Epic Sound

I got some exciting news I want to share with all of you. My sister, after several years, has finally made her music debut! Collaborating with composer BlauDisS, she lends her vocals in his latest track, Submerged, and I got to tell you, it's positively epic! Check it out, and if you like it, please give it some love and share with your friends. :)

https://soundcloud.com/blaudiss/submerged-feat-deborah-christian

Crown of Ravens Unleashed!!!

It took some time, but at long last, I can finally announce that the second book in The Heart of Light Trilogy, Crown of Ravens, is published! Links are below description for any of you to order from Amazon.

***

In a world of proud elves, haughty kings, mythical beasts and terrifying nightmares, the power of evil has never been more deadly. Only the Azmaril, symbol of Elosha's Light, stands as a silent beacon to give hope to the hopeless.

Elaine has lost everything she cherished and loved. Her home is in ruins, her family lies cold in their graves, and the man she loves has disappeared and could possibly never return. Battling both despair and grief, Elaine is forced to put aside her own inner turmoil and rally for the sake of her country and the entire realm. As the power of the Azmordan is unleashed and darkness begins to spread across the skies, Elaine looks to the tales behind the Crown of Ravens and the source that gave rise to the legend. With little hope of success or guidance and trying desperately to hold onto her faith, she and her friends begin a dangerous journey into the accursed Shadow Forest—a journey Zar’ul himself is determined to stop. 

Darvir has faced more than any man can endure. He’s survived the Death Circles, slavery and mental torture under Ruval, The Brotherhood of Hallomon, and even a deadly hound of the Shadow. But separated from Elaine and faced with the possibility of never returning to her could be the breaking point. Journeying to the homeland of his father, he is confronted with the decision to either accept his destiny and the One behind it or allow himself to fall into the Darkness waiting to engulf him.

Faith and forgiveness, love and death, all weave together in a tapestry that enfolds two people whose choices will either save their world or doom it to eternal dominion under the Shadow.

CROWN OF RAVENS

GIMP POWER

A cover is an important thing to have for one’s book. It’s the teaser of the story, the banner inviting people to take a closer look at what you’ve written. It’s also one of the hardest things to acquire, depending on your wallet. Photoshop is touted as the best software for digital art creation, but it also comes with a hefty cost. If that wasn’t bad enough, even when you buy the program you don’t get some of the fancy filters unless you buy those.

That’s where GIMP comes in. Most of you probably know about it already, but for those of you who don’t, the program is freeware, which means it’s 100% free to download and use without paying a cent. Ever. Now, there are many who will knock GIMP as being clumsy and primitive compared to Photoshop. I respectfully would like to disagree. I haven’t used Photoshop, but I do use GIMP, and while perhaps it is not on Photoshop’s level, I think it’s closer than most like to think. There is also the benefit of extensions like GMIC and MathMap that give all sorts of special effects and other things that you can do once you master them. Even more, if you visit Deviant Art, you can actually find Photoshop brushes that work with GIMP, as well as unrestricted stock that allow for greater possibilities.

GIMP does come with a learning curve, but let’s face it, anything you do in life has to be learned or you won’t grow. If you are willing to take the time and effort, I highly recommend visiting Youtube and Deviant Art for tutorials. I do need to point out that I haven’t found a lot of useful ones, or least ones that can teach me something I don’t know, on Deviant Art. As most look on GIMP as inferior, a lot of people on Deviant Art tend to give tutorials on how to do really simple and basic things, which is fine if you’re a newb, but terrible if you’re looking to craft something more creatively challenging. I recommend browsing the Photoshop tutorials. Those are better for creating more elaborate pieces of art, and you can take what you learn and apply it to GIMP.

The point of this post? To let people know that there is an alternative to the programs you have to pay out of your nose for—an alternative that is just as good as the paying stuff.

