Resistance is Here!

Finally, my friend Jaye L. Knight's new book Resistance is available! I know I said in the cover reveal how much I like the book, but I have to say again, Resistance is awesome, and well worth reading.

And we have Prince Daniel here as a special guest. Daniel is the son of Emperor Daican and a character I love more with every new thing I learn about him. Meet him here, and then read Resistance to find out even more about him and the characters surrounding him. It is an exciting adventure you won't want to miss!



1. When did you and your father first find yourselves at odds with each other, and why?

*smiles charmingly* Interesting first question. I suppose that’s what everyone wonders when they first meet my family. It seemed to start when I was a young teen and my father began specifically grooming me to assume the throne someday, which is normal in a royal family, but my father is ridiculously dogmatic about how he wants me to rule. He has the entire future, including mine, all planned out to fit in with how he sees our family legacy. I’d rather create my own future. Turns out you don’t have that kind of freedom when you’re a prince. Not when you have a controlling father like mine who only cares about his own plans and is unwilling to make any sort of compromises.

2. What was your first impression of Kyrin?

Honestly, I was too focused on my father to notice her much at first. I did hear about her and her abilities and that was intriguing, though I wondered if she would take herself and her position too seriously. When I finally did meet and talk to her, I was pleasantly surprised. She wasn’t what I was expecting. Actually, she wasn’t like anyone else at the palace. She seemed to genuinely listen and care when I talked. People always indulge me because I’m the prince, but won’t offer any real sympathy or encouragement since they’re so devoted to my father and wouldn’t dare criticize him. Kyrin seemed more sincere.

3. Who do you look up to most?

I can’t really say there is anyone. *shrugs* As I said, people indulge me, and most who surround me at the palace are only interested in remaining in my good graces for their own benefit. Sir Aric, my father’s head of security, is a good man, though I must admit I don’t make it particularly easy for him to ensure my safety when I’m out and about. I also like Sam, the talcrin scholar at Tarvin Hall, but I never go there or spend a lot of time in libraries, so I don’t see him much. I like the common people. *lowers voice secretively* Hopefully no one will leak this information back to my father, but I like to disguise myself and mingle with them. It’s the only time I can interact with them normally. There seem to be better men among them than in my father’s circles.

4. What are you most afraid of?

Being forced to live and rule like my father. He’s too hard and set in his ways. I’d much rather leave a life of royalty behind than be a ruler like him. Sometimes I think I’ll go mad with the way he always pushes me. If his moon gods are real, they made a huge mistake in having me born into this family. I can’t be confined to this sort of life.

5. What’s your favorite color?

Green. My father hates it. *smirks* I like to wear it around him whenever I can.

There are lots more extras at the rest of the Resistance Blog Tour! You can find the schedule and links to all the other posts here: Resistance Blog Tour

Available for purchase on Amazon!
View book extras at www.ilyonchronicles.blogspot.com.

Giveaway  

Immerse yourself in the world of Ilyon! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win an autographed copy of Resistance (Book 1 in the “Ilyon Chronicles” series), a Resistance-inspired necklace crafted by the author (Jaye L. Knight), a Better Homes “Warm Rustic Woods” candle, and a wolf paw leather bookmark from Lodgepole Leathercraft. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

About the Author 

JAYE L. KNIGHT is a 25-year-old independent author with a passion for writing Christian fantasy and clean NA (New Adult) fiction. Armed with an active imagination and love for adventure, Jaye weaves stories of truth, faith, and courage with the message that even in the deepest darkness, God's love shines as a light to offer hope.

Jaye is a homeschool graduate and has been penning stories since the age of eight. She was previously published as Molly Evangeline. You can learn about her latest writing projects at www.jayelknight.com.

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Should Christians Be Involved in Politics?

A lot of Christians prefer to stay out of politics. Some people say politics is dirty and so don't want to have anything to do with it. Many people don't realize how big an effect politics has on their everyday lives.

I make it no secret that I am a Christian who is involved in politics. My books even reflect that. So obviously I believe Christians should be involved in politics. The question is: Why?

Politics is what gets elected officials in office. It is how people become presidents and congressmen and governors and state senators and county commissioners and school board members. It is also how bills get passed into law. It is because of politics we got Obamacare, Common Core, income tax, and even why America didn't outlaw slavery from the start. It is due to politics that America has had religious freedom, and also why that religious freedom is being taken away.

America began because people in Europe were not allowed to worship God the way they felt the Bible directed. The colonies were planted and eventually started a new nation which had a government of the people, by the people, and for the people; a government of which the protection of religious freedom was an important part.

