Sunday, August 19, 2007

Scion of the Dark Moon by Kingsley Montgomery


Tell us about your heroine --- the female lead in your book.What's her name?

There are two heroines in Scion of the Dark Moon, each very different from one another. The first is the noble-born young sorceress apprentice Alyssa Deveron. The second is Yeva, a commoner and a thief.

Why did you pick that name?

“Alyssa” is Greek in origin and means “rational” or “bright”. Alyssa in the story is very intelligent and rational-minded, which makes her a great investigator (in this case, an investigator of dark magic practices). “Yeva” is Russian in origin and means “life”. Yeva in the story is driven by her emotions and lives for the moment, enjoying as much out of life as she can. For a peasant who was abused as a child, enjoying the moment helps her forget the past.

Give us a brief description of how she looks.

Alyssa has long black hair, usually worn in a single long braid over one shoulder, in the style of the Crown Robes sorceresses. Her skin is alabaster, as is customary for the nobility of Aralan. Short and of average build, she has piercing aquamarine eyes. Yeva is tall and athletic, exuding sexuality and often exploiting it to her advantage. She is not well educated, but makes up for it with a keen street-sense, which is reflected in her bearing. Her skin is tan, hair tawny brown, and eyes smoldering chocolate.

Is there anything unusual about her appearance?

Alyssa’s aquamarine colored eyes are an anomaly, attributed to her family’s long heritage as gifted magic practitioners. Yeva’s most unusual aspect is her electric attractiveness, though no man (or woman) can quite pinpoint the reason for this.

Who does she love? Why?

Alyssa loves her work. Yeva ‘loves’ her mentor, the Fox Knight, a dashing bandit lord turn hero. Both eventually fall in love with Bryn, Scion’s main protagonist.

Does this person love her?

Bryn, like Alyssa and Yeva, is young (17 at the start of the book). He doesn’t know what he wants, and has little experience with women. He is definitely attracted to both – Alyssa for her charm, wit, and intelligence, and Yeva for her obvious physical charms and intense free spirit. He is quite torn, but will eventually have to chose, or lose them both.

Tell us about her family.

Alyssa belongs to the Deveron noble family. House Deveron is considered “minor” landed gentry, and her father is a respected knight-captain in service to the Baron of Eastmont. Alyssa’s mother displayed some magical talent when young, but never developed the skill. Her brother is a knight. She gets along with her family well enough. Yeva is an orphan. Her mother died of disease when she was young, and her father abused her for years during her early teenage years. She ran away from home at 14, living primarily as a thief and occasionally as a prostitute. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, she is strong-willed and self-determined and is more than capable of taking care of herself.

Where is she from?

Alyssa is from Eastmont, a moderate sized barony in the Kingdom of Aralan . She has spent half of her life training in High Tower , Aralan’s capital city, to become a Crown Robes sorceress. Yeva is from a small peasant village in the central plains of Aralan, which she currently avoids like the plague.

Does her hometown affect her behavior, thoughts and attitude?

With Alyssa, not so much. She is much more influenced by the sorcerers of High Tower , where she has lived and trained for half her life. Yeva was very much affected by her hometown. She despises it and the meek peasants that farm the lands around it.

What does she want out of life?

Alyssa is torn between marriage and raising a family and her duty as an investigator for the Crown Robes. Yeva doesn’t think that far ahead, but lives only in the moment.

What's her biggest secret? (Only share if it isn't a spoiler in the story.)

Alyssa fears she is cursed, as her mentors have a way of dying in horrible ways. Yeva fears being alone, though her often coarse nature pushes people away as much as her physique draws them near.

Did you write more than one story about her?

Alyssa and Yeva both have major roles in the second book in the Terralis Legacy series, Echoes of Empire.

How would she describe you?

Alyssa would analyze me too much, and I’d be afraid of what she would say! Yeva would find me alluring enough to seduce, until she could steal my wallet. Only to find it was empty.

Is there anything else about your heroine that we need to know? Feel free to share.
I’ve had a great time writing the female parts in Scion of the Dark Moon. For me, they were a challenge to write and ended up more multi-dimensional than most of the male characters. I’ve always appreciated strong female characters in fantasy novels, and it has been a joy to create two of them in Scion who are almost mirror opposites in personality. The play between them is limitless.

Please provide your website link.

Scion of the Dark Moon, and my other books, can be found at http://www.kvmbooks.com/.

What is the link to buy your book?

Scion of the Dark Moon can be purchased at my Web site, http://www.kvmbooks.com/, via Amazon.

Kingsley V. Montgomery, Author
Visit my book Web site! http://www.kvmbooks.com/

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