I started a page on Deviant Art for my artwork, and I decided I’d post a few samples on here so all of you can see for yourself just how good GIMP is and what it can do. Now all of these are photomanipulations (rough ones too) only. I haven’t learned yet how to paint digitally, but it’s one of those things I will be learning, just like I did with photomanipulating. Here is my work, and hopefully this will encourage some of you to give GIMP a try. To download GIMP, just go to their website and download it as well as the help manual:

(All art shown is copyrighted and not to be used or reproduced without my express permission.and those whose resources I use.)

All images my own.

Door stock by StormsStock ; Fire stock by TeaPotMysteries

Model stock by twilitesmuse ; Glitter Brush by Obsidian Dawn ; Moon brush by Hawksmont

Model stock by Marcus Ranum ; glitter brush by Obsidian Dawn

Blogging Again

I know, it's been ages since I was last on here. I've largely neglected here in favor of my other blog on wordpress, but I figured I really shouldn't let this blog fall by the waste side. So, to start with, I've changed my blog's design to make it a little less clunky and easier to read without getting eyestrain, and I'll be posting a couple things on here that won't be tag oriented. Let's face it, THAT was getting old. Anyway, here I am, and hopefully all of you like the new layout of the place. If any of you got suggestions for further tidying up this blog, feel free to leave a comment below.

P.S: This marks my thirtieth post on here. :)

Best Buddies Blogging Award

So I've been tagged by ladies Trista Vaporblade and Rayne Speryll for the Best Buddies Blogging Award.

 The rules: 

You must post to show the award on your main blog.

You must tag the person who nominated you, in your post.

You must tag all of your best buddies, and those whom you want to become best buddies with, who, to your knowledge, have not been nominated, for this award.

You must ask your buddies at least fifteen questions on your post.

You must answer all of the questions your buddies ask you. On your post.

Okay, here's to the answering of the questions from Trista:

1) Do you write better on a deadline by yourself or with others on the same deadline as yourself?

By myself, defintely.

2) What was your first story? Not like first book or novel, but first story ever? 

My first story... That would be the Storm Chronicles, which I wrote when I was just a toddler. I can't remember how old I was then, but I was just a little tyke. It was very much influenced by The Pendragon Cycle series by Stephen Lawhead which I was a huge fan of then. The story was about roughly five or six pages, of which I then wrote a sequel to.

3) What's your favorite kind of posts to see on the blogs you follow? 

Either updates on superhero films/comics, or reviews on fantasy books.

4) How many blogs do you have?

Two. I alternate between them, so sometimes one will get posted on more than the other until I get back to it.

5) How many blogs do you follow? (Yes...I can't think of questions. XD) 

Hmmmm....I can't give an exact number, but it's probably close to twenty.

6) In this past year (2014) how /about/ how many words did you write? 

Hard to say, but I think roughly over one hundred and fifty thousand.

7)  can you suggest one blog you think readers should follow?

Yes. I think mine is a great one to follow. XD, just kidding. Seriously, I'd suggest my friend Trista's blog:
  http://tristavaporblade.blogspot.com  She's got lots of neat stuff on there.

8) Have you/will you self-publish? Why/when?

Yes, I'm a self-published author. My main reasons were because I didn't want to go through the hassle and time of finding an agent, and then go through the whole process of hoping and waiting for a publisher to take a chance on me. Work is really the biggest thing you have to go through when you self-publish, and let's face it, life itself is work, so why fuss? I figure if I got God to help me, then I'm all set.

9) Have you ever traced your ancestry? 

No. I already know enough, and some things are best to just forget and move on.

10) Have you ever reasearched something for a novel? What and why?

Many times, although I probably did more for the book I'm working on now than my first one. Igloos were something I did a little research on, because a section of the story dealt with people living in a cold wasteland, so I needed a little knowledge on how the igloos were designed for living purposes. Frostbite was another thing, as I had very little knowledge of it, and since one of the characters gets it, I wanted to make sure it was as accurate as possible.

11)  Do you tend to write in random spurts or on a more scheduled time frame? 

My time schedule is so erractic, I have to write randomly. 

12) What was your favorite book you read this year (2014) ? 

