Shells and Watches and Gears, Oh My!

A few weeks ago, my photo club held a macro photography workshop. It was a lot of fun; the club presidents (who had set the whole thing up) brought in a lot of items for people to photograph and some backdrops/backgrounds to photograph them on, and everyone had four-ish hours to do pretty much whatever they wanted. I took a lot of pictures, which also took a while to edit . . . but I'm finally through with them, and I thought I'd post my favorites.

As I mentioned, the presidents brought in a lot of possible photography subjects. Some of them were what you'd expect for macro photography: flowers, fruit, shells, and such. Some were more unusual: slinkies, marbles, small pebbles, and other random bits and pieces they thought might make good macro subjects. But my absolute favorite thing to photograph there . . . was this:

All together now: STEAMPUNK!

There was a whole box full of this sort of thing: watches, clock faces, gears, keys . . . there was even an odd-looking device that was apparently the inner workings of an old clock, but I didn't get any pictures of it. Someone else was almost always using it when I wanted it- thus the only real problem with the workshop! However, there were plenty of smaller items to keep me satisfied, so I'm definitely not complaining.

I have a less eerie-looking version of this as well, but I think this one is a bit cooler.

Funny-ish thing with this picture: I was done taking it and about to put all my stuff away . . . when I realized that the back of the watch face looked even cooler than the front. So, naturally, I had to set back up.

Awesome as steampunkery is, though, I didn't spend the entire time taking pictures of it. Another of my favorite items was a nautilus shell, which was split into three cross-sections, and which I took several pictures of.

After doing a picture or two of just the one section of the shell, I got the idea to put one of the cross-sections on top of the other so that the curves went in opposite directions. The effect didn't work quite as well as I hoped, but it still looked fairly cool.

And a bonus alien nautilus (otherwise known as what happens when I play around with the presets on the curves layer):

Eventually, of course, I made my way back to steampunk, this time in combination with what I think was an old hard drive. Not knowing much about the inner workings of computers, I could be completely wrong.

Yes, I do have an affinity for the gritty, weathered look. How did you ever guess?

I accidentally put the clock face in this one upside-down. Oopsie.

And now we step away from steampunk again for some sparkle:

And also a twisted slinky:

For the record: the slinky was like that when it was brought in, and I'm very glad I didn't have to try to untwist it.

And we'll finish off with one last bit of  more elegant steampunk:

This picture, I would like to note, is one of my favorite shots, but it was also ridiculously hard to edit. See, the original version was tilted at about a thirty-degree angle from this one, and that is not ok. So, I had to rotate the crop so that the picture was more or less straight . . . which left large white areas that needed to be filled in. I managed to fill these in with some creative copy-pasting from uncropped versions of the image and the black brush for the background . . . and then Nik filters decided not to recognize half of what I'd done. Cue much frustration. However, I do like the end result, so at least all the aggravation was more or less worth it!

What do you think of my macro photography? Which image is your favorite? Is there anything you think I could've done better on any of these? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade) 

The Underground: It's Just the Beginning; This Isn't the End

I should've seen it coming, really.

I joined the Underground, a forum created for fans of The Berinfell Prophecies, in spring of 2011. In the almost-four years I've been there, the site has gone down or messed up in some way about once a year. Sometimes it's from hackers. Sometimes it's because of spammers and the site's defenses against those spammers blocking the wrong people. Sometimes it's because the Underground has so many awesome people and stories and memories on it that it temporarily breaks the servers it runs off of. Each time something like this happens, it's frightening. But each time, someone steps in to fix the problem and bring the UG back online.

Each time- until this time.

On Friday, March 13- just three days ago- I tried to log on to the Underground and found it gone. There were no clues as to what had happened, only the message: The site you're looking for cannot be found. I tried again- still nothing. When the site was down the next day, I emailed Sir Hopper, the more active of the authors of TBP, to see if he knew what was going on. His reply: The server had been hacked. The UG as we knew it was gone.

