Fantasy
Date Published: April 16, 2014
The mystery of other worlds is not one Hannah Winters ever thought she’d solve. However, the day she spots a brown-robed stranger with a magical staff in a neighbor’s field is the day she also discovers Aerisia, a magical land beyond Earth’s sunset.
Here in Aerisia, Hannah is believed to be the Artan, a legendary heroine prophesied to deliver Aerisia from the Dark Powers. Plenty of people, including the Simathe, a race of immortal warriors, and the Moonkind, people of the Moon, are willing to help her discover her true identity, but Hannah’s just an ordinary girl from Earth. She doesn't have any latent magical abilities and she’s not the Artan. However, her allies aren't seeing it that way. Neither are her enemies. In fact, Hannah’s life is in jeopardy nearly from the moment she arrives in Aerisia. And becoming the Artan may be the only way to survive…
Here in Aerisia, Hannah is believed to be the Artan, a legendary heroine prophesied to deliver Aerisia from the Dark Powers. Plenty of people, including the Simathe, a race of immortal warriors, and the Moonkind, people of the Moon, are willing to help her discover her true identity, but Hannah’s just an ordinary girl from Earth. She doesn't have any latent magical abilities and she’s not the Artan. However, her allies aren't seeing it that way. Neither are her enemies. In fact, Hannah’s life is in jeopardy nearly from the moment she arrives in Aerisia. And becoming the Artan may be the only way to survive…
Sarah Ashwood grew up in the wooded hills outside the oldest town in Oklahoma. Sarah is author of the Sunset Lands Beyond Trilogy, the poetry volume "A Minstrel's Musings," and the novella "Amana," along with numerous other published works. In her imagination, she soars effortlessly through historical and fantastical worlds. In real life, she lives (mostly) quietly at home with her husband and sons. Find Sarah on her Sarah Ashwood Facebook author page, on her Sarah Ashwood Goodreads page, or on Instagram where she goes by @runnerwritermom.
Interview:
What inspired you to write your first book?
I’ve
always been fascinated by fairytales, mythology, folklore, and all stories with
magic. I read huge collections of fairytales from around the world as a child
and watched every Disney animated movie that came out. I constantly had stories
inside my head, even as a kid. Every time I’d read a great book or watch a good
movie, the characters would stay with me. Soon, they’d be joined by other
characters of my own creation. Finally, I learned the only way to tame those
characters was to put them down on paper.
Probably
not surprisingly, I’ve also always had an active—make that overactive—imagination.
In the opening chapter of Aerisia: Land Beyond the Sunset, there’s a scene
where the main character, Hannah Winters, is taking an evening walk to clear
her head and spots a brown-robed stranger in her neighbor’s field. Hannah
admits she thought at first the man was simply a trick of her imagination,
turning a huge stump in the neighbor’s field into an old man in dark, flowing
robes. Okay, so that scene was based on real life. I did live out in the
country at the time I wrote this book, I used to walk/run those roads a lot in
the evenings, and my neighbor (who also had horses) had a huge stump in his
field that, more than once, my
overactive imagination would turned a dog, a bear, or what have you. Crazy how
art imitates life, huh?
Not
really, but after one such incident, I got to thinking, “What would happen if
somebody was really standing there? Somebody from another time period, or
another world?” As I recall, it was sunset when I saw the stump from the corner
of my eye and thought someone was there, leading to the idea of a world beyond
Earth’s sunsets.
Combine
an overactive imagination with a deep love of speculative fiction, and the
world of Aerisia was born. After a dozen years and multiple overhauls,
the trilogy is finally in print.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I don’t
think so? My writing style has evolved greatly over the past umpteen years. It
still is. I can look back on something I wrote even a year ago and see that it
has changed in only twelve months’ time. I like to think it gets better as I
hone my craft and edit and re-write my own work. Honestly, I feel like books
two and three of my Sunset Lands Beyond trilogy reflect my growth as an author,
even as compared with book one.
