EXILES // Weekend Release Blitz, Interview, Sneak Peek, & Giveaway

GREETINGS, MY FANTABULOUS DRAGON FRENS. Today, I'm positively thrilled to be sharing with y'all an interview and sneak peek -- oh, and a giveaway, too! -- in celebration of Exiles, by Jaye L. Knight!

ABOUT THE BOOK

That cover, though! 😻

Book IV of The Ilyon Chronicles

Exiled after their defeat in Samara, the Resistance struggles to find allies in their quest to restore King Balen to his throne and put an end to the emperor’s tyranny. When the Crete people refuse to lend their aid, Balen leads a group to Dorland to reason with them and win their support. However, enemies prove to be everywhere, and they find themselves in a fight to keep Dorland from becoming Daican's latest conquest.

Back in Landale, the arrival of a new enemy forces Trask and Anne to tread more carefully than ever. Tensions are rising, and the enemy is determined to test Anne’s loyalty and root out the location of Trask and the Resistance once and for all. 

Feeling trapped within the walls of Valcré, Prince Daniel must contend with an ever-eroding relationship with his father. As their clashes escalate, the situation becomes potentially life threatening when his loyalty is called into question. His sister seems bent on branding him a traitor and actively seeking to condemn him to the fate of those put to death in their father's new arena. Daniel is certain his father would never execute his only son and heir but, with other forces at work, it might not be that simple. 

One small misstep could prove fatal for all.

HAVE YET TO DISCOVER THE WORLD OF ILYON?

LEARN MORE ON THE OFFICIAL ILYON CHRONICLES WEBSITE!

EXCERPT

Trask's forehead pinched, his jaw twitching, but then a mischievous little light kindled in his eyes and lifted the corners of his mouth. "I could kidnap you."

"What?"

"I could kidnap you and bring you out here to the forest. Goler would never have to know you came willingly."

Anne shook her head. What was it she had said about impulsive immaturity? "That would make you a fugitive and a kidnapper."

Trask shrugged and drew her a little closer. "So? Whatever it takes to protect and be with those I love."

A smile tugged at Anne's lips. Why did he have to make it sound so appealing?

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"I’m trying to decide how romantic it is."

"Is that a yes, then?"

"No."

His face fell. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want you branded as a kidnapper. Not everyone will understand your motives."

"I don't care."

"But I do. Elôm willing, you will be Baron of Landale someday. Kidnapping wouldn't be a very flattering reputation."

Trask hung his head, and Anne couldn't hold back a soft laugh at his sulking expression. Such a little boy sometimes.

INTERVIEW

Hi, Jaye! Welcome to my blog! I must say, I am suuuuuper excited about Exiles releasing! I read the first few volumes of The Ilyon Chronicles last summer, and I absolutely adored them! 😊 First off, would you mind telling us a bit about yourself? Hobbies, personality, what you like to do when you're not writing?

Thank you for having me on your blog! I'm an almost-thirty, introverted, nerdy country girl. And probably crazy cat lady. *cuddles her three furbabies* I like to have adventures, though most of them time you'll find me in front of a computer screen. But when I do get out, I’m really into historical reenactment. I've been reenacting the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War for almost ten years now. It's definitely more than a hobby. It's more of a lifestyle and I LOVE it. Needless to say, I'm a history buff.

How did you get started writing? Have you always been a storyteller?

I started writing when I was eight. My mom is a writer as well, and I thought it looked like fun, so I tried it and never looked back. I'm not sure I'd call myself a "storyteller," more an "imaginer." Is that even a word? Spell check says it is. Anyway, I've always had a huge imagination. My middle brother and I had crazy pretend adventures when we were young. I guess all that adventure ended up transferred onto book pages. It's kind of like the grown up version of playing pretend.

{Source.}

What was the first spark of inspiration for Resistance?

The entire Ilyon Chronicles came from a spark of inspiration I had while reading Dragon Quest by Donita K. Paul. When I discovered my favorite character in that series was half-blooded, that produced the inspiration for Jace and the series grew around him.

You have quite a large fanbase for The Ilyon Chronicles, particularly for using indie publishing! Did you ever expect it to get this big? Were there any special tricks you used to market the series?

