Genre:
Paranormal/Fantasy Romance
ISBN: 978-0-9916763-1-6
Number of pages:
pdf- 276, epub- 172
Word Count: 107,000
Cover Artist: David
Wysotski
Book Description:
Blaze Ignites blends strong,
clever women and tough, sexy men in a fast paced, volatile cocktail of action,
seduction and wicked humour.
"Destiny my ass."
Jade Glaster refuses to believe the Fates rule her life. Orphaned after an
attack by Scourge soldiers, a young Jade vows never to be powerless again. Once
grown and strong, wielding the affinities of fire and healing, Jade protects
innocents as an enforcer for her world's elite policing agency—The Talon.
When an emissary mission to
reinstate a race of exiled Elves brings Galan into her life, Jade finds herself
overwhelmed by new passions, some welcome, some not. Although Galan's
antiquated views on women offend her to her heated core, when the Scourge
attack his family, she helps him navigate the outside worlds he knows nothing
about—the magical Realm of the Fair and, stranger still . . . the modern
streets of Toronto.
Through their sensually
charged pursuit of justice, Jade discovers that when dealing with the
Fates—destiny is never random.
Excerpt:
~ Chapter 1 ~
Gun versus wand.
Lexi and I saw the standoff escalating beyond the crush of half-naked,
leather-clad bodies on the dance floor. The patrons of the tavern, human and
not, ceased shimmying to the techno-rock of the house band and drew wands and
daggers in every direction.
"Let us through
people." Raising my palms I called my powers. "Castian, come to
me." A surge of arcane energy lifted my hair as my affinity awoke.
"Down!" I shielded Lexi and avoided the white-gold energy bolt
zinging past our heads. It hit the mirrored wall over the bar, bursting into a
shower of sparks and jagged shards.
A shot rang out. Shit.
Magic buzzed and crackled in the air like a bug-light in August. I
threw out some heat to part the remaining sea of bodies. Ignoring the sneers of
rubberneckers, we pushed through and my sister and I joined the altercation.
A scruffy, brute of a man sporting a bandana stood, gun poised, staring
straight into the wand-tip of one of the Academy of Affinities' fifth-year
wizardry students.
"Problem, gentlemen?" I asked, easing into their circle.
With shoulders rigid and wand steady, the student, Nash Blackpaw,
focused straight ahead. "Jade, this asshole thinks he's dragging my friend
back to the Modern Realm."
I assessed the native girl shielded behind his back. She looked shaken
but unharmed.
"I don't think," the brute hissed. "This is a family
matter. Jade is it?"
Pushing down the urge to wipe the amused sneer off the bastard's face I
tried to remain professional. "Jade is what friends and students call me.
You can call me Blaze. That is my official nom
de guerre."
I held up my wrist and revealed my Talon brand. Cold, sharp eyes
narrowed on my copper skin as the trademark golden hawk of a Talon enforcer
appeared. "Sir, you are armed with intent to do harm on Haven grounds.
This entire mountain is a sanctuary. According to Fae law, the girl is welcome
to claim refuge here."
"Screw the laws," he spat, shifting the business end of the gun
toward me. "Fae laws force our race to live in the Modern Realm—force us
to hide who we are as if we're worth less than those fucking humans. The gods won't care about one
worthless runaway. Tell your boy here to lower his wand and we're gone."
Catching Lexi's eye, I glanced toward the girl and my sister dissolved
into the crowd.
"Again, that would be no."
The muzzle of the gun pointed at my chest at an almost point blank range. My
skin tingled warm. I pushed back my temper. "I know how you must
feel—"
"You know nothing,"
he snapped, spittle flying. "You are
human."
With his full attention on me, I wove more persuasion into my words.
"As a Talon enforcer, I ensure the laws of both realms are upheld. You
smuggled a gun from the Modern Realm onto sanctuary grounds. There's no chance
you're leaving with the girl. The Portal Gates are sealed for summer solstice
and you have things to answer for. Your only option here is to lower your
weapon."
My suggestion had the barrel wavering. He clutched the grip with both
hands and stabilized it. His jaw clenched as his index finger tightened on the
trigger. I gave another push of energy and when I thought I was at my limit, I
pushed further. Perspiration beaded across his furrowed brow. I held on.
Needles of pain ran through my jaw as I clenched my teeth. After another
minute, the Glock clattered to the tavern floor.
He lunged.
My feet left the ground as his shoulder caught my cheek. Something
solid connected with my ribs and I hit the dance floor in an awkward half-twist.
My back connected with the wood plank right before my head bounced. I was still
seeing white splotches bursting in front of my eyes when the brute's staggering
weight lifted and two Were-lion bouncers took control.
One snatched the weapon and shoved it into the waistband of his jeans.
His litter-mate grabbed the guy's thick arms and wrenched them back until I
expected to hear the snap of bone. Rumbling like a storm cloud, the pair of
Weres cable-tied the guy's hands and signaled to everyone that the show was
over.
