Anna del C. Dye, author of Curse of the Elfs

Anna, you have a new book out. Can you share the back cover introduction with us?

When an Immortal race ceases to be immortal, woe to the land. Ancient legend tells of elfs crossing paths with a dying wizard named Zoltan. The Old Sorcerer’s unrepentant deeds had caused the wizarding school to chastise him severely. On his deathbed Zoltan asked the elfs for help. Losing patience in his delirium, he cursed them. Now, the immortal elfin race is slowly, but surely dying.
Their only hope lies in a servant of kings who must learn to love the elfs before he will attempt to save them. But no one, elf or mankind, has ever heard of this man. Can the healer be found before their race is gone forever?

It sounds interesting, what was your inspiration?
It is inspired by the last movie of Tolkien’s, Lord of the Rings. I wanted to know more about the character’s lives and couldn’t find enough. My husband said, “Why don’t you write your own.” I answered, “Yah right!” But his answer haunted me and in three days I had the draft of The Elf and the Princess in my mind. When I told him the story he came back with a laptop and told me to write it. The rest is history.

Anna has led an interesting life. She was born in Valparaiso, Chile. After meeting Rodney, a native of Idaho, in her hometown, Anna traveled to Utah on Christmas Eve and married him two weeks later. Their love story, Why Him? was published by Covenant in the book entitled Tender Mercies. Anna and Rodney reside in Taylorsville, Utah and are the parents of three princes and a princess.

Anna is an accomplished, multi-award winning author. One of her short stories entitled, Amerine—Fairy Princess, won an award in the Oquirrh Writers contest. The first book in her new YA Romance Series entitled, A Kingdom By The Sea, also won an award. Anna’s works also include The Silent Warrior Trilogy, the beginning saga of her YA Elf Series.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Never give up!!! Join a writer's chapter close to you right now, and learn the craft from them.

Do you have a particular goal you aim to achieve with your writing?
To take people to a wonderful world where they can forget reality’s cold hand and safely enjoy fantasy. Life is tough and we need something to help us make it more fun and worth living. Fantasy is the way I choose to do it.

I understand that you have some really great battle scenes. How did you learn to describe them so well?
We found a medieval sword fighting class at the local high school and my husband and I took it. My husband liked it so much he has taken it for a few years now and has even earned two different belts with the clan.

Anna has three other books out.
The Silent Warrior Trilogy
Book 1 - The Elf and the Princess
Book 2 - Trouble in the Elf City
Book 3 - Elfs in a conquered Realm

To purchase a copy of Anna’s books, go to:
www.amazon.com
www.barnesandnoble.com
www.annadelc.com

Anna, thanks for the interview.
Thank you for this opportunity to visit with you and your friends.

Author Interview with Donna Hatch

Donna Hatch used to be in my local writing group--before she became famous. That's my current claim to fame--knowing several fun and popular authors. Donna fits that group. She is friendly, personable, talented (she also plays the harp) and ready for a good time--and--not only does she work hard at her own writing, but she has taken on the challenge and blessing of mentoring a group of teenage writers.

Donna, tell us a little bit more about yourself.
I guess I should say right off the bat that I’m a certified loon. Not only am I an author, which means I hear voices in my head and my characters are more real to me than most “real” people, but I am also the mother of six children. And yes, I did that on purpose!

You have a new novel out, and it's a fantasy. Can you please tell us a little bit about Queen in Exile.

The last surviving member of her family, a princess must place her life, and the fate of her kingdom, into the hands of a trained killer. But accepting her destiny and her own dark powers will mean losing the man she loves.

Where does your inspiration come from?
Inspiration can come from anywhere, a song, a movie, a secondary character in another book. Sometimes I can’t trace where the story actually began, it often just starts as a seed of an idea and then expands. I’ve yet to have started a story based on a dream, though ;-) But for Queen in Exile in particular – this is going to sound super lame – (cringe) but I actually was inspired in part by a game of Dungeons and Dragons. Yes, I was one of those geeks who played that game. I’ve always been a fantasy reader, and I’m so glad technology is up to the level needed to produce a truly spectacular fantasy movie. The story itself for Queen in Exile came from somewhere in my heart, but the setting is more of a Tolkien-type world.

