Spotlight: Austen Knowles Visits to Talk About Her Trilogy!

Today, we're doing something a little different. Fellow author Austen Knowles is stopping by to talk about her series!
 

Hello, Austen! It's great that you're visiting MLB.  :)

 

 

Thank you for having me on your blog, Marie. 


My pleasure, of course! So, let me ask a few questions since you're here...


 

All right.

 

Can you tell us a little about your trilogy? When did it come out and where can we get it?

 

http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00KMBU5LQ

I’d love to! The Coming Dawn is a fantasy I finished in 2013. I completed the entire series before publishing anything, which I’m very glad I did. I could put in a lot more detail because I didn’t write myself into a corner after publishing book one. It begins with a girl named Kylie, living a normal life in Texas, but then she falls into another world. Soon she discovers she’s a star. Her light gives warmth to a dark world, but fate would have it, her role is much bigger. She brings hope against three evil kings, finds love in an unconquerable warrior, and does much more than light her region of her new world. This fantasy focuses a lot on the romance, but the intriguing places, people, and plot makes it a page turner. I promise you’ll love it! You can find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, iTunes, and even Createspace.  

 

That's great!

 

So, what inspired you to write this series? How did you get into writing urban fantasy?

 

Because I’d write even if I never made a penny doing it, I tell stories for the thrill of it. It’s entertainment for me. This trilogy began as a labor of love after I had a glimpse of a girl standing over a cliff in a dark world. I wrote the entire first book to have fun and see what kind of amazing things I could create. Then my husband read it, and told me I needed to make it into a trilogy because it was that good. I grew a lot between book one and two, however, and a year after wrapping up A Star is Born, I wrote Stolen Moment and Rise of the Golden Age in two months. Then came the editing, which kept me motivated. I get to immerse myself into a story I’m already deeply attached to, and get to make it as close to perfect as I can; meanwhile, I become even more attached to my main characters. In the end, I had a crush on Cobaaron and Ky felt like a friend. I actually cried when I published the trilogy because it was over. So, I guess I could say I fell into writing fantasy, the way Ky fell into her world—it was meant to be.  

 

That's the way it should happen. And it sounds like fate to me!

 

So...what, do you feel, sets this trilogy apart from other books in the genre? 

 

I have a friend who is an avid reader, and reads anything she can get her hands on. I sent her a copy of my book, and she gave me a great compliment saying, “I never read anything like it, and I read a lot!” Thankfully, someone else left a review saying roughly the same thing, so my friend wasn’t just being nice; so I’m greatly humbled. I wonder if I broke the mold, having a star for a main character, because I haven’t read a lot of fantasy novels. I simply relied on my imagination to create a world without rules. I love the story, and want others to enjoy it as I have, so I give away the first book free.  

Wow, that's great!
 
 
Give us a teaser or two if you can.
 
 
Kylie's legs dangled wildly beneath the stage for a split second until the weight of her body dragged her down. Instantly, she slipped. Kylie scratched the wood for something to grip. She fell so unexpectedly that she didn’t have time to catch herself. She descended straight through the trap, and the last thing she heard was Neil yelling, “You have got to be kidding me!”
Kylie didn’t immediately land on the ground. It felt as if she plummeted a few stories, because there was enough time to claw at what felt like rock. Then the sharp stone abruptly ended, and a second later she splashed into a foot of water. The wind was knocked out of her, but her bruised ribs were making it hard to breathe. Even more bizarre than jagged rock under the stage and falling at least sixty feet, the ripples of the pool glowed a soft lime green before fading to black when still. Kylie never saw anything like the florescent water, and waved her hand in the shallows. The fluid light was beautiful, mesmerizing even.
At first sight, everything around her was dark, except the orange, glowing eels that swam toward her. From what little she could see, she was in a dark cave, and not beneath the stage. Kylie stood, and attempted to catch her breath. Her ribs were making it almost impossible to suck in enough air and she gasped for breath. She must have cracked her bones when she hit the floor.
She noticed that when she moved, the orange eels seemed disoriented. She froze so she could watch their curious nature, and once again they headed toward her. The closer they got, the more uneasy she became, and decided it best not to hold still. They were ugly little creatures with creepy shriveled faces.
“Hello?” she called out. There was no reply. She didn’t see how she’d entered the cave. There was no hole in the ceiling, which was peculiar and perplexing. She screamed louder and shakier than she intended, but in such a strange place it was natural to be frightened. How did she get here if there was no hole?
The next few things that happened were so quick and strange she had difficulty comprehending them. She looked down when she noticed a soft radiance that didn’t come from orange eels or green water. Her skin changed to a glimmering soft pink that was so pale the hue was almost white. The red glittering sequined gown began to shine, too. When she raised her arm closer so she could see, the dress was melting into her skin, but it didn’t hurt. The swirls of the gown etched her skin like winding ivy vines. They curled around her fingertips and simultaneously down her legs and arms. Mesmerized by the beauty of the elaborate, red, curling tattoo, she watched in awe. “How?” she breathed.
Before she could react, her pinkish skin glowed warm with soothing heat. Suddenly, her flesh was scorching. She felt like she would soon burst into flames. Kylie could feel herself heating up from the inside. All her organs were cooking. The light from her skin illuminated the enormous cave. She could see water that stretched for miles, with sprouting short trees that grew sparsely within the vast swamp of the cave. She wasn’t in an underground pipe under the great hall.
The light from her body became brighter. Her eyes weren’t use to the intense glare. She closed them, but to no avail. The light was still blinding her as if the inside of her eyes were beaming out brilliance as intense as the sun. She screamed, unable to withstand the pain; her frightened voice didn’t even sound like hers. She could hear the torture in her desperate call for help. The sound of her ghastly shriek frightened her even more.
Then a burning burst of blinding light exploded from within her before everything went dark and cold.