I'd say that would be Moonblood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. Yes, I admit it, I'm a Goldstone fan. ;)

13) What are your goals for next year's (2015) writing?

My goal is a very ambitious one: finish The Heart of Light Trilogy. I got one final book to finish and then I will have completed my first series. Any further writing gets put on hold until that is done. 

14) In all, how many writing documents do you have on your computer, finished as well as unfinished? 

Not a lot, actually. I'm a guy who likes to focus on one project at a time and finish it before tackling another. I got perhaps six or seven, most of which are just random stories to post online.

15) If one book you've read or written could become a movie, which stayed true to the book, which one would you choose?

I'd have to choose the first book I wrote, The Dark Wolf. It's an awesome story I would love to see made into a big budget, live action film. That would be the icing on the cake for me.

(And now for Rayne's questions!)

1.  What is your favorite part about blogging?

I think it's posting random thoughts and watching people's reactions to them.

2.  What is your favorite genre of music?

I don't know if it fits a genre, but I prefer movie soundtracks. Most of the music of today, Christian included, is like flushing your toilet, to put it bluntly. Leastways that's how I see it. With some movie soundtracks, I can actually get a piece that's great to listen to.

3.  If you had to choose another time period to live in, which era would you choose?

Oh, if only that was a wish that came true. I'd pick the '70s in a heartbeat. I love the disco era and when things were a whole lot classier than they are now. If I could, I'd travel back in time and never come back.

4.  If you could go back in time to meet any historical figure, who would you want to meet?

Personally, there's no one in history I would bother wasting energy on to meet except Jesus. He's only one I'd want to meet, and then I could finally give Him that big hug I've been saving for Him. :)

5.  If I said the word "faerie", what would be the first thing to come to your mind?

Goldstone Wood. XD

6.  Are mermaids charming, friendly creatures who rescue you from shipwrecks and fall in love with the prince-  Or are they dangerous predators who cause the shipwrecks? What is your opinion?

Personally, I've never thought of mermaids as deadly creatures. It's just an image I can't fit with them.

7.  If you were a color, what would you be?

How about green like the Hulk? :D

8.  What are your thoughts on foreshadowing in fiction?  Do you like it, or does it just distract you?

Never really thought about it, so I'd say it was no problem.

9.  If you discovered you had superpowers, what would you do?  

*wicked laugh* Let's just say there would be a lot fewer bad guys cluttering up this world's sphere.

10.  Moving on from that question, if you found out there were others like you, what would you do then?

I suppose I would have to find out if they were a threat or not, and then I'd inquire as to how we all got these powers.

11.  If you were given the opportunity to travel into space for one week, would you do it? You're allowed to take two people with you. (All-expense-paid trip, of course!)

The adventurous part would like to say yes, but I think I'd pass. Besides, I know of nobody else I could take with me XD.

12.  Picture this: You're lost in a magical wood, when you are suddenly attacked by a band of shadowy creatures.  You flee, but you cannot run fast enough and they soon overtake you.  Just as you think you are finished, two figures come to your rescue out of nowhere.  One is an elf ranger with white-blond hair and forest-colored garb.  The other is tall and imposing, wearing long black robes.  His hair is wild and dark, his face is horribly scarred, and his eyes glow red.  After dispensing with the shadow-creatures, the elf urges you to come with him, saying that you are in great danger and they've been waiting for you for a long time.  The red-eyed man warns you that the elf is a liar who is trying to kill you. Red Eyes tell you that you should go with him instead, because he's your only way out of the forest alive.  Elf Ranger places himself protectively between you and Red Eyes.  They're ready to fight each other- probably to the death.  It's clear that you'll have to be the one to make the choice.  Who do you trust?

That's a tough one. The natural thing would be to go with the elf ranger, but one should never go by looks. I suppose I'd just pray to God for wisdom and make both the elf and red-eyed man accompany me until I knew who was on the up and up.

13.  Wow, that last one was a long question.  Sorry about that!  Here's an easy one.  What is your favorite day of the week?

