The Portal’s Choice
The
Gatekeepers of Em’pyrean Series
Book One
KD Pryor
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publisher: Madaket Lane Publishers
ISBN-10: 0989251403
ISBN-13: 978-0989251402
ASIN: B00CNV5LHG
Number of pages: 502
Word Count: 148,139
Book Description:
Portals. Doorways. Gateways. All ways to
get in or out of someplace, right?
Nothing weird, spooky or otherworldly
about them. Or, at least that’s what Tallis Challinor always thought. Tallis is
a practical young woman, a writer, a lover of words and a natural storyteller.
But she’s not sure what to do when real-life sucks her into a story far
stranger than anything she’s ever imagined.
Tallis discovers that portals are
passageways between the human and spirit worlds. She finds out that
bent-on-evil ghosts can escape from the spirit realm through those gateways
whether they are supposed to or not. And when they do, Tallis finds herself the
chosen human, picked by the portal in her basement in New Hampshire, to seek
out and return the wayward spirits.
All Tallis wants to do is recover from
the loss of her parents and settle into her new home. She’d like a boyfriend,
someone like the cute guy, Aiden, down the street. She’d like some girlfriends
to talk to and maybe even go shopping with. And she’d like the ghosts, the
portal, and the responsibility that has been thrust upon her to disappear.
But when the ghosts threaten her new
hometown, her friends, and the family she holds so dear, Tallis discovers the
inner courage to meet the portal’s challenge and save those most precious to
her. Along the way, Tallis learns that she is more than she’s ever imagined
herself to be and that she deserves more than she’s ever dreamed possible.
The Inn of
the Kindred Spirits
The
Gatekeepers of Em’pyrean Series
KD Pryor
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publisher: Madaket Lane Publishers
ISBN-10: 0983232415
ISBN-13: 978-0983232414
ASIN: B00GQC7L58
Number of pages: 194
Word Count: 52,870
Book
Description:
Brittany, France. Near the coast. A
picturesque inn. Spectacular scenery. Tasty French treats. Time off from
school.
Tallis Challinor imagines this as the
perfect vacation scenario, so when her grandfather suggests that she accompany
him to the country of her ancestors, she is more than happy to tag along. What
Tallis doesn’t bargain on is another ghostly encounter, especially not so soon
after she’s sealed up a bunch of unruly ghosts on their side of the portal
between the human and spirit realms. But, when she feels the energy radiating
from the megalithic standing stones dotting the countryside around Carnac,
France, an energy that feels frighteningly like the power exuding from the
portal in her basement back home, she has a feeling she might be in
trouble. And she is right.
When her grandfather goes missing, Tallis
leaps into action. She calls the only ghostbuster she knows in France and, with
help on the way, she gears up to battle another set of spirits bent on causing
destruction. Along the way, Tallis is forced to examine her life, her
relationships, and her tightly-held beliefs about who she is and where she
comes from. She also has to juggle two
impossible males, both attractive but annoying, both seemingly set on driving
her nuts or breaking her heart.
Interview:
1. Where did you get
the idea for the novel?
The idea for The
Portal’s Choice came to me on a late afternoon in June. I was driving
home, approaching an old house that I had driven past several times before. But
this time, something about the house and the cemetery next to it sparked my
imagination. I felt that there had to be something that happened between the
basement of that house and the adjacent graveyard. The feeling wouldn’t go away
and when I arrived home I told my kids and my husband that I thought I had a
story and what had inspired it. We brainstormed ideas until I knew that I had a
young adult novel with a female protagonist. The rest of the story filtered in
over the next several weeks as I jotted down notes whenever I had a new
thought.
2. Your title. Who
came up with it? Did you ever change your title?
The working title
for my book was Tallis Challinor, Ghostbuster. The working title gave me an
anchor and a way to organize my chapters. In fact, I had names for all of the
chapters as well. The chapter names reminded me of what was in each section of
the book. Later, my friend and mentor, Katherine Mariaca-Sullivan, suggested
that I needed a better name for the book. My family and I had a lively
discussion at dinner one evening and one of my kids hit on the idea of using
the word “portal” in the title. Since the portal in the book does indeed choose
Tallis, the protagonist, as a gatekeeper, The Portal’s Choice became the
logical title for the book.
