Today I am so pleased to welcome Lex Chase to Joyfully Jay. Lex has come to talk to us about her latest release, Chasing Sunrise. She has also brought along a great giveaway! Please join me in giving her a big welcome!
Hello, Internet! I’m Lex Chase, and the super amazing Jay let me drop by for the grand finale of the Chasing Sunrise blog tour.
Chasing Sunrise is my second release with DSP Publications and is about King Sevon Marate, ruler of the cannibalistic aisa, as he struggles to escape domestic violence and save his crumbling kingdom. He’s manipulated into believing the only way out is by committing genocide against the shifters and claiming their land. But hope presents itself from an unlikely source, and Sevon is challenged when he must confront all he ever knew is wrong. It’s a dark story but also one of hope and escape is possible.
But make no mistake it asks much of the reader with challenging, sometimes disturbing questions with no easy answers and recognizing how love makes monsters of us all.
But let us conclude with something a little…gentle. And that is King Sevon Marate himself. Sevon is a fun character in several ways. He’s a study of beauty, grace, and ferocity. He’s highly, highly effeminate and a full time cross-dresser in elaborate gowns, corsets, and jewels. He identifies as male, but prefers women’s clothes, or as he calls them clothes. He draws strength from his femininity, his delicate sense for propriety is protects him when he’s internally crumbling. He is a man who is forced to keep going no matter how high the cost. He is forced to hold his head high, and be the face of his kingdom, when he is nothing more than a puppet.
It will take time, but Sevon will find it in him there are worse things to be afraid of, the worst of all is being a hero.
Once upon a lifetime ago, I used to draw for a living. It’s been years since I’ve put away my Wacom stylus, but I’m slowly coming out of hiding with my skills and providing art for other authors to use as swag. With Jay, she needs her own swag too! So presenting this Sevon piece, a Joyfully Jay exclusive that will be making the convention rounds between at the Joyfully Jay tables and myself. Come find either of us at GRL to get one! Or pick one up from Jay and I’ll sign it for you!
Thank you for joining me on the Chasing Sunrise blog tour! And now, one last question! Ready? When’s the last time you did something nice for yourself? Do it now!
Come follow me on Facebook and Twitter for Blog Tour Updates!
Blurb
Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Paranormal
Series: The Darkmore Saga: Book One
Length: Novel
Published: April 5, 2016
Publisher: DSP Publications
ISBN: 978-1-63476-355-4
Buy: DSP Publications | Omnilit | Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Blurb:
The once glorious aisa kingdom of Darkmore lies in ruins, and King Sevon MaratΓ© is trapped. Sevon endures unrelenting abuse and is used as a scapegoat by Lord Dominic Ravensgrove, who rules Darkmore from the shadows. Coping by dressing in gowns and jewels, the effeminate king relishes the scraps of freedom he is given to be himself.
As a verkolai, Sevon possesses the ability to part the Veil separating his world from hundreds of others. His gift provides a chance for escape, but Dominic refuses to relinquish his tool for power. When Dominic forges an ambitious plan to invade the prosperous shifter land of Priagust, he manipulates Sevonβs desperation for his peopleβs survival. Out of options, Sevon has no choice but to cooperate.
On their foray into Priagust, Dominic’s men abduct a shifter named Jack. Despite being tortured for information, Jack’s loyalty to his kind never wavers. But Jackβs knowledge about Darkmoreβs history unsettles Sevon, and a curious bond begins to form. Despite Sevonβs mistrust, Jack is determined to tame the beautiful kingβs wild heart and perhaps earn his freedom.
As war looms, Sevon fears Jackβs kindness is another trap. Conflicted, Sevon wonders if he should risk chasing the sunrise or remain Dominic’s compliant prisoner.
1st Edition published by Dreamspinner Press, 2014.
Bio
Lex Chase once heard Stephen King say in a commercial, βWeβre all going to die, Iβm just trying to make it a little more interesting.β Now, sheβs on a mission to make the world a hell of a lot more interesting.
