Imagine my surprise as I plug away at a well debated third chapter of the night, when Madhuri Blaylock tags me in the “Meet My Main Character Blog Tour.”

One quarter of the way through reading her post, I had to laugh out loud at her use of this line to describe herself: “Blunt as shit. There is no shame in my game.”

Three quarters in I said to myself, “Damn. I can’t believe I haven’t read this book. MUST READ!” I don’t usually swear. It is all Madhuri’s fault.

I dare you to read her post and try to walk away without wanting it: The Sanctum Trilogy: Meet My Main Character Blog Tour

At the end of the post I realized that I was up next and she was already linking to my blog. It also occurred to me that my current blog post was decorated with a pink and purple third grade clip art bat with the words “spoiler alert” across the front of his shirt. This was, perhaps, not ideal and it naturally follows that my next thought was “Holy Shit!” (That swear word is Madhuri’s fault too, in case you’re wondering.)

However, I’m thrilled to talk about Blue. In fact, I could talk about Blue until I’m, well, (you know it’s coming), blue in the face! I’m sorry, but I couldn’t resist.

Let’er rip…

The Light Who Shines

thelightwhoshinescover1. What is the name of your main character? Is she fictional or a historic person?

Supernatural Inspector Bluebell Kildare (a.k.a. Blue) is a purely fictional character, but I like to think she embodies a little of the best of us. While physically vulnerable, she makes up for it in spades with her intelligence, assertiveness, and will of steel. Her standout features are the blue streak in her hair, her abnormally blue eyes, and a bright glowing aura. These are all natural traits that mark Blue as one of the magically Gifted, whether she wants to be marked or not.

2. When and where is the story set?

This story is set in the Smoky Mountains in contemporary times, but with an alternate history. Technology is sometimes on par with ours, but sometimes it’s a bit behind. The world relies a lot on magic for everyday things. Firefly lanterns are lamps filled with magically lit flakes of quarts that swirl around, lending a soft ambiance to any room. Chimerators are rings that flip open to project the image and voice of the person you’re speaking with. Charms and potions are used for most everyday illnesses, with standard medicine reserved for surgeries and such. It’s an exciting world with many possibilities. The scenery is quite beautiful and eerie at times.

3. What should we know about her?

Blue is a sensitive and gifted empath. While these traits seem benign, they are actually quite useful. Her empathy skills allow her to detect feelings to such an extent she is practically a walking lie detector. Her sensitive skills can detect the presence or lingering vibrations of magic. These skills are extremely well fitted with her role as an Inspector.

She can also sense souls…

And she has the hots for her sexy Vampire boss, Jack Tanner.

4. What is the main conflict? What messes up her life?

The story starts out at the scene of the crime where a teenage boy was found horrifically tortured and murdered. The plot follows the investigation of that crime and unfolds from the alternating first person perspectives of Blue and Jack.

At the crime scene Blue uncovers a powerful magical artifact. She soon discovers it acts as a key to an ancient grimiore that was instrumental in the creation of the vampire breed and still holds the power to unravel the boundaries between Earth and the Plane of Fire. Other parties seem very interested in the key and Blue becomes the hunted as much as the hunter.

The main societal conflict present in this world is prejudice and hate. While the typical prejudices we see in our reality don’t exist in this world, the story flips the lens of prejudice to focus on the three different breeds of humans: Norms who are regular humans as you and I know them, magically Gifted humans, and Vampires (Dark and Light). The culture is strife with tension as these three breeds deal with a bloody history and lingering hate.

5. What is her personal goal?

Orphaned by the death of her parents at the hands of Dark Vampires, rejected by her grandparents because of her magical heritage, Blue is accustomed to going it alone. After all, she survived bullying, hate, fear, and ostracism in the orphanage, yet still managed to maintain her moral compass.

As an Inspector in the Homicide Unit of the Supernatural Investigation Bureau, Blue fights for interbreed peace and justice every day. She believes in this job with all her soul, despite the ungrateful Norms who harass her at every turn.

Did I mention she has the hots for her sexy Vampire boss, Jack Tanner? (Wink)

6. Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

Yes! It’s called The Light Who Shines.

You can read more about it on my website.

The first ten chapters are available as a free excerpt. It’s currently getting a 4.8 star rating on Amazon and has been positively reviewed by Kirkus.

7. When can we expect the book to be published?

It’s published already and is available at Amazon: (click here)

The three books that finish out the series have already been outlined and the draft of book two is in progress. The entire series will be:

  • The Light Who Shines
  • The Light Who Binds
  • The Light Who Burns
  • The Light Who Destroys

And now it’s my turn to pass on the favor!

I’d like to invite some of my favorite writers to take part in this blog tour. I would have invited others as well, but my good friend Joy was also tagged and she called them first.

Lee Miller: She’s currently blogging the process of writing. We have future plans to write simultaneous blog posts on the weird shit we Google. (You guessed it. That swear word was Madhuri’s fault too.)

Louise White: She’s the author of The Calling, a story that features a feral magical girl, no less. Don’t you love it? I’m so mad I didn’t think of the idea first.

Keith Fritz: Author of Man Hunt, which recently hit best seller status across several Amazon categories. I know this because I saw it and reported it to him while he was driving home one day. He was very responsibly not texting and driving.

Todd Thiede: Author of Time Killer and Lies to Die For. He’s a #1 best selling Amazon thriller author and has been a friend since childhood.

Lee, Louise, Keith, Todd, tag, your it!

Lilo