Welcome, friend! Today I am chatting with author Arleta rae about her book, Rising Ember. This is the first book in the Children from Sacrifice series. Let’s welcome Arleta and learn more about the book!
Get to know the author: Arleat Rae
Welcome Arleta! Tell me and my readers a bit about yourself!
Hi Kriti! Thank you so much for having me.
I’m Arleta (pronounced R-lee-tah) from Massachusetts, and I am a new adult and paranormal fantasy author with a touch of dark fantasy! I honestly have always been in love with stories, both reading and writing them. I remember listening to stories that my mother would tell my brothers and I when we were little. I also used to write super short stories as a kid—and bound them together with string! The only one I can remember writing was about a ghost, ha! So basically, fantasy has been with me forever.
I have a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in fields regarding the environment, so it would only be natural that I add aspects of nature into my stories. I love weaving the mysteries of the Earth into story. It is what inspires me most of the time.
What inspired you to write this book?
Really just that I had this story in my head and wanted to get it out! I love bringing worlds and characters to life. While in my writing stages, I am often inspired to write scenes from something I hear in music or see in nature.
How long did it take you to write this book, from the first idea to the last edit?
So, so, so long. I started writing it when I was an undergrad, which was around 2016 give or take a year. It was published early 2022, so… yeah a while. But when I started writing it, I wasn’t really writing to publish. I was writing for me. I just had this immense story in my head that was screaming to get outside it. Truth be told, I wrote most of the first book on paper during one of my least favorite classes…I still passed though!
Once I decided to publish the book, it took me about a year and a half to two years to complete!
What makes your story unique?
My vampire story has a unique magic system. Vampires can manipulate one of the four elements. Some even have a second magical ability, called a beta ability. Some examples include physic powers, poison, super strength, etc.
The drive of the story happens because there is a vampire civil war happening between the Essites and the Brais. One wants peace, the other destruction essentially.
And aside from vampires, there are witches and mentions of other supernatural creatures that you don’t meet…yet!
Who would enjoy reading your book?
Fans of the Vampire Academy, Vampire Diaries, and/or Twilight should give this series a shot! I would also just suggest that if you like vampires, or even enjoyed reading them in the past, then it would be a series for you. Also, anyone who likes strong female main characters, found family, nature-based magic, a bit of a morally grey main cast, then you’ll enjoy this book! Also…there is most certainly a dark-haired love interest… ahem.
What’s something you hope readers would take away from it?
The main character, Thea, struggles with heavy emotions. She has dealt with a lot in her years and those tragedies are essentially being thrown back into her face. She shoved them away and never truly healed from them. It is something that every person struggles with at some point in their life, and I hope that some readers can find solace in a character who does the same. This book series is as much of an internal journey to healing for Thea as it is something to prevent a devastating outcome from a war.
Do you have a favourite quote or scene in the book that you find yourself going back to?
Yes! My favourite quote really showcases how Thea feels in book one:
I am not the phoenix who rises from the ashes. I am the inferno who makes them.
Thea in Rising Ember
This book is part of a series. What’s your vision for the series? How many books are you planning?
I am planning a trilogy. Book two, Dark Inferno, will be released in April of 2023. I’m really going to try and get book 3 for later in the 2023 year, but I can’t make promises! Book one is Thea getting a wakeup call into this dangerous world that she was ignorant of before becoming a vampire as well as the resurfacing of old emotional wounds. Book two is straight chaos as the outside war between the two vampire groups intensifies. Thea is also learning more about her past and how she has been intertwined with this secret world for longer than her being a vampire. And, trying to be as vague as possible, book three will be full of magic and implications of past choices.
What is something you have learned on your author journey so far?
Honestly, so much. I knew that becoming an author was more than just writing a book, but I had no idea how much actually went into the process of start to publish. Also, I have learned that I am absolutely terrible at outlines! I tend to just write and keep random notes. It is what we call being a “pantser” in the writing community.
What’s the best piece of advice you have received related to writing?
To just write. It may sound obvious or not very helpful, but it is something that I need to remind myself often. When writing the first few drafts, I tend to go back and edit before I finish and that gets me nowhere. Just write the first draft, then go back and edit.
If you could give a shout out to someone(s) who has helped in your writer journey, please feel free to mention them below!
There are so many people who deserve a shoutout. Mostly, I would love to give a mention to my friend and author Brittany Czarnecki. I have bombarded her with so many questions about writing and publishing she probably got sick of me!
I’d also like to give a shoutout to my editor, Nicolette Beebe and the author who introduced me to her (who happened to be my first beta reader for Rising Ember), Tara Webb. My writing has improved immensely because of Nicolette’s amazing editing and advice. And Tara was that nudge that I needed to really get going when I was stuck.
