Henge by Realm Lovejoy: Interview & Giveaway

Henge

Le Fay Series, Book One

Realm Lovejoy

Genre: YA Fantasy

Number of pages: 350

Word Count: 70,000

Cover Artist: Realm Lovejoy

Book Description:

Inspired by one of the greatest legends of all time…

Modern-day Camelot. Where knights no longer carry swords. Magic is dangerous. And those who seek control are not to be trusted.

Sixteen-year-old Morgan le Fay is a fire user. An ordinary girl with an extraordinary skill, she has the ability to create and command fire at will. Her dream is to become the Maven—the right hand of the future King Arthur. In the chance of a lifetime, Morgan is selected to join Arthur’s Round, an elite group of young magic users from which the new Maven will be chosen.

Along with the other fire, water, and wind users in Arthur’s Round, Morgan is rigorously trained and tested. The handsome Merlin, a brilliant water user, takes a particular interest in her. Is his friendship to be trusted, or is Merlin simply trying to win the position of Maven for himself? Among the many rivals Morgan faces is the current Maven, Mordred, who seems determined to see her fail.

But Morgan has a secret—years ago, her mother was executed for using fire magic, and Morgan’s desire for justice makes her more than ready to take on the challenge before her. Can she prevail in Camelot’s tests of survival and magic? Only time—and Morgan’s powerful fire—will tell.

Realm Lovejoy’s modern Arthurian series features one of literature’s most complicated and powerful female figures. Henge is the first book in the LE FAY series, and—like Morgan le Fay’s magic—it is sure to dazzle and amaze.

Excerpt

We pull into the train station and step out of the car. Father takes my luggage. We walk to platform two. The cold bites down into the space between the collar of my coat and my neck, and I pull it around me tighter. Underneath my coat the weight of the Arthur’s Round badge over my chest reminds me where I’m going. A few days ago, a package from Camelot arrived. Along with a giant stack of contracts to sign, it contained several sets of the wardrobe I must wear every day: charcoal blazer, skirt, a dark red tie—the official Pendragon color—and a circular, golden brooch. The sun bounced off the edges of the brooch. The letter A in the center shone, and around the A were little designs of ivy and flowers. Last night, I held it in my hand until I went to bed and couldn’t stop staring at it. Every time I got my fingerprint on the surface, I would take it to the sink to wash it and make the badge sparkle like new again.

I’m really, really going to Camelot.

I take a breath and shiver. “I still can’t believe they picked me.”

Father, who is turned away from me, looks down the track, waiting for the train to come. “Maybe they can’t deny talent. At the end of the day, Camelot wants powerful people to join their forces. In their minds, it’s better you work for them than…” He trails off.

All that matters to me is that Camelot saw my potential. I smile as fire energy rushes through my veins. I take my hands out of my pockets and cup them both together. A glow appears between the spaces of my fingers—a small fire. Warmth spreads through my cold skin, slowly making its way into my freezing bones.

Next to me, a kid is holding on to his mother’s hand. He points at me and whispers to his mother, “Look, Mother. That girl is a fire user.” The mom ignores him.

Author Bio

 

Realm Lovejoy is an American writer and an artist. She grew up in both Washington State and the Japanese Alps of Nagano, Japan.

Currently, she lives in Seattle and works as an artist in the video game industry.

CLAN is her first book. You can find out more about her and her book at www.realmlovejoy.com

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Interview 

Please welcome Henge author Realm Lovejoy to Diane’s Book Blog. 

How long did it take you to write HENGE?

The first draft of the series took me two months. The revision for HENGE took a year, mostly because it had to go through so many feedback loops.

If you were stranded on a desert island which of your characters do you want by your side?

Merlin! With his water magic we'd never be dehydrated. 

If you could be best friends with one of your characters, who would it be?

Guinevere (she is the protagonist Morgan le Fay's best friend). Gwen genuinely seems so nice. I feel like I could talk to her about anything and she'd be fun to hang out with.

What is your typical day like?               

My typical weekday involves getting up around 5 or 6 AM and catching up on some work for my book (often social networking stuff) before going to my day job in the videogame industry. (I'm currently an artist at Microsoft, working on Halo 5.) At work I'm very busy making art and solving problems. I don't get home until 6 or 7 PM (hello traffic) and then I make dinner and pass out. On the weekends I get to work on books. I usually start the morning off with coffee and music and draw. After a couple hours, I switch over to writing (or revising) and toward the evening catch up on my social networking for book-related things. 

How do you overcome writer’s block?

I haven't had writer's block yet. I've been busy either first drafting or revising ever since I started really writing almost a decade ago.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

Aside from promoting Henge, I’m drafting the second book in the Le Fay Series. It’s a lot darker than the first book with a few twists. I’m especially excited about it because the second book is what drove me to write the series in the first place. It's the big bang that spun out the story in my mind and I can’t wait to share the next book with everyone. It’s coming out in 2015!

For side projects, I am in the progress of adapting my novels into screenplays and graphic novels.

What do you prefer paperback, hardcover, or ebooks? 

Ebooks are the best for traveling and reading before bed (because of the light weight). Nothing beats a nice hardcover for the bookshelf though. I only purchase hardcovers and paperbacks of books I absolutely love. The bookshelves I own are already stuffed. 

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

I'd like readers to know that the paperback comes with around 15 illustrations by me in case they are interested in art! And I hope everyone enjoys reading Henge!

Giveaway

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