Hey everyone! Let's give a warm welcome Jamie Foley author of The Sentinel Trilogy! We are going to start this bad boy off with a few questions as, of course, every tour has and needs. :)
-Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself.
Howdy! I’m a workaholic marketing specialist/webmaster/graphic artist/indie publisher/author. Apparently that’s a thing…?
I live in central Texas with my Irish cowboy husband, hyperactive toddler, and snuggle-bunny Australian Shepherd. We’re rabid gamers and unashamed nerds.
Whew all that's a mouthful. I don't know how you manage it all. Lol and nothing wrong with being nerdy gamers! How else are people suppose to live? Just kidding!
-What prompted you to start writing?
I knew I loved to create stories since childhood—apparently I won the “storyteller award” in second grade, but not sure if that was for lying. What? I never lie.
But I doubted myself so badly in high school—I was never good at English, and apparently I thought that was a requirement for being a good author. (This is why we have editors, right?) Thus my education and professional path of webmaster.
God had other plans. Even as I was working for a publisher (Thomas Nelson/HarperCollins), He bashed me on the head until I resigned and began full-time writing. It’s been hard work, but His blessings are undeniable, and I couldn’t be happier.
Looks like I could take a lesson or two from you, I was in the same boat. Award and all, but high school hit and it was like "ha! nope." Lol it's really awesome you've had those behind you, helping push you. :)
-So, tell us... Why YA fantasy?
Because that’s what I love to read! And because there was a lack of adventure/action/fantasy when I was growing up. Nowadays the YA section is full of stuff most sheltered kids aren’t allowed to read, and I want to fill that hole. My books are free of sex and cussing, but hopefully just as much fun as the mainstream epics.
Amen to that. We need more books like this!
-What inspired you to write The Sentinel Trilogy?
Oh, lots of things! Each country in the world of Alani is based on some collaboration of Earth cultures or locations I’ve visited and love, or historical time periods, or some awesome fantasy people from another work.
Valinor is loosely based upon the United Kingdom. The people of LaKota are inspired by Scottish clans, Native American tribes, and traditions of early Israel. The island of Malaan is similar in its customs to Imperial Japan. And the deadly forests of Katrosi weren’t fully settled until later in the world’s lifeline, making it similar to America in its melting pot of cultures.
I try to keep my world-building based in historical fact, but ooooh, how much fun it is to scheme! >:3
Sounds like one heck of an adventure without having to go anywhere. I love it! Hahaha
-Which aspects of indie publishing have been the most challenging and most rewarding?
It’s challenging to supply your own funds for crafting a professional work all by yourself, but if you know it’s what you want to do as a career and you save up, you’ll find that most all of the pros out there are happy to work with indie authors. Learning the ropes is tough at first, but boy, is it worth it!
One bonus of indie publishing is that you can be a little more… out there… than some publishers might approve of. Yes, you should definitely hire a professional editor or two, but at the end of the day, you get to make the call when your work is ready for the world to see.
Another reward is when the monetary investment returns and you don’t have to pay any middle-men. But if you can land a contract with one of the Big 5 publishers, signing that baby would definitely be worth it!
That is really amazing to hear. I know a few people who have admitted to being scared to self publish, but maybe after they see this, they'll grab the bull by the horns and dive in. :)
-What is the difference between traditional and self-publishing, and what is a hybrid publisher?
There are a bunch of differences, but really it’s a matter of rights. As an independently published author, you’d maintain all of your rights and would take all of the profits from your book sales for yourself. But you’re a one-man show.
If you’re lucky enough to land a traditional publishing contract, you’d sell your rights to the publisher and make a much lower royalty percentage. But you’d have a team of experts behind you with a vested interest in making your book awesome and selling as many copies as possible.
A hybrid author has one foot in each camp. They have been traditionally published, but also self-publish some of their works.
-What are the advantages of being a hybrid author versus just sticking with indie or traditional?
There are lots of advantages! Hybrid authors have the best of both worlds. They have the full force of a publisher’s resources gunning for their success–large traditional publishers help tremendously with marketing and may even hire a publicity firm for a project or two.
And when traditional authors self-publish on the side, they make a killing on the royalties because they’ve already got a large fan base, thanks to their publisher. Because of this, hybrid authors tend to make more money than both independent and traditional authors (on average).
I have never heard the term hybrid publisher, but that makes a lot of sense. *nods*
-What advice would you share with an aspiring author?
Decide if you want to write for pleasure or for business. It’s OK just to write for pleasure and not publish everything, just like it’s OK to be a hobby artist or musician!
But if you do want to be a career writer, realize that you’re starting a small business—and all small business require a monetary investment and a start-up period of a few years. Be willing to learn, save up, and sacrifice. Surround yourself with professionals—from top editors to bestselling authors to award-winning cover designers to marketing gurus—and I promise your hard work will pay off.