Any day is my favorite day so long as God is in it. 

14.  If you could be in one of the new Star Wars movies, who would you want to be?

None, since I'm not a Star Wars' fan. 

15.  If you could go inside any book/movie and save one character, who would you want to save?  (This doesn't necessarily mean their life.  It could mean their loyalty, their innocence, freedom, or even soul!)

Karen from The Dragons in our Midst and Oracles of Fire series by Bryan Davis.

Thanks to both Trista and Rayne for tagging me. I can't really think of anyone I know who has not been tagged by now, except one:

Katie Stone

1. If it was in your power to visit any fairy tale realm, which would you choose?

2. In writing, which emotions do you most connect with and why?

3. Say you are granted god-like abilities, as well as immortality, but you are given the choice to either reside in a bleak realm of nothingness where you can see and affect life on Earth, or live as a wraith among man. Which would you choose?

4. A matter arises in which a person has been seriously injured and is handicapped for life, and  he now has to live for the rest of his life in unbearable agony. You know who it is who hurt him and are given the power to either end the suffering of the man or slay the one who hurt him. What choice would you make, and why do you think it is right?  

5.  If you could have one wish that would last forever, what would you wish for?

6. Given the choice between either living alone in space or as a slave among an alien race that mistrusts you, which would you pick?

7. What is your favorite fantasy creature and why?

8. Of all the books you've read in life, which has had the most impact on your life and writing?

9. What person inspires you the most in life?

10. If you could enter the story of LOTR and affect one event in there that would change things completely, which one would you pick?

11. If you could become any character you wanted, who would you want to be and why?

12. Given the choice of either becoming a member of the Avengers or the Justice League, which one would you make?

13. Which genre do you favor writing in the most?

14. Which holiday is favorite?

15. Which do you like more, tagging or answering tags?

Special interview feature: Trista Vaporblade

Great news, folks! I am pleased to host my second author interview on here and introduce to all of you another firend of mine and talented author, Trista Vaporblade! She is an avid reader, writer, actress, and Follower of the Way. She has been writing stories since she was in 1st grade and has finally gotten around to publishing her first finished work, Quest for the Swords of Healing. It is said that she can be found in a land far from here, a place not many people discover and even fewer understand; the land of her own imagination. Trista can also be seen roaming the halls of the Underground , blogging about her world of wonder A blog of writing and music, or simply dancing in the bright summer sun outside in her backyard. When you pick up a book of Trista's you pick up a book of epic adventures and heroic character in which the good triumphs over evil, but sometimes the cost is far greater then you could ever imagine...

Trista has just released her second major novel, Ranger. For all you fantasy fans like me out there, you'll be pleased to know that the author is giving away a copy of each of her books in a giveaway she is hosting, the link to which will be at the bottom of the post. Here is the summary of her latest release, Ranger:

“ Kimberly Ranger is daughter to the wealthy governor of a small, dry western town. Disaster befalls her and her family one night as they ride through the shadow cloaked forest paths and all of them are thought to be dead. Several years later a young stranger appears in the town’s saloon, asking questions about that night. But as time ticks on, respected members of the town disappear without a trace, animals are slaughtered in herds, and a tale as old as time is brought to light. The greatest adventures are not always the ones that are passed down in fables, sometimes the ones that really mean something are the ones that never get told…” - Ranger

Trista has agreed to an interview with me, so let us begin.

Interview

Trista, welcome to A Dark Wolf’s Haunt and thank you for joining us here! So to start things off, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself? What are your favorite hobbies and how would you describe your personality? 

Trista: Thank you, Dark Wolf! I’m excited to be here and thank you so much for the invite! 

More or less about me: Okay well, most importantly I’m a Bible believing Christian and as an author that mind-set and perspective flows into my works. I’m a high school graduate whose dream is to go out into the world and minister Christ’s love through music.  A few of my random hobbies are reading, writing (of course), acting, drawing on occasion, and anything that has to do with being outside.  And my personality? Bleh, I’m not good at describing myself. Some of the things other people have called me: Random, Adventurous, Strange, Hard-working, Willing to listen, Unpredictable, Godly, Weird, Tenacious, Loyal, and other such things...Sorry, I’m bad at that =P 

What inspired you to get into writing? How did you start your journey to getting published?