3. Which came first,
the title or the novel?
I sort of gave this
one away with my answer to the previous question so you know that the book came
before the name.
4. Since becoming a
writer, what’s the most exciting thing to ever happen to you?
Every time I hear
from a reader, whether through e-mail, personal conversation, or in a review,
about how much they loved reading The Portal’s Choice, I am so excited and
happy. I write because when I am not in that creative place I am not complete
and knowing that other people enjoy the stories I’ve created is a thrill and an
honor. Each and every review from a happy reader is the most exciting thing to
happen to me.
5. What book are you
currently reading or what was the last book you read?
I’m reading Sue
Grafton’s newest novel, W is for Wasted. I’ve read all of
her books. They are some of my favorites.
6. What was your first
book that you ever wrote (very first one you wrote, not published)?
I have two books,
both untitled, that I have started but not finished. The first one I started in
2003 but then my family moved in 2004 and I never finished it. The other is set
in India and I do plan on finishing that one, hopefully later in 2014.
7. What is your
writing process?
I wish I had a
really good answer for this question. My writing process is something I
struggle with daily and I guess if I have a New Year’s resolution it is to
improve my process. Currently, I write in the afternoon. I’d prefer to write in
the morning and slowly I’m making that shift. It’s all about prioritizing my
time.
- Who
are your favorite authors of all time?
I mentioned Sue
Grafton in answer 5 and she is one of my favorite authors. I have always loved
Agatha Christie books and the complex mysteries she weaves. Two more favorite authors are P.D. James and
Elizabeth George. And sometimes only a book by Jane Austen will do. I also enjoy
reading young adult authors and have discovered the wonders of the worlds
created by J.K. Rowling, Rick Riordan, Brandon Mull, and Michael Scott through
my kids. Some of my best memories are of reading The Harry Potter series
to my children when they were younger.
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?
This is a tough one
and I finally decided to sign books with “Happy Reading” and my name.
- What
is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I am a yoga
instructor and I received my first certification from my yoga master in Bangalore,
India.
11. How do you react to
a bad review?
I am human and a bad review makes me
unhappy. But I try to limit the amount of time I spend feeling bad about a
situation that I can’t control. I remind myself that I can’t please everyone
and I am thankful for the readers who enjoy my work.
12. How did you
celebrate the sale of your first book?
The first sale of The
Portal’s Choice was on the day it was released. I celebrated the
release of the book and the first sale by having lunch with the women in my
writing group. It was the perfect way to commemorate both events.
About the
Author:
KD Pryor started life in Missouri, where
she read lots of books, even sneaking them into baseball games to the
irritation of her father. Kelley graduated with a degree in International and
Comparative Studies from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. After
college and marriage to a great guy, she decided to pursue a law degree at the
University of Kansas in Lawrence. Her oldest son was born soon after law
school, followed three years later by her daughter and a move to Kentucky. One
more son, a move to Ohio and four years later, her family jumped on the
opportunity to move to India. They lived in Bangalore, now Bengaluru, for four
wonderfully chaotic years, traveling all over Asia, Australia and Europe.
Now, settled in New Hampshire with her
family and herd of cats (only three), she can often be found in her office,
working on the next installment of “The Gatekeepers of Em’pyrean” series,
reading one of a dozen books she has started, and dreaming of her future travel
destinations.
“The Portal’s Choice”, book one in “The
Gatekeeper’s of Em’pyrean” series featuring Tallis Challinor, was released on
May 6, 2013.
“The Inn of the Kindred Spirits”, a
novella featuring protagonist Tallis Challinor, was released in November 18,
2013.
“The Forgotten Gate”, book two in “The
Gatekeeper of Em’pyrean” series, is scheduled for release in 2014.
@KDPryorbooks
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