Fated (Vanguard Legacy #3)by Joanne Kershaw
Published by Xchyler Publishing on April 25th, 2015
taking some time out of your busy schedule to answer a few questions!
could you start off by telling us a few random things about yourself and your
books?
Random? My favourite colour is
purple, I binge watch television series and I have four children aged 12, 11, 8
and 6. Random about my books? I got to choose the colour of the cover for
Fated, which is why it’s purple! I don’t have a favourite character in the
books series, but the feel of the Nikolai Compound is modelled after Bretton
Hall, which is where I went to University.
end up writing a YA Paranormal series?
I read a lot of YA, I felt I
could write YA, and so I did. That’s kind of it, really. I was always told to write
what I knew, so YA was the most logical progression.
about vampires and not any other paranormal creature? What makes them so
interesting to you?
I think that the world of the
Vanguard Legacy series is really diverse, which is why we have Magicae (people
with magical power) and the enhanced humans who make up the Vanguards. I guess
that vampires were the most logical addition to the universe—they fit in with
everyone else and allowed for a different dimension to the mythology.
sounds like a strong heroine, could you tell us more about her character and
what she faces in your books?
Poor Elora! She is very strong
considering the challenges she has to face. Discovering that she is a twin is
probably the first hurdle to overcome. She has more unusual skills compared to
other Vanguards, an over-bearing mother and an odd past. Elora is given plenty
of reasons to quit but she never does and I admire that about her. On top of
all of that, often the decisions she makes lead to repercussions for the wider
world, which is a lot of pressure in your teenage years. I hope her
perseverance comes through.
want to know about the romance! Is there a love triangle? Lots of heartbreak? A
Happily Ever After, perhaps?
There is romance! Of course!
Elora’s very best friend ever, Aaron, is in love with her at the beginning of
Foretold (though she is a bit oblivious). She doesn’t reciprocate his feelings
and soon meets Zak who she falls hopelessly in love with. Sadly, he isn’t all
he seems to be and their love affair is rather tangled and testing for them
both. I won’t discuss where they end up, because it could spoil any of the
books for people who haven’t read them, just know that I believe every character
gets the right ending!
difficult to say goodbye to your characters while finishing Fated?
Not really. I had been
drafting the book in my head for a while, ever since finishing up on Reflected.
I was ready to give them their endings and let them go. I would love to write
more in the universe, but time isn’t always on my side for things like that.
create playlists for the Vanguard Legacy series?
No playlists, particularly. I
listened to a lot of soundtracks while writing Reflected and a lot of Avril
Lavigne while writing Fated. Foretold is so long ago now that I’m not sure what
was on my stereo at the time, though I think it may have been Linkin Park.
coffee or tea drinker?
Decaf coffee or fruit
tea—though I drink a lot of water. As a teacher, I spend more of my day
talking, so need to keep hydrated.
could switch lives for a day with anyone – fictional or real – who would it be
and what would you do?
An interesting question! I
don’t think I would switch with anyone in particular – I’d love to go behind
the scenes of some of my favourite TV shows though, to meet the cast and see
filming in action. Maybe I’d be Sarah Rafferty on Suits for the day, I think I
could carry off her character pretty well.
series?
Don’t have one – love too
many! I can never pick an overall favourite. I love Twilight and The Hunger
Games and Divergent and Partials and Vampire Academy and Demon Trappers and
Timeriders—see, very indecisive!
movie adaptation?
The Hunger Games Series,
without a doubt. I just think that they’ve held so true to the story and I love
Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss.
anything else you would like to share with us?
Just really a thank you for
having me along. On my behalf and the behalf of other authors – indie and
self-published – reviews matter! If the reader can take the time to review, the
writer knows they made an impact. Even if the review is negative. I am taking
this message on board myself and trying to review what I read and share the
love!
I thought that, with this being book three, it might be a good idea to introduce you a little to Elora’s new world and the new cast of characters in her life. The main events of Fated take place almost a year after the conclusion of Reflected, and a lot has changed for Elora. Now an active Vanguard, she is finally living an ‘ordinary’ life—you know, aside from the mind-reading and exceptional speed, strength and senses! Enjoy!
wall, and a hot breath rushed out of me. Gasping, my eyes flickered shut for a
second before I felt myself rise again. Cold, hard hands gripped my neck and
lifted me until my face was level with a pair of menacing, soulless black eyes.
