Unexpected solutions to unanticipated problems with the Golden Harvest.
Title: The Golden Deficit: Book 3 of the Golden Harvest Series
Author: Joni Parker
Pages: 401
Genre: Fantasy
Lady Alex, the Elfin Keeper of the Keys for the Council of Elders, begins an epic adventure when she returns to the magical land of Eledon. The final talley of the Golden Harvest is in, and it’s far from the hundred million gold knots required. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the deficit is even larger, caused by the deceitful Rock Elves. These cunning creatures have been paying other Elves with fake gold knots for years, and no one had a clue until now. The Mentors demand the Elves pay the five million knot deficit in ninety days, but no one has any gold left. The pressure is on, and everyone is at a loss for how to come up with the gold, until Lady Alex devises a brilliant plan. But it will require equipment and expertise the Elves don’t have, and time is running out. Can she gather what she needs and save Eledon from financial ruin before it’s too late?
The Golden Deficit is available at Amazon at https://amazon.com/dp/B0DL6G4GB2.
Book Excerpt
This sucked! I came home expecting a warm welcome, but instead, I’ve been chewed out twice. Or was it three times? I should have kept score, but I had no idea what I was walking into. I had returned to Eledon because my mortal boss in Paris, Étienne, a world renown fashion designer, went into the hospital for a ruptured appendix. He had delayed treatment because he had top billing during fashion week in Paris, and it consumed him. We worked extra-long hours to get the clothes done in time, and the results were brilliant. Although he could have died, he didn’t, but when he was taken to the hospital, all work in the design studio came to a screeching-ass halt although I had to finish up some photoshoots for a magazine spread. Work won’t start up again until Étienne gets back at the end of March. So, I came home to Eledon.
Eledon was the home of the Elves, and was given to us by our Mentors when we were forced to leave Earth. I was part Elf and mortal, well, mostly mortal. My father was a mortal man from a place in outer space called Oltria, and my mother was the daughter of a Water Elf and a Titan. I hardly remembered them since they died when I was four. When I grew up, I lived with my mortal foster parents until I turned sixteen. Then I moved in with my Elfin grandmother, Lady Lestin of the Water Elves. Talk about a culture shock. I’m still learning about Elves.
– Excerpted from The Golden Deficit by Joni Parker, Joni Parker, 2024. Reprinted with permission.
Joni Parker was born in Chicago, Illinois, but moved to Japan with her family when she was 8, so her father could achieve his dream of becoming a pro golfer. Upon return, her family moved to Phoenix, Arizona where Joni graduated from Camelback High School. After a short stint at Arizona State University, she joined the U.S. Navy. After 22 years of military service, she retired and traveled the country with her husband in their RV until he passed away. Joni went back to work for the federal government for another 7 years until she could retire and devote her time to writing. She currently lives in Tucson, Arizona with her sister.
Interview:
Where are you from?
I was born in Chicago, Illinois, but my family moved to Japan when I was 8. We returned to the States when I was 13 and moved to Phoenix, Arizona. I dropped out of college during the second semester and joined the U.S. Navy. After I retired from the Navy, I moved to Dallas, Texas, where I went back to work and retired again. I currently live in Tucson, Arizona.
Tell us your latest news?
I bought a new computer since my old one wouldn’t update to Windows 11. I had planned to wait until Microsoft ended its support of Windows 10, but changed my mind when we got a new president and the possibility of new tariffs. It took me a lot longer to get the new computers online than I thought it would, and I’m still using the old one for some projects.
When and why did you begin writing?
I didn’t get the urge to write until late in life. At the time, the movie trilogy, Lord of the Rings, had come out, and I was captivated by the story of the Elves. I developed a character named Alex, and she brought with her a ton of stories that I couldn’t get out of my head until I wrote them down.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I retired from my regular job. I needed a new label.
What inspired you to write your first book?
The character I developed kept nudging me to write down her stories. So I did.
Do you have a specific writing style?
No, just my own.
How did you come up with the title?
I have a bachelor's degree in accounting and an MBA, so the title just made sense to me. The Elves didn’t have enough gold to pay their obligations, so they had a deficit. But it was in gold, not dollars or other currency.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Pay your bills and fulfill your obligations.
How much of the book is realistic?
Hmmm. This is a hard question. While it’s true I made up the setting, Eledon resembles Earth in many ways. There’s land masses and oceans that operate in the same way they do on Earth. There is air and gravity and atmospheric conditions like Earth even though it isn’t here. The people on Eledon, the Elves and Dwarves, are very humanlike. They have jobs and families, dreams and ideas, and live in political systems they don’t necessarily like. They also have feelings and emotions just like the rest of us. So, I guess I’d say there’s a lot about my fantasy novel that’s ‘real,’ maybe 75%. Okay, maybe 50%.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
When I was a teenager, my girlfriend asked me if I wanted to join her society group where they dressed up for their ‘coming out’ cotillion. I didn’t want to, but she asked anyway. Her group didn’t want me because my family was poor, and we weren’t white. So, I used this experience as a basis for the Nymphets in my book.
What books have most influenced your life most?
Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy, Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, and so on.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Suzanne Collins
What book are you reading now?
The Helios Conspiracy by Jim DeFelice
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Rebecca Yarros made a recent foray into the fantasy genre with Fourth Wing, but I was disappointed with her follow-on novel. In addition, she’s been writing romance novels for years, so she’s not really a new author.
What are your current projects?
I have 3 projects I’m working on. The first is the complete book 4 of the Golden Harvest Series. I had a rough draft completed, but I didn’t like it, so I started over. The second project is to publish the paperback version of the ebooks I published on Kindle Unlimited. The last project is to work on my idea for the next series. I call it The Order of the Red Pearl and it will involve a vision of the future my main character will try to avoid.
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members?
I belong to the Tucson Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Group.
What would you like my readers to know?
Even though writing a novel is hard work, it’s worth the effort to do it right. Don’t take a shortcut like having AI write your book for you. It will never be as good as when it comes from your soul.
Website & Social Media:
Website ➜ http://www.joni-parker.com
Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJoniParker
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