From the very beginning, The Underground has been one of my favorites- if not my very favorite- sites on the internet. Why? I could list numerous reasons, but in the end, they all trace back to one cause: the people. The Elves of the Underground are, quite frankly, beyond amazing, and they've become some of my closest friends- never mind that I've never met a single one of them face-to-face. We've chatted together about everything and nothing, obsessed together over shared favorite books and movies and fandoms in general. We've shared our stories and our characters with each other and even written together- written epic, amazing stories, some of which were still in progress when the Underground went down. Most importantly, we've supported each other. Whenever one of our number was struggling, the others came alongside to encourage and pray for him or her. It didn't matter if the struggle was something big- depression, a potential move, a family member losing a job- or something small- an upcoming test in school, a need for inspiration in writing. We encouraged. We prayed. And we saw our prayers answered.

And now all that's gone.

Except . . . it isn't.

Just as the Elves of Berinfell didn't cease to exist when Berinfell was destroyed, so the Elves of the Underground remain even after the Underground is gone. And just as our namesakes salvaged what they could of their city and moved to a new place of refuge, so our Elven community has a new home: the Underground 2.0, Whitehall Castle Forum. True, it's not the same as the original Underground. True, we've lost a lot. But the people who made the Underground the Underground remain, just in a new location. If you're a fellow Elf who's been wondering what happened to your community, please come join us at Whitehall Castle. We miss you. And if you're not an Elf yet, but you enjoy The Berinfell Prophecies or just Christian fantasy and writing and awesomeness in general, come visit us- maybe even come to stay.

Rest in peace, original Underground. Long live the Underground: Whitehall Castle.
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade) 

P.S. If you know other Elves who haven't yet heard this news and you have a way to contact them, please let them know about this change! We're trying to make sure all the elves have heard, but there are some people we don't have contact information for. Thank you!

Sarah's Genre-Savvy Guide to Fairytale Survival

Maybe you know how it happened, maybe you don't, but one way or another, you've found yourself not in your own familiar world but in that of a fairytale retelling- and a very Grimm world it is! Naturally, you want to find a way back home, but in order to do that, you need to know how to keep from getting yourself trapped, killed, or worse. But never fear! Sarah is here to help with 10 simple tips that will- hopefully- keep you in one piece and unbewitched until you're safely in your world again!

1. First and foremost, familiarize yourself with the local folklore. Most of them will probably have at least a grain of truth, if not more. Pay special attention to the creepy legends that no one likes to talk or think about and that are only mentioned in fearful whispers. These will, almost undoubtedly, turn out to be absolutely true in the worst possible way.
2. On a related note, supposedly magical forests, haunted castles, and similar places are rumored to be this way for a reason! As a general rule of thumb, these places are also to be avoided- the less entangled you get with magical places (and, by extension, the magical beings that inhabit them), the safer you'll be! However, as it's not unlikely that finding your way home will involve going to one or more of these places (for various reasons), you should be familiar with where they are and what stories surround them.
3. As I mentioned, getting entangled with fairy folk and similar tends to lead to trouble. However, the odds are that you will end up having to deal with them at some point. This leads to my next tip: do not tick off the fairies. Even the nice ones often have a tendency to overcompensate for perceived insults. Be polite and respectful- but don't be a pushover.
4. Likewise, be nice to the old people. This should go without saying, really- what kind of person goes around being nasty to their elders?- but it's worth mentioning. After all, old people in fairytales have a tendency to be magical beings in disguise- and even if they aren't, they usually have pretty good advice. So, yeah, respect them. If they're  Also: if you meet them on the road, offer to share your lunch. They appreciate that. 
5. Another thing: talking frogs are, invariably, enchanted princes or such. Other talking animals could go either way- cats and birds, in particular, tend to be shapeshifted fairy folk or just animals who happen to be able to speak like humans- but frogs will always, always be enchanted. 
   
