Reviewed: April 8th, 2021 Release Date: June 5th, 2015 Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal Fantasy
A human investigator in a magical world…what could possibly go wrong? .
A brilliant paranormal adventure, in fact three in one!
If you love Jim Butcher or Benedict Jacka then you’ll love Kate Baray. Baray has created a wonderful character in Jack Spirelli, a human paranormal investigator and in Marin, the dragon shifter. Three stories in one, each a new case for Jack Spirelli. Great characters, enjoyable read, I listened to the audible version and the narrator was great! The relationship between Jack and Marin evolves throughout the stories and is really entertaining. Off to find the next episode! Read More…
This Easter Monday, I am chatting with fantasy author, Darrah Stefffen, about her recent release Rise of the Dragon Queen.
Welcome Darrah. Congratulations on publishing your first novel which was released on March 13th of this year; you must be so excited! Please tell us a little about your book.
Darrah: Rise of the Dragon Queen is my first book. It is set in an alternative realm on a planet called Ethota. This world has developed life that we would consider fantastical. The main population called the Elvateth have enhanced senses, and some have the ability to control the elements. In the story, the creatures of old have vanished. The dragons are endangered and the country of Dragonia is being ruled by a tyrant, persecuting magic users. A Resistance has formed to fight against the King. When her sister is kidnapped, Jennica embarks on her own journey to save her. She must align with unlikely allies to bring her sister home, but as she does so an ancient threat arises to take over their weakened country.
Helen: What a complex story; it sounds action packed. What sparked the idea to write this book?
Darrah: I originally started writing this book as a form of stress relief when I was in college. I went to school in a very science heavy field, but I always enjoyed being creative. So being in a science heavy field, it was stressful to not have that creative outlet. So I started writing. This book came out of that. It was based on an idea that I had been playing with over a long time. I created this world way back in elementary school with my two best friends during recess games.
Helen: Such a complete opposite to the day job! How did you first find that creative spark? To be able to write a book and finish it is an amazing accomplishments. So many books are begun but never finished. I have a couple languishing on my computer that I must get back to! What started you off writing?
Darrah: When I was a kid, I had a hard time reading and writing. I wasn’t testing dyslexic, but it was close. Because it was so hard, I hated it, but I loved telling stories. To try and get me interested in writing, my parents and teachers had me write stories. The caveat was I could only use words I knew how to spell. To tell the stories I wanted to tell, I had to learn new words, learn to spell things. I thought it was a fun adventure. That has followed me throughout my life. I still love learning new words and telling stories.
Helen: Congratulations on overcoming some challenging obstacles. It is so great that you were able to find a way to still express yourself and grow your creative side. Your creative side was obviously determined to be heard! You have built a fantastical world for your novel, how do you come up with ideas?
Darrah: I mentioned earlier I went to school for a science heavy field. I have a Master’s degree in the Geosciences and work in Paleontology. So, one of the big things that help me when coming up with ideas for stories is asking “What if” questions. I try to think about what if the world had two moons or how dragons would exist or what if magic existed in our world.
Another way that I get ideas for stories is through dreams. I have gotten migraines with auras since I was nine. The aura I get is called “Alice in Wonderland” Syndrome where I see lights and shifting sizes of objects. When I sleep with this migraine, I get very vivid dreams and nightmares. Some of these dreams have inspired story ideas.
Photo: Sharon McCutcheon from Unsplash
Helen: I am so glad you have been able to adapt what could be a very dehabilitating experience into a positive one. I love the nod to your paleontology background with the cover! With a combination of science and creativity in your life, how do you write? Do you have to plan everything or do you let it flow?
Darrah: I tend to be a plantser. I have a loose framework to guide me. These would be more of the large plot points. I generally say the ending and mid points. Then I let the story flow between these points. I really like the organic way the story develops in those in between parts but found that having at least those concrete goals helps writing go smoother.
Helen: Which characters do you prefer to write, heroes or villains?
Darrah: I really enjoy writing the strange characters. I like writing the characters whose motives are unknown or a little fuzzy. I like writing the characters that are just a little out there. They are unpredictable and can surprise even me as I’m writing.
Helen: Tell us a little about your writing environment, do you prefer silence or do you surround your self with music?
