Seasons Within
Lele Iturrioz
(Acorn Publishing)
Publication date: December 15th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Most teenage girls know their name, where they came from, who they are. Not G, a beautiful redhead with unusual markings on her wrist. She gets her name from a silver locket she keeps around her neck, unaware the engraved letter “G” on its front holds the secret to her past.
G’s life before the age of six has been a mystery to her. Each night for the last twelve years she’s been haunted by the same nightmare—a war. Horrendous beasts, warriors able to wield the four elements, and a boy who saves her by means of blue fire taunt her memory. But on her eighteenth birthday, G’s life begins to unravel. When she meets her new Chemistry professor, a man with an uncanny resemblance to the boy who saves her, she knows there must be more to her dreams.
It’s dangerous not knowing who you are, what you’re capable of, and what future awaits you. Especially when the darkness that slaughtered your entire world, just found you.
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EXCERPT:
DUST. Everything was covered in dust and ashes.
Nádúr Noc, the main city of Terra was once beautiful and full of life. Not like that night, the night the darkness descended from the far land of Ifreann.
Now, the round city of Nádúr Noc was dark, burned, and destroyed.
Trees were no longer big and full of different green and golden, bright colors. The river Enosi, a river that surrounded the city with its peaceful crystalline water was now a rapid of blood and death. As for the sky, once bright and blue, it was now filled with dark smoke so thick, it made it nearly impossible to see the remains of the Zansèt Palace; a magnificent castle in the middle of the city made of pearls, flowers, rocks, and vines.
On that night, there was no music and laughter. The only thing anybody could hear were screams and the desolate pleas of the in-habitants. Fear, pain, and unimaginable loss.
This city wasn’t the ruins of any ordinary war, it was the ruins between the light side of nature and the darkest of evils. Beasts and other horrendous creatures destroyed everything that they came across. Killed everyone in their sight. Soulless creatures who lived to torture. Answering to no one, no one except Him, the one who owned the darkness. The one who hell itself was afraid of.
Author Bio:
Major geek by day, hermit writer by night! Love books, sugar gliders and everything that comes in a delicious taco.
I’m the author of the YA fantasy series, Seasons WithinI spend my time writing, planning on writing, reading, drinking coffee like there was no tomorrow, MMA and chilling with my friends and loved ones.
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Interview Xpresso Book Tours
What genre are your books?
Seasons Within is a YA fantasy book. It has romance, adventure and quirky humor.
How did you get interested in writing this particular genre?
I love fantasy. I like the idea of new worlds and possibilities beyond what we can achieve. I like stories where anyone ordinary can become extraordinary.
What is Seasons Within about?
It´s about a teenage redhead with unusual markings on her wrist that goes by the name of G.
Unlike most teenage girls, G doesn’t know her real name, she doesn’t know where she came from and she doesn’t know who she’s meant to become. G’s life before the age of six has been a mystery to her. Each night for the last twelve years she’s been haunted by the same nightmare—a war. Horrendous beasts, warriors able to wield the four elements, and a boy who saves her by means of blue fire taunt her memory. But on her eighteenth birthday, G’s life begins to unravel. When she meets her new Chemistry professor, a man with uncanny resemblance to the boy who saves her every night in her nightmare, she knows there must be more to her dreams.
How did you come up with the idea?
One day I was walking around with my headphones while listening to Breath of Life by Florence and the Machine (Awesome song!). The street was covered with hundreds of leafs and when the wind came, it made all the leaves fly. In my perspective and with the headphones it looked as if they were dancing, so I lifted my arms and danced among the flying leafs. Besides the fact that I looked like a crazy person swinging my arms to the sky, for a moment I felt like I was the one moving them.
And that’s how G, my main character was born, a girl who had the power to move Nature in a world that was possible.
How did you come up with the title?
The title is based on two things, the first one is that G has the power to wield all elements, she has the four seasons within herself and the second one is that the seasons represent the year she has before her Resurgence.
