Interview with Lisa M. Green for Dawn Rising
Genre: Young Adult, Adult, Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Adventure
Synopsis:
Note from the author: I'm officially categorizing it as Adult, but several betas assumed it was YA (The main character is 20 and most characters are 20-24ish, but themes are very heavy on YA-type ideas like coming-of-age).
ONCE UPON A TIME, A GIRL WAS BORN. A HUNDRED YEARS LATER, SHE GREW UP.
Aurianna must rewrite the past in order to save the future. She was supposed to be the answer to an enigmatic prophecy discovered on the night of her birth. But a terrible curse changed her life forever.
That is, until a mysterious stranger arrives to break the spell. He awakens Aurianna to the truth of her past and the powers she never knew she had.
When he sweeps her back in time, she discovers there is more to her life than she ever imagined. The world she encounters is both strange and familiar. But learning to control her newfound elemental powers will be the least of her problems.
She must race against time to uncover the truth about a catastrophe that will leave the world broken, divided, and at war.
Aurianna just wants answers. But the people need a savior.
Can you briefly describe DAWN RISING and its characters?
Dawn Rising is the first book in the Awakened series and is very loosely based on the story of Sleeping Beauty, with a few other bits and pieces of stories thrown in here and there (if you’re looking carefully).
Aurianna is the main protagonist of the Awakened series. She has grown up in a world with no direct sunlight, a world that barely manages to sustain itself. She is extremely stubborn and struggles with trusting others ever since she was betrayed by those she thought of as friends. Everything changes when a stranger named Pharis shows up in Aurianna's world, claiming to be from another time and intent on taking her back with him. His true identity is not completely known at the beginning of the story. He has a bit of a temper and resents the fact that he was sent to retrieve her. Pharis has his own secrets, especially about his father.
There are quite a few other characters that become a part of Aurianna’s group, but these two are the POV characters for this particular book.
Could you describe your story with emojis?
⏳🌅😲🏰🔥💧⛰⚡️🌀🐎🦊🦸♀️🚂♾️
Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why?
Leon is my favorite character because of his backstory. You find out that backstory in book 2, Darkness Awakening. So much of his behavior makes a little more sense once you realize what he’s dealt with for most of his life. I just want to give him a hug! A close second would have to be Pharis . . . because Pharis.
How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere?
The story began as an idea about time travel in a fantasy world. One of the big questions about time travel is if time travel is ever discovered in the future, why has no one (that we know of) ever traveled to the past? Wouldn’t someone come back to visit if it were possible? I took that thought and ran with it. My story has visitors from other time period, but it’s not the one they think it is.
If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be?
“Centuries” by Fall Out Boy. I have playlists on my YouTube channel for each book as I do the cover reveals, but that song is the overarching song for the entire series.
What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?
A bottle or two of Moscato in Lake Como, Italy. I was lucky enough to visit there during my honeymoon back in 2014. I already had my idea for the time travel aspects of the story by that point, and the map of my world started with Lake Como as a basic design. It doesn’t really look like it anymore, but if you squint your eyes and turn your head sideways, it’s still there. Sort of. LOL! Several locations in the world are based on Italian cities/regions as well. I’ll let the readers figure out what is what.
Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish DAWN RISING?
The second instalment in the Awakened series is available for preorder now and will be released on November 19. You can find Darkness Awakening at most online retailers (or ask for it to be ordered at your local library or bookstore). Book three will be out sometime in the earlier part of 2021.
As for other authors, I highly recommend Heart of Mist, book one of The Oremere Chronicles by Helen Scheuerer. Find me on Goodreads if you’d like to see other books I’ve read and enjoyed.
What’s next for you?
Once I send the third and final book of the series off to the editor, I plan to start my next project. I had originally thought it would be a six-book series, but it might only be four or five, depending on how the outline changes as I go. That one is also a loosely based fairy tale retelling, but it hits on at least six different fairy tales (possibly more), as well as quite a few characters from Greek and Norse mythology. Completely twisted to suit my needs, of course <evil laugh>!!!
Lisa M. Green writes stories of myth and magic, weaving fairy tales into fantasy. Lisa began writing at a very young age and even considered a career in screenwriting or journalism. Throughout her childhood, she drove everyone insane with her constant stories and plays. Lisa enjoys reading, writing, cooking, traveling, hiking, and playing video games that girls aren’t supposed to like. Visit lisamgreen.com for more information about the author and her books.
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