Darrah: I love music. I play two instruments – the trumpet and the piano. So music has always been a large part of my life. Music helps inspire me while I write. For every story I am actively working on, I have a playlist that helps me get into the mindset of the characters or the themes of the book. For example, the “theme song” of the main villain of Rise of the Dragon Queen is Castle by Halsey.
Helen: Love it. I tend to have a specific album playing when I write. I am currently brainstorming ideas for a new novel that was sparked by an Olly Murs song. The lyrics just resonated and off I went! If you didn’t write fantasy are there any other genres that tempt you?
Darrah: I would like to try some hard science fiction next. I love writing fantasy. I love magic systems and fantasy creatures, but I also love space and technology. So eventually I would like to try out that hard science fiction.
Helen: Thank you so much for joining me today, it has been a pleasure chatting with you. I wish you all the best with your new novel, Rise of the Dragon Queen. To close us out, tell us about what you are working on next.
Darrah: Now I am working on the sequels to Rise of the Dragon Queen. The second book, Keepers of Knowledge, is currently in edits. I am also working on the first draft of the third book in the series.
About the Author:
Darrah Steffen is a Kansas native, now living in North Dakota with her husband, her dog Willow, and her cat Jasper. Rise of the Dragon Queen is her first book. She loves to write worlds with weird and new creatures.
Darrah is trained as a geologist and paleontologist – which plays into her worldbuilding. When she is not writing, she works as a fossil preparator. She is also an avid board gamer, enjoys playing music with her husband, and cuddling with her pets.
Reviewed: April 4th, 2021 Release Date: December 21st, 2020 Genre: Fantasy/Fairytale retelling
Oh, you think you know Cinderella? She loses a shoe and in exchange gets a prince.
Here’s a double book that tells all – the stepmother’s side supplemented by Ella’s diary of the events. If Thumbelina was more Roald Dahl and suitable for kids, this one is a dark fairy tale adaptation for a more adult (18+) audience in the vein of Sarah Pinborough’s Charm and Jackson Pearce’s Sweetly.
This is such a clever book!! Laugh out loud in places and Sommers makes you think twice about what you thought was the truth. A very well written, thought provoking book, as all fairy tales should be. Read More…
Joining me today is the American author and educator, Jen Lowry. Author of sweet romance/young adult and middle grade novels.
Welcome Jen. You are one busy lady! You write a blog, a podcast, you have a YouTube channel, you stream on Twitch and you write novels in multiple genres! I don’t know how you fit it all in! But you do, and you have just released your latest sweet romance novel, Love Over Pizza. Tell us a little about your new book.
Jen: Love Over Pizza, a sweet romance set in small town North Carolina, was published in January!
This is the blurb: Pepper Pines is back in Jackson, North Carolina, and settling in after graduating college. Her classroom is just the way she envisioned it, but her social life isn’t. Pepper’s best friend, Jessie, convinces her that Cupid’s Connection, a popular online dating site, might have her Mr. Right. Luca Giovanni is trying his best to run the pizza shop his parents left him and be his sister, Angel’s, keeper. Angel signs Luca up to Cupid’s Connection without him knowing because she feels he’s ready for love but just doesn’t take the time away from his business to date. Both find out what really matters, how to let go and lean in, and discover that pizza is better shared with those you love.
Helen: What made you choose Pizza? Is that a favourite of yours?
Jen: When I first met my character, Pepper Pines, she had this intense love for pizza and could eat a slice a day! The line popped out during chapter one, and I knew it must be the title, “Pizza over love any day,” was what she told her best friend, Jessie. Well, let’s just say things happen when love and pizza are involved!
Helen: Isn’t it great when the title just leaps out at you? Sometimes it can be one of the most difficult elements of a book to pin down. It must be difficult when you write in so many different genres.
Jen: I’m a multi-genre author so love to write all types of books for a wide range of readers! I’m a children’s book author all the way to adult contemporary fiction. I’ve written mainly sweet romances, fantasy, and now am excited to see The Sunday Killer, my first police procedural thriller hit the stands later this year with City Limits Publishing!
Helen: Congratulations on your latest book, and in a different genre as well. When did you first start writing?
