 Today, please welcome author C. S. Wachter to I & R. Chris lives in rural Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, with her husband Joe, one German Shepherd, and three cats. She and Joe have been married for more than forty years and have three sons, one grandson and one granddaughter. Ms. Wachter earned her degree in Performing Arts and English Education from Rowan University in 1975. She compares developing a character’s perspective to preparing for an acting role. As a life-long lover of books, she has read and enjoyed a variety of genres. However, after reading J. R. R. Tolkien in middle school her favorite has been, and remains to this day, Fantasy with a Christian perspective. Today, she is going to talk to us about her latest book, The Sorcerer's Bane and she is giving away one print copy to someone in the States and an ebook to one lucky winner outside the States. Chris, welcome to Interviews & Reviews!  How long have you been writing? I started writing in 2015 after coming home from a small, neighborhood writing group meeting. I hadn’t planned to write. I joined to support my friend but the group encouraged me and so I came home, sat at my laptop, and haven’t stopped writing since. How many books have you written? I have written and indie-published eight books. The Seven Words series is composed of four books, a published short story, and a sequel. Stone Sovereigns is a Young Adult duology. I also have a couple of short stories and a flash fiction piece included in anthologies. Wow! That’s a huge accomplishment in such a short period of time. Tell us about your fantasy worlds. The Seven Words (The Sorcerer’s Bane; The Light Arises; The Deceit of Darkness; The Light Unbound as well as Demon’s Legacy and A Weight of Reckoning), though it is a sword and sorcery tale, takes place in the far future on seven different worlds joined by wormholes. Lander’s Legacy, book 1 of the Stone Sovereigns series takes place in the U.S. but the second book, Lander’s Choice takes place in the hollow core of the earth. Creating the caverns of the core was a fun project. What is the central theme of your book? The central theme of The Sorcerer’s Bane is that even in the darkest of circumstances, in this instance slavery to a demonic sorcerer, God never leaves you. “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Other themes that lace through the book and the whole series are faith, trust, courage, and redemption. What inspired you to write this book? The trend away from God and his truths has led to a plethora of paranormal or supernatural (fantasy) stories where evil is combatted by human strength alone or with the help of stronger evil. Soulless vampires sparkle and pure unicorns are now evil meat-eaters. Good and evil have been turned on their heads. I felt the need to write books where God is represented as the true source of strength, truth, goodness, and light. I specifically wanted him to be an active presence throughout the story and not just a passive force so readers could grasp the fact that he is still active in our world and not an absent clockmaker who set this world in motion but has left us to fend for ourselves. Which character (in the book you are promoting) do you like the most? The main character Rayne/Wren has a special place in my heart. I have three grown sons and he became like a fourth as I wrote The Sorcerer’s Bane and the following books. Though starting out as a child with no voice or memory, he grows to become the sorcerer’s bane and fulfills prophecy by defeating the darkness and bringing light to the worlds of Ochen. Do you have any other books in the works? I am currently working on the first book of another Epic Fantasy series, Shadowsprite, and Lightfoot. I am hoping to release the three books of the series throughout 2022. Shadowsprite is a shape-shifting aelf named Keagan. His friend Bran is Lightfoot, a lowland aelf with a pet shoulder dragon named Willow. She may be small but she’s full of attitude. They are on a mission for Keagan’s father but will end up being recruited for a far more important mission by a prophetess of the Ancient. What authors have inspired you? I first read Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien when I was in the seventh grade, many, many years ago now. That story impacted me, creating a lifelong desire to read more fantasy books. Unfortunately, most of the books I read missed the added dimension of the divine. Though it is muted in Lord of the Rings, I was delighted by the elements I found throughout those books. I have enjoyed other series over the years, but none touched my heart in the same way. In time I found C.S. Lewis and George MacDonald. More recently I’ve appreciated books by Karen Hancock, and Patrick Carr as well as a few other young Christian Fantasy writers. Thank you for sharing with us. And now, Dear Readers, if you would like to win a copy of The Sorcerer's Bane, just fill out the form below! This giveaway ends January 25, 2022. One winner from the U.S. will receive a print copy of The Sorcerer's Bane and one winner outside the U.S. will receive an eBook version. Winners will be notified via email and will be announced here and on Facebook. Failure to claim your giveaway within five days will result in another winner being chosen. Congratulations to Joan Coste! |
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