"I am ready to meet my maker. Whether my maker is prepared to meet me is another matter."
-Winston Churchill

Friday, January 31, 2014

Bewitching Book Tours: Darkness of Light by Tammy Farrell (Interview & Giveaway)




Interview With Author Tammy Farrell

Welcome to IAB. I'm so glad you could stop in today to chat. May I offer you a beverage? 
Magic Margarita sound lovely!



Excellent choice. Now that we are settled in, let's get to know you better.

BK: Looking out the nearest window, describe the scene you see.
My backyard fence and the rainy wet forest behind it.

BK: Tell us about your office. Is it a mess like mine, or is everything in its place?
I have to say, my office is pretty awesome. When my husband and I moved into our new home I took over the dining room. It’s quite large, with a tray ceiling and a small crystal chandelier. The walls are covered with things that inspire me— Gone With the Wind posters, Edgar Allan Poe quotes, and shelves with fairies and ravens. It also has a large window that looks out onto the neighborhood. Now I’m just working on getting more book shelves, and it should be complete.


BK: What is a must-have, such as coffee or a favorite pen, that you need to write?
Coffee is always a must—that goes without saying. I am pretty particular when it comes to plotting materials. I will only use one kind of notebook , the Cambridge Limited hardcover, which I order by the box. And I will only use one kind of pen, the uni-ball signo black ink pen.

BK: Do you like to write in silence, or do you need music or background noise?
For writing, I need silence. I can’t focus with noise in the background, but for editing and some revision, I always have music playing.

BK: Tell us a bit about your hero/heroine, and their development.
My heroine is Mara Black. She is a young woman who has lived a very sheltered life in a small medieval village. But when she is forced to flee, she has to deal with the real world, as well as the truth about who and what she really is. She is frightened and constantly unsure of herself, but she has courage enough to take risks, fight back and never give up.

BK: As a writer myself, I'm always curious how other writers get through stumble blocks. When you find a story not flowing, or a character trying to fight you, how do you correct it?
If it’s a fight with a character, I always let the character win. It’s not like I can’t go back and revise later. As far as scenes go, this does happen to me

If it’s a character I’m having trouble with, I don’t fight them either. I let them do what they want to do. When I hit a writing road block and something just doesn’t feel right, I stop and re-examine the character or the scene. Sometimes I’ll try writing the scene from another character’s perspective, and if that doesn’t work, I scrap the scene and start with something new. For the sequel to The Darkness of Light, I wrote 10 chapters before I realized the direction of the story wasn’t working. I finally decided to scrap the whole thing and start over. Now the story is flowing much better and the first draft is almost complete. Never be afraid of letting something go. You can always create something else.



BK: How did your writing journey begin?
I’m not quite sure. I’ve been a writer for a long time. I’ve been a freelance writer since 2006, but before that, I only wrote fiction for fun. As far as I can remember, I’ve always written stories and poetry. I was born with the passion for it, I guess.


BK: What is the craziest thing you've ever written about, whether it got published or not?
I used to write under the pen name, Dahlia Knight. I had a website and some of my stories were featured on an ezine. The main content of my stories was erotic. I gave up writing erotica a while ago.

BK: Tell us one thing you've done in life, that readers would be most surprised to know.
I play the guitar and once traveled from South Carolina to LA just to meet Ed Sheeran and have him sign my Martin. He signed it and we even got to hang out with him a little bit. It was a lot of fun.

BK: What can we expect from you in the future?
The next installment of The Dia Chronicles is called The Shadows of Light and will be released some time later in 2014. I have many other novels planned in this series. Some will be directly related to the first novel, while others will be stand alones and focus on secondary characters.


This or That...

Coke or Pepsi?
Diet Pepsi

Night Owl or Early Bird?
Early Bird

Fantasy or Mystery?
Fantasy

Pen/Paper or Computer?
Pen and Paper

Pizza or Burger?
Pizza

Rock or Country?
Rock

Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate

Beach or Mountains?
Beach

Thank you so much for having us as one of your stops today. It has been great getting to know more about you and your book, and hope you will come back when the next release is out (*hinthint*)

Thank you very much for the questions.