Jen: My earliest memories of writing are when I was in 8th grade! Middle school sweet romances like those of Sweet Valley High invaded my thoughts and that was my first attempt at writing! It was set at UNC Chapel Hill. The thirty-page books were all about first love on a college campus. Funny that I ended up going to a rival college later in life, NC State, and my son is now a Tar Heel!
Helen: What inspired you to write?
Jen: When I read A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks as an adult my heart soared with the possibilities and the dream of this author life. I will forever call that book one of my favorites because it led me on my writing journey and helped me find my way back to what I so loved but walked away from.
Helen: You mentioned a new book you are working on: The Sunday Killer, tell us a little about it.
Jen: My current novel, The Sunday Killer, follows lead detective, Heather Moody, she has to solve a series of harrowing crimes turned cold cases in small town, NC.
Helen: Quite a departure from your sweet romance novels, do you enjoy writing villains?
Jen: I just love my heroes! Villains are fascinating and can led us on some twisty rides, but there’s something aboutthat hero that battles it out for the win that I love!
Helen: With so many things going on, how do you fit in your writing.
Jen: I’m a full-time literacy coach and English teacher at a high school and a homeschool mom in the evening so it can get tough! I make sure that I’m writing something and researching or reading a novel in the genre I’m writing every day, even if it is just for 20 minutes. When teacher breaks or the summer hits, it’s ON!
Helen: Love it! Let’s talk about your writing process. Many authors work in silence, others like to listen to music, how do you work?
Jen: When I was working on The Fae of Averlee, I was addicted to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack and Irish instrumentals. It was so inspiring to me and transported me to another place. I only listen to instrumentals as I write. Trust me, if the lyrics were there, I would be singing along!
Helen: That sounds inspiring. It would definitely fit a fantasy novel. With a range of genres, you must spend a lot of time researching as well as writing?
Jen: TONS! I love to research. I’m reading within my genre, researching online events of the time, whether historical, setting, or time period related. Because I write almost all of my books set in small towns of North Carolina and was raised in one, my experiences often shine through the pages!
Helen: It does make it easier when you can leverage your experiences. Do you plan everything out upfront, or let the story take you where it may?
Jen: When I first started writing, I was a pantser all the way. Over time I have developed my own method for crafting my novels that I call The Monarch Method. I love butterflies! Now, I have a loose structure I follow that helps me to outline yet have the freedom to honor the page at the same time!
Helen: Tell us! Out of all your books, do you have a favourite character?
Jen: Oh, no! Another tough one! I must say Sweet Potato Jones because she was the first traditionally published book on the shelf and started my whole author journey!
Helen: It has been lovely chatting with you, Jen. To wrap up, tell us what you are current reading, and who your favourite author is.
Jen: I’m reading Cover Your Eyes by Mary Burton. In home school, we are reading The Wind in the Willows. In class, we are reading To Kill a Mockingbird. I’m usually reading more than one book!
If you like crime thrillers, I would highly suggest Lisa Regan’s Detective Josie Quinn series and Gregg Olsen’s The Bone Box! I’m just getting into the thriller world and loving each new discovery within the genre. This might be a place I take root for a while!
Victoria Bond is one of my favorite authors! She wrote a series called Zora and Me for Middle Grades about Zora Neale Hurston! I can always talk about this for hours on end, as well. I have a list!
About Jen Lowry:
I’m just a small town girl with a big heart for Jesus!
I was raised in the small town of Maxton, NC! Even though I moved close to the big city of Raleigh, there is no place like my hometown.
I’m Southern, no doubt about it. I want that to seep through the pores of any novel I write. I desire to be authentic in my voice and stay true to the characters that the Spirit guides me to write. See, I believe with all my heart there is power in words. That power can reach nations, and I pray that my writing has that opportunity!
I believe our youth should be provided with fiction that has a riveting story that draws them in, but keeps it clean from beginning to end.
