you decide what the cover should be?
Elle: I really wanted my cover to have a classic cozy mystery look–a picturesque scene with a hint of danger, and the cozy companion front and center, naturally. So William, the black dog, is sitting on the path watching as Red’s cloak disappears into the woods below the ghostly castle. Normally, William would refuse to sit still while Red runs toward the unknown, but I liked how this scene combines both the lost castle of Beauty and the Beast with the dark forest of Little Red Riding Hood (Red’s namesake).
Helen: I think it’s so interesting that you’re mashing up fairytales as well. Tell us about your protagonist, Red.
Elle: My protagonist is the alchemist, Red, who recently gave up a life of being a traveling potion-maker to settle down in rural Belville. She’s smart, resourceful, and a little bit mysterious. She also cares a lot about her friends, even if she won’t always admit it outright–often, she feels like an outsider, even though many people in Belville welcome her immediately. I myself can relate to Red’s shyness when it comes to trusting relationships, so that’s probably part of why I wrote her. But also, more practically, who better to solve mysteries than a natural scientist with botanical knowledge, an alchemical lab, and an arsenal of special tools?
Helen: If Red could answer this question, why would she say we should read your book?
Elle: Red would say that we should read the book for Luca, her best friend in Belville, or for Gloria, her irascible neighbor. Both Gloria and Luca have their own personal struggles that they have to overcome in the course of the book. Red helps them both, in her way, but she would definitely give them most of the credit.
Helen: Who is your favourite character in your book?
Elle: What a tough question! I love so many of my characters, each for a different reason. But one of the characters who made me smile the most while I was writing is Trent, a young witch who gets roped into the investigation. He reminds me very much of my little brother (though both Trent and my brother are too big now to really be thought of as “little”!).
Helen: When writing cozy fantasy novels, with a touch of fairytale magic, do you still find yourself doing research?
Elle: Tons. If you could see my office, you might think I was an alchemist fresh from the twelfth century–or a scholar of some kind! This series has been a very good excuse to collect books. 🙂 The alchemy that Red practices is based on historical science and mysticism–think things like the Elixir of Life and proto-chemistry. And then, of course, I also research a lot of folklore for each story too, since many of them are based on fairy tales or legends. I love breathing new life into old things!
Helen: Thank you so much for joining me today Elle, and congratulations on the release of your cozy fantasy novel. A final question for you. What advice would give aspiring writers?
Elle: My opinion on this has changed a lot during my journey to publication. I think my advice would be twofold: first, find a critique partner or editor or writing group whose opinion you trust, and who you feel safe sharing your work with. Having someone with a completely different perspective from me point out the highs and lows of my manuscripts has been invaluable–it may feel hard to accept feedback in the moment, but it makes you so much more confident in the end, because you know you’ve covered your bases. So that’s part one: value an outside perspective. But part two is definitely to believe in yourself. If you can do that, truly–and it is very hard!–then you’re golden. A lot of my books boil down to just that.
And catching murderers, of course. 😉
Thank you so, so much for having me on, and giving me a chance to ramble about things I love!
About the Author:
Elle Hartford
Elle adores cozy mysteries, fairy tales, and above all, learning new things. As a historian and educator, she believes in the value of stories as a mirror for complicated realities. She currently lives in New Jersey with a grumpy tortoise and a three-legged cat.
Find more stories of Red and her friends at ellehartford.com. And while you’re there, sign up for Elle’s newsletter to get bonus material, behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, and terrible jokes!
As an Amazon Associate I may earn commission from purchases made using these links.
If you enjoy fantasy books then you will love my epic fantasy Sentinal series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and keep up with progress on my next books are published.
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Readers’ Favorite recognizes “Sentinals Rising” by Helen Garraway with a Five Star Review
Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers’ Favorite
Sentinals Rising by Helen Garraway is the high fantasy sequel in the Epic Fantasy Sentinal Series, preceded by book one, Sentinals Awaken. This installment continues to follow its protagonist, Jerrol Haven of Remargaren, as he identifies an engraving of a Sentinal Tree that happens to be a catalyst for a prophetic vision, one which puts him firmly in the role of Lady’s Captain. Three thousand years prior, the Ascendants fought to enslave Remargaren, and are determined to do so once more by employing the mind-control magic of Mentiserium, piercing the protective veil, and seizing control to topple those who have long fiercely secured it. Jerrol will risk life and limb to shatter the hold of the Mentiserium spell and to save Remargaren once and for all.
