From author J.L.Gribble:
In honor of
the release of my second novel, I’d thrilled to have the chance to introduce readers to one of my favorite characters. Torialanthas “Toria” Connor
was one of two major point-of-view characters in book 1 of the Steel Empires
series, Steel Victory. In Steel Magic, she takes center stage for
a tale of her own. While not strictly a YA urban fantasy novel, this story
features Toria and her friends setting off on their first adventure after
graduating college.
From the
back of the book:
Funerals are usually the end of the
story, not the beginning.
Newly graduated warrior-mages Toria
Connor and Kane Nalamas find themselves the last remaining mages in the city
when a mage school teacher mysteriously falls ill and dies. But taking over the
school themselves isn’t in the cards. They’re set to become professional
mercenaries—if they make it through the next 18 months as journeymen first.
The debate over whether to hunt mutated
monsters in the Wasteland or take posh bodyguard jobs is put on hold when a
city elder hires them to solve the mystery of the disappearing mages. Toria and
Kane’s quest brings them to the British colonial city of New Angouleme, where
their initial investigation reveals that the problem is even greater than they
feared.
But when a friend is kidnapped, they’ll
have to travel to the other side of the globe to save her, save themselves, and
save magic itself.
If that
didn’t hook you, hopefully this interview with Toria by her author will!
Tell us about a few of your favorite things.
Oh, I see
how it is. Lowball me with the easy questions before you hit me with the hard
stuff? Fine. “Favorite things” is pretty nebulous, but I’ll give it a shot.
First of all, can I tell you how annoying it is that everyone assumes my
favorite color is purple just because I’m a storm mage? I like it and all, and
my magical shields do trend toward violet, but give me a nice teal any day. What
else? Let’s see, my favorite food and favorite dessert are the same thing.
Delicious, delicious crème brulee, especially if it’s made by my dad. I think
half the reason I finally learned that silly fire cantrip was because I wanted
to caramelize the top myself.
Okay, then here’s something more
interesting. Since you’ve chosen mercenary as your career field, first you have
to make it through 18 months as a journeyman. Was it difficult to leave your
hometown?
I may not
have been born in Limani, but I got there as an infant and it’s the only place
I’ve ever called home. Before I graduated college, I’d already risked my life
to defend it twice. So yeah, I’m kind of attached to the place. I think it’s
more difficult to leave my family behind, but a girl’s gotta spread her wings
sometime. The fact that my adopted mom is a vampire helps, though. You don’t
have to worry so much about someone who is functionally immortal. She’ll even
look exactly the same whenever I come home!
Your mom is a vampire? What is the rest of
your family like?
Just as
epic. Grandpa is also a vampire. He found me as a baby after my parents died,
but didn’t really want the responsibility of a kid, so he took me to his
progeny. Mama also had no interest in a kid, but that’s where Dad stepped in.
He’s a daywalker—a human bonded to my mom, which grants him long life, too.
Kane, the guy I consider my brother, is my partner in all things magic and
mercenary, since we’re a bonded warrior-mage pair. And Syri, my best friend, is
an elf. We’re definitely not a normal bunch around the dinner table. Especially
since it’s breakfast for half of them.
Do you ever wish you could have been raised
by a normal family? Is there anything else about your past you would change?
I wouldn’t
trade my crazy family for the world! If I wanted normal as a kid, I could
always go over to Kane’s house. But normal was relative there, too, since his
parents were also mages. One thing I would change is my college major. I love
chemistry and I love metallurgy, but I should have stuck with those as a hobby.
Switching to a political science double-major so late in the game would have
saved me a lot of all-nighters my senior year. But that was the field of study
that would benefit me most as a mercenary, so I made the sacrifice.
So overall, you’re pretty happy with your
life? What do you like most about yourself?
I am
amazing, and don’t you forget it! In all honesty, I think my biggest strength
lies in the power of my friends. I’m pretty convinced that I can take on the
world, but that’s because I know they will always have my back. Kane, Syri, and
I might be connected magically, but all that power would be useless if we
weren’t also extraordinary friends.
What do you like least about yourself?
I can be a
little arrogant, if that wasn’t obvious! I guess that happens when you’re told
that you’re a child prodigy for half your life, in the whole doing magic area.
I’ve gotten knocked down a few pegs since then, but I still have a hard time
knowing what my limits are. That’s probably going to backfire on me someday.
And finally, tell us a bit about why we
should read the books you're in.
Because
you’ll have an amazing time following along on my crazy adventures!
***
About the
Author:
By day, J.
L. Gribble is a professional medical editor. By night, she does freelance
fiction editing in all genres, along with reading, playing video games, and
occasionally even writing. She is currently working on the Steel Empires series for Dog Star Books, the
science-fiction/adventure imprint of Raw Dog Screaming Press. Previously, she
was an editor for the Far Worlds
anthology.
Gribble
studied English at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She received her Master’s
degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Greensburg,
Pennsylvania, where her debut novel Steel
Victory was her thesis for the program.
She lives in
Ellicott City, Maryland, with her husband and three vocal Siamese cats. Find
her online (www.jlgribble.com), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/jlgribblewriter),
and on Twitter and Instagram (@hannaedits).
In Jessica Knauss's
Awash in Talent news, winners have been selected for the Goodreads giveaway of two signed copies of the softcover. Congratulations! You beat out more than 600 people requesting the book! I hope you enjoy it. It may take a little longer to get your copies to you because of the holiday. Happy Fourth of July!
