Thursday, April 12, 2012

Tour Kickoff and Giveaway with Vanna Smythe and her book Anniversary of the Veil: Book One Protector


What better way to start a Thursday than with an awesome book tour kickoff!!! This the first stop on Vanna's virtual tour and I will fill you in on all the book details with a little extra!!  Vanna has included a break down of the main characters in her story.  Stay tuned after all this great info on how you can win a 10 dollar amazon card to help celebrate today!!  Let's start with the book info:


Kiyarran always wanted to be a Protector of the Realm. Untold magic and forbidden love for Princess Issiyanna awaken inside him once his wish comes true. Now the Priesthood that rules the realm from the shadows see Kiyarran’s extraordinary skill as a threat.

Issiyanna is needed for a reaction on the other side of the Veil—a man-forged barrier separating the world in half. A Beacon and Answer gave up their lives to Don the Veil 1,000 years ago. Issiyanna is a Beacon needed to renew the Veil.

Issiyanna is abducted by a group of Keepers from across the Veil, and Kiyarran follows to save her.

Will he choose to bring her back, or run from all he knows to follow her across the Veil? Will Kiyarran fulfill his duty as a Protector, or allow his love for Issiyanna to guide his future path?

Magic, loyalty, childhood friendship, greed, and love all clash as Kiyarran is forced to make his decision.


And here is a break down of the characters just and how they are a part of Vanna too!!!!!

Main Characters in Protector and Me

Writers will often admit to basing their characters on themselves. I admit it too. Only I can’t claim that any one of the main characters in my novel Protector (Anniversary of the Veil, Book One) is exactly like me. Each shares some of my traits, but none are wholly me.  So who are the main characters, and how are they like me?

Protector Kiyarran, or Kae: He is the main character, and, as strange as it may sound (since he’s a man), the one who is most like me. He is honest, truth-loving and fair, but also a little arrogant and confused. As his world shifts around him, as long-hidden secrets and strange magical abilities come to light, he struggles to make sense of it all, and regain his balance in this new found world order.

Princess Issiyanna: She is a dreamer, but always has one foot planted in reality. She’s like me in that way, though, truth be told, I am a bit more realistic. If I had to compare her to someone, I’d say she’s most like Elizabeth in Pirates of the Caribbean. She starts out innocent, naive even, but will learn much as the story progresses.

Head Priest Rhaldan: I think of him as a dinosaur, too old and too set in his ways to really accept and adapt to change. In some ways that’s me too, though I don’t like to admit it.

First Captain Entan: He’s going through a crisis of identity and purpose, torn between duty and wanting to protect Kiyarran, whom he regards as a son. He struggles with what is right as opposed to what he must do, which is something that I have struggled with myself. Though, thankfully, not very often.

Keeper Alet: Years of hard training and bitter loss have made her cold and distant. Now she is plunged into a situation where her emotions, her feelings are too strong to contain.  She is perhaps least like me in that I can hardly keep my emotions in check with cold reason. Though, sometimes, I succeed.

And a Little about Vanna herself!


Vanna Smythe is on a quest to become a (bestselling) fantasy author. Right now, it promises to be a dangerous quest, full of questionable, powerful magnates, laced with pitfalls of obligation, and dreams. So it is good that she does not mean to quest thus alone. To keep her company along the way, she has enlisted the help of an incredible cast of characters. For the moment, they are a confident boy who must learn many things anew, a girl who would like nothing more than to live in endless summer, four who wish things were different, and one who will do all to keep things the same.
As she travels with them, they are slowly reveling their world, and who they are, to her, challenging her to look beyond what is easy to see. These characters may be from a different time, a time long ago, a time that never was, but they could all be here today, forming a part of your inner circle of friends.
Trying to understand them better, her blog will feature an array of posts on the way of life in the Middle Ages. Vanna has lived in European cities, which have sprung from former medieval towns, for most of her life. She has visited many more such cities. Maybe this is why she feels such kinship with her cast of characters. She hopes you will grow to love them also.
Vanna also needs your help, because a story without a reader is like mist before the sun. You can find her here:
Twitter: @Vanna_Smythe

And I think Vanna is well on her way with this book!!  You can check out the rest of the tour here:

April 16 Guest post/giveaway http://ariannecruz07.blogspot.com
April 17 Guest post/Giveaway www.imogenenix.blogspot.com
April 20 Interview/giveaway http://cameorenae.blogspot.com
April 24 Guest post www.salaciousreads.com
April 25 review/interview Read Between The Lines
April 26 …review…. http://novellynice.blogspot.com/
April 28..review http://apmassie.com
And now for the giveaway to celebrate our tour kickoff!!  One lucky winner will walk away with a $10 Amazon Card!!  Just fill out the rafflecopter!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway




48 comments:

Cathy C said...

I would like to ask Vanna how long it took her to write this book.

i enjoyed the character descriptions :) and look forward to reading this book

catherine0807 at hotmail dot com

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Thanks for letting us know about this book! This seemed a greatly thought out plot. I want to ask Vanna where she got the inspiration to write this book?

Yvette said...