Some writers say that they have a story that has to be told, others say that the characters come to them and demand that their story be told… how does it work for you?
Both ways, I suppose. A character usually comes to me and tells me the main idea of their story, and then I go to work fleshing out both the plot and the characters. Once or twice, I’ve started with a concept, or a problem, and then found characters to deal with it. Really, my characters drive the story; the plot, or the problem, is just a hardship for them to overcome so that they can really grow and shine and ultimately triumph.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Be persistent. Most people have dreams of writing a novel, but never finish one. Most people who finish a novel never submit it, and most who submit, give up after a few rejections.
What is your favorite thing about writing romance?
I love the happily ever after. If a book doesn’t have a good ending, I feel like I’ve wasted my time because I read to escape my problems. I want to know good always triumphs over evil and love conquers all, not be bummed because all was lost. I also love watching the romance unfold and, of course, the euphoria of falling in love.

Okay, now for some random but fun questions:

Favorite food? pasta

Favorite dessert? cheesecake

Jeans and T-shirt, or designer clothes? Um, how about designer jeans and T-shirts?

Guilty pleasure? Chocolate! Okay, anything sweet and decadent. I have an equal opportunity sweet tooth.

One word that describes you? cheerful

Favorite flower? Pink rose

Favorite sport? Does snorkeling count as a sport?

Thank you, Donna for joining us. You can find Donna’s book, Queen in Exile, at Amazon, Costco, any Deseret Bookstore, all Barnes & Noble, and Borders. If you don’t see it on the shelf, be sure to ask them to order it for you and they’ll ship it to you with free shipping.

Be sure to check out Donna's website: http://donnahatch.com/ and her blog: http://www.donnahatch.blogspot.com/
She has two published historical romance novels, one that I've reviewed, "The stranger She Married" and also "Guise of a Gentleman." I'm hoping to get a signed copy of her latest two books next month and I'll have them reviewed sometime after that.

Prince Etcheon and the Secret of the Ancient, by JoAnn Arnold

Prince Etcheon and the Secret of the Ancient, by JoAnn Arnold is a delightful read. For anyone who enjoys a fantasy that is so fantastical that once read, you feel as though you’ve just awakened from a dream—this is the book for you. It’s full of interesting creatures, fantasy kingdoms, time travel (yes), and a well planned war against good and evil.

The imagination is unleashed as Etcheon learns who he is and of the responsibilities that lay ahead for him. It’s only after his Granna Fela dies that Etcheon’s true identity as a prince is revealed to him. He is sent from one realm, one era to another in order to complete the necessary training. Etcheon’s ultimate goal is to free his parents and save his people from death. To do that, he must best the evil wizard, Ancitel, and overthrow the corrupted King Yiltor.

It’s no simple task, to be sure, but Prince Etcheon is not alone in his quest. Those guiding him are as old as creation itself, and wise enough to know better than to let Etcheon’s branches of knowledge grow faster and stronger than his roots of wisdom for fear the whole shall become corrupted—they guide and nurture him in the things they must, and let him discover the rest on his own.

Prince Etcheon’s legion of helpers include an eagle who can change size, a panther, a horse that can race so fast he becomes an invisible blur, an owl, a two headed lamb, and an ancient tree. He also has the help and loyalty of a good wizard and a village of small folk. To Etcheon, time is irrelevant as these creatures share their knowledge and prepare him for his destiny. As he is taught, we as readers learn beads of wisdom that resonate in their truth, and we feel refreshed because of the experience.

Although numbers-wise the odds are against Prince Etcheon and his small band of warriors in their fight against the wealthy King Yiltor, the two evil men learn too late that the odds were a little better matched than they had anticipated.

Of course, when two evil men come together—they can never truly trust each other, which is the case between Ancitel and Yiltor. The evil wizard Ancitel wants to capture Prince Etcheon and gain all, including Yiltor’s kingdom and Etcheon’s timepiece. King Yiltor uses Ancitel to the best of his ability in his quest to gain control of all the surrounding kingdoms and therefore gain control of all the riches, and afterwards he hopes to be rid of the evil wizard.

I often call fantasy novels “mind candy” because they’re enjoyable to read, but with little substance. This novel offers more than empty calories—perhaps it’s more like a Snickers bar or a PayDay. It’s fun to read, but resonates throughout with truths regarding good and evil, and at the end of the day, it’s a little more satisfying.