Elizabeth Raven's Blog
November 4, 2016
Author Spotlight: Jamie Marchant
Author Bio:
From early childhood, Jamie has been immersed in books. Her mother, an avid reader, read to her, and her older sister filled her head with fairy tales. Taking into consideration her love for literature and the challenges of supporting herself as a writer, she pursued a Ph.D. in American literature, which she received in 1998. She started teaching writing and literature at Auburn University. But in doing so, she put her true passion on the backburner and neglected her muse. Then one day, in the midst of writing a piece of literary criticism, she realized that what she wanted to be doing was writing fantasy novels. Her muse thus revived, she began the book that was to become The Goddess’s Choice, which was published in April 2012. The second volume in the series, The Soul Stone, was released in June 2015. The Ghost in Exile will be out late next month and is available for pre-order now.
She lives in Auburn, Alabama, with her husband and four cats, which (or so she’s been told) officially makes her a cat lady. She is the mother of a grown son, who is still the greatest joy of her life. She still teaches writing and literature at Auburn University.
The Ghost is going to hell. Not even the goddess can forgive his sins: assassin, oath-breaker, traitor (an affair with the queen earned him that title). No one can ever learn the princess is his daughter. To keep this secret, he flees to the land that turned him from a simple stable groom into an infamous killer.
His mission now? To find evildoers and take them to hell with him. But when an impulsive act of heroism saddles him with a damsel who refuses to be distressed, her resilience forces him to questions why he really ran from his daughter.
CHARACTER INTERVIEW:
Author Name: Jamie Marchant
Book Title: The Ghost in Exile
Character’s Name: The Ghost
Hello, _Ghost?____. Thank you for agreeing to speak with us today! Let’s start with learning some basics about you and your world.
What is your full name? Do you have any nick names?
That’s a hard question to answer. My mother named me Ahearn. I had no surname because not even my mother knew who my father was. There were too many choices. When I was seven, my mother kicked me out and sent me to live with my Uncle Barris. I began calling myself Ahearn Barrisstamm after him. But I only kept that name for a few years. Because of an unfortunately affair with the queen, I was exiled at eighteen and became an assassin. I gave up my childhood name because I became a man my uncle would never recognize. My partner named me Darhour, which means Exiled One in his language. Later I earned the nickname The Ghost because I became so good at getting into my victim’s rooms, it was believed I could walk through walls. I have also used the names Pandaros, Sigurd, Adrastos, and a host of others. So when you ask me my name, I’m not sure how to answer.
Where were you born? Please describe it to us.
I was born in a decrepit hut in Korth. Korth is the northern of the joined kingdoms of Korthlundia and is mountainous with high cliffs, deep valleys, and incredible waterfalls. It’s a truly beautiful land although very cold in the winter. As far as the hut goes, the less said about it the better. I’m not even sure how much of the vileness of that place are my true memories and how much I’ve added in because of the despair and unhappiness that pervaded it or because of the frequent abuse I suffered at the hands of the various men in my mother’s life.
Do you have living relatives? Are/were you close? (If they’re dead, how did they die?)
My uncle Barris died when I was fifteen in an epidemic that swept through the capital. I loved him completely. He not only took me in with no questions when my mother kicked me out. He treated me like a son and taught me everything I know about horses. I still grieve his death, but I think it fortunately he didn’t live to see what I have become. Whether my mother or any of my brothers and sisters are still alive, I don’t know. I don’t even know how many siblings I have. When I went to visit my mother after my uncle died, she didn’t recognize me. I told her who I was, and she made it clear I wasn’t welcome and closed the door in my face. I haven’t heard from her since. The only relative that matters to me now is my daughter, the result of the affair that led to my exile. My daughter is now queen of Korthlundia and has only recently discovered that the king wasn’t truly her father. For awhile, I served as the captain of her personal guard, but that couldn’t last. It was like ripping heart out of my chest, but I had to flee her side because I couldn’t risk corrupting her with my darkness or of anyone noticing a resemblance between us. If the court learned she was a bastard, it could cost her her throne or even her life.
How did leaving your daughter alter your life’s path?
I once vowed never to kill again, but in protecting my daughter I broke that vow in a spectacular fashion. It is now clear to me that killing is the only thing I will ever be good at. I decided to return to the land that made me a killer and rid the world of those it’s better off without.
What is your personal “style”? Please describe your appearance.
My daughter stays that I have a look that makes men piss in their pants if I so much as glance in their direction. Part of the fear I inspire is because of the scars that cover my face. When I was in the Saloynan army, I was captured and tortured. My tormentor carved horizontal lines all over my body, starting with my forehead and ending at my feet. But it isn’t the scars alone that produce this effect. The man who named me Darhour claimed I had the coldest eyes he’d ever seen.
Who/what makes you happy?
I’ve had very little happiness in my life. For the short time I knew her, my daughter made me happy. With her, I laughed, something I’d forgotten how to do. Now that I’ve been forced to leave her, I doubt I’ll ever be happy again.
Who/what is your greatest fear?
That something will harm my daughter. Siring her is the only good thing that I’ve done in my life.
Who do you most admire (from your world, history, books, etc.)? Why?