Awesome! Thank you so much for answering these questions for us, and folks, if you have any questions to ask her yourself feel free to ask her at jamie@jamiesfoley.com
Author Bio:
YA fantasy author Jamie Foley loves strategy games, home-grown berries, and Texas winters. She’s terrified of plot holes and red wasps.Her husband is her manly cowboy astronaut muse. They live between Austin, TX and their family cattle ranch, where their hyperactive spawnling and wolfpack can run free.
Show Me The Books:
All about her series The Sentinel Trilogy
Name: Viper: Prequel to The Sentinel Trilogy $9.99eBook: $2.99
Author: Jamie Foley
Series: The Sentinel Trilogy, Book 0
Genres: Fantasy, Military, Romantic Suspense, Thriller, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Buy now: Signed Paperback
About: Sorvashti is a captive. Jet is a soldier. Both harness the primal power of aether.
The war is over, but the Revoth want their land back. Kidnapping, ransom, and slavery fund their terrorism, but bombing Jet’s hometown was the final straw.
Viper Unit is dispatched to take the Revoth down. But the special forces have no need for a mind-reading ‘fairy’—unless Jet can prove himself as a sniper.
Sorvashti’s clan demands she take one of the seven oaths, but her father’s political status has already chosen for her—and made her a prime target for ransom.
When Jet and Sorvashti meet behind enemy lines, revenge intertwines with survival… and a spark between them neither can ignore.
Name: Sentinel $14.99
eBook: $4.99
eBook: $4.99
Author: Jamie Foley
Series: The Sentinel Trilogy, Book 1
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy, Young Adult
Buy now: Signed Paperback
Buy now: Signed Paperback
About: When a meteor storm knocks out the power grid, the supernaturally gifted become pawns in humanity’s struggle for survival.
The meteor storm wasn’t such a big deal until a comet landed in the middle of the road. Now Darien’s car is wrecked, his sister is bleeding out, and the only medical aid is at the reclusive Serran Academy.
Some say the Serrans have blood-bonds with angels. Some say they have surreal mental abilities. Some say the gods grant them elemental powers.
But when the Academy is targeted for harvesting, its secrets—and the collapse of modern civilization—are the least of Darien’s worries.
Name: Arbiter $14.99eBook: $4.99
Author: Jamie Foley
Series: The Sentinel Trilogy, Book 2
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy, Romantic Suspense, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Buy now: Signed Paperback Pre-Order
NOTIFY ME
About: Archangels return to Alani, creating a new generation of Serrans… for a price.
Jet Valinor can’t keep his secrets from Darien any longer. Sorvashti seeks revenge against her husband’s killer—a debt that can only be paid in blood.
The Lynx want their base back. The Serrans will fetch a good price for Zekk Sorrowsong, or make excellent slaves… if he can capture them before they’re betrayed from within.
Exclusive excerpt from Arbiter:
Jet’s knife dove into the wood, slicing an uneven divot into the spear’s tip.
The chunk flopped onto the pile between Jet’s boots, where the waterlogged earth softened the shavings into something that smelled like mildew and rain.
Great. Now do I just leave the divot, or should I carve the entire thing smaller to fix it?
Black hair fell into Jet’s eyes for the dozenth time, and he swatted it away. Can’t focus without food. When was the last time I ate? He was pretty sure the fruit Darien had found was inedible, but at this rate, he just might try it.
Hours had passed since he’d woken, but his head still throbbed—especially the swollen knot on the side that felt like he’d smashed it into a wall. Or a plane, apparently.
Jet glanced across the small campsite at Darien. The teen was cracking yet another coconut on a rock, peeking into the green flesh after every few impacts. He looked like Jet felt, with mosquito-gnawed skin, wild hair plastered to his neck with sweat, and mud splattered on the few pieces of sleek armor that hadn’t been discarded in the heat.
I swear I’ve never seen him before in my life. Jet squinted through the throbbing in his head. How could he possibly know everything he does about me? But he said I’m not in the Royal Guard anymore—obviously that can’t be right.
“What?” Darien paused the coconut torture to tilt his head at Jet. “Did you remember everything yet?”
Jet snapped his gaze back to his spear. “The sun’s setting. We’ll need more firewood to keep it going through the night.” After the hours they’d spent finally getting a flame going, losing it was a worst-case scenario. “Can you find some that isn’t wet this time?”
Darien snorted and dropped the coconut next to its plump brethren, across the camp from the ant-covered discard pile. “Is there anything dry on this swamp island?”
“Good question,” Jet muttered. “Why don’t you fly around with those fancy wings and check?” Apparently waking up in the middle of a jungle wasn’t insane enough, so the teen had sprouted wings like a sunburned pubescent angel to search for resources.
I’m definitely drugged. Creator, let me be drugged.
•••••
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