Blog Tour: The Star Child by Stephanie Keyes

It's so much fun being apart of a blog tour. Getting to meet fabulous new authors and learning about the genres they write and what inspired their debut novel. 

The world is about to be cloaked in darkness. Only one can stop the night.

Kellen St. James has spent his entire life being overlooked as an unwanted, ordinary, slightly geeky kid. That is until a beautiful girl, one who has haunted his dreams for the past eleven years of his life, shows up spinning tales of a prophecy. Not just any old prophecy either, but one in which Kellen plays a key role.Suddenly, Kellen finds himself on the run through a Celtic underworld of faeries and demons, angels and gods, not to mention a really ticked off pack of hellhounds, all in order to save the world from darkness. But will they make it in time?To be available at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Allromanceebooks, Kobo and Inkspell Publishing Website

Book Trailer

The Author

About the Author

Stephanie Keyes holds an undergraduate degree in Management Information Systems as well as a Master's in Education. A seasoned, facilitator, Mrs. Keyes worked in Training and Development for an international telecommunications corporation for twelve years; spending the first eight years of her career as a Software Trainer and Technical Writer and the last four working in Human Resources and Employee Development.

In May of 2012, Mrs. Keyes left the corporate world to focus on her family and her writing full-time. She also operates a freelance graphic and instructional design business, Sycamore Road Design.

Inkspell Publishing will release her first novel, The Star Child, on September 21, 2012. She is now currently at work on the second book in The Star Child Trilogy, The Fallen Stars.

Keyes lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two children, and Riley the dog.

Contact Stephanie

Website: www.stephaniekeyes.com

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephanie-Keyes/150860604966160

Twitter: www.twitter.com/StephanieKeyes

I received the privilege of interviewing Ms. Keyes, and learn more about her book and what gave her the inspiration to begin writing it.

What inspired you to write The Star Child?

I just looked out the window one night and stared at the stars and this term "Star Child" popped into my head. The idea about this girl that lit the stars in the sky at night came along with it and I just kept kicking it around in my mind. Once I had that idea, I really wanted to see where it would go, what she might become. Ironically, the girl, who would later become Calienta, isn't the even protagonist of the story. 

What made you want to write using a Celtic Theme?

A collection of reasons… My family originally came from Ireland, so I grew up hearing stories about "the good people" and legends about the homeland. When my husband and I went there in 2006, I was forever altered having visited the country. Sometimes you get to travel to spots so beautiful that you can't even believe you're really seeing them, that they exist. That's how Ireland made me feel. It just transports you. You truly feel as though magick is just a step away when you're there. Also, setting is very important to me. If the setting doesn't speak to me, then I have little motivation as a writer to carry the story through.

Is the main Character Kellan based on someone you know? Not really. He has many of my characteristics, but he's really made up of qualities that I admire. Honesty, intelligence, loyalty, romance… He has those qualities embedded in him. Writing for Young Adults and those of us, like myself who wish we were still Young Adults (smiles), I couldn't imagine better qualities for teens and tweens to strive for.

Who are your favorite authors?

OR Melling, JK Rowling, Carrie Jones, Cate Tiernan, TH White

What is your advice for aspiring writers?

Write what you love and write it to the best of your ability. As I'm sharing this, I am wondering if I'm quoting someone here. (smiles again) If you don't love your story, I mean truly love it down to the soles of your feet, then it is so easy to get discouraged. I read statistic that there were over a million new writers in 2011. The competition is fierce. If you don't love your story and you only worry about things like trends, the competition an whether your book will sell, then that will come across in your writing.

Write with joy in your heart. Write with the idea that it may never been seen or read. Write what you love because your readers will see how much you love your story and hopefully, they just might love it too.

The Star Child is Ms. Keyes first novel and will be released September 21, 2012. 

Character for Realms Torn

So while I continue to write books two and three in my trilogy for publishing purposes, these are the actors who I would pick for my book, and have pictured in my head. This really helps me to have a visual of the characters so I know who I am writing, how to describe their looks, what kind of personalities will they have, and what will be the major challenge in the series. I have minored in theater, so the actors are picked are the ones who match the personality of the characters in my trilogy. I DO NOT OWN THESE IMAGES

La Terres de Fey

Nephilim

or 

Illuminate by Aimee Agresti

Decided to read another fairy book. I really like the fairy trend. The fairy trend is my absolute favorite of all the trends.




Haven Terra is a brainy, shy high school outcast. But everything begins to change when she turns sixteen. Along with her best friend Dante and their quiet and brilliant classmate Lance, she is awarded a prestigious internship in the big city— Chicago—and is sent to live and work at a swanky and stylish hotel under the watchful eyes of a group of gorgeous and shockingly young-looking strangers: powerful and alluring hotel owner Aurelia Brown; her second-in-command, the dashing Lucian Grove; and their stunning but aloof staff of glamazons called The Outfit. As Haven begins falling for Lucian, she discovers that these beautiful people are not quite what they seem. With the help of a mysterious book, she uncovers a network of secret passageways from the hotel’s jazz-age past that leads her to the heart of the evil agenda of Aurelia and company: they’re in the business of buying souls. Will they succeed in wooing Haven to join them in their recruitment efforts, or will she be able to thwart this devilish set’s plans to take the souls of her classmates on prom night at the hotel?


Okay as much as I love books about fairies, the story had potential, but it just wasn't clicking for me. The plot became overly predictable and there were parts that needed improvement. What ever happened to good old plot twists in stories? The writing style was really good.This is another example of a trend book, it felt like I was reading the same thing over and over again. Human girls finding out they were fairies. 

*BIG SIGH* If you are still reading the trends like I am then it is clear to see why the Big Publishers move through the trends so quickly, it's just story retelling after story retelling.

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Another angel series I have been so curious to read but never got the chance to read because of school.



An angel is sent to Earth on a mission.But falling in love is not part of the plan.Three angels – Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, the youngest and most human – are sent by Heaven to bring good to a world falling under the influence of darkness. They work hard to conceal their luminous glow, superhuman powers, and, most dangerous of all, their wings, all the while avoiding all human attachments.Then Bethany meets Xavier Woods, and neither of them is able to resist the attraction between them. Gabriel and Ivy do everything in their power to intervene, but the bond between Xavier and Bethany seems too strong.The angel’s mission is urgent, and dark forces are threatening. Will love ruin Bethany or save her?



I must say I really enjoyed this particular book. It was a little bit different from the majority of angel stories out there. I also liked the religious aspects it had to it. But the writing was not that great. Adornetto was very young, according to some sources she was around eighteen when this novel was written. But it never got a high sales ranking due to it. The story had so much potential but the pages felt rushed and it needed more heavy editing.