Interview with Megan Haskell, Author of Sanyare

Today I have the pleasure of sharing a guest interview with a fellow member of O.C. Writers, Megan Haskell. Megan writes dark YA fantasy, and her books look amazing. I can't wait to read them. Welcome, Megan!

B.R.A.G Medallion Winner! A woman torn between honor and survival…

Raised in a realm where humans are no better than slaves, Rie Lhethannien has struggled for decades to earn a meager post in the High Court messenger service. Even training as an elite fighter isn’t enough to earn the respect she craves. Scorned by the high elves who rely on her loyalty, Rie’s closest allies are the fierce carnivorous pixies who travel by her side.

When she’s attacked on a routine delivery by assassins from the enemy Shadow Realm, Rie’s martial prowess keeps her alive…and frames her as a traitor. Facing execution at the hand of an unmerciful king, Rie must forsake her oaths and flee into enemy lands to prove her innocence.

With surprising help from a bastard prince and an ambitious blood sidhe, Rie searches for the truth behind the attack. The secrets she uncovers may threaten more than her honor or even her life…for war is looming in the nine faerie realms.

Sanyare: The Last Descendant is the first book in The Sanyare Chronicles, a fast-paced dark fantasy adventure. If you like kick-butt heroines and action-packed fantasy filled with mythological creatures, then you’ll love the first novel in Megan Haskell’s debut series. Start your journey across the nine faerie realms today!

Interview with Megan

How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve read fantasy. Dinotopia was one of my favorite children’s books (which I’m currently reading to my four year-old), and I read The Hobbit in elementary school. Then I discovered Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series, and later the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton. If I wasn’t reading a textbook for class, I was reading a fantasy novel with a female lead, the darker the better.

It only made sense, then, that I would choose to write dark fantasy adventures featuring a tough but vulnerable female protagonist. I write what I want to read, and I love magic, mayhem, and monsters!

What inspires you?
I’m inspired by my characters and by the work of other authors. Reading is an escape for me, a way to forget about the stress of everyday life. A skilled author can make me believe I’m really in the pages of the book, allowing me to live vicariously through the actions and adventures of the characters. My goal is to provide that same experience for my own readers. If I can make them forget about the dishes, or stay up past their bedtime just to read, then I’ve done my job.

How did you get to be where you are in your life today?
I’ve had a circuitous route to becoming an author. I graduated college with a degree in finance and worked for seven and a half years at a major accounting firm. I started writing during my hour plus train commute during that time, but didn’t really take it seriously until I finished my first (terrible, unpublished) novel.

After giving birth to my first daughter, I decided to leave my job and become a stay-at- home-mom, but I still had characters rattling around in my brain begging to have their stories written. Eventually, I succumbed to the pressure and started writing what would become Sanyare: The Last Descendant.

My girls are still young, just four and one, so time is a precious commodity. My writing happens in the quiet hours when the kiddos are asleep or in school. I don’t watch tv during the week, instead using the evening for writing and the business of publishing.

As they get older, however, I want to build a real career as a science-fiction and fantasy author, turning my after hours hobby into a full-time author-preneurial business. Ideally, with normal business hours.

Free Book: The Pixie Tamer

It’s Nuriel “Rie” Lhethannien’s twenty-fifth nameday. She should be celebrating her rise to maturity, not sweating in the training hall. But life isn’t fair, and humans aren’t equal to the elves, at least not in the High Court.

After losing a practice bout to the one man she wants to trust, Rie is thrown into the most challenging test of her life. Will the rewards outweigh the risks?

Pixie Tamer is the short story prequel to Sanyare: The Last Descendant, a dark fantasy adventure with epic themes and a new adult tone. The stories are complements, but can be read independently.

Get Your FREE copy of Pixie Tamer!

To get your FREE copy of Pixie Tamer, the short story prequel to Sanyare: The Last Descendant, PLUS three excerpts from the novel featuring Rie's tiniest allies, just sign up for Megan Haskell’s newsletter at www.meganhaskell.com/newsletter-subscription. All newsletter subscribers receive a once a month email from the author, packed with information about upcoming releases, events, and even snippets from the work in progress. What's more, one lucky random subscriber each month will win a free signed print copy of Sanyare: The Last Descendant!

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About the Author

Legend has it, I was born with a book in my hands. When I was a kid, my mom would ground me from reading in order to get me to do my chores. To this day, I can readily ignore the real world in favor of the imaginary one lurking between the pages of my current addiction. My dad — also an avid reader — introduced me to Tolkien in my late elementary years, and I never looked back. I love escaping to worlds where magic and monsters are real, especially stories with kick-butt heroines and dangerously attractive heroes.

Despite my voracious book appetite, I didn’t start creative writing until I was working as a number cruncher in a big accounting firm. With an hour plus commute by train every day, and a demanding left-brain occupation, I needed a mobile creative outlet. A pen and paper are about as mobile as it gets! As the pages began to fill, I quickly moved onto a tiny laptop, and a writer was born. Now I get to create my own fantasies!

In addition to writing fiction, I am also the Program Director for O.C. Writers, A Network of Published and Aspiring Authors. Visit www.OCWriters.Network for more information about the community.

I currently live in Southern California with my wonderfully supportive husband, two daughters, and a ridiculously energetic dog. Sanyare: The Last Descendant is my first published novel. The sequel, Sanyare: The Heir Apparent, will be released in September 2016.

Sanyare: The Last Descendant
Amazon (US): http://www.amazon.com/Sanyare-Last- Descendant-Universe- Book-ebook/dp/B00ROBHMFY/
Amazon (UK): http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ROBHMFY
Amazon (CA): http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00ROBHMFY
Amazon (AU): http://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B00ROBHMFY

Megan on Social Media
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter or @meganphaskell | Pinterest | Google+ | Goodreads

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Thanks for joining me today, Megan! For more information on O.C. Writers, visit http://ocwriters.network/.