I am happy to welcome Elizabeth Baxter, author of two fantasy series, The Last Priestess and The Wrath of the Northmen.
Elizabeth was born and raised in England. In her spare time she enjoys reading, hiking, traveling the world and watching England play cricket. She’s been writing since she was six years old and plans to continue for as long as she’s able to hold a pen (or a keyboard).
Today we are celebrating the release of The Last Priestess. Like most of the author's books, this features a strong female character. So, to whet your appetite, Elizabeth has provided us with an interview with one of the ladies from The Wrath of the Northmen.
Please join me in welcoming Elizabeth, and her character Falen!
Interview with Falen from Summer Storm
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Falen and I live in Variss, a city right in the north of Thanderley. You should see it - the most beautiful place in the world. It's ringed by the Sisters who have snow on their peaks all year round and lakes so clear you can see right to the bottom.
Sounds like a nice place to live. You must enjoy living there.
I didn't say that. Variss might be beautiful but it's also insular. It's a place too concerned with its history and traditions, if you ask me. Nobody ever questions how things are done. Change comes slowly. It's become a city full of stuffy old men full of stuffy old ideas.
You sound as if you talk from experience?
Unfortunately, yes. In Variss women should be seen and not heard. We should be interested in our husbands and our children. Or if you're really lucky you might be allowed to become an artist or a weaver. But I'm not like that. I'm a scientist. For me, there's nothing more exhilarating than discovering the answer to some scientific riddle or inventing something that will improve people's lives. But do I get any recognition? Of course not! People just think I'm odd and that I ought to be married off so I can't cause any more trouble!
What kinds of experiments have you conducted?
At the moment I'm working on some weather stuff. I'm trying to test hypotheses about air pressure and if it's linked to weather patterns. I've designed a piece of equipment which I reckon might be able to predict storms. Can you imagine how helpful that could be for a mountain city? No more travelers and shepherds lost on the mountain! I call my idea a stormglass. It looks a bit like a glass teapot. I fill it with water and measure how the water level in the spout rises and falls in relation to the water level in the body. I've got a theory that the rising and falling is linked to fluctuations in air pressure and this in turn is linked to different weather. If I can prove that, people will have to take me seriously! No more sniggering behind my back!
What are your plans for the future?
If I tell you do you promise to keep it to yourself? I've applied for the Ral Toran Engineering Academy. Ral Tora is a city down south. My father would go apoplectic if he found out. But I'm hoping when my stormglass is finished and it earns me a place at the academy, he'll be too proud
to be angry. Wish me luck!
to be angry. Wish me luck!
~*~
Falen is from Summer Storm, an epic fantasy novella and the first book in The Wrath of the Northmen epic fantasy series. Summer Storm is available FREE at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Northmen-fantasy-novella-ebook/dp/B009HCWLHM/
http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Northmen-fantasy-novella-ebook/dp/B009HCWLHM/
For more information about the author and forthcoming books, visit Elizabeth Baxter at:
Website/blog: http://elizabethbaxter.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/smallblondhippy
Website/blog: http://elizabethbaxter.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/smallblondhippy
