by 
Shadow Fire (Light Chronicles Book 1)
Author: Kimber Leigh Wheaton
Publication Date: February 24, 2014
Pages: 310
Genre: YA / Fantasy / Romance
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BLURB:
Ashlyn – a free-spirited teenager whose peaceful life is shattered
when the village elders honor her with a perilous quest to recover a
stolen relic.
Zane – a jaded mercenary, torn by his undeniable desire for Ashlyn and the dark secret that could make her hate him forever.
Delistaire – a malevolent sorcerer driven by an insatiable lust for power.
All three are bound together by an ancient relic supposedly infused with the power of a Goddess.
Shadow Fire – adventure, passion, secrets, and betrayal
As Ashlyn and Zane race to stay one step ahead of the evil lurking
in the shadows, their passions are ignited and their bond strengthens.
But will they find the relic before Delistaire? Or has their entire
quest been orchestrated from the very beginning by a madman in pursuit
of ultimate power?
*Each installment of the Light Chronicles is a standalone story.
PRAISE:
“This book contains monsters, magic, majestic creatures, and a evil
guy that wants to destroy the world. If you love hot guys…..Zane is
all that plus a few tricks up his sleeve. Just read it!” Venture ~Amazon
Reviewer
“Adventure, magical creatures, fun characters, and romance make this book a perfect read for all ages.” James ~Amazon Reviewer
“I
thought the writing was strong; it had me turning the pages quickly to
see what would happen next. The characters were engaging and the
dialogue well-written.” Lisa Temple ~ Goodreads
“Oh, I
truly loved this one! Shadow Fire, by Kimber Leigh Wheaton, is a snappy,
sassy, sweet, all-that-kind-of-awesome-and-then-some YA read. I
couldn’t put it down.” ~Sasha Hibbs ~ Amazon Reviewer
Favorite Quotes:
The villagers will be awaiting my return, skulking in the shadows,
desperate to catch a glimpse of the walking dead girl. ~Ashlyn
After all, love conquers nothing but fools. ~Delistaire
Perhaps you shouldn’t have chased the poor pirate all over the ship shooting light daggers at him. ~Zane
How would you like a tour of this grand vessel, my angelic beauty? I’ll show you my favorite trysting spots. ~Taranis
AUTHOR BIO:
soft spot for sweet romance.
shares her home with three dogs, four cats, and lots of dragons. No, she
doesn’t live on a farm, she just loves animals.
superheroes, villains, and chocolate—not necessarily in that order. (If she has
to choose, she’ll take a chocolate covered superhero!)
a rolling stone in life, having resided in several different cities and states.
suburb outside of Chicago and moved to San Diego when I was twelve. Theater was
a very important part of my life. Besides acting and singing, I was a voracious
reader. I went to college at UCSB and majored in Philosophy. Piece of advice-
don’t major in Philosophy.
by her village to go on a deadly quest to recover a stolen artifact infused
with the power of a Goddess and is gifted with a hot mercenary as her
bodyguard.
this story came from playing a few too many RPG video games—it’s quite apparent
in the plot.
Q4. Do you have a specific writing style?
Q5. How did you come up with the title?
Shadow is the name of Ashlyn’s wolf companion. In addition, Shadow represents the darkness pursuing her. Fire is the one magical element Zane and Ashlyn have in common, and they are stronger together than separate. Hence Shadow Fire.
Q6. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Yes, and I’ll let Ashlyn tell you: “Live everyday like it’s your last. We are responsible for shaping our own destinies. I thought being chosen was the worst thing that ever happened to me, the end of my life. After you read my story, you decide. Was being chosen the worst or the best thing that could have happened? I know my answer…” -taken from Ashlyn’s character interview.
Q7. What was your technique when planning your plot and characters?
My technique involves lots of meditating. Outlining doesn’t work well for me. I can’t seem to follow an outline. I like to daydream about my characters, get to know them, place them in different scenarios. By the time I start writing, I know the characters quite well and also the basic plot points. Sometimes the characters take me for a wild ride, changing the plot and going off in a whole new direction. But I suppose that’s part of the fun.
