Hello one
and all! How are you today? I'm back and hope everyone is doing well and happy!
It’s so great to be with all of you again. Welcome back to my writing blog page
where I try to share whatever I think may interest you. Of course, by now you all
know how very much I love promoting other authors. Today I interview another
fellow writer. With me this time is debut Fantasy author T.P. Keane, as she
discusses writing and her latest book, a fantasy novel entitled The Paladins of
Naretia, Book One of the Naretia Series, which was released on February 28, 2016, and is now PERMANENTLY FREE to all readers at Amazon and at her website (see below).
Born in
Galway, Ireland, the middle child of seven, there wasn't a dull moment in her
early life. A terrible student, shewas never seen to be the literary type, but
her imagination and determination saw differently. The Paladins of Naretia is her
debut novel. An avid lover of science fiction and fantasy, she found herself
drawn into a world that sprung to mind one night, in a dream. Naretia holds
many secrets and adventures, of which, The Paladins, is only the first. This
publication was followed by her children's book, Dear Bob, The Misadventures of
Petunia Pottersfield, which released September of 2016.
Welcome T.P. and thanks so much for joining us
here. Shall we begin to learn more about you and your writing?
SJ: Let’s begin by you tooting your
horn and tell us a bit about yourself? How did you become a novelist? What
spurned you to write?
TP: The truth was that I have always
loved stories, ever since I was a young child. Rather than doing my homework or
excelling in academics, my time in school was spent gazing out the classroom
windows, imagining the wonderful and magical adventures waiting to be
discovered. I suppose it was only natural, when my own two children came, that
I dove into that imaginary world with them and I haven’t resurfaced yet.
SJ: I personally loved your
book when I read it. It really drew me in. I couldn’t help noticing that The
Paladins is part of a book series. How many books do you plan for the series
and how far in that world do you hope to go in your journey?
TP: The Paladins is the first in a
trilogy and the world must be saved from the darkness that it’s now been
plunged into. Gods must be toppled and rulers of worlds must be born, not in
the physical sense. While other’s try to fill the role of savior, only one can
save them all from annihilation . . . but he doesn’t want to.
SJ: Please tell us about The Paladins of Naretia.
I understand the book evolved from a dream you had.
TP: A vision sparks the beginning of
treachery and war, and the kingdom of Naretia is about to fall....
Olórin’s
adopted son, Aramus, is a creature unlike any in Naretia. He is feared by all,
and holds a darkness inside that is said will end all life by his eighteenth
birthday. Olórin must scour the kingdom for godly ingredients to make a potion
for Aramus that will save them all. He is hoping his son’s human side will
prevail over the rising darkness within him, for long enough to outrun their
enemies.
But Aramus’s real father, the dark God Dantet, desires
his son’s powers so he might, once again, walk on mortal soil. His legion of
dark creatures follow Olórin and Aramus at every turn, trying to kill them.
Dantet’s army, however, is not the only one wanting Aramus dead. Something, or
someone, changes fate’s hand. Neither Dantet, nor Olórin, can see the terrible
future that threatens them all. Even the traitors within the wizard caste are
blind to what is coming.
But it is
coming.
SJ:
How extensive was your research for The Paladins? How much fact and fiction did
you roll into the book?
TP: As with most fantasy
novels, the world is my oyster. The book is a character study rather and the
exploration on how a world, seemingly solid in both political and economic
nature, can topple and disintegrate into chaos. For research, I need look no
further than the affliction that is greed.
SJ: The Paladins of
Naretia is doing extremely well with many positive reviews. This must make you
very pleased. How do you feel about all of it? Did it take you be surprise?
TP: I’m so glad that
people like it. I wrote the novel with the aim of improving my writing ability
and maybe entertaining a few people. I don’t believe it will ever be a
bestseller, but all the effort is worthwhile when someone tells you how much
they like your novel.
SJ: What do you love most about being a
writer? Least?
TP: The best thing about being a writer
is being able to express my creativity … and destructiveness… The worst thing
about being a writer is a mixture of two things. The first, finding the time to
write as writing is an immersive thing for me and I need hours. The second,
learning to deal with negative views. No one has all positive reviews on their
books, not even the infallible JK Rowling.
SJ: What writer inspired you most and how?
TP: To be honest, it
wasn’t a writer who inspired me to write, it was my husband. For a long time he
listened to the stories I told the children and when I suggested that I should
write them down, he was all for it. He gave me so much encouragement and
resources to be able to do it. Without him, none of this would have happened.
SJ: If you could give
just one piece of important writing advice to an aspiring writer, what would it
be?
TP: Never give up. Great things can
only happen if you keep going. Like with me, for instance. I tried getting
literary agents for The Paladins… with no joy… but my latest book, a science
fiction/romance for young adults has gotten five full manuscript requests… one
of which came from the agents of a VERY famous author. I’m still in the midst
of it all and there’s no guarantee that I’ll get represented by any agent, but
it’s worth it if they say “Maybe.” And if it’s maybe this time, who knows what
it’ll be next time. So, yeah, Never Give Up.
SJ: Good for you, T.P. Now can you tell us, what is a favorite book you enjoyed
reading and would recommend without hesitation? Why?
TP: I
loved The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by NK Jemisin. Her style of writing is
amazing. Of course, while she’s my favorite, I can’t not mention a few others
like, John Green, Ransom Riggs, Veronica Roth, to name just a few.
