Leslie Soule - Fallenwood - Author Interview

Author Interview

1. Who is the plot based around?
The plot is based around a girl named Ash, who is trudging through life, unsure of her place in it. She runs away and finds her way to a fantasy world called Fallenwood. There, she gets caught up in a quest and must save this realm in peril.

2. What is the main idea of the plot?
The theme of the story is ultimately death. It is the death of Ash’s stepfather and how it is handled that ultimately causes Ash to ask so many questions about the meaning of her life. The quest that Ash goes on leads her to the answers she seeks.

3. When does the plot take place?
I didn’t pick a specific year that it takes place in, or date. Fantasy literature tends to be less strict when it comes to time frame than other genres.

4. Where does the plot take place?
Most of the action in the story takes place in a fantasy realm called Fallenwood, or Terra Illumina (its proper, older name).

5. Why did the plot develop the way it did?
At a certain point, the characters you write about take on lives of their own. That’s when writing becomes more exciting. So even the writer doesn’t always know how a plot is going to work itself out.

6. How did you come up with the idea for the plot?
Well, I knew I wanted to write a quest story, and as I wrote, it formed into what it is now. I had no idea, when I first started writing Fallenwood, that it would become what it is, but I’m very pleased with the result.

Book Summary:

Fallenwood—a land where magic is the life force, dragons are sages, and wizards good and evil battle for supremacy. When 23-year-old Ash is thrust into the middle of Fallenwood’s power struggles, she is also forced to face her own inner battles. Life on Earth was hard enough on Ash, who is locked in grief for her stepfather. Now, the fate of Fallenwood rests on her shoulders. She must destroy the Great Crystal—the catalyst for all the land’s magic. As the kingdoms prepare for war, Ash must look inside to find the power to save the world, and herself.

Excerpt One:

Tears blinded her. She couldn’t stop and even the rough winds couldn’t scatter the wild thoughts that swirled in her mind—memories of her stepfather, words that people had said at his service, images of her mother and that stupid grin she wore—all she could do was run. Ashley was deeply wounded but was powerless to heal this kind of pain. She’d looked into the face of evil. Her feet hit the gravel, and the wind whipped at her face as she tried to outrun her anguish. She closed her eyes for a split second, and the wind stilled, and she stopped. Ashley looked around her. It had suddenly become night, and she was now in an unfamiliar part of the woods.

Excerpt Two:

The dragon’s eyes glowed, for a flickering moment, with white light.

“Ash,” the dragon continued, “Welcome to Terra Illumina…or as it is more commonly known, Fallenwood.” Then a fierce roaring laugh erupted from the stone, as though the dragon thought the new name a joke. “A dark, difficult, dangerous path lies before you, Ash Kensington.”

Ash’s heart grew heavy. In truth, she knew that she was destined to some terrible, dark fate. For so long, her life was filled with sadness and doubt, and one horrible thing after another. What else can I hope for?

“But Ash, you must not lose hope. Our world needs you..."


Author Bio:

Leslie Soule lives in Sacramento, California. Fallenwood is her first fantasy novel. She has received her B.A. in English from Sacramento State University and is currently working on her Master’s degree in English at National University.

Website: http://www.lesliesoule.com

price: $4.99
number of pages: 194
genre: fantasy
publisher: Decadent Publishing
release date: March 2011
buy links: http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=26&products_id=226

Giveaway:

Leslie will be giving away a $25 Barnes and Noble GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour as well as to the host with the most comments (excluding Leslie's and their own).

Encourage your readers to follow the tour and comment; the more they comment, the better their chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2011/11/virtual-book-tour-fallenwood-by-leslie.html