There is a moment near the midway point of Sentinals Rising that feels even more prophetic than a vision: “Captain Haven and his guards will ensure our safety.” Yeah. That is the understatement of three millennia. I’m not going to beat around the cauterized fingers too much here and will just come right out and say that Helen Garraway is a wildly gifted writer. There are multiple points of view that define each of the characters we meet and each stands comfortably independent of the other. The action is ripe and the tension is enough to keep a reader furiously turning pages without the usual pitfalls of taking it too far. Even fantasy and magic have their limits when it comes to suspension of disbelief and the mark of a seasoned, skilled author is knowing when to say ‘uncle.’ The visuals and dialogue are all spectacular and the frailty of good when being pushed by evil is executed well. Overall, this is a book and a series that is likely to be adored by all fortunate enough to read it. Very highly recommended.
You can read the five star review for Sentinals Rising at https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/sentinals-rising where you can also read reviews and the author’s biography, as well as connect with the author directly or through their website and social media pages.
Book Two of the Sentinal Series
Books in the Sentinals Series:
Novella o.5: Sentinals Stirring (Free if you sign up to my newsletter.)
When darkness falls, beware of the creatures that come out to play…
There are only THREE months remaining to preorder your copy of the limited edition Realm of Darkness boxset. The authors of Realm of Darkness have come together to offer this three amazing bookish boxes. In these boxes, you’ll receive $120-worth of books and bookish swag. Details & entry options below.
What you’ll get for your 99¢ in Realm of Darkness
All these fantasy, romantic fantasy, fantasy romance, or paranormal romance novels…
And more… more than 40 full-length novels in total. The authors in this set are hosting a giveaway with focus on Apple and B&N sales. Freebie options for entry too when you help the team spread the word.
If you love fantasy then you will love my epic fantasy Sentinal series. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and find out when my next books are published.
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It’s finally here! A free- yes FREE fantasy anthology with 12 novellas/short stories. Available for a limited time!!
If you loved Sentinals Awaken, or haven’t read it yet but would like to try a sample! then Sentinals Discovery is the first few chapters of Sentinals Awaken from the Sentinal, Birlerion’s, POV, when he is woken after three thousand years, and you get 11 other fantasy stories as well for free!
“Within this short story Helen paves the way for the beautiful epic Fantasy…that will transport you to another time, another world, where you will re-live everything that takes place and I cannot praise these books enough.”
5* Amazon review for Sentinals Discovery.
Creatures of Magic and Myth
A tantalizing taste of this summers most anticipated fantasy collection. This carefully curated collection of novels, novellas and short stories has everything you could want:
Magic and wonder
Drama and intrigue
Fantastic creatures
Myths and legends …and so much more!
Featuring stories from USA Today, International and award winning bestselling authors. Creatures of Magic and Myth will entrap your senses in a magical realm of impossibilities. From Dragon Realm press this Limited edition anthology will amaze!
If you loved Sentinals Discovery then you will love my epic fantasy Sentinal series. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and find out when my next books are published.
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I am so pleased to announce that a brand new bookshop for books published by Independent or self-published authors like myself is opening on July 4th, 2022 and will be stocking all the published books in my epic fantasy Sentinal series.
The Book Dragon book shop is located in Teeside, in the UK, and will have physical paperback copies in store and on their brand new ecommerce platform.
Treat yourself and go and peruse the shelves of books from amazing independent authors, from all genres of fiction, to non fiction, to poetry. And let your kids embrace the wonders of reading in the kids section. Isn’t the dragon mural gorgeous?
SHOP ADDRESS: 6 West Row, Stockton on Tees, TS18 1BT, United Kingdom
And don’t forget…
If you enjoy fantasybooks then you will love my epic fantasy Sentinal series. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and find out when my next books are published.
Join me as I chat with ES Fein about his psychological thriller which released on May 6, 2022. Interested in lucid dreaming and existential discussions? Then check out his podcast.