Rising Ember
Book 1 of Children of Sacrifice
Paranormal romance, Dark Fantasy, Published 2022
Fire is destruction. Fire is rebirth.
When Thea Knight is involved in a fatal car accident, she falls victim to the sinister shadows looming in the darkness who change her life forever. She wakes up…craving blood.
Thea is thrust into a dangerous immortal civil war between the Essites and the Brais. Cole Moretti is an Essite who has killed, saved, and endangered Thea. Her transition to vampire by his hand awakens a rare elemental magic within that marks her as the rogue Brais’ next target. She must resist being consumed by their need to destroy humanity before they kill Cole and all those she cares for.
Trigger warnings include: vampires, death, death of a loved one, mention of death of parents
Book Excerpt from
Rising Ember
Dread.
The hairs on the back of my neck tingle. The sensation briefly morphs into a thin line of pulsing pain before fizzling into a shudder down my spine. I hesitate before stepping out onto the cut grass that runs alongside the secluded parking lot of my apartment and pull my phone out of my pocket.
Leaves rustle behind me and I whirl around to see the auburn fur of a fox as he emerges from the dogwood bush. I blink at him as his golden eyes stare up at me and he sits.
The forest is watching over me. The unease from the parking lot fades away. I bow my head to the fox as I make my way to the tall brick building.
“Hello, Thea,” says a smooth, unfamiliar voice from my left. I look and see a lithe woman dressed in black with tall boots. Her wavy shoulder-length pale hair is tucked behind her ears, a contrast to her dark skin. A wicked smile cuts across her cheeks. “The Brais send their regards.”
Frozen in place with my hand gripping the knob of the side door to the building, my heartbeat thunders in my chest. It echoes in the sudden silence of the forest. Her ruby eyes burn in the light of the setting sun. My body screams to move—to do something. Instead, I stand still.
The woman laughs as she takes a few more steps closer. “Struck by awe or by fear?” She sniffs the air, her smile broadening. “Fear.” She glances down and jerks her head. “Your hands want your attention.”
I follow her gaze, noticing the heat before I see the smoke. There is no fire, but my hands are melting the metal of the handle. I release my hold and see the charred mark of where it gripped the silver. I fumble back a step, returning my attention toward the vampire. She has gotten significantly closer and I suck in a gasp, inhaling her scent of the sea.
“What do want?” I breathe.
“She speaks.” Her voice is smooth. “I am here to offer you the chance to walk the path of power.” She lifts a manicured brow. “I am Julietta. I would like to help you step into your true magical path. To become one with your element and to control it before it can control you.” Her teeth shine as she smirks. “You have felt it’s rising desire to let loose, no?”
“No.”
She huffs. “So you haven’t been battling any strong emotions, then?”
As she finishes her sentence, that gilded cage rumbles in my chest. Those emotions snarl as I give thought to them. I curl my hands into fists.
Her smile widens. “Join the Brais. We can help you control them. And you will never have to experience that fear again.” Her hand motions to the doorknob.
I swallow hard. “No,” I respond through clenched teeth.
Her nostrils flare and the smile on her lips falter. “There are no second chances with us.”
“I will not join you,” I say firmly.
“You choose death then.”
I instinctively step back as she lifts her hands. Flames form around her palms and she throws them at me. I manage to twist my body so that the fireball only skims my arm. It grazes my skin like a nail. Only my body is steel. It leaves no mark, only tingles as its heat soaks into my body. I look up to see her dart forward with a sharp piece of wood in her hands.
A voice yells from the building. “Thea!” The vampire is forced backward by an invisible force. She lands on her back, skidding along the pavement. Sarah stands in the double glass doorway that leads to the lobby. She rushes to me, placing herself between the Brais vampire and myself. “Are you okay?”
I manage a nod.
“A witch?” the woman sneers as she stands.
Sarah’s back straightens and she holds out a hand. In her palm is a circular talisman and herbs. The vampire stiffens and stops encroaching on us. “You know what this is. Leave and don’t ever think about coming back for her. She will never join you.”
“The King will not allow her to live then. She must join her own kind or it’s the death penalty for her.”
“I can join who I want.” Fire sizzles underneath my palms.
Sarah lifts her hand higher and the vampire flinches, her lips curling in rage.
Behind us, I hear the scuffle of shoes on pavement stopping abruptly. I spin and see a man staring at us, his mouth agape. I recognize him as a neighbor who lives a floor down from me.
I open my mouth to yell for him to run but am too slow.
Interested?
Thank you for hanging out with us today. Find Rising Ember on Goodreads, Amazon and IndieStoryGeek.
Connect with Arleta on Instagram, her website, Goodreads, Amazon and TikTok.
Check out my review of the book below and on Goodreads.
If you are an indie author and would like to do a book excerpt, check out my work with me page for details. Check out other book excerpts here.
Be First to Comment