Trista: Hmm, what inspired me to get into it indeed. I really can’t recall exactly how it all began, for I was writing “stories” since I could make a sloppy sentence. Its just something I’ve always done. I remember I had pages of notebooks filled with prospective book “titles” and I had many pieces of other paper with drawings for the said books. Though none of those ever made it into much more than ideas and a few random sentences here and there.

What really kick-started me into the process of self publication was NaNoWriMo. The young writer’s program, which I did my first year of NaNo, teams with Createspace so that if you finish the 50k (or less or more) words of your novel, you get five free copies of your novel from Createspace. I did finish my novel’s 50k, but the book wasn’t finished yet. So I decided to edit through my other book that was finished (Quest for the Swords of Healing) and go ahead and self-publish that. And that’s how I started the journey, with writing 50k in one month in a crazy challenge I never thought I’d end up doing.

What provides the inspiration for your stories, and what source would you say is the biggest influence on your writing?

Trista: I get inspiration everywhere almost all the time. Sometimes I laugh at myself for it, but in the end it’s helpful. It used to come mostly from reading, but since I began seriously writing I’ve bordered my scope of inspiration, as it were. Pictures inspire characters a lot for me, or some plot pieces. What family and friends say sparks my imagination at times, places I visit, songs and music do a lot to inspire me as well. I think, though, my biggest inspiration is the places I’ve been or will go. The new and amazing world that ignites my curiosity and the old wonderful trails I still find pleasure in walking. I love being outdoors and everything about it inspires me to write. I wish that when I go out for a trip to the woods or walk in the corn field I could just talk my thoughts and when I come back to my room, a novel will be waiting for me with the words I said. X) 

Which author’s work do you admire the most and why?

Trista: Hmm, I have many author’s whose works I admire. But I have to say that Christopher Hopper’s The White Lion Chronicles are still my favorite books. At first they were rather slow and I got a little disenchanted with all the description. But as I got into them and read more, I loved them! They speak a deeper truth and have those little hidden stories in there that you can read between the lines if you look close enough, I like that in books; especially Christian books.  I liked all the characters, the setting, the plot, and how it ended. So I appreciate these three novels and their author greatly.

Of the entire writing process, what are your favorite and least favorite parts?

Trista: Hmm, there’s so much I enjoy. I love it when you get on a roll and you can write like 10k in less than an hour, that’s a great part. I enjoy working with plot  development off of my computer, that can be an adventure in and of itself. I also like going back through things I’ve already written and reading here and there. Sometimes I surprise myself when I do that. X) And, ask almost any author, the least favorite part is the editing process of the second -or more - draft. Arg. =P  

Could you tell us about some of your earlier works?

Trista: Well, like I was saying earlier on, I’ve been working on writing for a while. But I never really finished a story until just five or six years ago. Before that I had been working on a story called Storm; it was about a horse and her journeys to find her herd after she was separated from them. That one hung on for a while but never made it very far. Then I wrote Battle of the Dragons, my first (and last...so far) short story inspired by Redwall and a dream I had.  That was the first book I actually finished.

So, what we all have been eagerly wanting to know, tell us about Ranger. How long did it take you to develop the story, and did you encounter any challenges with writing it?

Trista:  Oh yes, Ranger. *grin* Okay, well this story was inspired by my older brother to begin with and sorta took off on its own. My brother and I were talking about the new Lone Ranger movie they had just made(even thought we hadn’t seen it nor care to now) and he mentioned a few things that set my mind cogs to whirling. 

I wrote Ranger for NaNoWriMo last year, and as I went on with it the basic idea I had took off in a completely new direction. I do like the way the story came out, though. And I even tried something I thought I’d never do; I wrote in first person. 