    
6. This next piece of advice is a really, really major one: if you must make bargains with fairy folk, enchanters, or anyone who's magical or not fully human in any way, be extremely cautious. If possible, don't make bargains at all; at least 90% of fairytale troubles occur simply because a character strikes a deal with someone or something. Not all bargains are bad, of course, but make one with the wrong being and you'll find yourself having to pay a lot more than you want to. In extreme cases, they end with someone dying or worse. (Yes, there is worse. Twelve Dancing Princesses remakes, in particular, seem to be full of this.) So, whenever possible, do not make bargains with magical beings. Of course, sometimes it's either a bargain or immediate death, in which case, well . . . you're in trouble either way, but at least if you make the bargain, you might have a chance of escaping later on. Even so, if you must make a bargain, be as careful as possible. Do not, under any circumstances, leave loopholes that the being with whom you're making the bargain can exploit. Likewise, if you agree to give something up, make sure you know exactly what the something is; don't say something like "whatever is standing behind my house" or "the first thing that greets me when I get home." 
7. Also, as a wise cat once said, "Don't go giving bits of yourself to anybody." This can include hair, blood, teeth . . . even personal possessions, in the hands of certain beings. Best-case scenario, possessing a bit of you will allow the being to play Evil Twin and do a lot of nasty things that people will blame you for. Worst-case scenario, well . . . let's not go there. I can think of at least three possibilities, and none of them are pleasant to consider.
8. Moving on from bargain-making: do not eat the fairies' food, even if they offer it to you! This goes for any food or drink offered by magical people or beings in general. Usually, this will result in the fairies or other beings gaining some kind of power over you, or your not being able to leave "fairyland" (wherever that happens to be). In occasional cases, it'll just make you lose your taste for human food . . . but that's still not very good, as you'll end up starving to death. However, food offered by wizards and other humans with magical powers (other than witches) is generally safe.
9. If you get involved in any kind of quest, a good thing to remember is that things tend to happen in threes. So if you've faced two monsters, there will probably be a third (bigger) monster through the next door. Completed two challenges? There'll be another one coming. Met up with two mysterious old ladies offering you gifts? You'll come upon another one before you get wherever you're going. Keep this rule in mind and you'll have a slightly better idea what to be on the watch for.
10. Finally, the simplest solution will often work, even if it doesn't make sense. Remember: you're in a fairytale, possibly even in fairyland. Things work differently here. Sometimes, the faster you run, the slower you get anywhere, and the easiest way to see what can't be seen is to look for its shadow. Essentially, don't just consider the possibilities; think of the impossibilities as well.  

In the end, of course, most of these tips come down to respect, kindness, and common sense- and a bit of uncommon sense as well. Keep that in mind and you should have little trouble surviving your fairytale and finding your way back home- not to mention having a nice bit of adventure while you're at it.
Best wishes!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade) 

Random Fridays: Spring 2015 Reads

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Hello, everyone! This week's Random Friday theme is Spring 2015 Reads. In theory, spring should be just around the corner- though, the view outside my window says that warmer weather is still at least a few blocks away! However, whether or not sunshine and spring flowers will be arriving soon, lots of awesome new books are releasing in the next few months, and today, I'm going to share with you the ones I'm most excited for.

 1. Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman (releases March 10)
Shadow Scale is the sequel to Seraphina, one of my favorite reads of last year. I'm super excited to return to this world, to see what'll happen to Seraphina and her friends, especially Orma- hopefully, he'll be in this one and not off hiding because of the events of Seraphina. I look forward to finding out how the conflict between humans and dragons develops, as well as seeing more of Seraphina's world. (Reading about this on Goodreads, though, I did find out that apparently there won't be a third book in the series. I am highly disappointed.)