Reviewed: April 2nd 2021 Release Date: July 13th, 2020 Genre: SciFI
Lazarus Hawk, ex-soldier and ex-mercenary, convicted of a crime of terror he did not commit, and sentenced to life on an airless prison moon from which there is no escape, has been offered a way out. It’s a chance. A good chance. To accept the offer, all he has to do is die.Forced to undertake a mission against his better judgment, Hawk finds himself teaming up with the locals of a small, backward world, and Abbie Renner, a young Guarda officer searching for the source of the drug Hellfire, and prepared to go to any lengths. Read More…
Reviewed: April 1st, 2021 Release Date: April 20th, 2020
This is a nice fantasy romance, set in a fae world which exists beside the human world, and has adapted some, but not all, of the human ways.
Kirian and I were just twelve years old when I pulled him from the icy waters of the creek behind my house. As he looked in my direction with unseeing lavender eyes, I quickly realized our age was just about the only thing we had in common. He spoke with an accent, he had pointy ears, and he was so beautiful it made my heart ache. Oh, and he claimed to be a fae prince cursed by witches who stole his sight. Read More…
Reviewed: March 28th, 2021 Release Date: February 9th, 2021
Shawn Muller is a prodigy and he knows it. It is 2051 and the militarized AI he created to hunt terrorists has begun to dominate the network that controls everything from traffic to climate. Fearful of the power of the AI he calls “Lazy Jack” and the politicians who will use it, Shawn installs an algorithm to give his creation a system of ethics.
But when that very ethical standard causes Lazy Jack to declare Shawn a profound threat to society, he is forced into terrified flight to avoid summary execution as a terrorist.
Reviewed: March 25th, 2021 Release Date: March 8th, 2021
When cartographer Edwin Vlaris is tossed off the ship, The Torrent, he’s left to die with just his wits, his skills and his companion, Ben Keel, a hard and handsome sailor with an incredible power of his own.They find themselves fighting for survival on the Giant’s Whip Isles, previously thought to be nothing but myth. Yet there are secrets lost within these isles—secrets of beasts and birds, both wondrous and dangerous, and of a mystical current that can be bent to human will. A current that could make any ship an unstoppable force across the entire Serene Ocean. However, they are not the only ones seeking out the current.Â
This fantasy novel is a treasure trove of lyrical descriptions, engaging characters, fantastical beasts and the overwhelming power of nature, which some can control, and others not so well! Read More…
Have you visited Remargaren yet? An ancient world suffused with magic and adventure. Sentinals Rising continues our action packed journey with Jerrol and his newly awoken Sentinals.
Jerrol Haven, having rescued the king from the clutches of the malevolent Ascendants, knows they haven’t stopped their scheming. While trying to learn more about the mysterious Sentinals he woke from a three-thousand-year sleep, he has to defend his king and country from further magical attacks.
Should he trust the Sentinals in such vital positions? Can he trust them to protect the king and Vespiri? As Jerrol learns more of their capabilities, he realises there are more secrets yet to be revealed. Maybe those questioning their sudden rise in power have a point.
Before he can delve further, a call for help comes from the neighbouring country of Terolia. The nomadic Families are disintegrating into chaotic infighting. The king sends Jerrol to investigate, instructing him to do whatever is needed to protect the Families from the Ascendants
Get ready for Book Two – Purchase the first book Sentinals Awaken now, eBook on special offer at 0.99c for four days only!:
Amazon UK: Paperback eBook (On 0.99p special offer March 17th-20th)
Amazon US: Paperback eBook (On 0.99c special offer March 17th-20th)
Giveaway!
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Sentinals Rising is the second book in the saga of Remargaren, a vibrant, ancient world of high fantasy suffused with magic and adventure.
Jerrol Haven, having rescued the king from the clutches of the malevolent Ascendants, knows they haven’t stopped their scheming. While trying to learn more about the mysterious Sentinals he woke from a three-thousand-year sleep, he has to defend his king and country from further magical attacks.
Should he trust the Sentinals in such vital positions? Can he trust them to protect the king and Vespiri? As Jerrol learns more of their capabilities, he realises there are more secrets yet to be revealed. Maybe those questioning their sudden rise in power have a point.
Before he can delve further, a call for help comes from the neighbouring country of Terolia. The nomadic Families are disintegrating into chaotic infighting. The king sends Jerrol to investigate, instructing him to do whatever is needed to protect the Families from the Ascendants
Get ready for Book Two – Purchase the first book Sentinals Awaken now:
Helen Garraway 