How old are your characters?
G turns 18 at the beginning of the book. The rest are between 15 to 24 years old.
Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?
G is an extraordinary girl hidden in plain sight. She is a teenage girl who just learned her real name and that she comes from a place where people can wield one of the four elements making her the only one who can wield, destroy or create all four of them.
G is supposed to learn her gifts in order to defeat a man that almost destroyed her world.
She’s not afraid of dying as much as she’s afraid of letting down the people she loves, her new family. She’s intrigued by a man she shouldn’t be talking to and she’s in love with a man who sees her as his job... but most of all, G is a curious teenager who wants to find herself.
Describe your main characters in one word.
G – curious Edan – alpha
Priyam – smart-ass Veter – childish
Shui – motherly Willow – bitchy
Donovan – flirt Hunter – lost
Synthia – vapid the twins, Pink and Floyd – insane.
How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?
Every name has a meaning or a reason why. For example, willow is the name of a tree and my character Willow is the one who can wield plants.
Except for Priyam, that name came straight out of one of my best friends. (Thanks Priy!)
If this book is part of a series, tell us a little about it?
Yes, it is going to be a five book series. The first book is Seasons Within, this is the book where G finds out what she’s capable of and who she’s destined to become, followed by four books about the year G needs to survive before her Resurgence.
Tell us about the cover/s and how it/they came about.
The cover for Seasons Within has all the seasons on the First Tree. G is merged with the First Tree as she becomes a part of all the seasons.
Who designed your book cover/s?
The illustration was made by a talented artist named Joanna Haber (you can find her on Etsy or Facebook on ABitofWhimsyArt)
And the design was made by an amazing designer named Ibet Sakoda (you can find her on inspiralia.com.mx)
When you develop characters and plot, do you already know who they are and what’s going to happen before you begin writing or do you let them develop as you go?
I’m a mayor planer. I have a huge binder with all the planning, ideas, outlines, characters and everything for all of the five books. I plan everything and everyone ahead because if I know where my characters end up, it becomes easier for me to know how to get them there.
Who are the bad guys in this book?
There a lot of bad guys in Seasons Within. There are dragons made by bones and huge bat wings, there are giant spiders with three scorpion tails, there are snakes covered in spikes that grow each time they eat someone and there are blind wolves with needles instead of hair that can track anyone from miles away. All of them are led by the same man, the one who just found where G was hiding all those 12 years.
How did you get inspired to write your antagonist?
I got inspired by all those men who believed in something good that within time made them obsessed and turned radical.
Is there a message in your novel that you hope readers will grasp?
Nature can survive without humans but humans can’t survive without nature. We need to take better care of the only planet we have.
What was your favorite part to write and why?
I loved writing Edan and G together. I like to play around with their chemistry. To find a balance between their personalities.
Out of the protagonists you’ve written about so far, which one do you feel you relate to the most?
Everyone has a piece of me, even when I didn’t plan for it.
What is your favorite part of the book?
I’m between two parts. When they go to the amusement park. (I enjoyed the idea of having a strong warrior that fights horrendous beasts completely afraid of riding a rollercoaster thanks to his trust issues) and when Edan and G are trapped under the roots.
If you could spend time a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do during that day?
Veter (the wind wielder) and Priyam. I would fly and joke around all day.
What character in your book are you least likely to get along with?
Synthia… it even stresses me out each time I write about her.
Seasons Within has a world of its own called Terra, tell us about Terra.
Terra is the twin sister of this Earth. They are both on the same planet just different essence. Terra is divided by 5 cities, Wintercliff is the frozen city on top of the mountain where the wind temple is located. Lakefall is a floating city on a lake, they have the water temple underneath the ocean. Emberdale is inside a volcano, this city has the temple of fire hidden by a curtain of lava, Moonstrand is the colorful forest where the earth temple is inside a huge tree and finally Nádúr Noc, the main city of Terra, where the castle and the games arena are located.
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