Looking around America today, it is painfully obvious that that is no longer the case. Prayer has been banned in public schools. Recently, a child was forbidden to read the Bible during free reading in which the school children are allowed to read a book of their choice. Abortion is commonly accepted. Store owners are required to serve things for gay weddings, though their religious convictions forbid it. How did this happen? How did a Christian nation become so terribly anti-Christian?

Thomas Jefferson said that the most dangerous thing facing this nation is a lethargic people. Christians have been lethargic about politics. They have sat back and stayed out of politics and government. Unfortunately, the Enemy has not. Satan has been very active in destroying the Christianity of America. The state of this nation makes this very plain. We are currently able to gather in churches and worship God, but if America continues down the path it is now on, it will not always be so. We, like countries in the Middle East and elsewhere, will face the possibility of being killed for evangelism. We can avoid this frightening possibility . . . through politics.

America's government is unique. We, as ordinary people, have the ability to change it every two, four, and six years at the ballot box. The people we elect represent us and answer to us. We are their constituents and have the right and duty to contact them and tell them how we want them to vote. We can even influence our government at the roots. We can help good candidates to get elected, or even run for office ourselves. We can get our religious freedom back. We can avoid the possibility of being killed for our faith. We can have freedom to spread the Gospel.

We can't take freedom for granted. If we as Christians are a lethargic people, the enemy will destroy the freedoms we have left. We have to fight. I can't stress how important it is.

I have been involved in politics since I was eight years old when a family friend, Barry Loudermilk, first ran for State House. I have since been involved in every one of his campaigns, as well as the campaigns of several other candidates. I want to keep my religious freedom. I want to fight for it. I want to elect good Christian men who understand the Bible and the Constitution and will fight to protect both.

There are now eight days until Georgia's primary. Finally, I am old enough to vote. Barry Loudermilk is now running for Congress. He is a Christian man and a constitutional conservative. I have known him since I was five, and I truly believe we need him and men like him in Congress. Yes, I'm campaigning. If you live in Georgia's eleventh congressional district, I strongly urge you to go out and vote for Barry Loudermilk. This is the last week of early voting, and election day is May 20, the Tuesday of next week. This election is critical. America is in danger. We must get Christian conservatives into office if we are to retain the freedoms we have and take back the ones we have lost.

No matter where you live, I hope that you will take this to heart and understand that Christians should be involved in politics. We cannot just sit on the sidelines and watch as we lose our religious freedom. There are things you can do, the things I mentioned earlier. But the most important thing to do is pray. Pray for the elected officials. Pray for good candidates to rise up. Pray for the right people to be elected. And pray about getting involved in politics. It certainly isn't always easy, and it can be tiring and frustrating, but it is too important to neglect.

The "Once Upon a Time" Effect

There is only one current show I watch: ABC's Once Upon a Time. (I watch Doctor Who, but I'm only a few episodes into the tenth doctor, so I'm pretty far behind.) A few months ago, I realized that Once Upon a Time has had an effect on my writing. The effect is not so much of what I put into my stories now (though I did decide I had to have mermaids in my fantasy world when they were introduced into the show), but the way I tell stories.

For those unfamiliar with the show, it is a twist on fairy tales, throwing fairy tale characters into our world. The way the story is told is by alternating between what's going on in our world (in the town of Storybrooke) and what happened back in time in the fairy tale world (the Enchanted Forest). The portions from the past always help to further the plot of the part of the story being told in the modern world. It also follows a ton of different characters' stories.

The original version of Across the Stars followed only Sara Watson. The time frame of the story was straightforward and covered only the brief period of time the Watsons were on Emoria. I didn't really keep track of when I wrote different parts of the story, but I have been able to piece together through various memories somewhat of a time line of the writing of that book. And so I am fairly certain that Once subconsciously inspired me to delve into the past of certain characters and deepen the plot through the use of multiple main characters and backstories. I'm not terribly skillful at strategically revealing plot points in the flashbacks and such, but it does serve to deepen the plot and make the story more interesting.

In The Experiment, I did stay in the same timeline, but I had broken away from the single point of view and thus was able to tell the story more fully by telling all relevant parts of it.

For the Time Captives trilogy (Creighton Hill), I am continuing to use the Once Upon a Time Effect. I am enjoying, as I rewrite Creighton Hill, delving into the past of the older Hubbards and discovering what happened to them in the time before the youngest ones arrived, and just what their history with Toarna is. This could not be accomplished effectively without this technique, and I love the depth it is adding to the story.

I have come to love the complication the Once Upon a Time Effect gives to a story and can't imagine Across the Stars or Time Captives without it. It just shows even structure of storytelling can be influenced by what one reads and watches!