WARRIOR is out in the Wild

WARRIOR OF THE WILD has been out for one full week! I’m so excited to introduce you to Rasmira, Iric, and Soren. (I like to think of them as my very own Harry Potter trio.) Here is a description of the book:

As her father’s chosen heir, eighteen-year-old Rasmira has trained her whole life to become a warrior and lead her village. But when her coming-of-age trial is sabotaged and she fails the test, her father banishes her to the monster-filled wilderness with an impossible quest: To win back her honor, she must kill the oppressive god who claims tribute from the villages each year or die trying. ​

Rasmira is my point of view character, and she is the Hufflepuff to Alosa’s Slytherin. Being a Slytherpuff myself, it felt only natural to draw on the other side of my personality to create this character. Rasmira shares many qualities with her predecessor. Both girls are fierce with a weapon, a loyal friend to have, and sarcastic to a fault.

Though it is my third published book, WARRIOR OF THE WILD is the sixth book I have written from start to finish. Four of those prior five books all had something in common: sword fights. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good sword fight, but I grew tired of writing fight scenes with the sword, and I decided that for this book I would like to do something different.

That’s when Gimli popped into my head, swearing his allegiance to the fellowship of the ring. “And my ax!”

And suddenly I knew what I wanted to do differently. I wanted to write a battle-ax story so that all the fight scenes would feel a little different as I was writing them.

But in order for things to make sense, I needed to figure out why a society would choose to use battle axes. They’re heavier, harder to swing, and harder to aim than swords. There needed to be a reason why these weapons would be the primary method for killing.

So I came up with a world where everything is more hardened than our own. The animals have tough exoskeletons, the fruits all have tough husks, the vegetables have thick skins, the monsters are massive and relentless. I created a world where the only way to survive is with an ax.

On top of the axes, I took a few other small elements from Viking culture (such as names and the idea of a warrior-based society), but for the most part, the world, scenery, religion, society, structures, etc. are all of my own creation.

This book is a standalone fantasy, so you can read and finish the story without having to wait for any sequels. Next year, I have another standalone fantasy releasing, but more on that later!

I hope you will enjoy this world of monsters, gods, betrayal, friendship, and hope! WARRIOR OF THE WILD is available wherever books are sold. You can find buy links here.