Authorpreneur Dashboard – Lauren Eason
Brimstone
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Kasdeya Angelov can't escape the prophecy surrounding her unique pedigree, being the child and true heir to Lucifer's realm. Held in isolation behind the walls of Brimstone Preparatory School, Kas discovers a sinister plot behind her coming of age ceremony where she is to gain full access to her abilities. Struggling to accept the darkness within her, she's plagued by dangerous psychic attacks, monstrous demons, and ancient secrets that threaten to resurface. Before she can reach her ceremony, she must endure Brimstone's trials that prove to be just as deadly. In a race against time, Kas forms alliances with fellow students to aid in the battle to forge a new destiny for herself, one that doesn't include the influence of her esteemed father. With the balance between the realms at stake, Kas must make the ultimate sacrifice to protect those she's grown to love, an emotion she never thought she was capable of feeling.
Rough-Cut Book Bubbles from Brimstone
Strong Women and Romance
What better romantic tension than a fight scene? Whether it's during training or going throughout their days at Brimstone, I wanted Gabriel and Kas to have a genuine relationship. One that had to be earned through learning to trust each other. While their friendship started off rocky with Gabriel's arrogance and Kas's stubborness, the two grow close as they learn to fight side by side for their home.
Dark Encounters
Kas and her friends face many perils while attending Brimstone. No creature is what they appear. The seemingly innocent sometimes hide malevolent intent. It's up to them to figure out who are allies and who are foes.
The Fight Between Light and Dark
Even demons have enemies. What better enemy than those of the Holy Church, born and raised to fight the darkness of the mortal realm? However, Kas was always a special case, a hybrid of a celestial being and a demon. She possesses the ability to exhibit both light and dark aspects making her situation unique to demonkind. I wanted to create a character who could relate to the morals of humans and still maintain a relationship with their demonic heritage. It makes for an interesting dynamic to see what constitutes as morally wrong and morally right through the eyes of a demon.
Exploring Relationships
Everyone deserves a little silver lining when reading something as dark as Brimstone. While each character is riddled with flaws and conflict - internal and external - I think it's important to explore all types of relationships. Brimstone reviews building and maintaining meaningful friendships, teenage romance, and all the insecurities that go along with it. These connections help shape our protagonist, Kas - her personality, morals, and fears. She has a lot to gain from gaining allies, but also the most to lose.
Inspiration
When you grow up reading Harry Potter, you start to wonder what it would be like to go there - to receive an acceptance letter to a fantastical world of mystery, danger, and magic. That's what I thought of while creating the dark world of Brimstone. What would it be like to see the other side of the coin? To read a story about the bad guys? Thus, the demonic world of Brimstone was born with characters you love to hate.
Characters and Lore
I've always been a huge fan of mythology and lore, having a particular interest in the ancient Greeks. While writing Brimstone, I wanted to include some of the characters we've come to recognize over the years, such as Kas's guard, Mephistopheles - lovingly known as Misty. Throughout Brimstone, you'll see other names that ring bells if you're an advocate of mythology, such as the dreaded Headmistress Charon and, of course, Kas's parents, Madame Lilith and Lucifer. You'll even have a chance to meet new species of demons and other dark, supernatural creatures from all over the world.
Witch Trials: Secrets of Loudun
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Accused of murdering a prominent French Lord, Sarah and Anne flee their home to escape being persecuted for witchcraft. Sarah is captured by the royal guards and escorted to Loudun Prison, the heart of the witch trials. There she awaits her execution, meeting others with the same dismal fate while catching the eye of one of her captors. While Anne, having gotten away, is busy building an army to aid her in saving Sarah and the prisoners in Loudun, the Bishop and his disciples are hard at work punishing those in the way of his political advances. With new alliances being formed and the Catholic Church being threatened, will these girls be the downfall of an empire built upon fear, or will they suffer the same fate as their Pagan ancestors?
Rough-Cut Book Bubbles from Witch Trials: Secrets of Loudun
Sisters Bound by Fate
Anne and Sarah fight to stay alive as they find themselves in the middle of a dangerous political game. Falsely accused of murdering a prominent French Lord, they must flee the country they've maintained as their home or otherwise suffer the consequences of being found and tried as witches. France is deep in the midst of the witch hunt hysteria and these two friends must find a way to escape before it's too late.
