Book 1 of The Angelaeon Circle
Paperback and eBook, 256 pages
Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: WaterBrook Press (Random House)
(June 21, 2011)
ISBN: 978-0307730121
Price: $9.99
“The stranger’s cloak fell back, and with it, a long, white blood-stained wing.”
Melaia, a young priestess, witnesses the gruesome murder of an emaciated stranger in the temple courtyard. Just after she discovers wings on the stranger, the murderer enters the temple, and what Melaia has known only through song and story suddenly takes on flesh. Angels and shape-shifters were myths and stories . . . until now.
Melaia finds herself in the middle of a blood feud between two immortal brothers who destroyed the stairway to heaven, stranding angels in the earthly realm. When the feud turns violent and Melaia becomes a target, she finds refuge with a band of wandering angels attempting to restore the stairway. But the restoration is impossible without the repayment of an ancient debt, the “breath of angel, blood of man,” a payment that involves Melaia’s heart, soul, and destiny.
Book 2 of The Angelaeon Circle
Paperback and eBook, 256 pages
Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: WaterBrook Press (Random House)
(March 13, 2012)
ISBN: 978-0307730145
Price: $9.99
To prove himself worthy of a princess, Trevin must first defeat the terror of his past.
In Camrithia, a land of shadows and mystical secrets, Trevin lives to serve King Laetham. But his heart belongs to the princess, Melaia. When the king sends Trevin on a dangerous quest to find the missing comains, he must leave Melaia to the advances of a swaggering Dregmoorian prince.
Challenged to prove his worth, Trevin throws himself into his quest. Challenged to prove his love, Trevin undertakes a second mission—find the harps Melaia seeks in order to restore the stairway to heaven. Through fire caves, rogue winds, and murderous threats, Trevin remains steadfastly dedicated to his quest—even when he is falsely accused of a heinous crime. As Trevin’s time runs out, he realizes he must face the shame and horror of his own past and the terror-dream that has come to life. Will he have the courage to finish what he has started?
Book 3 of The Angelaeon Circle
Lies, Deceit, Kidnapping, Treason.
When friends can’t be trusted and courage becomes costly, can Melaia and Trevin trust their love to hold?
Melaia sends Trevin into enemy territory to retrieve the third harp she needs to restore the stairway to heaven and free the angels trapped in a human world. But an assailant wants Trevin dead, an unknown traitor is passing information to the invading enemy army, and the Firstborn immortal has vowed to destroy all three harps, along with anyone who stands in his way.
Separated, Trevin and Melaia try to keep their faith, hope, and love for each other alive. From the land of Windwing horses to the mountaintop lookouts of Stargazers, from the blight-ridden fields of the Camrithian homeland to the night-dark caverns of the Under-Realm, they face the ultimate test: What are they willing to sacrifice to restore the stairway and save their world? Will they lay aside their love for each other? Will they give up their future together?
Website: KarynHenleyFiction.com
Twitter: @KarynHenley
Facebook: Karyn Henley
Award-winning author Karyn Henley has written more than 100 titles, including a mix of children’s books and articles; parent-teacher books, articles, and curricula; and preschool musicals and CD’s/DVD’s of original music for children. Karyn revitalized the category of children’s Bibles when she wrote the original The Beginner’s Bible, which sold over five million copies and was translated into seventeen languages.
Venturing into the young adult market, Karyn’s first book of The Angelaeon Circle, Breath of Angel, hit bookshelves in June 2011 from WaterBook Press (Random House), followed by Eye of the Sword March 2012. She releases the final planned installment of the fantasy trilogy, Throat of the Night, just one year later.
An accomplished songwriter, Karyn has been a Dove Award nominee and received a regional Emmy Award as Music Composer for a Christmas television special. She has traveled worldwide speaking to parents and teachers about child development and communication with children and teens, as well as entertaining children and their families in storytelling/active movement sessions and concerts.
A graduate of Abilene Christian University (BSEd), Karyn received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2004.
Karyn lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Interview for Pen & Muse
1. Where are you from? Tell us a little about yourself!
I was raised in West Texas, land of huge sky and few trees. I spent a week every summer on my granddad’s ranch, where I rode horses, counted jackrabbits, and ate rattlesnake. But my favorite pastime was definitely reading. In college I got an education degree, and for a while I wrote curricula and activity books. But my heart was in fiction, so I went to the Vermont College of Fine Arts and earned an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Now I live in Tennessee, happily surrounded by big, beautiful trees.
2. Tell us about your book. How did it get started?
I did a writing exercise that required me to describe one of the most emotional moments in my life, then transfer that emotion into a story. My emotional moment was a betrayal, a knife in the gut feeling that led to an intense struggle to forgive. With those emotions in mind, I envisioned a different kind of betrayal and placed it in a fantasy world.
3. How do you create characters?
I usually start with a conflict and imagine who is involved, which leads to my protagonist, antagonist, and usually a secondary character or two. Then I listen to their voices as they interact in a scene (which may or may not end up in the novel). I ask: Why are they there? What do they want? Motivation is huge. Without it there’s no story. So early on, I tune in to the characters’ psychological bent. Their appearance is less important to me than who they are.
4. What inspires and what got you started in writing?
I began writing because I loved reading. (Only when I started writing did I realize how difficult it is to write something worth reading!) Now inspiration comes not only when I read, but also when I write. Madeleine L’Engle said, “Inspiration comes during work, not before it.” I’ve found that to be true. Memories of sensations, emotions, places and events inspire me while I’m in the process of writing.
5. Where do you write? Is there something you need in order to write (music, drinks?)
I love seeing nature when I look up from my keyboard, so I write at my upstairs desk with a view of my backyard and the treetops I love. Or at a table in my sunroom, where I can watch birds and squirrels – and rain and snow, depending on the weather. Or at my dining room table, where I see my rhododendrons and my favorite tree, a tulip poplar. As for “must haves,” the answer is silence – or the sounds of nature from an open window.
6. How do you get your ideas for writing?
Ideas are everywhere. My job is to remain open and catch them in my mental net. A radio segment about our debt culture provided a major plot idea for the Angelaeon Circle fantasies, as did reading about World Trees in mythology. I get ideas from overheard conversations, memories, people’s dilemmas, places, whatever fascinates me. I try to write what I want to read.
7. What do you like to read?
I enjoy reading good contemporaries, historicals, and of course, fantasies. Some of my favorite writers are Ursula LeGuin, Brandon Sanderson, Anne McCaffrey, Tamora Pierce, Kristen Cashore, Orson Scott Card . . . too many to name.
8. What would your advice be for authors or aspiring in regards to writing?
Listen with an open mind to critique from writers and readers you trust. Do the hard work necessary to make your novel what it needs to be. And enjoy the process. Most of a writer’s life is spent in the difficult process of writing. The glamorous part is fleeting. Afterward you’re back to the process again. Each book brings its own writing challenges, so you’re always learning to write whichever book you’re working on. If you enjoy the process – or can be content with it – you’ll find the writer’s life satisfying and rewarding.
9. Anything else you’d like to share?
I’m so impressed by the number of people who love to read. So thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy every book you pick up!
Blog Tour: Karyn Henley