Author Interview with 

Isra Sravenheart 

Author of The Dark Spell Series

Please tell me a little about your current work in progress.

I am currently working on a spin off to my up and coming Dark Spell series that will be completed in Feb/ March 2022. I won’t be revealing too much just yet but it does feature some of our main characters and some of the more unknown ones that have played a part in the prequels respectively when we do a time jump to when Isra was aged 17 onwards.

Where did you get the idea for this book or series?

I didn’t specifically get it from any particular place or outlet but at the time I was in a bit of rut with my own life having been ghosted by a former partner and having already been interested in fairytales that type of genre for many years, I just started typing one September evening and that was the beginning fragments of what is now “Her Dark Soul”

Do you write in more than one genre?

Yes but mainly dark fantasy. However my first PNR “Forbidden Rendezvous with the Devil “ comes out in May 2022

Tell me about something that you believe makes your writing unique or worthy of attention.

I’ve written a very prolific series with characters that readers love and are invested in where it’s been taken to all kinds of extremes. Themes include: Dark versus light, the darkness within oneself, own personal demons, forbidden love, tragic loss, heartbreak and has still remained popular.

Is there anything about your personal history or personality that manifests strongly in your writing?

Probably my own self-reliance. 

What else would be helpful for readers to know about you?

I like coffee and cats. A lot. I also have a sense of humor. I don’t talk book land shop all day either. I am very partial to a good fantasy film or even a binge-worthy series on Netflix. 

Excluding your own work, what underrated author or book would you recommend that more people read? Why?

My publicist Michael Evan is extremely prolific and churns out a lot of great work. He does more writing than me and is very disciplined while still producing quality. 

Which of your books do you most highly recommend? Why?

Kissing Darkness. Dark Spell #5, it’s the climatic novel out of the prequels and I would say the most deep one in terms of our four main characters, Isra, Astrid, Everilda and Samuel.

Which break, event, decision, or fortuitous circumstance has helped you or your writing career the most?

The best decision I made that has benefited my writing was self publishing via a vanity publisher the first time around because I learned so much about the industry that I may not have done without doing that. 

What question do you wish you would get asked more often?

Why aren’t there enough cats in the world? Cats are cool.

Do you have a catchphrase or quote that you like? What is it? And why do you choose it?

It is what it is. Simple but punchy. Let things go, move on. Don’t allow yourself to be dragged down by negativity. Sometimes we have things happen that aren’t so great but we can choose not to be dragged down by those circumstances to a point whereby we may not be happy at all and constantly stewing in that mindset. And another I like, if it’s meant to be it will be. Don’t sweat it.

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Thanks to Isra for participating.

Before I go any further, here's where you can get a free copy of In Death Bedrenched, the prequel to the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series -- On StoryOrigin.

Or, if you prefer--On BookCave.

This wasn't a week for an author interview. That was supposed to be next week, but I forgot--and I wasn't prepared to churn out a witty or thought-provoking piece.

With In Death Bedrenched launched--and one of my advance readers has already posted a review on Amazon--I've been free to resume writing book 5 of the series. It's a pleasure to get back to my friends in the series. Charles and Antonio are in adventures on land and sea; Alex and Lucette face serious difficulties and intrigue on multiple fronts; Atu and Iago have sought out former acquaintances which bring them new complications; and the dragon hunters must grapple with the corrupting influence of unbridled power in their midst.

 A picture is worth a thousand words, so here's a picture:

It may have nothing to do with what I'm about to write, but at least you've got the thousand words you came for.  Then again, it could have everything to do with the where this post is going. I don't know.

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“When a population is dependent on a machine, they are hostages of the men who tend the machines." -- Heinlein

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I'm pleased to announce that In Death Bedrenched has been thoroughly slashed, hammered, bent, welded, and formed into a presentable novella. A crack team of readers has completed the attack upon the early iteration, and it has come away stronger, faster, better than before--and it didn't cost six million dollars. I still have a cover to complete and some minor interior matters to address before it becomes available in paperback for the general public, and as a free ebook for my newsletter subscribers. The time draws near. 

I'm particularly pleased with the way some of the back story developed. I wrote this prequel to the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series primarily to address how the commander acquired his mysterious power and how Lucette came to possess the map to Cartier's cache. I got to delve into the commander's history and the native legends concerning the dragon stones. Lucette's background included more information about her father and what she did before coming to America. I enjoyed her story more, even though it's a terribly sad affair with a high body count. Of course, with a title like In Death Bedrenched, one must expect a casualty or twelve.

Lucette's method of obtaining the map challenged me. I think readers will enjoy the puzzle and chase aspect of her story. Her intelligence and courage prevail in ways that add to and are consistent with the character as she develops in the rest of the series.

The final chapter of the novella is unrelated to the immediate story of Lucette and the commander, and introduces two exciting characters of critical importance to the story. It's a teaser for the exhilarating adventure to come.

I had wanted to call the prequel "Crimson Tempest" based on a line from Shakespeare's Richard II. At least one other book had already taken that title, so I took "bedrenched" from the same line, and added the less poetic "In Death." Astute readers may note that the commander quotes other parts of that line at different times in the novella. One of my advance readers wanted to correct Shakespeare's line, but I decided to let the bard's words remain in all their iambic glory.  Another reader offered special kudos for one of the usages.

Here's the description of In Death Bedrenched:

Ulf Thorsen and Lucette Lagardere are set upon a collision course. The descendant of Viking settlers in the New World, Ulf has grasped unfettered power and found that he likes the feel of bending men to his will. His path to preeminence takes him to France in search of Cartier's map to a secret cache of power -- of magic. Lucette is a girl whose land is under attack from all sides. Her family may possess one part of a secret that could be the key to her country's deliverance. Driven from her home, she struggles to solve the mystery while fighting the English invaders. Can she find the map before the dark commander seizes it? Their journeys will leave a crimson trail across the green fields of France, and lead them in death bedrenched to the opening pages of the exciting Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series.

It is such crimson tempest should bedrehe fresh green lap of fair King Richard’s land,
My stooping duty tenderly shall show.
Go signify as much while here we march
Upon the grassy carpet of this plain.There were other books that had already taken that title, so