I didn’t wriggle or squirm, not that I didn’t want to, but the hold the vampire
had on my neck was choking the life out of me. Pushing out with my mind, I
tried to find my back-up. Where on the Spirits was the rest of my quad?
absent, and I felt my heart beat grow a little more frantic—and probably more
delicious-sounding considering my current company. Desperate now, I swung my
legs up hard and punched my feet into the centre of the vampire’s chest. A dead
thud reverberated through me. He snarled derisively while I pushed against him,
trying to force him to release his grip on my throat. One shove, another. The
third time, I summoned all of the Vanguard strength I had in me.
off-guard—my short stature often led my enemies into a false sense of security.
His grasp loosened for a fraction of a second and I twisted away, both of us
falling in a tangled heap on the floor while I gasped for breath. I scrambled
away, the dirt from the alley pushing up under my fingernails as I skittered
backwards. The vampire moved fast, and I was unable to put any real distance
between us before his shadow loomed above me.
trying to anticipate the creature’s next move. It was not the vampire but my
quadmate and commander, Marcus. He held his finger to his lips and I listened
inside instead.
This steady-in-the-face-of-danger attitude was something I had come to expect
of Marcus during the last few months, and so I nodded, the panic fading as
quickly as it had come.
of the wall and continued his commands, relying on me to pass them around the
quad. This was what I did, after all—human telephone. A sudden lump rose into
my throat as the phrase fluttered through my brain, my assigned Vanguard
Superior had coined it and he had died a little over six months ago whilst
trying to protect me. He was an honourable man. I had trusted him and he had
believed in me. It still hurt that he was gone. I had little time to think
about it, though; the vampire had hold of my ankle and was slowly lifting me
up. The tendons in my ankle popped, straining against my weight. My short,
auburn hair slipped from its ponytail as I was lifted completely off the
ground.
laughed a dry voice. We had reached the obligatory ‘just before you die’
gloating, and I steeled myself for the usual barrage of taunts and mockery.
“Did they really think you would be able to take me down?” the vampire
continued. I squirmed a little, making it look good. I knew the others were
about to make their move and I was waiting as patiently as I could. “Little
girl, I am Ramos. I have been alive probably ten times your lifespan! How dare
you think you can kill me?” It was clear that Ramos needed this to be a two-way
affair, so I joined in—if only to shut him up.
I coughed. It turned out it was difficult to speak when suspended upside down.
probably best not to antagonise the monster any more, but it was a little late
for that.
“The lack of marks on your uniform show me just how little you are, girl.” The silver flecks on my sleeve
were on the sparse side—but I was still new, really, so twelve was pretty good.
With a sudden surge, the vampire wrenched me up and around, spinning me so that
he once again gripped my neck rather than my ankle. Then he whispered darkly,
“I think I will drink you slowly, painfully. Punishment for your arrogance.”
Ramos heard them. They slipped in from three sides and completely surrounded
him, like moths to a flame. His grip tightened on my neck for a moment and then
he lowered me. Turning slowly, he looked to each of my team in turn. He was no
doubt realising that I was the very junior of juniors when it came to
Vanguards, and that my quad most definitely were not.
across his chest. His forearms glistened in the faint orange glow from the distant
streetlights. He had many more kills and captures to his name and he was not
alone. Simon had an equally glittering past. Finally, Maria, who had been here
only six months longer than I, certainly had her fair share.
of a banquet than a snack!” Ramos ran his tongue slowly over his teeth as if to
prove his point. All at once, I lashed out with my foot, striking him in the
back of the head and nudging him forward. Simon and Maria each grabbed an arm,
and Marcus pushed his iron stake firmly through Ramos’ heart. He gasped a
chalky breath before disintegrating gently into a fine grey powder. He really
never saw it coming, how would he when the signal was invisible?
Joanne Kershaw lives in Wakefield, England, with her husband, four young children, and an uppity cat named Dipstick. As a teacher of five- to eleven-year-olds, she spends her days playing at being a grownup, then goes home to delve into Young Adult dark romance and being sixteen again. Joanne lives and breathes books, whether reading, writing, or marking them. She wrote her first novel in six weeks. Encouraged to submit her work by a friend and fellow YA novel addict, Joanne now finds herself a signed author at Xchyler Publishing.
$10
Amazon Gift Card + E-copies of the Vanguard
Legacy Trilogy
E-copies
of the Vanguard Legacy Trilogy + swag
E-copy
of Foretold
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Intriguing. Thanks for introducing this, Melissa!