How did you come up with the title?
It
seemed a natural fit, since the story centers on a young woman from Earth being
taken to a parallel world that exists beyond Earth’s sunsets. That world, of
course, is Aerisia.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Don’t be
afraid to take risks and accept change. One thing my main character has been
criticized for is crying too much and being too whiny. I get that, but I also think,
realistically speaking, if you were thrust into such a tremendously
life-shaking series of events, wouldn’t you possibly shed a few tears? Yes,
Hannah is slow to accept the mantle of Artan (understandably, I think), but as
the trilogy progresses she grows into that role by learning to accept change
and take risks. I think there’s a little something in all of us that sometimes wants
to cling to the status quo, but who knows what we can accomplish if we open
ourselves up to the possibilities? Ultimately, as Artan, that’s what Hannah has
to do.
How much of the book is realistic?
Ha,
well, there are definite life experiences woven into the book, as you already
know from my answer in the first paragraph. There are more, as well. I have a
younger sister named Hannah, I actually have brown hair (okay, I was 18 when I
wrote the rough draft of the book—I basically wrote myself into it), and I know
from personal experience that riding horses a lot when you’re not used to it
can make you stiff and sore, to the point where it’s hard to walk. (Referring
to the incident on the journey to Treygon where the Simathe High-Chief steps in
to help a stiff and sore Hannah off her horse.) I probably couldn’t even tell
you all of the little life experiences or events that are woven into these
novels.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Both.
I’ve already mentioned a few life experiences, and there are also a few people
I personally know woven into the stories, as well. One of my brothers-in-law
helped influence the creation of the Simathe: he doesn’t talk very much, and
when he smiles it’s so fleeting you wonder if you really saw it. He’s a great
guy—just has a very quiet personality.
What books have most influenced your life most?
Definitely
the fat volumes of fairytales that I’ve already mentioned. My trilogy contains
dragons and monsters, which is pretty standard for the fantasy genre, but it
also features fairies and giants, which are typically a little more fairytale
and little less traditional fantasy. I like to hope this makes my series stand
out. Furthermore, as far as influences go, I would have to mention The Bible,
specifically the King James Version. Although my trilogy is by no means a
religious work, the themes of good and evil, darkness and light, are played up
pretty heavily in the Sunset Lands Beyond trilogy, and that is, no doubt,
inspired my religious beliefs. The Aerisians’ antiquated method of speech was
probably influenced by the beautiful, if archaic, poetry and prose of my
favorite Bible version. In fact, I often had to go back and purposefully
“modernize” their speech to keep it from becoming too antiquated.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
C.
Greenwood, definitely. She’s both a mentor and a friend. I would also like to
mention Sarah Ash. She has some fantastic fantasy novels out there, and she has
taken the time more than once to exchange emails with and give advice to an
aspiring fantasy novelist whose name is similar to her own.
What book are you reading now?
I cheat
on current reads: I can’t help it. There’s never just one book. Right now I’m
reading The Host, by Stephanie Meyer; Memory’s Wake by Selina French; The
Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton; and Blackbeard: America’s Most Notorious Pirate
by Angus Konstam. Next on my to-read list, when one of these is finished, is
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand; The Iron Warrior, by Julie Kagawa; and Journey
of Thieves, by C. Greenwood.
What would you like my readers to know?
I
love hearing from my readers. I pay attention to all feedback and reviews, even
critical ones. They definitely help shape my stories, my characters, and my
writing. If you would like to offer feedback on my trilogy, I am open to
hearing it via reviews or social media. You can find me on my Sarah Ashwood Facebook
page, friend me on my Sarah Ashwood Goodreads account, or link up with me on
Instagram, where I go by @runnerwritermom.
Website: www.amazon.com/author/sarahashwood
Instragram: @runnerwritermom
Purchase Links
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/aerisia-land-beyond-the-sunset?store=allproducts&keyword=aerisia%3A+land+beyond+the+sunset
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/430140
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