Meet Lataeya Lane, author of 'Swept Into the Darkness'

I would like to take this time to thank Andi’s Book Reviews for being a host for my book tour. Thank you so much for all of your support. It is greatly appreciated. Unfortunately I will not be able to make any comments during the day because I work in the classroom, but I will stop by as soon as can. Thanks again! L.L.

What was the inspiration behind this book?

The inspiration for this book/series comes from my love of the supernatural, fantasy, and Biblical influences that have strongly impacted my life.

How much do you have in common with Syndey?

Sydney’s character is actually inspired and based on me. There are so many different things that we have in common. Her educational background in Liberal Studies and Social Sciences was inspired by my experiences. Sydney’s career in the world of education is based off of my career in education. We both are teacher assistants. She works in a kindergarten classroom. Currently I work in a special education classroom, but I have over ten years of early childhood classroom experience. We both share the love of the arts, she and I love to draw, paint and be creative. We adore reading. My first car was a blue Ford Focus, just like the car Sydney drives. Our mom’s own a book publishing company, and our father’s passed away a couple years ago. I guess you could say that I am Sydney.

What is one of your favorite scenes?

Wow, that is a great question. There are so many awesome scenes, but I think that one of my favorite scenes is the one where Angelo finally reveals to Sydney that he is an angel—her guardian angel. He sends her a text message warning her that she is in danger. He tells her that the guy she is currently dating is a dark angel and is after her. Sydney quietly goes down stairs to reply to Angelo via text message and Angelo tells her he is coming over. She tries to stop him, but by the time she starts to text him back, Angelo appears in front of her in a large ball of white light. She is so shocked that she can barely process what she sees. That is when he tells her that he has always loved her and that he knows that she doesn’t love Gilad.

Will we see these characters again?

You will definitely see these characters again!

What is the appeal of the paranormal/urban fantasy genres for you as a writer?

For me the appeal is the mystical elements behind the genre. It is how the genre draws out the many components of imagination within me. I can be anyone, go anywhere, and do anything. The elements are limitless.

What is the appeal of the genres for readers?

For readers I think the appeal is the same. Everyone wants to have that little extra special thing that can make them be a hero. They want to have that experience that takes them out of reality— out of the ordinary. The reader wants to be drawn into the adventure just as much as the writer does.

This is such a competitive genre, with a large number of new books in the last few years. How do you make yourself stand out?

Having such a unique concept— the blending of Angels, Vampires, Mythology and Biblical themes is what makes my work stand out.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but as I got older other things got in the way of my writing. It wasn’t until about five years ago that I started to really pursue my dream of writing and publishing.

What is the best writing advice you have ever received?

The best writing advice I ever received was from a colleague of mine about editing. She told me, “No matter what deadlines you have, if you are not happy with your work, keep working on it until you get the results you desire.”

On what other projects are you currently working?

I am working of finishing this series. There are five books in this series: Dark Betrayal: Chronicles of the Celestial Book Two, Dark Revenge: Chronicles of the Celestial Book Three, Dark Defiance: Chronicles of the Celestial Book Four, and Dark Revelation: Chronicles of the Celestial Book Five.

When not writing, what can we find you doing?

When I am not writing I read, but most of my time is spent playing with my 18 month old son.

What is something readers may be surprised to learn about you?

I think that readers will be surprised that Sydney’s character is solely based on me, my personality traits, and life experiences. No one has asked me that question before, so that was something new that I revealed about myself and the main character in my book.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

This was a great interview. I had fun participating. Thanks so much for having me.

Thank you so much for your time!

Swept into the Darkness: Chronicles of the Celestial Book One
by LaTaeya Lane

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BLURB:

Sydney London is no ordinary twenty-four year old. Ever since she was a child she has had unique out of this world abilities. Suffering from a near death experience and surviving a deadly car crash Sydney is no stranger to death and loss. Cut off from the world around her she encounters an Angel and eventually falls for him inspired by deceitful magic.

Her one true love awaits in the shadows attempting to guard and protect her by risking his immortality. Traumatized by the murder of her best friend she sets off on an unspeakable journey to bring the dead back to life. Sydney's journey of self discovery opens her up to learn of her true angelic identity. She is led in the middle of an inter dimensional war among a hybrid breed of Angel Vampires and the Hierarchy of the Angelic clan. Will her unique powers and the love she bears for her guardian be enough for her to save the Earthly Realm or will she be Swept into the Darkness?

Read an excerpt:

I’d never been a “normal” person. Ever since I was a child I’d had experiences that were hard to explain. For example, I frequently had “flashes” that showed me glimpses of the future. I also remember times when a small light would emerge from my fingers, and I was able to move things using the light. Sometimes I saw things in my visions as well, like shadows and creatures. I could also see an aura around people—usually either a bright blue color or a muddled gray. Sometimes I’d seen a red aura, which for some reason really scared me. I’d tried to ignore these abilities, and there were times when I refused to admit that strange things were happening.

Buy links


AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Years of exposure within the writing and publishing world have made a lasting impact on Author LaTaeya Lane. Writing since she was seven years old, Lane began jotting down phrases and themes later turning them into poems and short stories. Writing became such a passion throughout her youth that she became the Junior and Senior editor of her High school newspaper. She wrote her first novel at age sixteen but was not seeking publication at that time in her life. Lane entered several creative writing contests during her early years of writing and won a few of them. Always captivated by the supernatural and elements of fantasy, Lane was inspired to write a series of books that focused on going beyond the boundaries of life and imagination. The angel vampire fantasy "Swept into the Darkness" is Lane's first published book in a series called "Chronicles of the Celestial." Lane completed a degree in Liberal Studies and currently works to support the education of special needs, middle school students. Lane resides in New Jersey with her husband Leo and son, and is working on writing and publishing the other four books in the series, Dark Betrayal, Dark Revenge, Dark Defiance, and Dark Revelation. Lane also loves to draw and paint. Traveling and experiencing a variety of different foods is also a deep passion of hers. Lane loves watching horror and fantasy movies and is a believer of the Ancient Alien Theory. Some of her favorite authors include, Charline Harris, Stephen King and Erick Von Daniken.

Links
http://www.authorsden.com/lataeyalane
http://www/goodreads.com/LaTaeya
http://www.facebook.com/#!/AuthorLaTaeyaLane
https://twitter.com/LataeyaLM
http://lataeya.com/
http://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Authors/Lataeya-Lane

LaTaeya will be awarding a $20 Amazon GC and an autographed paperback copy of the book (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Follow the tour for more chances to win!