Telyn Gwndal has always feared Majik. But when her destiny brings her back to the place her nightmares were born, Telyn must take up a sacred quest to avenge the father she never knew. Her greatest ally is a man with a secret that could reawaken a past Telyn believes dead and buried, and destroy the truth she holds sacred. Can she trust him with her heart, or will destiny force her to let him go?
While unpublished until her twenties, Esther Mitchell spent her life dreaming of writing. She learned to read on such classics as Gawain & the Green Knight and Beowulf. Raised in Europe, with its wide exposure to mythology, history, and the paranormal, she quickly became fascinated by the lore of the unseen, eventually translating into an educational background in parapsychology and a lifetime of study and practice in spiritual healing and counseling.
Life in a fast-paced, on-the-edge military community ingrained her with both an intimate understanding of the military world, and the ability to craft edgy suspense.
At the age of eight, she fell in love with romance, and by the time she was twelve, she had already penned the first of a series of Arthurian romances, and was working on what would later become the futuristic suspense series, Underground.
Always dedicated foremost to her writing, she writes under her real name, and has completed about thirty novels to date, of which ten have previously been published, with more to come. Reviewers and fans alike have dubbed her work "exciting," "edge of your seat" and "daring." For more information on either her books or her work with spiritual healing, visit her website at http://www.esthermitchell.com
Also by Esther Mitchell
Books and Awards:
Underground #1: TAMIA (Release current - e-book and print) Underground #2: MIND KILLER (Release current - e-book and print) Underground #3: TERMINAL HUNTER - Pending Re-release (Golden Angel Award - Fallen Angel Reviews, 2007)
Project Prometheus: IN HER NAME (Release current - e-book only) (Finalist, Romantic Suspense - 2006 EPPIES) Project Prometheus: HOPE OF HEAVEN (Release current - e-book only) (Nominated, Love Romances & More Best Romance - 2008 Nominated, Preditors & Editors, Best Paranormal - 2008) Project Prometheus: SHADOW WALKER (Release current - e-book only) (Nominated, Love Romances & More Best All-Around Book, 2009)
BURDEN OF PROOF - Charity Novel. Currently available for donation -
www.esthermitchell.com exclusive
The Curse of the Midnight Star: INTRIGUE (No longer in publication)
Operation: Pleiades, DESPERATE MEASURES (Winner, Best Science Fiction - 2005 Enchanted in Romance Readers' Choice Awards) - No longer in publication
Operation: Pleiades, CONTAGION - No longer in publication
SIGHT UNSEEN - Not currently in publication at this time
Section Psi: ILLEGAL PURSUIT - Not currently in publication
TEMPTING FATE/MY FAIR APPRENTICE - Writing as Rose Lyley - Not currently
in publication. Some print copies available from author.
Legends of Tirum Series Blurb
In a world once decimated by a terrible feud, only one mythical hope of lasting peace remains.
Legend speaks of the Aerai Majin – a wise and powerful Majin who once, long ago, drew
together the nine Elements and used their power to reshape a world on the brink of
disaster. When war broke out amongst the power-hungry Maji, the peace-loving Aerai
Majin scattered his knowledge, entrusting it to nine bloodlines that remained untouched
by the war. It is said that when the nine Chosen of the pure bloodlines come together in
the Aerai Majin’s sacred space, the world will be returned from Darkness. But the cost of
doing so means opening wide the Gate of the Underworld, and unleashing a Culling the
power mongers would do anything to prevent.
An Interview with Esther Mitchell
By Holly Hewson for The Romance Studio
HH: Esther, thank you for talking with us at TRS! Please tell us about your featured book, Legends of Tirum: Daughter of Ashes. Is this the start of a new series?
EM: Yes, Daughter of Ashes debuts a brand new series, and a new facet of my writing career, branching into Fantasy-Romance. This series takes place in an entirely Fantasy setting - a world on the mend from a terrible magical war, and faced with catastrophic destruction if the balance of powers isn't soon set right again. In Daughter of Ashes, readers are introduced to several of the series' characters, and especially to the most important character of the series - Telyn Gwndal - who is a constant character throughout the series. Telyn is the daughter of two warring families with deeply magical bloodlines, and she's so frightened of the magic in her own blood that she'll do anything to escape it. This first book follows her journey to understand her own past, and herself, better.
HH: A woman whose destiny challenges her and a man she may or may not be able to trust with her love? Where did you get the idea for their amazing story?
EM: *grins* Strangely enough, this series didn't start out as a Romance idea. When I first drafted it, it was supposed to be a straight Fantasy Adventure. Only problem was, the story just seemed to be lacking something - an element that would face Telyn against her own destiny, and prompt the course of the story. One day, I was reading an article about spies, imposters, and the people who fall for them (doesn't appear to have any correlation, right? *grins*), and suddenly I had this image of Nacaris, and this whole twisted story of a past seething with dangerous secrets he doesn't want revealed. And the "What if" game began... :)
HH: What do you like best about Telyn and what was it like in her shoes?
EM: I like Telyn's courage. Even faced with the things she fears the most, she does what has to be done. As for being in her shoes - typically, my characters tell their stories through me, rather than me actually stepping into their shoes. *grins* Call me the channel between them and you, as the reader.
HH: How did you go about creating her world?
EM: *laughs* Believe me, it was labor-intensive (part of the reason this series took nearly 10 years to get to publication from its inception)! Every angle had to be covered, from constellation charts/times of year, to planetary/satellite positions, to land masses, bodies of water, all the myriad of races that make up the world (their cultures, identities, monetary units, religions, languages... you name it, I had to build it). I literally crafted an entire new world, and beyond, in order to tell this story.
HH: What else do you have in store for lucky readers?
EM: *grins* I'm always writing, so there's always something new on the horizon! The next book of Legends of Tirum will be out later this year. I'm also hard at work on the next in my Project Prometheus series (finishing up the Atlantis Silver set), and more of my Underground Science Fiction series. I'm also involved in a Science Fiction anthology series coming out from Desert Breeze Publishing later this year.
HH: What do you think today's readers are looking for and how do you fill that demand in your writing?
EM: I hesitate to declare I know what every reader out there is looking for, because everyone likes different things. I know that, speaking as an avid reader, I always look for books that are well-researched, well-plotted, and with characters I can actually care about. I won't write anything I can't stand to read, myself.
HH: What are you most proud of in your writing career?
EM: That I got this far! *laughs* No, really, I don't think of writing in terms of pride - I'm happy when a book is completed, and I look at it in awe and go "Wow, I actually did it!" No matter how many books I write, I always have that same sense of awe when I complete one.
HH: What makes it all worth it to you as an author?
EM: Reader feedback. Whether positive, negative, or anywhere in between, knowing that someone has an opinion about what I wrote tells me two things: First, they're reading. And second, they're thinking about what they're reading. Those things make writing worthwhile, whether I'm writing a novel, or a blog post.
HH: Do you read print books, ebooks, or both?
EM: *laughs* I'm happily addicted to the written word, so I read anything I can get my hands on - I don't care if it's electronic or print - I'll happily read it all! :)
HH: Any big plans for the summer?
EM: *grins* Writing! I have a deadline in August. :)