Helen: Welcome Eric. I am so happy to be speaking to you today about your new book. It sounds so cool, and definitely a little mind bending!
Eric: A Dream of Waking Life is a philosophical, psychological thriller that tells the story of one man’s journey through space, time, and mind to not only discover his true identity but also the love of his life—a woman who keeps slipping through his fingers and into another reality. A thought-provoking meditation on the thin line between what is real and what is not, A Dream of Waking Life will leave readers questioning how far they would go to understand the nature of their own existence and how much they would sacrifice for love.
Helen: Oh, that sounds deep and very intriguing. As is your cover. Can you tell us a bit about it?
Eric: The cover represents the three predominant dreams/worlds/realities (part of the grand mystery of the story is the uncertainty of what is real) that the protagonist is stuck in. I wanted the cover to appear as if these realities are blending into one another. The two figures standing and looking at the large tower, called “The Tower of God” in the story, are the main characters. You will also notice a small figure in the sky watching over them. I won’t say who that is. You’ll have to read the story to find out!
Helen: It is an interesting cover, you want to flip it around and inspect the alternate view to see what is different, because it is not a true reflection. What made you write such a complex and thought provoking book?
Eric: I wrote this book as a reflection on my lifelong experiences with lucid dreaming, existential confusion, bipolarism, thousands of psychonautical trips using DMT and other potent psychedelics, and the most important thing in existence: love.
Helen: I’ve never even heard of lucid dreaming, so colour me interested. I’m definitely going to be checking that out, when I find the time lol! I’m knee-deep in editing at the moment and my deadline is looming. You have some great reviews for your book already, and ‘unputdownable’ is the clear message. What genre does this book fit into?
Eric: I predominantly read and write scifi. A Dream of Waking Life isn’t pure scifi, but it definitely fits into the category. I love scifi stories because they are constantly forcing readers to wonder about reality and ask the big questions of existence: Who are we? Why are we here? What’s the purpose of reality? What the heck is going on?
Helen: Congratulations on the release of your latest book, it is such an achievement. What made you first put pen to paper and write a book?
Eric: I’ve been writing and telling stories for as long as I can remember. I remember in preschool, I used to have kids laughing and jumping in excitement as I made up wild and zany stories about what I had gone through on my way to school. The other kids called it “Eric story time,” and it felt as natural as breathing to me.
Helen: When writing do you prefer silence? or do you surround yourself with music?
Eric: Always! I listen to jazzhop or lofi hip hop when I write.
Helen: Is there anything random you would like share about yourself?
Eric: I was born without a right pectoral muscle. It used to cause incredible depression and self-hatred, even leading me to attempt suicide several times when I was young. Now, at 33, I see it as a blessing that has taught me how to accept imperfection and find beauty in all forms.
Helen: I am so sorry to hear you had to deal with such issues, but really happy that you found your way out and have embraced who you are and can appreciate all that is around you, and that you channelled your emotions and creativity into writing. What is the most useful piece of advice you have found about writing?
Eric: The author, Robert Heinlein, said in a book of writing tips something along the lines of: “Throw it all up! The only way to write is to throw up everything until it’s a complete mess. Once it’s all out, then you can go back and sift through the barf to find the actual story you’re looking for.”
Helen: Thank you Eric, for spending time with me today, I’ve loved chatting with you. Just to close out, is there any advice you would like to share with any aspiring writers?
Eric: Don’t expect to succeed in the traditional sense. If you aren’t writing because you enjoy writing, this will almost undeniably be a heart-breaking experience for you.
About the Author:
Reader, author, and purveyor of top-shelf science fiction, speculative fiction, and fantasy. My favorite subjects to read and write about include transhumanism, esotericism, cosmological ontology, existential ontology, Eastern philosophy, hard sci Fi, soft sci Fi, time travel, space exploration, psychological exploration, pansexualism, religion, mythology, space opera, experimentation with entheogens, and more. I like strange characters dealing with strange situations. Check out some free short stories on my site: Officialesfein.com
As an Amazon Associate I may earn commission from purchases made using these links.
If you enjoy fantasy books then you will love my epic fantasy Sentinal series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and keep up with progress on my next books are published.
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Helen Garraway 