Magic, Vengeance, and a Target on Her Back

1) Hi there! Let’s start off with introductions. You can use your pen name if you have one.

A.R. Stern

2) What genre(s) do you write?

Dark Urban Fantasy

3) When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, whether they were short stories, novellas, or full fledged novels. You could find me sitting inside writing on the computer for hours rather than going outside to play with friends. I’ve always been a writer, but I feel that only recently do I consider myself a true author.

 4) What are you passionate about these days?

The most obvious answer would be books. Writing fills up most of my free time, along with reading, but I find a lot of joy cooking and experimenting with recipes. My favorite recipes to make are my homemade chicken alfredo, chicken korma, and pot pies. I’ve recently started dabbling in making my own sourdough, but I’m still figuring out the science behind it. I also love going on adventures with my husband and our golden shepherd mix puppy Xena.

5) What inspired you to write this book?

I’ve always been fascinated with magick, witchcraft, and the paranormal. The series I was writing before I began Age of Shadows I no longer felt any passion for, so I scrapped it and started working on this one. I’ve had so much fun researching all the different topics and exploring a parallel world to ours.

6) What can we expect from you in the future?

Fear not my fellow readers for I have LOTS of story ideas planned. I have a document several pages long literally filled with different book and plot ideas. My genres will focus on dark fantasy and horror, but I have plans to branch out and work on writing romantasy and epic fantasy. I also want to try my hand at writing psychological thrillers, ground-breaking dystopian (similar to Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, 1984 by George Orwell, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley), and fiction focusing on mental health and addiction.

7) How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book?

The bones of the story were created years ago when a fellow author and I decided to collaborate on a book together. Unfortunately we never made it past character creation and knowing we wanted the story to involve magick and mystery. Daire Delacroix and Klowbi Penrose were created for this story, but I made minor changes so they could live in my Age of Shadows series. Niko Williams, Alko Li, and Xuan Minh were created later once I decided to write Scion of a Swan. The plot itself originally began as a good versus evil, which I found boring. So I turned the idea on its head and started from a different perspective where the FMC turns into the antagonist as the story progresses. I’ve always had a love for dark twists and Daire was the perfect character for it.

8) Where did you come up with the names in the story?

Daire Delacroix and Klowbi Penrose were created for a different story that was never written. I loved their names and characters so much I repurposed them for my Age of Shadows series. Daire Delacroix’s name was created using name generators. Klowbi’s name came from a video game play-through of Undertale that a Youtuber chose for their series. Niko was created years before when I first found my love for writing. His first name was inspired by a character from the Percy Jackson series, though the spelling is different. I found Xuan’s name because my husband loves watching poker and she was a poker player in the competitions. Alko’s name is inspired by Elko New Market which is a city in Minnesota.

9) Can you pitch your book in a single sentence?

Driven by vengeance and the mystery of her bloodline, a morally gray woman wielding powerful magick becomes the newest target of the feared Shadow People.

10) That was great! Now can you tell me a bit more about your book?

Scion of a Swan

Age of Shadows Book 1

Shadows thirst for the living. She starves for the truth.

Descending from a long line of witches, Daire Delacroix has been practicing magick since she was a witchling, and with the gift to see all magick, her gifts are unparalleled. But when Daire’s mother suddenly falls ill only to perish without a valid diagnosis, Daire grows vengeful and bitter for answers.Half a year after her death, Daire reintroduces herself into the witch community to celebrate her first Wiccan holiday without her mother. When the Shadow People make an appearance and attack at one of the most renowned Wiccan sabbats, Daire's world starts to fall apart once again.

Now with the Shadows growing violent and haunting Daire, she is determined to destroy them and protect what remains of her family. The deeper she searches the more secrets come to the surface, along with the truth about her mother’s death and her lineage.Nothing will stop her from unveiling the truth—even when it means walking the line of right and wrong.

11) Can you tell me a bit about yourself?

A. R. Stern is an indie author from Minnesota, blending dark fantasy, horror, and new adult elements in her writing. Her current series, Age of Shadows, showcases her unique style and she plans to explore different genres in upcoming novels.Stern is an emerging author who began writing in elementary school. With several novels in her past, she now focuses on developing new ideas and refining her craft, eager to share her unique stories with readers.In her spare time she is an avid reader of all genres, cruises on a Harley with her husband, and spends time with her pets. She also takes pleasure in cooking and the art of sourdough baking.

12) Do you have a website? If so, what is it?

https://www.ar-stern.com/

13) Where else can we find and follow you?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581381514419

X: https://x.com/AuthorStern

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_arstern/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/A.-R.-Stern/author/B0DNWTRXZ8

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/53161290.A_R_Stern

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