Enjoy this post by author Eva Pohler about her fantasy series The Gatekeeper’s Trilogy and The Mystery Box.

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Girls Have To Believe They Can Kick Ass

“The most common way people give up their power is by believing they have none.” (Alice Walker).

To be sure, plenty of outside forces exist that subjugate and oppress girls, but I agree with Alice Walker when she says self-doubt is the worst culprit. When we’re brought up in a world where men continue to hold the highest offices in government, church, and the work force, it’s not hard to understand why girls often think they don’t have what it takes to kick ass.

At the beginning of my Gatekeeper’s Trilogy, The Gatekeeper’s Sons, a young adult contemporary fantasy based in Greek myth, fifteen-year-old Therese Mills believes she’s the least powerful person on the planet. Her parents have just died. Her aunt has come to live with her in her beautiful home in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, but even though this means her friends and school won’t change, Therese is ready to give up on life to join her parents. Death, known as Thanatos, has other plans.

Thanatos briefly meets Therese while she’s in a coma. Avoided by all gods and mortals because of his job, he’s shocked when she throws her arms around him and calls him lovely. He later makes a deal with his father, Hades, to go to the upperworld to win her heart. In return, Therese must agree to avenge her parents’ murder.

Throughout book one, The Gatekeeper’s Sons, Therese struggles with her feelings of ineptitude. Thanatos’s sisters, the fierce and beautiful Furies, help her hunt for the killer, but their strength and efficiency make her feel weak. She feels small and insignificant until she learns her aunt’s life is in danger. The desire to protect her loved one helps her rise above her self-pity to become the warrior she never knew she was.

In book two, The Gatekeeper’s Challenge, Therese is required to complete a set of five challenges designed by Hades, who hopes to see her fail because he’s disappointed with the way things turned out in book one. Once again, her desire to protect a loved one—this time Thanatos—pushes her past her doubts and insecurities into determined action. One by one, she faces each seemingly impossible challenge—including Ladon (the one-hundred-headed serpent), the Minotaur, and the Hydra—because it’s the only way to spare Thanatos from an eternity of torment.

The final book of the trilogy, The Gatekeeper’s Daughter (to be released December 1, 2013), once again forces Therese to look inward. All gods and goddesses serve humanity or the world in some way, and in order to remain at Thanatos’s side, she must discover her unique purpose while protecting her loved ones against forces that want to see her fail. In all three books, power isn’t something Therese derives from her environment, but something she finds within her once she believes it’s there.

To celebrate the completion of this saga, I’m holding a contest from January 1, 2013 to October 1, 2013 for my readers. Details can be found at my website at http://www.evapohler.com/contest.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eva Pohler teaches writing and literature at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she lives with her husband, three children, two dogs, two rats, and a very large collection of books. She is the author of The Gatekeeper’s Trilogy and The Mystery Box.

Find Eva on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/EvaPohler

Find Eva at Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4888434.Eva_Pohler

Visit Eva’s Blog: http://www.bookclubpicks.blogspot.com

To purchase copies of Eva’s books, please visit her website: http://www.evapohler.com/books

You can also contact Eva: evapohler@sbcglobal.net

Enjoy this guest post by 25 year-old college student, L.A. Jones, author of Tales of Aradia the Last Witch Volume One.

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Hello, my name is L.A. Jones. I am the author of the Tales of Aradia the Last Witch Volume One. It is about a girl who finds out she is the absolute last of her kind.

Over the years we have seen dozens of genocides occur. Luckily, not all of them succeed in wiping a certain race of people off the face of the Earth. However, what if were possible to completely destroy an entire race of people? Furthermore, what if you were to find out that you were the absolute last of them?

This is what Aradia finds out. She was adopted as a baby and grew up having special abilities. Her parents are fully aware of her powers but neither of them have answers. She grows up isolated from other people and as a bully victim. It helps build her sympathy for victims and people who are ostracized because they are different. The powers she posses vary from control over all the elements to super strength and speed. Although she tries her best to contain her powers, she nevertheless loses control. She and her family are then forced to move away. Ironically, to the same place where they found Aradia. At first glance, everything seems normal but Aradia soon discovers that all is not what it seems.

Soon she is fully aware of the supernatural creatures dwelling among us. Namely, Vampires, Werewolves, Fae, and shapeshifters and many more. All of whom are called “hiddens.” Why? Because their biggest law that they follow is that they must remain hidden from the humans. This is the only law they follow though. In contrast to the human race, prejudice and unchecked violence abound amongst the hiddens. Aradia is appalled by all this until she discovers that as the last of her kind she holds enormous political power. As the last witch, she can do things no other hidden can do which makes the other hiddens fear her. She also miraculously survived the slaughter of her people three hundred years ago. This knowledge alone is enough to intimidate the rest of the hiddens. She sees all this as an opportunity to change things for the better in hidden society. She makes it her life’s mission to promote tolerance amongst the hidden race. Using her knack for understanding people, and her special abilities she is able to open clubs and community centers that help ease the tensions amongst the hidden race.

Little does Aradia know about the manipulations that are going on in the background. The Sovereign of all vampires, who not only put her entire race to death, is plotting something sinister.  A massive attack or another genocide? No one really knows especially not Aradia.

I have long since been a “Buffy” and “Charmed” fan and so I have always loved women who could kick ass. However, both shows lacked ambition in my opinion. Yes, Buffy and the Charmed Ones had a mission but the mission was so limited. Most of all their missions were handed to them. In real life, we have to discover on our own what we are meant to do. I grew up overseas and saw first hand the cruelties of the world. It always frustrated me how there was so much I couldn’t do. I began to wonder what if I did have that power, politically and physically, would I use it to make a difference. Aradia is like this, she discovers she has the opportunity to make life better for people. However, nothing in life is ever simple so I throw in a bit of intrigue with the Sovereign.

My editor discussed many things and decided not just to have Aradia be a Buffy sort of character but also a Nancy Drew character. In the first book, she solves a murder and goes on to solve all sorts of crimes. Thus leading her to discover the Sovereign’s plan. My definition of a kick ass heroine is some one who does not just kick ass she also makes a difference. Aradia is just that. She finds out she is the last of her kind. Vengeance in her mind is futile but she realizes because she is the absolute last witch she can make a difference. The only challenges I have come across is trying to resist the urge to make her too powerful. Harrison R. Bradlow, my editor, told me that making a heroine too strong proves to be pointless. Thus I make sure Aradia has weaknesses and has a lot of learning to do.  What I enjoy about writing my series is the thought that my books might inspire people but most of all entertain them. I think that’s what entertainment should be, it should make people laugh but also help them learn.

My bio: I am a twenty five year old college student. My mother and father work in the foreign service. I also have a sister who is studying to be a psychologist. I grew up in several different countries and learned many different things about politics. I use all of this in my books. I like to establish a bit of realism and purpose in my books. I have Aspergers Syndrome and depression so I have also learned about the way people function. Most of all, I learned that I want to do is make a difference on people’s lives. I want to inspire fellow Aspire people. I call my syndrome Aspire Syndrome because I think it sounds more accurate. We all aspire to do something great in our lives.

My buy links:

• Smashwords
• Amazon

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR