Today I'm joined by Emily Ann Ward, the author of a new Fantasy/Paranormal Romance series, The Protectors. She is here to talk about her book and writing.
Promising Light
Series: The Protectors (#1)
Available as of January 16, 2012
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords
My Review can be found here.
Grace began a secret courtship with Dar for the thrill of doing something against her father, the king’s general. She hadn’t planned on falling in love with him. When Dar suddenly leaves her, she searches for answers, reluctant to let him go.
Everyone seems determined to keep the truth from her—until she’s kidnapped by Dar’s family. They’re shape changers who claim she can break a curse set on them ten years ago by the Protectors, a group of noblemen determined to stifle magic in the name of safety.
Torn between two worlds, Grace isn’t sure who to trust. If the curse endures, Dar’s family could die out forever. But to help them, she’ll have to leave behind everything she knows.
About the Author
Emily Ann Ward was born in Reno, Nevada, but spent most of her childhood in Colorado. She has spent many years writing mainly fanfiction, but has since ventured into writing young adult, literary, and fantasy fiction. She currently lives in Salem, Oregon with her husband Chris and their crazy cats.
Doodle
Emily Ann Ward
Welcome to Doodle's Book Blog Emily! Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join me today! Your most recent novel Promising Light is the first book in The Protectors. Can you tell us who or what inspired you to write the tale of Lady Grace, Sir Dar, and Prince William?
I started writing this book a really long time ago for Nanowrimo, and it has come really far since then. In the beginning, I focused mostly on the mystery surrounding Dar's family and Grace's curiosity about him. I also loved the idea of writing about bigotry and prejudice against the shape changers. For some reason, storylines like that have always interested me, and I loved combining that with magic and fantastical things that wouldn’t happen in our world (that we know of :).
Are any of your characters based on someone you know in real life? Which character do you feel most connected to?
I don’t usually intentionally base characters off of people I know in real life because making stuff up is so fun for me, but it’s natural for my friends and family to seep into my stories. My sister’s name is Grace, and I can see the similarities between her and the main character. They’re both determined and ready to do what’s necessary for what they believe is right. Evan is a lot like my brother David -- also very passionate about what he believes in.
I think I feel most connected to Sierra because of her love for Evan. I kept thinking of how I would feel if my husband went through something like that and what I’d be willing to do to keep him safe, how much I’d support him even if I may not agree with him. Sierra is probably way more badass than I am, but her connection with Evan and her willingness to do anything for him really spoke to me.
Can you tell us something about Lady Grace and Sir Dar that we won't learn while reading Promising Light?
Growing up, Lady Grace and her friend Jocelyn once tried to sneak into the market dressed as commoners. They wondered what life "on the other side" was like. Their mothers caught them before they had the chance to go, and scolded them for dressing like peasants. The girls couldn't stop giggling even as they were being lectured.
Sir Dar has a very big weakness for cherries. His aunt and uncle in Shyra owned a cherry orchard, so it's very sentimental for him. Cherry pie, cherry pastries and candies -- he loves them all!
What was the most difficult part for you to write?
It was hard for me to write the middle. Going from point B to point C, deciding what’s important to explain on their trip and what would drag, planning the chases and the escapes. I can do beginnings -- I have started about a thousand stories and never finished them -- but moving from the beginning to the end is hard for me.
Do you ever experience writer's block? If so, how do you deal with it?
Yes, I do. Fortunately, it never lasts too long. It’s mostly me not wanting to write because I’m tired from school or I’m just lazy or uninspired. I try to force myself to do it. Or I get myself into a new environment. Sometimes if I go to a new place I feel more creative than if I write in my usual spot at home.
What are you working on now?
I'm working on the sequel to Promising Light. Lots of political intrigue and a brewing war! Plus more romance, which I love. I work on a lot of projects at once, though, so I also have a dystopian novel that has religious cults and a fantasy novel that involves a tournament to become the king of a small island.
Which of your books was hardest to write and why?
Probably Promising Light, actually, mainly because it went through a lot of drafts. I lost a lot of it back in 2005, but I kept hardly any of the events when I revised it in 2008, just the characters. Once I started writing it again in 2011 with a new vision, I finished the “first” draft pretty quickly, two or three months. But I struggled with the middle, like I said above. Plus there are so many characters and lots of traveling over foreign worlds, so I had to keep track of all the people and places in Haltar and Kleisade and the other countries. My other stories are usually on a smaller scale.
What advice would you give an aspiring author?
Read a lot, write a lot! The more you read, the more you see what works, what doesn’t work; what’s popular, what isn’t. You’ll be inspired by good books and know what not to do by bad books. And write! I know a lot of “writers” who just talk about writing, but if you don’t actually write, you’ll never get a chance to tell your story. Practice may not make perfect in the writing world, but practice will help you construct better stories and better prose as you pump out more words.
Emily, thank you so much for joining us today!
I look forward to reading the next book in The Protectors Series!
To learn more about Emily Ann Ward and her book, please visit her website.
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