Book Review, Author Interview, Book Giveaway with Author LJ DeLeon!!

For Fae-human half-breed Deva Morgan, life as she knows it changes on her thirtieth birthday. One moment she’s a barkeep, the next she is a warrior fated to save Earth from the Dark Lord and his demon hoard. Shunned by both her races, she faces a danger-filled quest with few allies. Too bad her powers haven’t fully emerged or stabilized.

For Deva it is life or death, on-the-job training with her companion, Padraig O’Neal, a Fae warrior with a shadowed past. Can he quiet the storm raging inside her, help her harness the growing power within her, and provide a barrier between Deva and a fatal outcome? Will their love be enough to save Deva and stop the Dark Lord’s demons from entering Earth?

Warrior's Rise Review:

What a Home run this book was! Wow! This book was one of those books once you get it, reality does not exist any longer. Action, Romance, Witty humor, and lets not forget the gorgeous men and warrior women! That is just a taste of what you would find in this awesome read. You can also find Were’s, Shifters, demons, Fae,  magic… and that’s just the beginning. The characters are so well developed, that they will send you through a whirl wind of emotions as you move through this well formed plot and beautifully sculpted world. I yearn to read the next book. Yes I did say yearn.

My Rating: 5 Stars!

Interview:

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m an army brat and have lived all over the US, Europe, and Japan. By the time I entered ninth grade, I was in my thirteenth school. You’d think I’d had enough moving around, but no, I married a career army officer who then left the military for the CIA. That’s when I started working for the agency in the tech field and as an intelligence analyst. I’ve also taught high school US History, Civics, and comparative government. 

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I’m a reader, a voracious reader. When living overseas I lived at the library and the Stars and Stripes Bookstore. Then I read one-too-many wall-bangers. You know the kind, where logic goes out the window, the names are not kept straight, eye color changes, a heroine who stamped her foot every time she got angry, and decided I can do better than that. A year later, I had my first completed novel and plenty of paper for lining the two litter boxes. 

What surprised you the most about the writing/publishing process? 

One, how difficult it is to get readers willing to take a chance on an unknown. Two, no matter how much I loved a story, that between the rewrites and edits I could get sick of looking at it. Three, it is impossible to correct every error, no matter how many times and how pairs of eyes read it. 

How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula? 

Yes and no. I rely on the three-act screenplay structure and use it as a map to tell me where things need to happen. These are called plot points and no matter what genre you write, they always fall at the same point in the story. I also write first person autobiographies of each character in the story—from birth to age 25, or in the case of Fae and demons, age 100. Then I write what they’ve done for the six months before the start of the story to when they enter it. This saves me time in learning my characters voice and helps with the plot. 

What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing? 

Story, story, story. Character, character, character. It’s easier to fix the mechanics/technical aspect of writing if you have something to correct. However, you do need to know spelling, grammar, and punctuation. If you don’t, make a commitment to learn it, because your editor shouldn’t have to spend her time grinding through commas and semicolons.

Can you share a little of your current work with us? 

I’ve just finished Absolution, which is Luc’s story. This week, I start Sophie’s Challenge, which is Sophie and Jamie’s story. That’s followed by Kate and Mark’s story in Kate’s Army. You learn of both these women in Dragon Child and meet Sophie in the book.

In Twitter Fashion use140 characters or less, sum up Warrior's Rise for us.

Warrior’s Rise: A warrior woman & Fae prince w/ a team of supernaturals must save world from the forces of darkness. Is she ready? Which will triumph—good or evil? Stay tuned. 

How did you come up with a story that was such a whirlwind of events?

I’d wanted to write an interdimensional fantasy adventure for many years, but market wasn’t there. By the time I sat down to write it, it was all there in my mind. I follow Captain Kirk’s motto: “Good can triumph over evil, but it must be very, very careful.” 

How long did it take you to write it, and did you have any writer’s block along the way?

Warrior’s Rise seemed to flow out of me in a gush. While I can sometimes be stumped how to start a scene or chapter—I’m a perfectionist and need the opening line—this book was different. I had thought it just came to me, but when looking back through notes, I discovered I’d been thinking about Warrior’s Rise and Dragon Child, in fact the entire series for more than a decade. I saw the entire series arc and how each book fed into it, including their titles. That said, the third book, Absolution, gave me fits. 

Will we be seeing a following book to this story?

Warrior’s Rise is the first in a series. Right now, I have twelve long and short novels and eight shorts planned. By shorts, I mean fewer than 15,000 words. This year, the following Warriors For Light books will be published: Warrior’s Rise and Dragon Child are available now. Absolution will be released May 15. Sophie’s Challenge and Kate’s Army will come out in late November. In between, there will be at least one short. 

How did you come up with the character Deva Morgan?

I wanted a heroine who had the cards stacked against her. She is half Fae and half human, living in the human world. Neither side, if they knew of her, would accept her. She’s been raised to be a warrior, has the skills, yet just hearing the word Harpies strikes terror in her heart. (Harpies killed her father. You can read the free short story, Deva’s Promise, on my website.) She runs a bar and has little to no idea what kind of magick she commands. As the magick begins to evolve, she has to learn control. Along the way, she learns not everything is as it seems, and the line between friends and enemies is very thin. 

I always must ask, if you could pick one actress/actor to portray Deva Morgan/Padraig O'Neal on the big screen who would it be and why?

Padraig is easy. I would choose Sam Worthington. Sigh. He starred in Avatar and Clash of the Titans. He’s tall and has the hardened look of a warrior carrying a lot of baggage. Deva is harder because she could be one of three actresses: Maggie Q from Nikita on CW, she’s athletic and exotic looking; Jennifer Garner, whom I loved in Alias; Anna Paquin, who’s in True Blood and was in the X-Men series.

Was there anything you found particularly challenging when writing this book?

Strangely, it was filtering in the romance. I wrote the book first, setting the world, battles, and friendships. Then I went back and filtered in the touches, glances, and internal thoughts of growing attraction. It was always there, but not enough to qualify as a romance. While each book in the series will deal with other characters, Deva will appear in some capacity because as the Goddess’ Holy Weapon—the Cáidh Arm—most of the characters have a position within her Army For Light and report to her. 

What were your feelings when you first saw the cover of your finished book?

I was blown away. It was stunning and captured Deva perfectly—sword drawn, ready to take on anyone who threatens the Light. I was also very lucky with my cover artist. She believes in working with the author, making it a team effort.

I would love for you, the readers, to visit me at my website or blog. I look forward to hearing your comments about which characters you love or want to read more about.

Warrior’s Rise is available at Amazon, B&N Nook, Smashwords
Dragon Child is available at Amazon, B&N Nook, Smashwords

3 Winners

1 Copy each of in one of the following in formats: Kindle, ePub, PDF, Mobi, or PDB.

Warrior's Rise, Warriors for Light, Book 1

Dragon Child, Warriors for Light, Book 2

The Ultimate Game, Turner Chronicles, Vol. 1