[Day Twenty of 31 Days] Giveaway + Author Interview: Paige Dooling, author of The Protectors

Paige Dooling, author of The Protectors visits The Fairytale Nerd for an interview to celebrate 31 Days of Fairy! You guys can get book one of The Protectors Saga FOR FREE at Samshwords. See the link below this post. Also, Paige is giving away a copy of the second and third book to one lucky winner!

Lover of all things weird and kitsch, soda junkie, Dr. Who fan, Museum enthusiast, and author of the self-published Protectors Saga.

Hi Paige! Welcome to The Fairytale Nerd! how are you today?
Thank you so much! I'm doing great.

Tell me about your book.
My book center's around a sixteen year old girl named Avery Kimball who's very normal and very happy world is turned upside down when she learns that she and her four best friends were once a group of powerful warriors charged with protecting a distant planet. Sent to Earth to be re-born after being killed by the evil Emperor, Avery and the others must now return. Of course, settling back into her role as a warrior isn't easy, especially with her attraction to the mysterious King Draven.

Why fairies?
My story is very much a fantasy. There are warriors, wizards, trolls, magic, and to me fairies are some of the most fantastical beings out there. One way or another, I knew there had to be fairies in my book.

What is the message (from your books) that you want to convey to your readers?
I'd really like to convey the message of inner strength and growth. It sounds cheesy, but I think it's a really important message, especially in the YA genre.

What is the best part about being a writer? The worst?
The best part is seeing the worlds you create in your head actually on paper in front of you, it's an amazing feeling. The worst part is finding the time to write. Most people aren't just writers, they have to have another job that pays the bills, so sometimes it can be hard to find the time to write, but if you love it you'll find the time...even if you have to hide yourself away in a dark room and tell all your friends and family you're in quarantine for a week.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I don't know that it's interesting as much as it is weird, but I have to have something to drink near me when I'm writing, either cranberry juice, or cherry coke, or tea, but I have to have something to drink near me or I feel anxious.

Which talent would you most like to have?
I've always wanted to be able to play the guitar. I can't sing, but that's irrelevant. I've always just wanted to sit in the woods somewhere and strum a little tune.

Give me three of your favorite books.
This is such a hard question!! I'd have to say Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, and then anything by L.J. Smith (that's kind of cheating, but I really can't pick one)

Who is your hero in real life? What about in books?
In real life it's my parents. They've always supported me in any endeavor I've tried to undertake, and couldn't be more thankful. In books, I can't really think of one. The characters always end up being more friends than heroes to me.

The man who loves you or the man you love?
I would hope they'd be one in the same, but if I had to choose, I'll go with the man who loves me...I'm really a very needy person.

Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia?
Harry Potter

Super strength or super intelligence?
Super intelligence, than I could build a bodysuit that gives me super strength ;)

Viral epidemic or nuclear explosion?
Neither sounds appealing to me, but if I had to choose one I'd choose a nuclear explosion. Hopefully, it would be quick and I wouldn't have time to panic. Of course, if the viral epidemic happened to have anything to do with zombies I do have a zombie survival plan that I could implement.

Aragorn or Legolas?
Legolas! I remember seeing Fellowship of the Ring in the theater and almost rising out of my seat when that man came on the screen

Fantasy or reality?
Six days out of the week I would say fantasy, and reserve one little day for reality.

Math or Science?
Science, I was always the geek who enjoyed my biology and chemistry classes.

Baked or fried?
Haha, fried! I literally have to be pulled away from a plate of french fries!

Comedy or drama?
Drama...with just a peppering of comedy

Vampires or shifters?
My opinion on this changes constantly, but right now I'd have to go with shifters.

What's your next project?
I'm working on the 4th book in the Protectors Saga, which will probably come out sometime in December.

FREE ON SMASHWORDS

The Protectors

by P.M. Dooling

Every 16-year old thinks they have the weight of the world on their shoulders. For Avery Kimball this was actually true…she just didn’t know it yet. Life for Avery was completely normal, attending school, hanging out with friends, and spending time with her family. Until the day she finds out that she and her four closest friends have a destiny that will take them far away from their comfortable and safe lives on Earth. Avery learns that she and her friends are actually a group of powerful warriors known as the Protectors, who were charged with protecting the planet of Orcatia, but were killed by the evil Emperor. To save their lives, their magical mentor sent them to Earth to be re-born. It is now their duty to return to the planet and life they have no memory of, and once again serve as its Protectors, fighting the very Emperor responsible for their deaths. Along the way, Avery must contend with battling malevolent creatures, her sometimes fragile relationships with her friends and fellow Protectors, her attraction to the mysterious King of Nightfell, and her own doubts and fears about who she truly is and who she can become.

Here's an excerpt of the book:

“It was not just because of Jade’s more than offensive attitude that I wished for her to stay behind!” Gumptin told Avery in a whispered yell.
“What are you talking about?” Avery asked, her curiosity slightly peaked by Gumptin’s statement.
Gumptin sighed, “The Fairies will not take Jade’s appearance in their kingdom very well.”
Now Avery’s interest was really peaked.
Gumptin continued, keeping his voice down, “Jade and the Royal Fairy Prince Eryk had a secret love affair before she died.”
“What?!” Avery laughed loudly, causing a few of the horses to jump and Pip to turn around and stare at her.
Avery couldn’t help it; she could never have imagined she would ever hear Jade’s name associated with the term ‘love affair’. Sure, Jade was as much of a fan of a good looking guy as most girls, but back on Earth, she preferred them just passing through, in town for a few days to help her have some fun and scratch a few urges, then out of her life forever. They never came close to anything involving love. Avery couldn’t wait to tell Jade about her past romance, with a Fairy Prince nonetheless.
Perhaps seeing the joyous look of anticipation on Avery’s face, Gumptin told her, “Whatever you do, you cannot tell Jade. You must keep her far, far away from Prince Eryk.”
Avery didn’t like that idea at all. She was already keeping what the Serpentine Demon had told her from Jade. Now Gumptin wanted her to keep Jade’s own love life a secret from her. Avery was used to telling Jade everything. They never had any secrets before Orcatia, and she didn’t like the feeling it was giving her.
“Gumptin,” Avery said, “I don’t think that’s something I can keep from Jade.”
“You have to!” Gumptin told her sternly, “Their affair was the reason the Fairies withdrew their support. When the Emperor first started gaining power, the Fairies worked with the Protectors to fight the Emperor. Prince Eryk leads their army, so he and Jade spent a lot of time together. Somewhere along the way they developed a relationship, one that they tried to keep secret from everyone. Unfortunately, the King and Queen found out. They were so furious; they ordered Eryk to never see Jade again and swore to never again aid the Protectors.”

Because Paige is generous, she is giving away books 2 and 3 of The Protectors Saga to one lucky winner! Fill out the form for a chance to win!