I did struggle a little bit here and there when it came to writer’s block, but because it was NaNo and I needed to press on, I did. This novel wrote pretty well and easily all things considered. However, when I came to the editing process I do have to admit it took me longer than it should have to finish it.   

Of all the characters in Ranger, which one, if any, do you think best matches your own personality? 

Trista: Oh my, characters are so interesting, you know? Because there’s something about you in each one of them: a personality trait, a nervous habit, their appearance, something large or super small. In some ways it’s pretty cool, in other ways it can be kinda scary. Cause your villains also, in some way, have something of yours. That’s what makes all characters unique, because no one else has the same traits as you to put into them. That was a rabbit trail a bit there, but I think the character that is most like me in the book, putting all of them aside, would be Tonto.    

What story are you actively working on now?

Trista: I have so many projects I want to see to completion, but right now I’m working on The Guardian Elf Scrolls Book 2, The Nameless. The sequel to Quest for the Swords of Healing. 

For our enjoyment, would you mind sharing a piece from Ranger with us? 

Trista: Oh sure, why not? Alrighty, a small except from the (almost) end of Chapter 2:

From Ranger

Kimberly sat in silence as the last words faded away, curling upward with the hazy air. She distrusted this boy. Why would he bother to weave such a tale? Was it to cause her confusion so that in this fragile state they could impose their savage ways on her? Something stirred deep within, and Kim knew his story was not meant for illusion. Her hand waveringly rose to her bandage again. She cringed. ‘How have I changed?’ Her heart picked up speed. Eyes darting she saw sorrow pictured on the lad’s face. “What has happened to me? What have you done?” Kim lurched backward and stood as swiftly as possible. “What has changed?” Her feet felt unusual, clumsy and awkward.

  Tonto looked on with grief lacing his features. “Nothing that can be altered now.” He spoke steadily, trying to ease her panic. “The people of this village, my kin, see you only as you are, not as you have been. They will accept you for what you are, which I cannot say for the people who used to know you.”

Kimberly stepped away from the fire stones, her heels knocking into an iron kettle. “And what am I? What is wrong with me?” she breathed, scarcely above a whisper. 

Tonto rose from his place near the coals, a solitary hand stretched out in a gesture for her to follow. “Come, I will show you.” 

***

Thank you very much, Trista, for that exciting piece of work. All of us are definitely looking forward to future works from you. And if any of you folks wish to snag Trista's amazing reads for free, just click on the link below.

Ranger

Special interview feature: Kate Elizabeth Stoneacre

So after procrastinating for months, I finally got around to interviewing my very first author! It is my pleasure to introduce all of you to a friend of mine, Kate Elizabeth Stoneacre, author of the fantasy novel, The Lost Princess. And if you love fantasy, you'll be excited to know that you can grab Kate's book in a giveaway being hosted, the link to which will be at the bottom of the post. Here is the summary of the book:

“Laurel is a fourteen year old homeschooler with a seemingly perfect life. However, when her grandmother goes delusional and starts speaking utter nonsense, Laurel’s world flip-flops. Questions are raised, and she finds herself thrown into Tranquility, to the kingdom of Calma where she must confront a tyrannical king. Samuel is the twelve year old prince of Calma. His father is the king, and tries to make Samuel into the same kind of prince as he is a king. However, Samuel’s mother Elizabeth taught him in the ways of Elohim, and to do the right thing. Can Laurel set right the kingdom of Calma? Can Samuel find the courage of Elohim to stand up to his father? Can a young elf named Soddriel find in his heart to forgive his enemies? With courage in their hearts, and the words of Elohim on their tongues, goodness is sure to triumph. Revolution is at hand.” - The Lost Princess

 Kate has graciously agreed to my request to interview her, so without any further ado, here we go. :)

Interview

Kate, welcome to A Dark Wolf’s Haunt and thank you for joining us here! So to start things off, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself? What are your favorite hobbies and how would you describe your personality?

