Venturing to Other Worlds

Hi Jaye! Welcome to Venturing to Other Worlds. I’m really excited to chat with a fellow indie and a fellow fantasy author. And thank you so much for offering an ebook copy of your novel, Resistance, as a giveaway. Readers, to enter the drawing, sign up at the end of this post to follow my blog for updates regarding my stories, as well as monthly book reviews and author interviews (coming 2015).

Sooo, Jaye…let’s begin with a couple of questions to get to know you better before we talk about Resistance. Which author(s) do you most admire? Why?

Besides J.R.R. Tolkien because, well, he’s awesome and I probably wouldn’t be a fantasy author if not for Lord of the Rings, I really admire R.J. Larson, Nancy Kimball, and Karen Witemeyer. They are such great authors. R.J. Larson’s Books of the Infinite series really impacted me, and I can really see how I was influenced by her in my own writing. Nancy Kimball wrote my all-time favorite historical fiction book, Chasing the Lion. It really moved me and touched me spiritually, and not a lot of fiction books do that. I can hardly wait to read more of her series. And Karen Witemeyer is just a fabulous author. I love her writing style and characters.

Great choices! What is your favorite film adaptation of a book? Why?

That would have to be Lord of the Rings. It was such a huge part of my teen years and definitely had a part in shaping who I am. To me, it is the perfect epic adventure. While I adore a good love story, I’m much more likely to watch an action/adventure film, and I can never seem to find enough good ones that involve swords and noble heroes. 😉 Lord of the Rings has plenty.

Plenty, indeed. Now let’s talk about your fantasy novel, Resistance. Tell me a bit about your main characters. Who did you have the most fun creating? Why?

The two main characters in Ilyon Chronicles are Jace and Kyrin. Jace is half human, half ryrik, which is a race everyone believes to be soulless, so that is something he struggles with deeply. At the very beginning of the story, he is a slave and gladiator. Kyrin is a young woman with acute observation skills and a perfect memory. Of all the characters in the story, Jace is my favorite and has been the most fun to create. I relate to him better than any character I’ve written previously. He’s sort of like the more intense male version of me. 🙂 I adore him.

Introduce us to your villain. Is there a flicker of good within him/her?

While there are several antagonists in Ilyon Chronicles, Emperor Daican is the central villain. It is his goal to gain control over the entire content of Ilyon and force its inhabitants to worship his moon gods. As for a flicker of good in him? Yes, there is. His motives for domination are based largely on trying to build the legacy his father was working toward before he died. He was very close to his father and sees his success in his plans as a way to honor him. He’s also a devoted husband, and while he and his son have a tenuous relationship, he genuinely loves his children. He believes he’s building a great future for them, but he’s going about it the wrong way and won’t hesitate to eliminate anyone who stands in his way.

Well we’ve briefly discussed your favorite film adaptation of a book. If Resistance were to be adapted to the big screen, which famous actor and actress would play your main characters in a movie?

Well, I don’t have anyone in mind for Jace and Kyrin (I think it would be really hard to find anyone who fit them well enough), but my main girl’s twin brother is a pretty major character in the series, and I’ve always seen him as Liam Hemsworth. He has the perfect height and build, plus the perfect shade of blue eyes. 🙂

Well, let’s hope Resistance makes it to the big screen soon then. 😉 What spiritual themes do you prefer to emphasize?

The one theme that really resonates the most with me is how God works even in the worst circumstances. That is a theme I really like to focus on in my writing. My characters go through some very dark moments, both internally and externally, but it’s in the darkness that God’s light can shine the brightest. I also like to show Romans 8:28 in action and how God can take awful circumstances and trials and bring about good from them. That’s been a theme I’ve incorporated into my writing since my early days of storytelling.

Are you planning a sequel?

I am currently working on the final edit of The King’s Scrolls, book two of Ilyon Chronicles. I hope (if life cooperates) to release it sometime in February. It picks up a few months after Resistance ends and continues to follow the main group of characters from book one while adding a few new ones along the way. It is definitely a book that shows how God works in hard to understand circumstances. The series will have a grand total of six books. In between editing, I am writing book five. It’s been an incredible (exhausting!) series so far. I’ve never loved any of my characters as much as I do those who inhabit Ilyon. I am very excited about sharing each new story of this adventure over the next couple of years.

I can hardly wait to read it!

“Don’t you know? Animals like you have no soul.”

Could God ever love a half-blood all of society looks upon with such fear and disdain? Jace once believed so, but when a tragic loss shatters the only peace he’s ever known, his faith crumbles as the nagging doubts he’s tried to put behind him descend on his grieving heart. With them come the haunting memories of the bloodstained past he longs to forget, but can never escape.

Taken from home at a young age and raised to serve the emperor, Kyrin Altair lives every day under a dangerous pretense of loyalty. After her unique observation skills and perfect memory place her into direct service to the emperor, Kyrin finds herself in further jeopardy as it becomes increasingly difficult to hide her belief in Elôm, the one true God.

Following the emperor’s declaration to enforce the worship of false gods under the penalty of death, many lives are endangered. But there are those willing to risk everything to take a stand and offer aid to the persecuted. With their lives traveling paths they never could have imagined, Jace and Kyrin must fight to overcome their own fears and conflicts with society as they become part of the resistance.

Purchase Resistance…

Kindle: on Amazon

Paperback: on Amazon

Jaye L. Knight is a homeschool graduated indie author with a passion for writing Christian fantasy and clean new adult fiction. Armed with an active imagination and love for adventure, Jaye weaves stories of truth, faith, and courage with the message that even in the deepest darkness, God’s love shines as a light to offer hope. She has been penning stories since the age of eight and resides in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

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Website: http://www.jayelknight.com

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