2. Out of Darkness Rising by Gillian Bronte Adams (releases March 15)
I just read Gillian's other book, Orphan Song, at the beginning of this week and absolutely loved it, so I'm really excited to read more of Gillian's writing. Out of Darkness Rising looks like it'll be really awesome. From the prologue excerpt and the book trailer, it sounds like it'll be along the lines of Tales of Goldstone Wood and The Door Within trilogy, both of which are favorites of mine. As a note, Gillian is running a giveaway of this book on her blog, so you should definitely check that out.

 

3. Omega Dragon by Bryan Davis (releases March 20)
I said this before, but I'll said it again: I cannot believe this multi-series is actually ending. The first book was published eleven years ago, in 2004; I read it in . . . 2010, I think? Maybe 2009? Since then, I've always assumed that there would always be another book coming out, another adventure of Billy, Bonnie, Walter, Ashley, and the rest of their friends and family. But now this is the last one. And ever since Mr. Davis released a sneak peek of the first chapter on his site, I've been a little scared that a lot of people are going to die in this one. Not that I don't believe that Omega Dragon will be amazing- I know it will be. Odds are, it'll be even better than I think it will be, because Bryan Davis is just that good. But I'm still worried for my favorite characters and sad that this is the end.

4. The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall (releases March 25)

Though I don't read a lot of contemporary books, I love the Penderwicks series. The Penderwicks in Spring takes place five years after The Penderwicks at Point Mouette, and I'm not entirely sure what to think about the time change. On one hand, I can see why the author chose to skip ahead, but on the other hand, I like Skye and Jane best (particularly Jane, with whom I've always identified closely) and I've heard that this book will mostly focus on Batty and Ben rather than the older sisters. All the same, I look forward to seeing what the Penderwick family is up to now, and I'm sure it'll be enjoyable.

 

5. Stolen Magic by Gail Carson Levine (releases April 21)
A Tale of Two Castles is my favorite of the Levine fairytale retellings, so I'm quite excited that the sequel is finally coming out! I look forward to seeing more of Mastress Meenore and Elodie. Also, if this is anything like A Tale of Two Castles, 'twill be a nice fantasy-mystery, a genre I've been wanting to read more of lately. I'm not crazy about the cover, admittedly, but I don't doubt the story will be good. (And now I need to reread A Tale of Two Castles to prepare!)

6. The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest by Melanie Dickerson (releases May 12)

I love Melanie Dickerson's fairytale retellings, and I'm looking forward to seeing how she handles the two stories that make up Huntress: Robin Hood and Swan Lake. Hopefully my library will get it in quickly, instead of making me wait like it has with The Princess Spy. 

7. Lion Heart by A. C. Gaughen (releases May 19)

Speaking of Robin Hood retellings, Lion Heart, the third and final book in the Scarlet series is also coming out this spring. Part of me is a little hesitant to read it because Lady Thief was . . . not my favorite book in the world. I mean, it wasn't terrible, it just wasn't as awesome as I wish it had been. All the same, I want to know how the series ends, so I'll most likely try to read Lion Heart. 

 

8. Illusionarium by Heather Dixon (releases May 19)
STEAMPUNK. Yes, yes, yes. I need more steampunk. And just to make it even better, Illusionarium is by the author of one of my favorite fairytale retellings, Entwined. I haven't been able to find much information about the actual plot, but it's steampunk and I love, love, love Heather Dixon's style, so that's enough for me. (Plus, I've been waiting for ages for Heather Dixon to release a new book, so, yeah. I'm very happy that the wait is over.)

 

 9. Draven's Light by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (releases May 25, 2015)
Last but definitely not least, we have a new Goldstone Wood book! Let us begin by taking a minute to appreciate the beauty of this cover. I mean, as a general rule, Goldstone Wood covers are really pretty, but Draven's Light is one of my top three- maybe even top two, since I can't decide if I like its cover or that of Golden Daughter better. Anyway, moving on. I'm excited for just about anything Goldstone Wood, but that's because the books are always really amazing, and having read the excerpt available on the book page, I'm sure that Draven's Light will be no exception. Apparently it goes back further in Parumvir's history than any other Goldstone Wood book to date, so that should be interesting. (Why must May be so far away?)

