Meet the Author and Visit a Dangerous World in "Darkened Hope"

As I’ve blundered my way onto the social media scene, there have been gracious friends that have blazed the trail ahead of me and are kind enough to point me in the right direction or redirect a few (okay…a multitude of) misguided steps. Author Jennette Mbewe is one of those kind souls. She was such a help and encouragement during my own book launch that it is but a paltry payback to *try* and help her launch her latest book baby in the midst of a rather chaotic season of my life.

But try I shall! Jennette is a very talented writer and graphic designer (be sure and look at her covers and her website…Wow-factor to the gazillionth degree!). Let’s jump in and learn more about this treacherous land and the adventures that await between the covers of Darkened Hope.

**Be sure and enter the Rafflecoptor giveaway and join the Facebook launch party at the end of the interview! Lots of beautiful freebies and the book up for grabs.

Jennette, I’m excited to learn more about the “adventures that burn on in your heart”, as your author website states. Please give readers a general overview of the world of Nalu. What is it like—is it connected in any way to our own world? What sort of creatures will we meet? Where did your inspiration come from to create this land?

Nälu is a fantasy world separate from ours, yet reflects ours in many ways. I drew upon our world’s history, cultures, and existing natural laws for inspiration as well as weaving them together with my own ideas. And I’ve always had a penchant for creating maps of faraway, fantastical places as a child, so this was right up my alley.

There are six established races: human, elves, dwarves, merfolk, giants, feline-shapeshifters, and fairies. Some of the fantasy creatures we will meet include hellhounds, apelike creatures that stalk the jungles, dragons, giant skinks, and a wingless dragon, but could very well be a type of dinosaur. And then there are the kind that haunt the dreams like the cat-beast of Inganno Forest or walk the earth but have no flesh like the hags of Kha Vaaro. There are rumors of unicorns and of the gryphons that guard the Manoa Stones, but we have yet to see them.

Sounds complex and rather creepy! But in a very intriguing way, of course 🙂 You have given readers many Tales of Nälu which they can learn more about from your website. What sets The Hidden Dagger Trilogy apart from the other stories you have written?

The Tales of Nälu are short stories set years before the opening scene in Secrets Kept. It gives readers insight into characters and events that influence the future of Nälu, and especially Ayianna’s journey and the story unfolding in The Hidden Dagger trilogy.

Before we learn about your new release, Darkened Hope, give readers an idea of what they’ll experience with Book One, Secrets Kept.

In Secrets Kept, we meet Ayianna who has been torn from her homeland among the elves and thrust to live among her mother’s people, the humans, for reasons unknown to her. Her parents have betrothed her, hoping to keep her safe from the secrets they harbor, instead her world is thrown into chaos when her father is murdered, her mother kidnapped, and the Sorceress curses the plains people. Ayianna embarks on a journey for answers with an elf, a prince, and her betrothed.

Sounds like an interesting mix of characters and a mysterious quest. A recipe for a page turner for sure. And that brings us to Book Two, Darkened Hope. Give us an idea of what adventures await!

The pace definitely quickens! Ayianna and her companions barely begin their quest, when the Sorceress’s dragon and a throng of imps attack them. As they try to stay one step ahead of the Sorceress, they encounter deadly creatures and hostile folks, cross mountains and jungles, face natural disasters and some not so natural all the while trying to find the three ingredients that will set Ayianna’s people free from the Sorceress’s curse. BSB Darkened Hope smaller

Yikes! I’ve enjoyed the intensity but haven’t made it to the end. I’m wondering if you’ll leave me at a cliffhanger or what?! Of course, those of us that love a series always have to ask, “When does the next book come out?”. Do you know, in general, when you will release Book Three—and have you begun to write it yet?

