Writing fantasy novels is what Joni Parker loves to do. She’s just completed her third series, “The Admiralty Archives,” a trilogy. Her first series, “The Seaward Isle Saga,” includes three books and a short story, while her second, “The Chronicles of Eledon,” has four books. An award-winning novelist, she’s also branched off into short stories, joining local authors in an anthology called, “Beyond Tucson: Adventures in the Multiverse.” Her writing career began after 22 years in the U.S. Navy and another 7 years in federal civil service. She currently resides in Tucson, Arizona with her sister.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: http://www.joni-parker.com
Blog: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7191836.Joni_Parker/blog
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParkerJoni
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJoniParker
Thanks for this interview, Joni. Congratulations on your new book! Would you
say it’s been a rocky road for you in regards to getting your book written and
published or pretty much smooth sailing?
Can you tell us about your journey?
This book has had a bumpy road. It took me an extra round of
editing before I was happy with it. The ebook loaded up fine but the cover on
the print version wouldn’t work. I called Amazon and they weren’t much help. It
took my book cover designer days to get it right. After that, Amazon put
another halt on my book, questioning whether my contributors were right. I got
that resolved and the print version finally went live.
If you were to pen your own autobiography, what might the
title be?
“Better Late Than Never” I started writing late in life.
When not writing, what do you like to do for relaxation
and/or fun?
I like to exercise—yoga, walking, and swimming as well as
reading. And I enjoy watching sports on TV.
What makes your book stand out from the rest?
I’ve got to admit I pushed the fantasy envelope in the last
few books. In this one, not only have I included Hades, the Greek god of the
Underworld, his brother, Poseidon, god of the Sea, but also a Sea Sprite, a
mermaid, and some of her friends as well as a cast of mortals and Elves.
Can you give us the very first page of your book so that
we can get a glimpse inside?
Rejected…angry…confused…depressed…Alex’s attempt to return
home to Eledon to be with her Elf family and friends had failed and she
remained stranded in the mortal world. No, the correct term was exiled.
Nothing seemed to improve her mood,
not even signing a one-year contract to work as a model for Suzette, an
up-and-coming fashion designer at a London
studio.
Suzette
tried to help her state of mind by dragging her to a disco to celebrate a
friend’s birthday. Miranda, Suzette’s former model, was in town for a few days
and invited some close friends to join her celebration. Alex didn’t know her
and wanted to decline, but Suzette insisted. So here they were, staring at the
crowd on the dance floor.
Hundreds,
if not thousands, of bodies gyrated to the rhythm of the same musical
heartbeat. The place oozed with humans and the music was so loud, Alex could
feel her heart pumping in time with the music. Instantly, she felt like she
belonged to the same musical organism that had taken over the dance floor. This
was her first time in a nightclub—it was called the Factory, the newest hangout in London.
They stored
their winter coats and purses in a room to the side where Alex could speak to
Suzette but she still had to shout over the music. “I thought you said this
party was for close friends of Miranda. There must be thousands of people
here.”
“Oh, you know how it is, love. One
person invites another and another. The next thing you know, you have this.
Come on, let’s join the fun.” She beckoned Alex to the dance floor.
Alex didn’t
know how to dance to this music, so she copied Suzette’s moves, raising her
hands over her head and wriggling her hips, feeling somewhat silly. Abruptly,
the lighting changed—Suzette’s blue hair stood out like a glowing lamp and
Alex’s white blouse changed to purple.
If your book was put in the holiday section of the store,
what holiday would that be and why?
Patriot’s Day. Even though Alex has been exiled to the
mortal world, she risks her life by going back home to Eledon to thwart an attack
on her homeland. Only a patriot would be willing to risk that.
Would you consider turning your book into a series or has
that already been done?
It’s already part of a series. It’s the third book in the
Admiralty Archives.
When you were young, did you ever see writing as a career
or full-time profession?
Never.
Did any of your books get rejected by publishers?
No, but I was rejected by several agents. For the last
several years, I’ve been working with Village Green Press LLC, a small indie
press.
What is your view on co-authoring books; have you done
any?
It’s not for me.
What’s next for you?
I’m writing another series to follow this one called the
Epsilon Account. The main character, Alex, remains the same but the situation
changes. Alex will be helping the Elves with the Golden Harvest, a payment in
gold to their Mentors for living on Eledon. But she encounters so many
problems, I made a four-book series out of it.
