Today I am so pleased to welcome Lexi Ander to Joyfully Jay. Lexi has come to talk to us about her book Dreams of the Forgotten. She has also brought along some amazing giveaways! Please join me in giving her a big welcome!
Twin Flames, Destiny, and Death
Thank you for stopping by. Today is the first day of the Dreams of the Forgotten blog tour, and I thought I would start it off talking about what I had planned to happen in Dreams of the Forgotten verses what actually happened.
**I should probably say now that if you haven’t read the first two books of this series, you’ll want to think twice before reading through the blog post. (Just skip on down and enter the giveaway.) I will be talking about Twin Flames and Songs of the Earth in correlation to Dreams of the Forgotten.
Whew! Now that the warning is out of the way, let’s talk! In the first two books a couple of facts are set up.
One, all Lycans have a Twin Flame who they may or may not meet in their present life, and if they don’t, it’s okay because they are reincarnated, and have a chance to find them in the next life.
Two, Tristan and Ushna are not Twin Flames. Between betrayal and tragedy, they both lost their Basherts.
Three, Tristan is pretty sure he’s permanently severed his connection with his Twin Flame. Ushna’s Twin Flame is an innocent, and they will find each other in the next life whereas Tristan will wander the coming incarnations alone.
Coming into Dreams of the Forgotten, these main features of the story were in mind. At the end of the series, Tristan and Ushna could win the day, but really, was Tristan going to have his “Happily Ever After”? The answer was, no. He would spend a great life with Ushna then when the cycle of life would repeat. Ushna would be reborn with his Twin Flame, and Tristan would be alone. Even though that aspect wouldn’t be in the book, it’s a fact that isn’t hard to miss when reading the series.
I wanted Tristan to get his HEA with Ushna and there was only a limited number of ways to accomplish that. I could break the bond between Ushna and his Flame, Brian, or find Tristan another love interest at the end of the series, or Brian could, in an act of selfless love, sacrifice himself so that Ushna and Tristan could be together.
Considering breaking Ushna and Brian’s bond didn’t fit with the story, and since Brian had already died tragically, this just seemed like a jerk thing to do. I already had this image of Brian’s character in my head, it didn’t fit with how he’d already been developed, and the act wouldn’t mesh with the overall plot. So that was easily discarded.
Finding Tristan another love interest when he and Ushna spent five books as in love as they are—well, it didn’t fit with the story. The hate mail because I broke Tristan and Ushna up at the end of the series would probably implode my email inbox. It would be too hard to sell, and because I couldn’t believe it, readers definitely wouldn’t.
So that left… Death. Well, there was another option but I didn’t want to go there, and I’ll explain why in a second. Character death isn’t something to play around about. If an author has to kill off a character then it cannot be for a senseless reason. There must be meaning, and in my opinion, the sacrifice should be emotionally moving. But Brian was only the name of a boy who’d already died once when he was eleven years old. No one really knew him. So I started Dreams of the Forgotten off determined to introduce Brian to the readers so they knew who he was and understood what he would be giving up for the sake of an epic love.
Half way through the story, and I stalled because I fell in love with Brian. There was a third option I could take but like I said, I was hesitant. Some consider a ménage as taboo and aren’t comfortable reading it. Not only that, it would change almost everything about what came afterwards, and the structure I had already formed in my mind for the next three books would evolve into something very different.
It would also change the overall plot arch:
One, where Tristan and Ushna started and why.
Two, that they needed to change to accomplish…
Three, where they have the knowledge, strength and power to overcome the odds.
I waffled back and forth until I had lunch with an awesome group of friends, and they asked me how things were going. The vote was unanimous for no death, going with the one option I was reluctant to put on the table: Incorporating Brian into the love story. As leery as I was about turning Sumeria’s Sons into a ménage, I was relieved to not have to kill Brian. A huge weight was lifted. Now I had to work and change things around to allow it to happen, which was a lot of work but the changes made the overall story much better. Hopefully, others will agree. ^_^
Thank you for stopping by. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway. I hope you have a wonderful day and thank you for reading!!
You can get a copy now: http://www.lessthanthreepress.com/books/index.php?main_page=product_bookx_info&cPath=116&products_id=876
Blurb
For Tristan and Ushna, nothing comes easy and with each passing day the challenges grow and the dangers multiply. The safe home they are building for their family and tribe is threatened from all sides, and the peace they seek is being torn apart by enemies and internal strife. Tristan dares not reveal his condition to any but those closest to him, all the while he’s plagued by dreams he cannot remember upon waking…
And over all of it hangs the knowledge that his time with Ushna is running out. Because Ushna already has a Flame awaiting rebirth, and though Tristan would die to protect that bond, he constantly struggles against his beast who demands they bind Ushna to their side.
Order a copy today!