Kate: Hi, JM, and thank you for having me! My favorite hobbies, aside from writing, are reading, singing, acting in musicals, and dancing! I love to have a good time, and I love being around people.

What inspired you to get into writing? How did you start your journey to getting published?

Kate: The first person who inspired me to write was Mr. Dewalt. Over the summer one year, he taught a short class to all the kids about writing, and it piqued my interest. However, I didn’t finish my first novel until NaNoWriMo 2013. After I finished The Lost Princess, I contacted a friend of mine who helped edit my novel, and I self-published through Createspace. 

What provides the inspiration for your stories, and what source would you say is the biggest influence on your writing?

Kate: I get a lot of my inspiration from my own crazy dreams, and other novels I’ve read. I guess listening to soundtracks really influences my writing, as well as suggestions from my friends and family. :)

Which author’s work do you admire the most and why?

Kate: I really admire the works of C.S. Lewis. All of his books are well written. And have theological truths in them without sounding ridiculous and preachy. 

Of the entire writing process, what are your favorite and least favorite parts?

Kate: My favorite part is coming up with fun characters, and an interesting plot. My least favorite part is midway through the story because I’m way past point A, but I don’t know quite how to make it to point B.

So, what we all have been eagerly wanting to know, tell us about The Lost Princess. How long did it take you to develop the story, and did you encounter any challenges with writing it?

Kate: I actually started developing the main story idea for The Lost Princess May of 2013. It was the third novel I had started writing, but this time I was determined to see it through till the end. I searched writing templates, and write the first two chapters. In August, I tossed everything but the Prologue, and the main character and started over, with help from a few of my best friends. Once the story idea was developed, and characters outlined, I decided to stop working on The Lost Princess, and save it for my first eve NaNoWriMo.  It wasn’t always easy, and often you would find me up at 3am, racking my brain for a good subplot, or asking my mother “What lies beyond the Glas sea” but after a lot of hard work, supportive friends and family, and way more coffee than any human being should consume in their lifetime, The Lost Princess was finished… Until editing began, which I will not go into now.

Of all the characters in The Lost Princess, which one, if any, do you think best matches your own personality?

Kate: I fashioned most of Laurel’s personality after my own, although I’m not sure I’d have the courage to do all the things she did. However, I also find that I am a lot like Aidan, who actually happens to be my favorite character in my novel.

What story are you actively working on now?

Kate: I am currently writing Forgotten Dream, which is my second ever novel. However, I have already begun planning for my NaNo14 novel, False Light, both under the pseudonym Katie Kessler.

For our enjoyment, would you mind sharing a piece from The Lost Princess with us? 

Kate: Absolutely! Here is one of my favorite parts of the novel.

From The Lost Princess

“Laurel, get up. I need you to free me.” Aidan said urgently. I stood up and pulled my knife, cutting the ropes that bound Aidan. As soon as he was freed, I fell to my knees again. 

“Laurel, we have to go.” Aidan said. 

“What about the others?” There is nothing we can do about them now,” He said, his voice choking up. “They’re dead.” He lifted me to my feet. “Come, we have to go quickly, they’ll be back soon.” 

“Who?” I asked, walking quickly with Aidan. 

“The men who did this.” 

“Why did they leave me?” I asked. 

“We were the bait. They wanted you, but first they wanted to break your heart. They left me alive knowing I would call to you.” I stopped

“Then why did you call?” 

“Simple. I knew you couldn’t escape without my help. Much less find the cure for your brother.” 

“How do you know?” Aidan looked me in the eyes. 

“Laurel. Do you trust me?” He asked. 

“Yes,” I replied. 

“Then trust me to know that you couldn’t have done it alone.” We heard shout behind us, and we started to run. “Get back here you scum!” a voice yelled behind us. I tripped and fell, hitting my head. I began to pass out, “Laurel, you can’t pass out.” Aidan said. “Laurel, Laurel, LAUREL!”

***

Thank you so much, Kate, for sharing that exciting piece with us! Definitely we are looking forward to seeing more of your work in the future.

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The Lost Princess