Author Interview + Giveaway: Elizabeth Isaacs, author of The Light of Asteria

Today's special guest is Elizabeth Isaacs! For those of you who don't know, Elizabeth is the author of The Kailmeyra Series. I have read the first book and it is filled with action, romance, and fantasy. Truly an adventure in another world! Read my review HERE.

This giveaway is part of the 

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Now check out my interview!

I have a master’s in music performance and at one time considered a career in opera. My teacher’s heart wouldn’t stand for it though, and so we moved back to Kentucky where I found a wonderful elementary school that needed me. I’ve been there for ten years now. I also work part time as the childrens music coordinator at a local church, and I direct the creative arts camp every summer. I have two very teenage children (one boy and one girl) whom I love more than air, and we have one codependent hound, Lucy, that we rescued when she was just a pup.
By now you’re probably wondering how on earth a dog-loving-elementary-music-teaching-creative-arts-camp-coordinating-mom ended up as an author. To be honest, I’m a little baffled myself.
Books have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I’ve always been a closet writer. When I was fifteen I hand-wrote a romance, but I was too afraid to show it to anyone. For years I’ve kept a journal, writing down thoughts I never had the courage to share. It wasn’t until recently when I started mentoring under privileged children in writing that I found my passion once more.
“The Light of Asteria” started as a free write. The first scene nothing but vast woodlands, the last pure land on earth, a place where selfishness and negativity didn’t exist. The floodgates opened, and soon I found the true message my heart longed to share.
The emotional reaction to Nora’s story is both humbling and, at times, a little overwhelming. The Secret of the Keepers, the second in the series, was released in November of 2011. I appreciate so much everyone’s enthusiasm for Kailmeyra, and I look forward to sharing the final book, “The Heart of the Ancients, Kailmeyra’s Redemption” in the spring of 2013.

Stalk: Twitter | Blog

Which words or phrases do you most overuse in your books?
Oh Lordy, I have several that plague me. There are words that I just love to use (like monolith, roil, fetid, rancid, etc). And then there are some words that have to be used but have few synonyms—intent and essence comes to mind on that front. They’re such important words, yet trying to find a different way of expressing their concepts is extremely difficult. I also love to overuse meaningless descriptors. I’ve gotten better at it over the years, but I’m still working on getting rid of the beautifuls, magnificents, and gloriouses. :-) I will tell you that I freely admit not being able to see the redundancy in my work, and so before Keepers came out I hired two line editors to scour through it.

If you could change one character in The Light of Asteria, who would it be? Why?
Originally the first draft of Asteria had 3-4 additional chapters at the beginning that allowed Gavin and Nora’s storyline to develop at a slower pace. It also delved into Nora’s relationship with Kate and Hol. After trimming the book to where it is, we lost a good bit of Hol. If I had to change it today, I’d probably take either expand her character a bit or take her out of the storyline altogether.

What is the message from your book that you want to convey to your readers?
This story delves into the concept of true intent, serves as an example of what love is supposed to be, and shows the power of forgiveness.

What was your favorite toy as a child?
Anything that allowed me to create. Lincoln logs, markers and blank paper, a piano, paints, and most of all a light bright. I never used the patterns that came with it. We always started with a blank black canvas and went from there. :-D

The one who loves you or the one you love?
Selfish, I know, but the one who loves me.

Viral epidemic or nuclear explosion?
Can I answer Second Coming?

Boxers or briefs?
Boxers

I love Gavin. He's very different from the other male characters in books. Can you tell me what is on his bedside table right now? On his bedroom floor? In his trash can?
On Gavin’s bedside table is the sculpture Nora made for him at Christmas and a book written in the ancient language. Other than a hand woven rug made of flax and heather, his floor is immaculate, and there is no need for a trash can in his room in Kailmeyra, as they don’t have trash.

What is your next project?
I’m currently working on the third and final book in the series, but I’m also playing with a YA steampunk romance, and a serious non-fiction piece about education. I plan to continue writing until I run out of stories, which, good Lord willing, won’t be for quite a while.

The Light of Asteria 

by Elizabeth Isaacs

If Nora Johnson hadn't been on campus that day she would have never known her true destiny. Helping her friends move into the dorm that she wanted to call home, Nora accidentally collides with mysterious stranger, Gavin Frey. His very first touch sends flames through her heart. The world seems different-something within her has changed.
Nora tries to resume her mundane life, but she is now consumed with the one whose very presence ignited her soul, the one with eyes of emerald. Nora soon learns that an energy buried deep within has been unleashed. She now wields unimaginable power and has become Gavin's source, his strength.
Her newfound joy is shaken when she discovers that Gavin is not who he appears to be and she has been thrust in the middle of a war of mythical proportions. Negativity has allowed all things evil to flourish, the earth is under siege. The fate of creation hinges on the power within her heart. Will she be strong enough to survive?
A gripping tale of unbounded love and ancient power, The Light of Asteria will take you on an epic adventure filled with war, treachery, and demons, as well as unimaginable delights.

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