"And a good night was had by all." Lexi rolled her amethyst
eyes and offered me a hand up.
Interview:
1. Where did you get
the idea for the novel? It came to me while I was living in a Panamanian rainforest
from 2008-2009. The setting of a tropical world untouched by modern life rooted
in my mind and since I've loved Elves since reading the Elf Quest Graphic Series,
and then the Shanarra novels, and then watched Lord of the Rings—hello,
Legolas—that’s where I started.
2. Your title. Who
came up with it? Did you ever change your title?
I came up with it,
but yeah, there were several before. The working title was called Summer
Solstice, then Release of the Exiles and finally I decided on Blaze Ignites.
3. Which came first,
the title or the novel?
Definitely the
novel. I rather hate thinking of the perfect title and am at a loss for the
title for the next two in the series which are both already written.
4. Since becoming a
writer, what’s the most exciting thing to ever happen to you?
Good reviews. That
never stops thrilling me. And I was asked to speak on a panel about
self-publishing in November. That was cool too. I'm looking forward to that.
5. What book are you
currently reading or what was the last book you read?
Currently, I'm
reading Dark Fever by Moning and the last book I read was JR Ward's Lover at
Last—Go Qhuay!!
6. What was your first
book that you ever wrote (very first one you wrote, not published)?
Blaze Ignites. I'm
a late bloomer. I never thought about writing novels until the story came to me
from out of the blue.
7. What is your
writing process?
The writerly term
is AIS—Ass In Seat. I get up, drop my daughter off at the local highschool,
grab the dinner groceries on the way home and by 8:45 my butt is in my chair
and my fingers are on my keyboard. I try to write new stuff in the morning and
switch to editing WIP's (works in progress) around 1pm. I do the kid pick up at
3 and then I work more until it's time for me to start cooking for my family.
- Who are your favorite
authors of all time? That changes book to book. Historically—Shakespeare
and Jane Austin. Currently—JR Ward.
9. At a book signing,
do you just sign your name or do you write a note? How do you come up with
stuff to say?
That only became an
issue this past week. I started in the eBook world and my first print books
came out on the day of my daughter's sweet 16 birthday. So, my first sales were
for family and friends who had been waiting and who happened to all be at my
house that day. I'm not sure what I'm going to say yet. When my sister bought
her copy she said, "Write- Best Sista Ever", so I did, but my brother
said, "I want you to write something genuine and meaningful, so I can keep
it as a keepsake…Yeah, well, his signature page is still blank.
- What is something people
would be surprised to know about you?
I get crazy ideas
and I dive in. For example, I convinced my husband to pull up roots, sell
everything and move our family to Panama to start a wildlife sanctuary to
rescue ocelots, monkeys and sloths. Sadly the world economy crashed and all our
funding dried up. But, it was a fantastic year and an experience of a lifetime.
FYI- My husband Allen and I have had a love at first sight relationship since
we met when I turned fifteen and after twenty-seven years together, he still
finds my flighty fantasies charming and lets me go with whatever sparks my
fire. You gotta love a guy like that.
11. How do you react to
a bad review? Thankfully, I haven't had any that were mean or scathing. So
far—knock on wood—everyone has been either quite generous or at least
constructive in their criticism. You can't please everyone, all the time, but
novels really are a labour of love. I expect, hearing something really negative
will surely sting.
12. How did you
celebrate the sale of your first book?
Well, we haven't
really celebrated yet. My first eBooks mostly sold to friends though the sales
on Amazon, Kobo and Lulu continue to trickle in. For my first international
eBook sale, I danced around in my home office and Facebooked that I was an
internationally sold author. My first print books I took with me to my
husband's soccer game. I sold a few to the wives (who had been waiting through
the whole process) and we had the after game dinner and drinks at Shoeless
Joe's Restaurant. When they actually start flying off the shelves, I'm sure
we'll celebrate.
This was so much
fun. Thanks so much to Alisia for having me and supporting new authors. We'd
never get anywhere without the support of readers, book sellers, bloggers and
other authors in this media saturated world.
All the best,
enjoy. JL Madore
About the Author:
September 2009
marked the beginning of my journey with writing paranormal/fantasy romance
novels. After spending a year hiatus in Panama with my family, I returned to
Ontario relaxed and ready to let stories flow from my mind onto the page. The
only problem was—I didn’t know a thing about the craft of writing.
Almost four years
later, after dozens of workshops, reading hundreds of books, joining a writing
community and two critique groups, I've won two writing scholarships and
believe I've got a handle on what I’m trying to say and the voice with which I
want to say it.
Currently, I am
working on the five book Scourge Survivor Series as well as a darker,
erotic/romance paranormal series currently called Watchers of the Grey.
Website: www.jlmadore.ca
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/JLMadore
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jlmadore
Good morning Alisia and thank you for hosting me on Books and Other Spells. I'm thrilled to meet your followers and will be checking back to hopefully chat with a few of them.
ReplyDeleteHave a great one,
JL