I have the feeling this will not be a complete HES...please tell me that I am wrong :-)
Yvette
yratpatrol@aol.com

Dovile said...

How much influence did you have on choosing the cover for Protector?

Unknown said...

The book sounds great!
My question is on the cover as well. It is a beautiful eye catching cover. Who is the artist/creator?

Thank you,
~Ava~
dragonlady029 @ aol .com

Gabby said...

I'm guessing this was your first fantasy story come to life. Was it very difficult to write?

Good luck with this book!

kakuchouakisame_19@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

This sounds like something I would definitely read. I love the character descriptions.
Q: I know some authors use music or other types of motivation for their characters to develope through the story. What helps you to develop the characters or puts you in that writing zone?

mel
bournmelissa at hotmail dot com

Unknown said...

How long did it take to write this book?

Vanna said...

Hey everyone, thanks so much for stopping by my blog tour ;)

@Catherine and @Sarah It took me about a month and half to write it, then over a year to revise and edit it ;) I'm glad you like the sound of the characters!

@Krishna As I'll elaborate in later posts and interviews on this tour, the main inspiration for Protector come from my research into the belief in Twin Souls. Having a soul mate to whom you are drawn to by a bod of very strong love is actually at the core of the story, an plays out in a number of different ways. On the whole, though, Protector is more than just a love story ;)

@Yvette Not sure what you mean by HES, sorry ;)

@Dovile and @Ava Months of work went into this cover, and I had a lot of feedback on it along the way. Initially I'd paid someone to design a cover for me, but I wasn't too happy with it. So in the end, I just designed my own ;) I wanted something simple, but striking at the same time, as well as a cover that would depict the core of the story. All that is heavily documented on my blog vannasmythe.com ;)

@Gabby Thanks! And yes, this is my first fantasy novel ;) While it only took me just over a month to write, I did spend more than a year revising. I love fantasy, so it was a very enjoyable process, for the most part ;)

@Mel Interesting question! I love listening to music of all sorts, from classical to rock to everything in between. I definitely find listening to music helps me explore emotions that I later give to my characters. I also try to make the flow or pace of my stories follow a rhythm, the way songs do ;)

On the whole though, when writing my characters, I try to see them in my mind, imagine where they are, what they're thinking, what their facial expressions look like, ... Only once I see all that in a given scene, do I start to write.

Wow, this is one long reply ;)

Joanne said...

Hi Vanna. Thanks for joining us today. Will this be a series or a stand alone? Will there be a HEA or a Happy For Now? Can't wait to read this book. Thanks.

Joanne B
e.balinski(at)att(dot)net

Vanna said...

Hi Joanne and thanks for the welcome! This story is the first part of a two book series. In that way it's a Happy For Now kinda deal. I don't want to say too much ;)

Sherry said...

Will the other book in the series follow the same characters? Do you ever model your characters after people you know or meet?

Lexi said...

Wow, under two months to write it the first time around. Was it fun to just get it out of your head and onto "paper"?
A little fantasy, some love, and great characters. This book sounds wonderful! Glad you were here so I could find out about it.

Linda said...

Sounds like a great book/series. I like my fantasy with a healthy dose of romance. I'm always so in awe of fantasy writers for the world building in the stories. The other commenters have asked most of the questions I had reading the post!

Guess I'll ask when the 2nd book will be released. Imagining myself anxiously waiting for the conclusion after reading the 1st one! :p

mcv said...

Sounds like a great book. Is this going to be a standalone book or part of a series?

Linda said...

Is the book only available as a Kindle book? I'm not able to purchase Kindle books due to geo restrictions. I couldn't find it at my fav online bookstore (The Book Depository)

heather said...

Hi Vanna, it's nice to meet you. I absolutely love the cover. Did you design it?

Sophia Rose said...

Hi Vanna! How did the story come to you? This sounds like an exciting story.

searching4princecharming said...

Hi Vanna! Like Sophia, I would also like to know how this story came about? It looks interesting!

msmjb65 said...

Hi. You're a "new to me" author and I'm loving the premise for this book. I'm digging the names of the characters, too. How did you pick them and are they real names or made up?
Thanks for the GC giveaway!
MJB
msjb65 AT gmail DOT com

Denise Z said...

I know the title says book one, so obviously here is intent to continue the story, do you have a hope or timeline for the series? How many adventures could we hopefully be able to follow? :)

Pommawolf Emeraldwolfeyes said...

Congrats on your new release!
Sounds very, very good. The cover is awesome...*S*
Wishing you all the best, and continued succes.

Darcy

pommawolf @hotmail.com

Barbara said...

I saw the questions/answers as to how long it took to write/edit your book...how long did it take to get your book published?

barbbattaglia @ yahoo.com

Vanna said...

More questions, yay!

@Sherry Yes, all the books will follow these same characters. The entire series is actually their story and they form its heart and soul ;)

@Lexi I'm glad you like the sound of it. And, yes, it was awesome to get it all out of my head. As a writer, I don't have much of a problem just writing the story. It's the revision and editing that take me a long time ;)

@Linda I'm planning to release Book 2 in the fall. Protector is currently only available from Amazon, but you can also find the kindle version on Amazon UK at http://amzn.to/FRNSTU(and at other European Amazon sites), if that helps. I'll be releasing a print version later this month. BTW, Book Depository is also my fav book seller ;) Thanks for your interest!

