Giveaway & Interview with Epic Fantasy Author, Helen Lowe

Series: The Wall of Night series, Book One

Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

Publishers: EOS/Harper Collins

Released Date:  September 28, 2010

Format: Mass-market Paperbacks

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“A richly told tale of strange magic, dark treachery, and conflicting loyalties, set in a well realized world.”
—Robin Hobb, author of Dragon Keeper




An award-winning poet and acclaimed author of Young Adult fiction, Helen Lowe now brings us The Heir of Night—the first book in her four-volume Wall of Night series, a brilliant new epic fantasy saga of war, prophecy, betrayal, history, and destiny. A thrilling excursion into a richly imagined realm of strife and sacrifice, where the fate of a dangerously divided world rests in the hands of one young woman, The Heir of Night is a fantasy classic in the making, sure to stand alongside the much beloved works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Robin McKinley, and Guy Gavriel Kay.


Book Description

If Night falls, all fall . . .

In the far north of the world of Haarth lies the bitter mountain range known as the Wall of Night. Garrisoned by the Nine Houses of the Derai, the Wall is the final bastion between the peoples of Haarth and the Swarm of Dark—which the Derai have been fighting across worlds and time.

Malian, Heir to the House of Night, knows the history of her people: the unending war with the Darkswarm; the legendary heroes, blazing with long-lost power; the internal strife that has fractured the Derai's former strength. But now the Darkswarm is rising again, and Malian's destiny as Heir of Night is bound inextricably to both ancient legend and any future the Derai—or Haarth—may have.

Author of the Day

Over the Edge Book Reviews

Questions with

Epic Fantasy Author

Helen Lowe

Author Photo by PJ Fitzpatrick

1. What is the best part of being a writer? What is the worst?

For me, the best part is that I’ve had all of these stories and worlds and characters in my head, just about forever, and now I’m finally making it my priority, not just to sit down and write them, but to share them through the books. The worst part is probably that I am actually on my own quite a lot and even the people I “work with” most, my agent and editor, are at a considerable distance.


2. Why do you write?

Because I have to—the stories kept waking me up at night until I gave in and wrote one of them seriously! In terms of what keeps me going, I just can’t imagine stopping. But reading stories I love makes me happy, and so I’d like to think that by writing stories I love and getting them out there for others to read, I may be adding just a little to the world’s net happiness.

3. Name one eye-opening thing you learned from your book research.

I was doing some research into the Burgundian knights, as part of my background research for “The Wall of Night: Book Two” (Working title: The Gathering of the Lost) and I was awed to find out that they were trained to vault onto and off their horses in full armor!

4. Do you have a favorite motto?

I do rather like Sherlock Holmes’s phrase: “Game is a-foot”; and one of the Scottish clans has the motto “Be Mindful”, which I’ve also always liked.

5. Do you have a favorite fictional hero? Favorite fictional heroine?

I don’t have an absolute favorite, but I have always really liked Faramir in The Lord of the Rings novel (I didn’t really care for the film portrayal of his character.) In the novel he is actually a really strong character, but in a quiet way through “knowing himself”, rather than flamboyant show—although in fact, when the chips are down he does everything he needs to do, and more. And although he is just a “normal man”, as opposed to a great hero and king like Aragorn, Faramir refuses the temptation of the ring. So for all these reasons he has always been one of my favorite fictional heroes.

A fictional heroine I really love—again, there are so many, but I really like the mage Tattersail in Steven Erikson’s first Malazan novel, Gardens of the Moon. One thing I really like about her is that she is literally a big woman, but she is seen as desirable by men and has lovers who are desirable men. And although Tattersail is a powerful mage in a cadre of fighting mages, she always travels with her “wardrobe chest” (the soldiers make jokes about it)—and is proven to be both brave and smart. The only shame is that she hasn’t really come into the later books much.


6. Which fictional character would you hang out with?

Lyra Belacqua, from Philip Pullman’s novel The Golden Compass—not so much the movie because I felt they made her character insipid, but in the book she is brave and smart, loyal and resourceful, with a knack for making good friends.