Wishing you much success!


BK Walker




The Darkness of Light
The Dia Chronicles
Book One
Tammy Farrell

Genre: Historical Fantasy

ISBN-13: 978-1492766582
ISBN-10: 1492766585

Number of pages: 375
Word Count: 90,000

Cover Artist: Nathalia Suellen

Book Description:

The world has long forgotten them, but their descendants live on, not wholly mortal or god, but something in between…

At the dawn of the sixth century, in the aftermath of her mother’s brutal execution, Mara Black is forced to flee the only life she has ever known.

Mara can tell she’s different, but isn't sure why. After she encounters two mysterious strangers, she discovers her secret is but a drop in an ocean of many. She is a Dia, a descendant of ancient gods, and her mother sacrificed herself to protect Mara from their past.

Summoned by an uncle she didn't know existed, Mara thinks she’s found the family she’s always wanted, and Corbin, a love she never thought possible. But not everything is as it seems. Her uncle has other motives for protecting her, and her mentor, Malcolm, becomes so jealous, he’ll do anything to get what he wants.

When tragedy strikes, and the true darkness among them comes to light, Mara discovers that sometimes love can give you everything, and obsession can take it all away. With her powers gone, and destiny calling, she has to look deep within to find the courage to save herself. Mara, along with Corbin and her newfound family, must fight to get back what was taken, or die trying.

Available in ebook and Paperback


Add it to your Goodreads list


Excerpt:

The drums echoed off the walls as Corbin and Malcolm made their way through the back gates of Moorthrop. The guards and villagers were gathered near the green, leaving no one to challenge their entry, or seize their swords.
We’re too late,” Corbin said through clenched teeth.
I can see that,” Malcolm responded. “How was I supposed to know we wouldn’t make it in time?”
Corbin bit his tongue. Now was not the time to argue with Malcolm. They had a job to do. As they weaved through the rows of huts, an old woman called out to them. She sat near the door of her hovel, her body hunched with age, and a half-woven basket in her lap. “Here for the execution?” she asked.
Malcolm laughed at the woman with a sneer and continued on. Corbin stopped and looked at her with a tilt of his head; the knuckles of her hands were swollen, and appeared painfully stiff. “Will there be an execution today?” he asked.
She nodded and pointed to the square. “I never saw in all my life such evil as this. Killin’ folks fer nothin'.” She gave a disapproving shake of her head and began to fumble with the basket.
Corbin walked up to her and dropped a coin in her lap. When she glanced down at it, he took hold of both her hands. She gasped as the blue light from his fingertips covered her skin, but in less than a moment he stepped back, and the light vanished. Blinking in amazement, she examined her hands, her fingers spread out like wings, healed from the stiffness that crippled them. She moved her fingers up and down, and then met Corbin’s gaze and asked, “What magic is this?”
Corbin smiled. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Before the old woman could respond, he continued towards the green.
He met up with Malcolm as he approached the edge of the crowd. Malcolm used his energy to move the onlookers aside. The crowd of people wouldn’t know why they moved or even look at the two men moving past them. The power of the veil was a gift to their kind, to protect them from discerning mortal eyes. Most mortals wouldn’t have noticed Corbin much anyway. He looked almost human. But anyone could see that Malcolm, with his white hair and fierce gray eyes, was different, unnatural.
The man in the long black robe bellowed out to the crowd. “By order of King Gerren of the realm of Dumnonia, we are not to tolerate evil among us.” He pointed his finger at the accused woman on the platform. Corbin used his keen sight to examine her. She looked wretched, defeated, and certainly not one of their kind. Could Rowan have been mistaken?
Corbin turned to Malcolm. “Are they charging her with witchcraft?”
Malcolm nodded with a smirk. “It appears that way. Fools. They waste their time looking for witches. They have no idea what walks amongst them.”





About the Author:


Tammy Farrell grew up in Orangeville, Ontario Canada where she discovered her love of writing, and all things related to Edgar Allan Poe. She now lives with her husband and four fur babies in Greenville, South Carolina, where she teaches pre-GED English and attempts to learn French when she isn’t busy writing.


@Tamzwrite












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