Q8. What do you love most about writing?
I love creating something from nothing. I also love taking a bare bones manuscript and turning it into something better. Making the characters in my mind come alive on paper is exhilarating.
your latest book?
lots of romance in books I read, but based on reviews some readers seem to like
a bit less. While I love Ashlyn and Zane to death, they do have a tendency to
get so wrapped up in each other they forget everything else around them. I’d
probably tone it down a bit (not much mind you, I am a romance writer after
all).
Q10. What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical)
in bringing it to life?
ace archer, and it’s been a long time since I used a bow. I spent some time
researching the correct terminology. In addition, I went to the local archery
range and tried out several different bows before choosing the recurve bow for
Ashlyn. It was a long road from starting the manuscript to publication, filled
with rejections and suggestions. There were a few times when I considered
throwing in the towel and querying my next novel. However, I’ve never been a
quitter so I persevered.
easy career choice, and pay can be rather spotty.
Q12.Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
when writer’s block hits can be difficult. There’s nothing worse than staring
at a blank screen, willing words to appear to fill it up. I keep several
projects going at once. If I hit a roadblock with one, I work on another.
Q13. What was the hardest part of writing your book?
courage to share it with the world. Every time I give it to someone to review,
I worry. Will they like it? Will they hate it? Will they trash it with a snarky
review? It can be emotionally draining.
Q14. Do you have any advice for other writers?
easy, and it doesn’t get any easier after publication. Honestly I’m not sure if
it ever gets easier. If you love writing, then do it. Don’t let rejections or
bad reviews stop you. It’s important to keep moving forward. Learn from the
past but don’t dwell in it.
Q15. Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
and every one of you. For without you, there would be no reason for me to
write. So thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read my
book. I love to talk books so feel free to contact me. So if you’d like to
chat, pop on over to my author blog: Kimber Leigh Writes.
My contact info is there.
Q16. What are your current projects?
August 19, 2014. I also have a YA paranormal romance, Tortured Souls, releasing July 14, 2014.
writing a new adult romantic suspense called Elaborate Lies which takes place at my alma mater, UCSB. I’m also
working on edits for a YA urban fantasy, Bitter
Envy, which will release late 2014 or early 2015.
Writing Process by Kimber Leigh Wheaton
a very temperamental muse. Try to get her to perform on a schedule and she’ll
disappear for days at a time. I learned that the hard way. When I first started
writing, I set aside a certain time frame and sat at the computer. I’ve never
been so unproductive in my life! I was lucky to get three pages written and
most of it was drivel. My husband calls scheduled writing ‘being organized’.
But for me, the schedule made me feel like a trained seal balancing a ball on
my nose. Perform now! And here’s your fish…
months of trial and error, I finally found what works for me. Writing is done
in three stages: planning, first draft, and revisions. I don’t use an outline.
Tried it, didn’t work for me. My planning stage is a free association exercise,
similar to what I learned in the theater. I load up my iPod with songs that
make me think of the plot and characters I plan to create. Once that’s done, I
meditate to the music. There are times when I’ve been accused of napping when I
was actually hard at work in a fantasy world.
time I start phase two, I know my characters quite well. I also have the basic
plot elements down. My first draft is very rough. The goal is to get the entire
story down quickly. Much of my first draft consists of dialogue. At this stage,
the manuscript tends to resemble a screenplay more than a novel.
three is my favorite. Taking a skeleton manuscript and turning it into a novel
is exciting. I don’t have any set amount of revision passes. Some chapters need
more love than others. I’m a bit meticulous when it comes to spelling,
punctuation, and grammar. Mistakes drive me crazy! I’ve been known to proof a
manuscript until my eyes cross, and then make one more pass just in case.
my shiny new manuscript is ready for… more revisions with my editors. These edits can be a bit harder since someone is trying to
help make my story better, and I might not always agree with their vision. But
eventually these rounds of edits come to an end, and I have a lovely ARC galley
in my hot little hands. What’s next? After a night of celebration, I start the
process all over again.
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