Interview & Book Giveaway!

***Giveaway Closed***

But please read on through the interview.

I have the great pleasure of sharing with you an interview with an author of a book that I recently enjoyed.  I loved the ending of this book!  Well, I loved the whole book as I got to know Sevy, her main character.  I enjoyed this book so much I bought the next book the very next day!  If you would like to read my review you can HERE.  Make sure to stick around a the end and enter for the giveaway of a copy of Thief.

With great pleasure please welcome Sarah-Jane Lehoux to the blog!

M:  There are a few levels of magic that appear in this book; elves and dark elves then the different Goddesses. Could we see more of these in the future books?

SJL:  Yes, definitely. Dark elves and their culture play a huge role in SHADES OF WAR. Their matriarchal structure, politics, marriage rites, and ancestor worship are all expanded upon. I also attempted to show that their culture is not static: the dark elves of southern Axlun are very different than those in northern Axlun. It was fun to play them off each other, and it was also fun to play both these groups against the patriarchal structure of human society.


As far as all the different human gods and goddesses, I introduce a couple new ones that have a particular connection to Sevy’s life. In future books, I plan to expand upon this pantheon, as well as introduce different schools of magic. Variety is the spice of life after all.

M:  I think I was drawn to Revik in the book. Oh, I loved Jarro even though I didn’t want to fall for him like Sevy, although I did. But I liked the dynamics in Revik. There was so much more to him than met the eye as a dark elf and the ‘stories’ of the dark elves. Then his whole personality! He was not what I expected and I enjoyed his character. Will we get to see more of Revik on any journeys with Sevy? Or even in the distant future with his long life?

SJL:  Revik was never meant to be such an important character. When I first created him, he was just supposed to be another member of the gang, one who would disappear with the rest of them once Sevy parted ways with them. But he became so very important to the plot, as well as so dear to my heart, that he just sort of stole the show. Which works out quite nicely since he seems to be the favourite of many a reader.


I can definitely promise that Revik will continue to be a huge presence in Sevy’s life. And that’s all I’m gonna say on that for fear of spoiling the end of the series.

M:  You really did take these characters to their brink, then gave them something they wanted. But in the end you did what I don’t see many authors do with their characters, you made them have to pick between the bad and the worst. I love the choices made here. Was this an easy decision for you? Did you know you where going to give your characters the toughest choice of their life to make?

SJL:  I didn’t plan the choice that Sevy eventually has to make. Originally, the loss of her love was supposed to be the catalyst that drove her to the depths of depravity and the original concept was having her struggle her way back up. Having that love suddenly pop back into her life and making her choose between him and her best friend…that was something that came to me after I had already finished the first two thirds of the book.


It meant a good deal of scrambling rewrites, but it was worth it. That part of the process is what I love about writing. Sometimes you take unexpected turns, and sometimes patterns and themes form that you aren’t even aware of until the book is finished.


I do enjoy torturing my characters a great deal. Happy endings don’t seem very real to me, and I wanted these books to be as real as possible despite being set in a fantastical universe. Life is messy and I want to reflect that in everything I write. I’m a sucker for tragedy, I guess.

M:  I liked the way you divided the book into three sections. All three sections tie together and show aging and growth of the characters. Was this hard to do or did you know you wanted to show time passing and age the characters to a point, tying them together and through time?

SJL:  I wanted to show how Sevy changed over time from the beginning. She is such a complex character, I myself needed the span of time and the range of her experiences in order to understand why she does what she does. Actually dividing the book into the three sections was my editor’s idea. She thought it would help readers recognize the leaps forward in time. It was a brilliant suggestion on her part.


Just as an aside, in book 5 of the series (the last one), I do plan on revealing more of what happened in the 8 year gap between the Stray and Sweetheart sections of THIEF. Jarro fans should look forward to it.

M:  I must say these sections are done very gracefully. I know we start with the view point from Jarro in part two then Revik in part three, but somewhere very gently with out me (as the reader) picking up on it, you shift back to Sevy’s view. Very nicely done as I didn’t even realize it when it happened.

SJL:  Thank you. I enjoyed switching between characters so that the reader can get to know each of them better. I use the same technique in SHADES OF WAR and MASQUERADE, and plan to do the same in books 4 and 5 as well.

M:  What is it like trying to work with Sevy and writing her life and journeys?

SJL:  She is frustrating beyond belief. Always contrary, always pushing boundaries, and behaving like a spoiled brat. And then she’ll suddenly flip flop, and be sweet and caring and gah!! She is a writer’s worst enemy, but I do love that about her.


I wanted a character with flaws. I wanted a female protagonist who didn’t follow the regular tropes of fantasy. And I have that, in spades, with Sevy. As Revik says in SHADES OF WAR, ‘If nothing else, [Sevy] always brings excitement.’

M:  Okay, a couple of fun questions for you…

M:  One question I ask in my interviews, if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

SJL:  I would love to go to Paris. Not to see the Eiffel Tower, but to roam through the catacombs. I’ve been obsessed with them for years.

M:  Favorite Season?

SJL:  Fall, definitely. Winter is too cold. Spring is soggy and smells like thawing dog poop, and summer is too humid. Fall is perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. No bugs. Fun holidays. Pretty colours. What more could you ask for?

M:  Favorite Color?

SJL:  As evidenced by the colour of Jarro’s eyes, royal blue.

M:  Favorite childhood fictional creature?

SJL:  Zampires. I was a big Anne Rice fan.

M:  And now as an adult, favorite fictional creature?

SJL:  Zombies. At least until someone ruins them for me by making them angst and sparkle.

M:  Favorite Word? (any word at all)

SJL:  Hmmm. That’s tough. I don’t know if you can post this or not, but I guess it would have to be “fuck” based on the amount of times I use it during the average day. It’s a catch-all and can be used no matter what my mood is.

M:  Thank you Sarah-Jane for being available to do this wonderful interview. I do wish you all the best in words and pages. Thank you!

SJL:  Thank you very much for the opportunity. I had a lot of fun. :)

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You can visit Sarah-Jane Lehoux on a few different places and learn more of her books

Official Website

Blog

Facebook
Twitter

Read more about Thief

On the Official Website, here where there is an excerpt, trailer, and links to reviews and other fun things.

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And Sarah has been so kind as to offer a signed copy of Thief to one lucky follower!

Thank you Sarah!  I'm so glad to be able to host this giveaway as I so enjoyed this book.

Rules:

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Giveaway will end:  June 30, 2011 Midnight EST