Title: Harbinger
Series: The Greatest Sin #2
Author: Lee French and Erik Kort
Publication Date: October 2014
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis
Adjusting to her new life as a soul-bound agent of the Fallen has Chavali pushing herself harder than ever before. Between learning to fight, dealing with idiots, and climbing stairs - lots of stairs - she has little time to waste on thoughts of the future. Or the past.When another agent fails to report in, Chavali is sent on the mission to discover her fate. Ready or not, she saddles up for a new adventure with new dangers.
The search takes her to Ket, a coastal city slathered in mystery. There, she faces ghosts from her past and demons of her future as she seeks answers. All she seems to find are more questions.
Plague, murder, lies, espionage...this city harbors much more than meets the eye, and maybe too much to handle.
Author Bio
Lee French lives in Olympia, WA with two kids, two bicycles, and too much stuff. She is an avid gamer and active member of the Myth-Weavers online RPG community, where she is known for her fondness for Angry Ninja Squirrels of Doom. In addition to spending much time there, she also trains year-round for the one-week of glorious madness that is RAGBRAI, has a nice flower garden with one dragon and absolutely no lawn gnomes, and tries in vain every year to grow vegetables that don't get devoured by neighborhood wildlife.
Erik Kort abides in the glorious Pacific Northwest, otherwise known as Mirkwood-Without-The-Giant-Spiders. Though the spiders often grow too numerous for his comfort. He is defended from all eight-legged threats by his brave and overly tolerant wife, and is mocked by his obligatory writer’s cat. When not writing, Erik comforts the elderly, guides youths through vast wildernesses, and smuggles more books into his library of increasingly alarming size.
Interview:
Where are you from?
Originally, I'm from Silicon Valley in California. I've lived in five different states now. Currently, I live in Olympia, WA.
Tell us your latest news?
I won my 6th NaNoWriMo! (www.nanowrimo.org) Not that there was any question I would finish again this year, but I reserve the right to be excited about it anyway. I've also been appointed provisional co-ML (Municipal Liaison) for my NaNo region, which will become official for next year. It mostly means that I'm supposed to help organize write-ins and provide encouragement and snacks.
When and why did you begin writing?
I began writing shortly after I learned to read, in 2nd grade. I wrote a book for the district book fair called The Mean Old Man Next Door. It's six pages of handwritten and stick figure illustrated glory contained between two pieces of fabric covered cardboard. I used turkeys for the singular reason that I knew how to draw them. It's brilliant, and I still have it. Perhaps, one day, I'll turn it into an epic novel of were-turkeys waging war against a cruel, ruthless emperor who only hates everyone and everything because no one has ever wanted to be his friend. Or something like that.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I've always considered myself capable of writing. See previous question. I started calling myself a writer when I made the firm, conscious decision that I was Going To Publish A Book. That happened in 2012, with Dragons In Pieces.
What inspired you to write your first book?I'm going to go with my first NaNo novel for this one, instead of that 2nd grade book, or the "novel" I wrote in high school. This jerk who I'd been cooperatively writing with for a while - we played Dungeons and Dragons together in a message board format - mentioned he would be less available during the month of November because of this thing he did. I checked out the website for NaNoWriMo and shrugged and thought I'd give it a shot. What's the worst thing that would happen? I'd fail, which would prove that writing is a hobby sort of thing for me, and get on with my life. Insert 50,000 words written in six days here. Erik then decided I was the jerk, not him.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I certainly hope so. That would be awful to spew only generic and lifeless prose.
How did you come up with the title?
Titles are such a pain in the heckbiscuits. I have six books now, and I've struggled with naming four of them. The Fallen was the easiest book to name ever, because that one was obvious. The book is about the Fallen Order almost as much as it's about Chavali. Don't tell Erik, because he thinks it's the other way around. Harbinger, on the other hand, took four brainstorming sessions between us, plus an assist from his wife.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Mostly, I aim to entertain people. My goal isn't to teach any life lessons or preach any particular message. I hope that people finish the book with some new understanding of the human condition, but it's okay with me if they just find it a pleasant way to engage their brain.
How much of the book is realistic?
Tilzam, which is the name of the world The Greatest Sin takes place in, is, at it's core, a typical fantasy setting. It starts with the template of Western Medieval society, layers on magic, and then has an altered religious tradition. All of this is, in a sense, completely realistic, aside from the magic. If you remember that Christianity had umpteen versions and sects across Europe prior to the Reformation, then the parallels with the real world are even more clear.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
I have never been a wagon-riding nomad, a fortune teller, a telepath, an oracle, or a victim of [spoiler]. None of the characters are based upon any real people, living or dead. I've found that when I try to put people I know into books, they come out less real than wholly made-up characters. Crazy, but true.
What books have most influenced your life most?
Charlotte's Web put the notion into my head that animals could be anthropomorphized (I did not know that word at the time). From there, I leaped to objects, and my imagination ran rampant. I can't point to any other book that had a similarly profound impact on me.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I like so many different authors, and have so many books on my list of things I need to read that it feels cheap and dirty to pick one, especially when I don't know if I'll find someone even more awesome tomorrow. And really, the best mentor is someone who both knows what they're talking about and gets along with you. I have no idea who among the authors I whose work I respect I would actually get along with. Hopefully, any of them, but you never really know.
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What book are you reading now?
Right now, I'm reading Erik's other book, Children Without Faces. By the time you read this, I'll be on to something else.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
I picked up a book outside my comfort zone by a writer from Worcester, MA, where I lived until recently, because I like to support local authors. It was fantastic: The Mean Girl Apologies by Stephanie Monahan. I don't seek out romance novels, especially sweet, clean romances about twenty-somethings, but I'm glad I found my way to it through the Worcester Writers' Collaborative. Most areas have some sort of local authors' group, and I highly recommend looking into them if you're a voracious reader, because you'll find hidden gems languishing out of sight.
What are your current projects?
I've just finished the first draft of a new urban fantasy series starter. I'm in the middle of the first draft for the third book of The Greatest Sin. I'm also in the middle of the first draft of a second book in the Ilauris setting, which is my fantasy setting. After those, I've got a firm outline for a romance (weird for me, but I think I need to do one to get it out of my system), and some serious notes for a sci fi novel set on a space station.
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
Erik was the first person who told me that he thought my writing is worth reading.
What would you like my readers to know?
We expect this series to have somewhere in the vicinity of 14 books, and plan to put out 2-3 per year until it's done. After that, we've got another idea for a different series. This partnership isn't going away and will be relatively prolific until one of us dies or is horribly disfigured in some ridiculously gruesome way.
Giveaway: There is a giveaway for this tour. $15 Amazon or B&N giftcard or credit toward the Book Depository. Ends 12/26.
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