Hero’s Sword Vol. 2
M.E. Sutton
Genre: fantasy -middle grade
Publisher: Delabarre Publishing
Number of pages: 76
Word Count: ~24,000
Cover Artist: Jen Domani
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Book Description:
Eighth-grader Jaycee Hiller is beginning to fear she only imagined her trip to Mallory. But when a rainy afternoon leaves her with hours of playing Hero’s Sword, her favorite video game, she finds herself drawn back into the game – literally.
STORM CLOUDS is the exciting second volume of the HERO’S SWORD saga – chronicling Jaycee Hiller’s trials in eight grade, and her exciting adventures in Mallory, the setting of her favorite video game. Jaycee enters the video game realm via a special controller and is caught up in the action of this fantasy realm.
In STORM CLOUDS, a valuable jewel belonging to the neighboring estate of Devin, the Sapphire Star, is missing, stolen at the Fall Consortium. Lady Starla stands accused of the theft. Devin’s demands are clear: return the Star or they will take it back by force.
Now it’s up to Lyla Stormbringer to find the Star and the thief. before Mallory finds itself at war.
***
A software technical writer by day, Mary Sutton has been making her living with words for over a decade. She writes the Hero’s Sword middle-grade fantasy series as M.E. Sutton, and The Laurel Highlands Mysteries series as Liz Milliron. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and two children.
Website: http://marysuttonauthor.com
Blog: http://theresabodyinthelibrary.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mary_sutton73
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMarySutton
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6588083.M_E_Sutton
Amazon Author page
Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?
A little of both. I write a 4-5 page overview that describes the major story points I want to hit during the course of writing. However, the details of getting to each of those points are left a complete mystery. Of course, since they are somewhat of a surprise, it is frequently amazing how I get to each story point, and those points often change during the course of writing (points added, deleted, or changed).
Do your characters ever want to take over the story?
All the time! LOL I think that is often the source of diversions from that overview I described. I’ll be writing along and a character will say, “But I don’t want to say/do that. I want to say/do this instead.” The trick is to know when to go along with her, and when to put your foot down as the author and tell her to stick to the storyline.
What is your favourite food?
Oh dear, it changes. But I can never go wrong with potato chips or chocolate, depending on my mood.
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Neither. =) I used to be a night owl; I could stay up until all hours. Now, my prime productive time is in the middle of the day, say between 10:00 am and 6:00pm. Of course, if forced to choose, I’ll be a night owl – provided I get to sleep in the next day.
Where do you dream of travelling to and why?
There are a lot of places I’d love to go, but right now, taking a trip to the American Southwest would be amazing. A friend of mine is posting pictures from a recent trip (including a day-long horseback trek) and it’s just so beautiful. The concept of traveling by horse appeals to me because I’ve got a bum knee and I can’t hike like I used to. So letting a big, strong animal do all the walking is appealing.
Do distant places feature in your books?
Sort of? Most of the story occurs in the video game, so I guess that’s far away, although completely made up. But when I picture it, I always picture the French countryside in medieval times, and that most definitely is far away – both in time and geography.
Do you listen to music while writing?
It depends. If I need to be inspired for something, like a fight scene, I’ll pop in a soundtrack. But I can write just as easily in the quiet if my soundtrack runs out.
Sure. Storm Clouds is the second in the Hero’s Sword series. Jaycee got a boost of confidence from her first trip to Mallory, but it was short-lived. She’s mostly back to trying to keep out of sight and not draw attention. She’s also beginning to wonder if she imagined the whole thing. But then, on a rainy afternoon, she goes back to Mallory, where once again Lady Starla needs her help. This time, Starla has been accused of stealing a valuable jewel from the neighboring estate of Devin. Unless it’s returned, and Starla apologizes, Devin will go to war. Except Starla doesn’t have the jewel, of course. So it’s up to Jaycee, as Lyla Stormbringer, and her friend Roger to find the real thief, the jewel, and prevent a war that could upset the balance of the Empire.
What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?
Writing might be the hardest part, but it’s not the only part! It’s not enough to write a story and pay for a great cover artist. Once it’s released, there’s a lot of work marketing and talking up your story – like doing blog tours, such as this one. After all, there are millions of titles on Amazon. How are people supposed to find yours? So as much as I’d really just rather write the next book, there’s a great deal of hard work after the publisher says, “Hey, your book is out!”
Is there anything you would do differently?
The publisher and I probably should have come up with a goal and a plan/strategy before publication. I’m kind of fumbling along, not sure if what I’m doing is working or not. I’m not sure I’d change anything with regards to the actual writing or cover art, though.
Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?
In terms of creating fantasy, I loved how Tolkien made a whole world come to life. I am also a big fan of Roger Zelazny’s Amber books, which also feature very rich, lush world-building. The stories are somewhat influenced by my memories of middle school, and watching my kids and their friends because I’m trying to write the story that they can relate to. I also belong to a writing group, Sisters in Crime, and my friends there have boosted my confidence in my writing. Just two years ago, I’d never shared anything I wrote with anyone, and now I send stuff out all the time.
Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?
Be a sponge. Take classes, study on your own, and never stop reading. Soak up all the information and then figure out what works for you. And write something every day. Maybe it’ll never get used or published, but just by writing something you practice and get better.
What are three words that describe you?
Creative, loyal, stubborn
What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?
I cannot possible list just one. But for middle grade, they don’t come better than JK Rowling’s Harry Potter or Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books.
Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book
Eighth-grader Jaycee Hiller is beginning to fear she only imagined her trip to Mallory. But when a rainy afternoon leaves her with hours of playing Hero’s Sword, her favorite video game, she finds herself drawn back into the game – literally.
STORM CLOUDS is the exciting second volume of the HERO’S SWORD saga – chronicling Jaycee Hiller’s trials in eighth grade, and her exciting adventures in Mallory, the setting of her favorite video game. Jaycee enters the video game realm via a special controller and is caught up in the action of this fantasy realm.
In STORM CLOUDS, a valuable jewel belonging to the neighboring estate of Devin, the Sapphire Star, is missing, stolen at the Fall Consortium. Lady Starla stands accused of the theft. Devin’s demands are clear: return the Star or they will take it back by force.
Now it’s up to Lyla Stormbringer to find the Star and the thief. before Mallory finds itself at war.
List of previous books if any
Power Play: Hero’s Sword Vol. 1
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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