 

What new books are you looking forward to this spring? Please tell me in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade) 

Velone

About a month ago, my sister asked me if I had any ideas of what to knit next. I gave her the usual list- a hat, wristers, a cowl, and possibly some other things- and then added another suggestion: a dragon. This caught her attention, and I told her about the stuffed dragon pattern that I'd found a while back and never tried. She asked to see the pattern, and I showed it to her, and asked that if she did end up making dragons, that she make one for me as well.

Fast forward to last Sunday evening, and look what appeared on my bed:

Isn't he cute? His name is Velone, after a dragon in one of my stories. I actually specifically requested that my sister make my dragon to look like the character Velone, since he's pretty much my favorite of all the dragons I've written- and he's probably in or close to my top five of dragons in general.

Why? I'm glad you asked.

Velone, the character

Velone is a miniature ice dragon, which means he'll never get much bigger than a housecat. At the moment, being only about two weeks old (as of the end of Destinies and Decisions), he's small enough to fit comfortably in a largish coat pocket. In fact, he spends a good deal of time in a pocket, since it makes a good hiding/napping spot.

Velone is a Rider's dragon, bonded to Emma Alyron. Like Emma, Velone loves music. His favorite way to express himself is through humming: cheerful tunes when he's happy, slower melodies when he's thinking hard, and Emma's favorite songs for when he's trying to encourage her. When he's not trying to express a particular emotion or sentiment, his "default" tune is the first one he heard Emma sing in the moments before he hatched. Though she sang it as a lonely lament, it's since become a symbol of hope for both of them.

Velone might be tiny, but he has an enormous heart and a protective streak three miles wide. If something is threatening his Emma, he'll do whatever he can to stop it, and when she's feeling discouraged, lonely, or just not good enough, he'll hum, nuzzle her cheeks, and remind her of the truths she needs to hear. He doesn't entirely understand why Emma fears all the things she does, and he consistently nudges her to step outside her comfort zone, to be the person she could be rather than the person she sees herself as.

Writing about Emma and Velone is almost always really fun. Velone is very different from most of the other dragons in my stories when it comes to interactions with his Rider. For one thing, because he's so small, there's a lot more cuddling involved. (Yes, dragons do cuddle, or at least mine do.) For another, he communicates more through images, feelings, and humming than through actual words. This makes him a bit more challenging to write, but I enjoy the challenge. Also, as I mentioned earlier, Velone also serves as a catalyst for Emma's growth as a person, which makes their interactions doubly fun to write.

Do you have a favorite dragon or other mythological creature in your stories? Please tell me about him or her in the comments! As always, I'd love to hear what you have to say!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)  

P.S. Just in case, Velone isn't the only dragon my sister's made . . . she's actually been really busy. To demonstrate just how busy, here's a picture of all her dragons:

Story Snippets 2/25/15

Hello, everyone! In the last month, I've been working on editing my two most recent WIPs. Neither is ready to show to people, but I still want to share what I've been doing. So I thought I'd post some snippets! I was originally just going to post bits of Between Two Worlds, which I've done the most on- I have almost-seven chapters edited, as opposed to only one in Destinies and Decisions. (I'd have more done on D&D, but I had to entirely rewrite the first chapter. Augh, beginnings, why must you torment me so?) But then I decided that I'd go ahead and just post snippets from both, just not as many from Destinies and Decisions as from Between Worlds. Also, some of my D&D snippets may be from my rough draft rather than from what I've edited. Anyway, on with the snippets!