Book three. EEEEK! I cannot wait to dig into it. I have a rough draft, but I need to sit down and rewrite it. I have no idea when it will be ready for publication. Up until this point, I have only been able to work for two hours in the evening four nights a week. And even then I had to fight for that time. But this fall will be different. My daughter is going off to kindergarten, and my time to write will shift to during the day. I am so excited to be able to have more time to work on my writing related projects. The time won’t be completely devoted to writing though. I have begun pursuing graphic design projects to help pay for my writerly expenses, so I will be allotting time for that as well. That said, I am hoping book three will be ready by the fall of 2017, but don’t quote me! Darkened Hope had already been rewritten and seen its first critique pass before I jumped into it after Secrets Kept was released and that has taken me two years. *gasp* Book three is still in its rough draft form. A lot goes into writing, rewriting, getting it critiqued, revising, polishing, sending it off to the editors, and all, so we shall see! I will definitely keep everyone updated though. I plan to get one of those widgets to display my progress. 🙂

Oh, I can relate. Do the stereotypical “hermit” writers really exist? I think it’s pure fiction! Could you share a little bit more about yourself? How long have you been writing, what is your philosophy, and what is it you love about Fantasy and/or Speculative Fiction?

Well…I am a mom to two kiddos and a wife to a man from Zambia. I’m from Minnesota but live in Texas. I collect rocks, which I am quite disappointed with the lack of cool rocks in East Texas. I started writing for publication back in 2003, so about thirteen years now. And ever since, I’ve learning to live a life balanced between reality and dreams.

About fantasy. I love the opportunity for creativity. I wrote a guest post on this a while back over at Speculative Faith, but I’ll sum up here: Fantasy gives us something that no other genre can give, or at least as well as it can, in my opinion. Wonder and awe and some of the greatest battles of good over evil. When I read fantasy, I am reminded of the awe inspiring God I serve. A God who created the world, named the stars, parted the Red Sea, healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and raised people from the dead. The God who set aside His glorious immortality and took on mortal flesh to live among us and redeem us. The God of the impossible and the what if.

Fantasy can help us deal with the darkness in our own lives, inside and out. It can give us the motivation for self-discipline, the inspiration to rise above and become better, and it can challenge us to look at life and ourselves differently. It can help us understand our spiritual journey better and help us to see the light oh so much brighter. This is what fantasy does for me. Perhaps others don’t share the same views or have the same experience with it and that’s okay. That’s why we have such variety to choose from.

Thank you so much for having me, Heather!

Excellently stated, Jennette! Love the perspective you bring to the genre and you really hit the nail on the head by stating how “fantasy can help us deal with the darkness in our own lives”. YES!

Thank you for stopping by and sharing your journey with us today, Jennette! I hope readers will connect with you (below!), learn more about your stories, join your Facebook virtual party, and enter your giveaway!

About the Author

Writing as J. L. Mbewe, Jennette is an author, artist, mother, wife, but not always in that order. Born and raised in Minnesota, she now braves the heat of Texas, but pines for the Northern Lights and the lakes of home every autumn. She loves trying to capture the abstract and make it concrete. She is currently living her second childhood with a wonderful husband and two precious children who don’t seem to mind her eclectic collections of rocks, shells, and swords, among other things. Here, between reality and dreams, you will find her busily creating worlds inhabited by all sorts of fantasy creatures and characters, all questing about and discovering true love amid lots of peril. She has two short stories published in The Clockwork Dragon anthology, and four short stories set in the world of Nälu. Her debut novel, Secrets Kept, was nominated for the 2014 Clive Staples Award, and its sequel, Darkened Hope is coming May 2016.

Stay up-to-date with all things Nälu and her journey as a writer mama at JLMbewe.com. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and/or Pinterest.

Darkened Hope

The Secret Keeper is on the run, but does she know the secret she keeps?

Ayianna is a cursed half-elf betrothed to Desmond, but her heart belongs to another. After discovering the cure for the Sorceress’s curse, she and her companions embark on a dangerous quest to retrieve the ingredients.

When dragons descend upon their party, Ayianna realizes the Sorceress is searching not just for the corrupted dagger, but a human sacrifice that will open a portal to the underworld. Battling deadly creatures and natural disasters, Ayianna is forced more and more to confront her insecurities and conflicted heart.

Now she must decide whether to be true to her family or true to herself. As the nations rally for war, betrayal threatens to destroy them all, and it’s a race against time to return before the curse devastates the plains people.

Now available on Kindle and in Paperback

Find it on Goodreads.

***