I'm excited to introduce to you, the author of
Feyland: The Dark Realm, Anthea Sharp! Thanks Ms. Sharp for coming on
my blog! I'm going to be asking her a few questions and at the end of this post
there will be a picture & blurb for her book Feyland! Here is my review
for it. Contact her at:
Facebook ~ Website ~ Goodreads
"Thanks, Lulu, for having me as your guest at the Bookworm is Here! This week my YA urban fantasy Feyland: The Dark Realm goes on sale, and I’m excited to be here to share some of the story behind the book."
We're glad to find out more! Thanks for coming aboard the blog and answering some questions!
Q:
What was your inspiration for Feyland? How did you come up with the story?
A:
Feyland blends high-tech computer gaming with the Realm of Faerie. While I
don’t have actual experience with the faeries, I am a gamer girl. From the early days of Zork to World of Warcraft,
I’ve spent time enjoying fantasy-based computer worlds. A couple years ago, I
started thinking about the similarities between the experience of gaming and
the tales of mortals who are transported to fairyland.
Both are fantastical experiences, full of
magic and danger. Time is distorted, with mere minutes translating to hours
passing in the outside world. Despite its dangers, mortals are fascinated by
the lure of the magical realm, and pine for it—sometimes desperately—when back
in the real world.
What if, in a near-future world, computer
games immersed the player even more completely? And what if, somehow, a game
became a portal to someplace even more fantastical—the Realm of Faerie? Those
were the musings that planted the seed of Feyland
in my mind, and the more I thought about it, the more fun I had imagining the
story, and all the troubles my characters would face, both in-game and out.
Q:
Very interesting thoughts! Did writing Feyland present any specific challenges for you?
A:
I had a great, fairly easy time writing the
book. The editing is the part that always gets me. J The biggest challenge I had with the book,
though, was making the decision to publish it myself. Although I’m
traditionally published in historical romance (under the pen name Anthea Lawson),
I had a heck of a time getting an agent to take on this project. I got a number
of full reads on the manuscript, with very positive comments… but no offers of
representation. Publishing is going through enormous changes right now, and a
lot of agents and editors are being extremely conservative about the kinds of
projects they take on. My young-adult-urban-fantasy-faeries-futuristic-gaming
novel doesn’t slot nicely into a specific subgenre.
After the manuscript spent a year going on
lots of dates but never ‘making the connection’ I decided to self-publish Feyland in both e-book and print format.
Kimberly Killion designed an awesome cover for me, I used outside editorial and
copyediting services, and I’m incredibly pleased with the results. I hope
readers are, too!
Q:
I sure am!! Your story is amazing :) Are there any more stories brewing for you? Anything we can look forward to?
A:
I’m hard at work on the sequel, titled Feyland: The Bright Court, and I’m
shooting for a spring 2012 release date. After that… well, there’s a third book
brewing in my brain already.
Q:
Ahh I can't wait to read it! For fun, are you a night
owl or early bird?
A:
SUCH a night owl. Luckily, so is the rest
of my family—which can make for some rough mornings, but at least nobody is
intolerably chipper at the crack of dawn.
"I’d be delighted to answer any questions
people leave in the comments, and thanks again to Lulu for inviting me to guest
post!
To celebrate the launch of Feyland: The Dark Realm, the e-book
version is currently available at Amazon and B&N for only .99 cents through
December 18th. Pick up a copy, and enjoy~
Goodreads link http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12953903-feyland
www.antheasharp.com
– YA fantasy
www.anthealawson.com
– Historical Romance"
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And I do recommend you give this book a try! I happened to really enjoy it :) Here is the cover and blurb!
WHEN A GAME…
Feyland is the most immersive computer game ever designed, and Jennet Carter is the first to play the prototype. But she doesn’t suspect the virtual world is close enough to touch — or that she’ll be battling for her life against the Dark Queen of the faeries.
TURNS REAL…
Tam Linn is the perfect hero — in-game. Too bad the rest of his life is seriously flawed. The last thing he needs is rich-girl Jennet prying into his secrets, insisting he’s the only one who can help her.
WINNING IS EVERYTHING…
Together, Jennet and Tam enter the Dark Realm of Feyland, only to discover that the entire human world is in danger. Pushed to the limit of their abilities, they must defeat the Dark Queen… before it’s too late.
I hope everyone enjoyed getting to know a little bit more about the author! Thanks for reading!