Between Two Worlds

For the past two years, I’ve dreamed of this day. I’ve imagined in detail what will happen: how my neighborhood will look as I walk up the street once more, my joyful recognition as I pick out memories from my surroundings, my excitement as I near my house. I’ve pictured how my parents will greet me, their surprise and relief to see me back, how I’ll tell them everything I’ve done since I last walked out my door. I’ve laughed as I thought of my sister’s reaction, no less joyful than my parents’ but twice as surprised and outraged that I’d gone and had an adventure without her. I’ve thought many times of what it’ll be like to live again in my own home, sleep in my own bed, and return to my favorite activities and haunts.

Yet, despite all that, my dreams are wrong. The street I now walk up is not quite familiar; everything seems to have shrunk and shifted ever so slightly. My joy is cooled and tempered with sorrow, my excitement dulled with longing for something else I cannot have. And my home itself . . . I pause at the end of the driveway and look up at the house. Has it always been so small? So like the other houses around it?

~~~

Aedon waits for me around the other side of the church, where we can’t be seen from the door or the parking lot. As I approach, he gives me that easy grin I know so well. “Hello, Lady Kate. Funny that someone I’ve never met would tell me to meet her outside, isn’t it? Maybe she does know me after all.”

“And maybe she doesn’t like answering more of her sister’s awkward questions than is absolutely necessary.” I cross my arms. “What are you doing here?”

~~~

A familiar figure stands before me, tall and lithe, a second dagger ready in his left hand. I let out a moan of mixed relief and pain and manage a slight smile. “Botheration, Jarek,” I mutter, “how many times do I owe you my life now?”

“Seven and counting, shadow.” Jarek steps over the soldier’s body and kneels beside me. “You should be more careful.”

~~~

Aedon continues to hover over me once I’m settled in the chair. “What happened, Kate?”

“I was attacked.” I struggle to keep my eyes open, suddenly feeling very tired even though it’s not even nine in the morning. “What’s it look like?”

“You sound like me.” Jarek claims the other chair and raises an eyebrow at me. “Maybe that bump on the head did more damage than I thought.”

~~~

When we reach the path, we find that the soldiers’ bodies have been cleared away. A faint smell of burned flesh still hangs in the air, sending a stab of guilt into my soul. Two more people, dead because of me.

I know I’ll see them again in my dreams, watch once more as they die- one to my fire, one to Jarek’s knife. I’ll watch and I’ll see all the details I missed in the moment, and I’ll remember all too clearly that they likely bore me no ill will; they were simply doing following orders.

As if reading my thoughts, Aedon whispers soft words, “Don’t go down that path, Lady Kate. Don’t let the guilt eat you. What’s done is done; there’s nothing you can do to change that.”

Tears bead my eyes as we continue down the black asphalt trail. “They’re dead, Aedon. And it’s my fault.”

“I know.” He rubs my shoulder gently. “I know, but remember what Sir Camrick taught us. If you allow guilt to consume you, you’ll have nothing left.”

~~~

Destinies and Decisions

Gwen walked over to Rachelle, Skyla, and Ariana and fixed Rachelle with a firm stare. "Stay out of trouble, understand? I want you to still be in one piece when I see you again."

Rachelle made a face. "I already promised Hunter I'd be careful. Besides, I don't get into trouble; it pounces on me."

"Then stay out of trouble's way." For emphasis, Gwen let her stare linger a moment longer.

~~~

Bianca slid her rook two squares to the right. "Check."

Jared took the only option he had: moving his king a space forward and to the left. "You know, I'm starting to hate that word."

Bianca moved her queen three spaces to the left. "Then I apologize that I must say it again: check."

Sliding his king back a square, Jared scowled. "If you were really sorry, you wouldn't find so much reason to say it."

"But then I would eventually force you to say it instead, and I'm sure that would be worse." Bianca smiled sweetly as she moved her knight a space to the right and two spaces down. "Also, checkmate."

~~~

A few minutes passed before Gwen replied. Did you know you're the only person I've ever heard stammer while mindspeaking?

