Monday, February 9, 2015

Book Blast, Giveaway & Interview: The Embers of Light by @tamzwrite

The Embers of Light Banner 851 x 315

bookblast

 

clip_image002The Embers of Light

The Dia Chronicles

Volume 2

Tammy Farrell

Genre: Historical Fantasy

Publisher: Tammy Farrell

Date of Publication: Jan 28th, 2015

ISBN: -13: 978-1505434989

ISBN-10: 150543498X

ASIN: B00P6KCA6G

Number of pages: 388

Word Count: 96,000

Cover Artist: Nathalia Suellen

Book Description:

The descendants of the ancient gods think they’ve found peace, but the time has come when new magic and ancient powers will collide…

Stripped of his Dia powers and left to rot, Malcolm is a prisoner of Valenia—a sentence he finds worse than death. His thoughts of revenge are the only thing keeping him sane, but when he finally manages to escape, Malcolm discovers that living as a mortal is more dangerous than he ever imagined. After stealing from the wrong man, Malcolm becomes a captive once more, only this time his punishment is one that he won’t soon forget. His only hope of survival is Seren, an enigmatic young girl with golden eyes and a malevolence to match his own.

When he’s led to Mara and Corbin, the two responsible for his fall from grace, their new faction of Dia is in chaos, infiltrated by an ancient power thought to have been banished forever. This only fuels Malcolm’s ruthless ambitions, but he soon realizes that he too is under attack, a pawn in a centuries old game of power and greed. As new battle lines are drawn, Malcolm finds himself in uncharted waters, forced to choose between helping those he’s vowed to destroy or give in to his lingering desire to settle the score.

Debts will be paid, lives will be lost, and no Dia will ever be the same.

Available at Amazon

Book One, The Darkness of Light, On Sale for .99

excerpt

By the time the smell of smoke and roasting meat finally reached Malcolm, and his hole in the ground was completely black, he knew the time was drawing near. The sound of laughter and flutes from above stoked the fires of determination within him, while the repetitive drumbeat counted down the minutes.

His mind wandered as he stared sullenly at the walls of black earth. He clutched his mangled hand to his chest, far too weary for anger. He was humiliated. Over and over again he’d been disgraced, robbed, laughed at. The hardest truth to face was that there still might be more degradation to come. He had wanted everything and succeeded at nothing. Hope was now but a whisper in the past, still carried on the winds, but too distant to hear.

Malcolm pressed his head against the soft earth. He had nothing left to lose and nothing left to love. Even his own mother had become an unseen shadow, abandoning him in his time of need. She was useless to him, as she always had been, and he vowed that if she ever showed herself to him again, he would speak any word that might pierce a mother’s soul.

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  authorinterview

Did you always wanted to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?

I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but I also wanted to be a University Professor of History. I love being a full-time writer, but who knows, I might still pursue that one day.

When did you first consider yourself a “writer”?

When I finally committed to writing fiction. In 2007 I started publishing short stories under the pen name Dahlia Knight (she no longer exists), and from then on I was, without a doubt, a writer.

How long did it take to get your first book published?

If I’m going by the inception of my characters, then it took me seven years. BUT, if I’m going by the time my book was finally completed it took me one year to become an independent author.

Do you do another job except for writing and can you tell us more about it?

I’m happy to say that I’m a full-time author, and I LOVE my job.

What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?

The Dia Chronicles: The Embers of Light. Malcolm wants revenge. Debts will be paid, lives will be lost, and no Dia will ever be the same.

Who is your publisher? Or do you self-publish?

I am an indie author with a team of professionals who produce my published works.

How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?

This depends on the book. But what I’ve found with The Dia Chronicles is that it takes me about 6-8 months from idea to completion.

What can we expect from you in the future?  ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?

Right now I have two series on the go. The Dia Chronicles and The Highborn Chronicles.

The third book in The Dia Chronicles, The Ruins of Light is set to come out later this year. And for my Highborn Chronicles, which is a historical paranormal romance set in Tudor England, the first two books are available now, and the third is being released later this month.

What genre would you place your books into?

The Dia Chronicles is historical fantasy. And The Highborn Chronicles is historical paranormal romance.

What made you decide to write that genre of book?

It just came natural to me. I had an idea, I wrote the story I was passionate about, and it just came out as historical fiction.

Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?

I’ve read most of them, but I don’t go searching for them. I value ALL the reviews my books get, and I do my best to learn something from each one. But I also think obsessing about reviews is a surefire way to cause doubt in a writer, so I only check for new ones once in a while.

Do you choose a title first, or write the book then choose the title?

For The Darkness of Light I wrote the book before I had the title. If it’s a series I tend to title my planned books first, but if I’m starting on something new I just write and work on a title later.

How do you come up with characters names and place names in your books?

Since I write historical fiction I do a lot of Googling to come up with names. I look for popular/common names in a certain historical period, and usually find the perfect names there.

Are character names and place names decided after their creation? Or do you pick a character/place name and then invent them?

While plotting I usually give them nicknames. But before I start writing I decide on character/place names, otherwise I get too confused about who I’m writing.

Do you decide on character traits (ie shy, quiet, tomboy girl) before writing the whole book or as you go along?

Yes. I usually have a good sense of the characters personalities prior to writing them. I usually decide whether I’m going to have a very strong female character, or one who’s a little weaker (because let’s face it, they can’t all be bad-asses). I figure out my hero’s strength and weaknesses, and I decide whether or not my villains are inherently evil, or if they’ve grown to be that way.

Which format of book do you prefer, eBook, hardback, or paperback?

Paperback or hardback. I LOVE having a book in my hands. But, I do use my kindle quite a bit too, but I’ll always prefer hard copies. You can’t SMELL a kindle. ;)

 

Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favorite/worst book to movie transfer?

They can, but it’s really unfortunate when they don’t. For example, Anne Rice wrote the script for Interview with the Vampire, and I think that’s why it turned out so well. But if you look at Queen of the Damned which Anne had very little involvement in, it turned out awful. 

Gone Girl was amazing, probably because Gillian Flynn wrote the script.

I also love TV adaptations, particularly Phillipa Gregory’s, The White Queen, and Diana Gabaldon’s, Outlander. Both were done perfectly!

Your favorite Author is?

My favorite author is Anne Rice. But I also love Phillipa Gregory, Kresley Cole, Bernard Cornwell, and Ken Follet. It’s too had to decide on just one. J

  giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  abouttheauthor

 

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Tammy Farrell grew up in Orangeville, Ontario Canada where she discovered her love of writing, and all things related to Edgar Allan Poe. She now lives with her husband and six fur babies in Greenville, South Carolina, where she attempts to learn French when she isn’t busy writing.

Learn more about The Dia Chronicles and Tammy Farrell’s other works at:

www.TammyFarrell.com

www.facebook.com/thediachronicles

@tamzwrite

2 comments:

  1. Really enjoyed the excerpt and the interview. Will have to check out her books. Loved the details about the writing process, time involved, etc. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  2. I enjoyed your interview and hearing some of process used to create Ms Farrell's novels. I also loved the blurb and excerpt - makes me feel this is a book I would like to read sometime.

    ReplyDelete