Author Spotlight: J. Lawrence

Introducing fantasy author J. Lawrence:

1. Tell us a little about yourself:

over

Married over single. Dogs over cats. Pick-up truck over sports-car. Reading over TV. Cards over Chess. Risk over Monopoly. Coffee over tea. Deep philosophical, political, or even religious discussion will always get me over small talk. Fall over any season. Night over day. Beer over wine, unless it’s Moscato, and then all bets are off. [Kyra sez: Along with T.F. Walsh, J. has the coolest hat of any of the authors I've featured.]

2. When did you start writing, and why?
I had been having nightmares and stark realistic visions for years. Day or night. Relaxed or busy. I could be in the middle of anything and suddenly would be transported to another place called Arth. Riding behind the eyes of hundreds of people, I experienced all they did. I loved, fought, and died. Wives? I’ve had hundreds. I have taken a thousand last breaths. I knew it wasn’t normal. Yet, the episodes felt so real, the personalities I inhabited so fully engrossing that I’m not sure I would have stopped it all even if I knew how. Obviously, I feared that I was going mad. It was all impossible after all. Then, I was surfing the Web one night and saw something that convinced me that it was all real. I started writing The Sagas of Di’Ghon shortly thereafter.

3. What do you write, and why? What do you enjoy about what you write?
Technically, what I write is classified as fantasy. I don’t see it that way. I see myself as a scribe relaying a story that must be told. I do enjoy writing. Some of the people in my head have become old friends. I could see myself tearing off the heel of crusty bread and washing it down with ale with many of them. There are others though that I couldn’t imagine being in their presence for more than instant without succumbing to the urge to put them out of their misery. It is a balance of sorts but to be honest, when I write about the darker characters I feel little pieces of my soul darkening.

4. What is your latest book or series? Any forthcoming books?
My series is called The Sagas of Di’Ghon. The title of book one is Inborn. Book two is called Ramphyr. I am currently working on Dra’Ghon, which will be the completion to the first trilogy of The Sagas of Di’Ghon. Side note: My youngest daughter is twelve and my books are far too dark for her precious mind. Since she is the only full-fledged bookwyrm I have managed to create, I have succumbed to the desire to write something she can read and have begun working on a YA Dystopian. It is real fiction and not at all a product of Arth’s pulling me away. We are making it up and writing it together and I must say that I am enjoying the process immensely.

5. "Welcome To My Worlds": Tell us a little about the world of your latest book or series.
Arth is a brutal place. The Anwar Region is a vast frozen mountainous wilderness that ruled by Feudal lords and clanheads. Ontar Hold is no exception. It is the frigid ancestral home to an ancient family with a dark secret, one that will soon be exposed.

6. Introduce us to some of your characters. What do you like about them?
Thaniel is a slave in Ontar Hold. He doesn’t have a bad job really. As a messenger he has the run of the Hold. He’s shy and more than a bit awkward around girls, especially Elycia, who he’s had his eyes on for a while. In fact, all he really wants is for her to be his Kiss at the Festival of the Caller. He finally gets her to wear his blossom in her hair but then something goes terribly wrong. What happens next changes his life, as well as that of his friends, forever. What I like most about Thaniel is his how fast he makes up his mind to do something. It doesn’t always work out the best for him, but that’s purely immaterial. The shy boy has more balls than the supply locker of the New York Yankees.

Keriim is a decorated warrior, one of the vaunted First of Ontar, the personal protectors of Lisella Ontar. He is desired, powerful, and women love him. He’s also a serial killer. There isn’t anything I like about this sick bastard. I’s shove a screwdriver in his eye.

Elycia doesn’t want to be Keriim’s next victim. I hope she makes it. I really do. She is a good girl, even if a bit broken by being dumped into slavery by her no-good father.

7. A fun fact you would like your readers to know about you or your book.
I read a fair amount. Some authors name their chapters. Some don’t. If they are named, it is usually some slick wrap up phrase. I am neither smart nor talented enough for that. But I don’t want everyone to know that... so, I name every chapter. I just take something from the end of the chapter that catches my eye and use that. Some have told me that they enjoy trying to guess how in the world the chapter will end up there. Good luck!

Where to find J. Lawrence:
Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon

Inborn (Sagas of Di'Ghon Book 1):
The Code Sings.
The Caller has Returned.
The Blood of Ontar Will Rise Again.

Every action has consequences. Some change everything for the good. Others can get you killed. The worst kind can get people you love killed instead. 

Thaniel never meant to hurt anyone. But he wasn't the type to do nothing while the innocent got hurt. So when he saw the terror in his girl's eyes and a soldier chasing her, he couldn't just stand there. 

Thaniel wasn't looking for enemies. As a slave, he wasn't trying to attract the attention of the Ontar either. He definitely never meant to awaken any kind of lurking Inborn magic. Especially not the kind that can be used to Call monsters down out of the sky. 

But he did... 

As the whirlwind of consequence gains intensity and the people he loves the most are swept into the tumult, it's up to Thaniel to find a way to save his loved ones. Join Thaniel and friends as he discovers that monsters are not just born... 

Sometimes, they are Inborn.

Inborn is available at Amazon

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Ramphyr (Sagas of Di'Ghon Book 2):
THE CODE WILLS. 
EVERY EMPIRE DEMANDS CRIMSON. 
ANCIENT EVIL TWISTS THE BLOODBORN OF ONTAR.

Lars Telazno told Thaniel that wielding the Jen’Ghon before he’d been trained could be disastrous. He’d even warned him that he could hurt the people he loved. 

Thaniel was born headstrong... 

Join Thaniel and his friends, as he learns that the chains forged in the crucible of regret weigh the most—and that monsters don’t die that easily, especially when... 

They are Ramphyr.

Ramphyr is available at Amazon

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