I'm still amazed at how large the fanbase is. Of course, any writer dreams of such an awesome fanbase, but it's not like I actually expected it. Just hoped, and then it happened. 🙂 I think one of the biggest things that helped with the success was that I hired someone to set up a blog tour for me when I first published Resistance. That helped reach people I didn't know yet and jumpstarted the interest in Resistance. Beyond that, I am a horrible marketer. Really terrible. But while marketing is important if you really want to do well, it's also true that good products sell themselves. I made sure to create good covers for The Ilyon Chronicles that didn't scream self-published, and I think that has made all the difference.

Thank you so much for your time, Jaye! One last question, before you go: do you have any tips or words of wisdom for unpublished authors who are prepping to take the indie route?

Continuing on from the previous question, one of my top tips is to make sure you've got a great cover. I'm going to be straight up honest and say that when I come across books in sale emails or whatever, if it's an obviously self-published cover, I won't even check it out. I know I probably miss out on good books, but there are SO many books out there to choose from. As a reader, I'm obviously going to put my time into a book with a cover that grabs me and sparks my interest. It's just a fact, and will be the same for most readers. You've got to make that first impression count, and that first impression is your cover. I mean, I've read books with awesome covers that turned out to be awful books. But it's because of that great cover that I gave them a chance. You want readers to give you that chance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jaye L. Knight is an award-winning author, homeschool graduate, and shameless tea addict with a passion for Christian fantasy. Armed with an active imagination and love for adventure, Jaye weaves stories of truth, faith, and courage with the message that even in the deepest darkness, God's love shines as a light to offer hope. She has been penning stories since the age of eight and resides in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

Readers can connect with Jaye via her website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Etsy.

GIVEAWAY

Share in the excitement of the release and enter to win a themed prize pack! Prizes include an autographed copy of Exiles, a pewter dragon necklace by treasurecast, and a sword letter opener! (Giveaway is open to US residents only. Cannot be shipped internationally.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR SCHEDULE

Thursday, August 10

• Book Spotlight at A Pinch of Faith

Friday, August 11

• Character Interview at Reality Reflected
• Review at Tricia Mingerink
• Book Spotlight at She Hearts Fiction
• Review and Excerpt at Literary Cafe
• Character Interview and Excerpt at A Day In The Life
• Author Interview at The World of the Writer
• Review at WritingAnyone
• Review and Character Interview at Meagan Davenport
• Review and Special Post at R535 Blog
• Review at Leah's Bookshelf
• Author Interview and Excerpt at Liv K. Fisher
• Review, Character Interview, and Excerpt at The Elven Padawan
• Review and Author Interview at Books and Arrows
• Review and Author Interview at The Artful Author
• Review and Character Interview at Red Lettering
• Review and Author Interview at PageTurners
• Review and Author Interview at Sutori no Hana
• Review and Character Interview at Bookends

Saturday, August 12

• Review and Excerpt at Thriving Hope
• Book Spotlight at Today, by Bryn
• Review at Honey Rock Hills
• Excerpt at Rachel Rossano's Words
• Excerpt at Tell Tale Book Reviews
• Excerpt at The Overactive Imagination
• Review and Author Interview at One Word At A Time
• Author Interview at Marrok Macintyre
• Review and Author Interview at Sarah, Plain & Average
• Review at A Camera and a Dreamer
• Review and Excerpt at Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections
• Character Spotlight at God's Peculiar Treasure Rae
• Review and Author Interview at Sarah Allerding
• Author Interview and Excerpt at Dreams and Dragons
• Review and Character Interview at Resting Life
• Review and Character Interview at The Music of a Story
• Review and Character Interview at Ruffles and Grace

Sunday, August 13

• Review at Woman at the Well
• Review at Lakeside Publications
• Review at Ember's Reviews
• Review and Author Interview The Ink Lizard
• Excerpt at Lianne Taimenlore
• Book Spotlight at Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens

Monday, August 14

• Review at Backing Books

Tuesday, August 15

• Review at Morgan Elizabeth Huneke

~

fknn;bobtroerqebqreo bfg I'M SO EXCITED FOR EXILES!!!! AAAAAH! *flails*

For those of you new to the world of Ilyon, books one, two, and three are currently on sale for $0.99, $1.99, and $2.99 on Amazon! Click the button below to learn more. 🙂

For those of you Dragons who are already hardcore Ilyon Chronicles fans... I made a playlist. It's primarily composed of songs from Jaye's Ilyon Chronicles YouTube playlist, but a few others have been added in, as well. 😉 You can check out my fan-made playlist either at this link or below.

Are you excited for Exiles? Have you read any of the books in The Ilyon Chronicles, yet? If so, which one is your favorite?

❤,

Blog tour images provided
by Jaye L. Knight.