The Paladin
Series that includes this first book, Pantheon Prophecy, is a new adult fantasy
romance book. Elspeth is a
mind-reading witch and Luka is an immortal knight. As readers, we immediately learn that the moon is on a
trajectory to crash into earth and the gods from the Pantheon have tasked them
with the mission to stop the goddess from destroying earth. Of course, as a romance reader, I
wanted to create a world that would allow for the main characters to fall in
love gradually.
Do you have a favorite character?
It’s funny how
you immediately think it’s going to be the main characters, right? In this case, I did relate to Elspeth
quite a bit. I wrote her to be
strong and not just fall into the arms of the sexy stranger. Nothing wrong with that if that floats
your boat, but I wanted him to work for it a bit harder than that. My heroines don’t need a man, they
enjoy their company and will only commit if it makes sense to their life.
Did you try the
traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?
I did try the
traditional route more than 10 years ago and it was an utter disaster for me
but a win for the publishing industry.
When I go back and read what I submitted I’m horrified. That said, I’m glad I gave it a try
even though it destroyed me at that moment. To this day, I’ve kept the rejection letters and emails and
tell everyone I was rejected by the best but at least I tried. Along came the explosion of the
self-publishing juggernaut-Amazon-and I fell in love. My writing also improved dramatically when I started writing
what I love instead of writing what I thought I needed to write to get
published. Lesson learned for me
was do what you love, what you have a passion for and it’ll show.
What is your writing process? Do you listen to music
or do you like silence?
I love this
question for authors because you quickly find out it’s different for
everyone! I’m a plotter that has a
tight control over an outline that has been meticulously created with a
spreadsheet. Then the characters
take over and it becomes a pantser situation. I guess as long as they’re hitting the major plot points I
let the characters do what they’re going to do. If you’re an author you understand what I’m talking
about. If you’re an avid reader
you probably just think I’m absolutely mad!
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse
takes you?
Am I a pantser or
plotter? Always a good question
for any writer. In my mind it’s
actually aimed at the characters.
I put together an amazingly detailed outline for these people living in
my head. I tell them exactly what
I want them to do. They nod and
agree but as soon as my fingers touch the keyboard, they do what they damn well
please. It’s just how it always
goes for me.
What have you’ve learned during your self-publishing
journey?
Wow! I’ve not been asked this before and I
love it. I’ve learned that anyone,
and I do mean anyone, can make their dreams come true. I’m not saying I’ve reached the highest
of my dreams of being someone’s favorite author but I trust I’m on my way
there. I don’t just spew out books
for the sake of more money in my account.
There’s a real love from me that goes into the characters and the
stories. The ideal reader is out
there and just waiting for a heroine that’s a little on the fluffy side that
does go out and save the world.
She’s got curves and the man loves everything about her.
I learned that I can make a difference
in a woman’s self image and I’m proud of that. I’ve had people tell me they were glad that Elspeth (the
main character in Pantheon Prophecy) was a more full-figured woman. We’re all sick to death of the perfect
girl next door heroine and I’m glad to see more authors writing about
diversity. Side note: I also include diversity in my stories
and plan to continue it in my future stories as well. Asian, African, non-binary, straight, gay, unsure, I’ll
include it all because the most beautiful thing in the world is to love
yourself where you are right now.
As authors, we should include that in our stories.
What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog,
forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?
It doesn’t take
long to figure out that marketing your brand and books is more of a full time
job than actually writing the stories to begin with. I’m quite familiar with Facebook advertising and I’m
starting to get comfortable with Amazon ads. I’ve signed up for Mark Dawson’s university of a sorts and
it’s been tremendously helpful. If
anyone does want to start promoting their brand I’d suggest starting with what
you’re most comfortable with and for me that was Facebook/Instagram. I’ve dipped my toes in Pinterest but
more likely than not, if I go to Pinterest I’m down a rabbit hole for a few
hours and then I blink my eyes and it’s night time. I have zero self-control there.
Besides writing, do you have any other passions?
I’m obsessed with
tiny homes and decluttering. Doing
that has allowed me to travel extensively (before the current global health
crisis) and live large. The
traveling in turn has fueled my imagination for my stories so it’s a
win-win. I’m also a Wiccan so I’m
passionate about spreading the message that we don’t actually sacrifice small
animals or children. Instead, I
try to exemplify the best of what it means to worship nature. My stories are a good example of what
it can mean to be a witch, not the supernatural elements which are fun (and
possible) but the parts where we are empathetic and care for those around us.
Some fun facts about you, which do you prefer – dogs
or cats? Chocolate or vanilla? Coffee or Tea? Talk or Text? Day or Night?
I was born in the
south so my first love is sweet tea but I start each day with coffee (cause I’m
‘Murican.) My dog, Whiskey, sleeps
by my side each night with her Frito feet but I have a cat, Gizmo, that works
as my familiar and keeps my home safe at night from any evil-doers. You don’t even need to ask about the
chocolate. The real question is
milk or dark. I’ve decided not to
choose. I like milk chocolate with
peanuts but I eat my edibles dark.
What’s next for you?
I’m
about to release book 2 in the series, The Corruption Stone, and book 3 is
already in the rough draft stage.
I also have a partnership with an illustrator/artist in California and
we’re in the preliminary stages of putting together a shojo manga. That’s a romantic graphic novel. It’ll be set in the future of the
universe I’m writing about now.
The Pantheon Prophecy
A. Maureen Burns
Publication date: January 20th 2020
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
We live in a world where demigods, gods, and Ancients from the Pantheon are sworn to protect humanity. So when an exiled member of the Pantheon decides to kill everyone on earth, a demigod knight is given the mission to stop it with the help of a human.
28 year old book store owner, Elspeth, is about to find out she’s a natural born witch when she’s approached by the immortal knight in charge of protecting her.
Luka has been offered ascension into the Pantheon as a god if he completes his mission and stops the moon from colliding with the earth but his charge doesn’t truly know the first thing about her gift of mind-reading or anything about her rightful place within the Pantheon.
Everyone on the planet will die if Elspeth and Luka can’t find a way to trust in their own abilities and work together despite their growing attraction for each other.
Author Bio:
Maureen is an Air Force vet and world traveler. When she’s not hanging out with family, friends, and a menagerie of family pets, she’s dabbling in photography.
Reading and writing have been a part of her life for just over three decades and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. This is great because this world-creator has dozens of souls living in her head that are waiting to be written down and shared with the world.
GIVEAWAY!
Thanks for being on the tour! :)
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