Thanks for this interview, Joni. Congratulations on your new book! Would you say it’s been a rocky road for you in regards to getting your book written and published or pretty much smooth sailing? Can you tell us about your journey?
This book has had a bumpy road. It took me an extra round of editing before I was happy with it. The ebook loaded up fine but the cover on the print version wouldn’t work. I called Amazon and they weren’t much help. It took my book cover designer days to get it right. After that, Amazon put another halt on my book, questioning whether my contributors were right. I got that resolved and the print version finally went live.
If you were to pen your own autobiography, what might the title be?
“Better Late Than Never” I started writing late in life.
When not writing, what do you like to do for relaxation and/or fun?
I like to exercise—yoga, walking, and swimming as well as reading. And I enjoy watching sports on TV.
What makes your book stand out from the rest?
I’ve got to admit I pushed the fantasy envelope in the last few books. In this one, not only have I included Hades, the Greek god of the Underworld, his brother, Poseidon, god of the Sea, but also a Sea Sprite, a mermaid, and some of her friends as well as a cast of mortals and Elves.
Can you give us the very first page of your book so that we can get a glimpse inside?
Rejected…angry…confused…depressed…Alex’s attempt to return home to Eledon to be with her Elf family and friends had failed and she remained stranded in the mortal world. No, the correct term was exiled.
Nothing seemed to improve her mood, not even signing a one-year contract to work as a model for Suzette, an up-and-coming fashion designer at a London studio.
Suzette tried to help her state of mind by dragging her to a disco to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Miranda, Suzette’s former model, was in town for a few days and invited some close friends to join her celebration. Alex didn’t know her and wanted to decline, but Suzette insisted. So here they were, staring at the crowd on the dance floor.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of bodies gyrated to the rhythm of the same musical heartbeat. The place oozed with humans and the music was so loud, Alex could feel her heart pumping in time with the music. Instantly, she felt like she belonged to the same musical organism that had taken over the dance floor. This was her first time in a nightclub—it was called the Factory, the newest hangout in London.
They stored their winter coats and purses in a room to the side where Alex could speak to Suzette but she still had to shout over the music. “I thought you said this party was for close friends of Miranda. There must be thousands of people here.”
“Oh, you know how it is, love. One person invites another and another. The next thing you know, you have this. Come on, let’s join the fun.” She beckoned Alex to the dance floor.
Alex didn’t know how to dance to this music, so she copied Suzette’s moves, raising her hands over her head and wriggling her hips, feeling somewhat silly. Abruptly, the lighting changed—Suzette’s blue hair stood out like a glowing lamp and Alex’s white blouse changed to purple.
If your book was put in the holiday section of the store, what holiday would that be and why?
Patriot’s Day. Even though Alex has been exiled to the mortal world, she risks her life by going back home to Eledon to thwart an attack on her homeland. Only a patriot would be willing to risk that.
Would you consider turning your book into a series or has that already been done?
It’s already part of a series. It’s the third book in the Admiralty Archives.
When you were young, did you ever see writing as a career or full-time profession?
Never.
Did any of your books get rejected by publishers?
No, but I was rejected by several agents. For the last several years, I’ve been working with Village Green Press LLC, a small indie press.
What is your view on co-authoring books; have you done any?
It’s not for me.
What’s next for you?
I’m writing another series to follow this one called the Epsilon Account. The main character, Alex, remains the same but the situation changes. Alex will be helping the Elves with the Golden Harvest, a payment in gold to their Mentors for living on Eledon. But she encounters so many problems, I made a four-book series out of it.
If home is where the heart is, the warrior Lady Alexin is very far from home, indeed. Banished from her home in the Elven realm of Eledon to the mortal world of near future London, and robbed of her magic, she has no choice but to try and find a place in a world where she doesn’t fit in. Yet for all their peculiarities, the mortals have not been unkind; she has a new career as a high fashion runway model, her very own flat in a posh section of town and a host of opportunities to socialize with a variety of admirers, including a handsome Detective Inspector from Scotland Yard.
Yet nothing but her former training as a tracker and assassin could have prepared her for the discovery that beautiful young Elven women are being kidnapped and trafficked as slaves into the mortal world by the notorious Rock Elves, working with the white supremacist 23rd Infantry–an unholy alliance led by Alex’s old nemesis, Sawgrass. As the truth unravels her mission is clear–a call from home she cannot allow to go unanswered, even if it means her life.
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