Authorpreneur Dashboard – Lorna Suzuki
Imago Chronicles: Book One, A Warrior's Tale
Literature & Fiction
If society treated you as an outcast, would you sacrifice your life to save the very same people that shun you? In Imago Chronicles: Book One, A Warrior’s Tale, Nayla Treeborn’s only crime was being born half-human and half-elf. Shunned by one race and denied by the other, she faces a monumental task to find acceptance in her world. To make matters worse, she immerses herself in the male-dominated field of warriorship in a bid to show her worth. When it becomes apparent this Halfling possesses true skills on the field of battle and selfless courage in the face of war, she becomes a pawn in a cruel game that will determine the fate of all the free people in her realm.
Book Bubbles from Imago Chronicles: Book One, A Warrior's Tale
Outsmart Your Enemy
When you lack in physical strength, the ability to outsmart your enemy becomes your strength! Nayla knows she is far better off outmaneuvering and using strategy to get the upper hand. In this case, she uses her environment, including the bright full moon to blind her opponents, and she pretends to be a helpless girl, feigning an injury to trick her opponents. Even though she must sacrifice herself in the course of this 'game', her strategy allows her team to rise victorious. It is much like the style of martial arts I train in. In ancient Japan, the female ninja would use their feminine wiles to gather intelligence on the enemy and some were effective assassins, tricking their foes by cleverly hiding their true intent, thereby bringing the enemy in close so they could discreetly do away with them.
Perfection Is Unattainable
Nayla's experience training with a longbow was loosely based on my own experience training with a compound bow. I know exactly how Nayla felt that first time she lets an arrow fly and does some real nasty damage to her forearm! Also, with her frustration in being made to work harder than her peers because she is a female and a small one at that. In the course of life, if you spend your life comparing yourself with others, and striving for perfection, you will find no matter what you excel in, eventually someone will come along who is faster, stronger, smarter, etc. I tell my daughter that her goal is to do her personal best, not to worry or think of how others are doing as she can only control her own actions. I find now, as her martial arts instructor, she will one day exceed me in terms of skills and will also one day exceed her own expectations!
The Most Difficult Road
In Nayla's case, the opportunity to train in the warrior arts was a matter of survival, an opportunity to rise above her circumstances even though it would be one of the hardest challenges in her life. Many study the martial arts for the discipline, for physical fitness, sports and competition, but many undertake the rigours of training to develop a means of self-protection. For Nayla, it was as much to leave behind her former life as it was to learn self-preservation.
A fresh new take on the fantasy heroine...
When I first began writing this epic fantasy series, I never dreamed it would be optioned for a major motion picture trilogy. I wrote with the intention of creating a lasting gift of stories for my daughter. The inspiration behind the creation of the female protagonist, Nayla Treeborn, was sparked by my desire to create a heroine my daughter could look up to; one that did not possess supernatural powers or superhuman strength to successfully defeat her foes or overcome challenges she faces in her life. She is an ordinary woman forced to do the extraordinary, using her skills, intelligence and compassion for others to survive.
The Dream Merchant Saga: Book One, The Magic Crystal
Literature & Fiction
Be careful what you wish for takes on a whole new meaning when a beautiful, but spoiled princess is gifted with the dreamstone; a magic crystal imbued with the power to make even her wildest dreams come true. Blighted by a sense of self-entitlement, Princess Rose sets into motion a curse when she is unable to distinguish between her wants and her needs. To make matters worse, fate conspires against her when the only ones she can turn to for help in breaking this curse is an embittered young court jester who was meant to be a knight and the local village idiot with a mysterious past. With enemies closing in from all sides seeking to claim the dreamstone, an epic journey becomes a trying, humorous adventure of self-discovery and a test of true loyalty and friendship for this unlikely trio as they fight to survive this quest and ultimately, each other.
Book Bubbles from The Dream Merchant Saga: Book One, The Magic Crystal
Introducing an epic YA fantasy for all ages!
After penning nine novels for the epic adult fantasy series, the Imago Chronicles, teen readers requested I write a novel they can read in its entirety. They wanted a novel written for them instead of the abridged versions of my novels their parents had paper-clipped, blocking the pages containing adult content. With this in mind, I consulted my teenaged daughter for issues that mattered to those of her generation. Taking the best elements she enjoys in reading, we created a whole new fantasy world within The Dream Merchant Saga. It is filled with villains you will love to hate and a unique protagonist you'll hate to love!