~~~

And just for fun, a little bit of what I've written this month in Monster in the Castle:

Hayden sighed. "Master Silver, we are not going to fake a crisis simply to convince Miss Pansy to ask for a reprieve from her promise. Nor," he added, anticipating Jason's next suggestion, "are we going to cause one."

Jason's expression could've passed for innocence had it not become an amused smirk partway through. "Cause a crisis? Now I know I'm rubbing off on you, highness. That's not a bad idea."

~~~

"And not much else besides more questions." Jason made for the door. "Why am I not surprised?"

"I expect it is because we are Leaguesmen, Master Silver." Hayden reached the door first and pulled it open. "Questions are the purpose for our existence; to find their answers, our calling."

Jason snorted. "Leave it to you, highness, to make a rhetorical question into a philosophical statement."

~~~

And that's it for the snippets. I hope you enjoyed! How's your writing going? Feel free to leave some of your favorite lines you've recently written in the comments; I'd love to read them!
Thanks for reading!

-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)  

The King's Scrolls Blog Tour

Hey'a, everyone! I'm super excited to be a part of the blog tour of The King's Scrolls, the second book in Jaye L. Knight's Ilyon Chronicles. I loved Resistance, the first in the series, and I'm sure that The King's Scrolls will be even better. (It has dragons! Dragons!) For this tour post, I'll be interviewing Jaye- but first, a little about the book and author.

About the Book

Following the harrowing events that brought them to Landale Forest, Jace and Kyrin have settled comfortably into their new lives and the mission of protecting those under the emperor’s persecution. The fast approach of winter brings with it the anticipation of a quiet few months ahead. That is until the arrival of four mysterious, dragon-riding cretes who seek aid in a mission of great importance—not only to their own people, but to all followers of Elôm.

Hidden in the vast mining valley north of Valcré, a faithful crete has spent years sharing his knowledge with the destitute miners and their families and is known to possess what may be Arcacia’s last surviving copies of the King’s Scrolls—the Word of Elôm. Joining the cretes, those in Landale must find the crete teacher and bring him to safety, but it is a race against time. Should Daican’s men find him first, execution and the destruction of the Scrolls is certain.

When disaster strikes, all seems lost. Could Elôm have a plan even in the enemy’s triumph? 

Available on Amazon!

Buy Now

 * * *

About the Author

Jaye L. Knight is a homeschool graduated indie author with a passion for writing Christian fantasy and clean new adult fiction. Armed with an active imagination and love for adventure, Jaye weaves stories of truth, faith, and courage with the message that even in the deepest darkness, God’s love shines as a light to offer hope. She has been penning stories since the age of eight and resides in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

You can connect with Jaye on her website, blog, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and Etsy. 

* * * 

Interview

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, like your hobbies, how you got into writing, your favorite books (besides your own), or just anything else you’d like to share?

Jaye: I’m a single country girl in my mid-twenties and hail from the Northwoods of Wisconsin, which is often called the Frozen Tundra this time of year. Ick. Yeah, winter and I don’t have a fond relationship. But I do love cheese and the Green Bay Packers! I’m a full-time writer and make a bit of jewelry and sell on Etsy on the side. That takes up much of my time, but I do like to read, go hiking, and sew historical clothing and costumes. I started writing when I was eight and then decided I actually wanted to be an author when I was about thirteen, thanks to reading The Lord of the Rings. The trilogy is my all-time favorite as far as books go. Movies too. I also absolutely love the Books of the Infinite series by R.J. Larson. And Chasing the Lion by Nancy Kimball. Those are my top three favorite picks. I’m currently reading through The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson and have totally fallen in love with Kaladin, the main character, so that has already made my favorite books list. Besides writing, I really love history, hence my historical clothing I make. I love to take part in historical reenactments. I also love music. I’m a huge fan of Skillet, Building 429, Ashes Remain, Jeremy Camp, and Aaron Shust. Oh yeah, and I collect old oil lamps. I’m a bit obsessed with them. :) 
 
What was your favorite part of writing The King’s Scrolls? What was the hardest part?