Bio
Lexi has always been an avid reader, and at a young age started reading (secretly) her mother’s romances (the ones she was told not to touch). She was the only teenager she knew of who would be grounded from reading. Later, with a pencil and a note book, she wrote her own stories and shared them with friends because she loved to see their reactions. A Texas transplant, Lexi now kicks her boots up in the Midwest with her Yankee husband and her eighty-pound puppies named after vacuum cleaners.
Where to find the author:
- Web site: http://www.lexiander.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexi.ander.9
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LexiAnder1
- Blog: http://lexiander.blogspot.com/
- E-mail: lexi.ander.author@gmail.com
Giveaway
Lexi has brought some amazeballs prizes to give away on her tour. There will be five winners and here are the prizes:
1. $20 Amazon Gift card, $20 All Romance Gift card, hard copy of Dreams of the Forgotten, swag (pens, bookmarks, and such)
2. $20 All Romance Gift card, hard copy of Dreams of the Forgotten, swag (pens, bookmarks, and such)
3. hard copy of Dreams of the Forgotten, swag (pens, bookmarks)
4. e-book copy of Dreams of the Forgotten
5. e-book copy of Dreams of the Forgotten
Just fill out the Rafflecopter form (or follow the link) below to enter!
Rafflecopter giveaway
- By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
- By entering you are agreeing to the Terms and Conditions set out by Rafflecopter for entries.
- Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
- Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
- By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
- Void where prohibited by law.
Sounds really good. Count me in, please!
Thank you, Susana! Good Luck in the giveaway!
Looks good, and thanks for the giveaway 🙂
Awesome, Angela! Thank you for stopping by and good Luck in the giveaway!
Congratulations on your recent release the book sounds great and thank you for the Giveaway.
ShirleyAnn(at)speakman40(dot)freeserve(dot)co(dot)uk
Thank you, Shirley Ann! Good luck in the giveaway! ^_^
I am soooo excited that the next book is out! Yay, Lexi!
I hope you enjoy it, Ashley! Best of luck with the giveaway!
I read and enjoyed the first book and have the next two – just need the time to read them. 🙂 Thanks for the post and contest!
I hope you enjoy Songs of the Earth and Dreams of the Forgotten just as much, Jen! Much luck with the giveaway!!
A huge thank you to Joyfully Jay for having on today!!
Hi Lexi. I will have to get the first two books then read this one.
LOL! Yeah, this will plop you down in the middle of the story. ^_^
Hi, Lexi! Good luck with the release…the world-building looks amazing!
Thank you, Trix. World-building is almost as fun as writing the story!
Congratulations on the new release! Looking forward to reading it!
Thank you, Julie! I hope you enjoy it!
Congratulations on the new book!
Thank you so very much, Annemarie!
Hello, Lexi! I look forward to read this book, great series!
I hope you enjoy this addition to the series, Serena!!
Great read. I enjoyed it a lot. Thank you for the giveaway chance!
I’m tickled you enjoyed the book! Good luck with the giveaway!
Thanks for the great post! I really enjoy this series!
Aww! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed Sumeria’s Sons! Thank you, Antonia!
Thanks for the giveaway! I absolutely love this series, the characters and world-building are so amazing.
*tackle hugs* *Oops! *helps Amanda up* I’m thrilled you love the series!!
I am enthralled by the world described by Lexi. I have her Playing for Keeps but haven’t finished it yet. Now I am adding the Sumeria’s Sons series to my WANT TO READ List! Thank you for this opportunity.
Thank you so much, Ree!! I hope you enjoy Playing for Keeps (my only contemporary series)!!
I love this series too-the characters, the world building, all of it. I eagerly await each new book 🙂 Thanks so much for the giveaway!
*tackle hugs* Thank you so very much, Marla!
Can’t wait to explore your world!
I hope you enjoy the world, Kat!
Hi Lexi! I love this series and can’t wait for the next in the series. HURRY!!!
Hey Gigi!! July 1st book four releases. Not too long now. 🙂
Too far away!! I guess I’ll have to read the old ones, again! BTW, are the rereleases the same or have they been edited in some way? Just wondering if I need to buy the new editions. Cheers!
The re-releases have been edited, strengthening the prose, adding clarification on some vague areas, but the added word count was negligible, oh, and we toned down some of Tristan’s drama moments. *snickers*. The story stays the same so if you already have copies then don’t worry because there weren’t any added scenes. The upside, I turned in book five and the third interlude in February. I’m not sure if it will be in time to release this fall (October-ish) but it will be a couple of months before I find out. So cross your fingers!
Fingers (and toes) crossed!!!
Hello there, Lexi!
I wish you well.
Your books sound intriguing. Many thanks for the giveaway.
Hey, Kareni! Thank you! I hope you have a great week and good luck with the giveaway. ^_^
Thank you for the spoiler warning, Lexi! This is a series I’ve had my eye on, so I wouldn’t want to know too much before the others. Thanks for the giveaway and congrats on this latest release!
My pleasure, Carolyn. I don’t like reading spoilers unless I’m purposefully looking for them. ^_^ Good luck with the giveaway!