Ironically, the man I most admire is the same man who ruined my life, Solar, the king who raised my daughter. As a young man, Solar skillfully ended the civil war between Korth and Lundia and ushered in fifty years of unbroken peace, which allowed his people to thrive. But he found himself an old man without an heir. He knew that if he died without one, the joined kingdoms would descend into chaos, so he decided if he couldn’t sire his own heir, he’d get someone to do it for him. He manipulated circumstances in such a way that his young wife was frequently in my company. When the inevitable happened and the queen’s pregnancy was confirmed, he had me disposed of. After he exiled me, I hated him with a passion so intense I wanted to carve his heart out, but I’ve grown to not only understand, but applaud what he did. He understood his duties as king and knew that one life couldn’t matter next to the thousands or tens of thousands who would die in the civil war between rival claimants to the throne. He was a great king. But that isn’t the only reason I admire him. Even though he knew that Samantha wasn’t his own flesh and blood, he loved her as deeply as if she were. He raised her to be strong and taught her everything she needed to know to rule after he travelled beyond the Far Mountain. Because of him, my daughter is a magnificent woman and queen. He was a far better father to her than I ever could have been. That alone earned him my undying loyalty.
Have you ever been in love? How did that work out for you?
At the time, I thought I loved Queen Fenella, my daughter’s mother. But I was so young then, I didn’t even know what love meant. I’ve already told you how that worked out.
How would your friends/family/allies describe your personality?
Frightening. The only person who didn’t fear me at first sight was my daughter, somehow she saw something in me that no one else did.
If you could change something about yourself, what would it be? Why?
At this point, nothing. It’s too late for me to change. I tried to reform, but my vow to never kill again nearly cost my daughter her life. I know who I am now. Nothing can alter that.
Links
Website: jamie-marchant.com
Blog: jamie-marchant
Facebook: Jamie Marchant, Author
Twitter: @RobrekSamantha
Goodreads: Jamie_Marchant
Ghost in Exile (releasing Nov. 2016, available for pre-order on Amazon)
October 19, 2016
Author Spotlight: Vicky Holt
Be sure to check out her other reads, as well!
Follow Her!!
October 18, 2016
Shawnee Small — Author Spotlight
This past spring, at The Novel Experience in Atlanta, I met this witty bundle of energy named Shawnee Small. Goths can sense kindred spirits, and immediately, I knew she was a soul sister. I’m thrilled she joined our celebration of Matanzas Moon’s Bookiversary! Soon, Shawnee will release BETRAYER the third novel in her urban fantasy series, The Shining Ones.
#ShawneeSmall #TheShiningOnes #ParanormalRomance #UrbanFantasy#MatanzasMoon #ElizabethRaven #Bookiversary #MustRead #Books
Be sure to follow her:
Author Spotlight: Charity Parkerson
Anyhoo. She has some celebrating to do! It seems her newest MM romance is available, like… NOW! It’s called UNSURPASSED and is sure to please!
Be sure to follow her so you’re up to date on all her new releases!
October 16, 2016
ONE MORE DAY TO VOTE
Vote on our poll for Who should be Beantown Bitches Book Boyfriend 2016? **ROUND 1**!
October 15, 2016
VOTE! VOTE NOW!!
Hopefully our Nicktacular Nick Maddox or our RIPtastic RIP Ryder will make it to the final round… But that depends on YOU! PLEASE VOTE! Each entry is also a chance to win Beantown Bitches special Bookworm Box prize!
So, who’s it going to be? RIP??
Or Nick??
Hmm. Why not BOTH?!?
October 14, 2016
Author Spotlight: Stella Price
#RockinRomance #StellaPrice #GivingUptheGhost#SAPrice #ParanormalRomance #UrbanFantasy#MatanzasMoon #ElizabethRaven #Bookiversary#MustRead #Books
Follow Her!
October 13, 2016
Elle Klass: Author Spotlight
Elle and I met in Atlanta this past spring at TNEE (The Novel Experience). Quickly, we learned we both lived in NE Florida, and a deep love and affection for St. Augustine, FL! So much so, that she has a story set there, too! Check out The Vampires Next Door, or any of her other wonderful stories!
The Vampires Next Door is an intriguing YA novelella set in our beloved St. Augustine, FL!
Be sure to check out her sexy mystery Releasing TODAY!
THere are, of course, opportunities to stalk her…
#ElleKlass #VampiresNextDoor #StAugustine #ParanormalRomance#UrbanFantasy #MatanzasMoon #ElizabethRaven #Bookiversary#MustRead #Books
Elle Klass
Elle and I met in Atlanta this past spring at TNEE (The Novel Experience). Quickly, we learned we both lived in NE Florida, and a deep love and affection for St. Augustine, FL! So much so, that she has a story set there, too! Check out The Vampires Next Door, or any of her other wonderful stories!
The Vampires Next Door is an intriguing YA novelella set in our beloved St. Augustine, FL!
Be sure to check out her sexy mystery Releasing TODAY!
THere are, of course, opportunities to stalk her…
#ElleKlass #VampiresNextDoor #StAugustine #ParanormalRomance#UrbanFantasy #MatanzasMoon #ElizabethRaven #Bookiversary#MustRead #Books
October 12, 2016
Dead Sexy Horror Pod Cast
Armand Rosamilia is a prolific horror author, podcaster, and metal enthusiast here in northeast Florida. You may be familiar with his Dying Days series, or any of his many horror, zombie or supernatural novels and short stories. We’ve attended a few events together (including The Novel Experience Event 2016 and Mandarin Mini Con 3), and somehow still have not met formally face to face. Introverts unite! Separately and from a distance, lol. Luckily through mutual contacts, we became cyber-acquainted and I was thrilled to accept his offer for a podcast interview! It was virtually painless, even though I had to form words with my mouth instead of my fingers. We chat about writing, events, and our work. Check it out!
More about Armand Rosamilia:
Website: www.armandrosamilia.com
