About the Book:
Light and Dark. Order and Chaos.
The Eternal Conflict arises once more.
Centuries have passed since the forces of the Dark Lord Grôth were last seen upon the world of Thaxadar. But now the Balance between Light and Dark has been shattered, and evil touches the world once again.
Caught up in this struggle between Light and Dark, and hunted by the Dark Lord’s servants, Talina is forced to leave her simple, quiet life to protect everyone she loves. Alone and lost, she must follow the only lead she has in order to find answers—to find the others like her, those blessed with divine powers by Telariel, the Lady of Light.
For the time has come for the Chosen to rise.
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Author Interview:
1: Tell us a little about yourself and what got you in to writing?
So, to start things off, I’m from Belgium, more specifically a village near the more famous medieval city of Bruges. I’m happily married and I have three children. Professionally, I am a teacher of Dutch and English in a nearby secondary school.
As to how I got into writing, that answer lies very far back now. I love reading, always have, ever since I started learning how. The true spark probably came around the time Peter Jackson released The Fellowship of the Ring in theatres. I loved it and immediately wanted to read the novels. Then I wanted more, all fantasy. All that reading eventually led me to write a little bit, as a hobby. True writing only came after I started playing Dungeons & Dragons with my friends. As the dungeon master, the world and the story was mine. From that came my first novel, The Lady’s Gift, which is the first of a trilogy. My very own fantasy come to print.
2: Do you have a favourite time and place where you write?
Most of my writing I do on my desktop at home, the little corner of my house that is truly mine. However, on occasion I have brought my laptop with me on some trips, where I wrote some parts of the novel under the canopy of leaves from the forests we stayed at. I truly loved that; the calm and quiet as a font of inspiration.
My favourite time for writing, though, comes every time the creative juices flow. It happens at any time, really. I’d get an idea at work and jot it down in my phone for when I get home, or I’d be in my car driving and think of a cool twist, so I ask my Google Assistant to take a note.
3: Where do your ideas come from?
As mentioned above, my Dungeons & Dragons game. My entire world is my own invention, though of course based on other fantasy (medieval) fantasy worlds. But D&D is such a versatile game, where you shape the story along with your players. A lot of my ideas came from those games where magic happens when you put five people together with a set of dice and a sandbox setting.
4: Do you have a plan in your head of where the story is going before you start writing or do you let it carry you along as you go?
No. None whatsoever. For this trilogy, I started out with a very small ‘prologue’, in a sense. Two pages where I explore my characters, and even that I wrote “on the fly”. I just start typing and then keep going, see where the words lead me. I do have a very, very general sense of where the story will go, mostly the ending, but 99% of the time while I write, I have no idea what is going to happen two chapters later until I write the lines.
5: What genre are your books and what drew you to that genre?
Fantasy, the epic kind. I love stories that follow a simple youth hurtled in a bigger destiny. The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan is the best example, I think. There’s something about stories like that that just speak to me. Dreams of a new world, one the reader gets to explore through the main character’s eyes. What a wonderful way to discover a new universe.
6: What dream cast would you like to see playing the characters in your latest book?
That’s a tough one! But, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t daydreamed a bit about it, when humility hides for a moment and makes way for a little hubris.
My main character, Talina, is this twenty-year old woman from a simple village. She and the people of her country in my world are very much written as sort of “Mediterranean”, specifically Greek. For their looks, anyway. Olive skin, black/dark hair, dark eyes… Not that long ago, I saw the actress Melissanthi Mahut in an episode of The Sandman and I thought she was the perfect embodiment of my vision of Talina, if slightly older than she is in the books.
As for the other characters, I honestly have no idea yet… Here’s hoping the time comes one day where I do!
7: Do you read much and if so who are your favourite authors?
I read a lot! Every day as much as I can, which is usually a few chapters before bed.
As mentioned earlier, I love The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. Of course, J.R.R. Tolkien’s works, any of them, are at the top of the list, as well as Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicles. Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive is up there too, and recently I fell in love with Michael J. Sullivan’s Riyria Revelations. I could continue with Sapkowski’s Witcher-series, and to switch it up from fantasy I adore Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
8: What book/s are you reading at present?
Currently I am re-reading Blood of Elves, thus working my way through Sapkowski’s Witcher-series once more, thanks to the show on Netflix. Admittedly, it has been ten years since I read them last.
9: What is your favourite book and why?
Another tough one…Very, very hard to pick just one. If I had to, I’d pick The Lord of the Rings. It’s a timeless classic and the absolute foundation for any other fantasy novel since. The way Tolkien writes and builds his world, leaving mysteries both explained and unexplained through his own mythology…It’s a masterpiece, pure and simple.
And yes, I know it’s technically three books, but you’ll never, ever be able to make me choose one of those three as a favourite!
10: What advice would you give for someone thinking about becoming a writer?
Write! Write whatever you want, however you want. Language is such a beautiful thing, a way to express our thoughts in numerous, creative ways that are different for each and every one of us. Whether it’s a short letter to someone you miss, or a heroic tale of dragons and knights, whatever you want! You just need to start. See where the road leads you, one step and one keystroke at a time. Don’t give up. As long as you have something to tell, someone somewhere will want to read it, I am sure of it.
11: What are the best Social Media Sites for people to find out about you and your work?
I mostly post things on my Facebook page, though I have a blog (that admittedly could use more updates lately) and some other social media pages, as listed below!
Facebook: www.facebook.com/J.Versavel
Instagram: www.instagram.com/jarlversavel
Blog: www.jversavel.auteursblog.nl
Twitter (or is it X?): https://twitter.com/JarlVersavel
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/40984073.Jarl_Versavel
About the Author:
Jarl Versavel (1991) is a debuting author from Bruges (Belgium). For as long as he can remember, he has had a book in his hands whenever he could, preferably fantasy. After devouring numerous volumes, the next logical step was writing his own. Aside from reading and writing, he loves discovering stories in any medium, such as games or films. Other passions include travelling and Dungeons & Dragons. He is also the proud father of three children and is happily married to his beloved wife, Conny. Professionally, he is an English and Dutch teacher in a secondary school.
Reading Nook 