Weaving tales of cinematic, sweeping adventureβand depending on how she feels that dayβLex sprinkles in high-speed chases, shower scenes, and more explosions than a Hollywood blockbuster. Her pride is in telling stories of men who kiss as much as they kick ass. If youβre going to march into the depths of hell, it better be beside the one you love.
Lex is a pop culture diva, her DVR is constantly backlogged, and unapologetically loved the ending of Lost. She wouldnβt last five minutes without technology in the event of the apocalypse and has nightmares about refusing to leave her cats behind.
You can find in the Intarwebz here:
Giveaway
I’m giving away a super awesome $25 USD Amazon Gift Card! What do you have to do? Leave a comment down below and click the giveaway graphic above to follow me on Twitter and Facebook or Share, Tweet, or Hashtag! So many ways to enter! Contest ends on the 16th.
- By entering the giveaway, youβre confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
- Winners will be selected by random number.Β No purchase necessary to win. Β The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
- If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
- 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.
- All book prizes are in electronic format unless otherwise specified.
- By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
- Readers may only enter once for each contest. Β Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
- Void where prohibited by law.
That drawing is gorgeous–makes me wish I were going to GRL!
Thanks Trix! Don’t worry, I’m thinking up some swag giveaways in the future! π
What lovely artwork! Congratulations on the release of Chasing Sunrise; it sounds quite intriguing.
Thank you Kareni! I was a little nervous offering it to Jay, I’m thrilled she was so down with the idea of exclusive blog swag between the two of us.
And I hope you check out the book. It’s a pretty dark one, and one person said if you like your stories as dark as straight coffee, it’s a treat. But it’s also a story of hope, and finding the strength within. π
OMG, you are crazy! Don’t be nervous about talking to me, lol. I was so excited to do it!
It’s the water you know. LOL And yay! I’m glad! Here’s to many more swag shenanigans!
I really love your artwork! Wish I could get to go to GRL π
Thank you Lisa! And never fear! I’ll probably be organizing a swag giveaway in the future! <3
You’re so talented. Do you play an instrument too? Β π
Thank you Barbara. π And I wish. I played the clarinet once in grade school. Badly. LOL
Lovely art! Β To your question…last Friday I went to an arts & crafts festival, which I love to do, so that was nice for me. Β π
Thanks Jen! π That’s amazing! I love arts & crafts festivals! I love talking to the artists and learning where they get their ideas and about their processes. π
I love your description of Sevon. I can’t wait to read about him.
Thank you Marilyn! I love him dearly. He’s such a delicate little bird, yet has the capacity to be strong. His story is a brutal one, and I hope for some readers who have never experienced domestic violence to understand what it’s like. As a reader you see all the horrors going on around him, and you just want him to wake up so badly and see what you see. He does though thankfully! But it’s a very hard one step forward two steps back kind of issue. It frustrates some readers, but others they understand someone actually GETS it.
The story asks much of the reader, but the journey will be worth it. π
Congrats on your latest release. What a lovely graphic drawing.
Thank you! π
That was a really nice drawing… I would love to be able to draw, but I’m really bad at it. It always amazes me how people can create beautiful stuff, both with pencils, words or chords… I’m not a creator, but I enjoy every single piece of art I find, that’s something nice I do for myself every day π
congratulations on the new release, Lex. I love your books!
Daw, thanks Susana! I’m glad you enjoy. And thank you for your kind words. You have no idea how much I needed to hear that today. <3
What a lovely drawing! I wish I could go GRL sometimes, to actually meet you guys in person. Well, one can always dream. π
Thank you Didi! <3 True Story: I'm always so nervous meeting readers in person. It's exciting to be sure. But I still think"Wait? You mean me? Not that other Lex Chase that happens to look just like me right? Oh wait. I'm the only one. Yikes!" There's no way I can pull of the aloof and mysterious author persona to save my life. I'm just a big dork about movies and video games. LOL
But never fret! I'll be holding a swag giveaway for those that can't make GRL later this year! π