Shadow of The Sun ARC Giveaway
Shadow of The Sun
by Laura Kreitzer
Hardcover, 524 pages
Published February 22nd 2010
by iUniverse
ISBN 1450211758
5 stars
Summary: Gabriella’s past is a mystery, but that never stopped her from achieving her goals. As a supernatural specialist, and far more intelligent than anyone her age, she has always been ignored by her peers. Because of the isolation she has always felt, she put her life and soul into her job. Being a supernatural specialist hasn’t given her the divine intervention she always longed for, until one day a shipment arrives from Italy containing three dead bodies with an uncanny ability to regenerate. Gabriella is frightened and intrigued, but not as scared as she becomes when a dark creature attacks her.
As the bodies come back to life, the plot takes an unexpected twist that you won’t see coming. The supernatural world only begins to unfold before her as angels appear, her dreams start to haunt her, and the very past she has forgotten comes back with startling clarity. Romance blooms, escape plans are made, an assassin is out to kill her, and death is only around the corner. But what is more terrifying than all of it is the fact she is the chosen one, the Illuminator, the one who will save them all.
I savored the story and the characters in Shadow of The Sun whom I feel like I connected with on many levels. The main hero, Andrew comforts and supports Gabriella while being a perfect gentleman. Laura Kreitzer creates an emotionally riveting mystery full of myth , magic and romance. I gave it five stars and would recommend it to all of my adult friends!
“Laura Kreitzer is a newly published fiction author who hails from western Kentucky. While her full-time 9-5 job includes working in a lab devoted to water dye-tracing investigations at Western Kentucky University, her passion lies in writing.”
See our original review of the first book in her Timeless series and our full April interview with her here.
How did you come up with the idea for your series?
I told my Grandmother that I wanted to write my own book and she said Angels sounded like a good idea. So, I let the idea simmer in my head for a few months until I decided I didn’t want to write the typical angel. Actually, I didn’t want to write about anything that anyone else had ever written about. And . . . tada! Shadow of the Sun.
Do you feel like you relate to any of your characters?
I relate to each of my characters for different things. But I probably relate better to the main character the most, mainly because of her anti-social nature. With each character I brought out something in me–whether it be their evil side, their loving side, or their need to protect.
Describe your path to being published. I researched for about 5 months on what I wanted to do. Traditional publishing is a great way to go . . . if you can get someone to actually publish your book. Well, I didn’t want someone to tell me that I wasn’t good enough to publish my book. The whole process was one I didn’t think I could handle mentally. So, I saved money and went the self publishing way through iUniverse. I picked out my font, the layout of my book, I had a graphic designer take my idea (with help of some friends 😉 to make the beautiful cover. I literally did all the things a publisher would do. You have to be dedicated to go self publishing, that is for sure. And here I am today! My book is sold in over 30 countries, through B&N.com, Amazon.com, and Books-a-Million. From what I hear, Borders will also be picking up my book. We’ll see.
What things inspire your writing?
My Muse, friend, and Beta Lisa! It sounds silly, but sometimes I can’t even write unless I am talking with her on messenger. She cracks the whip, is a wonderful, dedicated person, and loves my characters. Especially Joseph. Oh, she is going to love book two, then! 😀 Well, she already does. The fact that when I reread some of the things I wrote and go “I actually wrote that?” is another thing that inspires me. Sometimes I don’t realize I can write the beautiful things I do until I reread much later. Sounds cheesy . . . well, I’m just a cheesy person! Also, sometimes I really try to feel what my character is feeling. Hell, through the whole Abelie scene I was crying my eyes out! So I understand how people feel when they email me and tell me that I made them cry. I cried too!
Any photos of the places you imagine in your scenes in Italy?
Well, I just tried to google pictures in Italy to see if I could find something like the picture I have in my head but I was unable to find what I was looking for. Close, but not close enough to use. My mother has been to Italy several times in her lifetime and some of her pictures come to mind when I think of Italy. Of course, in my mind it isn’t these large cities, but small villages thousands of years ago, or a vast, empty field with mountains in the distance for the scene in the book. We’ll see more of Italy in book two!
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Write! Always write, never stop. Doesn’t matter if it is bad or in need of major help . . . WRITE! You can’t aspire to be a writer if you only dream of it. You must act upon it. And never, ever give up.
Thanks so much to Laura Kreitzer, one of site affiliates and favorite reads of 2010. Visit her amazing site at http://laurakreitzer.com/
She has donated one signed ARC of Shadow of The Sun book #1 in the Timeless series for our US blog followers. Click here to enter to win as a part of BIR2010.
