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Interview by Brock Eastman Featuring The Tethered World Chronicles
Brock: Hi, Heather! I understand your second book, The Flaming Sword, is about to be released for pre-order. Before we learn about that, what can you tell me about the first book, The Tethered World that we will be giving away on this blog? Heather: Hello and thanks for having me! Yes, it’s hard to believe my second book is almost spit-shined and ready to meet the world. I’m still enjoying the afterglow of giving birth to my first little darling. Book one, The Tethered World, introduces readers to sixteen-year-old Sadie Larcen. She’s the oldest of six and has a bit of a quirky family. Her father owns a cosmetology school, her mother is an expert on Bigfoot and other legends, and she and her siblings are homeschooled. One of her twin brothers is autistic. Sadie has always been embarrassed by her parents’ oddball professions and can’t wait to graduate, head to college, and begin a literary career. But her mother’s professional hobby becomes Sadie’s worst nightmare when her parents are kidnapped by creatures that once lived in the Garden of Eden. Creatures most people don’t believe exist. Now, Sadie and her siblings have to venture into a land populated by beings from folklore and save their parents. Poor Sadie would much rather read about adventures than experience them. She’s not the average female book heroine, ready to defeat the forces of evil and take names later. Brock: And how do the experiences in the first book affect Sadie in the second book, The Flaming Sword? Heather: Sadie more readily accepts what has to be done the second time around. Although at first, she struggles with the same insecurities and fears. She claims she’d like traveling to the Tethered World better if it didn’t involve life or death situations. But now she has friends in this place, and their life is being threatened. Add to that the risk to her autistic brother Brock—who stayed behind in book one to train to be High King. His life is one of many in danger. In fact, if Sadie and her family don’t help to protect the Flaming Sword of Cherubythe, the entire planet is in danger. Definitely, the stakes are much higher for Sadie in The Flaming Sword. Also, my publisher, Mountain Brook Ink, suggested I add a secondary point of view in book two. Readers will get to see the action happening from two different vantage points this time, which makes for a pretty intense journey. Brock: What’s the third book in the series called, and can you give us a little taste of what to look forward to? Heather: Certainly! The third book is The Genesis Tree. I’m currently writing my first draft. Although Sadie and some of the others will have to head back to the belly of the earth to do battle, the enemy wants nothing less than world domination. They’re willing to expose themselves to the scrutiny of the media and the powers that be topside (the term they use for those of us on TOP of the earth’s crust), in order to grasp the power and recognition they crave. Things will get downright dicey and dangerous. The third point of view is used in book three, which will add yet another layer. Although I don’t write with an outline (I’m a ‘pantser’), I do have major plot points I springboard toward (with a lot of prayers!). Often I’m just as surprised as the reader when characters hijack my story and wreak all sorts of havoc. I love it when that happens! Brock: Never a dull moment at the keyboard, it sounds like! In conclusion, tell me why you are writing The Tethered World Chronicles? What did you hope to share with readers by letting them into this mysterious world? Heather: Great question! The Tethered World introduces readers to the secret place where God moved the inhabitants of Eden before the flood of Noah. They’ll meet dwarves, gnomes, leprechauns, trolls, Nephilim, and more. I noticed that cultures all over the world share similar folklore (long before the internet, newspapers, or even printed books). For example, from the Pacific Northwest to Tibet, there are rumors of a “wild man in the mountains” (Bigfoot, yeti, abominable snowman etc). My stories suggest there may be a reasonable explanation for such worldwide sightings. Along with Sadie, our reluctant heroine, I hope to take the reader to a land that is almost convincing enough to be true. I love stories that seem quite possible, even if they are not probable. The Chronicles of Narnia have that quality and I desired to write a series laced with the same believable potential. I hope that readers will yearn to find a dragon in the fog, faeries within a circle of toadstools, and gnomes guarding a powerful sword…just like they yearn to find a lamppost glowing in the woods.  Heather L.L. FitzGerald lives in Fort Worth, Texas with four someones that call her mom and one special someone that calls her his wife. She homeschooled her children--one of whom is autistic--and teaches ballet at a fine arts school on her off-time. Heather is a member of the North Texas Christian Writers and helps to facilitate the Fort Worth-based Manet writer’s group, and she loves drinking ice lattes, cloud watching, and getting lost in a good book. You can connect with Heather on her website/blog, Facebook, Pinterest (Belongs to her main character, Sadie), Character blog: (Sadie’s mom has a blog about legendary creatures.), Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads. The Tethered World is available from Amazon. The Flaming Sword will be available for pre-order on Amazon August 1st, and released November 1st, 2016.
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