Jaye: In this book, I got to involve Kyrin’s older brothers, Marcus and Liam, a lot more. They were introduced in Resistance, but didn’t really have a part in it. That all changes in The King’s Scrolls. I LOVE sibling interaction. So I think that was my favorite part of this book. The hardest part was definitely some of the emotional scenes. This book is sadder than Resistance. It has a purpose, but it was still hard to write at times. 

How much do you plan out your novels? Have your characters or plot ever surprised you? If they have, can you tell us about it? 

Jaye: I’m definitely not an outliner, so I don’t do any really in-depth planning before I begin writing. I do take a ton of notes though, and through them I usually get a pretty good idea of all the major plot points I want to hit. Then I just fill in the rest as I go. I get surprised by my characters and plots all the time. Do you have any idea how many of them have gone and fallen in love with each other without my say so? Quite a few of them. I can’t complain though. I love it when my characters have minds of their own. One of those particular characters is one introduced in the book named Talas. I didn’t really know anything about him, but he completely took over the moment he stepped into the scene, and I adore him for it. 

Ooh, I'm excited to find out about him! If you could meet one of your characters and spend a day with him or her in the world of Ilyon, who would you choose and where would you go?

Jaye: Ah! This is always so hard to answer. I think I’d have to go with Jace, since he’s my favoritest (typo intended) of all the characters I’ve ever written. I’d love to go out hiking with him and learn some of the knowledge he has for the forest. However, aside from Jace, my obvious choice, I’d probably choose either Kaden or Talas. Kaden reminds of my brothers in ways, so it would be fun to hang out with him. And Talas, well, he’s Talas! He’s so friendly and fun. I couldn’t not want to just hang out with him. Plus he has an awesome dragon so we could go flying! :D And I’d love for him to take me to see the crete cities in Dorland since they’re built in the trees and I’ve always dreamed of living in a treehouse.   

Wow, that sounds really awesome! When reading Resistance, I noticed a few interesting parallels to the book of Daniel. Were these intentional? Are there similar parallels in The King’s Scrolls? 

Jaye: It was not intentional, but definitely not a surprise since I was studying Daniel around the time I was writing Resistance. I would say there are Biblical parallels throughout Ilyon Chronicles. In The King’s Scrolls, I have a character named Timothy who was heavily inspired by Timothy in the Bible, which was intentional. I’ve had a fascinating with Timothy for quite a while, so it was fun to weave that into the story.

Thanks for the interview, Jaye! I'm definitely more excited than ever to read The King's Scrolls, and I'm sure my readers are too!

Some other exciting news: for the length of the tour, Jaye is running a giveaway for an Epic Winter prize pack. Including books, music, tea, and more, this prize sounds pretty awesome. Also, for those who still need to read the first book in the Ilyon Chronicles series, the Kindle version of Resistance is on sale for 99 cents!

Giveaway

 Share in the excitement of the release and enter to win a themed Epic Winter giveaway! Prize pack includes an autographed copy of The King’s Scrolls, a CD by Future World Music (some of Jaye’s favorite writing music), a dragon bookmark, a stone hawk pendant (much like the ones mentioned in the book), and a few packages of Twining’s Winter Spice tea to sip while you read! (Giveaway is open to US residents only. Cannot be shipped internationally.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Resistance Kindle Sale

Haven’t begun the adventure into Ilyon? From February 17th - 23rd, get Resistance , the award-winning first book of Ilyon Chronicles for your Kindle on sale for only 99 cents! Check it out on Amazon!

Finally, don't forget to check out the other blog tour stops! Today's other stops will include To Be A Person, Leah’s Bookshelf, The Destiny of One, Reflection, One Servant's Heart, and Venturing to Other Worlds. For the full list, check the blog tour page at Jaye's site.

Thanks for stopping by to celebrate the release of The King's Scrolls with me! Happy reading!

-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)