Blog Tour
I was thrilled when Natasha Ahmed, author of Butterfly Season, asked me to join this blog tour. Here are my answers to these simple questions. At the bottom you will find the links to the author I have tagged.
1) What am I working on?
I am working on the second book of The Seventh Sentinel, an urban fantasy series. Sentinels are the guardians, empowered by the archangels, of powerful artefacts left behind by the Watchers, demons, Nephilim and the famous men of the Bible. The book is also loaded with historical facts, some of which I have altered to suit the story. The first book is due to be released very soon. I am also busy with a novella on the ancient line of the Lusitanian Celts, and their hero Viriathus, the seventh sentinel’s ancestor.
2) How does my work differ from others in its genre?
From the many books that I have read and enjoyed, the archangels and angels are usually represented in them as beings with human-like characters, who question God, fall in love with women, and generally turn bad! Demons are usually portrayed with some goodness in their characters. The demons in my book are utterly evil. I decided to write a story that would try to reflect the true nature of these mighty beings, both good and evil. In order to do this, I delved into the Summa Theologica, by St Thomas Aquinas, The Angels, by Fr. Pascal Parente, (published by TAN Books and Publishers, Inc.,), as well as the ever resourceful Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. There are many other Internet sites that I used, too numerous to mention here, i.e. the Order of Calatrava, in Spain, and the Order of Christ, in Tomar, Portugal, the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus, to mention a few.
3) Why do I write what I do?
Simply because I love fantasy, it takes you to another world, another realm, another time and fabulous mythical creatures. There are no limits to your imagination and to what you can write in this genre.
4) How does my writing process work?
With this, my first novel, the ideas floated in my brain for many years, before I put pen to paper, or rather, fingers to keyboard. I jotted down the ideas in a notebook that I carried with me and then transferred them to my computer. I knew, more or less, where I wanted the story to begin and where it would finish. I just had to figure out how to get to the end. So, I guess you could say that I’m more of a ‘pantser’. I let my characters take me on their journey. They really do take on a life of their own. Some days, I write pages and pages, on others, just a paragraph or two. But the ideas are always sizzling away in my subconscious. Music inspires me, and can lead me to write thousands of words.
Tahlia Newland, is the author I have tagged. I sent my manuscript to her for a professional appraisal, and the insights she gave me were invaluable. I highly recommend Tahlia, if you want an honest, professional critique of your work. You can find her at the following links:
Tahlia Newland, author of the award-winning Diamond Peak Series, writes contemporary fantasy and magical realism with a metaphysical twist. When not reading, writing, reviewing or mentoring authors, you may find her being an extremely casual high school teacher, making decorative masks, meditating, or playing with George, her Burmese cat.
She is presently working on a radical new novel about a writer and the various worlds she lives in. Find out more about it here. http://tahlianewland.com/the-writers-world/
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“Tahlia has a unique, charming style that is bold, honest, and thrilling.” Kate Policani, author/reviewer.
See all my books on my Amazon Author page or at http://tahlianewland.com