Riveting!

 

So, I'm sure readers are curious about your next writing project. Can you tell us what you've got cooking up now or is that a secret?

 

My next project is no secret, but unfortunately there is little I can tell you since I write by discovering the story as I go. The heroine in this next story is a skiptracer, and while searching for a criminal, she finds the boy she grew up loving but thought dead. Instead, he’s more powerful and poised in the perfect position to destroy a common enemy. So far, I think I’m calling this book The Chosen, but please don’t hold me to that. My titles often change.  

Hey, I hear you on that. Me too!
 
But, it sounds great. :)
 
Thanks so much for stopping by to tell us about your series, Austen!
 
http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00KMBU5LQ

My pleasure!
 


Readers, you'll just have to pick up a copy of this fascinating urban fantasy trilogy!  ;)

 

Here are the blurbs for the Coming Dawn Trilogy.

 
http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00KMBU5LQ

A STAR IS BORN:  THE COMING DAWN, BOOK 1

 
http://www.amazon.com/Star-Born-Coming-Dawn-Book-ebook/dp/B00BH4DWPI/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

In a parallel world of total darkness, Ky was a shining Star and a beacon of hope that the gods did not forget the human race. After her descent as a shooting star, she was stricken blind. Without the aid of chief warrior Cobaaron the Unconquerable, she had no chance of survival. When she regained her sight, she observed the cruel reality of her new surroundings.
Poised on the brink of extinction, most women were barren, corrupt morals flourished, and vicious beasts ruled the constant night. Evil stalked the land as wicked witches and the three depraved kings, powerful practitioners gifted in the dark arts, fought for supremacy.
But all was not lost; there was another twist in Ky’s fate. A prophecy foretold of a Star and a warrior restoring light and peace to the world. Boldly, Ky embraced the adventures and perils awaiting her.

 A STOLEN MOMENT: THE COMING DAWN, BOOK 2 


http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Moment-Coming-Dawn-Book-ebook/dp/B00CCUH7P2/ref=la_B00BH8KRBG_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1440998706&sr=1-4
 
Ky was assured prophecies always came true. What could go wrong? At least that was Ky’s outlook until Wyt, her friend and ally, betrayed her. Suddenly Zevera the Untouchable, the three kings’ mother, traps her in a tree with no hope of escape. Days later, when Cobaaron hadn’t arrived, Ky knew the hardship was only just beginning.
 

RISE OF THE GOLDEN AGE: THE COMING DAWN, BOOK 3


http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Golden-Coming-Dawn-Book-ebook/dp/B00CQAL5CE/ref=la_B00BH8KRBG_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1440998706&sr=1-3
 
There is more to the prophecy, and a happy ending seems nowhere in sight. Ky’s prophetic dreams take an unsetting twist, as Noxis’s hatred festers, and she must embrace dark magic to save her life and her unborn child. Ky is determined to do what it takes to see the world bathed in light, even as war approaches.


Sounds like a great read!

 

http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00KMBU5LQ

 

Universal Amazon Link:

http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00KMBU5LQ

 

Author Bio

 Austen Knowles’s inspiration for The Coming Dawn came to her in a vision of a woman warrior with long, glowing, crimson hair standing over a dark cliff. From that first glimpse, she wrote the beloved trilogy in two years. In this realm, she is married to her loving husband, Aaron, and together they raise their two children.

Author Links:

http://lacyskinsley.com/         

Austen's Books:

 
http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00KMBU5LQ

http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Golden-Coming-Dawn-Book-ebook/dp/B00CQAL5CE/ref=la_B00BH8KRBG_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1440998706&sr=1-3

http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Moment-Coming-Dawn-Book-ebook/dp/B00CCUH7P2/ref=la_B00BH8KRBG_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1440998706&sr=1-4


http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Moment-Coming-Dawn-Book-ebook/dp/B00CCUH7P2/ref=la_B00BH8KRBG_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1440998706&sr=1-4

 

As Lacy S. Kinsley:

 
http://www.amazon.com/Monogamy-Doesnt-Come-Cheap-Kinsley-ebook/dp/B005UU5KAK/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

 
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Were-Design-Lacy-Kinsley-ebook/dp/B005CWJJSK/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

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