Today I am pleased to host another Page Turner Book Tour! Please welcome J.S. Council.
Please tell us a little about yourself.
“Although I didn’t fully commit to making
writing my life’s work until my sophomore year of college, I have always been a
writer at heart. I was the only student in class to get excited about school
papers, even asking to write a few for extra credit on occasion. I graduated
from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a degree in Creative
Writing – Fiction. After graduating, I moved to Japan where I wrote most of my
debut novel, Airion: Return to Zire
and all of my second novel Airion: Light
and Dawn – the first two of a four book series. Japan was a peaceful place
to just sit and write, but life in Japan was also filled with adventure.
However much I loved it there, I had to return home to do what I love most.
Write.”
Why do you think people should choose your books over another author?
The beauty of reading is that the reader doesn’t have to
choose between books or authors. They just have to choose which book they’d
like to read first. Haha. I would say that my book is very different than the
mainstream novels selling right now. Along with the underwater setting and the
introduction of strange creatures of the deep, there are two teenage twin male
protagonists and, although there is a bit of romance in this piece, it is
written more as a bonus to the piece than the driven force behind the work. It
is a true Epic Fantasy.
What do you hope readers take with them after reading one of your
stories?
After reading Airion:
Return to Zire and Airion: Light and
Dawn, when it comes out, I want people to take away a sense of courage and
motivation to fight through their doubts and failures to have success in
whatever it is they want to do in life. I want readers to be able to relate to
Kobi’s feelings of betrayal and admire his selfless forgiveness while his world
is crashing down around him. But most of all, I want my readers to closed my
book after reading the last page feeling fully entertained and excited to read
the next book. J
What other careers have you had?
I used to be an English Teacher in Japan when I lived there
for two and a half years. I taught English to Japanese Students of all ages
from 2 to 65 years old. I created my own lessons and taught them with or
without the help of the Japanese Head Teacher who maybe could or maybe couldn’t
speak English. It was a great and rewarding job. The kids had a great time
touching, pulling, and tying my dreadlocks in bows and hearts and anything else
that would stay. Oh, I loved Japan.
Are any of your characters based on real people or events?
The origin of the Airian people is pretty interesting. The
Airians were land walkers but became submerged underwater during what they
called “The Flood to Rule All Floods”. This flood covered the land and
destroyed all of the people on Earth. Sound familiar? I thought it would be
very interesting to link one of the most famously known events of the western
world to the piece. It’s funny, I’ve only had a few people come to me and ask
about the link. I guess it does provide a good reason why there is a society
residing underwater.
Please tell us 5 miscellaneous facts about yourself.
1. I can read, write, and speak conversational Japanese.
2. I have been dancing since I was 6. I dance ballet,
contemporary, jazz, and hip hop.
3. It took the same amount of time to write my first novel
as it did to push myself to finally start my dreadlocks. 4 years.
4. I recently met, talked to, and shook hands with the
English and Japanese voice actors of Goku from Dragon Ball Z. I am a very big
dork. ^_^
5. I decided to try writing for a living because I had so
many interests in life, I didn’t think I could ever settle on just one thing.
With writing, I didn’t have to choose.
Thank you J.S.! And now here is a little about her book.
Title: Airion: Return To
Zire
Author: J.S. Council
Series: Airion Series
Genre: Young Adult Epic Fantasy
Publisher: Self Published
Formats
Available In: Paperback, Ebook (HTML, Kindle, Epub,
PDF, RTF, LRF, Palm Doc, Plain Text (download), Plain Text (View)
Aside from his outward appearance, Kobi is a normal
thirteen-year-old boy. Living with his mother, his father, and his identical
twin brother, Raili, with whom he spends most days at the cove watching
dolphins and whales feed, he is happy with his life just the way it is. But his
fourteenth birthday is coming and Kobi has no idea how much his life is about
to change.
When
Raili is pulled through a puddle in the floor of their second floor bedroom by
a monster armed with poisonous, spiked tentacles, Kobi goes in after him. What
he finds isn’t Raili, but a new world all together, buried beneath the ocean.
With a bounty on his head that has been there since he and Raili’s birth, Kobi
will have to learn to fight or die before he can be reunited with Raili again.
Everything he knew to be true was a lie.
People
he loved and trusted are not who they seem. He isn’t the normal boy he thought
himself to be. A transformation is coming. Raili is gone. Blood is shed.
Traitors lurk, waiting for their chance. War is inevitable. The fate of the
world of Airion rests in his hands. The Wiseone speaks. Failure is certain.
Book
Links:
Enjoy an excerpt from AIRON!
“If the Cellians just wanted us dead, why
didn’t they just kill Raili instead of taking him?” asked Kobi.
“That is the question, isn’t it?” said
Kaiyen slowly. “If they only wanted to use his power, wouldn’t they have taken
them both?”
“Not necessarily,” said Rick, fist to his
chin. “Having both would probably be too dangerous to risk. They may have been
afraid of being destroyed from the inside if they worked together to free
themselves. Even with one son of the prophecy, they could cause considerable
damage, or so they may think.”
“But Raili would never do that though,”
Kobi protested. “Dad…I…I mean, Black Master Rick. You know Raili; you know he
wouldn’t do anything like that.”
“It may not be his choice,” said Kimi. “The
Cellians can be very persuasive.”
Kobi’s heart sank. “What would they do to
him?” he asked, not wanting to hear the answer.
“Whatever they had to,” said Kaiyen. “That
is why we must focus on a plan of rescue, before Raili Saio acquires the powers
they seek.”
“On our fourteenth birthday,” said Kobi.
“Yes,” said Kai Ventra. “Almost all Airians
change on their fourteenth birthday. Along with the natural changes they
undergo, such as growing gills, they also acquire unique individual skills, allowing
them to thrive more than most others in that ability. These abilities can be
anything from designing exceptional clothing to controlling the elements.”
“The stronger the ability, the harder it is
to control,” said Kaiyen. “No doubt Cella is depending on this.”
“It won’t work,” said Rick.
“Agreed,” nodded Kaiyen. “But there is
another matter that must be discussed, if I may.” Questioning eyes turned to
Kaiyen. “Lady Sara,” Kaiyen continued after a swift nod from the King. He was
addressing the old woman seated beside Kimi, “have you seen anything in your
Kubec about a traitor in Zire.”
Whispers filled the room. “You go too far,
Captain,” said Bran.
“What are you saying,” said the advisor to
Bran’s left.
“Silence,” said Sai Thayne. The talking
ceased instantly. The King’s questioning eyes fell on Kaiyen then turned to
Lady Sara. “Wise One?”
“This man possesses a tainted heart,” said
the old woman, her eyes gazing into the diamond block. “His treachery dives
deep.”
“Do you know who this man is?” asked
Kaiyen.
“I see not his face nor his rank,” said
Lady Sara, her brow creased and her hands resting on the Kubec. “However, he
knows all that we know and some we do not.”
“It is as I thought,” said Kaiyen, “Zire’s
traitor has resurfaced.”
Thank you for hosting me! It was an honor! ^_^
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