SJ: In closing, and without
giving too much away, do you have any more projects in the immediate future?
We’d love to hear about it.
TP: Yes. As I’ve mentioned above, my
sci-fi/romance novel, Kepler One, is in the middle of trying to find a literary
agent. I can’t say too much about it but here’s the book blurb.
The radiation on Earth is killing everyone Zoe
Ruthland (16) cares about. After winning the Lottery to escape on the Kepler
One spacecraft, she is one of humanities last hopes. The only lowly tier five
citizen given a chance to start over on a new planet, there are great many
people who want to see her fail and take her place. Zoe must overcome
prejudice, underhanded tactics, and even death threats, to become one of the
lucky few who pass cadet training. But something sinister lurks behind the
Government’s plans to save humankind, and Zoe has no idea that she is an
integral part of it; that she is chosen for another reason.
SJ: It all sounds so fascinating and we wish you the best in securing an agent with Kepler One.
But before we go, we can’t depart
without sharing a bit of T.P.’s books with you.
First, here is an excerpt from The
Paladins of Naretia and FYI: This book is now free at her website and on-line
retailers:
“When the Goddess woke to find her two babies
slaughtered, the skies wept for a century. She cast Dantet into a dark
underworld where he would never see her light again. She took his powers from
him, his fire, his ability to feel, to love, so he could never hurt her again.
She took his memories, his heart, and his soul too, until there was next to
nothing left of him.”
And here’s a blurb and excerpt from
her children’s book, Dear Bob, The Misadventures of Petunia Pottersfield:
Petunia Pottersfield can’t help
being clumsy, that's just the way she
was made. Every fairy in Furrow Grove
knows her as “The Jinx” and even when
she tries so hard to not be herself
… it always ends in disaster.
But when something strange starts
happening to the other fairies,
it’s up to Petunia to discover the
truth and save them. She must
break fairy rules and fight
the rising darkness all on her own, and
… do it without killing them all too.
“Magic comes from dreams. Yes, that’s right from
dreams, Bob. You see everything dreams, fairies, birds, dogs, horses, and even
Bigfoots. But apparently the best way to get a lot of magic dust is from
Bigfoots. My mother says it’s because they don’t use the magic they have inside
of them at all. It means they have a surplus supply of it that we can syphon
when they dream.”
Thanks so much, T.P.
for participating on my blog. It’s been a pleasure speaking with you. Thank you
so much for allowing us to take some time out of your busy schedule and
interview you. Readers, thanks for visiting and take note you may purchase a
copy of T.P.’s books through her website or at online retailers and independent
booksellers.
Amazon links to book:
Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/Paladins-Naretia-Book-one-ebook/dp/B01AYC44ZU?ie=UTF8&qid=1462458312&ref_=tmm_kin_swatch_0&sr=8-1
Amazon.co.uk https://www.amazon.co.uk/Paladins-Naretia-Book-one-ebook/dp/B01AYC44ZU//
Amazon.co.uk https://www.amazon.co.uk/Paladins-Naretia-Book-one-ebook/dp/B01AYC44ZU//
Feel free to connect with T.P. Keane at one of the below web sites:
Amazon author
page: https://www.amazon.com/TP-Keane/e/B01BJ9BXEM/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Website: http://www.tpkeane.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Anathemites/
Website: http://www.tpkeane.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Anathemites/
Thank you all for
visiting with us. It’s always a pleasure to meet readers and authors. Until
next month, every one please stay safe. Smile. Be happy. Show compassion. Be
nice to others. Put a little love into your heart. Please speak up for those
without a voice, whether it be a dog, cat, elephant or monkey. One person, one
voice can make a difference. Read a book and pass it on. Leave a review.
Reviews are important for authors. Believe me. I know. Thank you!
Regards,
S. J. Francis, Writing
is my passion, but animals are my world.
Advocate for the
underdog, and cat, and supporting writers, et al.
In Shattered Lies:
"It's All About Family." Available now from Black Opal Books and for
sale at all on-line retailers and independent booksellers.
Shattered Lies is a runner-up in the 2016 Shelf Unbound Indie Best Book Award Competition.
Shattered Lies is a runner-up in the 2016 Shelf Unbound Indie Best Book Award Competition.
Shattered Lies is a 2016 Reader's Favorite Honorable Mention in the
Fiction - Women’s category.
Shattered Lies was a Finalist in the 10th Annual National Indie
Excellence Awards.
Shattered Lies was chosen as
General Fiction Official Selection in the 2015 New Apple Book Awards.
Did you know that the first, original book cover design for Shattered
Lies was a semi-finalist in the 2015 Authors dB Best Cover Contest?
My Black Opal Books Author Page:
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And now for some
legal stuff: Copyright 2016 by S.J. Francis. Opinions expressed here are solely
those of the author, S. J. Francis and the guest author and are meant to entertain,
inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.
Sounds good and I hope T.P. Keane has a success with her book. I enjoyed reading this.
ReplyDeleteHello again, Linda and thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit and leave a comment. Always great to hear from a reader and fan. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
DeleteCheers!
S.J. Francis
Thank you so much for having me on your blog. Hoping your readers take the time to download The Paladins and give a debut author a shot :)
ReplyDelete