7. What is one of your favorite book covers, your own or someone else’s?

I do love all my book covers—I feel that they all very much “speak” to the books. (I even did a post recently on the Out of this Eos blog on “Cover Love.” But I love just about everything I’ve seen by Kinuko Craft and one of my all time favorite covers is the Del Rey paperback cover by Steven Youll for George RR Martin’s A Game of Thrones. His cover spoke to me so strongly of the story—and I was not disappointed!


8. What would readers be surprised to learn about you?

You know, I’m really not sure … perhaps that, despite loving martial arts and weapons, which I wrote about here, I also love clothes and make-up and jewellery (like Susan, in the Narnia series, which is worrying, given her fate …) and baking, almost as much as Sunshine, the heroine of Robin McKinley’s book of the same name.

9. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever learned by Googling your name?

How common it really is! There are so many “Helen Lowe’s” out there doing so many different things—but I am starting to stand out a bit amongst the crowd now. :)

10. If you could go backward or forward in time which would you chose? Why?

Backward, because at least then I would know what I was in for—and could maybe prepare a little. There are so many events in history which it would be interesting to see/experience for yourself (something Connie Willis explores so well in Doomsday Book and Blackout.) But imagine seeing Michelangelo unveil the sculpture of the Boy David, for example, or hearing Chaucer read from The Canterbury Tales … or taking tea with Jane Austen!

11. Helen, please tell us about your first installment in you’re, “The Wall of Night” series, “THE HEIR OF NIGHT” by EOS Books.

The Heir of Night is about a world of shadow and conflict where the alien Derai people are locked into aeons-old conflict with an ancient enemy—but have been divided by civil war with its legacy of prejudice, suspicion and fear. The first book is about Malian, the Heir to the warrior house of Night, who must discover both the full bitterness of that legacy and begin to resolve it, and Kalan, a young man thrust into a hateful life who is striving to break free. But it is also a story about love and friendship as well as what Robin Hobb, in her cover quote, describes as “strange magic, dark treachery, and conflicting loyalties.”


12. Which do you find is most important to you as a writer, voice or story? Why?

I think they are both equally important. There needs to be an unfolding story, one with action and pace; but it is also really important to me that the characters are authentic and that they are affected by the action in the story, i.e. that they change and grow. For me, the interaction between the characters is as much a part of the story as the events that take place.

13. Helen, please tell us where we can find you out in cyber world. For desperate readers like me, we just have to know...:)

I have a website, here: http://www.helenlowe.info/

I also have my own blog, Helen Lowe on Anything, Really and I blog on the first of every month on the Supernatural Underground.

14. I know this is a difficult question with there being so many amazing authors out there to choose from but who are some of the GOT-TO-HAVE authors in your TBR pile?

I am really keen to read Jo Walton’s Lifelode, which won the Mythopoeic Award this year, and I’ve also heard really good things about Gail Carriger’s steampunk “Parasol Protectorate” series, which starts with Soulless. And whenever George RR Martin’s next “A Song of Ice and Fire” series novel comes out … I’ll definitely be reading that!

15. What’s next in the works for you? When can readers expect to see it out on shelves in their local bookstores?

I am currently working very hard on finishing The Gathering of the Lost, which is the second in “The Wall of Night” series—and it is scheduled to be in the bookshops next fall. And as soon as Book 2 is finished, I will be getting straight on to 3 and 4.

It has been a blast getting to know more about you and your books, Helen Thank you for spending time with me and my readers. :)

Thank you, Christine.

**GIVEAWAY**
Two randomly selected commenters will win a copy of epic fantasy author Helen Lowe's first installment in her The Wall of Night series  series, "The Heir of Night", book two by EOS/ Harper Collins. To enter here are a few simple rules.

* +2 Leave a comment for Helen Lowe including email.
* +2 Spread the Word! ( this means go out into cyber world and post it on any network sites that your are a member of, or on your blog or website. +2 Then come back and leave a link so I can verify the post.)
*Follow me on Twitter. (+5) already a follower--GREAT!+10
* Friend me on Facebook. (+5)- already a follower-AWSOME! +10
* +5  Connect with me at NING.
* Become a follower of Over The Edge! (+3 Already a follower--You ROCK! +2 Become a follower.)

The giveaway is open to All and will be running until October 31, 2010. I'll be picking and contacting the winners directly on November 1, 2010. Please make sure to include your email with your comment. Happy Reading!