Hello! Today I am hosting Rachel Rossano's blog tour for King of Anavrea, Book 2 of the Theodoric Saga. Rachel's book Duty: A Novel of Rhynan is one of the first books I ever reviewed, and I quite enjoyed it. So I was extremely happy to be able to be a host in her blog tour and interview her. I hope you will enjoy everything!
Author Bio
Rachel Rossano is a happily married mother of three
children. She spends her days teaching, mothering, and keeping the chaos at
bay. After the little ones are in bed, she immerses herself in the fantasy
worlds of her books. Tales of romance, adventure, and virture set in a medieval
fantasy world are her preference, but she also writes speculative fantasy and a
bit of science fiction.
Rachel Rossano
loves to interact with readers.
Twitter ~ http://twitter.com/RachelRossano
Facebook ~ http://www.facebook.com/RachelRossanoRambles
YouTube ~ http://www.youtube.com/anavrea
Interview
Welcome,
Rachel! Thank you for joining us on my blog Zerina
Blossom. Please tell us a little about yourself. Hobbies? Furry friends?
Tea or Coffee?
Thank you for
inviting me. I am a happily married mother of three children. We are a
homeschooling family so my life is very full of teaching and activities.
Writing and book cover design are my hobbies/business that I fit around the
rest of my life. No furry friends at the moment, though I love dogs. We had two
before we had kids, a Chocolate Labrador and a Greyhound. I am definitely a tea
drinker. I love a large mug of mint or raspberry tea with honey. I prefer
caffeinated tea.
What is your
day like?
My mornings are
full of schoolwork and housework. My first writing opportunity is usually
during my twins’ naptime in the afternoon. Evenings are full of family and
church activities. Then after the kid’s bedtime, I spend a couple hours writing
or designing book covers. Other book business things usually get stuck in spare
moments throughout the day.
What is your
favorite book, series, or author and why?
I have many
favorites. I loved Kathy Tyer’s Firebird
Trilogy. The concept of sacrifice despite the chance of death or lifelong
consequences for the sake of the glory of God and His greater purpose
fascinates me. All too often we lose sight of the eternal in our temporal
struggles.
Very true. When
did you first start writing?
I started
writing in my early teens. A serious focus on writing well didn’t come until I
was in my twenties when I set about pursuing publishing my books.
Is there
someone (or something) who was instrumental in inspiring you to begin writing
to publish?
My parents
taught me to love reading, history, and storytelling. From those loves, I have
grown into writing. Without that basis, I think my writing lack dimension and
depth.
What was the
toughest obstacle you had to overcome to publish your first book?
My own
foolishness and naivety definitely worked against me and publishing my first
book, but that didn’t stop me from indie-publishing my second, third, and
fourth. It also didn’t stop be from re-publishing my first book (the prequel to
this one). Don’t let your own mistakes hold you back. Learn from them and move
forward.
That is a good
thing to remember. I am also glad of your success. Why did you choose to
self-publish rather than go through the traditional publishing companies?
Most
traditional publishing companies aren’t interested in publishing what I write,
at least they weren’t when I started publishing my books. Non-magical
non-allegorical Christian fantasy with a historical feel doesn’t really fit
nicely into any particular genre and isn’t easy for them to market. Now that I
have been indie-publishing for a while, I would be reluctant to go traditional,
but I can’t say I would definitely say no to a good offer. I am enjoying my
independence.
How much
research do you generally have to do?
It depends on
the book and the depth needed. I am working on the next book in my Novels of
Rhynan series and researching medieval painting and art techniques since my
heroine is going to be the daughter of a painter. I suspect my hero is going to
breed horses so I am reading about that. However, for The King of Anavrea I
didn’t do much research at all.
What inspired
you to write The King of Anavrea?
After I
finished writing The Crown of Anavrea,
I felt badly for leaving Ireic with all the responsibilities of ruling Anavrea
when he clearly didn’t want the job. Besides, I quite liked him. So despite
declaring to my friends that I didn’t like writing politics, I spent a whole
book writing about the politics of Anavrea.
What do you
love best about The King of Anavrea?
Lirth’s
internal beauty. She genuinely desires to do the Lord’s will in everything she
does, even if it means she must die for Him. She doesn’t hate Him for taking
her sight or letting her be a pawn in her father’s political games. Instead,
she waits on him with a peace and patience I cannot claim to share. She is an
example of how I would like to be. I am definitely not, though.
Which of your novels is your favorite and why?
Oh, that is a
hard question. It is like choosing one’s favorite child. The answer is dangerous
to consider, let alone answer. I would say my current is Living Sacrifice, an Epic Inspirational Fantasy.
In a country
which values the seventh sons because of their power, Zezilia Ilar began life
as the disappointment. She was born the only girl after six boys and he father
never let her forget that her gender ruined all chances that she could restore
the family honor by becoming the next Sept Son. Now at fifteen, she is poised
to bring honor to her family by making a good marriage alliance until she
catches the eye of the man who is about to become Sept Son because she is
displaying an ability for telepathy and telekinetic movement unprecedented in a
woman.
Hadrian Aleron
was born the seventh son of a seventh son. As the most powerful talent in fifteen
generations, he is more than qualified to assume the responsibilities of the
job. On the other hand, many do not want him in the position. In a country
devoted to the worship of a goddess, Hadrian has rejected the accepted
religion. He follows the teaching of the Almighty. This alone causes for the
foremost leader of the official religion to oppose Hadrian’s appointment.
Zezilia
discovers that the Almighty has a greater purpose for her. Hadrian learns to
lean on the Almighty to navigate a trying situation. As the story plays out they
slowly realize the unacknowledged God of the universe has big plans for them,
their families, and their country. I love the theme of faith in adversity and
living a life of sacrifice to the Lord.
Living Sacrific sound really
interesting. Do
you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Write what you
love. Be disciplined and systematic toward attaining your goals. Write and read
constantly. Accept criticism when it is given, even when it isn’t spoken in
love. You don’t have to take it, but it would be wise to evaluate it. Also,
pursue God’s will, even when it means going outside your comfort zone.
Is there
anything you would like to say?
Thank you so
much for inviting me here and sharing the news of my new book. I love meeting
new people (readers or authors). Feel free to contact me if you have any
questions. I love talking about writing, reading, cover design, and just about
anything book related.
Rachel, thank you for joining me on my blog and for writing such lovely books!
Speaking of which, here is her newest book, King of Anavrea. Enjoy!
Description
A reluctant king, a blind queen, and a marriage that sparked
a rebellion...
Ireic Theodoric, King of Anavrea, constantly battles with his
council over who will run the country. When the council insists on a treaty
with Sardmara, he agrees. However, the treaty quickly becomes an arranged
marriage. Ireic offers up himself for the sake of Anavrea. But after he signs,
no princess appears.
Lirth Parnan, only daughter of the king of Sardmara, survives
alone in a cold, damp tower room. Baron Tor kidnapped her in an attempt to
control her father. No one came to claim her. She suspects her father considers
her flawed beyond use in his political games. After five years of waiting, her
hope of rescue wanes with her health.
After Ireic fights his way into Lirth’s tower, he realizes
the depths of her father’s deception. Instead of being an answer to his
problems, Lirth creates new ones. The council will not accept her as queen, but
Ireic has sworn an oath that he will marry her. His choice could cost him his
throne, perhaps his life.
Book Trailer Link
YouTube
– http://youtu.be/gsbTU8hv3QE
Buy Links
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O0FVMK8
Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/480731
Thank you for hosting me. :)
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