@mcv This is the first part of a two book story.

@Heather Nice to meet you too! Yes, I designed the cover myself. Took me about two weeks to learn enough to do it.

@Sophia and @searching4princecharming The story is based on the belief in twin souls and soul mates. I was so fascinated by the idea I just had to write a book about it ;) Love in all shapes and sizes, so to speak, plays a central role in the story, though there's plenty of other themes to balance it out.

@MJB I made up all the names myself, as I didn't want to use commonplace names. I tried to keep them simple though, to avoid annoying my readers ;)

@Denise I'm planning to write at least one more novel in this series, though that could stretch into three. This story will be pretty much concluded in book 2, Decision Maker, though.

@Darcy Thanks! I'm glad you like the cover ;

@Barbara Since I self-published the actual publishing only took me a few days ;) So that's about 2 years from idea to publication.

Sebrina said...

I purchased this book based on someones recommendation, and on the fact that I loved the cover! Which I actually do quite often.
Q: Do you purchase books based on covers alone?
Have to get through my Laura Kaye book, then I'll be diving into this one! :)
Thanks so much,
Sebrina

Vanna said...

@Sebrina Great to hear that, I hope you enjoy it! When buying books, I tend to look at the cover first and then the description and reviews. Recommendations are also crucial. So yeah, the cover plays a big part in my purchasing decisions ;)

Na said...

Princess Issiyanna has so much growth potnetial and I like that in a character.

Anonymous said...

Will your book be released for the Nook? My ereader only takes Epub or PDF. Thanks!

rachel at thejeepdiva dot com

Mary Preston said...

The characters have such amazing names. How did you go about choosing the?

marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Vanna said...

@Na Glad you feel that way. Issa does have a way to go growth-wise ;)

@Rachel I am planning on releasing a Nook version as well as all the other ebook formats. For the time being, it's exclusive to Amazon though. Thanks for your interest!

@Mary Thanks ;) I made them up, pretty much. I wanted something out of the ordinary, but still easy to pronounce.

Helen said...

Did you base any of the characters on people you know?

Kim D said...

Hi I think that the early person that asked about HES meant HEA. I was wondering the same...Is there a HEA (happliy ever after)?
thanks
swkimbell@yahoo.com

Evelyn said...

I was wondering if you ever base your characters on your own life?

evelynmoly@yahoo.com

Deb PelletierC said...

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Donna said...

I was wondering if when you started a book you knew how it will end

donnasing777@yahoo.com

Vanna said...

@Helen A little bit, though no one would recognize themselves in any of the characters from the book. It's more like each has some traits that my friends and family have.

@Kim I just don't want to give anything away by discussing the ending ;)

@Evelyn Sure, some of it. Most of it is made up stuff, only slightly based on real life situations, though.

@Renald Yes, sort of. I can't actually remember when I decided that I wanted to write, the wish has just always been with me ;)

@Donna Not really. I knew how my characters were and the general situation they were in, but the ending came to me only after I started to write. I don't plot much before I start writing.

Patti said...

Hi thanks for sharing. All quetions I can think of have been asked LOL but again thanks for sharing

prettyunicorn78@yahoo.com

Jess said...

hi about how long does it take to write one book are you able to write more than one a year

thanks for contest
jessharrison78@yahoo.com

Stacey Smith said...

my ? is do you right any paranormal Romance books with shifters or Vampires?
I'm read a lot of these type lately.

sasluvbooks@yahoo.com

Sarah Elizabeth said...

Hi Vanna, if you had to describe your book in three words what would they be?
Looking forward to your book, it's in my to-read pile on my kindle!

Vanna said...

@Patti Thanks for stopping by my tour!

@Jess About 6 months, maybe a little more. So I'd say I can write about two books a year.

@Stacey No, sorry, I don't have any books about vampires or shape shifters. Maybe in the future, I'll write on like that ;)

@Sarah Though question ;) I'm going to go with: INTERESTING, UNIQUE and ENTERTAINING

susan1215 said...

How did you come up with the subject of this book

s2s2 at comcast dot net

Vanna said...

@Susan The main idea behind this book is the theory of so-called twin souls, how each individual has a soulmate they are meant to be with. I took it a step further and based the story on how the energy of true love can be used.

April Alvey said...

IT SEEMS ALL THE QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN ASKED I WANTED TO KNOW SO ALL I CAN SAY IS THANKS FOR DOING THIS FOR ALL US READERS. butterfli262002@yahoo.com

Gale Nelson said...

How do you come up with your character names? thanks Gale

Anonymous said...

Who's your favorite character? What do you like most about him/her? Thanks.
Christine
isabelli3619 (at) aol (dot) com

Vanna said...

@April You're very welcome!

@Gale I made them up. I wanted something unique yet not too complicated, or hard to pronounce at the same time.

@Christine I love them all, even the bad guys ;) But I suppose Kae is my favorite, followed closely by Issa. As I wrote their story I got to know them so well that now they're like my friends ;)

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