Taylor Fenner's Bookish World's 3-Year Blogiversary Kickoff: Author Spotlight - Jordan Elizabeth

Hey Bookdragons! Today marks the beginning of Taylor Fenner's Bookish World's 3-Year Blogiversary and today I'm spotlighting a wonderful author friend of mine and one of her recent releases...

About Jordan Elizabeth

Jordan Elizabeth writes down her nightmares in order to live her dreams. When she’s not creating art or searching for lost history in the woods, she’s engulfed in a new book. Jordan roams Central New York, but also loves to travel.

About ROGUE CRYSTAL

Avery loves the prospect of visiting Scarya with her cousin and boyfriend. Adventure and romance surely await in this exotic country. Instead, war breaks out, and Avery ends up with an ancient sword everyone is dying to possess.

Scarya isn’t just a foreign land – the more time Avery is trapped there, the more she learns about her past. Her ancestors originated in Scarya, and one of them brought an enchanted crystal with him to Scarya from space. She never expected an alien to ruin her vacation, but sometimes the past has a way of reappearing.

Grab a copy here!

Jordan was nice enough to answer some questions for me and tell us a little bit about her novel ROGUE CRYSTAL!

1. Tell me about yourself and how many books you have written. 

 I have 13 books published, with more on the way for the end of 2018. They are all young adult fantasy. I live in upstate New York, and most of my books take place in this area. Hey, you have to write what you know. The books that don’t take place here are set in fantasy realms. 

2. What gave you the inspiration to write ROGUE CRYSTAL? 

 I am obsessed with my family tree. For about a year, I would stay up until 2am learning everything I could, contacting people with family trees matching mine, studying the time periods… I wanted to write a book about a girl’s past that comes back to haunt her. Best of all, some of those family members are able to meet the main character. I would love to meet my ancestors! 

3. Who is your favorite character in ROGUE CRYSTAL? 

 Avery! She’s awkward, like me. I don’t mean tripping a lot (although I do trip a lot), but she’s awkward in her mannerisms and how she communicates with others. Despite that awkwardness, she’s thrown into a dangerous situation and not only need to survive, but she has to help her family survive too.

4. Which came first, the title or the novel? 

 The novel came first. I wanted to call it THE CRYSTAL, but that didn’t stand out to me. 

5. What scene in ROGUE CRYSTAL are you most proud of, and why?

 I love all the scenes where Avery talks with Jessa, her little sister. I based Jessa off my dog, and they were conversations I would have enjoyed having with her – minus the danger, of course.

6. What upcoming book release are you most looking forward to?

 A Christmas novella is releasing in November. I’m not too familiar with writing novellas, and a Christmas story is far from what I normally write about. I did my best to keep it fantasy-free, while still having an engaging setting and fascinating plot. I can’t wait to see what people think of it.

7. What is your most recent favorite read?

 SUMMER OF MOONLIGHT SECRETS. It involves an old hotel filled with secret tunnels and abandoned floors. It would be my dream vacation! Plus, there’s magic afoot. 

8. What are you working on now? 

 I’m working on another Christmas novella! This one is about a girl who works at a Revolutionary War fort. I used to work at one while I was in high school, so I’m drawing on my past memroies and reliving the good times.

9. What authors, or books, have influenced you? 

 I love the fantasy novels by Maria V. Snyder. She’s a wonderful author and great friend. I’ve even gotten to do a book signing with her.

10.What is your favorite part of the writing process?

 Sharing the story with the world. I love to hear that people enjoyed reading about a world I created.

Connect with Jordan Online:
⚔Website ⚔ Twitter ⚔ Facebook ⚔ Google+ ⚔ LinkedIn ⚔

Jordan is a great YA fantasy author and I've read many of her books. From steampunk to witches to ghosts to history with a dash of romance, there's something for everyone in Jordan's books. She's also done a lot helping other indie authors which is fantastic! I hope you enjoyed learning more about Jordan Elizabeth! 

GIVEAWAY
*Want to win an ebook copy of ROGUE CRYSTAL? Leave me a comment and tell me if you've ever done any research into your family's ancestry. Giveaway will be open through July 31, 2018 at 11:59 PM and One (1) Winner will receive an Kindle Copy of ROGUE CRYSTAL!*

Finding Elizabeth Character Profile: NATE

       This week’s blog begins a four-part blog series to get everyone ready for the upcoming release of Finding Elizabeth. Today we take a look at one of the main characters of Finding Elizabeth, Nate Levine.

Basics:

Name: Nathan “Nate” Levine

Age: Eighteen

Current Residence: Brookfield, Wisconsin

Grade in School: 12th (Senior)

Social Class: Upper Middle Class

Date of Birth (DOB): October 31, 1990



Physical Characteristics and Emotions:

Height: Tall – 6’1”

Eye Color: Bright Green

Hair Color / Style: Shaggy Dark Brown / Black Hair

Build: Muscular, Athletic

Clothing Style: Trendy, Casual

Personality: Kind, Friendly, Loyal, Well-liked among his peers

Fears: Elevators, Not being able to find Elizabeth, losing Elizabeth again

Dislikes: Catacombs, Snails (the edible kind), Halloween 

Goals / Backstory:

Backstory:

       Nate was born “Nate Meritan” in France on May 13, 1774. He grew up in a wealthy aristocratic family where his parents were Lord and Lady to the Royal Court. When Nate is fifteen the Bastille falls and the early days of the French Revolution bring changes to the Meritan estate. The servants that help tend the manor abandon the family and the bulk of the manual labor falls on Nate’s shoulders. His father is delusional and believes that the revolution will just “blow over” any day while his mother slowly begins losing her mind.

      Three years later it is 1792 and the Revolution is still going on around them. Nate’s father refuses to stop spending money on frivolous things and his mother sits around all day cowering in fear that the Sans-Culottes (Revolutionaries, people in favor of the upheaval and dethroning of the royal family and those of aristocratic bloodlines) will come to take her away.

       Then one day, as Nate (now eighteen) is working in the fields, he sees a girl not much younger than himself darting in and out of the trees at the edge of the property. He offers the girl, named Elizabeth, a place to stay for the night and so begins a connection and a love story that will transcend death and multiple reincarnations.

       Nate and Elizabeth fall deeply in love only to be torn apart during the September Massacre of 1792.



Goal:

     When Nate reincarnates more than two hundred years later and is reborn into the world in 1990 with full knowledge of his past life with Elizabeth he vows to spend his life looking for Elizabeth so he can change the course of fate.

      It’s the year 2008 when Nate finally finds his lost love living in the same city as himself; Brookfield, Wisconsin. Once again he is eighteen years old and she is sixteen. Nate is happy to have found his Elizabeth but he will soon learn that finding Elizabeth was the easy part, keeping her will be a whole other story.



Obstacles:

· Elizabeth’s lack of memory of their past life together

· Elizabeth’s mobster ex-boyfriend Anton, who refuses to let her go

· The difference in their social circles, his friends Darcy and Jake dislike Elizabeth

· Elizabeth’s disapproving parents

         I hope this gives you a little better look at Nate, one of the main characters in Finding Elizabeth. You can preorder a copy of Finding Elizabeth in the following places:

Amazon / Kobo

Finding Elizabeth will be available in all formats on Tuesday September 15, 2015!